BusinessMarch/April 2006

Vol. 13 No.3L O N G B E A C H

Hancock Honored at Business Forecast University Benefits the Community Chamber Urges No on Prop 82

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California Chamber of Commerce “ADVOCACY PARTNER OF THE YEAR” for 2003, 2004, 2005

VOTEBob FosterFOR MAYOR

FOR CITY COUNCIL Gary DeLong ✰ Alex Cherin

Jackie Kell ✰ Val Lerch

VOTEBob FosterFOR MAYOR

FOR CITY COUNCIL Gary DeLong ✰ Alex Cherin

Jackie Kell ✰ Val Lerch

April 11, 2006April 11, 2006

Chamber Councils Making Progress

In my February column, I gave a brief summaryof what your Chamber accomplished as of theJanuary 2006 mid-term. We continue to try to create the best possible climate for business stability and prosperity. I want to address some of the accomplishments since my last column.

The by-laws for our Government AffairsCommittee have been amended and approved bythe Board of Directors, along with an updatedPublic Policy platform. You can view the public policy issues we are tracking on The Chamber’sadvocacy web site, www.longbeachadvocacy.biz.

In February, The Chamber was a primary sup-porter at the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune TransitionCenter dedication. Located near Hudson School,the center focuses on the education of homelesschildren in the Long Beach community. From abusiness perspective, Dr. Bethune’s legacy goes tothe heart of business success—the people whomake it happen. Dr. Bethune once said, “We havea powerful potential in our youth, and we musthave the courage to change old ideas and prac-tices so that we may direct their power towardgood ends.” She made that profound statementback in the early 1900s—it is just as relevant todayas we strive to have success in business. I urge youto visit the Bethune Transition Center and marvelat the great work they are doing on behalf of theLong Beach community and the Long BeachUnified School District.

Our councils are moving forward on severalfronts. The Women’s Business Council hosted avery successful dinner event that focused on thepower of leadership. The event included majorfederal, state and local legislative, community andcivic leaders who talked about and answered ques-tions on several critical business topics. TheInternational Business Committee has put togethera marvelous tour of China for March and will followup with a seminar on international business opportunities and relationships. The TechPointTechnology Committee has completed the CambrilloHigh School project to create a wireless campusthat will benefit students and teachers alike.

Your Chamber will be hosting its annualBusiness Forecast event on April 20, at the WestinHotel in Long Beach. This event will be helpful inunderstanding the business environment we findourselves in. Be there if you can.

And the journey continues…together!

LONG BEACH BUSINESS2

Chairman’s Message Larry WhitleyBoeing IntegratedDefense Systems

“I urge you to visit the Bethune TransitionCenter and marvel at the great work

they are doing…”

I f you don’t have April 20 reservedon your calendar, be sure to do so. TheChamber’s annual half-day conference,the Business Forecast 2006, will besomething you won’t want to miss.“Preparing, Prospering, and Preservingour Long Beach Economy” is this year’stheme with a major focus on securityand a discussion from top law enforce-ment and security officials includingPolice Chief Anthony Batts and LACounty Supervisor Don Knabe on howour city is prepared. Additional break-out sessions led by industry expertswill aim to educate attendees on hottopics such as local real estate trends,and why businesses choose Long Beach.

Jack Kyser, Chief Economist and Sr. Vice President forthe Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation,returns by popular demand to give his highly-anticipatedeconomic outlook presentation in the morning, andRichard Weiss, Chief Investment Officer for City NationalBank, will give keynote remarks at the Entrepreneur ofthe Year luncheon at Noon.

Entrepreneur of the YearThe Entrepreneur of the Year—The Chamber’s most

distinguished individual award—will be presented to amember who has changed and enhanced the landscapeof Long Beach both personally and professionally. The2005 honoree is John W. Hancock, President of BancapInvestment Group.

John Hancock along with his partner Steve Conley,founded Bancap Investment Group in 1982. It has grownfrom what was once a small start-up enterprise into awell-established and thriving investment company. Muchof the company's activity has been focused on MarinaDrive, the restaurants and shopping areas lining the bay

Chamber Honors Hancock and HighlightsSecurity at Business Forecast Conference

One World Trade Center, Suite 206Long Beach, California 90831-0206PH (562) 436-1251 ■ FAX 436-7099 w w w . l b c h a m b e r . c o mw w w . l o n g b e a c h a d v o c a c y . b i z

Mission StatementThe Chamber is the platform for business toprovide leadership, education and advocacy so thatthe Long Beach area thrives in the 21st century.

