Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce

Official Publication of the Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce • October 2009 • www.picoriverachamber.org

PO Box 847Pico Rivera CA 90660-6347 Phone (562) 949-2473 Fax (562) 949-8320 www.picoriverachamber.org

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The Business Journal“GOLDEN BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ”

The indetia below is not an error. Due to new postal regulations the address indetia must be at the top of the publication, printing the indetia this way places it at the top of page one when the paper is held upside down.

Rubios Host Mixer in Pico Rivera

{l-r} Chamber Executive Director Robert Tapia, President Alex Saulus, Assistant Pico Rivera City Manager Debbie Lopez, Mayor Pro-tem Bob Archuleta and staff/ownership take a break to pose for a group photo at the Rubio's Taco chamber mixer. Photo by Oscar Castillo

Chamber Opens New Chapter With Grand Opening Celebration

By Brian Hews

Hundreds of local city dignitaries, businesses and chamber members attended

the grand opening/dedication of the new Pico Rivera Chamber offices located at 5016 Passons Blvd. in Pico Rivera.

"This is a great day", said Chamber President Alex Saulus of HealthFirst

Medical, "with a new home, new City agreement, new staff members and new directors, the coming year represents a new beginning for the Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce".

Many could attest to that statement, beginning with the new offices. "The office before this was in a industrial warehouse, not very conducive to conducting business,

said new Chamber Executive Director Robert Tapia, "now we are at a retail storefront with much more visibility and a business friendly atmosphere".

City manager Chuck Fuentes is very pleased with the new arrangement between the city and the chamber. "Its a new lease, a fresh start. Every city needs a vibrant chamber of commerce to support and promote the businesses

in the city and we are on the right track to reach that goal. I look forward to working with the chamber board and staff". The celebration began at 5 pm and ran to well past 7 pm, with food and drink supplied by El Pollo Loco, Round Table Pizza, Cafe n Stuff, Wienerschnitzel .and entertainment provided by TST Entertainment.

More pictures on page 6

Members of the Pico Rivera Chamber Board, Councilman Ron Beilke, City Manager Chuck Fuentes and Executive Director Bob Tapia (second from left) look on as Mayor Pro Tem Bob Archuleta cuts the ribbon signifying the opening of the chamber's new offices. Photos by Oscar Castillo.

Reduces Utility Users Tax without cutting vital services.

Pico Rivera voters will be given the chance to lower their taxes next month thanks to a ballot measure approved by the City Council.

Measure TR reduces the Utility Users Tax (UUT) paid on electricity, gas and telephone service by one-half percent, bringing the rate down to 4.5%.

Residents and businesses will save about $400,000 a year in taxes should the measure be approved.

City Manager, Chuck Fuentes, said prudent financial manage-ment, reductions in City spending, and voter approval of Measure P have put the City on solid financial ground—so much so that the City can afford the tax reduction provided by Measure TR without further cuts to City services.

“At a time when other cities are having to make drastic reductions in staff and services, the positive state of the City’s finances allows us to move forward with our New Pico Rivera agenda,” Fuentes said. “It also allows the City Council to offer residents a dividend in the form of a lower tax rate.”

Pico Rivera’s UUT is already among the lowest in the region. Several nearby cities have rates at or

[l-r] Chamber President Alex Saulus-HealthFirst Medical, Cheryl Rome-ro-Preferred Bank and Jaime Rodriguez, field representative for Califor-nia Senator Ron Calderon inside the new office of the chamber. The open-ing signals renewed cooperation between the city and the chamber.

above 8%, with one at 10%. Passage of Measure TR would decrease Pico Rivera’s rate to 4.5%

If Measure TR is not approved, utility taxes will remain at their cur-rent level.

The opportunity to propose the rate reduction came about because of a requirement to seek voter approval to amend and modernize existing UUT ordinance language. Dramatic growth and technological advances in wireless communications com-bined with changes in federal regulations have made portions of the current UUT ordinance outdated and obsolete, putting UUT revenues at risk.

