Tax Dollars Fighting Private Green Technology Innovation Again

The Solano County organization that probably develops the greatest number of green technology innovations is Innovation Institute in Fairfield. Innovation has been developing green technology since 1991. The new Solano Green Business Council has a political agenda, so naturally Solano Green Business Council didn't invite Innovation Institute to speak at the event. Solano Green Business Council didn't even offer an invitation to attend. Check out Solano Green Business Council and how your tax dollars are supporting Solano Green Business Council. Help requests from Innovation Institute to numerous local government agencies continue to go unanswered. Protecting our environment, and creating jobs should come before politics if its your tax dollars supporting these programs, right?

Innovation Institute has the largest known patent applications in green technology.  This is compared to all known published patent applications in the 80 countries in which the patent applications were filed.

Solano Green Business Council has many good points as well. For details contact your city hall in Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun, Vacaville and Vallejo which are directly or indirectly supporting them.  The article www.DailyRepublic.com also provides details on their conference.

To see the wider non-political side of innovative green business in Solano County, join Innovation Institute's meetings.  Tax funded organizations are invited naturally.  Free refreshments.  707 425-8000.

Disclaimer: No information anywhere in this blog is warranted for accuracy. As government agencies have not provided the requested information on their activities, per the Sunshine Act, realize important details are probably missing.

Fairfield Pepperbellys Getting New Management

Pepperbellys took stronger control over the great Fairfield comedy club.

Pepperbellys' founder Wayne Mayhew smartly evicted the former Pepperbellys operators, and quickly released the club to Vacaville entrepreneurs.  FixFairfield.Org looks forward to the new changes. 

More details the Fairfield newspaper Daily Republic.

Pepperbellys is considered to be Solano County's best comedy club, attracting comedy lovers from Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun, Vacaville, Vallejo, Davis, Sacramento County, Napa County, Contra Costa County, Etc.

Good Fairfield Resource Links

Good Resource Links About Fairfield, California

• About Fairfield – Geography, history, Fairfield demographics, business, schools, recreation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairfield,_California

• City Data www.city-data.com/city/Fairfield-California.html

• Fairfield City Council www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/gov/city_council/default.asp

• Fairfield City Hall www.ci.fairfield.ca.us

• Fairfield economic facts http://CaliforniaBusinessCenter.com/FairfieldFacts.html

• Fairfield Gateway www.FairfieldGateway.Org  Blog on city’s promise to fix Fairfield Gateway www.FairfieldGateway.BlogSpot.com

• Newspaper www.dailyrepublic.com

• Modern Public Swimming Pool http://www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/gov/depts/cr/aquatics/allanwitt/default.asp in Fairfield’s Alan Witt Park http://www.allanwittpark.org

• Fairfield office space for rent. Fairfield commercial space for lease or sale. Solano commercial real estate referrals www.NearI80.com 707 427-6520.

• Solano Business Directory www.SolanoBusinessDirectory.com

• Tourism www.visitfairfieldca.com

Can Fairfield Improve It's Image? What Score Does Fairfield City Get For How Well It Brands Itself?

Branding Fairfield.

Can Fairfield Improve It's Image? What Score Does Fairfield City Get For How Well It Brands Itself?  This article says cities like Fairfield, California should make cosmetic changes and get lots of value from this.  The suggestions also apply to California's Solano County's Benicia, Dixon, Rio Vista, Suisun, Vacaville, and Vallejo.

How about emphasizing the word "Fair" when promoting Fairfield?  "Fair" has a nice comforting ring to it.  Hence the popular "Fairfield Inn".  But then Fairfield citizens might complain the city isn't fair enough in how things are done.  So scratch the possibility of ever seeing a fair push for "Fair" in any branding right?

http://mandyvavrinak.com/economic-development/branding-places/

Economic Development In A Texas City. Someone Fairfield Might Learn From?

Is The Economic Development In A Texas City, Something Fairfield Might Learn From?

http://www.missioneda.org/?ctt_id=2547023&ctt_adnw=Google&ctt_kw=rio%20grande%20valley%20economic%20development&ctt_ch=ps&ctt_entity=tc

Study Questions If Fairfield Should Continue Promoting Lower Wage Factory Jobs

Is Fairfield's Sugar Cluster Economic Development What Fairfield Needs?

