EBLC
East Bay Leadership Council News for June 2015 
In this issue
Actions speak louder than words
Council installs 2015-2016 executive team and honors Shell Martinez Refinery with East Bay Leadership Medal ... Ron Brown receives Distinguished Service Award; Water Task Force co-chairs saluted
Small Business Awards Luncheon celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit in our communities
Task force meetings and speakers in June
Closed landfill project will generate solar power in the East Bay
Leo Scott is new co-chair of the Transportation Task Force ... Rebecca Rozen named Health Care Task Force co-chair ... Joanne Durkee and Kathleen Robinson step off Workforce Development/Education Task Force
Health Care Transitions Summit set for June 25 in Concord
Welcome to new member The First Tee of Contra Costa
Note from the editor: Signing off with this issue
About the East Bay Leadership Council
Upcoming events
Save these dates!

East Bay Leadership Series 2015 (Part 3)

East Bay Workforce Innovations and Healthcare Trends

September 2015

In-depth panel discussion and luncheon on exciting innovations in workforce investment in the East Bay and how that relates to the healthcare sector

Watch the website for more information.

*****
2015 Philanthropy Awards Breakfast

Honoring exemplary community-minded leaders, businesses and service organizations that make our communities more vibrant

Thursday, November 12

Blackhawk Automotive Museum
3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville

Nominations are now open for the 2015 Philanthropy Awards on the Council website.

Deadline for nominations is Friday, September 4.

Watch a short video by InVision Communications of the 2014 Philanthropy Awards on this page!

*****

Questions?

For information about any East Bay Leadership Council event, please contact Mark Orcutt at 925.246.1880, fax 925.674,1654.

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Member benefits
What We Offer ...

Significant influence through the involvement of a critical mass of top business leaders.

Collective action on issues that matter to your company.

Direct access to top federal, state and regional political leaders and stakeholder groups.

Valuable connections to the influential business and civic leaders in the region.

Credibility through well researched, fact-based positions and policy recommendations.

Regional policy expertise through internal experts, external networks and partner organizations.

For more information about joining the Council, contact Kristin Connelly or Mark Orcutt at 925.246.1880.
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CEO VIEWPOINT
Actions speak louder than words

By Kristin Connelly, President and CEO, East Bay Leadership Council

The members and staff of the East Bay Leadership Council remain engaged and active across the East Bay to further the Council's mission. As always, I remain grateful for the continued leadership in so many important initiatives, many of which are described in this newsletter.

We are in the process of rolling out fresh content to the Council's members more frequently in response to our recent membership survey. Our new Communications and Outreach Manager Mark Orcutt joined the Council staff on June 1 and will be the driving force in making this possible.

The start of summer will hardly mean a vacation for the Council. Stay tuned for much more to come and please read on!
MAY 28 INSTALLATION DINNER RECAP
Shell Martinez Refinery General Manager Paul Gabbard, holding the East Bay Leadership Medal, is flanked by Kristin Connelly, Steve Lesher, Andrew Sabey and Keith Archuleta.
Council installs 2015-2016 executive team and honors Shell Martinez Refinery with East Bay Leadership Medal

Ron Brown receives Distinguished Service Award; Water Task Force co-chairs saluted

This year's East Bay Leadership Council Installation & Awards Dinner at the Contra Costa County Club honored bright, young scientists, distinguished and highly contributive Council members and an executive team ready and willing to get to work.

Shell Martinez Refinery's Steve Lesher congratulates  Rising Star Awards honorees (from left) Dibya Jyoti Ghosh of California High School, Vanessa Wang and Rohan Arora of American High and Hannah Edge of Dublin High.  
The May 28 evening program began with Rising Star Awards for area high school students who garnered Senior Division Grand Sweepstakes Awards in the recent Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair and the Synopsys / Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Alameda County Science and Engineering Fair, in addition to competing at regional and international fairs. The students shared their winning science project knowledge with dinner attendees.