Proposition 218 requires such an update be submitted for voter approval. Voters in a number of California cities, as well as the City and County of Los Angeles, have recently approved modern UUT ordinances.

By modernizing and clarify-ing Pico Rivera’s UUT ordinance, Measure TR protects the UUT as an on-going revenue source for the City and helps ensure continua-tion of critical City services such as increased Sheriff patrols, expanded graffiti removal and much-needed street improvement projects.

You must be registered to vote to participate in this election. For as-sistance, please call 562.801.4390.

Measure TR Offers Tax Relief For Residents

2 PICO RIVERA BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2009 TO ADVERTISE CALL 800-901-7211

Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce

PO Box 847Pico Rivera, CA 90660

(562) 949-2473, Fax (562) 949-8320 [email protected]

Executive Committee

President Alex Saulus

HealthFirst Medical GroupVice President

Jose Medina Funeraria Del Angel/Morrow

Vice President Jim Osborn

Whittier FertilizerTreasurer

Cheryl Romero Preferred BankPast PresidentKoko Judge

Crowne Plaza Hotel at theCommerce Casino

Board of Directors Sylvia Southerland

SouthernCalifornia EdisonOmar Martinez Farmers Insurance

Von Stroff Extra Space StorageSergio Quinones Cobe Chemical LabsAdrian Lechuga

A Mi HaciendaBill Kalpakoff

Cal Met Inc.Oscar Mendoza

Rubio's Mexican Grill Victor Caballero

Mid Valley Yellow CabRay Chavez

Friends of the Pico Rivera Libraries

Dr. Liza DimarananPico Rivera Optometric Center

Wesley KruseKruse Properties

StaffRobert Tapia

Executive Director

Elena Ramos Administrative Assistant

Andre MartinezBusiness Membership

Development

Business JournalTo place an ad in the Business

Journal call 562-407-3873 for rates or visit www.picoriverachamber.org

and click on Advertising.

Advertisers must submit artwork two weeks prior to publication date. Artwork must be submitted in pdf,

tiff, or jpeg format at 300 dpi.

2009 Publication datesJuly 20, Aug 24, Sep 21, Oct 19, Nov 16, Dec 14

Message from the PresidentThe Pico Rivera Chamber and the

Pico Rivera business community play a significant role in the economic and social development of the community. The majority of our members not only work in Pico Rivera but they live here as well.

We have all been battered by the news – bail-outs, the credit crunch and a stock market that has taken a rollercoaster ride. After the bad news, I have come to a decision: in de-

fiance of the current gloom and doom, I

plan to keep looking forward with great optimism! It has legitimately been a rough few months and it has heavily affected some of our local businesses. But I believe the following:

• That our local executives – from one-person businesses to the CEO managing hundreds – will demonstrate the leadership and planning needed to ride out these challenging times.

• That our local elected officials will continue to act wisely in leading our community.

• That YOUR Chamber of Com-merce will do everything in its power to keep the local economy strong.

• That while being cautious is good; panicking only leads to failure and keeps you from seeing the new oppor-tunities that surface in hard times.

That is why the Chamber promotes shopping locally and supporting your Chamber members – “Shop Pico Ri-vera First-it makes good cent$”. The chamber provides you ways to network and connect you with many other busi-nesses, community leaders and law-makers.

We face many challenges this year. We must overcome many more challenges by working together. Your

chamber membership is a great value and for many a revenue-generating in-vestment.

Being involved is a great way to promote your business – together we can make it work!

On another note, the Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce held the re-grand opening of their new office lo-cated at 5016 Passons Blvd. It was a great success and I would like to thank all of our members for coming out and joining us in the celebration. I would like to give special thanks to the City of Pico Rivera for their continued sup-port and all of their efforts in helping us obtain our office. Also, special thanks to our sponsors, Rita De Benedictis of Café & Stuff, Rene Ramos of El Pollo Loco, Nadine Espinoza of Round Table Pizza and Tracy Bunn of TST Enter-tainment. Thank you all for making this event a special night to remember.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our next Chamber event.

