VBJ February 18 Online

Serving Southwest Riverside County Since 1989 

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2 

FEBRUARY 2018 

And... 

How the Tax Reforms Will 

Take Effect 

Job & Career Fair 

Celebrating the Life of 

Bea Taylor 

National 

Merchants ASSOC. 

Now Hiring 

page 15 

profile: Sally 

and gary myers 

page 25 

PEOPLE 

Taste & Enjoy 

Mercedes-Benz Veteran 

Comes to Temecula 

Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn 

Appointed as Chair of the State of California’s 

Cannabis Advisory Committee 

Last week during its first 

meeting of 2018, the California 

Department of Consumer Affairs’ 

newly created committee, the 

Cannabis Advisory Committee 

(under the Bureau of Cannabis 

Control), appointed Temecula 

Mayor Matt Rahn as its Chair. 

Mayor Matt Rahn is the only elected 

official represented on this 22-member 

Board, which serves at the direction 

of the Director of the Department of 

Consumer Affairs, Dean R. Grafilo. 

SEE PAGE 27 

SEE PAGE 31 

Taking 

Chris Lanza, a 40-year veteran of the luxury retail 

automotive industry, has been promoted to General 

Manager of Mercedes-Benz of Temecula. 

Control 

of 

Your 

Career 

by Ted Saul, 

SEE PAGE 19 

The beginning of the year is a good 

time for career evaluation along 

with reviewing or developing a plan 

to move forward or start something 

new. It’s not unusual to experience 

two or three careers in a lifetime 

these days. Industry evolution and 

simply wanting to do something 

different are legitimate reasons for 

change. 

SEE PAGE 27 Sr. Staff Writer 

SEE PAGE 26 

Tax Reform Move Over 2017 

Tax Deadline Ahead 

Common Isn’t Always 

Correct 

No End in Sight? 

FINANCIAL 

page 

12 

HEALTH 

22 

REAL ESTATE 

25

www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 

THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL 

2 February 2018

February 2018 



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STAFF WRITERS/ 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Gene Wunderlich 

Ted Saul 

Helen M. Ryan 

Stefani Laszko 

Nicole Albrecht 

Julie Ngo 

Tracey Papke 

Tom Plant 

Esther Phahla 

Dr. Dennis Petersen 

Steve Amante 

Dr. Derek Albrecht 

Monique deGroot 

John Messina 

Andrea Shoup 

Gloria Wolnick 

Dr. Drake Levasheff 

Tim Freese 

Mary Gram 

John & Christine Hamby 

Heather Petersen 

David Grabhorn 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Cy Rathbun 

Todd Montgomery 

Kip A. Cothran 

Tom Plant 

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7 

SPRING INTO 

action JOB AND CAREER FAIR 

The City of Murrieta partners to 

join employers with employees for a 

FREE Job Fair. Employers join us to 

find good people to recruit prospective 

employees! Job Seekers, come dressed 

in your business best and bring many 

updated resumes! 

Looking for a fresh start, want a 

better job or a new career plan? The 

City of Murrieta, will provide a career 

fair to help our community and surrounding 

communities with participating 

employers taking action into hiring 

potential employees. Spring into Action 

job seekers will find a wealth of career 

opportunities. A variety of employers 

from both the public and private sectors 

will be eager to hire for immediate openings 

in a wide range of fields. This job 

fair will bring together local businesses 

and our community’s skilled workforce 

to help businesses grow and positively 

impact Murrieta’s economic vitality. 

The City of Murrieta and Murrieta 

Chambers of Commerce in partnership 

with Before the Transition, Inc., a 501c3 

nonprofit (BTT) in hosting the Spring 

into Action Job Career Fair on February 

13, 2018 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm at 

the Murrieta Innovation Center, 26442 

Beckman Ct, Murrieta, CA 92562. 

The City of Murrieta. “The unemployment 

rate in Murrieta is at its lowest 

in a decade according to a new report from 

the California Employment Development 

Department. New jobs in the hospitality, 

construction and health care industries are 

driving employment numbers up. The information 

in the report illustrates a bigger 

picture. California is charging towards 

full-employment and the City of Murrieta 

is reflecting this trend.” More information 

can be found on their website at: https:// 

www.murrietaca.gov/news/displaynews. 

asp?NewsID=800&TargetID=1 

Workshop for Job Seekers. Are you 

ready for the Murrieta Job Career Fair? 

Perhaps you’re nervous about what to 

expect and how to be successful at the Job 

Fair. Do not fear, we will alleviate your 

stress by providing a Job Fair Workshop! 

February 9, 2018 - 8am to 12pm, 

Murrieta Learning Center, 39665 Avenida 

Acacias, Ste. A, Murrieta, CA 92563 

Participants will receive one-on-one 

job coaching, training to prepare for the job 

fair. The workshops will be conducted on 

February 9, 2018 at the Innovation High 

School (formerly Diego Hills Charter), 

Murrieta Learning Center, 39665 Avenida 

Acacias, Ste. A, Murrieta, CA 92563, Main 

951-249-7641, Time: 12pm - 3pm. 

Workshops for those that need to 

brush-up on their employment skills such 

as: resumes, application process, mock 

interviews, and how to dress for success 

(also how to tie a tie) to make that first 

impression. After the workshops, the nonprofit 

Before the Transition, Inc.’s “Suit 4a 

Suit” – “Changing the World, “1 Suit at a 

Time”, “1000 Suits for Women Veterans”, 

“Suit-up a Youth”, “Modeling for a Cause” 

projects, run by CEO/Founder Dorothy 

Lee. One of the first clothing closets to 

fully integrated on-site with community 

base organizations who helps not only 

veterans, foster youth, seniors, and those 

formally incarcerated, but all residents of 

the surrounding counties in the Riverside, 

Ventura, and Los Angeles neighborhoods, 

where unemployment is high. They will 

provide new and gently used business/ 

casual attire (men jeans). Mostly men 

clothing and some women clothing {sizes 

vary) for those in need will be distributed. 

This valuable workshop will help you: 

▪ Update changes on your resume 

▪ Creating a business card 

▪ Interviewing to win that job 

▪ Veterans – transitioning your resume 

with your military experience 

▪ Brush up on Job Fair networking 

techniques 

▪ Dressing to impress, and how to tie 

a tie 

▪ Plan effective Job Fair strategies.….and 

other topics 

“Job fairs are one of the ways the 

County directly helps residents while 

also working to strengthen our businesses.” 

EMPLOYERS INTERESTED IN AT- 

TENDING THIS EVENT 

RSVP on Eventbrite: https://www. 

eventbrite.com/e/spring-into-action- 

job-career-fair-company-rsvp-tickets- 

38655013185?aff=erelpanelorg 

JOB SEEKERS INTERESTED IN 

ATTENDING THIS EVENT/WORK- 

SHOP 

Job Seekers RSVP for Job Fair/Workshop 

on Eventbrite: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/springinto-action-job-career-fair-job-seekersrsvp-tickets-38744449692. 

In this issue 

Taste of the World 1 

Mercedes-Benz Veteran Comes to Temecula 1 

Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn Appointed 1 

Taking Control of Your Career 1 

Community 7-12 

Tax Reform Move Over 2017 Tax Deadline Ahead! 12 

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce Announces Nominees 12 

How the Tax Reforms Will Take Effect 14 

National Merchants Association Now Hiring 15 

Impact of the New Tax Law on Estate Planning 16 

Making a Gift or Bequest to a Caregiver 17 

No: The Key to a Better Future 19 

Temecula Valley Hospital Earns 4-Star Medicare Rating 20 

Celebrate American Heart Month 20 

What’s So Great About the Farmer’s Market? 21 

Common Isn’t Always Correct 22 

Oxygen Facials 23 

EDC Golf Tournament Partners with Loma Linda NICU 23 

No End in Sight? 25 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE: Sally and Gary Myers 25 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE: Tim Freese 26 

Technology Trends – CryptoCurrency 27 

Arts & Entertainment 28-31 

February ‘18





Don’t Let These 4 Myths Keep You 

from Getting the Care You Deserve 

Provided by John and Christine Hamby 



9 

With home care, there are often misunderstandings. 

For most, it is a blessing, a 

secure way for parents or loved one’s to be 

cared for in the home. Others are nervous 

about letting strangers into their home. 

Here are some common myths about home 

care, and the realities. 

1. Caregivers can’t be trusted. 

We have all heard the stories. However, 

these cases often involve caregivers 

that do not come from a reputable 

home care company. At FirstLight, 

Home Care, all of our caregivers go 

through a course of training developed 

over many years and are actual 

employees of our company. They are 

licensed, bonded and insured… our 

stellar reputation depends on it! 

2. Home care is for people who are sick 

or elderly. 

Not true. Many families employ caregivers 

for their aging parents even 

though they are not ill. A caregiver can 

assist with showers, meal preparation, 

medication reminders, shopping, organizing, 

and more. We also provide 

care for veterans, handicapped and 

disabled, post-operative, and dementia 

care to those 18 and older. Those 

that just need a little help often turn to 

FirstLight to assist with their activities 

of daily living. At FirstLight, we treat 

all our clients as family and will settle 

for nothing less than exceptional care. 

3: Home care is more expensive than 

assisted living. 

According to Genworth’s 2015 Cost 

of Care survey, the national median 

hourly rate for home health care is 

$25/hour. In contrast, the national median 

cost of a one-bedroom residence 

in an assisted living community is 

$3,600 per month (some regions are 

considerably higher). There are many 

ways to pay for home care including 

reverse mortgages, VA benefits, and 

long-term care insurance. 

4. Hiring individuals is less expensive 

than hiring a Home Care Company. 

In the short term, paying an individual 

as a caregiver may seem to be less 

expensive, but there are pitfalls to be 

aware of: workplace injury, fraudulent 

employment practices, legal issues and 

reporting requirements. The employer 

is responsible for actions of employees 

in the workplace and can be held liable 

for workplace injuries. FirstLight 

carries a full portfolio of insurance to 

include Worker’s Compensation and 

Liability Insurance. Our clients are 

protected against injuries or fraudulent 

employment practices, which provides 

peace of mind. FirstLight caregivers 

undergo a full DOJ background check, 

DMV checks, and drug screening. We 

focus on hiring extraordinary people, 

so you can focus on your loved one’s 

health and happiness. 

About FirstLight Home Care of Temecula 

- FirstLight Home Care of Temecula 

is a family owned organization that demands 

impeccable integrity, complete 

dedication to the business of caring, and 

uncompromising loyalty to those who 

trust us with their care. Our mission is to 

provide exceptional care to the citizens 

of our community and their families 

who entrust us with such an important 

responsibility. 

This article is provided by John and Christine 

Hamby, Owners of FirstLight Home 

Care of Temecula serving Temecula, Murrieta, 

Wildomar and surrounding areas. 

For more information, visit us online at 

www.Temecula.FirstLightHomeCare. 

com or call us at (951) 395-0821. 

Official City of Temecula App 

Temecula residents will now have 

news, events, information, and services 

in the palm of their hands with the new 

City of Temecula App. 

The City of Temecula App is designed 

to enhance citizen engagement by 

streamlining access to City information. 

Within the app, you can find information 

regarding City parks and facilities, 

contact information, news, social media 

feeds, and event calendars. You can also 

view Channel 3, Temecula TV directly 

on your device. 

In addition to providing information, 

the City of Temecula App allows access 

to City services. Residents will have the 

ability to report non-emergency issues to 

the City at any time of the day or night. 

Issues such as potholes, graffiti, homeless 

concerns and more can be reported 

quickly and easily using photographs, 

location, and other information about 

the issue. Once the issue is submitted, 

staff is notified, and the resident can track 

the status of their issue through the app. 

