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VOLUME 31, NUMBER 12 DECEMBER <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> GIFT IDEAS<br />
FOR BUSINESS AND HOME<br />
By Ted Saul<br />
SEE PAGE 25<br />
TEMECULA VALLEY HOSPITAL<br />
STAFF RECEIVES JIMMY<br />
MOORE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR<br />
AWARD<br />
The Kiwanis Club of Temecula Valley presented the<br />
Jimmy Moore Citizen of the Year Award to the Temecula<br />
Valley Hospital staff for the outstanding services and care<br />
provided to the citizens in the Temecula Valley.<br />
SEE PAGE 23<br />
CELEBRATES THE HOLIDAY SEASON<br />
THE LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT<br />
WILL ADDRESS ISSUES<br />
AFFECTING BUSINESS<br />
SEE PAGE 3<br />
By Assemblymember Marie Waldron<br />
The Legislature will open on <strong>December</strong> 7th with the swearing in<br />
of all members and start the <strong>20</strong>21-<strong>20</strong>22 session. Though a few bills<br />
are likely to introduced, the day is largely ceremonial, and the new<br />
session will begin in earnest on January 6th.<br />
SEE PAGE 23<br />
AND...<br />
PREVENTING FALLS AT HOME<br />
DO YOU OWN AN INACTIVE<br />
BUSINESS?<br />
HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS<br />
FINANCIAL<br />
LAST MINUTE<br />
BUSINESS<br />
DEDUCTIONS FOR<br />
TAX YEAR <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
8<br />
INSURANCE<br />
PERSONAL<br />
UMBRELLA<br />
LIABILITY<br />
INSURANCE<br />
15<br />
REAL ESTATE<br />
THE DEFINITION<br />
OF INSANITY<br />
<strong>20</strong>
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
2 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Wilson Creek Winery, famous for its world class wine and<br />
hospitality offerings, shared the loss of its beloved patriarch<br />
Gerry Wilson<br />
He was 90. He died peacefully<br />
with his family at his bedside.<br />
Gerald Raymond Wilson was<br />
born on April 7, 1930, in Billings,<br />
Montana. His family later moved<br />
to North Dakota then Minneapolis,<br />
Minnesota. Gerry attended the University<br />
of Minnesota where he was the<br />
Homecoming King and the president<br />
of his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi. He<br />
was an ROTC officer and also sang in<br />
the prestigious university choir.<br />
He was happily married to Rosie<br />
Wilson for 67 years. He served in the<br />
Air Force in Korea as a Lieutenant.<br />
Gerry and Rosie had four kids whom<br />
they raised in Minnesota and then in<br />
South Pasadena, California. Gerry<br />
served as a Rotarian (L.A. #5) and<br />
on his church board. He worked in<br />
financial advising/sales in the same<br />
company for over 25 years. Every<br />
place Gerry and Rosie lived they<br />
became icons in their cities due to<br />
their warm hospitality and heart for<br />
others. Their home in South Pasadena<br />
became a gathering place as well as a<br />
refuge for anyone who needed a warm<br />
embrace, whether it was those from<br />
broken homes, exchange students, or<br />
anyone needing a good meal and a hug.<br />
When Rosie and Gerry were both almost<br />
60 years-old they adopted two more<br />
kids, Heather and Chris, who would’ve<br />
otherwise been raised in the foster system.<br />
Heather and Chris are thriving adults<br />
today with their own families. They both<br />
are deeply thankful for Gerry for literally<br />
saving their lives.<br />
Gerry founded Wilson Creek Winery<br />
with his family in <strong>20</strong>00. His motive to<br />
start the winery was to reunite his scattered<br />
family and to create a legacy that<br />
will endure through the generations. He<br />
poured his hard-earned retirement into<br />
the business so the family can come<br />
together again. Gerry’s love and graciousness<br />
towards others has been the<br />
heartbeat of the winery, even to this day.<br />
Today, his vision has become a reality<br />
and the family is united and the winery<br />
has become a place where people from<br />
all over the world can experience warm<br />
hospitality. He and Rosie lived in a manufactured<br />
home in the vineyards right<br />
next to the winery and were very present<br />
at the winery.<br />
Gerry is widely known for his kindness,<br />
compassion, love, and graciousness.<br />
He is a man who has enhanced the lives<br />
of thousands of people. His sparkling<br />
blue eyes and contagious smile warmed<br />
the hearts of those he encountered. He<br />
gave without conditions; he had a heart<br />
for the outsider or disadvantaged.<br />
Many on staff at Wilson Creek considered<br />
Gerry a kind of father figure who<br />
modeled unconditional love. Gerry left<br />
behind four generations of family who<br />
are all deeply thankful for his influence<br />
on their lives and who will proudly carry<br />
on his legacy. If greatness is measured by<br />
the amount one loves, gives, serves, and<br />
values others, Gerry was a giant of a man.<br />
The family is thankful for the overwhelming<br />
amount of support and love<br />
they have received from friends, family,<br />
staff, wine club members, church leaders,<br />
and community leaders. Each person who<br />
has emailed, called, texted, or visited<br />
has shared how much Gerry has meant<br />
to them. The common thread is that was<br />
a great man and the effect he has had on<br />
their lives is deep and profound.<br />
A Celebration of Life service at the<br />
winery will be announced shortly. For<br />
more information, please contact<br />
Wilson Creek Winery - marketing@<br />
wilsoncreekwinery.com.<br />
Wilson Creek Winery is a family-owned<br />
winery in the heart of Temecula<br />
Wine Country known for its<br />
quality wines and warm hospitality.<br />
The winery features a welcoming<br />
tasting room, full-service restaurant<br />
with expansive patio, creekside picnic<br />
area, indoor and outdoor conference<br />
and event spaces, romantic wedding<br />
venue and exclusive retreat accommodations.<br />
The Wilson family has<br />
built an extended-family community<br />
around the sharing of wine, food<br />
and hospitality, turning visitors into<br />
friends and wine lovers into ambassadors<br />
for the brand. Information about<br />
the winery, vineyards, events and how<br />
to become part of the Wilson’s extended<br />
wine community can be found<br />
online at WilsonCreekWinery.com or<br />
Facebook.com/WilsonCreekWinery.<br />
Wilson Creek Winery is located<br />
at 35960 Rancho California Rd., Temecula,<br />
CA 92591. Questions can be<br />
directed to 951.699.WINE (9463) or<br />
info@wilsoncreekwinery.com.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
3<br />
Temecula Chilled Celebrates the Holiday Season with Holiday Lights, Outdoor<br />
Dining, Shopping, and a Message of Peace<br />
Southern Californians are invited<br />
to find their peace in Temecula<br />
Valley Southern California Wine<br />
Country with open spaces, outdoor<br />
tastings, dining al fresco, and safe<br />
accommodations. Temecula Chilled<br />
features three distinct neighborhoods,<br />
Wine Country, Old Town<br />
and Pechanga Resort Casino; each<br />
celebrating their holiday traditions<br />
in a unique way.<br />
Visitors are invited to stay the<br />
night (or two) to really take in the<br />
holiday spirit. Some top things to do<br />
this holiday season are shopping Old<br />
Town Temecula among the festive<br />
lights and decor, dining al fresco,<br />
and outdoor recreation like hiking,<br />
horseback riding, golfing, and hot<br />
air ballooning. Check out Winter<br />
Must-Dos for holiday and winter<br />
inspiration. Travelers can book a<br />
holiday package to get the most out<br />
of their stay.<br />
Holiday Décor - Old Town Temecula<br />
and Temecula Valley Wine<br />
Country will compete in a local<br />
decorating contest and visitors are<br />
invited to view the beautiful lights<br />
and décor as they spread their holiday<br />
cheer.<br />
Temecula residents also compete<br />
in a community holiday lights<br />
decorating contest. A map to the<br />
decorated homes will be available<br />
online <strong>December</strong> 8.<br />
Dining - Many restaurants will<br />
serve Temecula Chilled menu items<br />
from drinks to entrees to desserts.<br />
Some of the special items are Rolled<br />
Blueberry Coconut French Toast<br />
at 1909, Dolce Inverno! cocktail<br />
at Bottega Italia, Fruitcake Flip<br />
cocktail at Apparition Room, Spiced<br />
Snowball cocktail and Frosty Winter<br />
Tart at Avensole Winery Restaurant,<br />
Blueberry Cheesecake at Baily’s Old<br />
Town, Brandy Alexander at Crush<br />
& Brew’s Thompson & Twain,<br />
Peppermint Grinch Shake at Mad<br />
Madeline’s Grill, Desert Bloom<br />
cocktail at Small Barn, Cran-Spiced<br />
Martini and Strawberry-Vanilla<br />
Bean Panna Cotta with Blueberry<br />
Compote at Vineyard Rose at South<br />
Coast Winery Resort & Spa, Twist<br />
on a Shrimp Cocktail and Blackberry<br />
Bramble at Cork|Fire Kitch<br />
at Temecula Creek Inn, Jack Frost<br />
Unicorn Milk at Toast, and Pistachio<br />
Egg Nog Sundae at Creekside Grille<br />
at Wilson Creek Winery. Find all the<br />
Chilled drinks, eats, and treats at<br />
TemeculaChilled.com.<br />
In addition to Chilled menu<br />
items, several attractions will host<br />
holiday events. Europa Village will<br />
be a European winter wonderland<br />
with shimmering lights and garland<br />
hung. They will play The Grinch<br />
Special stay packages are available for a<br />
Southern California holiday escape<br />
Some top things to do this<br />
holiday season are shopping Old<br />
Town Temecula among the festive<br />
lights and decor, dining al fresco,<br />
and outdoor recreation like hiking,<br />
horseback riding, golfing, and hot<br />
under the stars, display a handmade gingerbread<br />
village, and a marketplace will<br />
be available for holiday shopping. Christmas<br />
Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners from<br />
Chefs Hany Ali and Luis Sandoval will be<br />
available at Bolero Restaurante.<br />
Temecula Valley Wine Country -<br />
Wilson Creek Winery is doing a Winter<br />
Wonderland for the holidays. The property<br />
will be decorated and they will be open<br />
until 8:00 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and<br />
Saturdays. They will be serving holiday<br />
items on their menu with hot wassail and<br />
hot chocolate served at the Courtyard Bar<br />
and Grille.<br />
Jingle Bell Sleigh Rides will usher<br />
guests through more than 100,000 twinkling<br />
lights and holiday décor. Bundle up<br />
for a 25-minute private horse-drawn sleigh<br />
ride in Temecula Valley Wine Country<br />
with Temecula Carriage Company.<br />
Horse drawn carriage rides transport<br />
families to Santa’s Wine Country Workshop<br />
for a socially distanced visit with<br />
Santa in his gingerbread house. Reservations<br />
are required.<br />
Peltzer Winery’s outdoor ice rink is<br />
open through January 10. Reservations<br />
are required to ensure social distancing.<br />
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day<br />
dinners will be available for outdoor<br />
dining at The Vineyard Rose at South<br />
Coast Winery Resort & Spa. Special menu<br />
options will be available.<br />
Old Town Temecula - “Find Your<br />
Peace” is a Visit Temecula Valley theme<br />
air ballooning.<br />
this winter as the region invites its neighbors<br />
to take in the outdoor spaces and<br />
spread out under the open skies. Themed<br />
8-foot wide by 10-foot high murals painted<br />
by local artists and enlarged to hang<br />
from buildings in Old Town Temecula<br />
will be on display through the month of<br />
<strong>December</strong> to help inspire peace and visitors<br />
can use them as photo opportunity<br />
backdrops.<br />
Old Town Temecula’s annual Grape<br />
Drop will be virtual this year. Viewing will<br />
be on Facebook @TemeculaParkandRec.<br />
