ISSUE 10
VOLUME 46
October 2013
Business Today
the official publication of the pittsburg chamber of commerce
Pittsburg Seafood and Music Festival is a sensory success On East Sixth Street, a Jimi Hendrix look-alike was bringing the iconic guitarist back to life with a spot on, high-decibel rendition of "All Along the Watchtower." Across the street was a food vendor selling alligator on a stick. A few blocks south, the Pittsburg High marching show band was preparing to march up Railroad Avenue. The 29th annual Pittsburg Seafood and Music Festival had something for everyone and all the senses. There were more than 100 craft vendors and more than 40 food tents. There was live music on three stages, a kids play area and a relentless sun.
The first big requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is fast approaching, and employers face a compliance date of October 1, 2013. See Page 2
City Council members gave tentative approval to an ordinance that would ban the use of plastic bags, making it the first East Contra Costa city to do so. Under the ordinance, grocery stores and other retailers in Pittsburg would not be able to provide single-use plastic bags to customers. The matter will come back to the council for a second public hearing and formal consideration at an Oct. 21 meeting. If approved at that meeting, the ordinance would go into effect Jan. 15, 2014. See Page 2
The idea behind the ordinance is to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags to stores and to cut down on the blight and environmental damage associated with plastic bags. The ban would not apply to restaurants, plastic garment bags, or protective bags used for items such as fresh produce, meat, prepared foods and prescription medicine. The ordinance also requires retailers to charge customers a minimum of 10 cents for a paper bag during the first year after its passage, 15 cents the second year and 25 cents the third year and beyond.
2013 Partners
2013 Pittsburg Seafood & Music Festival Pittsburg to consider ban on retail plastic bags October 1st Deadline for exchange coverage notice Chamber Member & local printer honored for sales growth Harry’s Corner Monthly Tech Tip
October 1 Deadline for Exchange Coverage Notice
Pittsburg to consider ban on retail platic bags
2013 President’s Club
In this issue
Employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must provide a notice of coverage options to each employee, regardless of plan enrollment status (if applicable) or of part-time or full-time status. Although the ACA’s employer mandate was delayed, the delay had no effect on the requirement for employers to provide this form. Current employees must receive the notice by October 1, 2013. In addition, from that date forward, employers must provide the notice to each new employee at the time that he/she is hired. For 2014, the Department of Labor (DOL) will consider a notice to be provided at the time of hiring if the notice is provided within 14 days of an employee's start date. See Page 3
Coffee & Commerce
Pittsburg Seafood and Music Festival is a sensory success "We like the music, the venue," Nikki Karimzad said. "There's an Hispanic group over there. You go down there (toward East Eighth) and it's garlic heaven. I keep looking for Dungeness crab in a shell," she said, laughing. Couture said she hears the same kind of feedback from attendees. "They like the variety of food that we have," she said. "Also we have some great vendors with some really unique items. I know therePOWs haveon been relationships the Bataan Death March. Air Force with some of the vendors.(U.S. We have onephoto) in Oregon that people call for to make sure they're coming Just a hot lick away from the Hendrix impersonator, back." Donna Morey's petting zoo was doing a brisk business. Couture said the festival's community feel comes in part from the hundreds of volunteers who help "This is a very nice event. That's why I came back make it happen. here," said Morey, who owns My Pony Party and Petting Zoo with her husband. They live in the "We have an amazing community," she said, "and the Yosemite area, and take their animals to 15 events volunteers that we have are exceptional. They know per year. this festival, they've been doing it for years. We could not have done this without them." "I like the food here," said Morey, whose petting zoo By Gary Peterson menagerie included baby goats, a pig, miniature Contra Costa Times ponies, a miniature bull and an alpaca. "The people Posted: 09/07/2013 are awesome. We started here last year. People are coming back and finding us."
