- By Mary Kuhn - MRA President
Greetings and Best Wishes MRA Members and Associates, and welcome to the June 2009 MRA newsletter. We have some important calls for action in this month's issue that we hope you'll take a few minutes of your day to respond to.
First, as the California budget crisis continues, the Governor is once again trying to get the Sacramento Legislature to eliminate the Department of Boating and Waterways and fold it into the Department of Parks and Recreation. This is very bad for boaters and we need your e-mails and personalized letters to convince our legislators to not do that.
In a separate article, Bill Krauss explains the depth of the budget crisis and continues the call for your action to write to your legislators.
On a different topic, Larry Levy gives some tips on how to avoid getting in trouble with layoffs and employee references - If you're currently involved on either end of this unpleasant subject, you should read this article.
Finally, on a positive note, our congratulations go to the City of Chula Vista and the California Yacht Marina for their creative new approach to recycling hazardous materials at the marina. All marina managers should keep an eye on that.
That's It For Me This Month - If you have any questions or comments about the newsletter please send me an e-mail or give me a call at 949.721.0111. See you next month.
Yours truly,
Mary Kuhn - MRA President
mkuhn@greatslips.com
- By Junior Cruz - Marina Manager at Chula Vista's California Yacht Marina
In a concerted attempt to enhance their designation as a California Clean Marina, the California Yacht Marina has partnered with the City of Chula Vista to add another viable solution to the problem of properly disposing of hazardous and toxic waste materials from The Chula Vista bay front.
The concept of making disposal of these materials more convenient and safe, while remedying the ongoing problem of properly removing materials from boater's slips, more precisely their dock boxes. The key words were convenient and safe. Rather than have Mohammed go to the mountain - the idea was to take the mountain to Mohammed.
The problem was very simple and straightforward. How do you get the level of cooperation and participation that you want to achieve; and do it properly? The answer was to contact Manuel "Manny" Medrano, a Recycling Specialist with the City of Chula Vista Department of Public Works who has one of the most efficient, user-friendly systems of disposal of household waste in the State.
Click the "read more" button to find out more about their novel and promising approach to this challenging environmental problem
- By Bill Kraus - The Apex Group
The Governor is AGAIN proposing to eliminate the Department of Boating and Waterways (DBW) and we need your help!
This time the Governor is pushing the Legislature hard to eliminate the Department and stated to a joint session of the Legislature that DBW and other departments and boards he has identified as "redundant" must go before he will consider the cuts necessary to solve the State's larger budget problems. He has made eliminating DBW a top priority, so we need to make it our top priority to protect it.
DBW is critical to the future of boating in California. DBW funds launch ramp construction, loans for marina construction, construction of boating safety centers, boating safety and law enforcement programs, abandoned vessel removal, public outreach programs, and even weed control in boating areas!
How can you help? We need you to contact your legislator to express your strong opposition to this plan. Below are web links to find your individual legislator. You can also set up a personal meeting in their district offices. They are open to meetings on Fridays and sometimes over the weekend. The more personal the contact the better!
Also, below is information you can use in your communication with your legislators. Insert this information into a personalized letter or email, and send it to your legislator IMMEDIATELY!
Here are the links you can use to find your legislators. For the Senate, visit www.senate.ca.gov and follow the links to "Senators" and then "Your Senator" on the left side of the page.
For the Assembly visit www.assembly.ca.gov and go to the "Find My District" link on the left side of the page.
To see the benefits of the Department of Boating and Waterways that we're trying to save, click on the "Read More" button.
- By Bill Kraus - The Apex Group
The State is facing what the Governor is saying is the worst budget since the Great Depression. Here are the facts:
- For the first time since 1938 Personal Income Tax is down for the year (1.1%)
- Corporate taxes are down 20%
- Budget deficit is over $24 billion
- Our overall revenue decline is $15.4 billion (27% less than last year)
- The State has been out of cash and living on short-term borrowing since mid-2007
- California has the worse credit rating in the nation
- The Director of the Department of Finance was quoted as saying "the problem in nearly unsolvable"
- Due to our finances we have very little ability to continue borrowing and what money is available to borrow is very expensive
- The Governor is so concerned about revenue he is proposing to allow off-shore drilling, which he has always opposed
Sample of Cuts Proposed by the Governor:
- $5.3 billion from education
- $2.1 billion overall from health and welfare programs
- Billions more from virtually every agency of government.