“The City of Temecula strives to be 

accessible to our residents, and the City 

of Temecula App is a tool they can use 

to quickly access information, services, 

and resources from the City,” said Mayor 

Matt Rahn. “With the prevalence of 

mobile devices today, apps like this allow 

residents to not only stay informed, but is 

an additional option to interact with the 

City on various topics.” 

The free City of Temecula App is 

available for download in both the Google 

Play and Apple App Stores, or visit 

https://TemeculaCA.gov/app.







11 

We Live in a Visual World 

by Cy Rathbun 

Everything happens so fast anymore 

which is why businesses need to create 

images that inspire their customers to 

notice them. 

I have been a Google Business Photographer 

since 2012. Because of that 

I have seen many changes in the SEO 

market. Today more than before, the most 

important idea is to get noticed. Images 

do not have to always be studio work but 

they must be high quality. Your images 

must represent your company and not 

be stock images. Everyone has seen the 

same smile at almost all dental offices I 

know because I owned a teeth-whitening 

business back in 2008, and the same 

stock image I bought then are still in 

offices today 9 years later. Your customer 

knows you’re not fixing that guy’s teeth 

anymore. 

You can take a photo with your smart 

phone and think that it is ok, but will it 

get noticed? Will it be remembered? Will 

it inspire customers to check out your 

business? Usually not. This article is not 

to get you to call me, but I hope it gets 

you to call a professional photographer 

next time you think about the images you 

want to use to show case your business. 

You can let your potential new customers 

walk into your business thru the 

front door and walk around via a virtual 

tour. If I’m going to my favorite dinner 

house, Luke’s on Front Street, I can tell 

someone I am meeting there to go to 

a link on Google Maps. They can see 

the entire restaurant before they arrive 

so they are excited about where we are 

meeting. 

Today people learn through visual 

experience often more than reading 

words. How many families do you see 

in a restaurant and they are all on their 

smart phones at the table together. They 

are looking at images most of the time 

or playing a video or gaming. Hasn’t the 

world become an image based ideological 

place to exist? If they wanted words, 

there would be more books sold today 

than ever but there isn’t. 1 in 5 or 6 people 

actually read books! So how do they 

get information about photography and 

art? Typically, it starts with You Tube 

or searching on Google until they view 

something interesting. Then they watch 

the moving pictures instead of reading 

how to do something. Visual is more 

connective anymore. 

Let’s go back to photography before I 

run out of words. Taking photos anymore 

is walking along with your smart phone 

seeing let’s say a sunset stopping snap the 

picture which most likely looks ok! You 

show them to your friends and few (Oohs 

and Ahs) and it gets discarded because it 

is not worth keeping. 

Before you yell at me, I am aware 

there are really great apps for software 

to develop and make it pretty but that 

is not what I am critical about. Will that 

photo ever hang in a museum? Will it 

ever be spoken about by your peers? 

Most likely not and I would guess Ansel 

Adams, Steve McCurry or Jay Maisel 

all top world photographers would not 

consider it memorable either. Sometimes 

I have to do something for local events on 

my phone, but I don’t do what I consider 

art with my phone. One of my pictures 

at the Golden Corral has 240,00 views 

but it is not what my representation of 

photography is, it was just a photo I did 

for a soft opening and got a lot of views. 

So, let me finish if you only have 

a smart phone go forward and you will 

have something. But if you can afford a 

photographer do that and you can expect 

something great for your money! 

Typically, it starts with You Tube or searching on 

Google until they view something interesting. 

Then they watch the moving pictures 

instead of reading how to do something. 

Visual is connective. 

Celebrating the Life of Bea Taylor 

Bea Taylor, known by thousands of 

Temeculans as “Mrs. Claus,” died December 

17, 2017 of a heart attack while 

recuperating from a broken ankle in 

Encinitas. Bea was 90 years young. A celebration 

of her life will be held February 

25th, 2pm, at the Temecula Community 

Center, 28816 Pujol St., Temecula. 

Bea was born Beatrice May Dawson, 

March 9, 1927, in Ohio. Her 

parents Thelma and Frank later moved 

to Chula Vista, where they built a 

nursery business. Bea loved to dance 

and met her first husband Navy sailor 

Gardner Wade at a USO dance. They 

had two children, Vera and Bruce. The 

couple divorced, and later Bea met the 

handsome and tall Robert Taylor at a 

“Parents Without Partners” dance. They 

were married in a simple civil ceremony 

while the children were in school. 

Bea ran a gift store in Torrance for 

many years while Bob hung wallpaper. 

They fell in love with Temecula when 

it was just a two stop-sign town. Bea 

and Bob eventually moved to Temecula 

and quickly became fixtures as the town 

greeters. They would dress in period 

costumes from Temecula’s early days and 

walk through town greeting visitors while 

distributing Bob’s hand-drawn maps. 

The Taylors were best known as 

Santa and Mrs. Claus during the Christmas 

holidays. From the early 1980s until 

1997, Bob and Bea greeted thousands of 

children, posing for pictures and listening 

to children’s Christmas wishes. 

Bea was an accomplished watercolor 

artist and part of the Temecula 

Art League. She was often seen at local 

events selling her paintings. Bea was a 

quilter, and quite crafty. She wove baskets 

crocheted items that were donated 

to newborns at the hospital. 

Both Bea and Bob were performers 

at heart. They participated in local theater 

where Bea would perform and sing. Bob 

was often the stage manager. Bea loved 

to sing and continued to sing to her favorite 

music throughout her life. 

Bea had broken her ankle and was 

on the mend in a skilled nursing facility 

in Encinitas when in the early hours of a 

new day, her heart just stopped. She lived 

a big beautiful life, filled with love, art, 

music, dancing, friends and joy. Bea is 

survived by her daughter Vera Michaels, 

her son, Bruce Wade, her stepsons Bill 

and Ron Taylor and a total of five grandchildren 

and two great grandchildren.




Tax Reform Move Over 2017 Tax 

Deadline Ahead! 

FINANCIAL 

by 

Esther Phahla, 

CPA, CTC, MST 

It’s Official, Tax Reform is here! 

This is the first significant reform of the 

U.S. tax code since 1986. BUT WAIT! 

It’s easy to forget that we still have 2017 

taxes to file, which are governed by the 

old rules. That’s tax preparation. While 

we are working on 2017 taxes, that’s an 

opportunity to have a discussion on how 

the new rules are going to affect you in 

2018. That’s Pro-Active Tax Planning. 

But first comply for 2017. 

The IRS announced that it will start 

accepting 2017 tax returns on January 29, 

2018, they strongly encourage taxpayers 

to file their tax returns electronically 

for faster refunds. If you’re expecting a 

refund partly or wholly because of the 

Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional 

Child Tax Credit, those checks 

may not go out before mid-February. File 

early and beat identity thieves to it. 

Let’s take one day at a time and look 

at Which laws apply for 2017: 

The 2017 Disaster Tax Relief Bill. This 

Act provides: 

1. Temporary tax relief for residents 

affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, 

and Maria. 

2. Businesses that qualify for relief may 

claim a new “employee retention tax 

credit” of up to $2,400 for qualified 

wages paid to eligible employees. 

3. Eased restrictions for individuals for 

claiming personal casualty losses by 

waiving the 10% of adjusted gross 

income and permitting the casualty 

deductions by non-itemizers. 

4. Tax-favored withdrawals from retirement 

plans. The 10% early withdrawal 

penalty is eliminated permitting this 

income to be reported ratable over 3 

years and allowing re-contributions in 

the form of rollovers within 3 years of 

distributions. 

5. The option of using current or prior 

year’s income for purposes of claiming 

the earned income and child tax credits. 

6. Charitable Deductions Limitations are 

suspended. 

Medical deductions: the floor is lowered 

to 7.5% of adjusted gross income 

for all individuals. If you recall in 2016 

only taxpayers who were over 65 years 

old could take the 7.5% deduction and 

everyone else was 10% of their adjusted 

gross income. 

Health Care Reporting: The IRS will 

not accept individual e-filed tax returns 

until the taxpayer indicates whether they 

had coverage, had exemption or will 

make a shared responsibility payment. 

Paper filed returns that do not address 

health coverage requirements maybe 

suspended and refunds may be delayed. 

Be aware of Provisions that expired as 

of December 31, 2016. 

Now what to plan for in 2018? 

2018 Changes: Highlights of the Tax 

Cuts & Jobs Act 

Remember: None of the following 

will affect your 2017 tax return, even 

though there was a push to pass a tax 

overhaul by Christmas of 2017. The new 

laws will first be applied to 2018 tax 

returns. But, you have to do something 

during this year to be in good shape for 

tax season next year. 

Some Top Changes for Individuals: 

1. Individual tax rates are lowered. 

2. Standard deduction is increased. 

3. Personal exemptions are eliminated. 

4. Child tax credit is increased. 

5. Alternative minimum tax (AMT) is 

increased. 

6. Estate and gift tax exemption is doubled. 

7. The state and local tax deduction is 

capped to $10,000. 

8. Moving expenses are eliminated 

(with an exception for certain military). 

9. Employee business expenses are 

eliminated. 

10. Mortgage interest beyond interest on 

$750,000 of acquisition debt, if you 

purchase a new home is eliminated. 

11. Mortgage interest paid on equity 

debt is no longer deductible for any 

taxpayer. 

Some Top Changes for Businesses: 

1. Corporate Tax rate is lowered to 

21%. 

2. There will be a 20% deduction from 

net business income for pass through 

entities (sole proprietors, LLCs, partnerships, 

S corporations), and rental 

activities. 

3. Corporate alternative minimum tax 

(AMT) is eliminated. 

There’s more, talk to your Tax Professional 

to see how you will be affected 

by the new laws. Tax Planning is the Key. 

Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail. 

Esther Phahla is a Certified Public 

Accountant and Certified Tax Coach in 

Temecula. She also holds a Master’s of 

Science in Taxation. She is the Best-Selling 

Co-Author of a Tax Planning book 

“Why Didn’t My CPA Tell Me That”. She 

can be reached at (951) 514-2652 or visit 

www.estherphahlacpa.com. 

Paper filed returns that 

do not address health 

coverage requirements 

maybe suspended and 

refunds may be 

delayed.




13 

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce 

Announces Nominees 

for Business, Citizen, Valley Young Professional and Non-Profit of the Year 

Each year, the members of the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce 

nominate businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals who they feel 

serve as leaders in community service, business ethics and economic development. 

Winners are announced at the Annual Awards Gala on Saturday, February 

24, 2018 at Pechanga Resort & Casino. This grand black-tie event is generously 

sponsored by Abbott, Pechanga Resort & Casino, 60 Grit Studios, Paradise 

Chevrolet Cadillac, National Merchants Association, Southwest Healthcare 

System and The Law Offices of Rosenstein & Associates. In addition to the 

nominees listed, awards will be given to: Ambassador of the Year, Lifetime 

Achievement, Chairman’s Choice and Welty Tourism. 

Congratulations to the following businesses and individuals on 

their nomination: 

2017 Bronze Business of the Year Nominees 

Batteries Plus Bulbs #678, Butterfield Ranch Self Storage, California Realty 

Experts, Dubots Capital Management, Leslie A. Doherty & Company, P.C., 

Prime Lending, Temecula Valley Custom Pools, Inc. 

2017 Sterling Business of the Year Nominees 

Amante & Associates Insurance Solutions, Inc., California Bank & Trust, 

Corner Bakery Café, The Creative Bar, Home Perfect Carpet & Tile Cleaning, 

Inc./Home Perfect Emergency Services, E.A.T. Extraordinary Artisan Table, 

Fabozzi & Miller, APC, The Law Offices of Rosenstein & Associates, Murrieta 

Valley Surgery Associates, Inc., New Day Solar, Nothing Bundt Cakes 

Temecula, PKC Kuebler, APC 

2017 Gold Business of the Year Nominees 

Baker Electric Solar, ERA Donahoe Realty, Stryder Transportation, Temecula 

Valley Drywall, Inc./ Timberlake Painting 

2017 Platinum Business of the Year Nominees 

DCH Auto Group Temecula, Gosch Ford Temecula, Kaiser Permanente, National 

Merchants Association, Paradise Buick GMC, Rancho Christian School, 

Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., Temecula Valley Toyota, WestPak 

Avocado, Inc. 