Installed as the 2015-2016 executive committee were Andrew Sabey of Cox, Castle & Nicholson, chair of the board; Steve Van Wart of Tunbridge Associates, chair-elect; Ken Mintz of AT&T, VP, Talent & Workforce; Sharon Jenkins of John Muir Health, VP Economic Development & Jobs; Terry Bowen of Gray-Bowen-Scott, VP, Infrastructure; A. J. Major of Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Company, LLP, VP, Finance; Patty Deutsche of Tesoro Refining Company, VP, Events; Jim Brandt of Morgan Stanley, VP Membership Development; Bielle Moore of Richmond Sanitary Inc./Republic Services, VP, Engagement; Peggy White of Diablo Regional Arts Association, VP, Communications; Peter McGaw of Archer Norris, Legal Counsel; and Keith Archuleta of Emerald HPC International, LLC, immediate past chair.

Outstanding contributions

Awarded the East Bay Leadership Medal for outstanding service to the community and the Council was the Shell Martinez Refinery. Clearly touched by the honor were Refinery General Manager Paul Gabbard and Manager of Communications and Sustainable Development and former EBLC Board Chair Steve Lesher. Shell is celebrating its 100th year in Martinez this year.

Ron Brown, who is retiring in December as executive director of Save Mount Diablo and served this year as VP, Events on the executive committee, received the Distinguished Service Award. "I am pleased to be a member of the Council board and for the opportunity to work on quality of life in the community," said Brown. "We need to remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves. We need to take advantage of what we have and help them." (Read Tom Barnidge's June 1 tribute to our distinguished colleague in the Contra Costa Times.)

Named Outstanding Task Force Co-Chairs was the innovative Water Task Force team of Bob Whitley of Whitley Burchett & Associates, Ann Spaulding of REV, Gary Darling of Delta Diablo and Daniel Smith of the City of Pleasanton.

Comments from EBLC leaders

"The Council is continuing to grow and stretch and thrive and evolve," said outgoing Chair Keith Archuleta. "We are growing into the full breadth and depth of our vision and becoming a more collaborative, nimbler, member-focused organization--and we have quite a legacy to live up to.

"We focused in the past year on ways to improve our infrastructure to ensure we will grow and thrive for years to come. Highlights of the year included initiating the three-part East Bay Leadership Series, the participation of board members in community leader sponsorship of our events, establishing strong relationships with our coalition partners, participating in legislative advocacy day in Sacramento, seeing the East Bay SlingShot initiative move into the planning and implementation phase with our regional partners, and our work on poverty in the region through involvement in the newly launched Tri-Valley Poverty Awareness Initiative and the Contra Costa County Ensuring Opportunity campaign."

"I am very proud of this organization," said incoming Chair Andrew Sabey. "There is no shortage of opportunities, and the Council offers a balanced voice on issues, not just from business. When we coalesce around a view and a solution, we are unique in the East Bay and can be a very powerful advocate."

Thanks for your service

Outgoing board members thanked for their service were Joanne Durkee, Michael Fenley, Sil Garaventa III, Heather Kulp, Cheryll LeMay, Ivy Morrison, George Opacic, Kathleen Robinson and Ellis Wallenberg III. Incoming board members are Vic Baker of Pacific Gas & Electric, Patty Canessa of the Chevron Richmond Refinery and Leo Scott of Gray-Bowen-Scott, who will co-chair the Transportation Task Force with Roger Hughes.

Office Manager Sherri Boyle, who is leaving the Council, was also commended for her work.

The Council thanks dinner co-host, Cox, Castle & Nicholson, and sponsors, Emerald HPC International, LLC, Gray-Bowen-Scott, John F. Kennedy University, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Wendel, Rosen, Black and Dean LLP.

Photos by Amy Sullivan. Additional photos can be viewed on the Council's Facebook page.
SmallbusinessMAY 8 LUNCHEON RECAP
Small Business Awards Luncheon celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit in our communities

Fourteen great East Bay small businesses, and their community-minded owners, were honored at the 15th Annual Small Business Awards Luncheon on May 8 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Concord. All of the businesses were selected by their local Contra Costa or Tri-Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The annual event is hosted each year by the Council's Small Business & Entrepreneurial Task force, which is co-chaired by Angela De La Housaye and Jenny Kohler. The luncheon celebrates small business and is designed to complement the Small Business Administration's annual Small Business Week.