Vision StatementThe Chamber will be the acknowledged leader increating community consensus to support local,regional, and international business.

Graphic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Via MediaPrinting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Seaside PrintingAssembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Goodwill Industries

Members wishing to submit articles, press releases, or membernews items for upcoming issues of Long Beach Business, please fax to (562) 436-7099, attn: Jackie Kuhl, or e-mailjkuhl@lbchamber.com.

Circulation: Long Beach Business is mailed directly to more than2400 Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce members, electedofficials and community leaders.

Chamber Staff:Randy Gordon .... President & CEO ........................ (562) 436-6723Judy Donley ....... Administrator .............................. (562) 437-8823Janet Nguyen .... VP Government Affairs .............. (562) 983-1241Shaun Lumachi ... Advisor, Government Affairs ......... (562) 843-0947Elisa Margoni ..... VP Special Events ....................... (562) 436-2810Judy Nelson ....... VP Business Councils ................. (562) 432-8128 Kelly Stortz ......... VP Member Services .................. (562) 590-9234Marcia Orrego .... Assistant to the President .......... (562) 432-7830 Dylan George ..... Assistant, Gov’t Affairs .. (562) 436-1251 ext 103Jackie Kuhl ......... Consultant, Publications.............. (562) 843-0951Bobbie Spohn .... Membership Coordinator . (562) 436-1251 ext 118Karen Vaughn ..... Information Specialist ............................. ext 100Linda Izzo ........... Member Relations Executive ................. ext 101

from 2nd Street to Alamitos BayLanding. Prior to Bancap, he spent 32years with Security Pacific NationalBank developing a strong backgroundin banking, corporate finance, and real estate. During his career, he headed the National Division, andretired as Executive Vice President—Administrator of the Real EstateIndustries Group.

Mr. Hancock’s community involve-ment and passion for Long Beach isequally as impressive as his businesscareer success. He has served for 9years on the Port of Long Beach Boardof Harbor Commission, including 3

years as President. He is a Director and Past Chairman ofMemorial Health Services. In addition, he has served onthe Board of the Long Beach Symphony for many years,including 3 years as President. Other Board affiliationsinclude Long Beach City College Foundation, RanchoLos Alamitos, Long Beach Public Library Foundation, andPast President of Boy Scouts of America, to name a few.Just last May he was honored by the Long Beach Chapterof NCCJ with the Humanitarian of the Year Award.

Special thanks to our major sponsors for making thisconference possible: City National Bank, Long BeachCity College, Greater Long Beach WorkforceDevelopment Board, Long Beach Memorial MedicalCenter, and the Port of Long Beach.

To RegisterJoin us at the Westin on April 20 from 7:30 a.m. to

1:30 p.m. for one of the most important business gatherings of the year in Long Beach. Sign up today byregistering online at www.lbchamber.com. For moreinformation, contact Elisa Margoni at (562) 436-2810 oremail emargoni@lbchamber.com.

John W. Hancock

Creating a Stronger Community

LONG BEACH BUSINESS3

Nearly a decade ago, when askedthe question of whether Horatio Alger stillexists in America today, The Economistmagazine stated, “Horatio still exists buthe has to go to college first.”

Despite its simplicity, this commentreveals the changing economic and socialdemands of local communities, cities andnation states. It also indicates that wehave entered a more complex era wheresocieties are more competitive, knowl-edge-intensive technologies are moredominant and the keys to economic success are nowhuman resources and not necessarily organizations ofproduction, natural resources, and economies of scale.At the nucleus of this international transformation, where

individual ideas and the ability to manipu-late them count far more than the tradi-tional factors of production, reside publiccolleges and universities. In many ways,this is very good news for the citizens andbusiness leaders in Long Beach where theviability of the future labor force is highlycontingent upon the success of CaliforniaState University, Long Beach in retaining,attracting and educating talented individ-uals from our region and around theworld.