2017 Service/Charitable Organization of the Year 

Nominees 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest County, Charity for Charity, Help Hospitalized 

Veterans, Hole Hearted Foundation, Oak Grove Center for Education, 

Treatment & The Arts, Project Touch, Small Business Development Center, 

Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival, United Way of the Inland Valleys 

2017 Citizen of the Year Nominees 

Kimberly Adams, Kathy Anselmo, Carly Bennett-Valle, Tena Carracciolo, 

Craig Davis, Leah Di Bernardo, Tina Gottlieb, Chris Miehl, Josh Painter, Greg 

Pennyroyal, Dave Thompson, Darlene Wetton, Becky Young 

2017 Valley Young Professional of the Year Nominees 

Ashlee Collins, Jared Johnson, Stephanie Staab 

Ticket Information: Reservations are $145 per person and $1,550 

for a corporate table of 10 guests. Reservations can be made at www. 

temecula.org or by calling the Temecula Chamber office at (951) 

676-5090. Tickets include champagne reception, dinner, awards 

presentation, and entertainment. You won’t want to miss this year’s 

entertainment provided by Bonnie Foster Productions!




How the Tax Reforms Will Take Effect 

Some of the impact of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act will be felt 

mostly for the 2018 tax year. 

FINANCIAL 

presented by 

Nicole M Albrecht EA 

President Donald Trump signed the 

Tax Cuts & Jobs Act into law on December 

22nd, and on January 1st, some key 

details of the Internal Revenue Code will 

abruptly change. 

Changes will be noticeable. On January 

1st, the federal estate tax exemption will 

double; the standard federal income tax 

deduction will nearly double. The top 

corporate income tax rate will fall from 

35% to 21%. Most business owners who 

make pass-through income will be able 

to deduct the first 20% of that income 

tax-free. 

New Individual Tax Brackets of 10%, 

12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37% 

Standard Deduction Will Increase but 

Personal Exemptions are Eliminated: 

Standard deduction increases to $12,000 

for single filers, $18,000 for head of 

household, and $24,000 for joint filers in 

2018 (compared to $6,500, $9,550, and 

$13,000 respectively under current law). 

Personal exemptions ($4K per person) 

are eliminated. For a single individual, 

the net result of the increased standard 

deduction and personal exemption 

elimination is an additional deduction of 

$1,500 ($3K for married). Fewer people 

will end up itemizing deductions under 

this plan. 

Workers may not see changes to their 

paychecks until February. The Internal 

Revenue Service will be releasing new 

withholding tables in January. 

Two provisions of the TCJA may also 

apply retroactively for some taxpayers: 

• A larger federal tax deduction for outof-pocket 

medical expenses is allowed 

not just for 2018, but also for 2017. 

Taxpayers who itemize may write off 

qualifying medical expenses exceeding 

7.5% of income in 2017, instead of 

10% of income. 

• Businesses that bought new capital 

equipment after September 27, 2017 

will be permitted to fully and immediately 

expense those purchases for the 

2017 tax year. 

Health insurance mandate January 1, 

2019: On that day, the individual health 

insurance mandate is scheduled to be 

repealed; no taxpayer will face a penalty 

for not having health coverage. 

Many of the changes authorized by the 

passage of the TCJA will expire after 

2025. Congress may or may not renew 

them at the end of that year. The reduction 

of the corporate tax rate to 21% is a notable 

exception – that change is permanent. 

Mortgage Interest: Limits the mortgage 

interest deduction to the first $750,000 in 

acquisition debt. For homes purchased 

before December 15, 2017, the mortgage 

deduction limit is grandfathered 

in at $1M. No limit on rental mortgage 

interest, considered trade or business. In 

2026, this provision reverts to $1M. 

Home Equity Debt: Interest paid on 

home-equity loans will no longer be 

deductible beginning in 2018, with no 

grandfathering in. In other words, if you 

already have a home-equity loan or line 

of credit, this is the last year you can 

write off the interest paid on it. In 2026, 

this provision will revert to current law, 

which allows a deduction for interest paid 

on up to $100,000 of home-equity debt. 

State and local tax deduction (SALT) 

$10,000 Max: The bill limits the deductibility 

of 2018 and future property taxes 

and state and local income taxes to a 

combined $10,000. 

Child Tax Credit: The child tax credit 

has doubled to $2,000 for children 

under 17. The entire credit can be 

claimed by single parents who make up 

to $200,000, and married couples who 

make up to $400,000. 

New tax credit for non-child dependents, 

like elderly parents: Taxpayers 

may now claim a $500 temporary 

credit for non-child dependents. This 

can apply to a number of people adults 

support, such as children over age 17, 

elderly parents or adult children with a 

disability. 

Alimony Payments: Alimony payments 

are no longer deductible for the person 

who writes the checks. This provision 

will apply to couples who sign divorce 

or separation paperwork after December 

31, 2018. 

Moving Expense Deduction: Eliminated, 

except for members of the military. 

Unreimbursed Business Expenses, 

Investment Expenses, CPA Fees, & All 

2% Itemized Deductions: Deductions 

are eliminated starting in 2018, but this 

reverts to current law in 2026. Business 

expenses related to a trade or business 

are still deductible, but unreimbursed 

expenses related to a W2 position are no 

longer deductible. 

20% Deduction for Pass-Through 

Businesses: A new 20% deduction is 

available to all pass-through businesses 

(S-Corps, partnerships, Schedule C (sole 

proprietorship), Schedule E (rentals), and 

Schedule F (farming, trusts, and estates) 

for 2017 through 2025. Tax law limits 

the 20% deduction to no more than 20% 

of the taxpayer’s taxable income subject 

to ordinary income tax rates. 

This is a good time to plan your 2018 

tax strategy. Talk to your tax preparer 

soon, to see how you might take advantage 

of the adjustments to federal tax law.




15 

National Merchants Association Now Hiring 

Temecula-based Company Seeks to fill Hundreds 

of Entry-to-Executive Level Positions 

National Merchants Association 

(NMA), a global merchant advocacy 

group and leader in merchant services, 

recently announced plans to hire close 

to 200 new employees in 2018, doubling 

the current headcount. The hiring 

campaign is part of ambitious expansion 

plans for the company, which has been 

headquartered in Temecula since 2012. 

NMA is currently hiring for entry-level 

to executive-level positions in 

Sales, Internet Technology, Marketing, 

Customer Service and Corporate Administration. 

All positions offered are 

full-time and features benefits such as 

100% paid health insurance, company 

dental insurance, company-matched 

401(k), paid holidays, vacation time 

and referral bonuses. 

NMA has enjoyed a meteoric level 

of growth over the past six years. According 

to the 2017 Inc. 5000 list of 

fastest-growing private financial services 

companies, NMA is No. 1 in Riverside 

County and is 11th in the state of California. 

Currently, NMA is ranked No. 196 

in the Inc. 5000 list of companies of any 

kind in the United States. 

“NMA is growing and we are 

proud to be able to provide dynamic 

careers for great candidates in our region,” 

said NMA Founder and CEO, 

Heather Petersen. “We are looking for 

the best of the best to come right in, 

learn what it takes to succeed here at 

NMA, and fit right into our team.” 

Great companies consist of great 

people, and the work environment 

at NMA is built around the belief of 

growth beyond boundaries. Prospective 

applicants should visit www. 

nationalmerchants.com/careers for a 

full list of open positions and to begin 

the application process. 

For more information about National 

Merchants Association and its 

full catalog of merchant and payment 

processing services, please visit www. 

nationalmerchants.com. 

About National Merchants Association 

- National Merchants Association 

is a global leader in merchant payment 

processing services and is dedicated to 

helping merchants and agent partners 

grow their businesses by generating 

sales opportunities and maximizing 

profits. Ranked 196 among the Inc. 

5000 fastest-growing private companies, 

National Merchants Association 

owes much of its success to its strong 

commitment to advocacy. NMA works 

for agents to create a pro-businesses 

payments environment and for merchants 

to eliminate the unnecessary 

and unreasonable fees associated with 

accepting electronic transactions. Visit 

www.NationalMerchants.com or call 

(866) 509-7199 for more information. 

The City of Temecula Presents a Special 

“Sweetheart Concert” 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, 

the City of Temecula proudly presents 

a Sweetheart Concert, in collaboration 

with the Valley Winds Swing Band. 

Bring your sweetheart to the Community 

Recreation Center (30875 Rancho 

Vista Road) on Sunday, February 11th 

at 2:00 pm for a free concert. 

The Valley Winds Swing Band is 

modeled after the typical big band of 

the 1940s. The 17-piece band performs 

many of the standard songs made famous 

during the WWII era, as well as 

rock and roll tunes familiar to today’s 

audience. Their fast and slow dance 

songs include many great hits from 

Aretha Franklin and Chicago to the 

songs of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. 

Vocalist Rosalie Porter and the band 

look forward to sharing this timeless 

music with you. 

For more information about the 

event or venue, please contact the 

Arts & Culture Team at the City of 

Temecula Community Services Department 

at (951) 694-6417 or visit 

www.TemeculaCA.gov. 

TemeculaCA.gov 

Your Local Chambers 

Temecula Valley Chamber of 

Commerce 

www.temecula.org 

Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber 

of Commerce 

www.MWCoC.org 

Menifee Valley Chamber of 

Commerce 

www.menifeevalleychamber.com 

Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber 

www.lakeelsinorechamber.com 

Hemet/San Jacinto Valley 

Chamber of Commerce 

www.hsjvc.com 

See how the chambers can help your business.




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Impact of the New Tax Law on Estate Planning 

LEGAL 

by by 

Andrea Steve Fillingim Shoup 

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 

(‘Act’) became effective on January 1, 

2018 and is the first significant change 

to the tax code since 1986. Whether 

or not one agrees with the underlying 

change in tax policy, the Act will affect 

many financial and estate planning 

decisions for individuals and families. 

These changes go beyond the wellknown 

reductions in individual and 

corporate income tax rates and can also 

alter asset planning and distribution 

methods. 

Some had hoped that Congress 

would repeal the estate tax entirely, but 

that was not the case in the final bill 

signed into law. However, there were 

changes that could affect some estate 

plans, and if any of these pertain to 

you, then it may be necessary to amend 

your will or trust. Here is quick overview 

of key provisions, but your estate 

planning attorney and tax planner will 

need to advise you on specific steps to 

take for your situation. 

Increase of Estate Tax Exemption 

The estate tax exemption is doubled 

in the Act, and in 2018 will be 

$11.2 million for individuals and $22.4 

million for married couples. What 

this means is that estates valued less 

than those amounts will pay no estate 

tax. The tax rate on amounts over the 

exemption remains the same at 40%. 

Increased Lifetime Gift Tax Exemption 

The new estate tax exemption is 

also applied to lifetime gift amounts, 

giving wealthy families a significant 

opportunity to reduce their estate value. 

Keep in mind that making lifetime 

Doug Nottingham of Nottingham and 

Associates has earned the designation of 

EA by successfully passing all three parts 

of the Enrolled Agent’s exam. The exam 

is given by the IRS. It tests the applicant’s 

knowledge of individual and business 

gifts will reduce the estate tax exemption 

by the amount of the gift. (e.g. $1 

million of lifetime gifts will reduce 

the exemption to $10.2 million for an 

individual) 

529 College Savings Plans 

The benefit of 529 plans allow 

tax free withdrawals for educational 

expenses, and the original contribution 

to the plan are removed from the estate 

value. Contributions can be ‘bunched’ 

together, up to five years’ worth of the 

annual gift tax exclusion. The annual 

gift exclusion is $15,000, so a $75,000 

contribution is possible in 2018 (twice 

that for married couples). 

