VBJ August 20

VOLUME 31 • NUMBER 8 • AUGUST 2020 

BUDGET UPDATE 

by Assemblymember Marie Waldron 

SEE PAGE 2 

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, state 

revenues began to plummet, while spending on unemployment 

insurance and social programs increased 

exponentially. The result—our $21 billion surplus 

suddenly transformed into a $54.3 billion deficit. 

The budget that passed on June 15th was the 

beginning of discussions between the Governor and 

the Legislature over a series of trailer bills that implement 

the budget. 

SEE PAGE 24 

JAMIE SCHRAMM 

IS THE RECENTLY INSTALLED 

PRESIDENT OF THE 

ROTARY CLUB OF LAKE ELSINORE 

Each year the Rotary Club 

of Lake Elsinore installs a new 

leader to provide support and 

direction for the club. 

Jamie Schramm is the recently 

installed President of the Rotary 

Club of Lake Elsinore for the 

2020-2021 year. The service club 

provides over 21 local programs 

throughout the Lake Elsinore area 

and participates in 4 international 

programs. 

After being very active in 

Rotary for previous years, Jamie 

is excited to take on the role of 

President for the upcoming year. 

SEE PAGE 26 

VISIT TEMECULA VALLEY ANNOUNCES 

HOSPITALITY AWARD 

WINNERS 

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Visit Temecula 

Valley Awards was a live Zoom event. Awards were presented 

on a pre-recorded video; however, the recipients were surprised 

when the Visit Temecula Valley hospitality committee showed up 

to announce the news. 

Awards were given in seven categories: Social Media, Culinary, 

Ambassador, Hospitality, Brewery of the Year, Winery of the Year, and 

Tourism Professional of the Year. In addition, 23 employees at various 

businesses in Temecula Valley received recognition through Spotlight 

on Service for their outstanding customer service. 

SEE PAGE 13 

AND... 

City of Menifee Enhances 

Virtual Online Services 

Executive Profile: 

Andrea Shoup 

Replace Your Turf Grass and 

Get Paid 

TECHNOLOGY 

WRITING AN 

EFFECTIVE EMAIL 

8 

INSURANCE 

COMMERCIAL REAL 

ESTATE INSURANCE 

15 

HEALTH 

CONTACT LENSES 

17

THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL 

2 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 

August 2020 

City of Temecula Promotes Local Small Businesses with 

Shop Your Block Social Media Campaign’ 

The City of Temecula has kicked 

off its ‘Shop Your Block social media 

campaign’, a visual 

storyboard featuring Temecula’s 

economic backbone, which are small 

businesses. In an effort to recognize and 

promote shopping local during these ever-changing 

times, the City has collaborated 

with local photographer Jimmy Fu, 

to visit and photograph over 125 small 

businesses around town. 

This 14-week social media campaign 

features images of local business owners, 

products, employees, food, office spaces 

and storefronts. Locations of these small 

businesses are comprised of areas all 

over Temecula city limits, including Old 

Town, Temecula Parkway, Vail Ranch 

Headquarters, Jefferson Avenue, Margarita 

Road, Winchester Road and Rancho 

California Road. 

“We wanted a way to safely showcase 

the entrepreneurial spirit, resiliency 

and strength of our local business community. 

We chose to accomplish this by 

capturing their essence through a camera 

lens. It is our hope that the community 

will see these images and get inspired to 

visit and shop local.” says Temecula’s 

Mayor Pro Tem, Maryann Edwards. 

The City of Temecula strongly supports 

and joins hands with the Temecula 

Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Shop 

Local promotional effort. 

For the full gallery of photos, visit the 

City’s Flickr page at https://www.flickr. 

com/photos/cityoftemecula 

Visit the City of Temecula’s social media 

platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) 

every Friday until September 18, 2020 to check 

out these highlighted local small businesses and 

don’t forget to eat and shop local!



www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 

3 

Loma Linda University Behavioral Health Services 

Expand in Murrieta Community - Extended Services Include 

Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, Outpatient Therapy Services 

Loma Linda University Behavioral 

Health – Murrieta expanded its services 

last month with the opening of an adolescent 

intensive outpatient program (IOP) 

and outpatient therapy services for children, 

adolescents, adults and families. 

“Our programs have brought healing 

to our Redlands community, and we’re 

excited to bring that same hope to those 

in the Murrieta community,” said Glenn 

Scott, LCSW, director of Loma Linda 

University Behavioral Health’s Youth 

Partial Hospital Program. “We’re deeply 

thankful for the generous giving by the 

McMillen Family Foundation to make 

this expansion a reality.” 


Health places a strong emphasis on 

treating the entire family with the goals 

of restoring a sense of hope, bringing 

courage and resiliency to the family unit, 

and providing a treatment plan based on 

each individual’s specific needs. 


Health is also expanding its outpatient 

behavioral health services, including 

child therapy and play therapy, and individual 

adult and family therapy. 

The IOP program provides therapeutic 

care to patients from ages 13 to 17 for 

three hours a day, three times a week. 

The outpatient therapy services offer 

treatment starting at one hour per week. 

Individuals struggling with depression, 

anxiety, trauma and other emotional 

stressors are welcome to call the Loma 

Linda University Behavioral Health – 

Murrieta to schedule an appointment. 

Note, at this time services are only 

available through online video visits. For 

more information, please visit the Loma 

Linda University Behavioral Health - 

Murrieta page. 

About Loma Linda University Medical 

Center - Murrieta (LLUMC - 

Murrieta) 

Loma Linda University Medical Center 

brought its renowned commitment for 

premier health services to a new, stateof-the-art 

hospital in Murrieta. LLUMC 

- Murrieta serves southern California’s 

southwest Riverside County including 

the communities of Murrieta, Temecula, 

Menifee, Canyon Lake, Wildomar and 

Lake Elsinore. LLUMC - Murrieta provides 

the highest quality medical care 

with a mission-focused team of medical 

professionals. LLUMC-M is part of 

Loma Linda University Health, which 

includes Loma Linda University Children’s 

Hospital, LLUMC – East Campus, 

Behavioral Medicine Center, Surgical 

Hospital, and physician clinics as well 

as LLU’s eight professional schools. 

LLUMC is widely respected as a health 

care leader and is known for its pioneering 

and cutting-edge work in such areas 

as organ transplants, proton treatment for 

cancers, cardiac care, physical rehabilitation, 

acute pediatric and adult care, as 

well as treatments 

for chemical dependence 

and 

other behavioral 

disorders. With 

a total of 1,048 

beds, Loma Linda 

University 

Health offers 

over 100 academic 

programs 

and provides 

quality healthcare 

to 1.5 million 

outpatients and 40,000 inpatients 

each year. A Seventh-day Adventist organization, 

LLUH is a faith-based health 

system with a mission to continue the 

teaching and healing ministry of Jesus 

Christ.”




In this issue: 

City of Temecula Shop Your Block 1 

Budget Update 1 

Jamie Schramm Installed as President Lake Elsinore Rotary 1 

Visit Temecula Valley Hospitality Award Winners 1 

Loma Linda University Behavioral Health Expands in Murrieta 3 

Community 4-6 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | Andrea Shoup 7 

Writing an Effective Email 8 

How to Talk to Your Parents About Home Care 9 

Does My Spouse Need a Separate Estate Plan? 10 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | James Laszko 11 

JDSCA Reinvents DigiFest 2020 to an Incredible DigiDay 13 

Commercial Real Estate Insurance 15 

Rep. Calvert Statement 16 

Contact Lenses 17 

Replace Your Turf Grass and Get Paid 19 

Is this the V we’re looking for? 20 

NIST –Identifying What You Need to Protect 21 

Dining & Entertainment 24-28




5




City of Menifee Enhances Virtual Online 

Services for Residents/Businesses 

In light of the recent news from 

the Governor’s office regarding the 

new onset of recent closures due to 

the rising number of COVID-19 cases, 

Menifee City Hall has enhanced and 

converted public in-person meetings to 

“virtual in-person” front counter meetings, 

as a way to continue the high level 

of customer service our community 

has come to expect, and can easily be 

accomplished from a customer’s home 

or office. 