What is even more encouraging is that CSULB’s popularity has reached new heights as we continue to beranked among the best public universities in the Westand the nation by many popular competitive collegiate

news sources. In additionto our success in thenational rankings, TheChronicle of HigherEducation ranks CSULBas the nation’s 24thlargest university. Thiskind of popularity enhancesthe university as a tangible economic asset to this community in multiple ways.According to a recent economic impact study, CSULBgenerates over $1 billion in annual economic impact inSouthern California. Stated differently, measured byexpenditures on goods, services, salaries, and benefits,as well as indirect expenditures in the region, CSULB’seconomic activities generate $2.8 million per day in theregion’s economy. Our students as active consumers inthe local economy account for $223.5 million annually.On-campus purchases of books and meals led to additional indirect expenditures of $195.8 million, sothat students’ total economic impact in our region is estimated to be approximately $419.3 million.

The news gets even better. The typical CSULB student has a promising future, as illustrated by nationalCensus Bureau earnings projections. The averageincome of a high school graduate in California is $32,000while an undergraduate college graduate earns an average income of $58,000. Over a lifetime, the collegegraduate will earn nearly twice as much as the highschool graduate, for a difference of nearly $1 million in

earnings potential. Many other indirect benefits will alsoaccrue to our students and communities including thefact that college graduates, when compared to highschool graduates, will be more likely to have healthinsurance, higher life expectancy rates, better job satisfaction, more leisure time, increased amounts of volunteerism, better engagement in civic responsibili-ties, more charitable contributions, and greater concernfor environmental issues. When our students succeed,we all succeed.

To be a great public university we must continuallyview the needs of society as the responsibilities of ourinstitution and the impetus for our teaching, research,and service. In this proactive capacity we will not only remain at the nucleus of this knowledge-basedtransformation by providing tomorrow’s talent and ideas,but we will be able to help shape and broaden the inclusiveness of the eventual benefits to all.

2005-2006 Chairman’s CircleDiamond

DeVry University ■ Hilton Long Beach ■ Long Beach Memorial Medical Center ■ Port of Long BeachPress-Telegram ■ Verizon

PlatinumLong Beach City College ■ The Boeing Company

GoldCity National Bank ■ Community Hospital of Long Beach ■ Epson America, Inc. ■ Farmers & Merchants Bank

Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt, LLP ■ Hyatt Regency Long Beach ■ Keesal, Young & Logan ■ NextelSt. Mary Medical Center ■ Seaside Printing Company, Inc. ■ Sound Energy Solutions

Toyota Affiliated Companies ■ Universal Care

SilverBP Products North America, Inc. ■ California State University, Long Beach ■ Catalina Express

Denso Sales California, Inc. ■ Lennar Corporation ■ Long Beach AirportLong Beach Business Journal ■ Long Beach Ice Dogs ■ Long Beach Towne Center

Marriott/Renaissance Properties ■ Paragon Steel ■ Sea Launch ■ Southern California EdisonTredway Lumsdaine & Doyle, LLP ■ Westland Construction, Inc. ■ Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corporation

BronzeAEG Home Depot Center ■ Aquarium of the Pacific ■ Boeing Realty/Douglas Park ■ Brookfield Homes

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. ■ Center for Judicial Advocacy ■ Camden Development ■ Charter CommunicationsColdwell Banker Residential Brokerage ■ Color Broadband ■ Comerica Bank ■ Construction Consultant Services, Inc.

Davis Group ■ DDR/City Place/The Pike ■ DirectTV-California Broadcast Center ■ Earth TechEnsemble Investments LLC ■ Ford West ■ Genesis Real Estate ■ Guzman & Gray, CPAs ■ HR-Network

Long Beach Armada Baseball Team ■ Long Beach Convention & Entertainment CenterLaserfiche Document Imaging ■ The Marketing Arm ■ Matson Navigation Company, Inc. ■ Moffatt & Nichol Engineers

Parkers’ Lighthouse ■ The Queen Mary ■ Spirit Cruises ■ Tax Technology ResearchTHUMS Long Beach Company ■ Urban Pacific Builders ■ Via Media Graphic Design ■ Wal*Mart

Water Replenishment District of Southern California ■ Watson Land Company ■ The Westin Long Beach

The “Chairman’s Circle” is a special group of members that have committed to support the LBACC through sponsorships at various financial levels and at special events. If your company would like to become a member

of the Chairman’s Circle, please contact Randy Gordon, President/CEO, at (562) 432-7830 for details.

To be a great public university we must continually view the needs of society

as the responsibilities of our institution and the impetus for our teaching,

research, and service.

How University Success Benefits the CommunityBy F. King Alexander, President, California State University, Long Beach

You’ve made a commitment to your health.

