California adopts nation's toughest equal-pay law
A new California law, described as the toughest equal-pay measure in the nation, puts the state on the forefront of the women’s rights movement, supporters said Tuesday. SB358, which passed the Legislature with near unanimous approval, bars employers from paying women less than men when they do “substantially similar work.”
“This is an occasion when we have come together, both (political) parties, men and women, to reach agreement on pay equity,” said Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed the bill at the Rosie the Riveter-WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond.
The law, known as the Fair Pay Act, closes loopholes in existing antidiscrimination statutes that made it difficult for people to challenge their employers or prove that they were being paid at different rates due to gender. It makes it unlawful for employers to prohibit workers from discussing their own wages or the wages of co-workers — or inquiring about another worker’s wages — if the purpose is to determine pay fairness.
“You can’t challenge what you don’t know,” said State Sen. Hanna-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, who authored the bill, adding that the new law should be a template for other states who want to treat working women and their families fairly.
It also bars employers from retaliating against or discriminating against employees who seek out pay disparity information.
Women in California earn an average of 84 cents to every dollar a man earns, and the gap is wider for women of color, particularly Latinas, who make 44 cents to every dollar a white male counterpart makes, according to the legislation.
Read the full story online.
Source: SFGate
Register now for Higher Education & Research Leadership Summit
Our local colleges and universities not only prepare students for the world through degrees and workforce preparedness training, they also serve as centers of research and innovation. They create jobs and vitalize our local economy.
Each year, the Monterey County Business Council and the Higher Education & Research Competitive Cluster host an annual Higher Education & Research Leadership Summit. Scheduled for 7:30-10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 23 in the Monterey Marriott's Ferrante’s Bay View Room, the Annual Higher Education and Research Leadership Summit is the opportunity for the presidents and institutions that are members of the MCBC Higher Education and Research Competitive Cluster to showcase upcoming collaborations and projects and highlight the economic impact of education and research in the Monterey Bay region.
Expect insights from, and the opportunity to network with, leading officials from Cal State University Monterey Bay (BCM), University of California Santa Cruz, Monterey Peninsula College (BCM), Hartnell College (BCM), Monterey College of Law (BCM), the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (BCM), Defense Language Institute (BCM, Naval Postgraduate School (BCM), and others.
A special focus of this year’s Summit will be the launch of the Bright Futures Cradle-to-Career initiative in which regional partners are working together to ensure that every child is prepared for school, succeeds in and out of the classroom, completes a post-high school credential and enters a promising career. Attend and discover how you can help this crucial effort for our community.
Advance registration for MCBC members is just $30, or $40 for non-members; those without advance registration will be charged $45 at the door.
Register now at Eventbrite to reserve your attendance.
Our thanks to our event sponsors
Major sponsors of this year's Higher Education & Research Leadership Summit include the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, PG&E (BCM), Scudder Roofing, South Swell Ventures, Hartnell College, MBEP, AT&T, the Monterey Bay PTAC and Monterey Peninsula College.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. Sponsors will be publicly acknowledged at our event through promotional announcements, fliers, social media, as well as a prominent note in our program. We offer three levels of sponsorship: (i) Platinum Sponsors in the amount of $5,000, each of whom will receive video and audio recognition on television and radio; listing on our event program; recognition at the event; recognition in all marketing publications; company brand/logo on the MCBC website; recognition in Friday Facts; and ten (10) tickets and preferred seating; (ii) Gold Sponsors for $2,500, who will receive listing on our event program; recognition at the event; company brand/logo on the MCBC website; recognition in Friday Facts; ten (10) tickets and preferred seating; (iii)Silver Sponsors for $1,000, who will receive listing on our event program; recognition at the event; ten (10) tickets and preferred seating. Breakfast will be provided to all attendees.
Get sponsorship details at Eventbrite or download a sponsorship request letter signed by CSUMB President Eduardo Ochoa, Hartnell College Superintendent/President Willard Lewallen, Ph.D., and Monterey Peninsula College Superintendent/President Walter Tribley here
to become a sponsor of this high-visibility event. For additional information, email MCBC Executive Director Brian Turlington or phone (831) 216-3020.
MIIS scientist-in-residence part of team awarded 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics
Dr. Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, scientist-in-residence at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and an adjunct professor in the Middlebury Institute’s (NCM) Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program, was a member of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory team whose work was recently honored with the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Led by Dr. Arthur McDonald, the Canadian team built and operated an 18-meter-in-diameter spherical detector in a 10-story-high cavity two kilometers underground in a nickel mine. As Ferenc says, “sometimes doing physics takes hard work!” He adds that they did all this “to get a better understanding of how the sun works and how the particles called neutrinos fit in with our understanding of cosmology.” The combined work of Arthur McDonald’s team and previous research conducted by Dr. Takaaki Kajita of Japan showing that neutrinos metamorphose and have mass “has changed our understanding of the innermost workings of matter and can prove crucial to our view of the universe,” according to The Royal Swedish Academy.
Dalnoki-Veress holds an MSc and PhD in high energy physics from Carleton University, Canada.
Read Dalnoki-Veress's fascinating explanation of his team's work on the MIIS website.
Joe Pezzini to lead Ocean Mist Farms
Ocean Mist Farms has named Joe Pezzini as the company’s successor to current President and CEO Ed Boutonnet; the transition in leadership will occur over the next 12 months.
Pezzini joined Ocean Mist Farms in June of 1983 and has been vice president of operations since 2001 and COO since February 2009.