Enhanced Virtual City Hall permit 

counter services began on Monday, 

July 13 and will be incrementally 

evaluated depending on the Governor’s 

guidelines and pandemic environment. 

Additionally, City staff has made premier 

customer service a top priority 

ensuring that customers and businesses 

are able to safely and securely access 

and make appointments beginning July 

16 Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Virtual 

permit counter appointments can be 

made by visiting the City’s website, or 

by calling City Hall at (951) 672-6777. 

As part of the City’s overall Streamline 

Initiative featuring the “zero stop shop” 

permit counter, virtual meetings can be 

made with multiple departments such 

as planning, code enforcement, business 

license, engineering, and building 

and safety. 

Additionally, the Menifee Police 

Department public lobby, beginning 

July 16, will be transitioned from 

open to the public to by appointment 

only operations, with the following 

enhancements: 

• Police Records Requests can be made 

by calling (951) 723-1500, Monday 

through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 

excluding holidays. 

• Criminal and Traffic Report requests 

can be made by appointment only by 

calling (951) 723- 1500. 

• Subpoenas will be accepted; please 

call (951) 723-1500 to arrange service. 

• Vehicle Releases: Towed and/or repossessed 

vehicle releases will be done 

by appointment by calling (951) 723- 

1500, Monday through Friday, 8:00 

AM to 5:00 PM, excluding holidays. 

• Property Releases will be done by appointment, 

by calling (951)723-1526, 

Tuesdays 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and 

Thursdays 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

• The Police Department substation will 

be temporarily closed until normal 

lobby office operations resume. 

• No ticket signs offs will occur until 

normal lobby office operations resume, 

but an officer in the field may 

be utilized. 

• No public requests for Live Scan 

services will be granted until normal 

lobby office operations resume. 

The City would like to remind its 

residents and customers, to visit the 

city’s VIRTUAL CITY HALL webpage, 

which includes virtual permit 

resources, and information on project 

processes for all stages of City of 

Menifee, 29844 Haun Road, Menifee, 

California 92586 | cityofmenifee.us 

development, as well as information 

on Community Services virtual programming 

during the COVID-19 crisis. 

http://www.cityofmenifee.us/612/ 

Virtual-City-Hall-Permit-Center - 

Public access in city facilities will be 

re-evaluated incrementally in relation 

to the pandemic and state guidelines as 

they become available. 

For more information on Menifee’s 

Virtual City Hall services, please visit 

www.cityofmenifee.us, for COVID-19 

information, please visit www.cityofmenifee.us/coronavirus 

or please call 

(951)672-6777 for more information. 

#StayHealthyMenifee 

ABOUT MENIFEE: Situated in the 

heart of southern Riverside County 

along Interstate 215, Menifee is a 

vibrant, new city of more than 95,000 

residents who enjoy a pleasant yearround 

climate, abundant recreational 

offerings, reasonably priced housing 

and convenient proximity to some of 

Southern California’s premiere attractions 

and employment centers. Within 

its 50 square miles, Menifee’s business, 

retail and entertainment outlets 

are starting to shape the community’s 

character and this growing economic 

base is also contributing favorably 

to the city’s strong financial position. 

Menifee’s growing family-oriented 

population values the city’s ongoing 

commitment to public safety, community 

events and smart growth for 

the future. All of these elements are 

working together to support the city’s 

strategic vision to make Menifee one of 

the state’s most promising new cities. 


www.facebook/thevalleybusinessjournal 

For questions, comments, or story ideas, please 

e-mail publishertvbj@verizon.net or call (951) 461-0400. 

EDITOR/PUBLISHER/CEO 

Linda Wunderlich 

Email: publishertvbj@verizon.net 

ADVERTISING SALES INFORMATION 

(951) 461-0400 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

Helen M. Ryan 

VP OF DISTRIBUTION 

Dane Wunderlich 

STAFF WRITERS/ 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Gene Wunderlich 

Ted Saul 

Craig Davis 

Stefani Laszko 

Nicole Albrecht 

Julie Ngo 

Tom Plant 

Esther Phahla 

Steve Amante 

Monique deGroot 

Andrea Shoup 

Gloria Wolnick 

Dr. Drake Levasheff, PhD 

Mort J. Grabel, Esq. 

John & Christine Hamby 

Brian Connors 

Tristin Collopy 

Dr. Pat Utnehmer 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Cy Rathbun 

Tom Plant 

Criteria for Submitting Articles: 

1. Since the publication of articles is an added public 

relations feature for our advertisers, their articles will be 

given first priority. Other articles will be published on a 

space available basis. 

2. Articles should be submitted as a Word document file. 

3. Articles must be business-oriented and pertain to 

the author’s area of expertise. A photo of the writer is 

appropriate. 

4. All submissions are subject to editing by the publisher. 

5. Send completed articles by e-mail to: publishertvbj@ 

verizon.net 

6. Article and advertising deadlines are the 15th of each 

month for the next issue. 

The Valley Business Journal is a California Corporation. All rights 

reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, without the 

written permission of the Publisher is prohibited. The publication is 

published monthly. The opinions and views expressed in these pages 

are those of the writer or person interviewed and not necessarily those 

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expressly limits its liability resulting from any and all misprints, errors 

and/or inaccuracies any advertisement or editorial may contain, to 

the credit of the specific advertising payment and/or the running of a 

corrected advertisement or editorial correction notice.




7 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE 

Andrea Shoup | Attorney at Law 

Following law school, I worked as a Deputy District Attorney for 

the San Diego District Attorney’s Office. As a felony trial attorney, 

I dedicated myself to ensure justice was served in every case. In 

2012, while my husband was an active duty Marine, we moved to 

this beautiful area, Murrieta, which has proven to be an incredible 

community to raise our four children. 

AFFILIATIONS 

The California State Bar has certified 

me as a specialist in Estate 

Planning, Trust and Probate Law. 

Other affiliations include the 

Trust and Estates section of the 

California Bar Association, the Temecula 

and Murrieta Chamber of 

Commerce, the Riverside County 

Bar Association, the Southwest 

Riverside County Bar Association, 

and the California Advocates for 

Nursing Home Reform. 

MY BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY 

I founded Shoup Legal, A Professional 

Law Corporation on the belief 

that visiting a law firm should 

be a comforting experience, not 

an intimidating one. I am honored 

to have the opportunity to support 

families when they are processing 

the loss of a loved one. I navigate 

through difficult legalities effectively 

and efficiently so that they 

can focus on healing. My approach 

is to identify and execute the needs 

of my clients with compassion and 

sensitivity while maintaining the 

highest professional standards. I 

provide prudent strategies that protect 

the legacies of my clients. 

MY PASSION 

I have a passion for making a positive 

contribution in the lives of those I 

serve. Through a dynamic and interactive 

process, I assist my clients to 

establish succession and preservation 

through proper planning. We take great 

pride in providing excellent and individualized 

attention as we help clients 

understand every step of the process. 

GOALS 

My goal is to serve my community 

with respect, competence, and 

kindness. I strive to provide a work 

product that is timely, accurate, and of 

value to my clients. I am committed 

to carrying out charitable wishes and 

protecting family assets in a tax-efficient 

manner. 

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND 

In 2002, I earned my Bachelors of 

Science Degree in Business Administration 

from California Polytechnic 

San Luis Obispo. I decided to pursue 

a law degree and graduated Magna 

Cum Laude from California Western 

School of Law in 2006. While in law 

school, I served as Editor-in-Chief of 

the California Western Law Review 

and was an officer of the Pro-Bono 

Honors Society. 

RESUME 

In law school, I was an extern for the 

Honorable Irma E. Gonzales (Ret.) 

of the United States District 

Court for the Southern District 

of California. Since leaving the 

District Attorney’s Office in 

2012, I founded Shoup Legal, A 

Professional Law Corporation, a 

boutique law firm serving estate 

planning, probate, and business 

law needs.




Writing an Effective Email 

The best 

WAY 

publishertvbj@verizon.net 

(951) 461-0400 

to 

LAUNCH 

See how advertising in 

in the Valley Business Journal can help. 

