The Coast News, Aug. 17, 2012

A6 THE COAST NEWS
AUG. 17, 2012
Suit drive helps job seekers in need
By Lillian Cox
SOLANA BEACH —
Savvy job seekers know
there’s never a second
chance to make a first
impression. This economy
makes it especially difficult
to show up for an interview
these days looking like a million
dollars.
The city of Solana Beach
is helping by partnering with
Robert Half International,
and the nonprofit Dress for
Success San Diego, as part of
a national suit drive underway
through Aug. 24.
City Hall will be collecting
donated, tax-deductible
women’s interview-appropriate
suits, separates, shoes
and accessories to benefit
women re-entering the workforce.
“We have done this for
three years with great participation,
not only from city
employees, but city wide,”
City Clerk Angela Ivey
explained. “The first year
only employees participated,
and it was great. The second
year we got a flood from the
public, and more than tripled
donations from the previous
year.”
Paul Kartzke is branch
manager of Office Team and
Accountemps in Carlsbad,
subsidiaries of Robert Half
International, and has been
involved in the drive from
the beginning in 2002.
“Initially, we highlighted
five offices on the West
Coast and brought in more
than 500 women’s suits and
1,100 pieces of interview
clothing,” he recalled. “It was
so successful that we decided
to expand to the entire
United States and Canada.”
Kartzke explained that
Robert Half International
also has offices in Rancho
Bernardo, La Jolla and downtown
San Diego that are
working with their clients to
generate donations.
“The city of Solana
Beach has taken it to another
level by not only involving
employees, but the entire
community, which is fantastic,”
he added.
Kartzke gave kudos to
his employees who have
reached out to each of their
clients and, like him, will be
picking up donations personally
on the final day.
“I’ve been in this office
for four years and participation
by so many businesses
makes everyone feel good,”
he said.
Sylvia McKinley is
founder of Dress for Success
San Diego which has a boutique
at 3295 Meade Ave. off
Interstate 805 near El Cajon
Blvd.
“The quantity of the
professional clothing and
accessories, along with funding
donated through the
annual suit drive hosted by
Robert Half International
has increased over the
years,” she said. “We are
grateful to our friends in
North County who have supported
our clients’ transition
to economic self-sufficiency
by organizing suit and accessory
drives, sponsoring
fundraising events, volunteering
as speakers in our
job readiness curriculum,
joining our board of directors
and participating in other
hands-on activities.”
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Amber Valentine shows off her new job interview suit at Dress for
Success San Diego. Coastal residents interested in making taxdeductible
donations of women’s suits and accessories to women reentering
the workforce can do so at Solana Beach City Hall and Office
Team in Carlsbad. Courtesy photo
held) became a participant
through a referral from
another nonprofit after losing
her public relations job
and being unemployed for
nearly a year.
“I was not looking for a
hand out and I was sensitive
about how I might be treated,”
she remembered. “But
all of my concerns disappeared
when I arrived at the
Dress for Success San Diego
facility where I was greeted
warmly, treated respectfully
and embraced as an ‘equal.’”
Lettice was outfitted
with what she described as
“a beautiful designer suit
and accessories.”
“I succeeded in my job
interview, feel good about my
new job and feel blessed that
God has structured a plan for
me,” she added. “For anyone
who is nervous or unsure
about Dress for Success San
Diego I would say: ‘The experience
will exceed your
expectations. They will make
sure you receive exactly what
you need and you will leave
happy.’”
Drop-offs can be made
at Solana Beach City Hall
during regular business
hours (Monday through
Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. and alternate Fridays
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) until
5:30 p.m., Aug. 23.
Donations can also be
made at Office Team, 5868
Owens Ave., Suite 100,
Carlsbad near Palomar
Airport. For more information
about Dress for Success San
Diego, call (619) 281-3773 or
visit dressforsuccess.org/sandiego.
Council may OK
new cab rules
By Promise Yee
OCEANSIDE — City
Council is on the brink of
adopting new business license
rules for cab companies.