"Small business is important in the life of a community. Today we recognize great businesses and the great work of chambers of commerce in our community," noted ABC7 KGO News Anchor Dan Ashley, who emceed the event.

Keynoter Rachel Dunn, the renowned chocolatier and vibrant founder of Rachel Dunn Chocolates in Concord, regaled the audience with her ups-and-downs business story, which included losing, selling and finally buying back her company on Valentine's Day. The company began offering classes in June 2013, and now 17,000 people have learned the art of making delicious chocolate confections.

"I am very excited for the winners today. You have not been given the golden ticket; you have earned it!" she said. "You don't learn how to do this. It is just ingrained. Thank you for allowing us to share your great stories," Dunn told the honorees.

The 2014 Small Business Award honorees (pictured above, from left) include Carrie Gadek and Dr. Michael Evans, Animal Care Clinic, San Pablo; Sharon Viano, John Viano and Vickie Viano, Viano Vineyards, Martinez; Jeff Clark, Steven's Printing, Pleasant Hill; Lynn McAuliffe, Champagne Design/Spell-It-Out Photos/Wall of Quotes, Moraga; Melanie Bartoletti, Gianni's Italian Bistro, San Ramon; Tim Argenti, Republic Services, Danville; Maggie Wulff and Maria Galicia, Legal Shield, The Hispanic Chamber; Dawn Roth and Ed Roth, R-Computer, Concord; Louise Johns, Katie Santos and Claudia Moose, Absolute Center, San Ramon; Dan McDonnell, McDonnell Nursery, Orinda; Jacqueline Majors, J. Majors & Associates, Richmond; Barney Fonzi, Diablo Publications, Walnut Creek; and Sarah McDonnell, McDonnell Nursery, Orinda. (Not pictured are Paula Franchetto-Trotta and Chris Trotta, Paula's Family Florist, Antioch; and Todd Moberg and Carol Moberg, Insignia Designs, Pleasanton.)

The Council thanks Wells Fargo, title sponsor; Chevron, platinum sponsor; AMERITAC, Inc., bronze sponsor; Bank of America, First Community Bank, San Pablo Economic Development Corporation, gold sponsors; Kelly & Associates, LLP, Musacchio & Montanari, P.C. and Presidio Bank, friends of the Council; and the Contra Costa Times and San Francisco Business Times, media sponsors.

Photo by Amy Sullivan. Additional photos can be viewed on the Council's Facebook page. For more details, please read our press release announcing honorees on our website.
ADVOCACY
Council endorses AB 288 and AB 369 and opposes AB 357, now shelved

The East Bay Leadership Council Board of Directors has taken these recent advocacy positions.
  • Supported AB 288 (Holden & Olsen) as a member of the R.E.A.L. Coalition. The legislation would reduce fiscal penalties and policy barriers that discourage the development of concurrent enrollment partnerships while saving community college students and the state time, money and scarce educational resources. The legislation sailed through Assembly Appropriations with 17 aye votes and is heading to the Senate floor.
  • Supported AB 369 (Steinorth) (Continuity of Care), as recommended by the Health Care Task Force, which establishes in each city and county a planning agency with the powers necessary to carry out the purposes of the law. This bill was introduced ahead of the June 5 deadline to ensure that a relevant legislative vehicle is available for amendments in the future. We will continue to track this legislation for substantive additions in the coming weeks.

The Council's Policy Committee, on behalf of the board, took this recent advocacy position. 

  • Joined a coalition in strong opposition to AB 357 (Chiu), which aimed to require restaurants, retailers and grocery stores, among many others, to provide part-time employees with at least two weeks' notice of their work schedules. We shared some of the negative impacts that this unproven legislation would have on both employers and workers in the East Bay with the bill's lead author, Assemblyman David Chiu, on June 2. Then on June 4, the bill was shelved. Thanks to everyone who helped us hit the brakes on this troublesome legislation.
TASK FORCE UPDATE
Felicia Markus, James Paxson and Daniel Smith at the February Water Task Force meeting.
June meetings and speakers

New and prospective Council members are welcome to attend task force meetings. Please notify a task force co-chair prior to the meeting to confirm meeting topics, time and location, as details may change. To view task force agendas, policy papers and recent presentations, visit the Task Force pages on the Council website.