- Elimination of ALL General Fund support for the Department of Parks and Recreation and have it function on increased fees and "special funds."
(Cutting Parks is of concern because if they radically cut Parks AND merge DBW into Parks, then the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund money could be seen as part of the replacement for those cuts.)
To read what the Governor said specifically about the Department of Boating and Waterways, click on the "Read More" button.
- By Larry Levy - Employee Relations Management Consultant
With the increase in layoffs there has been an explosion in employment litigation. Why? Perhaps, affected employees are looking for economic relief following a loss of employment. One area that is particularly troublesome is reference checks where information is provided by the former employer to a perspective new employer. That is where the thorny issue of defamation raises its ugly head.
From an employment perspective we can define defamation as: A false statement made by an employer about an employee to a third party that injures the employee's reputation.
This means you knowingly told a blatant lie about one of your employees and that lie had a deleterious effect upon his/her reputation (employment). As an example, if you terminated an employee for chronic tardiness and you have accurate time records supporting the tardiness, this is not a lie. Following termination, you receive a telephone call from an employer interviewing your former employee and you tell this perspective employer you terminated this employee for chronic tardiness - a factual statement. Did your statement "injure" the reputation of your former employee? Yes, but it was based upon factual and not false information.
Click the "Read More" button to see recommendations for avoiding litigation arising out of employee layoffs and references.
- By Mark D. HolmesGreen Wave Energy Corp. - Providing Alternative Energy Solutions Ideally Marinas and Other Marine Businesses That Are Clean, Green and Mostly Unseen!
Green Wave Energy Corp. is a company located in Newport Beach California for the specific purpose of helping the United States, and eventually the world, wean itself from overwhelming dependence on fossil fuels. Indeed, Green Wave seeks to spur clients and potential clients with its slogan: "Our fuel prices never go up!" tm This slogan is taking on a much more serious meaning, especially as gasoline prices have been rising.
Green Wave therefore provides a variety of alternative energy solutions to clients, including marinas, shipyards, and yacht and boating clubs. This is not surprising, since one of Green Wave's founders is Mark D. Holmes, a maritime lawyer; and David New, owner of Basin Marine, Inc., a shipyard located in Newport Beach.
Green Wave is innovative in that it provides residential and commercial solar energy generating systems - either uninstalled or installed at guaranteed flat prices! Most importantly, Green Wave also provides solar and wind or water current system combinations for its customers - what Green Wave calls Combo-Alt tm systems - that are uniquely suited to the locations and energy demands of marinas, shipyards and other marine businesses.
As part of its Combo-Alt tm strategy, Green Wave is developing cutting-edge wind turbines for residential, commercial, industrial and recreational applications. The turbines are both grid-tied and non-grid-tied systems that can be deployed in urban, suburban, rural and recreational environments.
Green Wave is also developing water current turbines for residential and commercial applications. These water turbines are designed to be built right into river or stream docks; or around bridge pilings and piers. They are also designed to take advantage of river or ocean currents to generate electrical energy, all while having a minimal impact on the marine environment.
Green Wave has also developed ocean and lake wave generators that operate very close to shore. Like its water current turbines, the wave generators are designed to produce large amounts of power, but with a minimal impact on the marine environment.
If you would like to learn more about Green Wave and its exciting alternative energy products and services, please visit Green Wave's website at www.gweconline.com; or contact Mark D. Holmes at (949) 645-1506 or mark@gweconline.com.
- By Mariann Timms
Just a reminder that your membership dues are due on July 1st. All invoices were mailed out last month. If you did not receive an invoice, please contact me.
Also, please mark your calendars and plan to join us on November 3 - 5, 2009 at Harrah's Lake Tahoe for the 38th Annual MRA Educational Conference and Trade Show. The conference committee is finishing up on some details and should have the Schedule of Events and Registration forms out shortly.
That's it for now - Hope you all have a great month of June!
Mariann Timms - MRA Operations Administrator
e-mail:timms@marina.org
915 "L" Street - Suite C-107, Sacramento, Ca. 95814 - Tel: 916.441.1475 - email: information@marina.org
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