There will be a concert at 7:00 p.m. and<br />
9:15 p.m with the Grape Drop at 9:00 p.m.<br />
and midnight.<br />
Vail Headquarters - Temecula<br />
Chilled at the historic Vail Headquarters<br />
will be celebrated on <strong>December</strong> 12 from<br />
2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be photo<br />
ops, holiday décor, an outdoor movie<br />
showing, and an outdoor marketplace.<br />
Pechanga Resort Casino - For those<br />
staying at a vacation rental or hotel and<br />
don’t want to dine out, bring the feast to<br />
you from Pechanga. They are offering a<br />
bone-in prime rib Christmas dinner for<br />
curbside pick up. The last day to order<br />
is <strong>December</strong> 17. Hotel rooms are not<br />
currently offered, however the pubic is<br />
invited to see the beautiful holiday decorations,<br />
dine at one of their many restaurants,<br />
and play for a chance to win some holiday<br />
spending cash.<br />
Holiday Stay Packages - Nutcracker<br />
Suite package includes an overnight stay in<br />
an intricately decorated themed room<br />
a the Inn at Europa decked out with<br />
nutcracker holiday décor, delicious<br />
breakfast at Bolero Restaurante ,<br />
cookie turndown service and two tickets<br />
to The Ballet Studio’s performance<br />
of The Nutcracker at Europa Village<br />
starting at $307 based on double occupancy.<br />
The Sugar Plum Suite package<br />
includes an overnight stay at Inn at<br />
Europa Village with all the sweet<br />
holiday trimming décor, breakfast<br />
at Bolero Restaurante, cookie turndown<br />
service, and two tickets to The<br />
Nutcracker live performance starting<br />
at $307 based on double occupancy.<br />
Wine, Dine & Toast to <strong>20</strong>21 at<br />
South Coast Winery Resort & Spa<br />
or Carter Estate Winery Resort. This<br />
sparkling package offers two-night<br />
accommodations in a South Coast<br />
Winery Village or Carter Estate Bungalow.<br />
It includes the fine dining gustatory<br />
salute to the past New Year’s<br />
Eve Dinner at The Vineyard Rose<br />
Restaurant for two guests, as well as<br />
a welcome a bottle of sparkling wine,<br />
still wine, and New Year’s Eve party<br />
favors. Rate is $880, based on double<br />
occupancy, at South Coast Winery<br />
Resort & Spa; Rate is $950, based on<br />
double occupancy and includes daily<br />
continental breakfast, at Carter Estate<br />
Winery and Resort.<br />
Visit Temecula Valley asks travelers<br />
to visit responsibly, face masks<br />
and social distancing are required at<br />
some locations and strongly recommended<br />
when not eating or drinking.<br />
Plan your Temecula Chilled stay at<br />
VisitTemeculaValley.com.<br />
ABOUT TEMECULA VAL-<br />
LEY AND VISIT TEMECULA<br />
VALLEY<br />
Temecula Valley is open and<br />
welcomes local visitors. The businesses<br />
have strict cleaning protocols<br />
to ensure everyone’s safety and<br />
comfort because they consider the<br />
health of their employees and guests<br />
top priority. They have met and often<br />
succeeded county and state requirements.<br />
Face masks are strongly recommended<br />
when visiting and please<br />
be kind to the workers, they are doing<br />
everything they can to make the experience<br />
an enjoyable one.<br />
Temecula Valley is a popular<br />
Southern California destination that<br />
includes Temecula Valley Wine<br />
Country, Old Town Temecula, and<br />
Pechanga Resort Casino. In <strong>20</strong>19,<br />
Wine Enthusiast named it a 10 Best<br />
Wine Travel Destination.<br />
Visit Temecula Valley is the<br />
region’s official tourism marketing<br />
organization and resource for visitors.<br />
For visitor information and assistance,<br />
please call (888) 363-2852 or<br />
go to VisitTemeculaValley.com.
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
4 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
In this issue:<br />
<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> Gift Ideas for Business and Home 1<br />
Temecula Valley Hospital Staff Receives Award 1<br />
Temecula Chilled Celebrates the Holiday Season 1<br />
The Legislative Summit Will Address Issues Affecting Businesses 1<br />
Wilson Creek Winery Shares the Loss of Gerry Wilson 2<br />
Addiction and Mental Illness is a Public Health Crisis 6<br />
Last Minute Business Deductions for Tax Year <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> 8<br />
Preventing Falls in the Home - Be Aware of the Risk Factors 9<br />
Estate Planning: The Perfect Gift for the Holiday Season? 10<br />
Do You Own an Inactive Business? Is it Time to Close it Before End of Year 11<br />
Hope for the Holidays 12<br />
Save Money Through the Holidays with EVMWD’s Aquahawk System 13<br />
As the Seasons Change, So Do Our Services and Program Offerings 13<br />
Personal Umbrella Liability Insurance 15<br />
Online Eye “Exams” 17<br />
Phishing – There are Always More Phish in the Sea 19<br />
The Definition of Insanity <strong>20</strong><br />
Temecula Valley Museum Announces Winning Entries 21<br />
Dear Third District Resident 21<br />
Together, Making a Difference 22
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
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THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
6 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
www.facebook/thevalleybusinessjournal<br />
For questions, comments, or story ideas, please<br />
e-mail publishertvbj@verizon.net or call (951) 461-0400.<br />
EDITOR/PUBLISHER/CEO<br />
Linda Wunderlich<br />
Email: publishertvbj@verizon.net<br />
ADVERTISING SALES INFORMATION<br />
(951) 461-0400<br />
CREATIVE DIRECTOR<br />
Helen M. Ryan<br />
VP OF DISTRIBUTION<br />
Dane Wunderlich<br />
Addiction and Mental Illness is a<br />
Public Health Crisis<br />
by Matthew Taylor<br />
Let me first introduce myself, my<br />
name Matthew Taylor proud owner of<br />
TaylorMade Counseling & Consulting.<br />
Also, I am your Addiction and Mental<br />
Health Rehabilitation Therapist. I am so<br />
excited to be a new contributor and writer<br />
for this great publication, The Valley<br />
Business Journal.<br />
Overdose is now the #1 cause of<br />
accidental death in the United States,<br />
recently surpassing car accidents. Every<br />
four minutes a parent loses a child to<br />
addiction, and the rising cost of addiction<br />
now exceeds $400 billion a year.<br />
Research shows that the stigma of<br />
addiction keeps people from getting the<br />
treatment needed and my goal is to help<br />
change that narrative. This is a fact 1 in<br />
3 families are impacted by substance use<br />
disorder but only 1 in 10 ever seek treatment,<br />
while we are looking at numbers let<br />
me share one more number with you, well<br />
a little more than one more number. It is<br />
estimated to cost businesses more than<br />
$193 million annually due to employee<br />
substance use.<br />
Not very long ago addiction was<br />
considered a moral affliction. Addicts<br />
were seen as bad people, devoted to the<br />
pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification,<br />
rather than individuals suffering from a<br />
mental and physical affliction. After years<br />
of research, we now have a more enlightened<br />
understanding of addiction with the<br />
current model revealing that addiction<br />
is a chronic, progressive disease of the<br />
brain. In fact, addiction is sometimes<br />
alternately referred to as a substance use<br />
disorder, which prompts comparisons to<br />
conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or<br />
dementia as frequently as illnesses like<br />
diabetes.<br />
In my opinion Addiction and Mental<br />
Illness are siblings just with their own<br />
different personalities. In terms of psychological<br />
symptoms, individuals who<br />
have developed addictions have a dramatically<br />
disrupted hierarchy of needs,<br />
suggested by their tendency to act against<br />
their own self-interests. This is illustrated<br />
by the habitual substance abuse behavior<br />
in spite of the numerous consequences,<br />
including a decline in overall physical<br />
health and potential legal repercussions.<br />
As such, addicts become incapable of<br />
controlling their impulses, which is also a<br />
symptom of many other mental illnesses.<br />
Ok, it was not a mistake that I<br />
launched my new company here in Wildomar,<br />
California but I have one request<br />
of you, please help to make a difference<br />
in our communities.<br />
Matthew Taylor, AODC, MHRT, CCFP<br />
STAFF WRITERS/<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Gene Wunderlich<br />
Ted Saul<br />
Craig Davis<br />
Stefani Laszko<br />
Nicole Albrecht<br />
Julie Ngo<br />
Tom Plant<br />
Esther Phahla<br />
Steve Amante<br />
Monique deGroot<br />
Andrea Shoup<br />
Gloria Wolnick<br />
Dr. Drake Levasheff, PhD<br />
Mort J. Grabel, Esq.<br />
John & Christine Hamby<br />
Brian Connors<br />
Tristin Collopy<br />
Dr. Pat Utnehmer<br />
Bonnie Woodrome<br />
Haley Munson<br />
Criteria for Submitting Articles:<br />
1. Since the publication of articles is an added public<br />
relations feature for our advertisers, their articles will be<br />
given first priority. Other articles will be published on a<br />
space available basis.<br />
2. Articles should be submitted as a Word document file.<br />
3. Articles must be business-oriented and pertain to<br />
the author’s area of expertise. A photo of the writer is<br />
appropriate.<br />
4. All submissions are subject to editing by the publisher.<br />
5. Send completed articles by e-mail to: publishertvbj@<br />
verizon.net<br />
6. Article and advertising deadlines are the 15th of each<br />
month for the next issue.<br />
The Valley Business Journal is a California Corporation. All rights<br />
reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, without the<br />
written permission of the Publisher is prohibited. The publication is<br />
published monthly. The opinions and views expressed in these pages<br />
are those of the writer or person interviewed and not necessarily those<br />
of The Valley Business Journal. The Valley Business Journal hereby<br />
expressly limits its liability resulting from any and all misprints, errors<br />
and/or inaccuracies any advertisement or editorial may contain, to<br />
the credit of the specific advertising payment and/or the running of a<br />
corrected advertisement or editorial correction notice.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
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THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
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<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Last Minute Business Deductions for Tax Year <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Here are seven powerful business tax<br />
deduction strategies that you can easily<br />
understand and implement before the<br />
end of <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>.<br />
1. Prepay Expenses Using the IRS<br />
Safe Harbor - You just have to thank the<br />
IRS for its tax-deduction safe harbors.<br />
IRS regulations contain a safe-harbor<br />
rule that allows cash-basis taxpayers to<br />
prepay and deduct qualifying expenses<br />
up to 12 months in advance without challenge,<br />
adjustment, or change by the IRS.<br />
Under this safe harbor, your <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
prepayments cannot go into <strong>20</strong>22. This<br />
makes sense, because you can prepay<br />
only 12 months of qualifying expenses<br />
under the safe-harbor rule.<br />
For a cash-basis taxpayer, qualifying<br />
expenses include lease payments<br />
on business vehicles, rent payments on<br />
offices and machinery, and business and<br />
malpractice insurance premiums.<br />
Example. You pay $3,000 a month in<br />
rent and would like a $36,000 deduction<br />
this year. So, on Thursday, <strong>December</strong> 31,<br />
