California Restaurant Association Quick Bites
~ Serving up the latest news in the restaurant industry ~

List of acceptable employment-eligibility documents shortened

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), formerly the enforcement arm of the dissolved Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Service ? has shortened the list of documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility for the purposes of checking completed Form I-9s for new hires. These are referred to "List A" documents on I-9 forms.

No longer acceptable are certificates of U.S. citizenship, certificates of naturalization, current reentry permits and current refuge travel documents. In addition, a current passport alone is no longer sufficient for List A purposes, but will suffice if it's combined with either an I-551 stamp or an attached INS Form I-94, which indicates unexpired employment authorization. List B (documents establishing identity) and List C (documents establishing employment eligibility) remain unchanged.

Here's one for the road - designate a driver
This holiday season, remind patrons to celebrate responsibly. Restaurants can take part in this campaign by utilizing free materials being offered by the CRA and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and by offering complimentary or reduced cost non-alcoholic drinks to designated drivers. Watch for information to come about California's holiday DUI prevention campaign and more ideas to encourage patrons to "Designate a Driver."

For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Christie Schuck at 916.418.1500 or christie.schuck@ogilvypr.com.

Reminder - The CRA Educational Foundation (CRAEF) provides ServSafe® Alcohol classes, providing training in responsible alcoholic-beverage service, including checking identification. The curriculum is designed for licensees, managers and employees. The training is a four-hour, interactive program that reviews and reinforces the skills needed to provide responsible beverage service. Included with the training is the administration of a secured examination.

For a complete listing of all CRAEF seminars, click here.

In the next California Restaurant Bulletin
The next issue of California Restaurant Bulletin gives you a glimpse of things to come in 2007. From legislative issues that will shake up the State Capitol, to new laws and dining and wine trends, this special edition of Bulletin will give enlightening expert analysis of how the new year will impact your business. And speaking of new, our "10 Questions" series introduces you to California's Insurance Commissioner-elect Steve Poizner, who explains how his professional background makes him especially sensitive to the needs of the state's business community. Watch your mailboxes!

Don't leave money on the table - save energy in the kitchen! Did you know over the course of a year one commercial cooking appliance can use as much energy as an entire house? When it comes to saving energy in the kitchen, how you use your appliances can be just as important as which appliances you use. For example, cutting just one hour each day of a broiler's "on" time can translate to savings of around $450 annually. For more tips like this one, read the Appliances and Food Preparation chapter in Boosting Restaurant Profits with Energy Efficiency, Flex Your Power's guide to saving money and energy for restaurant owners and managers. Find it here. Over $2 billion in utility-sponsored energy-efficiency programs are available throughout the state, and many even offer financial incentives to help offset the cost of efficiency upgrades. Click here to find incentives and services in your area.

National Tax Credit Group, LLC provides in-depth state and federal incentive tax credit studies. NTCG can also assist chains and franchisors with selecting the most tax-advantageous locations to operate any new stores. For more information on your eligibility, please visit www.ntcgtax.com or call 800.791.3589. We offer a free evaluation of your potential tax savings. Join the rest of our restaurant clients and take credits where credits are due!

For more than a century, Alsco has offered a complete line of linen, chef coats and dining service uniforms, a variety of floor mats to provide a safe and professional image for your guests and employees as well as the latest in restroom technology and hygiene with the new All Fresh Facility Services program. For more information, visit www.alsco.com.

Los Angeles City Council approved extending the city's living wage
By a 10-3 vote on November 22, the Los Angeles City Council approved extending the city's living wage, of approximately $11 per hour, to hotels and businesses operating on hotel properties on the LAX Century Corridor. This is the first time in the nation a city has imposed a living wage on private businesses that have no contractual relationship with the city.

A coalition of local hotels, the CRA and California retailers have started collecting signatures for a referendum for the city's special election in early 2007. Despite restrictions to this ordinance limiting its effect to the LAX area only, it is expected the living-wage ordinance will expand citywide and set precedent to expand beyond just hotel properties.

The CRA needs the restaurant industry to help educate the general public to vote against this living wage. For more information on how to get involved please contact Andrew Casaña at 562.432.8291 or acasana@calrest.org.

Call to action: Help defeat the Capitola polystyrene ban mandate
The CRA has been actively fighting to defeat a proposed ordinance in the City of Capitola, which attempts to repeal the current voluntary ban on polystyrene food packaging and implement a mandate. The CRA has engaged restaurateurs in Capitola to urge the council to work collaboratively with local businesses and restaurants to implement the original voluntary ban, rather than impose a mandate. A letter opposing this ordinance was sent to the city council prior to the public hearing held on Tuesday, November 21, at which Amalia Chamorro, Director of Local Government Affairs, as well as CRA members testified.

Although the proposal passed on its first reading, the ordinance must pass a second reading in order for the mandate to go into effect. The CRA will be meeting with city council members prior to the second reading, which is scheduled for December 14. Time is of the essence. It is crucial for Capitola restaurateurs to act now. Write to the city council to express your concerns and defeat this proposal.

For more information on how you can get involved and to obtain a sample letter, please contact Amalia Chamorro at 408.291.6344 or achamorro@calrest.org.

Letter-grade postings proposed in City of Bakersfield
A city council committee in Bakersfield is considering requiring restaurants to post letter grades from their latest Kern County Environmental Health Department inspection. The Bakersfield City Council has to approve the measure before this requirement takes affect and is scheduled to vote on it before the end of the month.

The committee made this recommendation after the Board of Supervisors approved a restaurant letter-grade system for unincorporated areas of Kern County. The Board of Supervisors left the decision up to the council members of each city in Kern County whether to implement the same system, which is similar to one in place in Los Angeles.