The Act also makes it possible 

to use distributions for elementary or 

secondary educational expenses, not 

just for college expenses as before, 

making this an excellent new benefit 

for families. 

Charitable Giving 

Because of the increased estate tax 

exemption, charities were concerned 

this might affect charitable giving by 

wealthier donors. Also, the increase in 

the standard deduction may keep some 

taxpayers from itemizing, which is the 

way to deduct charitable gifts. A strategy 

of “bunching” gifts is an option 

for dealing with this change, where 

one can itemize every other year and 

double their donations for that year. 

However, one positive is that the 

adjusted gross income limit for charitable 

gift deductions was increased 

from 50% to 60%, allowing for larger 

deductible annual gift amounts. These 

changes will require some creative 

estate and tax planning strategies but 

could result in a lower average tax bill. 

The new tax Act is here to stay, so 

now is the time to speak to your estate 

planning attorney on any adjustments 

that you might need to your estate plan. 

Please contact attorney Andrea K. 

Shoup at 951-445-4115 to discuss how 

these changes might affect you and 

your planning. 

Doug Nottingham Earns EA Designation 

taxes as well as ethics and IRS procedural 

issues. Successful completion means 

that Mr. Nottingham is now licensed to 

practice before the IRS and can petition 

to practice in tax court. 

Courtyard Hotel Opens in Murrieta 

Innovative design and flexible space 

tailors to the needs of today’s travelers. 

Courtyard by Marriott Temecula/Murrieta 

is now open for business in Murrieta. Featuring 

an innovative lobby space as well 

as Courtyard’s latest contemporary room 

design, the new hotel provides flexibility 

and choices that allow guests to optimize 

and elevate their travel experience. 

Located at 25419 Madison Avenue, 

the 183-room hotel will operate as a 

Marriott franchise, owned and managed 

by Advance Management & Investment, 

LLC of Kingman, Arizona. Whether traveling 

for business or pleasure, the Courtyard 

Temecula Murrieta offers guests 

convenient access to Pechanga Casino, 

Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball, Santa Rosa 

Plateau, Wine Country, and Old Town 

Temecula and Murrieta.




When Making a Gift or Bequest to a 

Caregiver, Seniors Must Take Extra Steps to 

Make Sure It’s a Blessing, Not a Curse 

17 

LEGAL 

by 

Evan L. Smith, Esq. 

and 

Mary E. Gram, Esq. 

Historically, an underlying premise 

of the laws governing wills and trusts has 

been that an owner is entitled to dispose of 

his property as he pleases in death as in life. 

However, due to some well-publicized cases 

of senior citizens being preyed upon by persons 

hired to care for them who persuaded 

the seniors to leave them large bequests, 

California in the 1990s enacted laws to 

protect seniors from such people who the 

new legislation defined as “care custodians”. 

Although the new protective measures were 

aimed at paid care custodians, the language 

of the statutes did not restrict the measures to 

only professionals. Thus, even friends and 

neighbors who aid an elder neighbor can end 

up defending a lawsuit if their friend leaves 

them a testamentary gift. We had occasion 

to defend such a lawsuit, and have written 

this article to educate seniors on the steps the 

law provides to avoid turning a gift intended 

as a blessing into a curse. 

An Illustrative Case 

A good example of what can happen 

if a Certificate of Independent Review is 

not obtained by the elder making a gift is a 

case successfully defended by Mary Gram 

of our law firm. Her clients were a married 

couple (the “Smiths”) who were fast friends 

with their neighbors, a childless older couple 

who had no local relatives (the “Jones”). 

Over the years the Smiths and Jones would 

celebrate holidays and other occasions together, 

and the Jones doted on the Smiths’ 

children as though they were family. Mr. 

Jones had some nephews who resided on the 

East Coast, who never visited him or were 

otherwise involved in the Jones’ lives. 

After Mrs. Jones passed away, Mr. Jones 

health declined. The Smiths increasingly 

cared for him, and he eventually moved into 

their home, and became an integral part of 

their family. After a few years he passed 

away, leaving his entire estate in trust to the 

Smiths. Upon learning of this, his nephews 

sued, alleging the Smiths had exercised 

undue influence on Mr. Jones to obtain his 

estate. As Mr. Jones had not obtained a Certificate 

of Independent Review, the Smiths 

were left to defend a costly lawsuit. 

Fortunately, the Smiths had kept years 

of birthday cards to and from the Jones, had 

lots of photos and video recordings of occasions 

together over the years, and friends 

and neighbors from the community who 

knew them and the Jones, and were willing 

to testify to the closeness and quality of their 

relationship. Therefore, they were able to 

provide sufficient evidence to satisfy their 

“clear and convincing” burden of proof. 

After a court trial that lasted more than two 

weeks they prevailed. Had they not kept all 

those photos and cards they might have lost. 

The Legal Framework 

California law is concerned with elders 

being unduly influenced by care providers 

who seek to improperly access their financial 

resources. Because of this, any financial 

transfers, gifts to caregivers, or bequests 

via the estate plan of the elder (“Gifts”) are 

presumed to be the product of fraud or undue 

influence, unless the elder has obtained 

independent counsel and a Certificate of 

Independent Review from an attorney who 

did not draft the instrument providing for 

the Gifts. 

As interpreted by California courts, 

these laws have been held to include not only 

Gifts to professional caregivers, but in some 

cases also to friends and neighbors who have 

assisted elderly friends and neighbors with 

tasks as mundane as grocery shopping, cooking, 

bathing, or properly taking medications. 

Thus, if such Gifts are challenged by 

the elder’s relatives, the caregiver can find 

herself enmeshed in a costly lawsuit where 

she has the burden of proving by a high 

“clear and convincing proof” standard that 

the Gifts were not improperly obtained. Under 

this standard the caregiver must provide 

a substantial amount of evidence to prove 

a negative; that he or she did not coerce 

the elder into making a gift or bequest that 

resulted in the receipt of an unjust benefit by 

the caregiver. Therefore, an elder who freely 

desires to make Gifts to a caregiver needs to 

obtain a Certificate of Independent Review 

to prevent the Gifts from being transformed 

into a costly albatross for the caregiver. 

When determining undue influence, the 

court considers factors such as vulnerability 

of the victim, the influencer’s apparent authority, 

the influencer’s actions and tactics, 

and the equity of the result. Undue influence 

occurs when one person coerces another into 

doing something that results in an unjust 

benefit to the influencer. California probate 

law presumes undue influence on the part of 

a caregiver or “care custodian” who receives 

any financial gain (outside of salary) through 

their relationship with an elder. As noted, the 

law defines a “care custodian” broadly as any 

persons who provide care for elders or dependent 

adults, whether professional or not. 

If you are a senior thinking of making 

any Gifts to someone who might be considered 

a care custodian, consult with an independent 

attorney and obtain a Certificate of 

Independent Review. By doing so you will 

ensure that what you are giving is a blessing, 

not a curse. 

Evan L. Smith, Esq. & Mary Gram, Esq. 

are attorneys in Messina & Hankin, 

LLP’s Temecula Valley office whose practices 

include Probate and Trust matters 

and related litigation. 

Messina & Hankin has a Temecula Valley 

Law Office – contact information (951) 

894-7332. 

JMessina@MessinaHankinLaw.com.


18 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 


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No: The Key to a Better Future 

EDUCATION 

by 

by 

Drake Levasheff, PhD. 

Steve Fillingim 

The year is still young, abounding 

with possibilities. If you’re like me, that 

world of possibilities is one of the great 

challenges of life. How do I say no when 

there are so many opportunities before 

me? At times, my desire for success and 

the fear of missing out have pushed me to 

say yes to everything that comes my way 

and to sort out the consequences later. It 

hasn’t always been pretty. 

If you share my propensity to say 

yes to everything, Apple founder Steve 

Jobs’ comments about the importance of 

saying no may be instructive: “People 

think focus means saying yes to the thing 

you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not 

what it means at all. It means saying no 

to the hundred other good ideas that there 

are.” It’s easy to forget that the most profitable 

company in world wasn’t always 

profitable. When Steve Jobs returned to 

Apple in 1997, the company was in dire 

straits. One of the more notable decisions 

that Jobs made in the year that followed 

was to reduce the company’s number of 

products from 350 to 10. The elimination 

of all but the most vital products helped 

to fuel Apple’s growth and innovation in 

the years that followed. 

Could it be that some of the things 

that we say yes to are actually standing 



between us and a more fruitful life? As 

I reflect on Jobs’ words and the implications 

his perspective had for Apple, I 

begin to think that no may be the key to a 

better future for many of us. If companies 

as large as Apple recognize their limits 

by saying no to things, shouldn’t we as 

individuals do the same? Yet many of us 

walk through life pretending that we are 

limitless and suffer the consequences, 

either failing to produce the results we 

want or missing out on treasured time and 

connection with those we love. 

When we say “no” to those things 

that are unimportant or that we don’t 

do as well, something else happens: our 

highest priorities benefit from greater 

energy and have the opportunity to flourish. 

It brings to mind the nectarine trees 

my family had when I was growing up. 

There were times when life was particularly 

busy and we didn’t get to pruning 

the trees. Those years, the branches grew 

long and we had a lot of green leaves, but 

very little fruit. The years we pruned back 

the growth were altogether different: 

the trees were smaller, more compact, 

and significantly more fruitful. Those 

seasons, the nectarines were incredibly 

sweet and we had more than we could 

eat! 

Are you seeking a fruitful year? Then 

join me in saying no to all but the most 

important things! 

Dr. Drake Levasheff is Senior Director 

of Azusa Pacific University’s Murrieta 

Regional Campus. He can be reached via 

email at dlevasheff@apu.edu. 

dlevasheff@apu.edu 

Mercedes-Benz Veteran Comes to Temecula 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

Chris comes directly from 

Fletcher Jones Motorcars, the 

Newport Beach flagship store of 

the group which announced sales 

of over 9,000 vehicles in 2017, and 

the #1 Mercedes-Benz dealership in 

the nation for 19 consecutive years. 

Chris moved to Southern California 

from Sydney, Australia in 

1993 and has been a valuable team 

member at FJ Motorcars for over 

25 years, recently filling the roll as 

General Sales Manager. 

As one of the newest “jewels 

in the crown” Mercedes-Benz of 

Temecula opened for business three 

years ago. Given the robust local 

economy, Chris is very encouraged 

about the opportunities in the Valley 

and according to sources, the 

luxury brand dealership has already 

exceeded the groups expectations 

for growth. 

Chris said, “Although Mercedes-Benz 

of Temecula has a way 

to go to compete with our Newport 

store, we’ve created the same 5 Star 

luxury experience, attention to detail 

and customer focus that has made 

our other dealerships so successful”. 

Chris is looking forward to living 

and working in Temecula and continuing 

to support the local community, 

as much as possible. He invites 

everyone to stop in and say hello and 

check out the latest Mercedes-Benz 

and Sprinter Van models. 

Valentines Celebration for Angel Tree 

Children and Needy Families 

This event is hosted by Community 

Outreach Ministry (COM), Saturday 

February 10th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm 

at Wellness and More, 25377 Madison 

Avenue, Suite 104 in Murrieta (Across 

from Walmart, Behind Denny’s). 

Free Dental Workshop - Vista Community 

Clinic of Lake Elsinore is bringing 

their dental bus and invites needy children 

and families to receive free dental assessments, 

fluoride treatments, sealants and 

a report on the findings. Along with free 

tooth brush, tooth paste and education for 

all ages regardless of insurance type. 

Free Caregivers Workshop - A copy 

of the Breaking the Cycle of Incarceration 

Model and resource lists will be 

provided free to Caregivers. The model 

and resource lists are for the Children 

of Incarcerated Parents, Caregivers and 

Incarcerated Parents. These materials 

are bound together by authors Dr. Mona 

and Bob Davies who co-founded COM. 