Alex Saulus

By Bob Tapia, Executive Director

One of the things I constantly hear from business own-ers is lack of funds for marketing their business. One of the most important parts of running any busi-ness is advertising, but it is one of the

first items that get cut from the budget when the economy has a downturn.

I know it is difficult to do, but the last item that should be cut from your budget is advertising. Why? Everyone else is cutting; it is the best time to grab additional customers and market

share simply because your competi-tors are not advertising. You can create your own advantage by cutting some-where else and increasing your adver-tising budget during lean times.

Look at all the big box stores as an example. Have you seen less advertis-ing in newspapers, TV, or radio? Prob-ably not, because they subscribe to the above theory and you should too.

This chamber newspaper offers local businesses a chance to advertise to other businesses and residents. It is mailed to all businesses and chamber members in Pico Rivera, delivered to over 30 business in the city, and dropped at all city organizations (City Hall, Parks and Recreation, and the Police Department.)

Use the Chamber Newspaper to Your AdvantageNew members thinking about

joining our great chamber will get a

free eighth page ad (3 x 4) as well as

a picture and a description of your

company, talk about extending your

marketing budget!

Existing members are welcome

to send any press releases to us; we

will certainly give them priority when

publishing the newspaper.

If you have any questions/com-

ments on any of the above, please do

not hesitate to call me at 562- 949-

2473 or email me at info@picorivera-

chamber.org

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Chamber and City Officals Welcome Great Western Building Materials to Pico Rivera

{l-r} Pico Rivera Councilman Ron Beilke, City Manager Chuck Fuentes, Great Western President Larry Rogers, Great Western General Manager Shaun Radcliffe, and Chamber President Alex Saulus. All Photos By Oscar Castillo.

{l-r} Senator Ron Calderon’s Representative Javier Rodriquez, Great Western General Manager Shaun Radcliffe, and Great Western President Larry Rogers (holding proclamation from Senator Calderon).

Chamber officials and board members along with city staff and Great Western President Rogers cut the ribbon.

By Brian HewsOver 200 guests, including city of-

ficials and staff, attended the cham-ber ribbon cutting at Great Western Building Materials in Pico Rivera last week. Great Western President Larry Rogers acknowledged the crowd and thanked the city for helping the company establish a presence in

Pico Rivera. Great Western Building Materials, formerly Oxnard Building Materials, was established in 1926 in Oxnard, California. William Rogers purchased the company, originally a small lumberyard called Oxnard Lum-ber and Supply, in 1964. William’s son, Larry, has owned and operated the business since 1972.

Great Western has built its busi-ness on long lasting professional relationships with its contractor customer base. They have a wide range of building products including: gypsum wallboard, joint treatment / texture, caulk/sealant/adhesive, mask-ing products, fiber cement products, insulation, tools & equipment, scaf-

fold & ladders, lath & trim products, doors, hardware & access panels, fire extinguishers & cabinets, commercial bath accessories, plaster products, cement & stucco products, and stone veneer. Great Western is located at 8542 Slauson Ave Pico Rivera, CA 90660-4727. Phone-(562) 949-9730, fax-(562) 949-9735.

NEW MEMBERSNew York Life

John Avila 6300 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1900

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Steve's BBQSteve Hernandez7007 Greenleaf AveWhittier, Ca., 90602

562-789-0200

Chase BankCarmen Hureta

8965 Washington Blvd.Pico Rivera , Ca 90660

562-942-2812

Thank you!


The California Chamber of Commerce today announced that Governor Arnold Schwarzeneg-ger has vetoed all six “job killer” bills sent to his desk for action by the Legislature. He also signed two CalChamber-supported “job creator” bills. Since taking office Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed more than 90 percent of the “job killer” bills that have been sent to his desk.Costly Workplace Mandates

AB 943 (Mendoza; D-Artesia) Hampers Employment Decisions — Would have unduly restricted the ability of businesses to use all legally available information in employment decisions, including consumer credit reports. Vetoed.

