Despite the inclement weather, on December 6th, Chamber members, City, State, and Federal governmental offices, along with staff, family and guests, gathered at the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for StretchLab.

Please enjoy these fun photos taken by Ildiko of Takata Photo & Design.

On December 5th, Chamber members, City, State, and Federal governmental offices, along with family and guests, gathered at the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for the Coder School.

Please enjoy these fun photos taken by Ildiko of Takata Photo & Design.

Please enjoy this brief Chamber Member Monthly Spotlight with Amanda Armstrong of Top Hat Balloon Werks​. 

Name: Amanda Armstrong, CBA
 
Business Name:   Top Hat Balloon Werks, LLC

Brief description of business: Top Hat Balloon Werks is your event décor specialist.  We offer customized event décor and deliveries for all special events and occasions.  

Doing business in Mission Viejo since:  1998

Chamber Member since:  2016

Favorite Chamber Member benefit: Daybreakers Networking Breakfast meetings

Favorite Chamber event and why: "Daybreakers" meetings, because they allow us to get to know our fellow chamber members better.  It’s fast-paced and they keep on schedule, (which is great since we all need to get back to work) 😉, but there’s always time to network before and afterwards and get to know other Chamber members on a more personal level.  Great place to see and be seen!  

I joined the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce because: I joined the Chamber because I wanted to expand my business referal network.  That way I can be more of a value to my business, my City and my customers.
 
The Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce has helped me and my business by: The Chamber has allowed me to expand my business network and has offered me the opportunity to show my fellow members what my business is all about and how I can help them with their event needs.   

On November 14th, several attendees from the Chamber (including Directors and Ambassadors) and City, State, and Federal governmental offices gathered to celebrate the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for Chamber member - Elephant Signage & Display.

Kateryna Karasyk and her family welcomed with open arms (and lots of amazing food, beverages, and prizes) all attendees to their Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting. 

We also thank Kateryna for her excellent volunteer efforts as an Ambassador and as part of the Daybreakers Leadership Team.

​Please enjoy the professional photos taken by Ildiko of Takata Photo & Design and once again we welcome Elephant Signage & Displays to Mission Viejo!

Mission Viejo Chamber member, Moulton Niguel Water District, is pleased to announce it has maintained the highest AAA-credit rating from Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings, two of the world’s top rating agencies.

In their reports, these independent rating agencies praise Moulton Niguel for its affordable rates, healthy finances and financial transparency. Obtaining the highest possible credit rating allows the District to keep its rates low and invest in the infrastructure that delivers reliable drinking water to its customers. 
 
Please find more information in the press release below:
 
INDEPENDENT RATING AGENCIES PRAISE MOULTON NIGUEL WATER DISTRICT FOR AFFORDABLE RATES, HEALTHY FINANCES & FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Fitch, S&P Global Affirm Highest AAA-Rating for MNWD
 
Moulton Niguel Water District maintains affordable rates and healthy finances, according to independent reviews by two of the world’s top rating agencies.
 
Credit ratings agencies, Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings, have each affirmed Moulton Niguel’s AAA-credit rating, the highest possible credit rating, as part of an updated review of the District’s finances. 
 
“Moulton Niguel is committed to providing our ratepayers with clean water and exceptional service at affordable rates,” said Moulton Niguel President Brian Probolsky. “We’re honored to once again receive the highest rating from the world’s top financial analysts.”
 
In its independent financial analysis released on October 21, Fitch Ratings concluded that Moulton Niguel continues to meet its AAA-rating standards by offering customers “affordable rates” while maintaining a “stable, healthy financial profile.” The District’s “healthy finances,” analysts at Fitch added, are “expected to continue.”
 
“Moulton Niguel’s healthy finances are the result of meticulous long-term planning and substantial investments in our water infrastructure system,” said Moulton Niguel Vice President Duane Cave. 
 
S&P Global Ratings also affirmed its AAA-rating based on Moulton Niguel’s “competitive customer rates” and “strong financial management practices and policies.” Moulton Niguel maintains the lowest average bill in South Orange County.
 
“We’re proud to obtain the highest possible credit rating which allows us to keep our rates low and invest in the infrastructure that delivers reliable drinking water to our customers’ homes and businesses,” said Moulton Niguel Board Member Richard Fiore who chairs the District’s Administrative Committee. 
 
“Based on our financial management assessment, we score the district as a '1' on a six-point scale on which '1' is the strongest,” S&P Global Ratings stated in its October 10 report. “In our view, financial practices and policies exist and are transparent.”
 
Moulton Niguel General Manager Joone Lopez says that, in addition to the District’s balanced budgets and adherence to the highest accounting standards, fiscal accountability requires ongoing public oversight.
 