Transportation Task Force . . . Monday, June 2, 8 to 9 a.m. . . . Attendees welcomed new Task Force Co-chair Leo Scott and discussed future plans and a process for weighing in on transportation policy issues. Next meeting is Tuesday, July 7, at Hacienda, 4305 Hacienda Drive, Pleasanton. (The task force will alternate meetings between Pleasanton and Walnut Creek.) Co-chairs: Leo Scott and Roger Hughes

Workforce Development/Education Task Force . . . Wednesday, June 3, 8:30 to 10 a.m. . . . Contra Costa Workforce Development Board, 300 Ellinwood Way, Bodega Room, Pleasant Hill. Heard from adult learners; discussed education highlights of Governor Brown's May revise budget proposal; got an update from CEO Kristin Connelly on the recent EBLC membership survey and its implications for advocacy efforts, and the SlingShot initiative; and discussed goals for the coming year. Next meeting in August will be announced.

Health Care Task Force . . . Thursday, June 4, 8:30 to 10 a.m. . . . Burr Pilger Mayer, 2001 N. Main Street, Suite 360, Walnut Creek. Welcomed new Task Force Co-Chair Rebecca Rozen and discussed the Bridge to Reform 1115 Waiver renewal, legislative and policy issues, the SlingShot initiative, Doctors Medical Center and Covered California. Next meeting is Thursday, August 6 (the July meeting is canceled due to the holiday). Co-chairs: Steve Van Wart and Rebecca Rozen

Land Use Task Force . . . Wednesday, June 10, 8 to 9 a.m. . . . Archer Norris, 2033 North Main Street, Suite 800, Walnut Creek. Don Tatzin, Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) commissioner, reviews the commission's responsibilities as they relate to orderly growth and preservation of agricultural land and open space. (The discussion will provide excellent background to the LAFCo Agricultural and Open Space Preservation Workshop on Wednesday, July 8, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., at the County Department of Conservation Development Hearing Room, 30 Muir Road, Martinez.) Co-chairs: Mike McGill and Ed Shaffer

Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force . . . Friday, June 12, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. . . . Brown and Caldwell, 201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 300, Walnut Creek. The task force will discuss the newly-released Municipal Stormwater Permit. (The comment period closes July 10.) Co-chairs: Peter McGaw and George Smith

Water Task Force . . . Tuesday, June 16, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. . . . Brown and Caldwell, 201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 300, Walnut Creek. The May meeting began with a brief "spotlight on innovation" on the Dublin San Ramon Services District. Featured speaker was UC Davis College of Engineering's Dr. George Tchobanoglous, a legend in the world of water who presented some thought-provoking ideas about the concepts involved in direct potable reuse (DPR). Co-chairs: Ann Spaulding, Bob Whitley and Daniel Smith; Vice-chair: Gary Darling

Small Business/Entrepreneur Task Force . . . Tuesday, June 23, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. . . . De la Housaye & Associates, 165 N. Main Street, Suite 260, Walnut Creek. The task force will discuss the recent, successful Small Business Awards Luncheon, held May 8 (see article, this issue) and small-business issues. Co-chairs: Angela De La Housaye and Jenny Kohler

Economic Development Task Force . . . Wednesday, June 24, 8 to 9 a.m. . . . Brandman University, 2950 Buskirk Avenue, Room 307, Walnut Creek. In recent meetings, the task force has continued to discuss how to create greater business engagement and a common economic development vision for the task force that supports the broader goals of the Council. Co-chairs: Jodi Avina and Jeff Stemke
CONTRA COSTA ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
CCEP Logo Closed landfill project will generate solar power in the East Bay

The West Winton Landfill in Hayward will be converted into a solar farm, with 19,000 panels producing enough energy to power 1,200 homes, thanks to a Bay Area collaboration led by the General Services Agency of Alameda County.

The Contra Costa Economic Partnership and Joint Venture Silicon Valley worked closely with Alameda County to launch the regional program, called the Regional Renewable Energy Procurement Project (R-REP), a collaboration of 19 public agencies in four Bay Area counties, to bring renewable power at greatly discounted prices.

