As more people work and learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to stay connected online is more important than ever. Unfortunately, sometimes power outages can happen because of weather conditions, unforeseen circumstances, public safety and critical work. Staying prepared for power outages and unexpected emergencies can help relieve some of the stress when it happens.
Here are ways to stay connected online when the power goes out:

1. Make alternate plans before an outage. If you receive notification of an upcoming outage, try to make alternate plans, if possible. For students doing distance learning, check the websites of your school district or local libraries to see if they provide or loan hotspot equipment to connect to the internet or if they have temporary accommodations for students experiencing technical issues. Some districts offer local multipurpose rooms that practice safe distancing protocols so students can connect online.
   
   Consider talking to instructors about sending lesson plans ahead of time so students can download and view them offline.
   
   With safe distancing protocols in mind, you can also try to secure an alternate location with Wi-Fi, such as a relative or friend’s home or city Wi-Fi locations. Check your city or county website for a Wi-Fi hotspot locator.
   
   
2. Keep a backup charger or battery pack handy. Prepare for an outage by ensuring your laptops, cellphones, tablets and rechargeable battery packs are fully charged before power goes out.
   
   Now is the time to revisit or create your outage preparedness kit, which should include an external rechargeable battery pack, solar charger or hand-cranked charger. A solar-powered charger can keep your devices charged if there’s sunlight, and while a hand-cranked charger requires a lot of manual effort to generate power, it can be useful during an emergency when sunlight is unavailable.
   
   Portable power stations can also keep your devices charged, including your router. Southern California Edison is providing up to a $50 rebate toward qualifying portable power stations available on SCE Marketplace.
   
   You can also use your car battery as a power source to charge your devices during an outage. Be sure to keep appropriate car adapters somewhere accessible. See more ways to keep your phone charged during a power outage.
   
   
3. Use your cellphone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Find out if your cellphone can be used as a hotspot to connect to the internet. If so, you can connect your laptop or tablet to the Wi-Fi hotspot on your phone, a process called tethering. Keep in mind that when your phone is being used as a hotspot, it is sharing your monthly data allotment with other devices.
   
   Tether only when you need it and turn off your hotspot when it is not in use to avoid running out of data and incurring extra charges. Contact your cellphone service provider to determine your data allotment and if any additional charges are applicable before tethering your devices. 
   
   
4. Connect online with your cellular data. If you cannot get access to Wi-Fi, many programs and online learning platforms, such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Chrome apps, etc., can be installed and accessed on a mobile device or tablet with a cellular subscription. Contact your phone service provider for information on monthly data allotment.
   
   
5. Sign up for outage alerts. Ensure that you stay up to date about power outages by signing up for alerts now at sce.com/outagealerts. You will be able to get notifications via text message, email or voicemail. Although it is best to always be prepared for a power outage, these alerts can provide you with time to charge devices and remind your family about your emergency plan.

For more information on preparing for outages, check out the SCE website here.

Last week, the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Governor Newsom advocating for the safe, efficient reopening of industries in our County. The letter urged the Governor to reexamine the metrics that determine where a county sits on the County Risk Level tier system, and specifically mentioned the number of positive cases being inflated by the cases from individuals who are in prison.

Read the full letter below: 

Dear Governor Newsom:

The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, representing over 600 businesses and thousands of employees, fights to protect and promote business in Simi Valley. More than 80% of the businesses represented employ fewer than 10 employees, and 95% of these businesses have been forced to alter their business practices, reduce their operations, or forced to close entirely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We appreciate your efforts to protect the health and safety of Californians to slow the spread of the COVID-19. However, the related shutdowns and the dimmer switch approach have many small businesses hanging by a thread, if they have not already permanently shut their doors.

We were hopeful that the Blueprint for a Safe Economy and the four tiers announced in late August would provide some relief to these businesses, but the reality is that many of these businesses are struggling even more and feel as though there is no possibility of reopening their doors any time soon.

The metrics that are being assessed to determine a county’s risk level are inconsistent, at best. In Ventura County, our positivity rate has consistently been in the Moderate (Orange) level since the new evaluation metrics were released. However, our county continues to sit in the Widespread (purple) tier due to our adjusted cases sitting slightly above 7. One major factor adding to this higher number of adjusted cases is the number of positive cases among prisoners.

We don’t believe that positive cases among prisoners should be counted toward the adjusted positive cases that factor into the county risk level metrics. As we understand many of these individuals are not from Ventura County. Additionally, these individuals are isolated and not out in our communities spreading the virus. If this group could be removed from the numbers, we believe our County would be able to move closer towards safely reopening our businesses.

To add insult to injury, the smoke from the wildfires that have overwhelmed much of California combined with the extreme heat we have been experiencing has had an even more devastating impact on these business trying to survive and run their indoor business outdoors. It would be a healthier environment for individuals to exercise or enjoy a meal indoors while distanced than by sitting outside surrounded by excessive heat or wildfire smoke.

The affected businesses in Simi Valley have worked diligently to refit their indoor operations to meet California Department of Public Health (CDPH) industry guidance. Over these past seven months they have shown remarkable resilience and have complied with the countless regulations which comes with a huge financial and emotional price tag. Many of these small business owners have already lost or significantly reduced their revenue stream, while their expenses remain the same or higher in many cases.