If approved by the Bakersfield City Council at its late November meeting, letter grades will be required to be posted in restaurant windows sometime in 2007. For more information please contact Andrew Casaña 562.432.8291. Do you want to avoid drive-by-lawsuits. Don't miss the opportunity to learn access compliance from a recognized expert! Are these elements of your business compliant: restrooms, doors, aisles, tables, counters, accessible counter, accessible parking, path of travel from parking, curb ramps vs. pedestrian ramps, detectable warnings/truncated domes and other elements. ARA Training Institute introduces a series of specialized trainings for access compliance. These trainings will teach you about access and what you need to know about your obligations under the ADA and CA Title 24 Regulations. Don't be a business caught off guard and have to pay for the defense of a drive-by-lawsuit! Register now at ARA Training Institute to attend the workshop that starts you on your way to access compliance. Space is limited to better serve attendees. Special rates for California Restaurant Association members.

Are you in compliance with California's tough meal period compliance laws? It's a serious matter. Get it wrong and you could be at risk for thousands, even millions of dollars in penalties. CBS, Inc. offers a solution that allows operators to track and report compliance on a daily basis. The product, called NorthStar QuickReports, is an affordable software solution that runs on the back office computer of your restaurant to tie in with your POSitouch POS system. In addition to Meal Period Compliance reports, QuickReports provides dozens of other valuable tools. For more info visit www.northstarenterprise.com or contact CBS, Inc. at 800.551.7674.

The CRA Property and Liability Insurance Program
Eligible CRA members who operate upscale, full-service or quick-service operations can take advantage of the new CRA Property and Liability Program through UCA General Insurance.

The new program provides coverage for the following industry-specific features:
Spoilage of food and beverage caused by a mechanical breakdown or failure of refrigeration equipment.

Systems breakdown coverage for repair or replacement of equipment and loss-of-income coverage as a result of equipment failure.

Money and securities, including cash taken in as well as lost or stolen credit-card receipts and traveler's checks.

Building-ordinance coverage that provides extra protection to help you rebuild in compliance with local and potentially expensive building codes in the event of a loss.

Employee dishonesty, such as theft of cash from the register, theft of silver or linens and credit-card fraud.

Business income to reimburse you for lost profits and continuing expenses caused by fire or property damage for a period of time selected by you at the beginning of your coverage.

For more information about this program and other insurance opportunities, please contact Paula Moore at 877.644.9232 or pmoore@calrest.org. “ Our slips & falls have dropped 72 percent" - The Cheesecake Factory. SHOES FOR CREWS® slip-resistant footwear utilizes exclusive outsole technology to grip wet and greasy floors with amazing traction! Our footwear is available at no cost to your company via affordable payroll deduction, and you're covered by our $5,000 Slip & Fall Accident Warranty. SHOES FOR CREWS® is the proven solution for avoiding workers' comp claims. Visit shoesforcrews.com today!

CRA to host meeting on Valley robberies. Spurred by a rash of robberies in the area, the CRA is hosting a meeting for members in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas in collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department on Monday, December 11 at the West Valley Police Station Community Room, 19020 Vanowen Street, Reseda. This meeting is to educate members on precautions they can take to protect themselves and employees. The Los Angeles Daily News reports since their first heist in July 2004, the "Ski Masked Bandits" have targeted fine-dining establishments as often as coffee shops and are suspected of looting five restaurants twice. The CRA hopes this meeting will provide area restaurateurs with information they can use to protect themselves and their business. For more information about this event, please contact Andrew Casaña at 562.432.8291 or by email at acasana@calrest.org.

Upcoming CRA Events and CRAEF Seminars:
11/30
ServSafe® Alcohol: Responsible Beverage Service
Sacramento

12/5
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Silicon Valley

12/15
ServSafe®Train the Trainer Workshop
Sacramento

12/18
ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Class and Exam
Los Angeles

12/19
ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Class and Exam
Sacramento

12/20
ServSafe® Food Protection Manager Class and Exam
Sacramento

For more information or to register for CRAEF seminars, please contact CRAEF at 800.765.4842 or visit www.calrest.org.

*Partial listing of upcoming events. Please click here for all CRA events.

CRA members receive special rates and simplified pricing with Heartland Payroll Services. You wouldn't trust just anyone to handle your income taxes. Maybe it's time to let the experts handle your payroll processing too. Heartland Payroll Services* can customize your payroll plan to include online payroll, new-hire reporting, direct deposit, payroll tax services and year-end reporting. Find out how much you can save with Heartland's Association Simplified Pricing Plan for Payroll Processing - available to CRA members only. Don't wait any longer. Call 888.963.3600 today or click here. *Heartland Payroll Services is a division of Heartland Payment Systems.

ICE-O-Matic® announces the qualification of nearly 50 commercial ice machine models for the California energy-efficiency rebates paid by the three largest utility companies in the state ? Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison. The major utility companies have coordinated an offer to encourage California businesses to install energy-efficient equipment, which includes rebates up to $500 for qualifying commercial ice machines. The rebates are offered to commercial businesses that purchase a qualifying ice machine and have an existing, qualified account with a participating utility company. Rebate details and submission forms are available from ICE-O-Matic® dealers and distributors throughout the qualifying regions in California. For more information visit www.iceomatic.com.

Medcor's unique injury triage system is helping California restaurants avoid unnecessary workers' comp claims, drive down costs and improve health outcomes! Medcor provides 24/7 access to specially trained nurses over a toll-free number. Medcor provides real-time language translation whenever needed and our flexible services work with any insurance, broker or third party administrator. Medcor provides immediate reports to employers, secure data online and outstanding customer service. Employers see lower comp costs. Employees report high satisfaction - visit www.medcor.com.

California Restaurant Association
1011 10th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
phone: (800) 765-4842
fax: (916) 447-6182
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