On Friday, San Luis Obispo was again featured as America’s happiest town, but this time in one of America’s favorite newspapers – USA Today.

San Luis Obispo, or SLO to locals, was featured in the Life and Travel section of USA Today's April 8 issue and can also be seen on the publication’s website, complete with colorful photos and a fun video of Farmers’ Market and Bubblegum Alley.

The extensive USA Today article features several San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce members, including popular downtown restaurant Novo and local-favorite Apple Farm Inn, as well as Smiling Dog Yoga, EcoBambino, Sweet Earth Chocolate, and Wolff Vineyards Winery.

“It looks like our happy secret is out now,” jokes Lindsey Miller, director of marketing for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. “We’re so excited about all of the good press SLO has been getting. But, really, it’s no secret to the people who live in SLO that it’s the happiest place in the nation. We’ve known it all along. It just took the rest of the nation a while to catch on.”

San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate is on the decline, according to data released by Beacon Economics, a firm that provides economic analysis, consulting, and data services.

After the local unemployment rate increased steadily in the last half of 2010, it has started to decrease in the first months of 2011.

“This is excellent news for our community, but there are still a significant number of people and businesses struggling,” said Dave Garth, president/CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. “We hope this trend is the beginning of our local recovery. Fortunately, the local business community has proven itself to be a creative, energetic and progressive group, even in difficult times.”

SLO County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also decreased from 10 percent in February 2010 to 9.5 percent in February 2011.

A trend is emerging in San Luis Obispo: Parts of the city seem to be transforming into more of a dining/entertainment center and less of a retail hub.

San Luis Obispo County's accommodation and food jobs increased from about 13,100 in February 2010 to about 13,400 in February 2011, according to data released by Beacon Economics. The trend seems to more prevalent in downtown San Luis Obispo, where a bevy of restaurants have replaced retail stores. But it might be a good thing.

The economic climate has created an opportunity for entrepreneurs to work with landlords and open businesses that will do well in a place like San Luis Obispo, said Steve McCarty, owner of Stafford - McCarty Commercial Real Estate, which specializes in retail, office, industrial and investment properties.

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce has made it easier to promote its members online with its new Online Business Directory on www.slochamber.org.

Now, Chamber members each have their own webpage on www.slochamber.org with an opportunity to take advantage of a longer, more detailed description, a link to their website, and a link to Google Maps so anyone can find their location quickly and easily.

“This helps the Chamber by creating more than 1,400 extra pages on our website for search engines to index, which helps slochamber.org rise to the top of search results,” said Whitney Diaz, the Chamber’s director of Internet services and publications. “It also creates links to member sites, making them rise higher in search results for popular search engines, like Google, Yahoo! and Bing.”

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce released data on the salary and benefits of retiring President/CEO Dave Garth and the salary and benefits package being advertised for his replacement.
The data release comes in response to a request from Erik Baskin, president of the local San Luis Obispo Firefighters Association, the union representing non-management fire department employees.

The Chamber and the Firefighters Association are on opposite sides of the current binding arbitration controversy. Binding arbitration requires that salary, benefits and working condition disputes between the city of San Luis Obispo and the police and firefighter’s unions be resolved by an outside arbitrator, who is unelected and unaccountable to the voters. The arbitrator is not permitted to find middle ground between the two parties but instead must select between the last best offers from either side on every issue of contention.

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce employment poster sales ranked in the Top 5 of more than 140 chambers of commerce that sold the posters to businesses this year.

“We usually rank in the Top 25 in the state and, this year, we’re excited to be in the Top 5,” said Grace Allen, director of visitor services for the San Luis Obispo Chamber. Allen manages the sales and distribution of the employment posters for San Luis Obispo Chamber members.

Every employer must post a current 2011 California and Federal Employment Poster at their place of business. This is a mandatory law and not having the proper postings can result in more $17,000 in fines. In partnership with the CalChamber, the San Luis Obispo Chamber strives to be the business community’s one-stop shop for its HR compliance product needs.

In an effort to stay on the cutting edge of technology, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce has just launched mobile versions of its three popular websites: Visitslo.com, SLOChamber.org and SLO-Business.com.

The mobile websites are live, but in a beta testing phase. Visitors, locals and anyone interested in the San Luis Obispo area can now search for information about local businesses and organizations on their mobile devices, including the iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

“It’s important to stay ahead of the technology curve,” said San Luis Obispo Chamber President/CEO Dave Garth. “These mobile websites are beneficial to our members as well as the community and people interested in finding out more information about San Luis Obispo through their smart phones.”

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce is moving full steam ahead to find the right person for the position of president/CEO.

The Chamber recently posted advertisements for the position in The Tribune and on its website, as well as on Craigslist.com, CareerBuilder.com, and SLOJobs.com. The Chamber has also asked for member input from its more than 2,500 individuals on its member mailing list.  

After more than 38 years, current President/CEO Dave Garth recently announced his retirement, effective July 1. Garth is one of the longest-standing chamber presidents in the western United States. The Board of Directors has formed a search committee of past board chairs still active in the Chamber to define the selection process, screen and interview all applicants, and present finalists to the board. The deadline to apply for the position is April 1. 

In a few short months, San Luis Obispo voters will determine the fate of binding arbitration by deciding whether to repeal it or keep it as is.

To help voters make the right decision, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce has decided to refute the misconception that binding arbitration allows for a level playing field in negotiations between city management and employee unions.

“Binding arbitration gives important decision-making power to an outsider who is unaccountable to voters, but whose decision will ultimately affect all city residents,” said Dave Garth, president/CEO of the Chamber. “This issue is not about the value of public employees. It’s about fiscal responsibility and accountability. Binding arbitration has put the City of San Luis Obispo, and ultimately its citizens and taxpayers, in a fiscally dangerous situation. We now know the negative impact of binding arbitration and how it puts the city’s future at risk.”