While texting has become a popular 

method of communication, in the business 

world email is still used to exchange 

information and carry out work. To 

ensure the message receives the proper 

attention by the reader there are some 

best practices to follow. 

Start with the subject line as it can 

make a difference when the email is read 

and acted upon. It should address what 

is to be resolved making sure it doesn’t 

read as spam by using phrases like “read 

this” or “see attached”. 

If the spam filter doesn’t interpret it 

wrong, the reader might. Don’t put any 

confidential information in the subject 

either. One never knows who is looking 

on. Many companies use a system of key 

word such as “Action”, “Information”, 

“Time Critical” to give an indication how 

to handle the email. The criteria should 

be the same for the entire company to 

keep everyone on the same page. 

While writing the body of the message, 

keep in mind three areas; the subject 

matter, the audience and their culture and 

timeframe for which a response is required. 

First, it can be tempting to “write a 

book” and cover a wide area of subjects. 

“ 

Start with the subject 

line as it can make a 

difference when the 

email is read and acted 

upon. Make sure it 

doesn’t read as spam 

with phrases like “read 

this” or “see attached”. 

To be more effective limit the scope of 

your email to one or two areas to help 

the receiver find the most important issue 

and respond quickly. If the email simply 

contains information (FYI), bullet point 

each link or thought point for readability. 

Then, as you write, think about the 

audience reading the message and how it 

will be understood. Will the discussion 

be clear to them? The dialogue to technical 

engineers will be somewhat different 

than to a business process team. In the 

same way an email sent to a customer will 

take a different approach than an internal 

bound employee message. If communicating 

with international recipients watch 

the English style used and any words 

that may not be easily interpreted to the 

readers primary language. 

Finally, clearly state when the response 

is required. Use terminology such 

as, “Friday close of business (COB)” or 

by a specific time. Some email clients can 

attach reminders to the email sending a 

notification when the due date comes near. 

Remember to always proof read 

the entire email to ensure the correct 

message is being sent. It’s a waste of 

time and frustrating to explain yourself 

a second time. 

Ted Saul is a business coach that assists 

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 TedSaulBiz@gmail.com. 

by 

by 

Ted Saul, 

Steve Fillingim 

Sr. Staff Writer




9 

How to Talk to Your Parents About Home Care 

by John & Christine Hamby 

As our parents get older, they may 

need more help than they are willing to 

ask for. Talking with your parents or an 

aging loved one about needing home 

care can be a difficult conversation for 

both of you. For them, it might represent 

a loss of independence. For you, 

it can be difficult because you must 

come with terms with the likelihood 

that you will need help caring for them. 

Here are seven helpful tips to 

help you to start the home care conversation. 

1. Do your homework. Before you 

start the conversation, research the 

various options that are available. 

2. Do not wait for a crisis to start 

the conversation. Start talking 

about home care solutions now so 

that you can ask them how they 

would like to address the issue 

when the time comes. 

3. Address your concerns. Be open 

and honest with your feelings and 

the challenges you have juggling 

your home life, career, and now 

their care. According to a recent 

study by Genworth, 55 percent 

of Americans say being a burden 

on their family is their biggest 

concern regarding long-term care 

issues. Take this into consideration 

when approaching your parent 

about accepting in-home help. 

4. Show empathy. Change is scary. 

When talking with your parents, 

try to understand how they could 

be feeling. It is important to realize 

that this change may feel like they 

are losing control of their independence. 

By showing empathy 

and listening to them, it will allow 

for a conversation to occur where 

you can discuss alternatives that 

help them retain what control they 

have left. 

5. Focus on the advantages and 

benefits. Any conversation you 

have about caregiving should focus 

on why home care is a good 

thing. Instead of concentrating 

on why your loved one needs assistance, 

point out the benefits of 

having a caregiver there to support 

their personal needs and care. 

6. Explore home care options together. 

Include your aging parents 

in the process of finding the best 

solutions for them. Allow them to 

be a part of the decision-making 

process. Let them look at the options 

and even meet with the home 

care company prior to making any 

final decisions. 

7. Test the waters. Try hiring a 

caregiver for in-home help on a 

short-term basis for your respite 

care. This provides an opportunity 

to show your parents that having a 

caregiver is not something to fear 

and often leads to them being open 

to receiving ongoing care. 

When you are ready to talk with 

your elderly parents about the benefits 

of in-home support, remember to stay 

positive, focus on how it can help 

and include them in this important 

decision. 

This article is provided by John and 

Christine Hamby, Owners, FirstLight 

Home Care of Temecula. For more information, 

visit us online at Temecula. 

FirstLightHomeCare.com or call us at 

951-395-0821 

“ For them, it might 

represent a loss of 

independence. For 

you, it can be difficult 

because you must 

come with terms with 

the likelihood that you 

will need help caring 

for them.




Does My Spouse Need a Separate 

Estate Plan? 

Married couples will usually make 

their estate plan together, especially if 

they hold most assets jointly and have 

the same goal to provide for their family’s 

future. In that case, the surviving 

spouse would receive the majority of 

assets as primary beneficiary of a will 

or trust. 

This make sense especially if 

there are minor children to care for, 

or ongoing expenses that have to be 

covered. A couple could create a joint 

trust to include all assets, and when one 

spouse dies the other would take over 

as sole trustee to administer the assets 

according to trust terms. 

However, there may be situations 

where spouses elect to have separate 

estate planning documents, usually 

some type of trust. Those include: 

Creating a separate trust to protect 

assets from the creditors of one 

spouse 

If one spouse has creditors or liability, 

the other may be able to insulate 

some assets with a separate trust. 

Separate trust with spouse as 

co-trustee to manage assets 

Even when separate trusts are 

created, the other spouse can be named 

as a co-trustee to take over when the 

grantor spouse dies. 

In a second marriage where one or 

both spouses have property acquired 

prior to marriage, or there are children 

from the previous marriage. 

Second marriages are common, 

and any property acquired before remarriage 

would be separate property 

that a spouse may want to hold and 

distribute on their own. They may 

want to designate different heirs from 

the first marriage as well. 

One or both spouses receive or are 

expecting an inheritance they want 

to keep separate 

If one spouse receives or is expecting 

to receive a large family inheritance, 

they may want to have a separate 

estate plan to keep that property on 

their side of the family. 

There are no minor children as heirs, 

and the spouses want to designate 

certain assets differently 

Spouses may wish to distribute 

separate assets to specific heirs for 

personal or financial reasons. 

Potential tax benefits 

There could be the potential for reducing 

estate taxes for wealthy couples 

with separate trusts. 

Pre-nuptial agreements 

Pre-nuptial agreements may affect 

how assets are designated and owned, 

and thus distributed after passing. 

Legally Separated 

Couples that are legally separated, 

but not divorced, may want to have 

their own estate plan. 

If you are a married couple and thinking 

of making an estate plan, the attorneys 

at Shoup Legal can guide you in 

creating either a joint or separate plan 

to meet your unique circumstances. 

Contact the attorneys at Shoup Legal, 

A Professional Law Corporation at 

951-445-4114 or visit them online at 

www.ShoupLegal.com for more information. 

SHOUPLEGAL.COM 

LEGAL 

by by 

Andrea Steve Fillingim Shoup 

“ 

This make sense especially if there are 

minor children to care for, or ongoing 

expenses that have to be covered. A 

couple could create a joint trust to 

include all assets, and when one spouse 

dies the other would take over as sole 

trustee to administer the assets 

according to trust terms.




11 

EXECUTIVE PROFILE | James Laszko 

James Laszko has lived in the valley for over 20 years. Growing 

up in Fallbrook, James has watched Temecula grow up from 

a place with a single stop light to the great family friendly community 

it is today. 

I became a homeowner in Temecula in 1999, purchasing my first home 

in the Paseo del Sol community in southern Temecula. Over the next 2 

decades, I moved from Temecula to Murrieta and then Wildomar and in 

2018 we moved back to southern Temecula so that our youngest daughter 

could be a part of the great Temecula Unified School District. In 2010, 

my wife and I formed Mythos Technology, headquartered in Temecula, 

as a “holding company” for all the technology businesses and assets I had 

been involved with. We have a great team and look forward to continuing 

to grow and invest in our people. 