A mental health and drug and alcohol recovery 

counselor/instructor participates 

and assists caregivers with how to deal 

with the bad things the children may have 

been exposed to by their parents. 

Free Craft Workshop - All ages are 

welcome to learn how to use decoupage 

and fabric scraps to create a one-of-akind 

craft by story, craft and sewing 

19 

expert Cynthia Duran of Sewing Stories. 

Jennifer Hernandez, an independent 

distributor of Herbalife and the owner 

of Wellness and More located at 25377 

Madison Avenue, Suite 104, in Murrieta, 

provides nutritional education and 

samples of protein shakes for the event. 

The Valentine Celebration is one of 

several events COM puts on throughout 

the year to help at-risk youth overcome 

adversity. In addition to summer camp, 

the youth and their families are invited 

to an annual Angel Tree Christmas Party. 

A special thanks to Janice Hare of 

Mt. View Church in Wildomar, for volunteering 

with COM year-round, reaching 

out to Angel Tree families. 

A free E-Waste Recycling Community 

Collection Event is being held by 

COM on Saturday and Sunday, February 

10-11, 2018 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at 

Target Cal Oaks Plaza in Murrieta. Proceeds 

from the e-waste fundraiser raises 

scholarships to send Angel Tree children 

to summer camp “giving kids a second 

chance to be winners and champions.” 

We welcome you to visit us at www. 

communityoutreachministry.org. For details, 

call 951-698-7650 or email info@ 

communityoutreachministry.org. 

communityoutreachministry.org




CELEBRATE 

AMERICAN HEART MONTH 

Keep your Heart Healthy 

Temecula Valley Hospital Earns 

4-Star 

Medicare 

Hospital Compare Rating 

Temecula Valley Hospital is making 

a name for itself. Not only has TVH 

recently won awards for Leapfrog “A” 

grades in safety, Top Hospital, and a Top 

Workplace in the Inland Empire; 4 Stars 

on Medicare Hospital Compare has been 

just added to its resume. 

Hospital Compare was created 

through the efforts of the Centers for 

Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

According to the Medicare Hospital 

Compare website: “The Hospital Compare 

rating summarizes up to 57 quality 

measures, reflecting common conditions 

that hospitals treat, such as heart attacks 

or pneumonia. The overall rating shows 

how well each hospital performed, on 

average, compared to other hospitals 

in the U.S. 

The Hospital Compare rating ranges 

from one to five stars. The more stars, 

the better a hospital performed on the 

available quality measures. The most 

common overall rating is 3 stars. The 

way that Hospital Compare calculates 

the star ratings is that survey information 

from one hospital is compared to 

that from others. More stars indicate 

better quality care than fewer stars.” 

“I am excited about the recognition 

of our 4 Stars on Hospital Compare,” 

said Darlene Wetton, CEO, Temecula 

Valley Hospital. “Quality, patient expe- 

rience and efficiency are very important 

to our TVH team values. I am grateful 

to our staff and medical team for the 

excellent care that we provide to our 

community.” 

Pranav Kachhi MD, Chief of Staff 

for Temecula Valley Hospital, said, 

“This is truly a wonderful honor and a 

reflection of the exceptional providers 

that we have at TVH!” 

About Temecula Valley Hospital 

- Temecula Valley Hospital brings 

advanced technology, innovative programs, 

patient centered and family 

sensitive care to area residents. The 

hospital features 140 private patient 

rooms; 24 hour a day emergency care; 

advanced cardiac and stroke care; 

orthopedics; and general and surgical 

specialties. For more information, visit 

www.temeculavalleyhospital.com 

For more information, please visit 

the Medicare Hospital Compare website 

at: www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare 

“I am grateful to our 

staff and medical 

team for the excellent 

care that we provide 

to our community.” 

February is American Heart 

Month! This is a great time to remind 

Americans to focus on their hearts and 

encourage them to get their families, 

friends and communities involved in 

heart healthy activities. 

Losing weight is one of the best 

ways to keep your heart healthy. 

Carrying extra weight takes a toll on 

your body and can increase your risk 

of heart disease and stroke. One of 

the very best things you can do to 

keep your heart healthier is to lose 

weight – and even a small amount 

of weight loss can help. Weighing 

less also helps prevent other serious 

health problems, such as diabetes 

and arthritis, and may improve your 

quality of life. 

If you need another reason to drop 

some excess weight, consider these 3 

benefits for your heart: 

1. Lower blood pressure. Losing 

even just 5-10% of your body 

weight can lower your blood 

pressure and reduce your risk of 

heart attack and stroke. When you 

weigh less, your heart doesn’t have 

to work as hard to pump blood 

throughout your body. This can 

help you keep your blood pressure 

under control or may allow you 

to lower or eliminate medications 

you take to manage high blood 

pressure. 

2. Reduce cholesterol. There’s no 

absolute correlation between how 

much you weigh and your cholesterol 

and triglyceride levels, 

but when you lose weight, you’re 

more likely to reduce your LDL 

(“bad”) cholesterol, increase your 

HDL (“good”) cholesterol and 

lower your triglycerides. This 

means there’s less fat floating 

through your blood vessels that 

can turn into artery-clogging 

plaque. 

3. Prevent metabolic syndrome. 

Weight loss can lower your risk of 

metabolic syndrome, a collection 

of conditions that increase your 

risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, 

including high blood sugar, 

high blood pressure, abnormal 

cholesterol levels and excess body 

fat around the waist. Metabolic 

syndrome is expected to become 

the leading risk factor for heart 

disease due to rising obesity rates 

in the U.S. (approximately 70% 

of U.S. adults are overweight or 

obese) and one of the best ways 

to avoid or reverse metabolic syndrome 

is to lose weight by eating 

healthy and exercising. 

For heart, stroke and gyn education, 

join in the Women’s Health 

Expo, put on by Temecula Valley 

Hospital and Southwest Healthcare 

Systems. This free community event 

held at Pechanga Resort and Casino 

happens on Wednesday, February 

28th, 10:00 am to 1:30 pm. The expo 

includes health screenings, lunch, 

community partners, and more! To 

register, please visit: www.temeculavalleyhospital.com. 

About Temecula Valley Hospital - 

Temecula Valley Hospital brings 

advanced technology, innovative 

programs, patient centered and family 

sensitive care to area residents. 

The hospital features 140 private 

patient rooms; 24 hour a day emergency 

care; advanced cardiac and 

stroke care in clinical collaboration 

with UCSD Health; orthopedics; 

and general and surgical specialties. 

For more information, visit 

www.temeculavalleyhospital.com. 

One of the very best things 

you can do to keep your heart 

healthier is to lose weight – 

and even a small amount of 

weight loss can help. 

temeculavalleyhospital.com




What’s So Great About 

the Farmer’s Market? 

21 

As we transition into summer, 

someone might mention to you that 

they’re so excited about the farmer’s 

market getting into full swing again. 

For the non-initiated, the farmer’s 

market might not sound very exciting. 

What’s the big deal about it, anyway? 

Is it cheaper? Do people enjoy shopping 

outdoors that much? 

There are actually numerous 

benefits to shopping at your local 

farmer’s market, and some people 

do just enjoy the atmosphere or find 

better deals there. But the number one 

reason you should give it a chance has 

nothing to do with those things, and 

everything to do with your health. 

Sure, you can buy tomatoes at 

your local grocery store. But do you 

know where they were grown? How 

long did they sit on a truck, before 

arriving in your favorite produce 

department? 

When you shop at a farmer’s market, 

you can purchase fruits and vegetables 

straight from the farmer. Often, 

they were just picked that morning, 

or the afternoon before. That might 

explain why farmer’s market veggies 

always smell and taste more fresh 

than their grocery store counterparts, 

which often spend a week or more on 

a truck, traveling thousands of miles, 

before you purchase them. 

The more time produce spends 

on a truck, the more its vitamins and 

minerals begin to break down. Often, 

that trip is spent under refrigeration, 

which keeps food from spoiling… but 

refrigeration also destroys some of 

the vital nutrients contained in fruits 

and vegetables! 

You’re sure to encounter more organic 

options at the farmer’s market, 

too – often for a better price than you 

will find at the grocery store. That’s 

good news for those of you who want 

to avoid potentially harmful pesticide 

residues or genetically modified 

products. 

amanteandassociates.com 

If you have a hard time convincing 

your kids to try new veggies, a trip 

to the farmer’s market can be a fun, 

educational experience. Often children 

are more adaptable to new ideas 

when there is an air of excitement 

about them. So, take the whole family, 

and encourage them to ask questions! 

Learning how food is grown usually 

fascinates little ones. 

And, of course, you’ll be supporting 

your local economy! A quick 

online search will help you find a 

farmer’s market near you. Give it a 

try, and you’ll be hooked on fresh, 

delicious produce all summer long. 

Steve Amante is the owner of Amante 

& Associates Insurance Solutions, 

Inc. He can be reached at 951-676- 

8800 - www.amanteandassociates. 

com 

“ The number one 

reason you should 

give it a chance has 

nothing to do with 

those things, and 

everything to do with 

your health 

Healthy 

Living 

by presented by 

Tina Steve M. Amante Gottlieb, D.C. 

Advertise with a proven winner! 

(951) 461-0400




Common Isn’t Always Correct 

Healthy 

Living 

by by 

Tina Dr. Derek M. Gottlieb, Albrecht, D.C. D.C. 

So, about a month ago I mentioned 

that I was starting my low carb Ketogenic 

diet. So far so good, as to date I am 

down about 12 lbs., never bloated and my 

mental clarity is better than ever. Enough 

about me, lets finish where we left off last 

month regarding cholesterol, fats, statins 

and more. 

I had mentioned recent evidence that 

proves dietary cholesterol intake has little 

to no effect on circulating blood cholesterol 

levels and that inflammation caused 

by certain carbohydrates is a major factor 

in cardiovascular disease. The current 

guidelines for statin usage recommends 

them for anyone with cardiovascular 

disease(CVD), anyone with LDL levels 

above 190 mg/dl, anyone with diabetes 

between 40-75 years of age and anyone 

with over a 7.5% chance of a stroke or 

heart attack in the next ten years. All of 

this comes with claims that statin drugs 

can lower cholesterol levels by approximately 

30%. It all sounds good looking 

at just this fact. Take a closer look and 

things change a bit. 

A 2010 study by Dr. David Newman 

found that statins really only work with 

those with prior heart disease, and the 

average risk reduction is only 3% at best. 

The same study demonstrated statin takers 

who had no pre-existing heart disease: 

98% had zero benefit at all, 1.5% developed 

diabetes as a result of the medication 

and 10% developed long term damage to 

their muscles. Likewise, an article published 

in the Archives of Internal Medicine 

demonstrated no change in lifespan 

between those on statins vs. non-statin 

users. Dr. Sherif Sultan, President of the 

International Society for Vascular Surgery 

has linked statin usage to increased diabetes, 

cataracts, renal failure, liver damage, 

depression as well as severe nerve and 

muscle damage. Dr. Barbara Roberts of 

Brown University has proven that statin 

usage with women with no history of 

CVD has absolutely zero positive effects 

but carries the negative risks. 

With roughly fifty percent of users 

being female, one has to wonder who 

is really benefiting from the drug sales. 

Please don’t get me wrong, being that 

the absolute risk of having a heart attack 

can be as high as 49% in makes and 

31% in females with all the risk factors, 

CVD is a serious problem which must 

be addressed. The point I am trying to 

get across is that there are much more 

effective methods available for reducing 

that risk. We can look at stress reduction 

methods, incorporating proper exercise, 

correct dietary changes, etc., will all have 

a much more profound impact on our 

health and longevity than relying on a 

medication that has been proven to work 

only on a specific target group and with 

success rates of only 3%. 