SB 789 (Steinberg; D-Sacra-mento) Increased Agricultural Costs — Undermined the process that now guarantees, through secret-ballot elections, a fair vote and the expression of agricultural employees’ true sentiments on the selection of a collective bargaining representative. This act will hurt California’s businesses by driving up costs, making employers less competitive in a global market. Vetoed on September 2.Economic Development Barriers

AB 1404 (De León; D-Los Angeles) Discourages Emis-sion Reductions — Would have significantly increased business costs and threatened state jobs and businesses by severely limiting the

amount of offsets California indus-tries could have used to meet their greenhouse gas emission goals. Vetoed.Inflated Liability Costs

AB 2 (De La Torre; D-South Gate) Health Insurance Litiga-tion — Would have driven up the cost of health care premiums and increased the number of unin-sured by establishing litigation as the only meaningful approach to resolving disputes over rescinding coverage. Vetoed.

AB 793 (Jones; D-Sacramento) Unreasonable New Liability for Employers —Imposed unfair and costly litigation burden on Cali-fornia employers by unreasonably expanding employer liability in

workplace law-suits far beyond the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Vetoed.

SB 242 (Yee; D-San Francis-co/San Mateo) New Lawsuits Against Small Business — Could have resulted in new shakedown lawsuits against business es-tablishments by making it a strict liability

Remember when Facebook was simply a great way to stay con-nected with friends and family? Perhaps you don’t. Perhaps you were never caught up in the “What are you doing right now?” age and could care less which comic hero your friends are most like or how many virtual drinks you have accu-mulated on your Facebook profile page. Nonetheless, Facebook can be a great way to stay connected, and not just with friends, but with current and potential customers and employees. In fact, companies large and small are taking advan-tage of Facebook’s instant grass-roots communication to promote their brands, market events, hire talent and, at times, provide real impact on their bottom line.

To get your creative juices flowing, let’s take a look at a few examples of how various organiza-tions have approached this rela-tively new medium:

A small local publisher of children’s books, Megan Hearts, has been using Facebook since 2008. By using the Facebook “events” feature to announce book tour events with compelling pictures and dialogue, they have grown their fan base from just a few friends to more than 3,500. Recently, one particular event,

promoted solely through Facebook, yielded sales of almost 200 books.

JetBlue uses “The JetBlue Experience” group on Facebook to create a conversation among flyers about the unique combina-tion of value, service and style the airline offers. It uses this platform

to announce plans for new areas of service and to receive candid feed-back on its service. A forum for back-and-forth discus-sion such as this takes the suggestion box concept to another level, where each user can build on each other’s comments and hopefully get to the heart of the issue or idea.

MobWars, a mafia-style Face-book “application” (in this case, a game), allows players to build a mob, stockpile guns and vehicles, and “fight” other mobsters. If you have a hard time recruiting friends to your mob, you can earn “favor points” to buy mercenaries – you will just need to buy real-world products from MobWars spon-

sors (That’s advertising revenue to MobWars, with rumors suggesting upwards of $1 million per month.). Accounting giant Ernst & Young has found, through its “Ernst & Young Careers” page, a unique way to connect with college gradu-ates searching for employment. Through Facebook, Ernst & Young is able to engage these potential employees in a comfortable envi-ronment, discuss the values of the company, and provide direct inter-action with hiring managers. The use of videos in particular offers a great inside look into a day in the life of an Ernst & Young employee.

There are a few keys to success with Face-book and

other social media. First, it takes time and effort. Think of social media not so much as market-ing, but as building relationships through conversation. Relation-ships take time – nurturing, build-ing trust, and answering questions – and you get out of it what you put in. Because this relationship is online, you need to lighten up and show some personality to engage your audience in a dialogue that is important to them. Second, be a helper, not a salesperson. Genera-

tion Y and other social media users can smell a rat a mile away. Leave the salesperson mentality at home. Provide value first, and then you and your brand will be valued and supported virally.