Ocean Mist was honored with the Monterey County Business Council's Agriculture Award during MCBC's 16th Anniversary Gala and Annual Economic Vitality Awards in February 2012. The annual awards recognize Monterey County organizations in six unique sectors for their important contributions to the economic vitality, growth and preservation of Monterey County.
He served as a past chairman of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and stepped up to provide strong industry leadership as a spokesperson during a September 2006 outbreak of a deadly strain of e. Coli bacteria in fresh bagged spinach.
Pezzini succeeds Boutonnet who joined Ocean Mist Farms in 1970 and became President and CEO in 1990. Under his leadership, the company became the largest grower/shipper of fresh artichokes in North America. Boutonnet will remain as Chairman of the Board and will participate in special assignments, projects and other operations of the corporation.
A family-owned company, Castroville-based Ocean Mist Farms was founded in 1924 and grows artichokes in Castroville, Oxnard and Coachella and a full line of fresh vegetables from Castroville, Huron, Oxnard, Coachella and Imperial Valley, Yuma and Mexico.
Local companies to share stories, challenges at Entrepreneurship Forum
The Fall Entrepreneurship Forum will host a panel of entrepreneurs who have started the following local companies: Assure Technologies, Carmel Valley Coffee Roasters, Healthy Soil and Luma Yoga. How did they make their dream of owning their own company a reality? How successful were they? What lessons did they learn? In addition to a short talk by each panelist, there will be ample time for audience questions.
The Entrepreneurship Forum is a series of talks, held once each semester, on subjects related to the practice of entrepreneurship. The forums are held jointly by the CSU Monterey Bay (BCM) College of Business and the Institute for Innovation and Economic Development (iiED) (BCM). They are open to students, faculty and members of the community at no charge.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 15
Time: 4-6 p.m.
Where: CSUMB University Center Ballroom
Cost: Free/parking is $1
For information: Visit csumb.edu/iied
MBEP unveils full agenda for its upcoming State of the Region Conference
The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) has announced the agenda for its State of the Region Conference on Nov. 4 at the Chaminade Resort and Conference Center in Santa Cruz. The conference will cover important topics such as our regional community health indicators, affordable housing, health care and nutrition for all of our children, public safety, the environment, workforce development, and building a 21st-century infrastructure. Speakers include Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, MBEP Co-Chair Bud Colligan, CA Forward Co-Chair Lenny Mendoca, and the Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UCSC, Gary Griggs.
Among the compelling questions to be addressed by a wide variety of experts at the conference:
What are the key community health indicators that indicate the overall health and vitality of our region? What’s a comprehensive and deeply collaborative vision for our region and our state, that builds on what’s working and strengthens or creates opportunities for more residents?
What can we do together to create adequate affordable housing that will ensure a vibrant, diverse community? How do we develop sufficient consensus to create and realize a 21st-century infrastructure? How can we unite as a community to ensure that all children in the Monterey Bay region have an opportunity to thrive and become healthy, productive members of the community? What are the factors that lead to optimum public safety outcomes and how can we collaborate as a region to create safe and thriving communities? And how do we improve our ability as a region to attract and retain a world-class workforce?
See the agenda for a complete list of session topics, moderators and panelists. RSVP now, as seating is limited and will sell out soon.
Company a valued member MCBC's Sustainable Building and Design Cluster
We'd like to acknowledge Marvin Design Gallery by Truitt & White Monterey its support of the Monterey County Business Council.
The company, founded in Berkeley in 1946, hosted a benefit at its Seaside window and door showroom this week for for the Sustainable Building and Design Competitive Cluster, of which it is an active member since last year.
The company was founded by George Truitt and Robert White as the Truitt & White Lumber Co. and it has grown to be a leading source of high-quality building materials, information, and customer service for homeowners, contractors, architects and designers alike. Its expert window and door specialists present unique options, exclusive features, and energy efficient solutions to fit any project, budget and design need.
Always searching for ways to make the customer's experience better, Truitt & White computerized its systems early on, and was stocking double pane insulated windows long before others recognized their value
In addition to product displays, the showroom includes a meeting room with space for small gatherings and training sessions, as well as a comfortable area where builders and their clients can spread out plans and discuss projects.
The company supports a wonderful philosophy of community engagement: "We truly believe it is important to educate and inspire the community. In each region we offer different programs that educate, inspire and inform the public while working to raise funds for local charities. We strive to support the communities we do business in through volunteer work; civic work and supporting like minded organizations."
Marvin Design Gallery by Truitt & White is at 1096 Canyon Del Rey Blvd. in Seaside. They can be reached at (831) 393-9420.
Uber arrives at Monterey Regional Airport
Uber officially launched its smartphone-based service at Monterey Regional Airport this week.
“The biggest push behind it was demand,” said Neil Gabrielson, operation supervisor for the Monterey Peninsula Airport District. “So many passengers coming here from other markets that already have Uber and assume they can get it here ... it was a customer service issue.”
Gabrielson said the California Public Utilities Commission regulates Uber and takes care of a list of requirements and regulations the service must adhere to. Like cab drivers, Uber pays a $3 surcharge to the airport for each fare in or out.
Uber requires passengers to sign up through its smartphone app to conduct business, including setting up a profile with a valid credit card and turning on GPS location services.
Once the app is turned on and a request to be picked up is made, drivers and passengers can see who is available and their locations. Since the app tracks the start and end points of the drive, and the credit card of the passenger is already on file, no cash or credit card transactions take place between the driver and the passenger. The business transaction is automatically completed through the app, the credit card is charged and the driver gets a percentage of the cost of the ride.
Read the full story online.
Source: Monterey County Herald
