In the Beginning...
Our Greeter and Fun Ambassador was Betsy Watson. She warmed up the Zoom crowd for the main event!
President Mike Scar welcomed everyone
Pledge of Allegiance: Catherine Lee
Invocation: Christine Golden
Thank you, Catherine for leading the pledge and Christine Golden for the invocation, Tara for facilitating our Zoom meeting, Betsy for being our greeter today and Andy Gilman serving as our Reminder Editor.
There were no visitors today.
Announcements:
World Polio Day Special Event:
October is a special month in Rotary! On October 24, we celebrate World Polio Day when we join together to celebrate our success so far in eradicating Polio and raise funds to “Get to Zero.” Our Group 8 clubs have organized a very special event for World Polio Day and everyone is invited. Craig Needham, an attorney in San Jose, will share his amazing and inspiring story of being raised by him mother while she was confined to an iron lung after being paralyzed from Polio.
A reminder that there will be a meeting on Wednesday, October 14th at 1:00PM for the Education Foundation. Contact Don Reed for more information.
Cindy mentioned that there is a need for a birthday reminder czar. She has volunteered and announced all of the birthdays that are taking place this month.
Taste of Ojai - Invite all of your friends to the event. We are a just a few weeks out and any support getting the word out would be fantastic! We are looking great on our sponsorships and let’s get the ticket sales launched! Thanks to all who have helped out to make this a success,
www.tasteofojai.org.
Rotary Cartoon
Confessions and Fining
Cindy lead the way… Farming! Crayons are made from this crop: Soybean oil.
What is the longest recorded flight of a chicken? 13 seconds is the longest recorded flight.
How fast can a pig run a mile? 7-10 minutes per mile is the answer.
Kay Bliss was brought up in a farming family. Her farm used to be on what location that is now…? Chuck E. Cheese Parking Lot in Ventura is the answer.
Which state has the most farms? Texas is the answer, though it does not produce the most food (which is California)
What milk comes from brown cows? Whole milk is the answer, though many surveyed said Chocolate Milk!
Program: Economic Development Collaborative--Clare Briglio
Therese Brown introduced our program.
Clare Briglio Communications and Business Disruptions Director for the Economic Development Collaborative.
Clare: The economic development landscape overview, which serves Ventura, Santa Barbara, and parts of Los Angeles Counties.
My job is to let people know what business services and resources are available to help individuals and businesses get through this pandemic. Starting in 2018 we have focused very specifically on Ojai, especially after the Thomas Fire.
We offer no-cost business services to the territories that we serve. We have provided 10,000 hours of no-cost consulting to businesses in the area.
Ojai is special. These resources we offer are going to become critical as we go forward through all of these difficulties. Real estate is going to be a huge issue going forward as people want to move in to Ojai.
A breakdown of the economy: Hospitality and Tourism, Retail, Private Education, Agriculture, and Health Care.
Weaknesses: Lack of affordable workforce housing, labor force balance, uncertain appetite for construction, limited growth potential.
Ojai is an exporter of daily workforce migration. This is a serious issue. It is also an importer of a low-paying workforce for hospitality and tourism.
Balanced solutions: Diversity, Sustainable housing, Commercial real estate re-use, Invest in infrastructure (especially broadband internet), Prioritize early child education, Network entrepreneurship resources, Focus on investing in local businesses to keep them in place.
Questions:
Bill Weirick mentioned the great relationship the EDC has had with the city.
Bill Gilbreth discussed a lack of confidence of city and county governance regarding real estate. Clare: We will support advocates of businesses, please do advocate for your city and valley and let’s connect.
Bill Prather asked about access to capital. Clare discussed what’s available and also the risk and the obligations of lending. Smaller opportunities for loans are also available. The moratorium on evictions was also discussed. Loans and grants in general, including the limits from the state and federal governments.
Final Thoughts
“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.”
– Albert Schweitzer
Be safe and have a great week!