AFFILIATIONS 

I serve on the board of directors for 

both our business property and our 

homeowners associations to help 

assure our communities are functioning 

at top performance. We 

have attended Cornerstone Church 

in Wildomar since 2006 and I corun 

a Business Owners Peer Group 

lifegroup. My youngest, Olivia, 

has been involved in youth soccer 

for a few years and I was finally 

going to debut as her new coach 

right before the COVID outbreak 

– alas, the season was cancelled… 

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY 

There were times when I first started 

my business where I worked 

80-100 hours a week. It was 

tough, but fun. It got us off the 

ground. I’ve worked hard to learn 

how to develop a proper work/life 

balance and we push very hard to 

provide this balance for our team 

as well. Our team is extremely important 

to us and we have a strong 

culture – we are the Mythos Crew! 

We provide technology solutions 

for our clients that make them 

more efficient and able to focus 

on their core business functions. 

FAVORITE SPORT 

I used to be a football fan, but then 

the Chargers went to LA. I love 

a good game of golf and play my 

best when I’m involved in a charity 

tournament where we are playing best 

ball with as many purchased mulligans 

as I can afford. We spent a few 

days up in Big Bear with friends this 

year and I got back on a snowboard 

for the first time in 10 years – I had a 

blast and discovered that our daughter 

had an affinity for it as well. 

GOALS 

The older I get I’m realizing a lot of 

the stuff that I’ve never wanted to do 

are becoming new goals. I’ve never 

wanted to be a mentor, I’m starting to 

mentor. I’ve never thought of myself 

as a leader, I’m realizing I’m a leader. 

I’m on a crusade to be the best person 

I can be, for myself and for those 

around me. We want to grow our 

team so that they can take over the 

day to day operations and continue to 

grow beyond what we have built. We 

are playing the infinite business game. 

MENTORS 

I have found that I have learned a 

tremendous amount from business 

owners that I have met and associated 

with in industry peer groups. I 

have also benefited greatly from our 

Business Owners Peer Group that I 

co-run at our church. Our church and 

everyone we have met from there has 

also been a great source of wisdom 

and guidance in our lives. 

FAVORITE READING 

Once I hit 42, my eyeballs failed me 

and I started to need glasses. I now do 

about 90% of my reading via Audible. 

I’m a big fan of the science fiction and 

fantasy genre. Back when “going to 

school” was a thing, I used to walk 

my daughter to school everyday and 

we would share my Apple earbuds 

and we would “read” together on 

the walk. When I’m not reading for 

fun I listen to business podcasts and 

read business and leadership books 

from the likes of Dave Ramsey, Gino 

Wickman, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, 

Mike Michalowicz and Chris Voss. 

RESUME 

For over 20 years I have run 

startup technology companies. 

Since 2010, I have been the Chief 

Technical Officer at Mythos Technology, 

providing outsourced technology 

solutions and consulting 

for small to medium businesses. 

BIRTHPLACE 

Camp Pendleton, CA



12 August 2020




JDSCA Reinvents DigiFest 2020 to an Incredible DigiDay 

13 

JDS Creative Academy has a mission 

to increase involvement and promote 

awareness in visual, performing and 

digital arts. To support this, the nonprofit 

501(c)(3), annually brings Riverside 

County residents, DigiFest Temecula. This 

year, the film-like festival will be known as 

DigiDay 2020, a special virtual event that 

will be held completely online allowing 

attendees to enjoy the much-anticipated 

fun and excitement all in the safety and 

comfort of their own home. 

Imagine a digital doorway that opens 

a new perspective into the technical 

world, giving attendees the opportunity to 

experience digital art in its many forms. 

Although from a virtual setting, the event 

will include networking with industry 

professionals, featuring galleries, exhibits, 

local music and talent. You can expect 

raffles with exciting high-end prizes, a 

silent auction, screenings, presentations, 

entertainment, workshops, an awards ceremony 

and some fun additional surprises 

in between. 

DigiDay 2020 is designed for not 

only content creators but those who simply 

wish to enjoy great visual digital art, 

animation, video and film, learn industry 

advancements, new techniques in the 

entertainment industry and gain insight 

on how digital arts are being incorporated 

into the economic culture. In order to 

make sense of this event, one must picture 

the elements of a film festival, education 

and networking from a conference, that 

includes entertainment and excitement, 

all jam packed into a virtual experience; 

that’s DigiDay 2020, taking place on Aug 

22, 2020. 

The popularity of the event has attracted 

well-known names throughout the 

years such as Emmy winner Cady Mc- 

Clain, Universal Studios Executive Vice 

President John Corser, a panel of Disney 

animators and graphic designers, “A list” 

scriptwriters, competition gamers and 

YouTube influencers to name a few. This 

year’s DigiDay is stacking up the virtual 

red carpet with names like Teddy Lane Jr. 

and Jess Paul, Actor and Filmmaker. 

Although the normal, three day digital 

in-person DigiFest 2020 event will 

look different this year, it just goes to 

show how important digital technology 

is - hence the “Show Must Go On” attitude. 

JDS Creative Academy and Digifest 

Temecula are embracing technology and 

utilizing streaming platforms to roll with 

the ever-changing world in hopes to engage 

with more people from all over the 

world. DigiFest Temecula already has 

worldwide attention, receiving festival 

submissions from Scotland, across the 

United States, throughout California, and 

lots of locals here in southwest Riverside 

County. Entries include students K-12, 

and Higher Education, Amateurs, and 

Professionals, in addition to submissions 

from our award-winning JDS Creative 

Academy job-training participants. Digi- 

Day has received a range of submissions, 

from short films and videos to gaming, 

podcasts, animations, graphic designs and 

music entries. This event is inclusive and 

suitable for all. 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to 

hear from amazing speakers, panelists, 

participate in workshops taught by industry 

pros, the chance to network with 

actors, creators, influencers, win amazing 

raffles and more! Tickets go on sale July 

31st, for pricing and details, head over to 

https://digifesttemecula.org/. 

HOSPITALITY AWARD WINNERS 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

Social Media Award 

For the greatest impact promoting 

and attracting visitors to Temecula Valley 

Southern California Wine Country through 

social media, the Social Media Award winner 

is Peltzer Farm & Winery. Their posts 

are well presented with brand personality, 

making great use of Instagram stories and 

custom stickers. Peltzer grew to 24,100 

Instagram followers since opening in 2015. 

They have a consistent strong engagement 

at the customer level. In addition, they 

strategically post events on their channels 

with excellent use of calendar skills. 

Champion Culinary Award 

This award recognizes a locally owned 

restaurant or chef operating in Temecula 

Valley demonstrating an exceptional 

dining experience through its service excellence, 

innovation, culinary offerings, 

and community philanthropic activities. 

The Champion Culinary Award recipient 

is Oak Grove Culinary Creations. They 

have created an opportunity for youth at 

Oak Grove Center (a nonprofit residential, 

educational, and treatment center for children 

through California with psychological, 

emotional and behavioral problems, 

and special needs) to explore and excel in 

the culinary field. Through their program, 

career paths in the culinary arts have been 

introduced and new pathways have opened 

for youth. 

Ambassador Award 

The Ambassador Award recognizes 

an individual that generates significant 

economic impact for the region by encouraging 

tourism and securing major 

conventions and events. The winner of 

the Ambassador Award is Diane Strand, 

founder at JDS Creative Academy and 

president/producer at JDS Video & Media 

Productions. Strand has created significant 

events generating positive exposure for 

Temecula Valley with national and international 

recognition. The company is a 

sustainable job creator and a big contributor 

to philanthropic causes in the valley. 

Hospitality Award 

This award recognizes a tourism organization 

or business that demonstrates outstanding 

hospitality to visitors and exhibits 

a team spirit in promoting travel tourism 

and the growth of Temecula Valley. This 

year there was a tie in the voting process; 

the two winners are Avensole Winery and 

Old Town Temecula Community Theater. 