The struggles that our businesses are experiencing are not a result of anything they have done. This is of no fault of their own; in fact, many of these businesses were thriving prior to the pandemic. They need assistance to keep their doors open, and they need their government to work for them.

In closing, we urge you to reevaluate the adjusted positive cases less the positive cases from prisoners when assessing the county’s risk level. Our small businesses have worked hard to provide a safe, clean indoor environment for customers. They are the backbone of our state and local economies and they deserve to reopen their doors as they strictly comply with state guidelines.

Respectfully,

​Kathi Van Etten
President & CEO
Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce

July 20, 2020, Simi Valley, CA – The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce is excited to launch the Community Connections
2020 Speaker Series on Thursday, July 30th with an update from Dr. Jason Peplinski, Superintendent of Simi Valley Unified School District.

Dr. Peplinski will provide an update to students, parents and community members on the Simi Valley Unified School District’s  plan for the 2020 School Year in light of COVID-19.

“With all of  the changes that have happened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want the community to hear decision makers first hand on how they are moving forward,” said Kathi Van Etten, President/CEO of the Simi Valley Chamber. “An update from Dr. Peplinski about the upcoming Simi Valley school year is incredibly relevant as it impacts a sizeable part of our population.”

This update is the first in a series designed to connect community leaders with community members to provide the most up to date information on areas and topics that impact Simi Valley.

This virtual event will be on Thursday, July 30th  from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Registration is required to attend this free event. Interested individuals can register HERE
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In a press conference on Monday July 13th, Governor Newsom issued an order mandating additional industry closures throughout the State. 

Effective July 13, 2020, ALL counties must close indoor operations in these sectors:

• Dine-in restaurants
• Wineries and tasting rooms
• Movie theaters 
• Family entertainment centers (for example: bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades)
• Zoos and museums
• Cardrooms

Additionally, bars, brewpubs, breweries, and pubs must close all operations both indoor and outdoor statewide.
Counties that have remained on the County Monitoring List for 3 consecutive days are required to shut down the following industries unless they can be modified to operate outside or by pick-up. This order applies to Ventura County.

• Fitness centers
• Worship services
• Protests
• Offices for non-essential sectors
• Personal care services, like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Malls

The Ventura County Public Health Officer may release guidance related to this order with additional restrictions. The most restrictive order issued must be followed by businesses.

​Contact the Chamber if you have any questions at 805-526-3900.

Business Builders, a program of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, is a business mastermind group open to all members of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce. The group meets twice monthly, on the first and third Thursday, at 8:00 AM. For more information, contact Amy Corneau.

​There are many reasons to join a business mastermind group like Business Builders, but here are our top 5:

1. Advice: There is nothing like good advice from people who share your struggles and experiences. Whether you're new to entrepreneurship, or have been running your own show for many years, sometimes you just need advice on managing stress, prioritizing tasks, balancing work and family life, how to clear up a misunderstanding with a client or how to drive new sales.

2. Motivation: What gets you going? Seeing and hearing about creative new approaches and the success of other people who are also entreprenrus be a huge motivator. Support and encouragement from people who know what you are going through can help you get in gear to move on to the next challenge.

3. Direction: Where do you see yourself in one, three or five years from now? Your mastermind community can help you set a goal and map your path to get there. As entrepreneurs, we set our own priorities and schedule. That can be, as they say, a blessing and a curse. Having accountability to your mastermind group can unlock, unblock and unstick you.

4. Coaching: It can be really hard for an entrepreneur to ask for help and coaching. After all, we are supposed to have all the answers, right? Masterminds can be a wonderfully sneaky way for entrepreneurs to get the coaching they need in the form of brainstorming. Like-minded individuals who have gone through similar struggles can offer sold answers to help you navigate the challenges more effectively, and get through the tough times strategically.

5. Support: It's lonely at the top, and as an entrepreneur, you may have begun to feel that more keenly than most. Dionne Warwick may have said it best in her song: "That's What Friends Are For." Masterminds are designed to develop strong support teams for you during the tough times, and often they develop into lifetime friendships.

If any of these reasons speak to you and your business, please join us for a meeting to learn more and see what Business Builders has to offer!

The United States Chamber of Commerce, at its board meeting in March 2020, awarded the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce with 5-Star Accreditation for its sound policies, effective organizational procedures, and positive impact on the community.

“Accreditation validates a chamber as having programs that benefit its local economy and positively influence its community,” said Raymond P. Towle, IOM, CAE, U.S. Chamber vice president of Federation Relations and Institute for Organization Management. “We applaud these organizations for advancing the principles of free enterprise.”

Accreditation is the only national program that recognizes chambers for their effective organizational procedures and community involvement. In order to receive Accreditation, a chamber must meet minimum standards in their operations and programs, including areas of governance, government affairs, and technology. This extensive self-review can take 6 – 9 months to complete.

“We are so proud to receive this 5-star distinction for the third time,” said Kathi Van Etten, President & CEO of the Simi Valley Chamber. “This truly is a testament to the hard work of our Board of Directors and staff to move business forward in Simi Valley.”

Local chambers are rated Accredited, 3-Stars, 4-Stars, or 5-Stars. The final determination is made by the Accrditing Board, a committee of U.S. Chamber board members.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce represents over 600 businesses in Simi Valley and the surrounding areas. The mission of the Simi Valley Chamber is to promote a strong business community. For more information on the Simi Valley Chamber, contact their office at 805-526-3900.