According to Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi, over the coming year, 24 acres of the capped West Winton Landfill waste disposal site will be repurposed by installing the approximately 19,000 photovoltaic solar panels to generate over 6 megawatts of renewable power. The project is the first of its kind in the Bay Area and one of the largest in California.

The now-closed Hayward landfill is the centerpiece of the R-REP program involving 186 Bay Area government facilities for a total of 31 megawatts of solar power.

"The Contra Costa Economic Partnership is proud to have played a role as a partner and leader in R-REP. Having Gina McCarthy, administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, visit the East Bay to recognize the benefits of this grant program underscores the importance of what has been achieved," said Kristin Connelly, executive director of the Contra Costa Economic Partnership.

Read more about the innovative R-REP program in articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times.
NEWS ABOUT OUR MEMBERS
Leo Scott is new co-chair of the Transportation Task Force

Leo Scott, president of Gray-Bowen-Scott, was confirmed as co-chair of the Council's Transportation Task Force at the May board of directors meeting. Scott joins fellow task force co-chair Roger Hughes, a partner of Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP, and succeeds Ivy Morrison, senior project manager of Circlepoint, who has stepped down.

Rebecca Rozen named Health Care Task Force co-chair

Rebecca Rozen, regional vice president of the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California, has joined Steve Van Wart, principal of Tunbridge Associates, as co-chair of the Council's Health Care Task Force.

Joanne Durkee and Kathleen Robinson step off Workforce Development /
Education Task Force


Joanne Durkee and Kathleen Robinson, who have led the Workforce Development/Education Task Force for five years, are stepping off as co-chairs. Joanne Durkee is retiring as director of Adult and Career Education with the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and Kathleen Robinson will continue her work as an organizational consultant and executive coach with her firm, Robinson & Associates.
NEWS FOR OUR MEMBERS
Health Care Transitions Summit set for June 25 in Concord

Help improve patient outcomes across Contra Costa County by joining with other health care professionals in the development of an efficient and effective care transitions model.

You will also have the opportunity to network and build relationships with colleagues at the Contra Costa Health Care Transitions Summit, to be held Thursday, June 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Center Concord, 5298 Clayton Road, Concord.

The learning objectives of the health care transitions summit are to:
  • describe national and local efforts to improve transitional care;
  • identify internal and external factors that influence care transitions at respective organizations; and
  • determine solutions to address gaps, improve care coordination and reduce avoidable re-hospitalizations.
Attendees will be the first to receive the all-new Long Term Supports and Services Resource Guide, specifically designed to meet the needs of health care and social service workers in Contra Costa County.

Admission is free, but please register by June 19 to receive a complimentary lunch.

For questions, send an email with the subject line "Summit Questions" to Casey Garner.

The summit event is sponsored by Rehabilitation Services of Northern California with support from ARC (Avoid Readmissions through Collaboration), Health Services Advisory Group, ZOLO Healthcare Solutions and Hospice of the East Bay.
NEW MEMBERS
Please welcome our new member!

The First Tee of Contra Costa
Wendy Jones, Executive Director
2290 Diamond Blvd., Suite 203
Concord, CA 94520
925.446.6701
www.thefirstteecontracosta.org

The mission of the East Bay Golf Foundation and The First Tee of Contra Costa is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Laptop and a cup of coffee on a table
It has been my sincere pleasure to serve as a communications consultant with the East Bay Leadership Council and to edit this newsletter since late 2007. I sign off with this issue with great regard for the work of the Council and best wishes to the Council's staff, members and friends.

Molly Walker
Walker Communications
ABOUT THE EAST BAY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

The East Bay Leadership Council is a public policy advocacy organization that promotes the economic vitality and quality of life in the East Bay region. The Council engages on issues of critical importance to the business community and residents, balancing the needs of a diverse region through policy efforts that provide for local and regional economic development while retaining our quality of life.

Through its task forces, the Council develops and supports policy positions to further its mission and sponsors educational forums for its members and the community.

For more information, please visit our website at www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com.

To comment on items in this newsletter, please contact Kristin Connelly at the East Bay Leadership Council.

This issue was edited for the East Bay Leadership Council by Molly A. Walker of Walker Communications.

� 2015 East Bay Leadership Council