“As a public utility, we believe that public trust is earned through openness and transparency,” Lopez said.
 
Moulton Niguel has earned numerous accolades for its prudent financial planning. For ten consecutive years, Moulton Niguel has been honored by the Government Finance Officers Association for excellence in financial reporting. In March, the Association also awarded Moulton Niguel with its 2019 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
 
Moulton Niguel Water District delivers high-quality drinking water, recycled water and wastewater services to customers in Laguna Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Dana Point, and San Juan Capistrano. A leader in conservation and environmental protection, Moulton Niguel maintains the lowest average water bill in South Orange County.

We appreciate this information from Communications Lab, who provides public education and community outreach services on behalf of Jeff Bott and the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), also known as The Toll Roads.

Caltrans, in coordination with the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), is initiating the formal environmental review phase for the South County Traffic Relief Effort (SCTRE).

The state transportation agency is seeking public engagement and input on developing mobility solutions in South Orange County by holding two public scoping meetings along with a 30-day public comment period beginning November 8 and concluding December 9 at 5:00 p.m.

“Public feedback will be an important element in the decision-making process as the alternatives are studied in more detail,” said Caltrans District 12 Director Ryan Chamberlain.

The public scoping meetings will be held Open House format with no formal presentation and attendees may arrive at any time during the event hours. Public comments will be accepted either verbally through a court-reporter or in writing.

The scoping meetings will be held as follows:

• November 20, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center located at 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo, CA 92692.

• December 4, 2019 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Ocean Institute located at 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629.

Public comments will be accepted at both meetings as well as online at: www.sctre.org and via email at scoping@sctre.org. 

Comments can also be mailed to the following address: Caltrans District 12, 1750 East 4th Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705, Attn: Env/SCTRE Scoping. 

Questions about the process can also be sent to Jeff Bott at TCA – jbott@thetollroads.com or 949-754-3458.

Congratulations to Chamber member, Mission Hospital! An $80 million cancer institute  is opening this week that will give south Orange County patients an option for treatment closer to home.

​Please enjoy this article from the Orange County Register.

On Thursday, Nov. 7, the hospital is opening the first two floors of its four-story, 104,000-square-foot Leonard Cancer Institute.  Located across the street from Mission Hospital’s main campus and next to the Shops at Mission Viejo, the institute is the first cancer research and treatment facility based in south county, hospital officials said.

Development of the institute was financed largely through private donations, including an eight-figure gift from Judi and Bill Leonard, for whom the facility is named.
The region’s cancer patients have been traveling as far away as Los Angeles County to get treatment, Mission Hospital’s Vice President of Operations Terry Wooten said. That meant when those residents came to Mission Hospital for emergency care, they were assigned to doctors and nurses who were not as familiar with their medical history, he said.

Patients will be able to access different types of services, from CT scans to chemotherapy or radiation, all without leaving the building, hospital spokeswoman Carrie Miller said. “It’s seamless care.”

The first two floors of the institute opening this week house several offices for doctors, as well as rooms for radiation therapy and imaging scans such as X-ray and CT.
Two tons of bricks – each one is 8-feet thick – enclose two radiation “vaults” on the first floor. There is space for one more vault if the hospital wants to expand its capability, Wooten said.

There are also rooms for physical therapy and a space filled with treadmills and other fitness equipment to help patients with their rehabilitation.
Doctors and nurses from different disciplines will be gather in a conference room – which has three 96-inch screens and fits 50 people – to discuss how to best treat a patient. The patient, sitting in a room near by, can then be debriefed immediately after the staff’s conference.

“The patient was at the center of every decision” the hospital made in designing the institute, Miller said. The institute is not just built to provide treatment, she said, but to promote the patients’ wellness.
A wellness spa on the first floor will provide massages and aromatherapy, and a chapel and a small outdoor healing garden will be a space for patients to find peace amid their treatment, Miller said.

The fourth floor, offering infusion treatments, will open early next year. The third floor, home to a digestive care center, will open in late summer, Wooten said.

Mission Hospital is part of the Providence St. Joseph Health system, which has a second hospital in Laguna Beach.

Orange County Register: https://www.ocregister.com/2019/11/05/mission-hospitals-80-million-cancer-institute-opens-nov-7-in-mission-viejo/.
​

Please enjoy the November newsletter from the Mission Viejo Nadadores!

We extend a warm welcome to all Chamber members and the community to join us at the Beyond Alphabets Preschool Open House to be held on November 15th, starting at 5pm. Mayor Greg Raths will also be in attendance.

​Please see the flyer below for more details.