A new license fee schedule
was unanimously OK’d on
Wednesday. Next to return to
council are revised rules for
companies to gain a license.
To be included in the
new set of rules are requirements
to have a minimum of
10 cabs in the fleet, dispatch
cabs through a computerized
radio system, have GPS that
alerts the nearest cab driver
in the fleet to a customer call,
accept credit card payments,
and limit vehicle age to seven
years.
Anthony Palmeri, owner
of Yellow Cab, spoke at the
podium several times to voice
his support for the changes
and to answer City Council
questions about the industry.
He said the requirement
for companies to have a larger
fleet, coupled with the provision
that allows companies to
permit independent cab drivers
to buy into the fleet,is beneficial.
“It will benefit the city,”
Palmeri said. “Drivers can be
owners. They can buy a piece
of Yellow Cab and be part of
the infrastructure.”
An owner and driver of a
small cab company opposed
the new regulations that
would squeeze smaller cab
companies like hers out of the
picture. She said she has six
cabs in her fleet and drivers
SANDAG is seeking
input from public
COAST CITIES — The
San Diego Association of
Governments (SANDAG) is
seeking public input in order
to update its Public
Participation Plan.
As part of the update,
San Diego County residents
are invited to take an online
survey through Sept. 28 by visiting
sandag.org/ppp.
The PPP establishes a
process for communicating
with and obtaining input from
the public concerning agency
programs, projects, and program
funding.
The strategies and tactics
outlined in the plan guide the
agency’s public outreach and
involvement efforts for highway
projects; transit fare
COAST CITIES — Tri-
City Church is hosting its
third annual Free Clothing
Swap in the gym from 12:30
to 3:30 p.m. Sep. 2 at the
church, 302 N. Emerald
Drive in Vista.
The public is invited to
bring clothes they no longer
use and take what they
need, free of charge. The
church will provide bags for
people to fill.
Volunteers will accept
clothes for the swap at the
church gym from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. Sept. 1. The public is
are dispatched by cell phone.
“There’s a need for our
service here,” the cab company
owner said.
Currently there are two
licensed cab companies in
Oceanside. Yellow Cab operates
47 cabs and 24-7 Taxi Cab
has 17 cabs in operation.
Council members said
the new rules would bring in
quality companies that would
provide reliable service to seniors
and tourists.
They added that the new
computer dispatch requirement
would stop cabs from
lining up in front of high customer
areas like hotels and
the transit center.
“I don’t want more cabs
than we can count,” Mayor
Jim Wood said. “I don’t want
to have a fleet of cabs parked
in a line up in front of a busy
spot.”
Other suggestions that
were discussed,but will not be
part of the new requirements,
were for cabs to run on alternative
fuel, and 10 percent of
cabs in fleets to be ADA compliant.
Rules were last updated
in the early 1980s. Michael
Sherwood, chief information
officer, said the current
updates were made to simplify
the licensing process, allow
different structures for company
organization and
improve customer safety and
service.
The new rules will be
brought back to council for a
final OK Aug. 29.
changes and construction;
smart growth, environmental,
and planning efforts; growth
forecasts; the Regional
Transportation Plan; Regional
Transportation Improvement
Program; tribal consultation;
and other initiatives.
Survey results will help
evaluate the effectiveness of
the methods currently in
place for communicating
with the public, as well as
measure how to best engage
community members moving
forward.
More information is
available at Comments at
sandag.org/ppp or questions
may be sent via e-mail to
Paula Zamudio at
pza@sandag.org.
Clothes swap readied
encouraged to drop off
clothes Sept. 1 to give volunteers
time to sort clothes by
size for the Sept. 2 event.
People can also drop off
clothes during the week at
the school office between
now and Aug. 31.
Families can be looking
to clean out the clothes they
no longer use, and leave
with just one or two special
things. A family may also be
really in need of clothes,
and come with little or nothing,
but leave with a lot of
clothes.