Third, do what you say you are going to do. In social media, the single voice can boom loudly either in support or in rejection of your claims or actions. So, always follow through in order to build trust. Lastly, remember that Face-book and other social media outlets are great tools, but should be just one component of an integrated marketing plan.

For more information on using Facebook for your business, visit www.facebook.com or call your local Small Business Develop-ment Center (SBDC) The SBDC has knowledgeable social media advisors and has helped numerous clients in the area sustain and grow.

The SBDC is a group of suc-cessful small business owners helping fellow entrepreneurs start, sustain, and grow their business through low-cost workshops and free one-on-one consulting in busi-ness planning, finance, marketing, and various other specialty areas (Spanish speaking consultants available). To make an appoint-ment email: [email protected].

Social Networking Can Boost Your Business

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Governor Vetoes All CalChamber Identified ‘Job Killers’; Signs Two ‘Job Creators’violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act, subject to minimum damages of $4,000, if a business limits the use of a customer’s language, even if unintentionally. Vetoed. Job Creator Bills- During the 2009 session the following “job creator” bills were signed by Gov-ernor Schwarzenegger:

•SB 827 (Wright; D-Inglewood), formerly SB 696 (Wright; D-Inglewood) Supports Construc-tion of Vital Projects — Prevents the loss of thousands of jobs and keeps businesses in California by re-establishing the South Coast Air Quality Management District credit bank.

•AB 333 (Fuentes; D-Sylmar) New Home Construction — Facili-tates the smooth recovery of the housing market by extending the life of active tentative subdivision maps and parcel maps for a period of two years. AB 333 was signed by Governor on July 15.


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For many students, attending a college or university that is nationally ranked is very important. Rio Hondo College has been recognized by Community College Week report of 2008 “Top 100 Associ-ate Degree Producers in America” lists which are based on data assembled by the United States Department of Education.

“These rankings truly show that Rio Hondo College is serving its local popula-tions and doing so with impressive out-comes,” said André Quintero, President of the Rio Hondo College Board of Trustees. “This recognition is truly a reflection of the hard work of our faculty and staff, the strength of the College’s leadership and our students’ dedication to success.”

Each year Community College Week, in association with the U.S. Department of Education, releases its list of the Top 100 “Associate Degree Producers in America.” The list, which contains mul-tiple categories, highlights colleges that award the most associate degrees.

Among the 27 separate lists, 19 were discipline-based and eight were based on demographic characteristics. Rio Hondo College was included in six lists: Total Minority, Hispanic, Asian American, Criminal Justice, Family & Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences and Security & Protective Services.

The College placed 17th on the His-panic list and 69th on the Asian American list, with 520 and 108 associate degrees

respectively, combined for the 41st place on the “Total Minority List” of the top associate degree producers.

With regard to the discipline based lists, Rio Hondo College ranks among the country’s largest producers in the Criminal Justice category, tied only with Harrisburg Area Community College in Pennsylvania.

Rio Hondo also finished second on two discipline lists. In the Family & Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences discipline, Rio Hondo College finished only behind San Joaquin Delta College. Handing out 73 associate degrees in the discipline (eight more degrees from the previous year) earned the College the second spot on that list.

Another list including Rio Hondo College is the Top Associate Degree Pro-ducers in Security & Protective Services.

“This designation is a testament to the perseverance of our students as well as that of our instructors,” says Ted Marti-nez, Jr., Ph.D., Superintendent/President. In fact, we are engaged in the develop-ment of new associate degree programs (the most recent is physics) to enable more students to earn an associate degree, even if they plan to transfer. It is our goal to move to a higher position on these presti-gious listings.”

Rio Hondo College On National List of Top Associate Degree Program Producers

The newest addition to Rio Hondo's landscape, the combina-tion Learning Resource Center and Library has finally been completed and officially opened its doors to students and staff.

The much-anticipated LRC building marks a momentous oc-casion as the first new building to the Rio Hondo campus in over 40 years.

At an astounding 94,000 sq. ft., roughly the size of two football fields, the $34.7 million dollar proj-ect was mostly funded by 'Bond Measure A', which was approved by voters back in 2004.