So much misinformation has been 

ingrained in our minds over the decades, 

it is difficult to open our minds to new 

things. Take the food pyramid we grew 

up with in school. Heavy emphasis on 

grains and only a sprinkling of fat at the 

top. It’s no wonder our countries population 

is exponentially increasing its rates of 

obesity and diabetes. Don’t be afraid to 

look outside the historic box and search 

for yourself the many new and wonderful 

ways to get and stay healthy and happy. 

I will keep you up to date on how my 

Keto experiment is going as it applies to 

weight management, energy, focus and 

blood chemistry markers. So, until we 

meet again, have a great month. 

Dr. Derek K. Albrecht D.C. is a partner 

at OsteoStrong in Murrieta as well as 

continuing in his private practice. For 

more information, call (951) 461-9584. 

‘Building Your Enduring Fitness’ Book 

Lisa Teresi Harris announces 

the publication of her upcoming 

book Building Your Enduring Fitness. 

Lisa is an author, international 

speaker, Registered Dietitian and 

Fitness Professional. A member 

of the Academy of Nutrition and 

Dietetics, American Council on 

Exercise, and American College 

of Sports Medicine, she has been 

published in Shape Magazine, 

Men’s Fitness, and The North 

County Times. 

Lisa is the owner of Enduring 

Fitness 4U, an award-winning 

business in which she 

has helped hundreds of Baby 

Boomers and older adults get 

stronger and more independent 

through strength training and 

nutrition coaching.


Oxygen Facials 



23 

Our clients are always looking for 

a facial that will make them look great 

before a big event or vacation. Oxygen 

Facials are meant to deliver fabulous 

results immediately. 

In an Oxygen Facial, a pressurized 

stream of oxygen delivers active 

ingredients to the skin. These active 

ingredients are potent collagen infused 

brightening serums that plump the skin 

and give a gorgeous glow. The idea is 

that the oxygen enhances the absorption 

of the serums so your get more benefits 

from the ingredients. Oxygen is also naturally 

antibacterial and has a calming, 

cooling effect. 

Oxygen Facials also help with 

those who suffer from dehydrated skin, 

eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. These 

skin concerns are difficult to cover, but 

this facial creates the perfect canvas for 

makeup application. When your skin is 

dry, your makeup lies on top of it and it 

doesn’t look natural. After an Oxygen 

Facial your makeup looks like second 

skin since the skin is firmer, smoother, 

and hydrated. 

These results make this the ideal 

facial for bride’s right before their big 

day. Celebrities have also taken a liking 

to this facial and it is now referred to 

as the “Red Carpet Facial”. Madonna 

even travels with her own oxygen facial 

machine! 

We just started offering Oxygen 

Facials at Murrieta Day Spa and our 

estheticians have been loving the results! 

It’s a great facial to add to your 

skin care routine. This non-invasive 

service is designed to help you look 

well-rested. Who doesn’t want that? So, 

the next time you want to look refreshed 

consider an Oxygen Facial on your next 

spa visit! 

Monique deGroot is the owner of Murrieta 

Day Spa which is located at 41885 

Ivy St. in Murrieta. 

Healthy 

Living 

by 

Tina Monique M. Gottlieb, deGroot D.C. 

“ 

Celebrities have also taken a liking to this 

facial and it is now referred to as the “Red 

Carpet Facial”. Madonna even travels with 

her own oxygen facial machine! 

EDC Golf Tournament Partners with Loma Linda NICU 

The recently re-branded “ForeFront Regionals” is slated for April 27 

The Economic Development Coalition 

of Southwest Riverside county 

has re-branded its golf tournament into 

the ForeFront Regionals and will premiere 

the event in April. Loma Linda 

University Medical Center, Murrieta’s 

neonatal intensive care unit, will be the 

first beneficiary of ForeFront. 

Co-Chairs of the event are Raj 

Narayanan, General Manager of the 

Lake Elsinore Storm; and Erik Mc- 

Leod, First VP Pacific Premier Bank. 

Together with EDC Director Doug 

McAllister, they are building an event 

focusing on international and corporate 

leaders seeking to find out more 

about the area. 

While not new, the EDC’s golf 

tournament has been re-branded to 

better communicate what the event is 

all about. It is not focused entirely on 

fund raising, but rather on spotlighting 

the area that encompasses the five-city 

region and includes Lake Elsinore, 

Menifee, Murrieta, Temecula and 

Wildomar. 

“Our goal at the EDC is to enhance 

business retention and economic 

growth,” said McAllister. “We’re building 

platforms on which new business 

may develop; offering a rich atmosphere 

for job creation and expanding the 

competitive position of the regional 

businesses in a global economy. The 

golf tournament is just one way of presenting 

our amazing region to others.” 

The event is a marketing opportunity 

for the region, and brings new interest 

to the region yearly. 

Held at Pechanga’s Journey golf 

course, the event will feature 18 holes 

in a world-class setting. Every hole is 

completely different, running the gamut 

of forced carries, fabulous vistas and 

numerous elevation changes. The 72- 

par, award winning golf course is where 

stunning terrain meets the challenge 

of links created by one of the world’s 

premier course designers. 

Golfers will participate in a 10:00am 

shotgun start and a 3:00 happy hour with 

dinner to follow. There will be raffle and 

auction opportunities. 

“We’re excited to showcase all the 

opportunity this region has to offer: 

technical, medical, and development 

progress put us at the forefront of 

economic growth. We, as a region, are 

embracing innovation and ForeFront 

speaks to the dynamic opportunities this 

area has created,” said McLeod. 

This year the EDC has decided to 

choose one not-for-profit organization 

to benefit from the golf tournament and 

asked Loma Linda University Medical 

Center, Murrieta to partner with them. 

Response was quick and grateful. A 

portion of the proceeds will help benefit 

the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 

“We are so honored to be chosen as 

the first non-profit partner for this year’s 

EDC Golf Tournament. Every day we 

are incredibly blessed to see how the 

generosity of our community helps to 

change the lives of patients at Loma 

Linda University Health and to create 

healthier tomorrows,” said LLUMC’s 

Sr. VP & Administrator, Peter Baker. 

“Adding to our hospital’s complete 

birthing experience by serving 

babies in need of a higher level of care 

is an important step as we strive to be 

the leading destination for advanced 

health care services in southwest Riverside 

County,” he said. 

The six-bed Level II NICU will be 

staffed by neonatal experts from Loma 

Linda University Children’s Hospital 

– one of the most renowned children’s 

hospitals in southern California. 

For more information on the April 

27th event, please see the website, 

Forefrontregionals.com. Or, feel free 

to call the EDC office at 951-694- 

9800. Sponsorship opportunities are 

now available.





No End in Sight? 



25 

REAL ESTATE 

by by 

Gene Steve Wunderlich Fillingim 

Well, we’re in the home stretch of 2017 

and we’re just kind of coasting through the 

next few weeks, down a gentle slope applying 

neither gas nor brakes. Kind of like when 

you were in college and too broke to buy gas 

so you saved a few pennies by free-rolling 

your car whenever you could. (Or was that 

just me?) With the possible exception of 

Congressional Republicans, there’s no sense 

of urgency right now. Let’s get through this 

year and see what 2018 brings. Depending 

on what H.R.1. finally looks like, and which 

‘expert’ you listen to, the housing market will 

either be a little better, a little worse, or about 

the same next year. I agree. 

Regardless, we’ll still be facing a 

housing shortage of staggering proportion 

in California - about 1 million units short 

of what’s needed over the past decade. Our 

region currently leads the state in construction 

job growth right now so that means our 

cities are addressing the issue. Thank you. 

I know it’s a balancing act between adding 

more residents, keeping traffic moving, and 

bringing in more commercial base and jobs, 

but our region appears to be doing a far better 

job than many parts of the state. 

We’re finally starting to see an influx of 

those long-anticipated Millenial buyers moving 

into the market. Economists have been 

predicting this wave for the past five years 

and the leading edge of that wave started in 

2017, albeit with a trickle rather than a flood. 

That’s probably good news because with the 

constrained inventory, a flood of new buyers 

would simply force prices into an even steeper 

appreciation incline which would, in turn, 

eliminate many of those new buyers from the 

market. In 2017, first-time buyers held steady 

at 34% of the market nationwide, (-30% in 

CA), but that’s well under the 40% historical 

rate considered to be a ‘normalized’ market. 

It should come as no surprise that if you’re a 

millennial living in California, buying your 

first home doesn’t come any harder, according 

to a recent survey. California ranked as 

the toughest state in the nation for first-time 

home buyers. 

Closer to home, November sales were 

a little more lackluster than anticipated. Not 

only were sales down 11% month-overmonth 

(941 / 837), they were down 14% 

from last November. Based on pending sales 

in the pipeline for December, my prediction 

of 12,000 sales for the region this year may 

be a bit rosy. We should still finish the year 

slightly ahead of last year, but by a slim 

margin of 2% of less. 

But while sales are definitely slowing 

toward year-end, prices continue their upward 

trajectory rising another 1% monthover-month 

and maintaining a 7% lead 

year-to-date over 2016. Our regional price 

appreciation is slightly better than the state 

median increase of 6.1%, while our median 

price remains nearly $200,000 below 

the state median (CA: $546,430 / SWCA: 

$350,009). Price stratification is forcing 

buyers out of coastal and urban core areas 

to more affordable inland areas. That same 

stratification prompts buyers who may find 

themselves priced out of local markets like 

Temecula and Murrieta to find their dream 

home in Menifee, Perris and Hemet. 

Inventory continues to be the sticking 

point, dropping another 7% month-overmonth 

and declining 22% from last year. 

Our inventory has been on an almost steady 

decline. Since hitting peaks of 2,500+ units 

back in mid-2015, it’s just 1,618 units today. 

It doesn’t take a math major to figure out 

that if your inventory has been dropping for 

the past three years while sales have been 

increasing, you’re exerting upward price 

pressure as demand continues to outstrip 

supply. The statewide Housing Affordability 

Index (HAI) fell to 29% last month, meaning 

just 29% of our residents could afford a 

median price home in the state! Our region 

currently enjoys a 39% HAI, which isn’t 

great but better than most. Across the region 

we’ve got just a 1.9 month supply of homes 

for sale, which is less than the 3 month supply 

statewide, and homes are flying off the 

market at a median time of 22.2 days. 

IF some forecasts are accurate, that enactment 

of H.R.1 slows demand and drops 

prices by some percent, maybe that will 

provide the breathing room our communities 

need to get ahead of the housing curve and 

infrastructure demand. I am very doubtful 

that the bill will have any negative impact 

on the housing market and will continue to 

suggest that SUPPLY = SOLUTION! Wishing 

you a healthy and prosperous New Year! 

Gene Wunderlich is the Government Affairs 

Director for Southwest Riverside County 

Association of Realtors. If you have questions 

on the market, please contact me at 

GAD@srcar.org or to keep up with the latest 

legislative and real estate trends go to http:// 

gadblog.srcar.org/. 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Sally and Gary Myers 

Since Valentine’s Day is, after all, a time 

that brings to mind love, caring and special 

relationships, it seems appropriate to take 

a look at a love story that really has sizzle. 

It’s one that has roots from high school and 

has matured and grown into a partnership 

of not only true love but a unique business 

relationship as well. 

When Gary Myers and Sally Williams attended 

Torrance High School back in the early 70’s, they 

clearly had their eye on one another, yet at the time 

had no idea that their future was going to turn into a 

life-long love affair. 

Sally is the daughter of a successful restaurant 

family. Her parents, Jack and Linda Williams are 

known in the Temecula Valley with their Richie’s Real 

American Diner restaurants. While Sally was in high 

school and college, her parents were Sizzler restaurant 

franchisees. Gary is an identical twin whose parents 

taught their five children the value of having a strong 

work ethic. Gary learned the art of goal setting and 

accomplishing his ambitions. As time would soon tell, 

Sally Williams was one of those lifetime objectives. 