So have we.

For more information, contact your broker or Universal Care at 800-380-2522.

Serving as the Voice of Business

LONG BEACH BUSINESS4

The Long Beach Chamber is part of a broad-basedand growing coalition of educators, private preschoolproviders, business groups, minority groups and taxpayerorganizations led by the California Chamber ofCommerce opposing Proposition 82, Rob Reiner’s initiative on the June 2006 ballot. This initiative would increase personal income taxes to fund a new,government-run preschool program.

While expanding educational opportunities is a laud-able goal, this initiative creates a complicated, costlygovernment bureaucracy and is an inefficient use of the$2.4 billion raised from taxpayers and small businesses.

Reasons to OpposeAfter reviewing the facts, the majority of local cham-

bers, including Long Beach, are coming out in oppositionto this seemingly well-intentioned but flawed measure.Here’s why:

There are more important uses for limitedstate resources, like K-12 schools.

With California facing chronic budget deficits and ashortage of funding for existing important programs, weshould not be creating a new, multibillion-dollar pre-school bureaucracy. Currently, 66 percent of preschoolage children attend preschool in California. Proposition82 aims to bring enrollment to 70 percent. That’s $2.4 bil-lion per year for a 4 percent increase in preschool enroll-ment—hardly a wise use of limited taxpayer dollars!

We should fix the problems we have with our currentK-12 system before spending $2.4 billion annually in lim-ited resources to create an unnecessary and duplicativenew preschool bureaucracy.

The measure fails to focus on expandingpreschool availability for those childrenmost in need.

According to an analysis by respected formerLegislative Analyst William Hamm, only 9.4 percent offunding from the new program will go to enroll “highrisk” kids in preschool who otherwise wouldn’t have gone

—those children from lower-income families or childrenthat historically have shown achievement gaps.

All the academic evidence (even the RAND reportcited by the proponents) shows that lower-income,minority and high-risk children benefit most from preschool. We should target limited resources to helpthose kids most in need.

Proposition 82 would reduce existingfunding for schools, roads and otherstate programs and services, and couldcost all taxpayers!

History shows that raising taxes on higher earnerscauses them to change their investment patterns to avoidthe increased taxes. The personal income tax is nowmore than 50 percent of state General Fund budget revenue. Only 11 percent of California taxpayers pay 73percent of this tax.

Proposition 82 imposes an 18 percent increase in thepersonal income tax rate currently paid by higher earnersand will have a significant negative impact on revenuesfor other important programs such as schools, publicsafety, transportation and health care.

Small businesses targeted. This increase in personal income taxes for those earn-

ing $400,000 or more will be particularly harmful to smallbusinesses, the backbone of our economy. According tothe California Taxpayers’ Association, 80 percent ofCalifornia businesses pay taxes under the personalincome tax.

The government-run preschool bureaucracy will alsoshut down thousands of private, community-basedpreschools that currently enroll nearly half of all childrenin California preschools—replacing thriving businessesthat provide jobs and tax revenue.

Join CoalitionThe groups opposing Proposition 82 support

expanding educational opportunities and enhancing theavailability of preschool for more children, particularlythose most in need. However, Proposition 82 is riddledwith problems, creates a new and unnecessary largebureaucracy at the expense of small businesses, and willnot serve our children or our state well.

Join us in opposing Proposition 82. For more infor-mation, visit www.stopreiner.org.

Chamber Urges No on Proposition 82

Chamber Vows Oppositionto Workers' Comp Reversal

The Long Beach Chamber held a press conference atthe SNUGTOP Custom Fiberglass ManufacturingCompany (SNUGTOP) headquartered in West LongBeach on February 23. The Chamber highlighted thatexcessive workers' compensation costs result in the lossof jobs, the closing of businesses, businesses moving outof state, and businesses deciding not to locate in thestate.

In 2004, the legislature and Governor Schwarzeneggerworked together to reform the workers’ compensationsystem. Those reforms are working.

The Long Beach Chamber calls upon our legislators,who in 2004, supported the reform in their entirety, to notsupport any legislative or initiative attempt to reversethose reforms. Some lawmakers are publicly calling for aroll-back of reform—a move that will halt all the progressthat has been made. Groups that thrived under the old,broken system continue to file lawsuits against thereform. Three initiatives are being promoted and are inthe signature gathering stage for the November 2006election.