<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>, you mail a rent check for $36,000<br />
to cover all of your <strong>20</strong>21 rent. Your landlord<br />
does not receive the payment in the<br />
mail until Tuesday, January 5, <strong>20</strong>21. Here<br />
are the results:<br />
• You deduct $36,000 in <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> (the year<br />
you paid the money).<br />
• The landlord reports taxable income of<br />
$36,000 in <strong>20</strong>21 (the year he received<br />
the money).<br />
You get what you want—the deduction<br />
this year.<br />
The landlord gets what he wants—<br />
next year’s entire rent in advance, eliminating<br />
any collection problems while<br />
keeping the rent taxable in the year he<br />
expects it to be taxable.<br />
Don’t surprise your landlord: if he<br />
had received the $36,000 of rent paid in<br />
advance in <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>, he would have had to<br />
pay taxes on the rent money in tax year<br />
<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>.<br />
2. Stop Billing Customers, Clients,<br />
and Patients - Here is one rock-solid,<br />
time-tested, easy strategy to reduce your<br />
taxable income for this year: stop billing<br />
your customers, clients, and patients until<br />
after <strong>December</strong> 31, <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>. (We assume<br />
here that you or your corporation is on a<br />
cash basis and operates on the calendar<br />
year.)<br />
Customers, clients, patients, and<br />
insurance companies generally don’t<br />
pay until billed. Not billing customers<br />
and patients is a time-tested tax-planning<br />
strategy that business owners have used<br />
successfully for years.<br />
Example. Jim Schafback, a dentist,<br />
usually bills his patients and the insurance<br />
companies at the end of each week;<br />
however, in <strong>December</strong>, he sends no bills.<br />
Instead, he gathers up those bills and mails<br />
them the first week of January. Presto!<br />
He just postponed paying taxes on his<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> income by moving that<br />
income to <strong>20</strong>21.<br />
3. Buy Office Equipment - With<br />
bonus depreciation now at 100 percent<br />
along with increased limits for Section<br />
179 expensing, buy your equipment or<br />
machinery and place it in service before<br />
<strong>December</strong> 31, and get a deduction for 100<br />
percent of the cost in <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>.<br />
Qualifying bonus depreciation and<br />
Section 179 purchases include new and<br />
used personal property such as machinery,<br />
equipment, computers, desks, chairs,<br />
and other furniture (and certain qualifying<br />
vehicles).<br />
4. Use Your Credit Cards-but<br />
remember to pay them off right after<br />
for good financial health. - If you are a<br />
single-member LLC or sole proprietor<br />
filing Schedule C for your business, the<br />
day you charge a purchase to your business<br />
or personal credit card is the day<br />
you deduct the expense. Therefore, as a<br />
Schedule C taxpayer, you should consider<br />
using your credit card for last-minute<br />
purchases of office supplies and other<br />
business necessities.<br />
If you operate your business as a<br />
corporation, and if the corporation has<br />
a credit card in the corporate name, the<br />
same rule applies: the date of charge is<br />
the date of deduction for the corporation.<br />
But if you operate your business as<br />
a corporation and you are the personal<br />
owner of the credit card, the corporation<br />
must reimburse you if you want the<br />
corporation to realize the tax deduction,<br />
and that happens on the date of reimbursement.<br />
Thus, submit your expense<br />
report and have your corporation make its<br />
reimbursements to you before midnight<br />
on <strong>December</strong> 31.<br />
5. Don’t Assume You Are Taking<br />
Too Many Deductions - If your business<br />
deductions exceed your business income,<br />
you have a tax loss for the year. With a<br />
few modifications to the loss, tax law<br />
calls this a “net operating loss,” or NOL.<br />
If you are just starting your business,<br />
you could very possibly have an NOL.<br />
You could have a loss year even with an<br />
ongoing, successful business.<br />
You used to be able to carry back<br />
your NOL two years and get immediate<br />
tax refunds from prior years; however,<br />
the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) eliminated<br />
this provision. Now, you can only<br />
carry your NOL forward, and it can only<br />
offset up to 80 percent of your taxable<br />
income in any one future year.<br />
What does this all mean? You should<br />
never stop documenting your deductions,<br />
and you should always claim all your<br />
rightful deductions. We have spoken with<br />
far too many business owners, especially<br />
new owners, who don’t claim all their<br />
deductions when those deductions would<br />
produce a tax loss.<br />
6. Thank COVID-19 - Let’s be<br />
real: there’s little to be grateful for with<br />
COVID-19, with one of the several exceptions<br />
being the potential opportunities<br />
to turn NOLs into cash for your business.<br />
Two NOL opportunities come from<br />
the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic<br />
Security (CARES) Act:<br />
The CARES Act allows NOLs arising<br />
in tax years beginning in <strong>20</strong>18, <strong>20</strong>19,<br />
and <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> to be carried back five years for<br />
refunds against prior taxes.<br />
The CARES Act allows application<br />
of 100 percent of the NOL to the carryback<br />
years.<br />
Before the CARES Act, you could<br />
not carry back your <strong>20</strong>18, <strong>20</strong>19, or <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
losses, and your NOL could offset only<br />
up to 80 percent of taxable income before<br />
your Section 199A deduction.<br />
7. Deal with Your Qualified Improvement<br />
Property (QIP) - In the<br />
CARES Act, Congress finally fixed the<br />
qualified improvement property (QIP)<br />
error that it made in the TCJA.<br />
QIP is any improvement made by<br />
the taxpayer to the interior portion of a<br />
building that is non-residential real property<br />
(think office buildings, retail stores,<br />
and shopping centers) if you place the<br />
improvement in service after the date you<br />
place the building in service.<br />
If you have such property on an already<br />
filed <strong>20</strong>18 or <strong>20</strong>19 return, it’s on<br />
that return as 39-year property. You now<br />
have to change it to 15-year property,<br />
eligible for both bonus depreciation and<br />
Section 179 expensing.<br />
I trust that you found the seven ideas<br />
above worthwhile. If you have any questions<br />
or would like to discuss the above in<br />
more detail, please contact our office to<br />
schedule a strategy planning appointment<br />
by calling us at 951-719-1515.<br />
Sincerely, Nicole M. Albrecht<br />
“<br />
IRS regulations<br />
contain a safe-<br />
harbor rule that allows<br />
cash-basis taxpayers<br />
to prepay and deduct<br />
qualifying expenses<br />
up to 12 months in<br />
advance without<br />
challenge, adjustment,<br />
or change by the IRS.<br />
FINANCIAL<br />
presented by<br />
Nicole M Albrecht EA
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
9<br />
Preventing Falls in the Home - Be Aware of the<br />
Risk Factors That Can Cause Seniors to Fall<br />
by John & Christine Hamby<br />
One in four older Americans falls<br />
every year. Falls are the leading cause<br />
of injuries for seniors aged 65 and<br />
older, so preventing falls can be vital<br />
to their overall health.<br />
According to the Centers for Disease<br />
Control and Prevention (CDC),<br />
one out of five falls causes a serious<br />
injury, such as broken bones, hip<br />
fractures or head injuries. And each<br />
year, at least 300,000 older people are<br />
hospitalized for hip fractures.<br />
If you have an aging parent or<br />
grandparent, helping them reduce their<br />
risk of falling can keep them safe,<br />
healthy and independent. There are<br />
ways of preventing falls in the home.<br />
First, you need to be aware of some of<br />
the risk factors that can lead to a fall,<br />
which include:<br />
Balance and gait – As we age and<br />
become less active, we can lose some<br />
coordination, flexibility, and balance,<br />
which can cause instability.<br />
Vision – As we get older, less light<br />
reaches our retina, which makes contrasting<br />
edges, tripping hazards and<br />
other obstacles more difficult to see.<br />
Medications – Some prescriptions<br />
and over-the-counter medications<br />
can cause dizziness, dehydration<br />
or drowsiness, which can all lead to<br />
a fall.<br />
Environment – Seniors who have<br />
lived in their homes for a long time<br />
may not think about simple changes<br />
they can make to their space to keep<br />
it safer as they age.<br />
Now that you know the risks, here<br />
are 4 things you can do for preventing<br />
falls so that your loved one stays safe<br />
and that you have peace of mind.<br />
Monitor their balance - Is your<br />
older loved one unsteady on their feet?<br />
See if they’re holding onto walls, furniture<br />
or someone else when walking,<br />
or if they seem to have difficulty getting<br />
up from a chair. They may need<br />
help improving their balance, strength<br />
and gait. A cane, walker or other mobility<br />
aid might be the answer. But<br />
oftentimes light exercise and regular<br />
activity can improve overall stability.<br />
Discuss their health conditions -<br />
Is your older loved one having trouble<br />
managing their own health? Make<br />
sure they are remembering to take<br />
their medications, and ask if they are<br />
experiencing side effects from that<br />
medication. Are they having difficulty<br />
doing routine daily tasks or do they<br />
have other health concerns? If certain<br />
health issues are not addressed immediately,<br />
it could lead to more serious<br />
problems down the road.<br />
Take them for an eye exam - If<br />
your parent or grandparent wears<br />
glasses, do they have a current prescription?<br />
If not, it may be time for<br />
an eye exam. Also make sure they are<br />
using the glasses as directed by their<br />
eye doctor. Remember that sometimes<br />
tint-changing lenses can be hazardous<br />
when going from bright sunlight to the<br />
indoors. And bifocals can be problematic<br />
on stairs and other level changes<br />
in the home.<br />
Modify their home<br />
There are many things you can do<br />
to make your loved one’s home safer<br />
so that they may age in place for a<br />
long time:<br />
• Pick up anything on the floor that they<br />
could trip over, including unnecessary<br />
clutter.<br />
• Consider moving anything that is<br />
plugged in to a different area of the<br />
home if the cords become a tripping<br />
hazard.<br />
• Add secure railings to both sides of<br />
stairs, inside and out.<br />
• Make sure their home has enough<br />
light by adding more or brighter light<br />
bulbs.<br />
• Add grab bars inside and outside the<br />
tub or shower, as well as next to the<br />
toilet. Also consider adding a shower<br />
chair or hand-held shower.<br />
At FirstLight, we help seniors<br />
enjoy the best quality of life for as<br />
long as possible. Contact FirstLight<br />
Home Care to learn more about our<br />
senior home care solutions that help<br />
keep your loved one safe, healthy and<br />
independent.<br />
If you’d like to learn more about our<br />
Senior Care Services give us a call at<br />
(951) 395-0821 or visit our website<br />
at www.temecula.firstlighthomecare.<br />
com.