Pittsburg city council gives tentative approval to plastic bag ban Merchants who do not comply would be subject to a $100 fine for the first offense after receiving a written warning, $200 for a second offense within a year, and $500 for a third and later offense within a year. While Alameda County banned plastic bags in January, there has not been a general ban in Contra Costa County. In June, Richmond became the first Contra Costa city to approve a ban, while El Cerrito did so in August. San Pablo and Lafayette are considering a ban. San Francisco was the first city in the country to enact a plastic bag ban when it did so in 2007. By Eve Mitchell Contra Costa Times Posted: 09/16/2013 06:42:21 AM PDT
Monica Couture, special events coordinator for the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, said that in much the same way festival attendees keep coming back to their favorite vendors, those vendors keep coming back to the Seafood and Music Festival. As far as Nikki and Mike Karimzad were concerned, they had the best seat in the house for a time Saturday morning -- in the shade and just across the street from the Hendrix act. The Brentwood residents said they had attended the festival once before, when it was held in a field. They said they liked the downtown location better.
There’s no core curriculum for technology. Nobody teaches you the basics. You just pick stuff up as you go along. As a result, everybody, even experts, wind up with knowledge holes-things everybody thinks everybody else knows about the basics of consumer electronics. Here are a few tips picked up along the way...
Web Tips:
1. Don’t reach for the mouse to go back to the previous web page. Just tap the backspace key. (Alt+left-arrow key also works for Back, and Alt+right-arrow for Forward, if you have a Mac, substitute the Option key for Alt.) 2. After you type a word or phrase into a search box, don’t click the search button. Just press the Enter key. (The Enter key also works to click “Go” after you’ve typed an address, or the highlighted button, like “O.K.” or “Print,” in most dialog boxes. Yes, there are people who don’t realize that.)
Business Today
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Things you should know about exchange coverage notice... *The exchange notices require employer input. *The model notices can be modified as long as they provide the required content. Refer to DOL's temporary guidance document for what needs to be included and consult with your benefits expert before making changes. *The notice must be provided to all employees: full-time and part-time. *Some of the information on the forms is optional. Your company may want to include the optional information if it is helpful to employees and will give them a better understanding of the exchange and of any company-offered coverage. Some employers choose to provide additional information to employees along with the notice. For instance, some employers choose to provide additional general information regarding the ACA's implementation or to explain the ACA's actual effect on their employees. Again, consult with your current benefits administrator or other benefits expert as to any additional information you wish to provide.
October 1 Deadline for Exchange Coverage Delivery of Notice Notice You must provide the notice in writing, and in a The notice informs the employee of: *The existence of the Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace), also called an exchange *A description of services *How to contact the Marketplace *Additional required information The notice also provides information about the employer’s health plan, or lack thereof. The DOL issued temporary guidance on what it will consider as compliance with the notice requirement.
Model Notices
The DOL also created two model notices: one model for employers who do not offer a health plan and a second model for covered employers who offer a health plan for some or all employees:
way that is understood by the average employee. The notice must be provided free of charge. Employers are not required to provide a separate notice to dependents or other individuals who are, or may become, eligible for coverage under the plan but who are not employees. The notice can be provided by first-class mail or electronically. Electronic delivery of the notice must meet the requirements of the DOL’s electronic disclosure safe harbor. Generally: *The administrator of the employee benefit plan must ensure that the system used to furnish the documents results in actual receipt of transmitted information (such as using a return-receipt or bounce back feature) and protects confidentiality of personal information relating to the individual’s account or benefits.