After high school, Gary and Sally attended college 

hundreds of miles apart from each other. Sally 

attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and 

Gary attended El Camino College and transferred to 

Long Beach State to study business. Eventually, Sally 

decided to return home and graduated from Pepperdine 

University in Malibu. One of Sally’s greatest 

memories of being away at college in Alabama was a 

stunning poster of a beach sunset that Gary sent her. 

It was about 2’ by 3’ and filled corner to corner with 

an inspirational love letter. The crazy thing was that 

he wrote so small that it took hours for her to read it. 

“It was the nicest letter ever written to me and I loved 

it” she said. 

As Gary continued his college studies and moved 

up in management in the grocery business, Sally enjoyed 

being a cheerleader at Pepperdine. Sally was 

caught off guard on a fall afternoon when Gary showed 

up and proposed in front of the entire Pepperdine 

Cheerleading Squad. Her answer was an enthusiastic 

“YES”. They were married in May 1977. 

After a few months of marriage, Sally’s father encouraged 

Gary to join his Sizzler restaurant company. 

The hospitality business was the perfect fit for Gary, 

and he quickly became one of his father-in-law’s most 

committed and successful managers. Sally also joined 

her father’s organization and became their Community 

Relations Coordinator. Sally and Gary assisted her father 

in opening about 30 of his 36 Sizzler restaurants in 

Southern California. Sally’s parents eventually retired 

from Sizzler and founded Richie’s Real American Diner 

26 years ago. 

Today, Gary and Sally have their own Sizzler franchise 

where they operate 23 Sizzler restaurants from San 

Diego to the Sacramento area. Their first Sizzler was 

opened in November of 1983 in Temecula where they 

proudly call home. They became a licensee of Richie’s 

Diner in Rancho Cucamonga in 2007 and enjoy being 

involved in this original concept founded by Sally’s 

parents . While their three children attended college at 

Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Gary and Sally fell 

in love with Texas Roadhouse. After several years, they 

were instrumental in bringing this great concept to the 

Southern California communities of Menifee and Corona 

as a strategic joint venture partner. It’s evident that 

Sally’s parents have been strong mentors in their lives 

where they all receive great satisfaction and pleasure by 

serving great food to their great guests. This heart of 

service is the living legend to their family. 

Temecula has been such a blessing to the Myers. 

It’s the town of their early family beginnings, where 

their family business started, established countless relationships 

with their guests, including church fellowship 

and longtime friendships. Gary and Sally have three 

grown children who attended Calvary Chapel Christian 

School in Murrieta and the Linfield Christian School in 

Temecula. Bryce, their oldest child, works in the hospitality 

business with his consulting company, Legendary 

Restaurants, Inc. as a real estate broker, developer and 

advisor to the family business. Their daughter Brenna 

is Manager of Special Events at Estancia Resort & Spa 

in La Jolla, and their daughter Britney is a teacher at 

Lakeland Christian School in Louisville, TX. They 

have four adorable grandchildren that love camping and 

jeeping with their Papa and Nana. 

As the Myers look back at nearly 41 years of marriage, 

family and business, their lives truly turned into a 

love story titled “A Marriage Made to Sizzle.” 

Sally and Gary’s favorite picture - 

first visit to Alabama in July 1973 

Sally and Gary in their New Generation 

Sizzler in 2017 

“A Marriage Made to Sizzle”




EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Tim Freese 

Born in San Diego and raised in the El Cajon area, east 

of San Diego. Like Temecula several years ago, El Cajon 

was at a time when it was a safe family community 

that was starting on a course of growth that was fueled 

by lower priced housing and new retail and service 

industries. I fondly remember summers when my mom 

would boot me out of the house in the morning and 

I wouldn’t return until near sundown. Soon, houses, 

schools and businesses occupied many of the open 

fields I would conquer each year. 

Affiliations 

Like so many of us, job opportunities in Temecula 

brought my family and me to the area and soon, it 

was the community that helped keep us here. I have 

had the pleasure of serving as a board member and 

Chairman with the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce 

and membership and board positions with the Temecula 

Sunrise Rotary Club and Canine Support Teams. I’ve 

enjoyed being an active volunteer for the Boy and Girls 

Club and their annual Our Kids Rock auction, Susan 

G. Komen Race for the Cure, and other community 

support organizations. I presently serve as the bank’s 

representative with the Economic Development Coalition 

of Southwest Riverside County. 

Resume 

Prior to coming to the Temecula area in 1996, I was 

employed with San Diego Trust and Savings Bank, 

reaching the position of as First Vice President of Loan 

Quality until the Bank’s sale to First Interstate Bank. 

In my earlier banking days I served on the Board of 

Directors for the San Diego Chapter of the Commercial 

Lending Risk Management Association and taught 

several banking related classes for them and other local 

and national organizations. From this, I served as a 

member of the Risk Management Association National 

Training Advisory Committee. 

Banking has been my career and for the past 40 plus 

years I have been involved with positions relating to 

staff training and development, commercial lending, 

credit management, and problem loan management. 

For the past 21 years, I’ve worked with Temecula 

Valley businesses in providing deposit and lending 

solutions with an emphasis in commercial real estate 

lending and business lines of credit. Currently, I serve 

as Senior Vice President and Temecula Regional Manager 

at AltaPacific Bank in Temecula. 

I graduated from San Diego State University with a 

Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and have completed 

numerous professional development courses in underwriting, 

compliance, legal remedies, negotiations, etc. 

My wife Lori and I reside in Temecula and our two 

daughters have flown the coop and have blessed him 

with great spouses and 8 wonderful grandchildren. 

Business Philosophy 

Early on it was impressed upon me that excellent customer 

service was essential for success in business. 

That seems to be a universal truth in business and needs 

to be embraced by businesses and their staff. 

Goals 

To finish the race. 

Tim Freese 

Share your expertise 

People are looking for what you know. 

Write articles for The Valley Business Journal 

and be the expert in your field. 

Contact publishertvbj@verizon.net for more information. 

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER 


Remember too that you are responsible 

for your career, not your manager 

or company. Here are four steps to help 

in writing a career plan designed for you. 

Step 1 - Self-Discovery. Look 

within your company and identify job 

roles that are of interest. Search outside 

the company and see what is available. 

Sites such as Monster and Dice can 

help with this exercise. Finally write 

down your passions and jobs you always 

wanted but have never been able 

to obtain. This will get you going the 

right direction. 

Step 2 - Take inventory of what 

skills you currently possess. Make one 

list of skills you own and are specific 

to your current career. A second can 

contain “transferable” skills that would 

be applicable on any path. This might 

include communication, people and 

management skills. Be sure to think 

about what you would be willing to 

sacrifice financially and even relocation 

opportunities. Armed with your inventory 

decide on a target position and list 

out gaps between you and that role. 

Step 3 - Once you have that information 

you’re ready to move to step 

three and write your job plan that 

contains your objective and what it 

will take to get you there whether it be 

training, certifications or experience. 

Use the 70/20/10 development model as 

a guideline where 70% of your development 

is through experiential methods 

such as volunteering, professional 

organizations and knowledge forums 

found on websites like LinkedIn. 20% 

of development can be obtained through 

relationships that might include mentoring 

programs, job sharing, alumni 

associations and just talking to people 

who are already doing the work. The 

last 10% is formal classroom or online 

training. 

Step 4 - Execute the plan. Take 

advantage of online training, community 

colleges and resource material. As 

you act on your plan but sure to revisit it 

regularly and revise as necessary. Some 

deviation from the plan can be expected 

but your objective of a new job should 

remain the same. By next year you 

could be at a new level in your career. 

Ted Saul is a business coach and 

writer that assist with Business Plans 

and Project Management. He holds a 

master certificate in project management 

and has earned his MBA from 

Regis University. Ted can be reached 

on LinkedIn, TedS787 on Twitter or 

emailing Ted@tsaul.com. 

by 

by 

Ted Saul, 


Sr. Staff Writer


Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn APPOINTED 




27 

“The Department received hundreds 

of qualified applications for the committee 

and reviewed all of them during the 

selection process,” said Grafilo. “These 

individuals represent the diverse backgrounds 

of California and the cannabis 

industry and have the necessary experience 

to make the Committee successful.” 

Temecula Mayor Matt Rahn states, 

“Cannabis is an important topic among 

many communities in California, and it is 

important that we continue to include the 

local government perspective. I look forward 

to discussing issues such as public 

safety and education with my Committee 

colleagues to help guide the development 

of statewide cannabis regulations.” 

The Committee is scheduled to meet 

every other month in 2018 and will 

assist in the development of rules and 

regulations for the 2018 rollout of a legal 

adult-use cannabis market in California, 

emphasizing public health and safety, and 

reduction of illegal commerce. For more 

information about the Cannabis Advisory 

Committee, please visit http://www.bcc. 

ca.gov/about_us/committee.html. 

“ 

“Cannabis is an important topic among 

many communities in California, and it is 

important that we continue to include the 

local government perspective. I look forward 

to discussing issues such as public safety 

and education with my Committee 

colleagues to help guide the development 

of statewide cannabis regulations” 

Technology Trends – CryptoCurrency 

TECHNOLOGY 

by 

by 

Tristan 


Collopy 

Bitcoin, and other so-called cryptocurrency 

has been the subject of much 

recent news—largely due to the dramatic, 

and some would argue, unsustainable 

increase in price. Although this new 

form of currency has many investors 

and speculators excited, savvy business 

owners should be wary. 

Many of you reading this are probably 

asking yourselves a similar question: 

what is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is what is 

known as cryptocurrency. The concept is 

a relatively simple one, but the practical 

implementation is anything but. Essentially, 

the idea behind cryptocurrency is 

that it provides an anonymous method 

of payment for digital transactions. This 

system relies on an algorithm, SHA-256, 

to generate a hash. Computers generate 

Bitcoin, a process called mining, by performing 

millions of calculations with this 

algorithm. In the early days of Bitcoin, it 

was relatively simple to generate, but as 

usage has expanded, scarcity is built into 

the system as the algorithmic calculations 

used to generate Bitcoins become increasing 

complex. Bitcoins are stored in 

a wallet—an application that allows users 

to authenticate into their account and 

utilize their acquired or mined Bitcoins 

to make anonymous purchases online. 

The anonymity built into Bitcoin was 

the chief aspect of the cryptocurrency that 

has many regulators, and members of law 

enforcement worried. By allowing online 

transactions to be entirely anonymous, 

this line of reasoning holds, facilitates 

illegal activity. Although this may be an 

unpreventable consequence of Bitcoin, 

its proponents argue that this is merely a 

byproduct of cryptocurrency, much the 

same way that physical currency can be 

used for illegal activity. 

Recently however, new concerns 

have risen concerning cryptocurrency, 

and Bitcoin specifically—runaway speculation. 

The value of Bitcoin has risen 

tremendously in its short history. In July 

of 2010, one Bitcoin was worth approximately 

$0.08. On December 15th, 2017, 

one Bitcoin was worth $17,500. As of 

this article’s writing, the value has fallen 

precipitously, to approximately $10,000. 

This seemingly runaway speculation has 

many of the hallmarks of the DotCom 

Bubble of the 1990s. 

If you are interested in learning 

more about Bitcoin, the potential for 

investment, and what can be purchased 

with cryptocurrency—it is exceedingly 

important to be informed. Bitcoin and 

other cryptocurrency is still in its infancy; 

the savvy business owner would do 

well to make an informed, and cautious 

decision about whether to begin investing 

in or accepting Bitcoin. 

Mythos Technology is an IT consulting 

and management firm that provides 

Managed Services including hosted 

cloud solutions. For more information, 

please visit www.mythostech.com or call 

(951) 813-2672.




Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club to Hold Music Competition 

High school musicians in the 

Temecula Valley can win cash prizes 

at the annual Rotary Music Competition. 