The Chamber will vigorously oppose any initiativethat attempts to undo the successful workers’ compensa-tion reforms.

Going backward, in The Chamber's view, is not anoption and The Chamber will do whatever is necessary toprotect these critical reforms. For additional information,please visit http://www.longbeachadvocacy.biz/worker-scompmain.htm.

Chamber hosts press conference at SNUGTOP manufactur-ing facility in West Long Beach calling on elected officials tooppose attempts to reverse 2004 workers' compensationreforms.

Highlighting the Membership

LONG BEACH BUSINESS5

Law & Politics SuperLawyers honors the Top 5percent of lawyers in bothNorthern and SouthernCalifornia as chosen bytheir peers and Keesal

Young & Logan lawyers have been recognized as amongthe top lawyers in California. The list of Super Lawyers isbased on surveys of local attorneys who are asked tonominate lawyers they have personally observed inaction, and it discourages voting based purely on reputa-tion. KY&L was also recognized by the Boys and GirlsClubs of America and granted the President’s award toSkip Keesal for his personal and philanthropic efforts onbehalf of children everywhere. This award puts Skip inthe ranks of former Presidential award recipients MichaelDouglas, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jennifer Lopez.

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The YMCA of Greater Long Beach recentlyannounced that they will receive a $150,000 donationfrom LaserFiche, a local manufacturer of documentimaging software. The funds will be used for a much-anticipated renovation and expansion of the fitness center at the Fairfield Family YMCA on Atlantic Avenue.“This generous donation allows us to significantlyupgrade our existing fitness facility,” said Ricky Grover,Executive Director of Fairfield Family YMCA. “Our rejuvenated fitness center will allow Long Beach citizensof all ages to exercise and stay healthy with the latestequipment and health programs.” The fitness wing, to beknown as the LaserFiche Fitness Center, will feature newequipment for the weight and cardiovascular rooms in addition to special areas for youth and senior fitness. “We’re excited that the donation will providestate-of-the-art equipment and excellent health and safety resources that will truly benefit the community,”said Nien-Ling Wacker, Chairman and CEO of LaserFiche.The Laserfiche Fitness Center is scheduled to open inSeptember 2006.

The Chamber’s President andCEO Randy Gordon was recog-nized for renewing his accreditedChamber Executive (ACE) status at the Western Association ofChamber Executives (W.A.C.E.)annual conference in Los Angeles.The ACE designation is awarded

to only those chamber executives who meet stringent criteria set by the association’s board of directors. To continue to hold the Accredited Chamber Executive(ACE) designation, recipients must re-apply every fiveyears and continue to meet strict professional develop-ment and educational requirements. Gordon was thelone chamber of commerce executive awarded their 10-year re-accreditation this year. The accreditation program was first awarded in 1993 to encourage chamber executives to upgrade and expand their skillsthrough continuing education and training programs inthe chamber management and business fields. There arecurrently a total of 44 ACE recipients who are active inchambers of commerce in the West.

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Nien-Ling Wacker, Chairmanand CEO of Laserfiche, has beenselected for entry into the NationalAssociation of Women BusinessOwners Los Angeles Hall of Fame.The induction ceremony took placeon March 17, 2006, during the 20thAnnual NAWBO-LA Leadership and

Legacy Awards Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.Established in 1979, NAWBO-LA represents more than335,000 women-owned businesses in the SouthernCalifornia area, and one of 90 NAWBO chapters in theUnited States. Since 1987, Laserfiche DocumentManagement has led the industry in offering smart, flexible, and easily integrated document managementsolutions for a broad range of business and governmentneeds. Founder Nien-Ling Wacker is a pioneer in thefield and she has been a lifelong advocate for develop-ing technology that fits in people's everyday workingrhythm. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree inPhysics from the University of Melbourne, Australia, anda Master of Science degree from the University ofSouthern California.

Ford West continues their quest of making customersatisfaction “priority one.” Their hard work and teameffort is acknowledged by the following organizations.The Better Business Bureau rated Ford West “AA” forcustomer service, satisfaction, and truth in advertising.The Automobile Club of Southern California honoredFord West with the Quality Service Award ranking themin the top 21 of 600 “AAA” approved auto repair facili-ties in the region, as stated in their January/February2006 Westways Magazine. Ford West is also the recipientof the President’s Award the highest award attainedthrough customer service and satisfaction from FordMotor Company.

