April 2010

RSM Business Alliance Off to a Flying Start

Posted by CotoBlogzz 04-07-2010 07:00 PM

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - The Rancho Santa Margarita Business Alliance (RSMBA) successfully hosted its first event ever today introducing its vision for a localized supportive business environment.

With an Chamber of Commerce already in place, what is the RSMBA's value add, we asked RSMBA's President Donnamarie Kline. "The Chamber of Commerce focuses on Sacramento and a the county level, whereas RSMBA is about local businesses helping other businesses.' she said

The South Orange County Regional Chamber of Commerce describes itself as the Voice of Business in South Orange County, speaking "... out on federal, state and local legislation that will potentially impact the region's business community."

Donnamarie Kline

When you consider that the US Chamber of Commerce has been largely ignored by the Obama administration and that at the state level, the Chamber must compete with the Third House - lobbyists outnumbering lawmakers by 8-1, not counting parasitic bureaucracies such as LAFCO, CLRC and AQB, which are in essence tax-payer funded lobbyists, the Voice of Orange County as represented by the Chamber of Commerce in Sacramento is at best a whisper. Just consider that the top five interests groups, responsible for over half of the $1 billion spent by the top 15 lobbyist in Sacramento include:

· California Teachers Association—$211,849,298
· California State Council of Service Employees—$107,467,272
· Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America—$104,912,997
· Morongo Band of Mission Indians—$83,600,438
· Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians—$69,298,909

Given the largely unsuccessful efforts by the Chamber of Commerce to represent the voice of business in Sacramento and the well attended RSMBA maiden's voyage, this may be just what the local business community needs