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
10 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Estate Planning: The Perfect Gift for<br />
the Holiday Season?<br />
As families gather for the holidays,<br />
it is traditional to offer gifts and<br />
celebrate the season together. If you<br />
are trying to think of the perfect gift<br />
for your family this year, you might<br />
consider making an estate plan or taking<br />
other generous steps. When you<br />
make a simple estate plan you ensure<br />
your family’s future and well-being,<br />
and that is a gift that will keep giving<br />
for many years.<br />
Create a Trust: A Current Gift<br />
that Has a Future Benefit<br />
If you make a trust today, that is<br />
a current gift that is stewarded for the<br />
future by the trustee. The trust can<br />
name one or more beneficiaries and<br />
can contain any type of asset. If you<br />
have minor children, the trust can provide<br />
for support and name a guardian,<br />
giving everyone peace of mind.<br />
Set Up a Family Foundation to<br />
Support Charity<br />
Another step to take that your<br />
family can be a part of is a family foundation,<br />
that manages funds for your<br />
favorite charities. This is something<br />
the whole family can be a part of, by<br />
selecting charities and deciding how<br />
to make gifts.<br />
Family Discussion About Personal<br />
Effects, Valuables and<br />
Heirlooms<br />
Depending on the age of your<br />
family members, the holidays can be<br />
the perfect time to talk about unique or<br />
sentimental property, and what preferences<br />
there might be. Then when<br />
you make your estate plan, you can<br />
designate those items for each heir, or<br />
you could even give them as gifts now<br />
for the holiday.<br />
Encourage Adult Children to<br />
Make Their Own Estate Plan<br />
Another gift that you can make is<br />
to offer to help your adult children to<br />
make their own estate plan, and even<br />
to fund the cost. Sometimes younger<br />
adults don’t think about estate planning,<br />
but at a minimum they should<br />
have an advance health care directive,<br />
which is essential for unexpected illness<br />
or injury.<br />
Cash Gifts<br />
You may also want to take advantage<br />
of the annual gift tax exclusion of<br />
$15,000 per family member, which is<br />
free from any gift tax. So, instead of<br />
leaving all of your resources in your estate,<br />
you can start to distribute it while<br />
you are alive. This can also help your<br />
estate tax planning also by lowering the<br />
overall value of your estate.<br />
If you have questions about giving<br />
the gift of estate planning this holiday<br />
season, please contact the attorneys<br />
at Shoup Legal, A Professional Law<br />
Corporation, at 951-445-4114 or www.<br />
ShoupLegal.com.<br />
SHOUPLEGAL.COM<br />
LEGAL<br />
by by<br />
Andrea Steve Fillingim Shoup<br />
“<br />
If you are trying to think of the perfect<br />
gift for your family this year, you might<br />
consider making an estate plan or<br />
taking other generous steps. When<br />
you make a simple estate plan you<br />
ensure your family’s future and<br />
well-being, and that is a gift that will<br />
keep giving for many years.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
11<br />
Do You Own an Inactive Business? Is it Time<br />
to Close it Before the End of the Year?<br />
Esther Phahla,<br />
CPA, CTS, MST<br />
With the end of the year fast approaching,<br />
it’s time to dissolve any<br />
inactive business to avoid having to pay<br />
extra fees and paperwork for <strong>20</strong>21. When<br />
a business entity is no longer needed, has<br />
completed its business dealings, has completed<br />
its job in a foreign State, or even if<br />
it was never used for anything, it is very<br />
important that it follows the legal steps<br />
in “winding itself up” as a legal entity<br />
through dissolution or cancellation or if<br />
it is a foreign entity through withdrawal.<br />
All corporations, limited-liability<br />
companies, limited partnerships, limited-liability<br />
partnerships and other business<br />
entities are legal entities which can<br />
only be dissolved through formal action,<br />
not by a letter or phone call. You remain<br />
liable for all taxes, assessments, fines,<br />
penalties and interest until you receive a<br />
certificate of dissolution from the Secretary<br />
of State.<br />
Here are some of the requirements to<br />
legally dissolve a business with the IRS,<br />
State and Local authorities:<br />
1. Hold a vote to dissolve the business:<br />
If the business was operating as a<br />
corporation or limited liability company<br />
(LLC), the shareholders or members need<br />
to approve the formal dissolution of the<br />
business. The first step is to hold a meeting<br />
to vote on shutting down the business;<br />
the final vote needs to be recorded in the<br />
meeting minutes.<br />
• For corporations: Two-thirds of the<br />
voting shares need to agree to close the<br />
business. If shares were never issued,<br />
then the corporation’s board of directors<br />
need to agree.<br />
• For LLCs: Specific rules vary by state<br />
and can be found in the state’s Limited<br />
Liability Company Act. Or, if you<br />
specified a dissolution procedure in<br />
your operating agreement, you’ll need<br />
to follow that procedure.<br />
2. File Articles of Dissolution<br />
paperwork with the state: After the<br />
members, shareholders or board of directors<br />
vote to dissolve the business, the<br />
LLC or corporation will need to file the<br />
Articles of Dissolution or Certificate of<br />
Termination with the Secretary of State’s<br />
office wherever the LLC or corporation<br />
was formed.<br />
In addition, if you filed a foreign<br />
qualification to operate in another state,<br />
you’ll also need to close these foreign<br />
qualifications. To do so, you’ll need to<br />
file paperwork, such as, Certificate of<br />
Surrender of Right to Transact Intrastate<br />
Business, with that state’s secretary of<br />
state office.<br />
3. Settle all debts: Before you can<br />
distribute assets among members or<br />
shareholders and put money in your own<br />
pocket, you need to settle any outstanding<br />
business debts. If your business owes<br />
any vendors, those accounts need to be<br />
settled and paid.<br />
4. Collect accounts receivable:<br />
You should work to collect on any past<br />
due invoices before announcing you’ll<br />
be shutting down the business. It will<br />
be difficult to collect after it’s known<br />
the business will close. If necessary, an<br />
effective strategy is to offer a discount on<br />
any outstanding bills in order to collect<br />
as much as possible.<br />
5. File Final Payroll Tax Returns:<br />
If you had employees, submit the payroll<br />
tax returns after you have paid them their<br />
final wages and salaries.<br />
6. Submit Final State Sales Tax<br />
Forms: If you collected sales tax from<br />
your customers, find out what your state<br />
tax agency requirements are in order to<br />
close your tax account. Submit your final<br />
state sales tax forms with the tax that you<br />
have collected from your customers.<br />
7. File the final tax return: When<br />
a business closes, it needs to notify the<br />
IRS. For LLCs and corporations, this is<br />
typically done by checking “final return”<br />
on the final tax return. In addition, the<br />
business will need to report shareholder<br />
allocations and losses for members on<br />
Schedule K-1.<br />
8. Close all business permits and<br />
licenses: Another important step toward<br />
dissolving a business is to notify the local<br />
business authorities and cancel any business<br />
permits. If you don’t cancel these<br />
licenses, they’ll still be expected to be<br />
paid any associated fees.<br />
9. Distribute the remaining assets:<br />
After taxes, debts and final payrolls have<br />
been paid, the business distributes the<br />
remaining money and assets among the<br />
business owners. LLCs distribute money<br />
and assets to members according to everyone’s<br />
proportional ownership share.<br />
Corporations distribute money and assets<br />
to shareholders based on the number of<br />
shares owned.<br />
By following these steps, you can<br />
properly dissolve a business with the<br />
state and IRS. If you have already moved<br />
on from the business, you should close<br />
it out before the end of the year to avoid<br />
having to pay unnecessary fees in <strong>20</strong>21.<br />
Esther Phahla is a Certified Public<br />
Accountant and Certified Tax Strategist<br />
in Temecula. She is the Author of tax<br />
planning books: “ Why Didn’t My CPA<br />
Tell Me That” and “10 Most Expensive<br />
Tax Mistakes That Cost Business Owners<br />
THOUSANDS”. She also holds a Master’s<br />
of Science in Taxation. She can be<br />
reached at (951) 514-2652 or visit www.<br />
estherphahlacpa.com
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
12 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Hope for the Holidays<br />
Loma Linda University (LLU) Children’s<br />
Hospital is committed to keeping<br />
children healing, healthy and happy, no<br />
matter where they are in their healthcare<br />
journey. With 343 beds, our Children’s<br />
Hospital treats nearly 100,000 children<br />
from across Southern California each<br />
year, restoring them to health regardless<br />
of their family’s ability to pay for services.<br />
Our world-class child healthcare<br />
services help kids of all ages live their<br />
best life.<br />
LLU Children’s Hospital is home<br />
to the 84-bed Neonatal Intensive Care<br />
Unit, one of the largest in the country,<br />
providing delicate, specialized care to<br />
the tiniest of patients. Loma Linda University<br />
Children’s Health is the pioneer<br />
of infant heart transplantation which was<br />
first performed here in 1984. A major<br />
teaching facility in Southern California,<br />
LLU Children’s Health is dedicated to<br />
teaching the pediatricians and pediatric<br />
specialists of the future.<br />
Named a Top Children’s Hospital<br />
in <strong>20</strong>17, <strong>20</strong>18 and <strong>20</strong>19 by the Leapfrog<br />
Group, LLU Children’s Health is<br />
committed to quality care and safety in<br />
all aspects of care that we provide. Our<br />
award-winning healthcare and ongoing<br />
commitment to quality service make us<br />
one of the top children’s hospitals in<br />
the country.<br />
LLU Children’s Hospital continues<br />
the healing ministry of Christ, focusing<br />
on the physical, mental, emotional, and<br />
spiritual needs of children and their<br />
families. We desire to be a champion for<br />
children by bringing world-class healthcare<br />
to every child under our watchful<br />
care. Through valued professionals,<br />
staff, community partners, and friends,<br />
we seek to enhance the lives of our<br />
community’s children by delivering on<br />
the promise of a healthier future today.<br />
We are here to make sure the spirits<br />
of the children we care for are joyful and<br />
their hearts are restored with innocence.<br />
From well-check visits to hospital stays,<br />
our commitment to children’s health<br />
and happiness will always remain our<br />
priority.<br />
We’ve provided lifesaving pediatric<br />
care for decades, thanks to the generosity<br />
of our philanthropic supporters. By<br />
giving to our LLU Children’s Hospital<br />
Foundation, our donors help us continue<br />
to provide outstanding, whole-child care<br />
at LLU Children’s Hospital. With their<br />
ongoing support, we can sustain our<br />
vision of being a champion for children<br />
under our watchful care.<br />
Pediatric cancer and other childhood<br />
diseases don’t take a break during the<br />
holidays. This <strong>December</strong>, thousands of<br />
children will come through the doors<br />
of LLU Children’s Hospital. You can<br />
make a difference during the holiday<br />
season and all year long for these special<br />
patients.<br />
Please help us provide hope for families<br />
during the holidays, a time of year<br />
that should be the most wonderful. Your<br />
gift will help thousands of children as<br />
they fight against illnesses, traumas and<br />
other healthcare needs, and bring them<br />
and their families Hope for the Holidays.<br />
Visit giving.lluh.org/Holiday<br />
LLUCH.<br />
Please help us provide hope for families<br />
during the holidays, a time of year that should<br />
be the most wonderful.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
13<br />
Save Money through the Holidays with<br />
EVMWD’s Aquahawk System<br />
Money can be tight around the holidays<br />
and every bit of savings counts!<br />
EVMWD is here to help you make the<br />