Featuring several improvements over the former and somewhat outdated Library the LRC includes new state of the art classrooms for what was once the language lab, reading skills lab, writing cen-ter, learning assistance center; all formerly found on the fifth floor of the former library.

In addition to the 400 comput-ers purchased for the new building the LRC features a multi-media resource center.

Complete with a media studio for broadcasting students as well as video and audio production.

With all these old and new features the new LRC has meeting rooms and tele-conference rooms.

The LRC will now also be home to the Assessment Office and Test-ing Center, which will boast an upgrade to the former method of assessment testing.

The new library layout also al-lows for a greater area to display the 80,000+ books and periodicals of the existing collection and fea-tures individual study stations and

computers.The bookshelf aisles now in-

clude motion sensor lighting while looking for books. The library also features a copy center for Students' looking to make copies of texts and other documents.

In a statement to El Paisano Pro-fessor of Anthropology, and cur-rent President of College Faculty, Dr. Adam Wetsman said of the new building, "I think that the new LRC is an incredible gift that the com-munity taxpayers have bestowed upon the students and employees of Rio Hondo College. This building aptly illustrates everything that we can accomplish together."

However the new building is not without its foils the construc-tion team responsible for the new building failed to include an Inter-net connection in three of the new LRC classrooms.

This problem has also crossed

over into the lack of Wi-Fi avail-able in the library, which can be a frustration for some students who wish to use the serene facilities provided but cannot due to the lack of Internet connectivity.

First year student Merl Pizzaro

says of the new LRC/Library "it's good but it's really barren and I get no signal on my phone which is really irritating, I have to wait five minutes to get one bar."

The LRC sits atop the hill where the former Putnam Center once stood. The state of the art and environmentally conscience build-ing overlooks the L.A. basin with a panoramic view of the Whittier landscape as a backdrop.

With a modern international design the building reflects that of Rio Hondo's campus which today is one of the few intact examples in Southern California of an entire complex of buildings influenced by

Members in the NewsRio Hondo College Opens Massive New Library Resource Center

The new Library Resource Center at Rio Hondo College.

the style.The building features what is

being commonly referred to as the 'Tree House' which is a two walled reading room with bookshelves and tables for studying as well as a microfiche machine.

The views from the windows overlook both the campus and the surrounding cities and are dotted with palms reminiscent of Califor-nia's iconic palms.

Mechanical Engineering stu-dent, Antonio Lopez says, "It's a great environment, very well or-ganized and also it's good to study and relax."

Part of the Facilities Master Plan, a planning and design pro-posal, the latest addition is the first of many campus wide improve-ments planned through to 2014.

Projects include the renovation of the former library into the Rio Hondo Tower, the Applied Technol-ogy Building a brand new state of the art buildings such as an Arts Center, Physical Education Com-plex, Academic Commons, and Athletic Fields.

All were planned with the idea of increased student population growth. However since the draft-ing of the Master Plan the proposed parking structures, which would have greatly alleviated traffic prob-lems, have since been dropped.

The LRC will had a ribbon cut-ting ceremony on Oct 15th.


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Mon –Thurs: 5pm – 9pmFri & Sat: 5pm – 10pm

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www.picoriverachamber.

org

Attorney partner in chamber member law firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo.

Thomas A. Lenz, a partner with Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, has again been named to the list of “Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in the United States for 2009” as compiled by Labor Relations Institute, Inc., a leading industry information source. He made his debut on the list in 2006.

Inclusion on the list puts Lenz in the top one percent of labor attorneys in the U.S., making him one of the most active and s u c c e s s f u l a t t o r n e y s representing companies in National L a b o r R e l a t i o n s Board-monitored elections.

“To be included in the Top One Hundred is a tremendous honor,” according to LRI CEO Donald P. Wilson. “It acknowledges these attorneys’ professionalism and long-term dedication to their clients.”

Lenz made the prominent list by being selected from more than 9,000 attorneys who have represented clients in union matters.