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HR NETwork, developed inresponse to the growing needs ofsmall and medium-sized companiesthat require quality, affordable HumanResources services, is opening a

second office in Austin, Texas. With several multi-stateclients, this move will enhance their ability to service theirclients who have multiple locations. Workers’ compensa-tion consultant Heather Guarnera will be managing thenew office, with the task of growing the business in theSouthwest beginning April 1, 2006. She will maintain herrole of workers’ compensation consultant for all of HRNETwork’s clients. To help eliminate expensive overheadand staff, HR NETwork developed a new industry model.Their attention to the details of Human Resources issuesallows companies to stay focused on the strategic growthof their business, with the peace of mind that they are incompliance and their employees are satisfied and productive. For more information about HR Network,visit www.hrnetworkinc.com.

ThankYou to

Keesal Young & Logan and St. Mary Medical Centerfor hosting The Chamber’s January and February Board of Director’s meetings.

For more information call: Aaron Gordnier Office: (562)624-5008 • Cell: (714)715-0863

(Ford West team pictured L to R: Servando Gonzales,Service Advisor; SteveWood, General Manager;Ginger Presley, BusinessManager; and Jim Friend,Service and Parts Director.)

LONG BEACH BUSINESS6

Focusing on Small Business

The Long Beach Chamber invites you to participate inone or both no-cost training programs. Increase yourskills as a business owner and improve the skills andexpertise of your supervisory and management staff.

This no-cost program is aimed at increasing the skillsand knowledge of employees in California. Your companyhas already contributed to the training fund that under-writes this program. The goal is to make Californiaemployers more competitive!

The Long Beach Chamber designated SullivanInternational, Inc. as the administrator of this program for Chamber members. Sullivan staff will handle theapplication process and program paperwork.

Most of the employment posters businesses mustpost as required by law carry some potential penalty forfailure to post. For example, some employers arerequired to post a “Job Safety and Health Notice” thatsummarizes the Federal Occupational Safety and HealthAct. An employer who fails to post this notice could facea fine of up to $7,000.

Failure to post the following federally-requirednotices could result in fines of $100 per violation:• Family and Medical Leave Act Notice• Notice to Workers with Disabilities • Equal Employment Opportunity Notice

In addition to the federally-required posters, eachCalifornia has its own rules regarding state-requiredposters.

Training ClassesSupervisory Skills TrainingEntrepreneurial Training• Effective Supervision • Coaching and Counseling Employees• Decision-Making and Communication Skills• Handling Conflict and Change• Time Management• Marketing • Financial/Cash Flow Management• Project Estimating/Pricing• Human Resources• Contract Proposal and Project Management

The first classes are forming now! The training willtake place in about four months on a date and at a timemutually convenient to all participants.

For more information please contact SullivanInternational, Inc. at (562) 590-0512 or via email atsamanage@aol.com

Train Employeesat No Cost

Failure to PostMandatory Poster& PamphletsCould Cost You

California law provides job safety and health protec-tion for workers under the Cal/OSHA program. Thisposter explains the basic requirements and proceduresfor compliance with the state’s job safety and health lawsand regulations. Failure to post this poster could result ina penalty of up to $7,000.

What should you do? Replace your employmentposters with the 2006 version of all updated federal andstate agency posters.

For more information please contact Bobbie Spohn at(562) 436-1251, Ext. 118 or via email at bspohn@lbchamber.com.

New State RulesThe Chamber is urging employers to be aware of newlaws and regulations that have already taken effect in2006. Make sure your business is in compliance with bothstate and federal laws.Laws and Regulations

Since January 2006, the following new laws are ineffect in the following areas: • Final wages may be paid by direct deposit to an

employee’s previously authorized account, providedthat all other requirements for payment of final com-pensation are met.

• Hearing notices for Labor Commissioner wage claimproceedings may be served by substitute service.

• The period for filing discrimination claims by minorsunder the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)is extended to one year from the minor’s 18th birthday.

• A collective bargaining agreement for employees inthe motion picture or broadcast industry (coveredunder Wage Orders 11 or 12) that provides meal peri-ods and a monetary remedy if a meal period requiredby the agreement is missed, supercedes the LaborCode and applicable Wage Orders.

• Starting June 1, 2005, a new federal law requiresproper destruction of documents that contain person-al information of the type obtained in credit reports.

