November 21, 2016 News & Events
Thanksgiving Community Breakfast 2016
Thank you for joining us at the 37th Annual Community Thanksgiving Breakfast

Thank you to all who attended the 37th Annual Community Breakfast this past Friday. We had a great crowd, delicious food and captivating speakers. It was a beautiful kickoff to the holiday season for all!

Special thanks to Dick Callahan our Keynote Speaker and to Lafayette United Methodist Church for sharing their facilities with us. Thank you to pastor Mary Lee, Steve Falk, Norma Evans, Dudley Braun, Tressa Rust and Reid Edwards for helping us with setup details. Thanks to C&M Party Props, Floral Arts and Minuteman Press for their donations.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Chamber Office Closure for the Thanksgiving Holiday

The Chamber Office will be closing Wednesday, November 23 at noon and will be closed all day Thursday & Friday, November 24-25 for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

It's a Wonderful Life in Lafayette
Friday, December 2, 4pm-6:30pm, Lafayette Plaza Park

Free admission! Fun, family-friendly celebration! Tree lighting, live music, community sing-a-long, crafts. Santa is scheduled to parade along Golden Gate Way on Lafayette's treasured Old Betsy fire engine, along with a police escort. This caravan will start from the Lafayette Historical Society and arrive at Lafayette Plaza Park at 4:30 p.m. A must-not-miss for the little ones! Learn more here.

City of Lafayette Lafayette City Council Vacancy

On November 9th, Brandt Andersson resigned from his position as Lafayette City Councilmember.  The City Council will appoint a qualified applicant to fill Councilmember Andersson's seat until the next regularly scheduled election in November 2018.
 
To apply for this position, please fill out and submit the COUNCIL VACANCY APPLICATION and return it by 5PM on Friday, December 9th.  Applicants must be available for interviews between December 13th and 20th.  If you have questions, please contact the City Clerk, Joanne Robbins at [email protected] or (925) 299-3210.

Lafayette Partners in Education Join LPIE on Tuesday, November 29th and Support Lafayette Schools!

Kick off the season of giving on #GivingTuesday with LPIE! Dine out at some of the best eateries in Lafayette all day November 29th and they will give a portion of the proceeds to LPIE. Visit Patxi's Pizza, The Cooperage American Grill, Rancho Cantina, and Bonehead's Texas BBQ. Make a donation to honor your child, grandchild, teacher or principal or take the opportunity to contribute to LPIE's Annual Giving Campaign. To make a #GivingTuesday donation, click here. To donate to the Annual Giving Campaign, click here.

This Month's Sponsor



Premier Members



Quick Links 
The Happy Valley Parking Program Starts on December 1

A pilot project that will reserve 40 parking spaces under the freeway on Happy Valley Road for Lafayette residents is set to launch on December 1. Residents can apply for a permit online to participate. Spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis and will be issued to all Lafayette residents who apply. Consideration will be given to making the program permanent if spaces are fully occupied during the six months that the pilot project is scheduled to run. You may contact project planners Adam Foster at [email protected] or 925-299-3207 or Sarah Allen at [email protected] or 925-299-3208 if you have any questions.

Town Hall Theatre Exclusive Lamorinda Chambers Holiday Offer from Town Hall Theatre
Are you a small or medium-sized business looking to hold a special and unique holiday event for your employees and their families this year? Town Hall Theatre's 2016 Holiday Package has got you covered! Reserve a block of seats for your group for our holiday presentation of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Or, rent out the Theatre Lobby for your Christmas Party. One Hour Rental available for Pre-show Dinner/Lunch or Cocktail Party.  For more information and details contact: Dennis Markam at [email protected] (925) 283-6673 or Linda Drucker at [email protected]  (415) 298-8226.
New Overtime Rules Take Effect in December

On December 1, 2016, about 4.2 million workers who were previously classified as "exempt" could become eligible for overtime pay due to modifications to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and many small businesses have been scrambling to comply with the new rules. Click here for a summary of why the changes were enacted, and what they may mean for both workers and employers. Specifically, the new rules increase the minimum salary that an executive, administrative, and professional employee must earn to be considered "exempt" from overtime pay. On December 1, the annual salary threshold rises to $47,476 ($913 per week), more than double the previous amount of $23,660 ($455 per week) established in 2004. Learn more here. Or contact Jane Louie at [email protected].