“Top One Hundred” winners have represented clients in a substantial volume of representation elections and achieved consistently favorable results for those clients.

As employers face a challenging economy and a period of significant change in national labor law and policy, Mr. Lenz regularly advises

and assists employers in business planning on labor issues as well as educating the business community. In 2009 alone, hundreds of employers have benefitted from his seminars and

training sessions on topics including the Employee

Free Choice Act l e g i s l a t i o n c u r r e n t l y pending in Congress.

Prior to joining AALRR, Mr. Lenz practiced law with the National Labor R e l a t i o n s

Board, Region 21, in Los Angeles. Since joining the firm, he has played a leading role in advice, training, and representation of employers in unfair labor practice cases; representation election cases; union organizing campaigns, including corporate campaigns and salting; collective bargaining; picketing; strikes; and related litigation.

Thomas A. Lenz, a partner with Thomas A. Lenz, a partner with Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, has again been named to the Romo, has again been named to the list of “Top One Hundred Labor list of “Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in the United States Attorneys in the United States for 2009” as compiled by for 2009” as compiled by Labor Relations Institute, Labor Relations Institute, Inc., a leading industry Inc., a leading industry information source. He information source. He made his debut on the list made his debut on the list

Inclusion on the list puts Inclusion on the list puts Lenz in the top one percent of Lenz in the top one percent of labor attorneys in the labor attorneys in the U.S., making him U.S., making him one of the most one of the most active and active and

economy and a period of significant economy and a period of significant change in national labor law and change in national labor law and policy, Mr. Lenz regularly advises policy, Mr. Lenz regularly advises

and assists employers in and assists employers in business planning on labor business planning on labor issues as well as educating issues as well as educating the business community. the business community. In 2009 alone, hundreds of In 2009 alone, hundreds of employers have benefitted employers have benefitted from his seminars and from his seminars and

training sessions on topics training sessions on topics including the Employee including the Employee

Free Choice Act Free Choice Act

Member NewsThomas Lenz Named One of the

Top 100 U.S. Labor Attorneys

Alex Saulus {r} is presented a Certificate of Recognition by Jamie Rodriquez of Senator Ron Calderon’s office. Photo by Oscar Castillo

Chamber Office Grand Opening

[l-r] Elena Ramos, Chamber Administrative Assistant; Sergio Quinonez & Mary Mercado of Cobe Chemical Lab. Photo by Oscar Castillo

Andre Martinez, Chamber Business Membership Development; Lisa Her-rera of Assemblyman Charles Calderon’s office; Jose Medina-Funeraria Del Angel/Morrow. Photo by Oscar Castillo

Wesley Kruse of Kruse Dairy & Maria Elena Martinez of Rio Hondo College.


Sponsorships AvailablePlatinum Sponsors - $500.00

Your company named as a major sponsor in all news releases, recognition in Expo Program, Website listing and recognition in Business Journal, includes 1 table

Special Recognition at event by MC.

Gold Sponsors - $300.00 Your company name in Expo Program, recognition in Business Journal, includes 1 table

Silver Sponsor - $250.00 Your company name in Expo Program includes 1 table

For Reservations for Tables and Sponsorships contact the Chamber Office at (562)949-2473 or email: [email protected] reserve your tables for &125 hurry! they are going fast!

Attention All Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce Members!

Western ThemeAnnual Business & Health Expo

Thursday, October 22, 2009

El Rodeo - 8825 Washington Blvd, Pico Riverafrom 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Table Decorating ContestWin great prizes!

Show Your Spirt By Decorating your table with a Western Theme. Best decorated table will be entered to win a prize.

In an effort to conserve the area’s limited supply of drinking water, the City of Pico Rivera is partner-ing with the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and the Central Basin Municipal Water District to begin work on the Pico Rivera Recycled Water Project.

The project includes install-ing a pipeline along Mines Avenue between the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo Spreading Grounds. This pipe is the initial seg-ment of a larger system that will eventually carry recycled water to green areas alongside the spreading grounds as well as schools, parks and other public landscaping in Pico Rive-ra.