• Starting June 10, 2005, new regulations were imple-mented for injured workers seeking independent medicalreview of diagnosis and treatment recommendations ofphysicians within a medical provider network.

• Starting June 10, 2005, new regulations establishedthe permanent disability rating schedule under work-ers’ compensation reform legislation passed in 2004.

• Starting August 1, 2005, new regulations implementedthe Supplemental Job Displacement Voucher programfor injured workers with permanent disabilities.

• Starting September 15, 2005, new regulations wereestablished concerning care for injured workers bymedical provider networks.

• Starting August 22, 2005, new regulations estab-lished safety guidelines for employees working out-doors who may be at risk for developing heat illness.

Further InformationThese new laws and regulations will be covered in the

Chamber’s 2006 California Labor Law Digest. For moreinformation please contact Bobbie Spohn at (562) 436-1251, Ext. 118 or via email at bspohn@lbchamber.com.

The one source for occupational health services with two Long Beach locations.

Memorial Occupational Medical Services Memorial Maritime Clinic450 E. Spring, Ste. 8 150 S. Pico Ave.(562) 933-0085 (562) 432-2821

Buffum Medical Pavillion Port of Long BeachLong Beach Memorial Medical Center

LONG BEACH MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTEROCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES

LONG BEACH BUSINESS7

Volunteer Opportunities

WC Means Business

Women’s Council is taking a number of steps to ourmission. I am proud to report that much has beenaccomplished so far to set the stage for a dynamic year.There has also been a slight change within our organiza-tion: as of February 2006, the Women’s Council will nowbe known as the Women’s Business Council.

Kudos to Rachel Plotkin and Silenka Smith for organ-izing an interesting and informative Experience Speakson February 23 at the law offices of Kessal, Young andLogan. The program provided Women’s BusinessCouncil and the community an opportunity to personallyinterface with Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, StateSenator Alan Lowenthal, Assembly Member BettyKarnette, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe,and City of Long Beach Controller Lori Ann Farrell.

Additional kudos to Claudette Powers for organizingthe silent auction to benefit Women from Shelter toWorkforce held during the February 23rd ExperienceSpeaks event. Included among the many generousdonations were two round-trip airline tickets donated byJet Blue and a gift from the Ice Dogs valued at $700.

The WBC’s next mixer will be on March 29 in thelovely Panorama Room at the Holiday Inn on Lakewood.Also, mark your calendars for our fund raiser with the IceDogs vs Idaho Steelheads at 7:30 p.m. on March 31 atthe Long Beach Arena. Dress warmly and be prepared tohave a really good time cheering our local team on tovictory. Tickets are $15. Lastly, our annual scholarshipdinner will be held on April 20 at the Holiday Inn onLakewood. This year we have raised close to $20,000.

For additional information regarding any of theabove upcoming events, please call Judy Nelson at (562)432-8128 or e-mail her at jnelson@lbchamber.com

InternationalBusinessAssociationPresident, Terry GeilingProfessional Business Services

Women’s BusinessCouncilPresident, Ivy GoolsbyInternational Realty &Investments

AmbassadorsChair, Salvador FarfanCaught in the MomentPhotography

The Year of The Dog

This past February we rang in the Year of the Dog.Chinese horoscopes predict a year full of new, excitingand different activities. Not wanting to miss out, the IBAhas already scheduled a full calendar of “new, excitingand different” events.

Our first “new” function was a joint mixer earlier thismonth at the Pier 55 Restaurant. We all enjoyed refresh-ments, meeting old friends and new business contacts ina unique, waterfront setting surrounded by oceanfreighters, working cranes and fishing docks.

Our “exciting” set of events starts with The Chamberand IBA’s March 10–18 Trade and Tourism Mission tomainland China. Over 150 Long Beach business peoplewill tour the country to observe first hand the explosivegrowth taking place in our country’s largest trading part-ner. This trip will be capped off by the IBA’s March 31lunch meeting, titled “China—Threat or Opportunity?” It

will feature trade experts who will focus on helping localmanagers understand the impact of this changing envi-ronment, develop successful new business strategiesand gain the contacts and tools they need to prosper ina world in which the earth is flat—and getting flatter.

The “different” activity is the first-ever joint Port ofLong Beach/Port of Los Angeles Green Port seminar.Senior executives from both ports will share the dais tohighlight the Green programs they have in place and theprogress they are making in protecting the quality of ourair, water, and life style while absorbing the growing volumes of international trade.

