Voting underway for chamber directors

The Brawley Chamber of Commerce is currently conducting its annual election for its board of directors.

Chamber members are asked to go to https:// www.surveymonkey. com/r/VNNNMQM to cast their votes.

The Brawley Chamber of Commerce Nominating Committee, appointed by the president of the board, has submitted the following slate of Candidates for election to serve a threeyear term on the board starting July 1.

The candidates are Noel Ortiz, Church of Gains IV; Cherisse Alford, Alford Distributing Co.; Andrew Shea, Wild West Landscaping; Sheila Kruger, Frye Chapel, and Ira Reisin, Brawley Scale.

Voters may also submit nominees on the ballot. Any nominee must be a chamber member in good standing.

Voting ends May 20. Only one ballot per membership will be accepted.

Among the provisions of the governor’s original budget proposal in January was $28 million for the New River Improvement Project. Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, said he has submitted a letter urging Newsom to preserve that funding, $18 million of which was to come from the general fund and $10 million from Proposition 68.

“Our region has come together and put forth a unified front in support of the New River Improvement Project,” he said. “After years of concerted and coordinated effort, we must continue to hold strong in our pursuit of funding. I am urging Governor Newsom and his Administration to maintain their previous budget commitment of $28 million, as outlined in his initial budget draft.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened the importance of this project,” Garcia continued. “Now, more than ever, we must safeguard public health and advance projects that will create jobs and bring relief to our local economy. The New River Improvement Project is an absolute priority for our district, and we are fighting hard to secure the project funding that our community is relying on.”

On Thursday, the state revealed a $54.3 billion deficit, largely attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. The governor’s administration projected 18 percent unemployment for the year, to go with an expected 21 percent drop in new housing permits and a nearly 9 percent drop in personal income.