Eden Area Chamber of Commerce Revises Local Contracts

After months of public outcry, the Eden Area Chamber of Commerce has revised its contracts with Ashland, Cherryland and San Lorenzo, halving the financial commitment it had initially sought to extend service across the Eden area.

Two years ago, the three area's Citizens Advisory Committees entered into contracts with what was then the Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce. The collaboration was meant to connect an additional 5,500 businesses across the unincorporated county while shoring up the Chamber's finances with redevelopment funds. But as those contracts came up for renewal, many local residents began to wonder aloud whether two more years with the Chamber would be money well spent. 

(For more information about the ongoing Chamber controversy, .)

The San Lorenzo Citizens Advisory Committee voted late last year to approve a two-year contract with the Chamber, committing $30,000 in local redevelopment funds to the body. But after other local CACs balked at the contract, many on the committee demanded a do-over.

"Because of the way the different CACs have voted  for the funding, it looks like we will be considering a one-year contract," said Bill Lambert, the county's assistant director of economic development.

Early in 2011, Cherryland voted to approve a contract extension of just six months. Ashland voted to extend the Chamber's contract for a year.  

The Chamber and the county are working to rearrange that patchwork of agreements into a universal one-year contract between Ashland, Cherryland, Castro Valley and San Lorenzo and the Chamber, said Susan Soares, the Chamber's membership and marketing director. 

Under the new framework, San Lorenzo's contract would be revised down to a year. The county hopes to renegotiate with the Cherryland CAC for an additional six months. 

But the success of that reallignment will hinge on Castro Valley's CAC, by far the largest contributor, which is slated to vote on the proposal at its meeting next Wednesday.

"Depending what we hear next week, we’ll look at whether we even have the ability to do a contract," Lambert said.