Both recipients exhibit exemplary hospitality 

through their elevated service. 

Golden Tap Brewery of the Year 

This is a new recognition for the 

emerging brewery industry in Temecula 

Valley. This category is for brewers, 

breweries, distillers, and distilleries that 

produce quality beers and spirits, build 

a strong local partnership, and provide 

service excellence and valuable industry 

education to visitors. The inaugural winner 

is 8 Bit Brewing Company. This company 

demonstrates job creation in an emerging 

industry, possesses service and community 

focus in their company philosophy, and 

produces award-winning beers. 

Cilurzo Award for Winery of Year 

This award recognizes a winery operating 

in Temecula Valley that routinely offers 

exceptional guest experience through 

its wine, vineyard quality and appearance, 

philanthropic endeavors, and betterment 

of the community. The winner is South 

Coast Winery. They have a strong family 

philosophy of quality service and have 

been producing outstanding wines for 

decades. South Coast Winery promotes 

the Temecula Valley Wine Country brand 

through numerous events, they offer an 

exceptional wine country experience, and 

they have extended the Temecula Valley 

Southern California Wine Country brand 

through features in various national and 

international magazines and television. 

The winery has a strong commitment to 

quality wines, vineyards, winemaking, and 

philanthropic endeavors. 

Welty Award for Tourism 

Professional of the Year 

This title goes to a tourism professional 

who has made significant contributions 

to our hospitality industry through their 

strong commitment to Temecula Valley, 

as well as their innovation, inspiration, and 

industry leadership. The winner is Mike 

Rennie with Temecula Valley Winery 

Management. He has worked tirelessly to 

elevate the customer experience through 

exceptional product offerings, extraordinary 

guest service, and outstanding 

representation of Temecula Valley. His 

commitment to growth in the valley has 

shape the tourism landscape through his 

diversified company offerings. 

Spotlight on Service Awards 

Spotlight on Service shines special 

recognition on exceptional, authentic, 

warm, and front-line Temecula Valley 

hospitality employees. Recipients are 

Randy Wikert at Grapeline Wine Tours, 

Leeana Geuy at Rene’s Cowgirl Cantina, 

Mark Kim at Sushi Boat, Liz Amoros at 

Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ, Julian Carillo 

at Build-a-Bear Workshop, Jan Dowe at 

Brighton Collectibles, Philippe Dornic at 

The Vineyard Rose, Danyell Cortopassi 

at The Vineyard Rose, Adriana Aragon at 

South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, Alex 

Cervantes at Pechanga Resort Casino, 

Casey Price at The Gambling Cowboy, 

Lauren Strickland at The Gambling Cowboy, 

Terri Bobbe at Wilson Creek Winery, 

Markelle Brown at Wilson Creek Winery, 

Arlene Eyerman at Temecula Carriage 

Company, Nicole Berry at Temecula 

Carriage Company, Amber Williams at 

Red Robin Temecula, Kristy Campbell at 

Falkner Winery, Tina Tackett at Falkner 

Winery, Carol Post at Old Town Spice & 

Tea Merchants, Sean Suthers at E.A.T. 

Marketplace, Brooke Woodside at California 

Pizza Kitchen, and Gilmarie Villegas 

at Bluewater Grill. 

In 2019, Visit Temecula Valley produced 

a tourism economic impact of 

$2,064,990. Projected visitors for 2019 are 

3.3 million. The lodging revenue was $89 

million, which is an 8.5 percent increase 

from the previous year. Marketing efforts 

produced 61.4 million paid impressions, 

2.1 million website pageviews, a 15.2 percent 

increase in website unique viewers, 

759,397 leisure hotel searches, $576,502 

direct hotel revenue, 419 million media 

impressions, and $11.1 million value in 

free coverage. 

This year, tourism in Temecula Valley 

began stronger than ever until the industry 

was hit with a worldwide pandemic. The 

destination has demonstrated strength, 

unity, and innovation during this unprecedented 

time. Together, the businesses in 

Temecula Valley are working side by side 

to make it through a very challenging time, 

creating safe experiences for local visitors. 

About Visit Temecula Valley 

Visit Temecula Valley (VTV), a 

nonprofit 501c(6) organization funded by 

the Temecula Valley Tourism Business 

Improvement District, Pechanga Development 

Corporation, the City of Temecula, 

the Temecula Valley Wine Country Tourism 

Marketing District, and tourism-related 

businesses, is the destination marketing 

organization in the Temecula Valley. VTV 

increases awareness of Temecula Valley, 

stimulates Temecula Valley economic 

growth and tourism, and measures visitor 

spending in the Temecula Valley. VTV is 

online at www.VisitTemeculaValley.com. 

For membership information or visitor 

assistance, please call (888) 363-2852 or 

(951) 491-6085.




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15 

Commercial Real Estate Insurance 

What’s in your commercial real 

estate portfolio? Maybe your renovated 

strip mall is attracting upscale tenants. 

Perhaps your family business thrives on a 

mix of industrial properties, warehouses 

and distribution centers. Or you might 

own office buildings and self-storage 

facilities. 

Each commercial property is unique, 

and an insurance agent/broker can show 

you a full menu of business insurance 

options to help manage specific risks. 

You have invested a lot of time and 

finances in growing your business and 

you need commercial real estate insurance 

that can help you weather any storm 

– natural or man-made. 

According to the National Association 

of Realtors, commercial real estate in 

2015 included more than $29.3 billion in 

industrial property, $14.2 billion in office 

property and just over $5 billion in retail 

property. How much is your property 

worth and what can be done to protect 

against any losses? 

Whether your business involves one 

of these industries, or you take part in all 

of them in your commercial real estate 

holdings, you need the right insurance to 

guard against your risks. 

Types of Commercial Real Estate 

Insurance 

The two most common types of commercial 

real estate insurance are commercial 

property insurance and general 

liability insurance. As the name suggests, 

commercial property insurance covers 

your buildings and equipment for damage 

caused by extreme weather events, 

fire and some crimes such as vandalism. 

A general liability insurance policy 

protects your commercial real estate from 

a lawsuit should a third party experience 

injury or property damage while on your 

premises. 

The policies you need and the premiums 

you pay depend on the type of 

commercial real estate you own and the 

type of business(es) you operate on the 

property. 

What Is Covered Under My Commercial 

Real Estate Policy? 

Most damage to your property 

caused by extreme weather events (excluding 

floods and earthquakes) is covered 

by a commercial real estate property 

insurance policy. 

Many businesses are vulnerable to 

losses from crime. According to the FBI, 

arson cost commercial real estate owners 

in the industrial and manufacturing sectors 

an average of $168,000 per incident 

in 2014. Other commercial real estate 

owners can expect damages due to arson 

to cost an average of $57,000. 

Here are the 10 costliest commercial 

real estate insurance claims: 

• Theft and burglary 

• Water and freezing damage 

• Wind and hail damage 

• Fire 

• Customer slip and fall 

• Customer injury and damage 

A commercial real estate insurance 

policy that includes property and general 

liability coverage will help ensure that 

most of these costs do not affect your 

bottom line. 

Property insurance can help you repair 

or replace your damaged buildings; 

liability coverage can help pay for your 

legal defense and any settlements should 

you face a lawsuit. 

Which Commercial Real Estate Insurance 

is Best for My Business? 

The coverage you need and the options 

you choose depend heavily on the 

type of commercial real estate you own. 

Smaller and mid-size companies 

often purchase a commercial real estate 

package policy known as a business owners 

policy (BOP). Commercial real estate 

coverage in a BOP includes property insurance 

for buildings and contents owned 

by the company and liability protection 

to cover a company’s legal responsibility 

for the harm it may cause to others. 

Larger companies might purchase a 

commercial real estate insurance package 

policy or customize their policies to meet 

the special risks they face. 

Understand your options to find 

personalized coverage for commercial 

real estate. Call a local professional 

agent today. 