You ain’t seen nuthin yet. The IBA has even more funand informative things planned. (We have to run hard tokeep up with that captivating canine.)

Become an Ambassador and Benefit

This is my last column as Ambassador Chair, and I’dlike to thank a few folks that have made it a pleasurebeing involved with this program, and in the process tryto encourage others to get involved. Two of the mostimportant duties of the Ambassadors are to representThe Chamber when a fellow member has a special occasion such as a grand opening or special anniversary,and to stay in touch with the membership to see if The Chamber is providing the expected return on investment.

Regardless of whether we are a sole proprietor or anassociate within a large corporation, being anAmbassador provides the opportunity to promote ourbusinesses while serving the community. My friend JoeAndazola from Andazola’s Gallery makes a point toattend as many openings as possible, and in the eventthat the establishment still needs art to don the walls,well he’s right there to help. Del Hart from AXA FinancialAdvisors offers his help either with planning the busi-ness’ growth or with the needs of individual associates.Mark Sanchez of Dewey Pest Control gets a great oppor-tunity to discuss the business’ needs right there andthen, before pests become an embarrassing problem.Patricia Margosian from the Law Offices of RichardGreenbaum, also gets the opportunity to discuss the importance of having an attorney review businesscontracts before signing.

Other folks that have benefited from being involvedare Brian Thorton of Thorton Realty, Victoria Alberty ofAccents Plus Business Interiors, Bill Harper of Bill’s Fix ItService, Jerry Loeb of Joe R’s Churchill’s Fine Cigars, BillCheney, a mobile notary and Charles Simkins of CLCPrint Services. With sincere apologies to the newerAmbassadors for not naming them here, I hope to continue net”working” with them and hope to meet andhelp others promote their business. If you are interestedin becoming a Chamber Ambassador, please contact V.P.of Membership Kelly Stortz at (562) 590-9234.

The Women’s Council will now be known asthe Women’s Business Council.

Over 150 Long Beach business people willtour the country to observe first hand the

explosive growth taking place in our country’slargest trading partner.

PRESORTED STANDARD

US POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 416LONG BEACH, CA

One World Trade Center, Suite 206Long Beach, California 90831-0206

Upcoming EventsMarch/April 2006See Enclosed Flyers

Help put veterans back to work! How? By working with VETERANS INDUSTRIES!Veterans Industries can place veterans at your worksite or perform the work at our onsite sheltered workshop. How can working with Veterans Industries benefit you?• Reduces your costs because there is no workers’ compensation, social security, medical insurance, vacation/sick pay

or other “employee” costs.• Performs assembly, packaging, sorting, labeling, and other jobs at our workshop.• Provides you with a pool of pre-screened workers.• Lowers your costs while meeting your production needs.• Brings together qualified veterans and employers for the benefit of both.• Competitive bids without cost or obligation.

For more information please contact Cheryl Iwata

(562) 826-5590 e-mail: cheryl.iwata@med.va.gov.

Visit our national websitewww.va.gov/vetind.

Women's Business Council MixerWEDNESDAY, MARCH 29TH, 2006 • 5:00–7:00 PM

Holiday Inn Long Beach AirportJudy Nelson (562) 432-8128 • jnelson@lbchamber.com

IBA Luncheon: “China – Threat orOpportunity”

FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 • 11:30 AM

Long Beach Airport MarriottJudy Nelson (562) 432-8128 • jnelson@lbchamber.com

2006 Business ForecastConference

“Preparing, Prospering & Preserving Our LongBeach Economy”

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2006 • 7:30 AM–1:30 PMKeynote Speakers:

Jack Kyser, Chief Economist, L.A. County Economic Development Corp.

Richard Weiss, Exec. VP & Chief InvestmentOfficer, City National Bank

Westin Long BeachElisa Margoni (562) 436-2810 • emargoni@lbchamber.com

Cal Chamber’s CaliforniaBusiness Legislative Summit

APRIL 24-25, 2006Sacramento Convention Center

Janet Nguyen (562) 983-1241 • jnguyen@lbchamber.com

115th Inaugural GalaTHURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2006

6:00 PM RECEPTION • 7:00 PM DINNER & PROGRAM

Hyatt Regency Long BeachElisa Margoni (562) 436-2810 • emargoni@lbchamber.com