Marketing Opportunities for Your Business

Advertise in the Acalanes High School's Basketball Program
Acalanes High School's Basketball Program is looking for your support! This year the Girls & Boys programs are working together to create a fantastic full colored Media Guide for our players and families.  The Media Guide will be distributed to players and families throughout the Acalanes High School Community. Your 100% tax deductible donation will be used as advertisement in our Media Guide, Girls Varsity Tournament Program, the Girls Varsity Poster and on the Girls website. For more information view the flyer or contact Tiffany Panfili at [email protected].

Calling all "Local Celebrities"!
The Lafayette Community Center Foundation will once again be selling beautiful baskets donated by our "Local Celebrities" at the annual Santa's Bag Boutique. The boutique is visited by hundreds of Lafayette residents and their neighbors giving your company local recognition for charitable donations. All proceeds benefit the facility and programs at the Lafayette Community Center. Popular baskets always include holiday edibles and beverages, however you can create your own masterpiece or simply add to the coffers and we will design a basket in your name. We are happy to pick up your basket on or before November 23rd. Please contact Foundation Member Sue Cross at 925-284-9594 with any questions or to schedule a pick-up date and time. For more information contact Jonathan Katayanagi at [email protected].

In The Spirit of Giving - Home Furnishings Needed for CCIH

In the spirit of giving, the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Club, in partnership with Contra Costa Interfaith Housing (CCIH), is furnishing a home for a special needs family that will be moving from the Homeless Shelter to a home of their own.  While Rotarians and other members of the community have been extraordinarily generous in donating much needed household items,  there are still a few items we need to complete the household.  They are:
*    1 Coffee Table- lightweight; not oversized
*    1 End Table
*    1 Easy Chair/Club Chair- no stains; lightweight; not oversized
*    2 Love Seat or Futon - Good condition; no stains; not oversized
*    1 Floor Lamp
*    1 Table Lamp
*    1 Microwave Cart (new or used)- anything that can hold a microwave; must be stable.    
*    3 Chest of Drawers- good condition; not too heavy
*    3 Side Tables (nightstands)
*    1 Set Kitchen Knives
Gently used items are preferred.  Please contact Tom Guyette, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Community Outreach Chair, at 925-890-9761 or email: [email protected] if you can help make a difference in donating any of these items. Please note that this represents only one of twenty homes that still need to be furnished for special needs families moving from Homeless Shelters to a home of their own. Therefore, additional requests for assistance may be forthcoming. More information about the CCIH program, otherwise known as FISH, can be found here.
CUBIT Makers Tinker Workshop Series 1
Monday, Nov. 21 through Wednesday, Nov. 23, Arts & Science Discovery Center
Session A: 9:30 - 10:30 AM (3 days); Session B: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (3 days)
Cubit is an educational robotics platform combining plug & play hardware and drag & drop software to create and invent! This is the first of an ongoing series of workshops with Cubit professionals, and will provide an intro to programming Cubit's core components as well as motors, sensors, and lights.For ages 8 - 14. To register for Session A click HERE. To register for Session B click HERE. Space is limited. Register for only one session.


Lafayette Library
Always check out the latest events at www.LLLCF.org and follow LLLC on Facebook and Twitter.


Upcoming Lafayette Chamber Events

Bank of the West Holiday Mixer at Bank of the West
Wednesday, December 7, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Join us for our Annual Holiday Mixer on Wednesday, December 7 at the Bank of the West from 5:30pm-7:30pm. Enjoy food from award winning restaurants and caterers. $10 for members; $20 for non-members or bring at least 3 canned food items for Food Bank and the admission is free. The Bank of the West is located at 3583 Mt. Diablo Blvd.

Stone Creek Tile Ribbon Cutting at Stone Creek Tile
Thursday, December 8, 5pm-5:30pm
Stone Creek Tile is a family owned business offering all types of flooring, including natural stone, slab, porcelain, glass, ceramic, and hardwood - even hardwood as tile. They offer kitchen cabinets, custom countertops, and radiant underfloor heating. Come explore over 2000 ft.� of many different materials of tile and stone from all over the world! Stone Creek Tile is located at 2764 Camino Diablo, Walnut Creek.

Chamber Office Closed: Thursday, December 22 at noon through Monday, January 2 - reopening Tuesday, January 3 at 9am.


If you'd like to receive a text message reminder about upcoming Lafayette Chamber events, email your full name and cell phone number to Sara at [email protected].

What's happening at the Lafayette Chamber? View our Events Calendar.

Jay Lifson, Executive Director