most of this holiday season. In addition<br />
to providing financial assistance and<br />
payment plans, EVMWD provides<br />
resources to help customers reduce<br />
water waste and save money on their<br />
bill. EVMWD’s free Aquahawk system<br />
enables ratepayers to monitor water<br />
use, set alerts, and more with just a<br />
few clicks.<br />
By providing alerts when excessive<br />
or unusual usage occurs, Aquahawk<br />
helps individuals and families discover<br />
leaks and identify when hoses or faucets<br />
are accidentally left on. With this<br />
resource, you no longer have to worry<br />
about coming home from vacation to<br />
find a flooded yard and expensive water<br />
bill! Utilizing the Aquahawk system has<br />
made a significant difference for many<br />
ratepayers.<br />
The Hallahans—two EVMWD<br />
customers—recently experienced the<br />
importance of water alerts firsthand.<br />
EVMWD’s Aquahawk system flagged<br />
excessive use at their home, showing<br />
that water had been running constantly<br />
and had dispensed more than 460 gallons<br />
over a 24-hour period. Upon receiving<br />
this alert, EVMWD staff visited<br />
the Hallahans to assist in identifying the<br />
source of the problem: a hose that had<br />
simply been left on in the backyard.<br />
“I am so grateful that EVMWD<br />
contacted us,” said Sandy, the Hallahans’<br />
daughter. “After learning more<br />
about EVMWD’s Aquahawk system, I<br />
plan to use it for my parents’ home and<br />
the other homes I manage in this area.<br />
It is a great tool!”<br />
Because of Aquahawk, the Hallahans<br />
were protected from further<br />
flooding, water waste, and expense.<br />
Next time a hose is left on, the system<br />
will notify them and help them to avoid<br />
water waste.<br />
The Aquahawk system is simple to<br />
set up on your smart phone or via email<br />
and you can receive alerts as soon as<br />
an issue arises. EVMWD encourages<br />
all customers to take advantage of this<br />
resource.<br />
Log on to www.onlinebiller.com/evmwd/<br />
to sign up for Aquahawk and save<br />
money through the holidays!<br />
As the Seasons Change, so do our<br />
Services and Program Offerings<br />
Michelle’s place is heading into this<br />
holiday season with some major GOALS<br />
on how we plan to help families impacted<br />
by cancer.<br />
November: Provided 302 Thanksgiving<br />
Meals to families<br />
<strong>December</strong>: Provide 155 Children<br />
Santa Sacks filled with toys & goodies<br />
This is almost twice the amount we<br />
gave last year! We are blessed with some<br />
amazing angels that help us do this. People<br />
just like you and me who want to help<br />
make someone’s holiday a little brighter.<br />
It’s really our favorite time of year!<br />
We love to see our clients and we love<br />
giving them something special during a<br />
particularly tough time (and then there’s<br />
COVID...) You can help too... see below<br />
for more information on how.<br />
My friend Jami McNees is at it<br />
again... I want to share with you another<br />
wonderful book she created. Jami made<br />
this book in honor of caregivers of cancer<br />
patients and composed a book full<br />
of meaningful quotes and sayings by<br />
caregivers themselves. We all know that<br />
without those who love and care for us,<br />
we would not make it through the most<br />
difficult times. This makes for the perfect<br />
gift for your loved ones. And all proceeds<br />
benefit Michelle’s Place.<br />
I know this is a tough time for many.<br />
This year has presented challenges only<br />
nightmares are made of. But today I<br />
choose to think of all that I am thankful<br />
for. I am thankful for this amazing team I<br />
have the pleasure to work with each day.<br />
These ladies can ‘pivot’ like no other!<br />
The passion, diligence, strength and<br />
sense of humor that I have seen in the last<br />
year from this team is nothing less than<br />
phenomenal. I am so proud of them. I am<br />
thankful that I have my health, a home, a<br />
loving husband, my mom, my kids and<br />
their boyfriends, my family and good<br />
friends that keep me laughing through<br />
it all. I am thankful for all of you. For<br />
our clients, you inspire me daily to work<br />
harder and do more. To those that read<br />
my newsletters, send messages to say hi,<br />
volunteer our time and those who donate<br />
because ‘you know we need it.” Thank<br />
you. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.<br />
It may look a little different this<br />
year, but whatever your Thanksgiving<br />
looks like, I wish you health, happiness,<br />
good food and maybe a zoom call with<br />
family! Hugs to each of you!<br />
Holiday Sponsorships Available!<br />
Would you or your business like to help<br />
us make the holidays extra special this<br />
year? Click on the sponsorship opportunities<br />
below to read more...<br />
You can feed a family of four for just<br />
$60! Thanksgiving Sponsorship - Christmas<br />
Sponsorship<br />
To purchase a sponsorship, you can<br />
contact Jennifer at Jennifer@michellesplace.org<br />
or (951) 239-4734.
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
14 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
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<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
15<br />
Personal Umbrella Liability Insurance<br />
Life is unpredictable, and as much<br />
as you plan, there’s always something<br />
around the bend that never crossed<br />
your worried mind.<br />
If the unexpected occurs, do you<br />
have enough liability limits to protect<br />
your and your family’s assets the way<br />
you want?<br />
If you were found liable for an<br />
accident, would your current liability<br />
limits cover the judgment against you,<br />
or could your assets be at risk?<br />
With a Personal Umbrella policy,<br />
you’ll have additional liability limits<br />
over and above those provided by<br />
your underlying policies. Your assets,<br />
as well as your future earnings, are<br />
covered.<br />
Umbrella Insurance Explained<br />
To get a better sense of what<br />
Umbrella insurance is and how it<br />
would work, it helps to think about<br />
it in action.<br />
Say you’re held liable for causing<br />
a car accident with multiple vehicles,<br />
and the cost to cover the damages and<br />
injuries is $650,000. However, the<br />
liability limits on your Auto policy<br />
are only $500,000.<br />
In this case, your insurance would<br />
pay only $500,000 for the entire accident,<br />
and you would be responsible<br />
for the remaining $150,000 out of<br />
your own pocket!<br />
With a Personal Umbrella policy,<br />
however, you could extend your<br />
liability limits beyond the maximum<br />
provided by your underlying policies.<br />
In this case, an Umbrella policy would<br />
provide liability limits above the<br />
$500,000 limit of your Auto policy,<br />
up to the limit you choose for your<br />
Umbrella policy (typically anywhere<br />
“<br />
INSURANCE<br />
by by<br />
Craig Steve Davis Fillingim<br />
If the unexpected occurs, do<br />
you have enough liability limits to<br />
protect your and your family’s<br />
assets the way you want?<br />
If you were found liable for an<br />
accident, would your current<br />
liability limits cover the judgment<br />
against you, or could your assets<br />
be at risk?<br />
from $1 million up to $5 million<br />
in coverage). In other words, you<br />
wouldn’t be left paying the remaining<br />
$150,000.<br />
Other Benefits<br />
Besides providing increased<br />
liability limits, a Personal Umbrella<br />
policy can fill gaps in your coverage<br />
with added benefits, such as:<br />
• Coverage for claims that may not be<br />
covered by your underlying Homeowners,<br />
Auto, or Watercraft liability<br />
policies, such as libel, slander, or<br />
defamation of character.<br />
• Coverage anywhere in the world.<br />
• Coverage for defense costs and attorney<br />
fees associated with claims<br />
against you that are covered by your<br />
Personal Umbrella policy, but not<br />
by your primary policies.<br />
Talk to your local insurance<br />
professional about adding a Personal<br />
Umbrella policy to your insurance<br />
portfolio.<br />
Craig Davis is an agent for Farmers<br />
Insurance and the owner of Craig Davis<br />
Family Insurance located at 27645<br />
Jefferson, Suite 113, in Temecula. He<br />
may be reached at (951) 699-1776.<br />
cdavis@farmersagent.com<br />
Hired someone new?<br />
Launched a new product?<br />
Won an award?<br />
Invented something?<br />
Re-opened?<br />
Have a new service?<br />
Share your news with us!<br />
The Valley Business Journal<br />
publishertvbj@verizon.net
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
16 <strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Online Eye “Exams”<br />
by Pat Utnehmer<br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
17<br />
The convenience of online shopping<br />
is a big-time saver for many people this<br />
time of year. Online technology has literally<br />
changed the world and how people<br />
do business. Why not get an eye exam online?<br />
What is an online eye “exam”? Are<br />
you really obtaining an “exam” online?<br />
A refraction determines the lens<br />
power you need to compensate for<br />
any refractive error (nearsightedness,<br />
farsightedness or astigmatism), as well<br />
as the curvature of the eye to prescribe<br />
glasses or contact lenses. Online eye<br />
tests attempt to replace one element of<br />
an eye examination, the refraction, in<br />
order to yield a prescription for glasses<br />
or contacts. It is not unlike taking a blood<br />
pressure reading at a kiosk and expecting<br />
a prescription; the reading does not provide<br />
sufficient information to determine<br />
a patient’s needed course of therapy.<br />
The refraction performed by online eye<br />
tests is only one of many tests performed<br />
during an eye examination, and taken<br />
by itself, does not provide sufficient<br />
information regarding the treatment of<br />
a patient, including the prescription of<br />
glasses or contact lenses.<br />
Are online eye tests accurate? - Online<br />
vision tests often give inaccurate or<br />
misleading information, and can misinform<br />
consumers that can delay essential,<br />
sight-saving treatment. Comprehensive<br />
eye exams with your doctor of optometry<br />
are one of the most important, preventive<br />
ways to preserve vision, and the only way<br />
to accurately assess eye health, diagnose<br />
an eye disorder or disease, and determine<br />
the need for corrective lenses.<br />
Why should you have a comprehensive<br />
eye examination by a doctor<br />
of optometry? Personalized comprehensive<br />
eye examinations by a doctor of<br />
optometry are an important part of general<br />
preventive health care. In addition,<br />
changes in refractive status can be an<br />
underlying symptom of a number of eye<br />
or systemic conditions. Systemic diseases<br />
can also be detected through comprehensive<br />
eye exams. In fact, 240,000 cases<br />
of diabetes were first detected by an eye<br />
doctor in <strong>20</strong>14.<br />
What tests are performed during<br />
an in-person comprehensive eye<br />
exam? - If serious conditions are left<br />
undiagnosed for long periods of time and<br />
a patient skips office visits with an eye<br />
care professional, the chance for identifying<br />
an effective treatment lessens and<br />
could lead to irreversible vision loss or<br />
worsening of a systemic disease. That<br />
is why a comprehensive adult eye and<br />
vision examination may include, but is<br />
not limited to, the following tests:<br />
Patient and family health history,<br />
visual acuity measurement, preliminary<br />
tests, refractive status, eye health examination<br />
and dilation and additional tests<br />
as needed that may include digital retinal<br />
imaging tests, ultrasounds of the eye<br />
and automated visual field technology<br />
may also be used to detect and diagnose<br />
serious eye and health problems. Click<br />
here for more information about comprehensive<br />
eye exams.<br />
Does the American Optometric<br />
Association (AOA) recommend the use<br />
of online vision testing apps? - Medical<br />
technology can be a powerful tool when<br />
used properly by a licensed professional.<br />
The AOA and doctors of optometry are<br />
supportive of technology that helps patients,<br />
but there stands a growing concern<br />
over the claims that a vision screening<br />
conducted through an app can replace<br />
an in-person, comprehensive eye exam.<br />
Eye exams uncover vision issues as well<br />
as a multitude of health problems like<br />
diabetes. Telemedicine cannot be held to<br />
the same standards as an in-person visit.<br />