Pico Rivera’s recycled water project will tie into Central Basin’s Southeast Water Reliability Project (SWRP), a 12-mile long pipeline extending from Pico Rivera through Montebello and southeast Los An-geles County that will move storm water and recycled water through-out the area.

City Manager, Chuck Fuentes, said bringing recycled water into

the community is the single most effective way to conserve our lim-ited supply of drinking water. When fully operational, the project could conserve more than 84 million gal-lons of water in Pico Rivera annu-ally.

Other benefits of using locally-produced recycled water include less impact on fragile ecosystems,

using less energy to pump im-ported water long distances

and the availability of a re-liable water supply for the

region. Recycled water is

also less expensive to purchase.

“Keeping our parks and other public land-scaping looking good

requires a lot of water,” Fuentes said. “Using re-

cycled water for irrigation not only protects our supply of

drinking water, it saves the city a significant amount of money on an on-going basis.”

The recycled water pipeline is only one of many projects being undertaken by the City to improve local streets, community facilities and other public infrastructure. See the accompanying Progress Report on City Improvement Projects for an update on other efforts.

New City Pipeline to Deliver Recycled Water

The project includes install-The project includes install-ing a pipeline along Mines ing a pipeline along Mines Avenue between the San Avenue between the San Gabriel River and Rio Gabriel River and Rio Hondo Spreading Hondo Spreading Grounds. This pipe Grounds. This pipe is the initial seg-is the initial seg-

as well as schools, as well as schools, parks and other public parks and other public

produced recycled water include produced recycled water include less impact on fragile ecosystems, less impact on fragile ecosystems,

using less energy to pump im-using less energy to pump im-ported water long distances ported water long distances

and the availability of a re-and the availability of a re-liable water supply for the liable water supply for the

region. region.

Fuentes said. “Using re-Fuentes said. “Using re-cycled water for irrigation cycled water for irrigation

Central Basin Municipal Water District launched the High Effi-ciency Liv-ing Program (H.E.L.P) Landscape Workshop series this week, with workshops in the Cities of Huntington Park, Lynwood and Norwalk. In total, more than 175 residents attended the free work-shops to learn about water saving landscape practices, California friendly plants, and the benefits of different soil types.

Last year, Central Basin was awarded an $88,350 grant through Metropolitan Water District's En-hanced Conservation Program, to provide residents in disadvantaged cities with California Friendly Landscape workshops.

In keeping with Central Ba-sin’s strategic efforts to increase regional conservation, these work-shops provide local residents with the information and tools they need to conserve water and reduce their monthly water bills.

"This is a great program for our residents," said Central Basin Board President Ed Vasquez. "With most of our cities now adopting mandatory water conservation

ordinances, this is just another way for us to support our residents in

reducing daily water use."

Upon comple-tion of the two hour

workshop, the attendees received a state-of-the-art irrigation kit that included a set of high-efficiency MP rotators, a stand for the rota-tors and a hand-operated watering timer to connect to their water hose. Upcoming HELP Landscape Workshops:

October 28, 2009 at 6:00pm: Montebello Senior Center, Monte-bello - English

In addition to these workshops, six more will be scheduled this fall. For information on dates and times of upcoming H.E.L.P Landscape workshops, please visit www.cen-tralbasin.org or call (323) 201-5514.

Central Basin Launches New High Efficiency Gardening Workshop

Series For Local Residents

www.picoriverachamber.

org

8 PICO RIVERA BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2009 TO ADVERTISE CALL 800-901-72118 PICO RIVERA BUSINESS JOURNAL • JUNE 2009 TO ADVERTISE CALL 800-901-7211

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Invest in our city.Invest in our city.Invest in our city.Invest in our city.Invest in our city.Invest in our city.Invest in our city.Invest in our city.

Support local businesses. Support our community.Support local businesses. Support our community.For your free Shop Pico Rivera coupon bag, call the Chamber of Commerce at 562.949.2473.For your free Shop Pico Rivera coupon bag, call the Chamber of Commerce at 562.949.2473.

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