Craig Davis is an agent for Farmers 

Insurance and the owner of Craig Davis, 

Family Insurance located at 27645 Jefferson, 

Suite 113, in Temecula. He may 

be reached at (951) 699-1776. cdavis@ 

farmersagent.com. 

“ 

You have invested a 

lot of time and 

finances in growing 

your business and you 

need commercial real 

estate insurance that 

can help you weather 

any storm. 

INSURANCE 

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Rep. Calvert Statement on the Defense 

Appropriations Subcommittee Markup 

Today, Defense Appropriations 

Subcommittee Ranking Member Ken 

Calvert (CA-42) issued the following 

statement on the Subcommittee markup 

of the Fiscal Year 2021 Defense Appropriations 

bill: 

“The primary responsibility of the 

Defense Appropriations Subcommittee 

is to provide the funding necessary to 

train and equip the men and women in 

our Armed Forces for the missions they 

are asked to carry out. The bill considered 

by the Subcommittee today meets that 

responsibility by significantly investing 

in shipbuilding, aircraft, as well as the 

research and development needed to 

ensure America wins the race on hypersonics, 

AI, quantum computing, and 

other technological fronts critical for 

our national security. To ensure we have 

a clear picture of any threats, the bill 

includes resources necessary to improve 

near term intelligence, surveillance, and 

reconnaissance capabilities. I’m also 

pleased that we were able to give our 

troops a full 3% pay raise and include 

robust funding for the health and family 

care programs that are essential for our 

military families. 

Unfortunately, the bill contains a 

number of partisan poison pill policy 

riders that do not belong in a spending 

bill and restrict the ability of our national 

security leaders, including the commander 

in chief, to respond to emergencies. 

These provisions only serve political 

interests and will make it more difficult 

to pass this important bill through Congress. 

I believe we owe it to our troops 

and American taxpayers to drop these 

poison pill riders from the bill and get 

our work done on time. 

I also want to recognize my friend 

and partner in this endeavor, Subcommittee 

Chairman Pete Visclosky, who 

is shepherding what will be his final 

Defense Appropriations bill through 

Congress before he retires at the end 

of this term. The Chairman has been a 

true collaborator throughout the process 

of crafting this bill and is always open 

to working with anyone interested in 

advancing our national security efforts. 

It’s been an absolute pleasure to serve and 

work alongside him on the Committee.”


Contact Lenses 



17 

Have you ever wanted to change your 

eye color? When it’s warm and you don’t 

want to deal with glasses slipping or fogging 

up would you like another option? 

Are there activities that you participate in 

that glasses aren’t a comfortable choice? 

Many people don’t realize that they may 

be great candidates for contact lenses 

Contact lenses prescribed by a licensed 

Doctor of Optometry are worn 

safely and comfortably by millions of 

people worldwide and have a long history 

of providing wearers with a safe 

and effective form of vision correction. 

While contact lenses provide many vision 

benefits, they are not risk-free. Your 

Doctor of Optometry can help you better 

understand how to get the full benefits 

of your contact lenses and reduce your 

chances of developing problems. 

Contact lens-related eye infections 

and other injuries can lead to long-lasting 

damage but often are preventable. Clean 

and safe handling of contacts is one of 

the easiest and most important measures 

patients can take to protect their vision. 

Hygiene is the most important aspect of 

successful long-term contact lens wear. 

Many common contact lenses care 

mistakes, including failing to clean and 

store lenses as directed by a Doctor of 

Optometry and sleeping while wearing 

contacts, can increase the chance of 

getting bacteria in the eyes and causing 

infection. Serious eye infections can lead 

to blindness and affect up to one out of 

every 500 contact lens users per year, and 

even minor infections can be painful and 

disrupt day-to-day life. 

All contact lenses, even purely cosmetic 

ones, are considered a medical 

device and require a prescription. If contact 

lenses are right for you, your Doctor 

of Optometry will provide you with the 

lenses, lens care kits, individual instructions 

for wear and care and follow-up 

visits over a specified time. 

What about makeup and contact 

lenses? You can wear contacts and cosmetics 

safely and comfortably together 

by following these helpful tips: 

• Put on soft contact lenses before applying 

makeup. 

• Put on rigid-gas permeable (RGP) lenses 

after applying makeup. 

• Avoid lash-extending mascara, which 

has fibers that can irritate the eyes. Also 

avoid waterproof mascara, which cannot 

be easily removed with water and may 

stain soft contact lenses. Replace mascara 

at least every three months. 

• Avoid applying eyeliner along the 

watermark of the eyelid. 

• Remove lenses before removing makeup. 

• Choose an oil-free moisturizer. 

• Don’t use hand creams or lotions before 

handling contacts. They can leave a film 

on your lenses. 

• Use hairspray before putting on your 

contacts. If you use hairspray while 

you are wearing your contacts, close 

your eyes during spraying and for a few 

seconds after. 

• Blink your eyes frequently while using a 

hair drier to keep your eyes from getting 

too dry. 

• Keep false eyelash cement, nail polish 

and remover, perfume and cologne away 

from lenses. They can damage the plastic. 

• Choose water-based, hypoallergenic 

liquid foundations. Cream makeup may 

leave a film on your lenses. 

Contact lens prescriptions generally 

expire on a yearly basis, unless otherwise 

determined by your Doctor of Optometry. 

Prescriptions for contact lenses and glasses 

may be similar but are not interchangeable. 

Seeing your Doctor of Optometry 

annually for an in-person, comprehensive 

eye exam will not only assess your vision 

and need for updated prescriptions, but 

it may also help identify and lead to a 

diagnosis of other health concerns such 

as hypertension and diabetes. 

Come in and see us for a comprehensive 

eye exam and discuss personalized 

options for your eyes. 

Dr. Patrick Utnehmer, Promenade Optometry 

& Lasik, (951) 296-2211. 

“ 

Contact lens-related eye infections and 

other injuries can lead to long-lasting damage 

but often are preventable. Clean and safe 

handling of contacts is one of the easiest and 

most important measures patients can take 

to protect their vision. Hygiene is the most 

important aspect of successful long-term 

contact lens wear. 

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Temecula Valley Hospital Hosted its First Drive-Thru Health Fair 

on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 

Over 150 people participated in 

the Drive-Thru Health Fair event in 

Temecula Valley Hospital’s parking 

lot along the perimeter of the 

hospital. This event was free to the 

community and participants attended 

the entire event all from the safety 

of their vehicle. Drivers pulled up 

and followed a map to the different 

stations along the Health Fair route. 

Participants were able to get 

health information and free giveaways 

from a variety of community 

partners who had vendor booths, including 

Anthem Blue Cross, City of 

Temecula, Rancho Family Medical 

Group, Foundation for Senior Care, 

Picasso Dental, Riverside Public 

Health, Bang Energy Drinks, A+ Urgent 

Care, Southwest Healthcare, Michelle’s 

Place, Highgate Senior Living Temecula, 

Encompass Health, American Heart 

Association and Jacob’s House. 

Temecula Valley Hospital had an 

information booth, Stroke and Heart 

Attack awareness information. Ask a 

Nurse health questions, details on Total 

Joint Surgeries, and a screening area for 

blood pressure and glucose tests run by 

clinical team members. Please see the 

attached photos from the event. 

“We have been greatly touched by 

the community support of our healthcare 

team over the past several months,” said 

Darlene Wetton, CEO of Temecula Valley 

Hospital. “We are indebted for all of 

the kindness we have received, and it’s 

time that we give back to the community 

that we proudly serve. Our Drive-Thru 

Health Fair was a small way of saying 

thank you for everything.” 

About Temecula Valley Hospital - 

Temecula Valley Hospital (TVH), with 

a 5 Star Medicare Hospital Compare 

rating, brings advanced technology, innovative 

programs, patient-centered and 

family sensitive care to area residents 

featuring 140 private patient rooms. 

TVH is the first Universal Health 

Services Hospital Emergency Department 

in the country to achieve accreditation 

from the American College of 

Emergency Physicians (ACEP) as a 

Geriatric Emergency Department. 