“The AOA’s primary concern is that<br />
patient health and safety is at risk due to<br />
lack of understanding as to what services<br />
an online vision test company actually<br />
offers and can deliver to consumers,” said<br />
Steven A. Loomis, O.D., AOA past president.<br />
“When a patient comes in to the<br />
office for an examination we do so much<br />
more than just update a prescription for<br />
glasses or contacts. Our tests are specialized<br />
for the needs of each individual<br />
and allow us to check the overall health<br />
of our patients. By analyzing images of<br />
the back of the eye, for example, we can<br />
see how a patient’s blood vessels are<br />
functioning which can signify serious<br />
conditions like hypertension that often<br />
go undetected. The eyes are the window<br />
to your well-being and their care cannot<br />
be left to a computer and a smart phone.”<br />
The AOA has voiced its health and<br />
safety concerns to the Food and Drug<br />
Administration (FDA) requesting legal<br />
action against an online vision test being<br />
marketed by Opternative, Inc. without the<br />
type of testing and pre-market approvals<br />
frequently required of new medical device<br />
technology. In a detailed complaint<br />
submitted to the FDA in April, the AOA<br />
challenges claims made by Opternative<br />
about its product’s capabilities, and calls<br />
for enforcement action to remove it from<br />
the market until it can be shown to meet<br />
all appropriate Federal requirements<br />
for medical devices under the Food,<br />
Drug and Cosmetic Act, including those<br />
for safety and effectiveness, as determined<br />
by Federal officials.<br />
Are online vision screening test<br />
available in all states? - Ten states<br />
including South Carolina, Alabama,<br />
Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Michigan,<br />
Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio and West<br />
Virginia have enacted critical patient<br />
protection safeguards that reinforce the<br />
benefits of in-person, comprehensive eye<br />
examinations.<br />
Patients who’ve been harmed or<br />
received erroneous prescriptions from<br />
an online vision test are urged to file a<br />
claim/report with FDA Med Watch at<br />
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch.<br />
For a real world comparison of an online<br />
“exam” (Opternative) verses the results<br />
the patient received at an in-person exam<br />
at an eye doctor’s office see this article:<br />
https://www.wzzm13.com/article/life/<br />
wellness/healthy-you/a-closer-look-atonline-eye-exams-questions-of-legality/69-<strong>20</strong>1516298<br />
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www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
18 <strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
19<br />
Phishing – There are Always<br />
More Phish in the Sea<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
by<br />
by<br />
James<br />
Steve<br />
Laszko<br />
Fillingim<br />
“Oh, an email from Microsoft?<br />
That looks important.” Once you’ve<br />
opened the email the situation looks<br />
even more dire. “My account has been<br />
compromised?!” The email presents an<br />
easy solution: Microsoft, the ever helpful<br />
and friendly company has stopped the<br />
malicious actor in their tracks, and only<br />
needs you to login to verify your account<br />
credentials. “Easy enough…” Except it<br />
isn’t, the scenario outlined above is just<br />
one example of a scam that has become<br />
commonplace—phishing.<br />
The term phishing originated in<br />
the hacker-spaces in the early days of<br />
the Internet, and comes from the idea<br />
of hackers trolling for users that would<br />
allow their accounts to be compromised,<br />
similar to the actual practice of fishing.<br />
Since those early days of compromised<br />
America Online accounts, phishing<br />
emails have become much more sophisticated.<br />
Below, we will outline six of the<br />
most dangerous types of phishing and<br />
email scams you’re likely to run into.<br />
Artifical Intelligence-based phishing<br />
apps: This is a technique generally<br />
only deployed by nation-states (think<br />
Russia, North Korea, Iran), and utilizes<br />
a sophisticated artificial intelligence to<br />
tailor phishing messages specifically to<br />
their targets. This might mean impersonating<br />
someone the target knows using<br />
knowledge of specific events or a similar<br />
writing style. By building phishing<br />
attempts into automated systems, malicious<br />
actors make it easier to pinpoint<br />
targets that can be monetized quickly.<br />
Use of imposter domains: Bad<br />
actors attempting to impersonate a site<br />
like PayPal or Chase will often craft a<br />
login page that looks very accurate to<br />
the real one, but a closer examination of<br />
the website address the page is hosted on<br />
would show that it is illegitimate. Instead<br />
of logging into chase.com you may be<br />
directed to something like chasee.com.<br />
Deepfake audio: Threat actors have<br />
begun making phone calls using voice<br />
deepfakes<br />
(a very accurate approximation of a<br />
real person using software) to impersonate<br />
corporate officers requesting things<br />
like wire transfers. Since CEOs and<br />
CFOs increasingly appear on YouTube or<br />
TED talks, audio samples can be readily<br />
gleaned from these sources to help facilitate<br />
a malicious audio doppelganger.<br />
Sextortion: This has become increasingly<br />
common—an email will be<br />
received indicating that the threat actor<br />
is in possession of photographic or video<br />
evidence of the user engaged in embarrassing<br />
activities. The email will go on to<br />
threaten to release that video to Facebook<br />
friends or the wider Internet if a ransom<br />
of some sort isn’t paid. This scam isn’t<br />
particularly sophisticated, and generally<br />
relies on website breaches that release<br />
lists of email addresses and passwords<br />
on the dark web.<br />
Impersonating supervisors: This<br />
scam is also becoming more and more<br />
common, increasing 274% in the past<br />
three years. Sometimes referred to as<br />
“spear phishing,” a threat actor will send<br />
an email to an employee purporting to<br />
be from a supervisor—for instance the<br />
email may say that it’s from the CFO<br />
and ask the controller to wire money<br />
immediately to an account for a client or<br />
vendor. Nearly two-thirds of employees<br />
say they’re most likely to open an email<br />
from their supervisor before any other,<br />
and threat actors utilize this sense of<br />
urgency to overcome suspicion of the<br />
requests being made.<br />
SSL certificates: SSL stands for<br />
Secure Socket Layer, and, in short, is the<br />
standard technology for keeping an Internet<br />
connection secure and safeguarding<br />
any sensitive data sent between two<br />
systems. For many years the majority of<br />
phishing websites were unable to obtain<br />
an SSL certificate, meaning that they<br />
were on an http:// connection instead of<br />
https://. Because of this, many users understood<br />
that websites that didn’t display<br />
the little lock icon in the browser were<br />
unsafe to visit. A lot of changes have<br />
occurred that decrease the requirements<br />
needed to obtain an SSL certificate.<br />
Many phishing websites are now procuring<br />
SSL certificates to facilitate an<br />
https:// connection.<br />
What does all this mean for you? As<br />
with many things, the best defense is a<br />
good offense, and the best offense in the<br />
case of phishing emails is education and<br />
suspicion. Microsoft will never send you<br />
an email requesting that you login to a<br />
website to validate your credentials, the<br />
same is true of your banking institution.<br />
An email from the CEO requesting $5000<br />
in Amazon gift-cards should be treated<br />
with a good deal of skepticism and<br />
require a confirmation over the phone.<br />
When in doubt, seek assistance from<br />
your IT provider or make a follow up<br />
phone call to whomever is asking you to<br />
perform a suspicious action. As attackers<br />
improve their methods for separating<br />
people and the companies they work<br />
for from their money, so to must your<br />
education on scammer tradecraft. All the<br />
firewalls, antivirus, and antispam technology<br />
in the world cannot hold a candle<br />
to someone armed with knowledge of<br />
threat actor tradecraft and a healthy dose<br />
of skepticism.<br />
Mythos Technology is an IT consulting<br />
and management firm that provides<br />
Managed Technology Services including<br />
hosted cloud solutions. For more information,<br />
please visit www.mythostech.<br />
com or call (951) 813-2672.<br />
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MAXIMUM<br />
Exposure for<br />
YOUR BRAND<br />
Contact us for advertising opportunities<br />
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(951) 461-0400
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
<strong>20</strong> www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
The Definition of Insanity<br />
REAL ESTATE<br />
by by<br />
Gene Steve Wunderlich Fillingim<br />
Let’s start with congratulations to all<br />
the recent election victors. Thanks as well<br />
to those who stepped up, gave it a run and<br />
came up short. Thanks for volunteering<br />
to be of service to our communities. A tip<br />
of the hat to all us survivors of another<br />
political season as well. There’s still a<br />
lot we don’t know about the outcome as<br />
of this writing, but it appears that while<br />
California residents justifiably and loudly<br />
complain about how the state is being<br />
run, they sent all the same lawmakers<br />
back to Sacramento, apparently expecting<br />
a different result, so…<br />
Housing continues to perform well<br />
as across our region we posted another<br />
month-over-month increase in sales, up<br />
3% (1,168 / 1,<strong>20</strong>6) and up 18% over last<br />
October (992). That not only catches us<br />
up to last year-to-date (9,380) but puts<br />
us ahead of <strong>20</strong>19 by 2% (9,543). Pretty<br />
amazing considering the cliff the market<br />
tumbled off back in March. From our<br />
low point in May (695), we’ve averaged<br />
1,145 sales every month since. Pending<br />
sales dipped 7% coming into November<br />
so we can expect some normal seasonal<br />
slowing ahead, but we should still finish<br />
well ahead of last year’s pace.<br />
Pushed by this heavy demand, shrinking<br />
inventory, and record low interest rates,<br />
median prices continue to appreciate,<br />
up 1% month-over-month ($444,500 /<br />
$446,486), but up a stellar 12% over last<br />
October ($391,433). The forecast for <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
median appreciation was pegged at around<br />
3% - 4% but year-to-date we’re running<br />
a solid 8% ahead of <strong>20</strong>19 ($385,150 /<br />
$418,429). After a slow start in January,<br />
Temecula’s median price has exceeded<br />
$500,000 every month, venturing as high<br />
as $555,000 in August. Driven by 17 sales<br />
in excess of $1,000,000, Temecula posted<br />
an average price of $621,365 last month.<br />
Not to be left too far behind, Murrieta had<br />
16 sales in excess of $1,000,000, their 2nd<br />
month above $500,000 median and an<br />
average price of $569,859. Canyon Lake,<br />
Menifee, and Lake Elsinore each posted a<br />
$1,000,000+ sale last month as well.<br />
Meanwhile our inventory of homes for<br />
sale contracted by another 4% last month,<br />
down to just 855 homes across ALL price<br />
ranges. That’s down 61% from last October<br />
when buyers had 2,<strong>20</strong>5 home to select<br />
from. We also lost another 3 days off the<br />
inventory – down to .7 of a month from<br />
.8 last month. That’s literally 3 weeks of<br />
inventory when a normal market is 6-7<br />
months. Homes are languishing on the<br />
market for just 6.2 days on average whereas<br />
last month they were sticking around for a<br />
solid week. That’s down 76% from a year<br />
ago when the average home stayed on the<br />
market for 25.4 days. Aside from being<br />
a hyper-competitive market right now,<br />
some of that reduction in days-on-market<br />
is due in part to a new practice in our MLS<br />
allowing agents to show ‘Coming Soon’<br />
listings. This gives aggressive buyers a<br />
few days’ notice of an upcoming property,<br />
providing a jump on the market resulting<br />
in quicker sales.<br />
How can you sell 1,<strong>20</strong>6 homes when<br />
you only have 855 available? Absorption!<br />
In addition to what’s on the market, we’re<br />
selling virtually every new listing that<br />