The Temecula Sunrise Rotary 

Club will hold its 19th annual Music 

Competition on Monday, February 

5th at 6:30 pm at Grace Presbyterian 

Church, 31143 Nicolas Road, 

Temecula. Serious musicians from 

local high schools or home-schooled 

students are invited to apply. This is 

an opportunity for young musicians 

to win cash prizes, to perform for an 

appreciative audience, to enhance 

their future careers, and to have the 

opportunity to go on to the finals for 

more cash prizes. For information 

about registration for the competition, 

please call 951-698-6116. 

The public and family members 

of the musicians are invited to the 

Temecula Sunrise competition, and 

admission is free. With the high quality 

of the talent in the Temecula area, 

this is always a wonderful concert for 

everyone. 

There are three categories of 

musical presentations: vocal (classical 

or Broadway), piano, and other 

instrumental. First place prize is 

$400, second $250, and third $100, 

all regardless of category. The club 

winners will go on to the Rotary 

District 5330 finals at the University of 

Redlands, and winners of those contests 

in each category will be awarded $1,000 

for first place, $500 second place, and 

$250 third place. 

Many of the more than 60 Rotary 

clubs in District 5330, encompassing 

all of Riverside County and much of 

San Bernardino County are also participating 

in this year’s competition. 

Other local Rotary clubs are holding 

competitions. These include Murrieta, 

Temecula Noon Rotary and Lake Elsinore, 

Wildomar and Hemet. Advance 

registration is required for all competitions. 

For dates and contacts, please 

call 951-698-6116. 

Temecula Sunrise Rotary Club 

meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am at Journey’s 

End at Pechanga, 45000 Pechanga 

Parkway, Temecula. The club’s main 

community project each year is the 

annual Safety Town for children 5-8 

years of age, to be held in June. The 

2017 Safety Town will be the club’s 

16th annual event. The club’s primary 

fund-raising event is the 10K Run 

through the Vineyard, to be held at 

Maurice Car’rie Vineyard and Winery 

on Saturday, April 28. The run will be 

the 31st annual event that Temecula 

Sunrise has sponsored. Registrations 

are now open. For more information 

about the club, Safety Town, and the 

10K, log on to the club website, www. 

temeculasunriserotary.com. 

Rotary International is a worldwide 

humanitarian service organization with 

more than 1.2 million members in more 

than 200 countries and geographical 

areas. Founded in 1905 in Chicago, 

Rotary members are business and 

professional leaders united worldwide 

to provide humanitarian service, encourage 

high ethical standards in all 

vocations and help build good will 

and peace in the world. For information 

about membership in Rotary, 

call Marti Treckman at 951-698-6116.




29 

JDS Creative Academy 

Presents 2nd Annual Digifest 

JDS Creative Academy is excited 

to announce their second annual DI- 

GIFEST 2018 to take place April 13th 

14th & 15th at JDS Studios on 28069 

Diaz Rd in Temecula, as well as other 

key locations in Temecula seeking 

Creative Digital Media Submissions 

from Students, Amateurs, and Digital 

Professionals. 

This festival features all things 

digital including film, video, animation, 

music, games, photography, 

graphics and comics. Any media, 

which is designed digitally or enhanced 

digitally, is qualified for the 

event and competition. Students are 

especially encouraged to submit their 

work. Entrant categories begin at age 

ten years old and go through adult, 

with student, amateur and professional 

categories. Fees are nominal and the 

entry deadline is March 31st. 

Digifest includes featuring renowned 

guest speakers from the digital 

media field; creating thought-provoking 

special presentations and workshops 

that will take place throughout 

the weekend, along with screenings, 

digital exhibits, and expo vendors. 

The event concludes with an awards 

dinner held at Temecula City Hall 

conference center. 

Confirmed speakers include Key 

Note, John Corser from NBC/Universal, 

Disney Animation Developer 

Mike Morris, Cartoon Network Animators 

Justin and Josh Parpan, and 

Creative Suite Trainer David Creamer 

who will present an Adobe After Effects 

workshop. (More names still to 

be released) The event will also feature 

a special presentation of the film 

Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity: The 

Documentary. 

Community support for this event 

includes: Mt. San Jacinto College, 

Abbott Vascular, The Geek Store, 

JDS Video & Media Productions, 

Inc., The City of Temecula, DCH 

Auto Group Temecula, Alta Pacific 

Bank, Lake Elsinore Storm, Temecula 

Valley Chamber of Commerce, The 

Economic Development Commission, 

The Law Offices of Rosenstein 

& Associates, Verily Imagery, The 

Valley Business Journal, Neighbors 

Newspaper, Murrieta Chamber of 

Commerce, and Starway Productions. 

JDS Creative Academy is still offering 

sponsorship opportunities and 

all donations are 100% tax deductible. 

Interested sponsors, speakers, and 

entrants can contact us via digifesttemecula.org 

or call 951.296.6715. Entry 

forms are available online. Media 

Contact: Diane Strand 951-296-6715 

ABOUT Digifest & JDS CRE- 

ATIVE ACADEMY - Digifest Temecula 

is created by JDS Creative 

Academy a nonprofit 501c3 organization 

in Temecula, servicing the entire 

Temecula Valley and surrounding 

regions with a mission to inspire, 

educate, and enhance achievement in 

workforce development by providing 

job skills and hands on training in 

industries of visual, performing and 

digital arts. 

JDSCA works with Foster and 

“At Risk Youth, Autistic Young 

Adults, and Mainstream youth and 

adult populations creating a cross 

collaborative enrichment workforce 

training and creative environment. 

The mission of the 501c3 nonprofit 

JDS Creative Academy is to advance 

education and training in the arts; theatre, 

music, creative writing, fine art, 

digital art, and production art. JDSCA 

classes and programs fulfill the Visual 

and Performing Arts (VAPA) requirements, 

per the California Education 

Standard, and collaborate to enhance 

the CTE pathway to the home school, 

online school, traditional school, 

higher education schools, and trade 

school populations. By providing an 

opportunity to gain creative enrichment, 

self-confidence, leadership, 

and collaborative skills, our students 

can obtain the expertise needed to 

advance to higher arts’ education and 

prosper in a competitive marketplace. 

For more information on JDSCA 

go to www.jdscreativeacademy.org, 

contact via email info@jdsca.org, or 

phone 951 296-6715. 

info@jdsca.org




Temecula’s Community Services 

Department Hosts Basketball Tournament 

You got game? Throw together 

some ballers to come out and show 

Temecula what you have got! The City 

of Temecula Community Services Department 

is hosting the inaugural 3 vs. 

3 March Madness Basketball Tournament. 

Make a fast break for the Patricia 

H. Birdsall Sports Park (32380 Deer 

Hollow Way) on Saturday, March 24th. 

This new annual tournament is 

double elimination style and consists 

of ‘three on three’ half-court basketball 

games with a maximum of four players 

per team. All participants receive an 

event T-shirt. Prizes awarded to the first 

and second place teams in each division. 

Team fees are as follows: Adults 

(19-29) & Masters (30+) $100 Teens 

(14-18) $ 60. A Free Throw Shot Contest 

will be held for $5 per participant and 

there will be a DJ playing music at the 

event. Space is limited, so start rounding 

up your All-Star Team today! 

Registration and tournament information 

is available at www.TemeculaCA.gov/Sports. 

Teams may begin 

registering on Monday, February 1st. 

Please call (951) 694-6480 or visit 

www.TemeculaCA.gov/Sports for more 

information. 

TemeculaCA.gov




31 

Taste of the 

World 

For almost a decade, ‘‘Taste of the World’’ has showcased Temecula’s 

own amazing restaurants and chefs. Presented by the Rotary 

Club of Temecula, ‘‘‘Taste of the World’’’ is an evening of great food, 

world-class entertainment and live auction excitement! 

Join us this year on Friday, March 23, at Pechanga’s new Grand Resort 

Ballroom. Doors open at 5:30 at this four-diamond destination, truly one of the 

jewels of the Temecula Valley. Pechanga is the Presenting Sponsor for the evening, 

and with the new luxury features of the Grand Resort, makes the perfect 

home for this not-to-be missed event. 

The Rotary Club of Temecula, with over 100 members strong, has grown to 

be one of the most effective service providers, both to the local community and 

across the globe. Chartered in 1975, the Club is made up of business people, 

community leaders and people looking to make Temecula and the world a better 

place. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with this diverse group of wonderful 

people serving others over self. The ‘Taste of the World’ event serves as our 

annual fundraiser, allowing the club to provide over $100,000 in local literacy, 

military, homeless, senior, youth and disadvantaged avenues of service and 

support. 

The stars of ‘Taste of the World’ are our own Temecula eateries, wineries 

and brew houses. Their generous support is the key to this event. Featured this 

year are: 

• Baily’s Old Town Temecula 

• Pechanga Resort 

• Smokey Mountain Catering 

• Shamrock Irish Pub & Eatery 

• The Bank Mexican Restaurant & Bar 

• Provecho Grill 

• Burgers & Beer 

• New Life Culinary Creations 

• Cork Fire Kitchen at Temecula Creek Inn 

• Rustico 

• The Mill 

• Claim Jumper 

• DaCoconut Café 

• 8bit Brewing Company & Restaurant 

• Baily Vineyard & Winery 

• Wilson Creek Winery 

• Europa Village Winery 

• Fazeli Wine Cellars 

• Ballast Point Brewery 

• Nothing Bundt Cakes 

• Espresso Chauffer 

• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory 

There are only a few spaces left, so If you are interested in showcasing your 

culinary, winemaking, craft brewing or spirit distilling talent, please contact 

Jami Fencel at (813) 727-4314 or by email at jamifencel@gmail.com . 

In addition to the great food and spirits, ‘Taste of the World’ is pleased 

to announce the featured entertainment as the one and only, world-renowned 

Alley Cats. They have opened for Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers and have appeared 

on numerous television shows. The Alley Cats have had the special 

honor of entertaining US military troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 

have performed at The White House. This is their only Temecula appearance. 

Sure Shot Entertainment, a local Temecula favorite, will be our featured 

DJ and Masters of Ceremonies. 

‘Taste of the World’ would not be possible without our sponsors. Thank you to: 

Presenting Sponsor 

Pechanga Casino and Resort 

V.I.P. Experience Sponsor 

Langdon Floorcovering 

World Sponsor 

Pacific Western Bank 

Jami and Michael Fencel 

Farmers Insurance - Craig Davis 

Bank of the West 

Bill LaForge 

Merrill Lynch 

Stifel Financial & Associa Equity 

Management 

Hemisphere Sponsor 

Dubots Capital Management 

Continent Sponsor 

Napa Auto & Truck Parts 

Country Sponsor 

Riptide Systems 

Winter Advertising Agency 

Yamashita Karate 

Home Smart Alisa Morrison 

Esther N. Phahla, C.P.A. 

Allstars Insurance 

Lieberg, Oberhansley, Strohmeyer & 

Garn 

Gosch Ford 

Securitas Security Services, USA, Inc. 

Advertising Sponsor 

The Valley Business Journal 

Furniture & Décor Rental Sponsor 

Jake Duke 

Entertainment Sponsor 

Temecula Valley Custom Pools 

DJ & Master of Ceremonies Sponsor 

Sure Shot Entertainment 

Marketing Sponsor 

Watermark Associates 

There is a sponsorship for every budget. 

Sponsors receive a variety of benefits, 

and can include a V.I.P. Experience. 

For information on how you can sponsor 

or donate, please contact Michael 

Hoover a 760.419.5154 or by email at 

michaelphoover@aol.com. 

This event sells out every 

year so purchase your 

tickets today at www.rotarytasteoftheworld.com. 

The Rotary Club of Temecula 

meets every Wednesday, 

at noon, at Claim 

Jumper. Please visit and 

join us for lunch.

VBJ February 18 Online

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