TVH specializes in advanced 

cardiac services, stroke care, general 

and surgical specialties, and orthopedics 

as a recent Blue Distinction® 

Center Designation for Quality in 

Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries. 

TVH is nationally recognized 

for Patient Safety by the Leapfrog 

Group, with a 2017 Top Hospital 

Award and seven ‘A’ Grades for Patient 

Safety. For more information 

please visit https://www.temeculavalleyhospital.com/about/news




19 

Replace Your Turf Grass and Get Paid 

Did you know that outside landscaping 

consumes around 50-70 percent of 

water used at a single property? Not only 

does that take precious resources, but it 

also costs you, the homeowner, money. 

You may qualify for a rebate program 

that pays to save! 

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water 

District and the Metropolitan Water District 

of Southern California are offering 

a rebate program for removing grass turf 

and replacing it with a water-wise yard. 

To be eligible, residents must register 

at www.socalwatersmart.com before beginning 

any step of the project. Once you 

receive an approval to proceed, you have 

180 days to complete your transformation. 

Once you have been approved, use 

these simple steps to get started: 

1. Identify your current turf as either 

warm season (St. Augustine, Bermuda, 

and Zoysia) which thrives in 

warmer temperatures, or cold season 

(Tall Fescue, Kentucky Blue, and Perennial 

Rye) which thrives in cooler 

temperatures. 

2. Choose a turf removal technique 

(solarization, sod removal, sheet 

mulching) most relevant to the turf 

you plan to remove. 

3. Plan your new landscape design 

including efficient irrigation, water-wise 

plants, hardscape (rocks) 

and softscape (mulch, soil, bark). 

Rebates are offered for residential 

and commercial customers on a firstcome 

first-serve basis. For additional 

information and requirements on the 

Turf Replacement Program visit www. 

evmwd.com/rebates.


20 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com 


Is this the V we’re looking for? 

REAL ESTATE 

by by 

Gene Steve Wunderlich Fillingim 

While the media’s grim reapers 

continue to predict catastrophe from 

the CV-19 pandemic, it’s hard to look 

at our current housing numbers with 

anything but optimism. I suppose this 

could be tempered going forward as 

the Governor selectively shuts down 

business that survived his first round 

of closures and had successfully reopened, 

but for now we’ll seize on 

some good news. 

As I’ve stated here before, this 

virus crisis appears to be equal parts 

science, politics and economics. On 

any given day, one or the other of those 

narratives takes the forefront, apparently 

predicated on which message 

will drive the greatest compliance from 

a divided citizenry. 

In today’s commentary I’ll refrain 

from addressing the science, which is 

confusing and contradictory at best, 

nor will I address politics, because 

depending on our perspective we’re all 

too familiar with that already. 

So, lets talk about the economy. 

Despite dire warnings to the contrary, 

the U.S. economy added another 4.8 

million jobs in June dropping the 

unemployment rate from 13.3% to 

11.1%. Still some 3X where it was 

just a few months ago but improving 

steadily the past two months. Almost 

40% of people who lost jobs during 

the early pandemic lockdown have 

returned to work, including low-skilled 

and lower-wage workers. Nearly all 

industries have benefitted with large rebounds 

in leisure and hospitality, healthcare, 

manufacturing, and non-department 

retailers like big-box stores and on-line 

merchandising. 

To be sure, there have also been corporate 

bankruptcies in business sectors 

like J.C. Penny’s, Hertz and 24- Hour 

Fitness, and we continue to harbor major 

concerns about the survival of our local 

small business base. 

It is estimated that nationwide as 

many as 41% of businesses currently 

closed will not reopen, including 26% 

of gyms, 35% of retailers and a shocking 

53% of restaurants. Assistance and relief 

provided by federal, state, county and 

city loan and grant programs provide 

a lifeline to some, but not all. That will 

slow our recovery, especially in states 

like California that deployed a deeper 

and longer lockdown and has allowed 

only staggered reopenings followed by 

staggering reclosures. But I digress. 

That positive economic news translated 

to equally positive housing news 

in our local market. You’ll recall that 

pending sales coming into June were 

up 28% from May. What resulted was a 

33% increase in month-over-month sales 

across the region (695 / 1,036), only off 

2% from June 2019 (1,059). Considering 

that last June we were operating in a ‘normal’ 

non-lockdown, non-masked, open 

house environment, this year’s volume is 

a strong indicator of the resiliency of the 

market. Some cities posted 40% - 50% 

gains like Temecula (127 / 203), and 

Murrieta (125 / 204), but even Canyon 

Lake, normally selling +/-15 homes a 

month, put up 42 sales in June, including 

eight in excess of $1,000,000! Temecula 

posted nine $1 mil+ sales as well, and 

Murrieta had three. With pending sales 

up another 10% coming into July. There 

is no reason to assume June was a oneoff 

anomaly. 

Obviously given the slow start to the 

year, 2020 will not be a record-breaking 

year as we had hoped back in January/ 

February. Through the first half of the 

year, year-to-date sales are running 

some 7% below last year’s pace (5,280 

/ 4,851) and 19% behind 2017’s record 

level (5,986). Politics and science will 

determine how well we do the rest of 

the year, but with interest rates breaching 

new lows, the incentive for buyers to act 

now is strong. 

Median prices continued their apparently 

inexorable climb remaining 

some 6% ahead year-to-date ($379,744 

/ $405,244) in spite of a month-overmonth 

break even. First half prices are up 

51% over the decade ($197,894). That’s a 

steady appreciation averaging 5% a year, 

the longest run-up in our local market 

and a sustainable rate going forward, 

eschewing the 30+% annual increases of 

much of the last decade. 

Of grave concern (again discounting 

politics and science), is the status 

of our inventory. Homes on the market 

declined another 23% in June (1,193 / 

918) and dropped 62% from last year’s 

more robust 2,431. That translates to 

an inventory of less than 1 month! 

That hearkens back to late 2012 and 

2013 when inventory last dipped below 

1,000 units before starting a slow 

climb. This, more than anything, will 

constrain future sales because you 

can’t sell what you don’t have. 

Meanwhile, stay safe, stay healthy, 

and don’t sing in church. 

Gene Wunderlich is Vice President, 

Government Affairs for Southwest Riverside 

County Association of Realtors. 

If you have questions on the market, 

please contact me at GAD@srcar.org. 

“ 

To be sure, there have also been corporate bankruptcies in business 

sectors like J.C. Penny’s, Hertz and 24- Hour Fitness, and we continue 

to harbor major concerns about the survival of our local small 

business base. It is estimated that nationwide as many as 41% of 

businesses currently closed will not reopen, including 26% of gyms, 

35% of retailers and a shocking 53% of restaurants.


TECHNOLOGY 

by 

by 

James 

Steve 

Laszko 

Fillingim 



NIST – 

Identifying What You Need to Protect 

In my previous article NIST – 

Achieving Alignment in Cybersecurity 

we discussed how the National Institute 

of Standards and Technology (NIST) created 

the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 

to give businesses foundational structure 

and common language to address their 

own individual security needs. 

We established that some form of cybersecurity 

posture is necessary to simply 

do business in today’s environment. As 

larger businesses invest heavily in cybersecurity, 

bad guys are turning their focus 

to small business as they are perceived as 

easier targets. 

The NIST CSF is comprised of five 

critical functions or best practices that are 

also referred to as the Framework Core. 

The Core is comprised of – Identify, 

Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover. 

In this article we will be discussing the 

foundational function of Identify. 

The foundation of any good plan 

starts with identifying what needs to be 

protected and it’s important to note here 

that the bad guys are not always out for 

money or data. Cyberattacks have been 

launched for the purpose of revenge 

(think of a disgruntled former employee), 

simply for the fun of it, to gain access 

to your business partners or to launch 

attacks originated from your systems. 

Any system, people, asset, data or 

capability in your infrastructure must 

“ 

be identified in this step. The Identify 

function is broken up into the following 

five categories: 

Asset Management – what stuff do you 

have – equipment, databases, resources, 

people, systems, etc.? 

Business Environment – what’s your 

mission, objectives, stakeholders, business 

activities? 