comes on the market (99%) in less than<br />
a week.<br />
The California Association of Realtors®<br />
just provided their update and<br />
forecast during what would normally<br />
have been our annual meeting and there’s<br />
some fascinating info in it. In summary,<br />
the trends we’re seeing locally are being<br />
repeated across the state with sales and<br />
prices both up to record levels. Inventory<br />
is also sagging statewide – down to 2<br />
months, and properties are only staying<br />
on the market 11 days on average. As a<br />
result, median price hit an all-time high<br />
for the state of $706,900, which negatively<br />
impacts housing affordability across the region.<br />
Yet in spite of declining affordability,<br />
the share of first-time homebuyers rose to<br />
38.4%, exceeding the long run average of<br />
37.2 for the first time since <strong>20</strong>10.<br />
Here’s some other startling, but<br />
unsurprising, factoids of the market. In<br />
<strong>20</strong>19, and estimated again in <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>, 30%<br />
of sellers were leaving the state. That’s<br />
the highest number since <strong>20</strong>05 when 31%<br />
hightailed it for greener pastures. Another<br />
36% are moving within the same county<br />
and 18% to another county. LA County<br />
lost an estimated <strong>20</strong>0K residents to the<br />
IE between <strong>20</strong>10-<strong>20</strong>18, their first choice,<br />
with another 80K moving to OC, 60K<br />
to Texas, etc. So if LA County residents<br />
are increasingly moving inland as their<br />
first choice, where are inland sellers<br />
going? Not within California, that’s for<br />
sure. First choice is Arizona (apparently<br />
taking their political habits with them),<br />
then Texas, Utah, Nevada, Georgia, and<br />
so forth.<br />
While most cities in our region boast<br />
homeownership rates of 60% - 70%,<br />
46 of California’s largest cities are now<br />
majority renter cities with Santa Monica<br />
leading at 72% renters, LA and SFO at<br />
63%, and even San Diego and Escondido<br />
at 54% and 51% respectively. Those cities<br />
have created their own problems with<br />
restrictive and pricey housing policies,<br />
but they must also govern a majority<br />
renter city differently than we do. Where<br />
there is no pride-of-ownership, quality of<br />
life, education and public safety assume<br />
different priorities – hence the return of<br />
rent control initiatives every couple of<br />
years.<br />
So, hang in there – this bumpy ride’s<br />
not quite over yet but there may a light at<br />
the end of the tunnel. Of course, it’s <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
so that may just be another train coming.<br />
Gene Wunderlich is Vice President,<br />
Government Affairs for Southwest Riverside<br />
County Association of Realtors.<br />
If you have questions on the market,<br />
please contact me at GAD@srcar.org.
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
Temecula Valley Museum Announces<br />
Winning Entries from 13th Annual Ralph<br />
Love Plein Air Competition<br />
21<br />
The Temecula Valley, with beautiful<br />
scenery and a quaint Old Town,<br />
was the perfect inspiration for artists<br />
participating in the 13th Annual Ralph<br />
Love Plein Air Competition. Local<br />
artists were invited by the City of<br />
Temecula.<br />
Community Services Department<br />
to spend one-week painting works of<br />
art inspired by local scenes. Nine participating<br />
artists submitted original art<br />
works for a chance to win a prize in the<br />
13th Annual Plein Air Competition.<br />
This competition is held annually in<br />
honor of renowned Temecula artist<br />
Ralph Love (pictured at left).<br />
The anonymous, unsigned pieces<br />
were judged at the Temecula Valley<br />
Museum by esteemed judges.<br />
Geoffrey Allen (Best of Show <strong>20</strong>19<br />
Winner)<br />
Bonnie Martland (artist and former<br />
art teacher at Temecula Unified School<br />
District)<br />
Fred Lamb (Fred Lamb Graphic<br />
Design and former art gallery owner)<br />
Tony Moromarco (artist, instructor,<br />
and owner of Bigfoot Graphics)<br />
Eric Levine (Community Services<br />
Commission Chair)<br />
Dale Borgeson (Community Services<br />
Commissioner) and special guest<br />
judge<br />
Evelyn Norris (the late Ralph Love’s<br />
daughter). Scorecards were carefully<br />
tabulated to determine the winners.<br />
Eighteen artists participated for<br />
<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>, submitting 45 stunning pieces of<br />
artwork, ranging from oil, watercolor,<br />
and mixed media.<br />
This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions,<br />
we are unable to hold the<br />
Awards Ceremony, however, the original<br />
artwork can be viewed online any<br />
time on the TemeculaValleyMuseum.<br />
org website.<br />
Dear Third District Resident<br />
by Supervisor Chuck Washington<br />
The Riverside County Third District<br />
Supervisor’s Office is working remotely<br />
to answer constituent questions about<br />
property taxes, COVID-19 restrictions<br />
and mandates, obtaining benefits and<br />
other County-related matters.<br />
Staff members are available Monday<br />
through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.<br />
Please call 951-955-1030 or send an<br />
email to d3email@rivco.org, and someone<br />
will be in touch with you promptly.<br />
You may also visit our Facebook and<br />
Instagram pages (@supervisorchuckwashington)<br />
and Twitter page (@Sup-<br />
Washington).<br />
Just as a reminder, the weekly bulletin<br />
has transitioned to a biweekly bulletin.<br />
The next one will be released Wednesday,<br />
Dec. 9.<br />
The best<br />
WAY<br />
to<br />
“<br />
Eighteen artists<br />
participated for <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>,<br />
submitting 45 stunning<br />
pieces of artwork, ranging<br />
from oil, watercolor, and<br />
mixed media.<br />
LAUNCH<br />
See how advertising in<br />
in the Valley Business Journal can help.<br />
publishertvbj@verizon.net<br />
(951) 461-0400
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
22 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
Temecula Valley Lexus Breaks Ground on<br />
Luxury Dealership<br />
A brand-new Lexus dealership<br />
is coming to the City of Temecula.<br />
Temecula Valley Lexus started grading<br />
on a 54,383 square foot state of<br />
the art dealership that will be located<br />
on 4.73 acres of land at 4<strong>20</strong>81 DLR<br />
Drive. The dealership will include<br />
rooftop parking, sales, service, parts<br />
and storage.<br />
Temecula Valley Lexus is part of<br />
the ownership family of Temecula<br />
Valley Toyota. Tom Rudnai, President<br />
of Temecula Valley Toyota says,<br />
“We are thrilled to bring Lexus to the<br />
Temecula Valley.<br />
This has been a long process, but<br />
we thank the City and community for<br />
the ongoing support. We look forward<br />
to opening our doors with a brand-new<br />
state of the art facility in the fourth<br />
quarter of <strong>20</strong>21.<br />
The City of Temecula welcomes<br />
Temecula Valley Lexus to the community.<br />
“Here in Temecula, we have<br />
such a community centric group of<br />
Auto Dealers.<br />
Temecula Valley Toyota is definitely<br />
a part of this group. They are<br />
very philanthropic in addition to being<br />
one of the City’s Top 25 Sales Tax<br />
Producers.<br />
We are ecstatic to welcome Temecula<br />
Valley Lexus to the community<br />
and proud that a local dealership is<br />
maintaining ownership.” Says Mayor<br />
Pro Tem Maryann Edwards.<br />
Construction for Temecula Valley<br />
Lexus is estimated to take 11 months<br />
to complete.<br />
Together, Making a Difference<br />
With the holidays approaching and<br />
bringing in some much-needed warmth,<br />
thankfulness and good cheer, we know<br />
nonprofits are working overtime to ensure<br />
that those they serve will experience<br />
some goodwill through this challenging<br />
time. In the “Spirit” of giving, we are<br />
taking the phrase, “it is better to give than<br />
to receive” to heart. The #JDSFamily is<br />
encompassing this feeling and participating<br />
in #GivingTuesday! The national<br />
day of generosity is an opportunity to<br />
positively impact the community and<br />
help those who may need an extra hand.<br />
#GivingTuesday occurs this year on<br />
<strong>December</strong> 1, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.<br />
It’s a day to acknowledge the<br />
power of giving, volunteerism and simple<br />
acts of kindness. Please join JDS Creative<br />
Academy on this day when communities<br />
and businesses come together to support<br />
the greater good. To support this national<br />
day of giving, start by sharing the good<br />
news of the #GivingTuesday campaign,<br />
help a loved one or neighbor, and if you<br />
are able, make a donation to your favorite<br />
supported cause. Every donation and act<br />
of kindness counts!<br />
As a nonprofit ourselves, there are<br />
several ways to help us that don’t have to<br />
involve a monetary contribution. You can<br />
share JDS Creative Academy’s worthy<br />
cause and follow JDSCA on social media<br />
then like, comment and share. Subscribe<br />
and watch JDSCA’s local news and<br />
information TV shows, Spirit Of Innovation<br />
and SOI Update. Our main show,<br />
Spirit of Innovation is an award-winning<br />
magazine-style news and information<br />
program. Spirit of Innovation is our gift<br />
to the community to be informed and<br />
empowered with local, regional need-toknow<br />
information.<br />
All of us at JDS Creative Academy<br />
are honored that Stromsoe Insurance is<br />
sharing our mission for the month of<br />
<strong>December</strong> in their featured Nonprofitof-the-Month<br />
Program. If you or your<br />
business is in need of insurance, please<br />
consider them. JDSCA is a client of<br />
Stromsoe, and we highly recommend<br />
their services. For every referral that<br />
comes their way, they will donate $<strong>20</strong><br />
to nonprofit JDS Creative Academy!<br />
Call the Stromsoe Insurance Total<br />
Protection Team at (951) 600-5751 or<br />
email insure@siaonline.com for more<br />
information.<br />
Here at JDS Creative Academy, our<br />
purpose is to provide career pathways<br />
and opportunities in visual, performing<br />
and digital arts for youth, teens and<br />
adults. The nonprofit hosts an array of<br />
creative classes for K-12, meeting the<br />
California Education VAPA Code and<br />
vendors with all the Charter Schools in<br />
Southern California. Enrollment for <strong>20</strong>21<br />
classes are open; scriptwriting, backstage<br />
production, acting, musical theatre, fashion<br />
design and photography are offered<br />
virtually and in-person.<br />
JDSCA also has a specifically designed<br />
program to provide services to<br />
adults with Intellectual Developmental<br />
Disabilities. Did you know that in <strong>20</strong>19,<br />
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported<br />
that only 19.3 percent of persons<br />
with a disability were employed? JDSCA<br />
is determined to make this number grow<br />
and our job-training program works to<br />
do just that. In today’s changing world,<br />
inclusiveness is more vital now than ever<br />
before.<br />
Attending our events is another way<br />
you can support our causes. A great opportunity<br />
to do so is to watch our Willy<br />
Wonka Zoomsical, being sent directly<br />
to your inbox. If we don’t have your<br />
email, subscribe to our newsletter on our<br />
website, www.jdscreativeacademy.org.<br />
Be sure to stay tuned because we have<br />
another production in the works for the<br />
Holidays.<br />
Just announced: DigiFest Temecula<br />
dates! The festival will take place on<br />
April 16, 17, & 18, <strong>20</strong>21. This annual<br />
event will take place virtually and in-person,<br />
if able. This city-wide acclaimed<br />
event is embarking on its fifth year. The<br />
DigiFest Committee is already in planning<br />
sessions and volunteers are always<br />
welcome. Competition submissions<br />
open January 1, <strong>20</strong>21. More information<br />
about JDS Creative Academy events and<br />
DigiFest can be found on their websites,<br />
www.jdscreativeacademy.org and www.<br />
DigiFestTemecula.org.<br />
Everyone at JDSCA looks forward to<br />
“feeling” your kindness on #GivingTuesday.<br />
The nonprofit hopes you will share<br />
how you celebrated and tag #JDSFamily<br />
on social media! This organization believes<br />
that together, we can make a difference.<br />
Whatever your holidays look like,<br />
we hope they are filled with happiness<br />
and health. Cheers and goodwill to all!
