Committees range from politics to special events
It’s election time for the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
In the next two weeks, more than 1,000 local businesspeople will decide who should serve on the chamber’s 37-member board. Ballots will be mailed out by April 1 and votes will be counted on April 16, according to Kathy Dodson, the chamber’s president and CEO. Dodson expects a 10 percent return on votes.
And while any chamber member can be nominated and voted for, a slate of 18 people already has been picked and put on the ballot. Four of them would be new to the board, if elected.
“We try to get a good mix of large and small businesses, all industries and geographics,” Dodson said, adding in her two years at the chamber, the slate has always been voted in.
The nominating committee in the past two months picked the prospective board members based on that criteria and then submitted the list to the chamber’s executive committee, which has the ultimate say on the slate. The nominating committee always consists of the chamber’s past chairman, current chairman and chairman-elect.
Chamber board seats are two-year terms and members can serve two terms consecutively. After that, members can’t serve on the board again. But there are exceptions to that rule — if a board member serves as a chairman, he or she automatically serves three years, plus can run for two consecutive terms. Other board members may remain on the board just because of what industry they represent, said board chairman Dr. Mike Gruning.
Gruning will officially become past chairman in July, during the chamber’s installation dinner, when longtime chamber member and former Santa Monica mayor, Nat Trives, will become the new chairman.
Dodson said it’s important to keep several past chairmen on the board for historical knowledge. The board meets once a month and discusses everything from the organization’s finances to local and state issues facing the business community, as well as voting on positions it will take in Santa Monica politics.
“Anything and everything that affects business in town,” Gruning said.
Newcomers to the board this year, if elected, are Laverne Davis, who represents Verizon; Denny Fitzpatrick, representing the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel; Dr. James Luck from the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital; and John McIntire from Encino State Bank in Santa Monica.
While each may be a newcomer to the board, they aren’t new to the chamber.
“If you are a brand-new chamber member, your chances of being on the board are small until you’ve earned it,” Dodson said. “You usually have to earn your stripes by being on a committee.”
“If you are a brand-new chamber member, your chances of being on the board are small until you’ve earned it.” — — KATHY DODSON Chamber’s president and CEO
The chamber has more than a dozen committees that range from politics to special events. The newest one — the political action committee — is unique because it enables the chamber, for the first time, to select, endorse and campaign for candidates for the City Council. There are four seats open on the Council this fall. PAC successfully helped defeat Santa Monica’s living wage ordinance that would have required businesses in the coastal zone that generate more than $5 million a year in revenue to pay their employees $12.25 an hour.
The committee also helped pass a school district parcel tax measure last year and is supporting a new charter amendment planned for a November vote that would require City Hall to give schools at least $6 million a year.
Other committees are:
Ambassadors Committee:
The group serves as liaisons for the chamber’s members at various activities, including mixers, luncheons, membership breakfasts, the new member mentor program and other services.
Business/Education Partnership Committee:
The committee plans the education celebration each year, an event that welcomes new teachers and administrators in all local schools — public and private — from kindergarten to the collegiate level.
Westside Business Expo Committee:
The committee plans the expo and conference held in March. The event focuses on business-to-business opportunities, as well as showcasing chamber businesses to Santa Monicans at large.
Business Technology Forum Committee:
The group holds events that present discussions and highlights of developments and trends in technology that is useful in business development, marketing and management.
Environmental Affairs Committee:
The committee promotes an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable community. The committee’s Sustainable Quality Awards Program recognizes local businesses for their sustainability. The awards are given out in April.
Government Affairs Committee:
The group’s mission is to monitor and recommend positions to the chamber’s board of directors on issues impacting the business community and the general membership. It involves participation from representatives of all levels of government and brings issues forward for review, discussion and action.
Health Task Force:
The committee coordinates the annual health festival in April on the Third Street Promenade and arranges for health-related seminars. The committee also organizes “To Your Health,” a program where chamber members in the healthcare industry give health-related talks at local businesses.
Land Use Committee:
The group focuses on regulatory and other issues that affect the mechanics of opening and operating a business in Santa Monica. The chamber has long been a critic of City Hall’s bureaucracy when it comes to giving permits, business licenses and approvals to new business in town.
Public Safety Committee:
The committee is currently focusing on finding solutions to solving homelessness and vagrancy problems that negatively affect businesses.
Taste of Santa Monica Committee:
The task force is responsible for planning the annual event, held in September, that showcases the area’s restaurants and related businesses to the larger Los Angeles community. The weekend event combines food from the area’s best restaurants, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities and a program to benefit the Westside Food Bank.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 27, 2004. Read the original PDF.