Governance – what are your policies, 

procedures, processes regarding regulatory 

responsibilities or requirements? 

Risk Assessment – what is the risk to 

your mission, function, image or reputation 

if you are breached? 

Risk Management Strategy – what are 

your priorities, constraints, risk tolerances? 

By completing this foundational 

Identify step you will gain an understanding 

of your resources and the risk 

associated with them. 

With this information in hand you are 

now able to determine a course of action 

to protect what you’ve Identified. It’s 

not possible for your business to ever be 

completely secure, but there are cost and 

time effective ways to balance security 

and risk tolerance with the unique needs 

of your business. 

Now that your risks have been identified 

you’re ready to determine how you 

will Protect, which we’ll discuss in my 

next article. 

Mythos Technology is an IT consulting 

and management firm that provides 

Managed Technology Services including 

hosted cloud and compliance solutions. 

For more information, please visit www. 

mythostech.com or call (951) 813-2672. 

With this information in hand you are now able 

to determine a course of action to protect what 

you’ve Identified. It’s not possible for your 

business to ever be completely secure, but 

there are cost and time effective ways to 

balance security and risk tolerance with the 

unique needs of your business. 

Boys & Girls Club of Southwest County 

Launches their Summer 2020 Recovery 

Fundraising Campaign 

21 

The Boys & Girls Club of Southwest 

County announced today their Summer 

2020 Recovery fundraising campaign 

aimed at supporting COVID-19 recovery 

efforts in order to continue serving the 

youth of Temecula, Murrieta, and Lake 

Elsinore. In times of tragedy and crisis, 

the Boys & Girls Club has stepped up to 

provide a safe place for kids and teens 

as parents go back to work. Today, the 

organization is committed more than ever 

to ensure Club staff, members, families, 

and communities have the resources and 

support they need to navigate these uncertain 

times. 

“Ensuring our Clubs are safe and 

healthy places for our youth members and 

staff is our top priority,” said Shelly Anguiano 

Figueroa, President & CEO of the 

Boys & Girls Club of Southwest County. 

“Our Board of Directors is committed to 

re-opening our Clubhouses under CDC 

guidelines to youth of working families; 

we want to be a part of the solution during 

these unprecedented times.” 

The goal for the Summer 2020 Recovery 

fundraising campaign is to raise 

$100,000. CarMax Murrieta “kicked-off” 

this fundraising campaign with a generous 

$10,000 gift. “During these unprecedented 

times, it is more important than ever 

before to support the communities we 

live and work in,” said Christian Petersen, 

Location General Manager, CarMax 

Murrieta. “We understand the impact 

COVID-19 is having and we are happy 

to help support the Boys & Girls Club 

of Southwest County in their recovery 

efforts.” Funds raised through this campaign 

will be used to provide scholarships 

to families in need, Summer Day Camp 

programming, purchase additional personal 

protective equipment, and help stem the 

loss seen by the organization because of 

cancelled annual fundraising events due 

to the pandemic. 

To donate and to learn more about 

Boys & Girls Club of Southwest County, 

visit www.bgcswc.org. 

About Boys & Girls Club of Southwest 

County 

Since 1990, the Boys & Girls Club 

of Southwest County has provided a 

safe place and quality programs during 

out-of-school time for youth ages 6-18 in 

Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and 

surrounding communities. The mission 

of the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest 

County is to inspire, enable, and support 

all youth to realize their full potential as 

successful, responsible, and impactful 

members of the community. For more 

information about the Boys & Girls Club 

of Southwest County please visit www. 

bgcswc.org.







23




BUDGET UPDATE 


Questions remained about how to 

maintain California’s fiscal solvency 

without the proposed deep cuts to 

education, public safety and safety net 

programs that were on the chopping 

block. Fortunately, an agreement was 

reached avoiding many of these cuts, 

at least for now. 

I am concerned about some of 

the budget’s priorities. For example, 

funds are included for high-speed rail 

and for AB 5 enforcement, which will 

slow recovery by limiting employment 

options. I am pleased that provider rate 

increases for those serving Californians 

with Intellectual and Developmental 

Disabilities, omitted from last year’s 

budget, will be provided this year. 

The budget provides funding for Early 

Childhood and K-12 Education along 

with the After School Education and 

Safety Program, $350 million in new 

state spending for homeless programs 

impacted by the pandemic is included, 

and California’s COVID-19 response 

will be enhanced, including support 

for food banks. 

To protect employers, payroll tax 

increases on businesses forced to lay off 

workers will be minimized for at least 

one year. And counties will receive up 

to $1 billion to backfill public health 

and social service costs that skyrocketed 

during the pandemic. 

While this budget has many positives, 

we can do better. We must 

prioritize essential services, especially 

during the current emergency. We 

must increase efficiencies in all state 

agencies, so that California can better 

withstand future economic downturns. 

Most of all, since state programs and 

services are financed by revenues generated 

by a thriving economy, we must 

protect jobs. 

Assembly Republican Leader Marie 

Waldron, R-Escondido, represents the 

75th Assembly District in the California 

Legislature, which includes the communities 

of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, 

Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar 

Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, 

San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center 

and Vista. 

Temecula Rod Run Cruise Night Only 

Announced for August 28th 

The City of Temecula will host a 

modified Temecula Rod Run Cruise 

Night only for preregistered participants 

on Friday, August 28th beginning at 6:00 

pm. In accordance with the guidelines 

issued by the Riverside University Health 

Systems, 

Public Health and the State of California, 

the City of Temecula’s Community 

Services Department has cancelled the 

traditional Saturday Show and Shine Car 

Show, but will continue with the 

Friday Night Cruise. 

A new Cruise route has been relocated 

within Temecula’s city limits and expanded 

beyond Old Town for proper physical 

distancing and safe public health protocols 

for all participants and spectators. 

All participants must follow normal 

traffic laws, as there will be no formal 

road closures. For more information, 

please visit TemeculaCA.gov/Rod Run. 

At the conclusion of the event, participants 

and spectators are encouraged 

to cruise on over to the wide-variety of 

local restaurants for an enjoyable dining 

experience outdoors. 

Thank you for joining us in our 

#ShopYourBlock efforts which ultimately 

support Temecula’s merchants. 

For more information, please follow 

@TemeculaParksAndRec on social media, 

or visit TemeculaCA.gov regularly 

for new updates and to experience the 

Rod Run Online Gallery.




YOUR LOCAL CHAMBERS 

25 

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




JAMIE SCHRAMM PRESIDENT ROTARY LAKE ELSINORE 


“This is a huge honor to lead the club. 

My job is not just preparing meeting 

agendas and making decisions for the 

club. Our club is one of the most active 

and well-recognized clubs throughout the 

world-wide Rotary network. Vocational 

and local school support is one of our 

main focuses. 

We mentor high school students with 

Interact Clubs, send seventh graders 

and high school juniors to leadership 

camps called PRYDE and RYLA, we 

assist in sponsoring high school athletes 

physicals, we honor three teachers every 

month at our am meetings, and we provide 

vocational job shadow programs. 

Our members are very passionate 

about providing and enhancing youth 

programs and services in the community.” 

During Jamie’s year as President, 

he would like to continue the focus on 

the youth programs, as well as focus on 

senior needs within the community. 

Jamie became a Rotarian in 2017, 

while a business owner in the City of 

Lake Elsinore. Jamie is on the Board 

of Directors of Julie Lee Performing 

Arts Academy School, serves as an 

Ambassador for the Chamber of Lake 

Elsinore and helps with many charitable 

organizations in the area. Additionally, 

Jamie is the founder of Care Musical and 

Art Exchange, Inc., a 501C3, and helps 

to fund music and fine arts programs for 

children from the ages of 8-18. As an accomplished 

musician, Jamie is very passionate 

about this cause and takes great 

pride in his work within the program. 

In addition to the local programs 

and services, the Rotary Club of Lake 

Elsinore sponsors international programs 

in Mexico, including medical clinics that 

provide surgery for cleft palates, a vision 

clinic, and an orphanage. 

The Rotary Club of Lake Elsinore meets 

virtually on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday 

of each month.




27 

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