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Helping Businesses Prosper and our Community Thrive!
Your investment in the Oceanside Chamber is making a difference in our community! The Chamber's mission is to "stimulate economic prosperity and foster a vibrant community." Here's a quick overview if what your investment in the Chamber allowed us to accomplish in the recent weeks..
Public Policy & Business Advocacy
- As part of our work with the Save Small Business Coalition, the Chamber submitted an OpEd focused on urging Congressional leadership to rally around bi-partisan legislation to bring relief to small business owners. This resulted in an interview on KUSI TV and online article placements.
- Chamber leaders are participating in the City of Oceanside’s focus groups related to the General Plan Update to ensure that the business community has a voice in the process. The Chamber will participate in panel discussions involving Land Use Element, Community Facilities, and others.
- The Chamber led efforts to organize a coalition of 20 San Diego County Business Organizations to push back against San Diego County Health officials’ decision to add additional re-opening requirements on our local businesses. At the center of the controversy were more stringent mask requirements and the requirement for restaurants to “maintain the list of names and telephone numbers (of guests) for three weeks”. These requirements did not come from the State of California but were added on by San Diego County Public Health Officer, Dr. Wilma Wooten. Chamber leaders urged County officials to not create new burdens on businesses.
- The Oceanside Chamber partnered with the Carlsbad and Vista Chambers to host a Candidates Forum for the Tri-City Healthcare District. Candidates were asked a variety of questions related to healthcare challenges presented by COVID-19, behavioral health issues, and their individual priorities for the Healthcare District.
- The three Chambers also organized a debate with Congressman Mike Levin and challenger Brian Maryott to take place in early October. The forum, which will be moderated by the League of Women Voters, will be available on the Chamber's YouTube Channel by the second week of October.
- The Chamber hosted an Emerging Issues Forum with a focus on the importance of supporting Proposition 20 the “Reducing Crime and Keeping California Safe Act” on the November 2020 ballot. Prop 20 will close a dangerous loophole by reclassifying clearly violent crimes as “violent,” so violent offenders will no longer be eligible for early release. The proposition was designed to make changes to AB 109 (2011), Proposition 47 (2014), and Proposition 57 (2016)—three measures that were each intended to reduce the state’s prison inmate population. Many people, including small business owners feel that these measures contributed to the criminal behavior associated with homelessness on our streets.
- Chamber staff assisted with outreach to restaurants regarding the City’s Zero Waste Plan Business Sustainability Workshop to ensure they will have the opportunity to give input on impacts to their businesses.
Workforce Development
- The Chamber’s Workforce Development Task force met with members of the Oceanside Unified School District’s Career Technical Education team to discuss plans for video tours of local businesses. The program will be designed to provide OUSD Students with exposure to emerging industries in Oceanside and potential career paths to explore.
Political Action
- Raised nearly $15,000 so far to support our endorsed candidates for Oceanside City Council. In August, The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce announced its endorsements for the 2020 City of Oceanside Elections. The Chamber Board of Directors voted to support Ryan Keim for District 3 and Peter Weiss for District 4. Both candidates have demonstrated that they share the core values of the Chamber, including the support of free enterprise, a streamlined and predictable regulatory system and an overall environment in which business can thrive. Both candidates currently serve in appointed roles on the City Council, with Weiss serving as Mayor and Keim in an at-large Council seat. The endorsements by the Chamber Board followed several months of work by the Advance Oceanside Political Action Committee. Much of 2019 was spent developing policies and procedures and seeking Chamber member input on what issues were most important to them.
- Hosted video interviews with each candidate as part of our “Advance Oceanside Podcast”.
- Interested in helping our business-friendly candidates get elected? Visit the Chamber's Advance Oceanside PAC webpage for more information on how you can help.
Ryan Keim for District 3
Peter Weiss for District 4
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