Tips and tricks for business success and growth

By Rama Beerfas

April 18, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) –  Good marketing is all about making you stand out from the others - building a brand that is recognizable, unique and compelling. Why, then do so many business owners insist on doing what someone or everyone else is doing?

For instance, how many times have you watched a commercial on TV and thought that it must have been written by, or stolen from, the same people who did an ad for a different company. You know, what I mean - it had the same feel, flow and concept as an ad you'd seen at least a month ago for a totally different product. Did it make you remember the new product being advertised, or simply recall the ad it seemed to be based on?

April 18, 2013 (San Diego) – The San Diego Chapter of the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA) will hold its spring membership kickoff on Sunday, April 21 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn, 17550 Bernardo Oaks Rd. in San Diego, beginning with registration, a buffet breakfast and sponsor showcase at 9 a.m. followed by nine holes of golf. The cost of $55 includes the buffet breakfast and golf, as well as door prizes and an opportunity drawing. Women golfers of all skill levels are welcome to attend to learn more about the benefits of EWGA membership.

Featured speaker will be PGA Player Development Regional Manager Nikki Gatch,  spokesperson for  PGA's Get Golf Ready, a program whose mission to help novice golfers to learn and enjoy the game of golf mirrors that of EWGA.

April 18, 2013 (San Diego) – Residential property values have been rising in San Diego County. Depending upon the source of the real estate information, values have risen 10 percent or more in the past year. However, if a property owner believes their property’s market value as of January 1, 2013 is below their current assessed value, they may request the Assessor’s Office to review their assessment. As an indication of the current assessed value, a property owner can look at the Net Taxable Value on their 2012-2013 tax bill. (See box 7.)

April 18, 2013 (La Mesa) – Biz Center Art, the art gallery in residence at the La Mesa Biz Center, is featuring art based on the idea of "POSSIBILITIES", what is possible in the creative mind of an artist with an opening reception from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th. Local artists' work will be shown, as well as our feature artist Peter Hammar, a New York artist from Stockholm Sweden. There  will also be work displayed by the STAR program, survivors of trafficking.

The "Possibilities" opening is  a fundraiser for STAT (Soroptimists Together Against Trafficking) program. Representatives will be on hand to discuss their projects and there will be a raffle of art by Biz Center artists as well as various services by tenants of the La Mesa Biz Center.

April 18, 2013 (San Diego) --  Mayor Bob Filner received a big thank you on Friday from a wounded Army veteran in desperate need of mobility. The Mayor secured a handcycle for Todd Fahn, who suffered severe injuries to his back from an explosion while serving in Iraq.

Fahn brought his son, Bentley, to meet the Mayor.  Fahn says his new handcycle will allow him the mobility he needs to get around quickly, especially as the father of a toddler.

“I had come to a place of extreme frustration and the system was not working.  I reached out to Mayor Bob Filner because of his many years of commitment to helping veterans in need and he delivered,” said Fahn.  “Because of him, I have a device that helps me get around quickly and efficiently.”

April 17, 2013 (San Diego) – Residents of the 79^th Assembly District are invited to a community coffee with Assembly  member Shirley Weber on Saturday, April 20 from 10-11:30 a.m. This event will be held at the Mission Valley Library, 2123 Fenton Parkway (off Friars Road) in San Diego. 

Residents will have the opportunity to learn about current legislation that she is authoring in Sacramento, ask questions and share concerns they may haveYou are welcome to bring your family, friends and neighbors. This is a free and public event.

April 3, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights brings you cutting edge news each week that could impact your health and our future.

• As Arctic Ice Melts, It's A Free-For-All For Oil ... And Tusks (NPR)
• Weather: Key ingredient to never-ending fire season  (FEMA)
• World’s first successful uterus transplant patient is pregnant via in-vitro fertilization (Raw Story)
• Heart drug linked to cancer (Ivanhoe Newswire)
• A Mile-High Hack: An App That Could Remotely Hijack Planes (NPR)
• Businesses Seek Out 'Culture Of Health' Areas (NPR)
• High levels of lead found in US rice (BBC)
• How 'green' are electric cars? (BBC)
• Supreme Court Asks: Can Human Genes Be Patented? (NPR)
• Rural electric co-ops go green (Christian Science Monitor)

Click read more and scroll down for excerpts and links to full stories.

By Miriam Raftery

April 17, 2013 (Spring Valley) – For the second time in a week, a homeless man has died in East County.  Last week, Mike Brown’s body was found beside a freeway onramp in El Cajon, just days after he was beaten and robbed of the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card he needed for food, an acquaintance of the victim told ECM.

Today, a homeless man died of smoke inhalation when the commercial trailer where he had been sleeping caught fire in Spring Valley. The deaths highlight the dangers of living on the streets or in makeshift shelters in East County, which has no shelter to house the growing number of homeless persons in our region.

April 17, 2013 (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

REGIONAL

• LMPD Was Tony Gwynn of the County in 2012 for Solving Violent Crimes (La Mesa Patch)
• Five districts have grad rate issues (U-T San Diego)
• San Diego farmers bracing for a tough year  (KPBS) 
• Where is Councilman Ryan? Council asked to extend absence through May (Santee Patch)
• Mount Miguel Has Highest Dropout Rate Locally, New Data Reveals (La Mesa Patch)
• Evacuations During Nuclear Emergency May Cause Gridlock, Report Reveals (KPBS)
• Regulators see 'no hazard' at San Onofre (U-T San Diego)
• Financial regulator responds to San Onofre concerns (U-T San Diego)
• Woman accused of kidnapping baby from Spring Valley pleads not guilty (La Mesa Patch)

STATE

• Fed court rules electricity rebates due in Calif. (AP)
• Calif. court: Motorist can't use hand-held map (Sacramento Bee)
• Judge rules Obama administration overlooked fracking risks in California mineral leases (Reuters)
• Contempt threat against Brown a rare move (Sacramento Bee)

Click "read more" and scroll down to read excerpts and links to full stories.

April 17, 2013 (Ramona) -- A small brush fire in the West Ramona area is contained, however live power lines are down at Walnut and Davis streets. Avoid the area.  SDG&E reports 101 homes are without power due to a combination of causes.

By Janis Mork

April 15, 2013 (San Diego)- Last week, in the KPBS studio at San Diego State University, U-T San Diego public engagement reporter Matt Hall moderated a three-member panel  hosted by the San Diego Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)  to explore the controversial issue of press credentials.

Should San Diego Police Department stay in charge of who gets press credentials countywide?

Who needs press passes—and how does SDPD determine who does and doesn’t receive them? 

These are among the questions addressed on a panel consisting of  U-T San Diego public safety reporter Kristina Davis, true crime author Caitlin Rother, and freelance videographer James ‘JC’ Playford, who filled in for  San Diego Reader journalist Dorian Hargrove originally scheduled.