*Electronic notification can be provided only if the participant has regular access to the employer’s electronic information system as part of his/her job duties, or has provided affirmative written consent to receive an electronic distribution. *New Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage Options and Your Health Coverage - For Employers This is just a general overview of the electronic notice requirements. More information about That Offer a Health Plan. these requirements can be found by reading the existing regulation 29 CFR 2520.104vb-1(c). Employers Covered by the Notice Requirement Questions should also be directed to The exchange notice requirement applies to all your benefits administrator or benefits expert. employers covered by the FLSA. Generally, the FLSA covers employers that employ one or more By Covered California News www.covered CA.com employees and who are engaged in, or produce goods for, interstate commerce. For most firms, a test of not less than $500,000 in annual dollar volume of business applies. The FLSA automatically covers some specific entities, including federal, state and local government agencies, hospitals and most schools. The DOL provides a tool to help companies determine the applicability of the FLSA. *New Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage Options and Your Health Coverage - for Employers That Do Not Offer a Health Plan
Specific questions about whether your organization is covered by the notice requirement should be directed to your benefits administrator or other benefits expert.
Business Today
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October 2013 Calendar of events Harry’s Corner
01 SCORE Business Small Business Counseling By appointment only
The Chamber needs your input. The City of Pittsburg is proposing to stop the distribution of single-use plastic bags in grocery and retail stores, and replacing those bags with Recycled Paper Bags, making it the first East Contra Costa city to consider such a ban. The Pittsburg ordinance would also impose a minimum 10-cent fee on the paper bags for the first year, then rising to 15 cents for year two, and 25 cents for the third year and beyond. And ALL Retail Businesses would be required to annually submit a report to the city as to the number of bags sold and the dollars collected. The banning of plastic bags can be debated with many pros and cons. It is the reporting requirements for all retail businesses that are concerning. For some large businesses the tracking and reporting requirements are simply a push of a computer button, but for a small business this tracking and reporting will be complicated and difficult to do. Please let the Chamber know what your thoughts are on this proposed ordinance. The City Council will consider the item a second time, and for adoption, at its October 21 meeting 7 pm, at Pittsburg City Hall. If you are concerned about this proposed ordinance you can, and should, notify the Mayor and Council Members. Please send a copy of your comments to the Chamber. Harry York
Chamber Public Policy Forum 3:30pm to 4:30pm
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Coffee & Commerce Speakers: Pittsburg Community Theatre 8:00am to 9:15am
Spooktacular event at Century Plaza Time: TBA
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Chamber Member & Local Printer Honored for Sales Growth Tim and Cecilia Stone, Ready Print, Inc., Pittsburg, CA, have been honored for their company’s sales growth by CPrint® International during the bi-annual board meeting in Oakland, CA. CPrint® awards printers who have demonstrated a significant sales growth over the past year.
New Members EF Foundation for Foreiggn Study 640 Bailey Rd, Suite 188 Baypoint CA. 94656 (925) 473-1800
State Farm Ins. 130 E. Leland Rd Pittsburg, CA. 94656 (925) 432-2961
PG&E 1850 Gateway Blvd, 8th Floor concord CA. 94520 (925) 459-8067
According to Todd Nuckols, CPrint® president, Ready Print is among an elite group of companies who are seeing sales increases in the slow economy. “Ready Print is focusing on principles and practices geared to exceptional customer service,” said Nuckols. “This effort is resulting in increased sales even in a time of an economic slowdown. A company who can achieve growth in these times can only achieve it by being the best print provider for its business customers.” CPrint® International is an organization of independently owned family-based businesses that strive for professionalism and performance among small business that commonly lack highly developed systems and leadership. Companies from throughout North America participate in the program. Ready Print is the only printer in Contra Costa County that qualified for the prestigious CPrint® designation. CPrint® is available only to printers who demonstrate exceptional quality and service by maintaining standards in operations, training, equipment and software as well as worker benefits and working conditions. This program requires annual onsite recertification as well as participation in continuing educational programs. Ready Print, Inc. is located at 182 East Leland Road, Pittsburg, CA 94565. For more information about the company, call 925-432-3145, e-mail Tim@readyprint.com, or visit the company’s website at www.readyprint.com.
Business Starts Here Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce 985 Railroad Ave. Pittsburg, CA. 94565 (925)432-7301
Newsletter
Monica Couture Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce
monica@pittsburgchamber.org
Harry York CEO
Business TodAY
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