hen times are tough, you must make cuts, so an employer inquired of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) questioning whether an employee would retain their exempt status if the company reduced payroll by having the exempt employees work only four days (or 32 hours) per week.

Earlier this month, voters in Visalia went to the polls and dramatically changed the leadership of our City.   Three seats on the City Council were up for election, with two incumbents trying to hold onto their positions and as many as eight others challenging them for the opportunity to lead the City for the next four years.    Voters clearly were in a mood for a new direction as they elected three new members for the first time in memory.

The California Chamber of Commerce recently released its score card of state legislators for the first year of the 2009-2010 legislative session.   The score card focused on legislators’ floor votes on bills of priority to the Chamber and the business community.

With the Holiday season quickly approaching there is one holiday that just passed that doesn't necessarily get as much pomp and circumstance as Thanksgiving or Christmas, but is equally as important to millions of people in the United States, Veterans Day on November 11th. On behalf of the entire SBDC staff, I would like to personally thank all the veterans for their service and support.

The Holiday Season will soon be upon us. Given the state of the economy many merchants are looking forward to a big increase in sales this time of year. The downside is the increase in bad checks passed to unsuspecting cashiers. Many holiday shoppers feel overwhelmed, often becoming demanding and impatient and do not like going through the “third degree” when making a purchase. In order to keep their customers happy, merchants tend to let their guard down, thus creating opportunities for bad check writers.

“Discovering our past is important to defining our present and future” describes the focus of the October 16 day session for Leadership Visalia class of 2010. Under the stewardship of Terry Ommen, Tulare County’s masterful historian, the 21 class members delved into the history of Visalia, Tulare County and of their own personal histories.

When we read a title with the words “teacher” and “powerful” we may assume the article is going to be about unions.  Not this one.  As we work in Visalia Unified to continue improving teaching and learning, we know there are elements critical to our success.

Visalia Medical Clinic, the largest physician-owned clinic in the Valley, has remodeled its Visalia and Lindsay clinics.

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) being a leading, global HR organization, believes that assembling and providing information about the annual seasonal flu, and now, also the H1N1 virus, is a moral imperative.