Once again it is time for the quarterly update.  Here are some of the things keeping us busy here at the Chamber.

Redlands on Ice:  This is a brand new event that we are really excited about.  This December the Chamber will bring ice skating to Redlands.  From December 26^th through January 2^nd there will be a synthetic ice rink in the mall parking lot.  This will bring more people and activity to downtown between Christmas and the New Year.  Kathie and Jan will provide more information in coming announcements.

FAST Critical Infrastructure Program:  That stands for Flood, ADA Ramps, Sidewalks, Trees & Parks.  Responding to concerns expressed at the February 18^th City Council Meeting, the City expanded the education and feedback efforts to engage more citizens.  As a result, the City determined that there is not enough support to make this worth putting on the ballot in November.

Alcohol Ordinance:  The alcohol ordinance was discussed at May 6^th City Council Meeting.  There were a lot of questions and objections from the restaurant and bar representatives present, particularly in regards to the potential for live feed security cameras.  The City set up a meeting allowing those concerned to express their issues, as well as hear from the Police Department the reason behind the Ordinance.  Revisions to the Ordinance will be made based on the dialog from the meeting.

Congressional Candidate Forum:  With the slate narrowed down to the final two, the Chamber is organizing a forum for the candidates running for the 31^st Congressional District.  This will be a great opportunity to hear where the candidates stand on the issues important to Redlands and the Inland Empire.  Keep an eye out for the announcement of the date, time and location.  (Probably in mid-September.)

City Council Candidate Forum:  By the end of August we will know who is running for the 3 seats on the City Council.  Once again we will provide a forum to ask the candidates questions on matters important to you.  Look for something scheduled in late September or early October.

Anti-Business Legislation:  As you can see the GRC is hopping.  To add to the items above, there is a bill in the State Legislature will create hardships or exposure to unwarranted lawsuits on not just California businesses, but consumers as well.  AB 2416 will allow liens to be filed on property as part of a labor payment dispute without first proving wrongdoing.  The lien can be filed on the property where the work was done, even if the owner of that property has not contributed to the dispute.  This bill is moving through the legislature rather quickly.  We are doing what we can to stop it, but it looks like this one is on its way to becoming law.  The GRC meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Chamber office, 7:30 am.  Please join us if you would like to learn more or get involved in addressing these issues.

Night Light Run:  The Night Light Run Committee is working diligently on making this year’s event even better than the last.  The date is December 27^th.  To keep things interesting, the rout will be different than last year.  Sign-ups have already begun so make your reservations now!

Nonsense Assembly Bill threatens every business and resident in the State

Once again the legislators in Sacramento have demonstrated their lack of support for the businesses in the State. An Assembly Bill 2416, has careened through the Assembly (on party lines) has made its way to the Senate floor.

AB 2416 creates a new super-lien that would allow employees, governmental agencies or anyone authorized on behalf of the employee to file liens on an employer’s real or personal property, and/or property where work was performed, based on their alleged-yet-unproven wage claims.

It holds non-employer  third parties liable for unpaid wages, precludes any financing options for real property Super-Priority Liens, forces a violation of the mortgage contract, freezes future financing options, places no limit on the number of liens recorded and forces property owners to court to deal with unproven claims.

Existing legal remedies are in place for wage disputes. Employees have a number of options at their disposal to address wage disputes without impacting mortgage financing, blurring property titles and clogging up the court system any further.

AB 2416 would cripple California businesses, severely disrupt commercial and personal real estate markets and would allow unproven wage dispute claims to take precedence over almost all other liens or judgments.

This “job killer” is not only bad for business but bad for the State of California.

The Redlands Chamber has been campaigning to oppose the bill and has asked Chamber members to send letters to not only our representative but also Senators that they believe will listen to reason.

It is imperative that we expose the nonsense legislation that is rampant in Sacramento, identify those that are responsible for it and make them accountable for the outcome.

Success in not determined by the number of ridiculous bills that get approved, but rather metered by the logical, sensible, constructive legislation passed that will keep California viable and identified as business friendly.

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