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
TEMECULA VALLEY HOSPITAL STAFF RECEIVES AWARD<br />
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1<br />
Jimmy Moore was known by many<br />
as “Mr. Temecula” for having played a<br />
major role in the City of Temecula incorporation<br />
in 1989. Jimmy was a 29-year<br />
veteran of the U.S. Army who served as a<br />
pilot in the Vietnam War, and was an Icon<br />
within the Temecula Valley Community.<br />
Jimmy was a member of the Kiwanis<br />
Club of Temecula Valley, and they acknowledge<br />
his accomplishments by recognizing<br />
them annually with a “Citizen<br />
of the Year” award in his name.<br />
“Each year our club presents this<br />
award to individuals, community service<br />
organizations or institutions that contributes<br />
to our community in an exceptional<br />
way. The Temecula Valley Hospital staff,<br />
management and facility certainly cover<br />
all three types of past recipients of this<br />
award,” said Mark Ward, President, Kiwanis<br />
Club of Temecula Valley.<br />
“It is an honor to receive this very<br />
special award on behalf of our hospital<br />
staff,” said Darlene Wetton, Chief<br />
Executive Officer of Temecula Valley<br />
Hospital. “Our Temecula Valley Hospital<br />
employees and the Kiwanis Club have<br />
our community at heart in everything<br />
they do. What a wonderful way for our<br />
teams to come together to celebrate Jimmy<br />
Moore’s legacy of our region!”<br />
Please see the attached photo of<br />
Temecula Valley Hospital (TVH) CEO<br />
Darlene Wetton and Temecula Valley<br />
Kiwanis Club.<br />
About Temecula Valley Hospital<br />
Temecula Valley Hospital (TVH),<br />
with a 5 Star Medicare Hospital Compare<br />
rating, brings advanced technology,<br />
innovative programs, patient-centered<br />
and family sensitive care to area residents<br />
featuring 140 private patient rooms.<br />
TVH is the first Universal Health<br />
Services Hospital Emergency Department<br />
in the country to achieve accreditation<br />
from the American College of Emergency<br />
Physicians (ACEP) as a Geriatric<br />
Emergency Department. TVH specializes<br />
in advanced cardiac services, stroke care,<br />
general and surgical specialties, and orthopedics<br />
as a recent Blue Distinction®<br />
Center Designation for Quality in Knee<br />
and Hip Replacement Surgeries.<br />
TVH is nationally recognized for Patient<br />
Safety by the Leapfrog Group, with<br />
a <strong>20</strong>17 Top Hospital Award and seven ‘A’<br />
Grades for Patient Safety.<br />
For more information, please visit<br />
https://www.temeculavalleyhospital.com/<br />
about/news<br />
About Kiwanis Club of Temecula<br />
Valley<br />
Kiwanis International is a global<br />
organization of volunteers dedicated<br />
to improving the world one child and<br />
one community at a time. The Kiwanis<br />
Club of Temecula Valley is focused on<br />
serving the needs of their community<br />
with emphasis on children but is also<br />
involved in projects that serve others.<br />
For information about the Kiwanis Club<br />
of Temecula Valley, please visit their web<br />
site at www.kiwanistv.org.<br />
PHOTO PAGE 1 (L to R): Kiwanis Club President<br />
Mark Ward; TVH CEO Darlene Wetton; Kiwanis<br />
Club member Dale Qualm; TVH Board Chairman<br />
Maj. Gen. Claude Reinke; and Kiwanis Club<br />
member Jim Stead.<br />
THE LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT<br />
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1<br />
23<br />
Next year my priorities will<br />
continue to be on the needs of this<br />
region. We must ensure that we have<br />
sufficient resources and response to<br />
disasters like COVID and prevention<br />
of wildfires, that we have a secure,<br />
reliable water supply for people and<br />
agriculture alike, that our education<br />
system is funded with operational<br />
certainty for students and parents,<br />
that people can access health care<br />
easier, and that our increasingly overcrowded<br />
highways are modernized<br />
and upgraded.<br />
The pandemic’s economic fallout<br />
has been catastrophic for thousands<br />
of people and for California’s overall<br />
economy. With businesses closing<br />
and thousands losing their jobs it is<br />
critical the state fixes the EDD, DMV<br />
and other failures.<br />
With that in mind, I will support<br />
policies that help small businesses<br />
and job creation to get the economy<br />
moving again. Needless to say, a faltering<br />
economy results in fewer tax<br />
dollars. Meeting the responsibilities<br />
of government will be extremely<br />
challenging with the tight state budget.<br />
But we must take a close look at<br />
our priorities to put necessities above<br />
desires.<br />
In Sacramento, we may disagree<br />
on many issues, but there is much we<br />
agree on. Healthcare, education, wildfires,<br />
water and power infrastructure,<br />
and our economic distress – none of<br />
these is political which creates the<br />
need for bi-partisan solutions.<br />
As the new session begins, I will<br />
continue to work with my colleagues<br />
from both parties as we tackle the<br />
enormous challenges facing California.<br />
I am humbled by the support I<br />
received from the district November<br />
3rd, and I look forward to continuing<br />
to serve you in Sacramento.<br />
Assembly Republican Leader Marie<br />
Waldron represents the 75th Assembly<br />
District in the California Legislature,<br />
which includes the communities<br />
of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook,<br />
Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar<br />
Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow,<br />
San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center<br />
and Vista.
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
24 <strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
<strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong> GIFT IDEAS FOR BUSINESS AND HOME USE<br />
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1<br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
25<br />
Once again, the market is flooded<br />
with tech gifts and gadgets for the holiday<br />
season. However, whether working<br />
from home or the office, gifts that can<br />
be used for both business and personal<br />
use make the decision-making process<br />
easier. To get started, here are few ideas<br />
and their applications.<br />
Mini- Photo Printers – These have<br />
been around for a few years but technology<br />
and quality has improved. Initial<br />
devices had limited use but now for<br />
example requirements such as the need<br />
to secure facilities with photo ids, temporary<br />
badges can be quickly created. They<br />
may also provide a photographic hardcopy<br />
timeline of a product being manufactured<br />
for the buyer. A mini-printer<br />
can be right for any application which<br />
needs a picture on your phone printed<br />
immediately.<br />
Smart Theatre Projectors – For a<br />
number of years it’s been great fun to put<br />
on a neighborhood outdoor movie night<br />
with one of these. But newer and smaller<br />
HD projectors will play your latest marketing<br />
video or commercial within your<br />
store allowing potential consumers to see<br />
your product in action.<br />
Bluetooth Speakers – They’ve been<br />
on Christmas lists for a while but continued<br />
development makes them useful<br />
in environments providing background<br />
music to shop, dine outside or keep<br />
your customers relaxed while waiting<br />
for their turn in line. Easily relocatable<br />
waterproof speakers with no wires to run<br />
allow exposure to the elements without<br />
worry of damage.<br />
Smart Controlled Devices – This<br />
technology field has continued to expand<br />
so that one can set up their own security<br />
system at a business or home and mon-<br />
by<br />
by<br />
Ted Saul,<br />
Steve Fillingim<br />
Sr. Staff Writer<br />
itor from a smart phone. Control lights,<br />
door locks, cameras and temperature to<br />
name a few giving peace of mind that<br />
the building has been properly secured.<br />
Wireless Headsets and Earbuds<br />
– With longer battery life and comfort<br />
levels these devices are an excellent tool<br />
where communication between employees<br />
is essential. Many restaurants with<br />
drive-thru and curbside delivery use them<br />
today to coordinate employee movement<br />
and prevent unnecessary steps. But other<br />
applications are waiting to be discovered<br />
where finding that one employee quickly<br />
is essential.<br />
New High-Speed Routers – Businesses<br />
operating from home can find<br />
themselves in competition with school<br />
work, gaming and entertainment streaming.<br />
These new devices can work at 5G<br />
speeds to handle more traffic than ever.<br />
Everyone both family and business will<br />
benefit from this performance upgrade.<br />
Happy Shopping.<br />
Ted Saul is a business coach that assists<br />
with Business Plans and Project Management.<br />
He holds a master certificate in<br />
project management and has earned his<br />
MBA from Regis University. Ted can be<br />
reached on LinkedIn, TedS787 on Twitter<br />
or emailing TedSaulBiz@gmail.com.<br />
However, whether working from home or the<br />
office, gifts that can be used for both business<br />
and personal use make the decision-making<br />
process easier.
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
26 www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
YOUR LOCAL CHAMBERS<br />
Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce<br />
www.temecula.org<br />
Murrieta/Wildomar Chamber of Commerce<br />
www.MWCoC.org<br />
Menifee Valley Chamber of Commerce<br />
www.menifeevalleychamber.com<br />
Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber<br />
www.lakeelsinorechamber.com<br />
Hemet/San Jacinto Valley<br />
Chamber of Commerce<br />
www.hsjvc.com
<strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong><br />
THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
www.TheValleyBusinessJournal.com<br />
27<br />
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THE VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL<br />
28 <strong>December</strong> <strong>20</strong><strong>20</strong>