Study Puts In A Question As To Whether Fairfield Should Continue Promoting Lower Wage Factory Jobs.  Fairfield City Hall prides itself with having its economic development focus on bringing in large industrial type companies.  They mention the sugar related industries as being a cluster to develop.  However do clusters really work?  Maybe they do, maybe they don't.

One thing is clear, Fairfield could focus more on creating higher paying jobs.  But instead the city might even fight private efforts to bring higher paying jobs as explained in FixFairfield.org's blog.

Higher paying Fairfield jobs means less crime.

“…the author looked at the financial advantages, and costs, that clusters provided for firms throughout the life cycle of two innovative industries — semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. He examined 31 years of data on 194 publicly traded companies, which enabled him to see how clustered and nonclustered firms performed at various points in an industry’s life cycle. Surprisingly, the author found no clear evidence that clusters enhance a firm’s financial performance.”

Think about Fairfield's Sugar Cluster Economic Development
while reading this article http://developmentmarketing.blogspot.com/2010/06/does-location-really-matter.html 

Shooting at Fairfield's Pepperbelly Club. Is City's Broken Promise Partly Related To Central Fairfield Problems?

More on this topic at www.FairfieldBusinessNews.blogspot.com

Free Workshop For Fairfield Small Businesses. Picking Good Trademarks.

Discover how small Fairfield businesses select and get trademarks for under $400.

Interesting tips on selecting good trademarks for your Fairfield business.  How to get free legal help from the US Patent and Trademark Office.

45 minute workshop to be held by Steven Kays, CEO of Solano Business Incubator, at California Business Center on Dec 1st.  Call 707 434-8000.

Extended Fairfield Unemployment Benefits Ending?

Extended Fairfield Unemployment Benefits Ending?

Are Extended Fairfield Unemployment Benefits Ending? Unless the US congress further extends the 99 week unemployment benefits package, many unemployed Fairfield citizens will be suffering.

Luckily the local unemployment rate is improving.

More Solano County business news, jobs and income generation ideas at Solano Business News www.SolanoBusinessNews.com - The premier Solano County business news source for small businesses in Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun, Vacaville, Vallejo and next door Napa County.

Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant opens in #Solano #County in #Fairfield

Wing restaurant opens in mall.  More on Buffalo Wild Wings and owner Hardy Sam rawww.DailyRepublic.com

Free Fairfield Workshop To Beautify Your House. Learn How To Put In Natural Hedges With Native Plants!

Free Fairfield Workshop To Beautify Your Fairfield House. Learn How To Put In Natural Hedges With Native Plants In Your Yard !

Contact Katherine Holmes at Katherine.Holmes@solanorcd.org or 678-1655 ext. 118.

Secret Dangers About Fairfield Tattoo Parlors

Fairfield tattoo parlors are all the rage.

Some tattoos can look very nice before they need to get refreshed with more ink.

Secret Dangers About Fairfield Tattoo Parlors
• The more tattoos a person has, the greater the likelihood they have caught hepatitis C.
• Solano tattoo parlors that don't change both the needles, and the ink for each color used can transmit any number of diseases you don't want to learn how to pronounce.  Hepatitis C in Solano County is only one of them.
• Fairfield City Hall is not really monitoring Solano tattoo parlors.
• Why doesn't Solano county government monitor Fairfield tattoo parlors? It's a "free speech" thing. But what about freedom from catching disease from the previous tattoo client exercising their free speech?
• Fairfield tattoo parlor price wars are such that not replacing ink cartridges can make a big difference as to whether the Vacaville tattoo parlor stays in business or goes bankrupt.

Google search "tattoo parlor" dangers, and this might convince your smart Solano child to reconsider getting a tattoo in Solano County.

New Vacaville tattoo parlor opens to compete with Fairfield tattoo parlors http://www.thereporter.com/business/ci_16610604

Fairfield Tattoo Parlor prices are dropping.  Will there be another Fairfield Tattoo Parlor price war?  Fairfield Tattoo Parlor price fixing is illegal, and there are other cities to get price quotes from as well.  Everyone want's the cheapest tattoo price in Solano County.

While Solano County Environmental Health requires some license and does some Solano tattoo parlor monitoring, how do you really know how your Solano tattoo artist is saving costs when Solano County isn't watching?  http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/rm/environmental_health/consumer/tatoo_body_piercing_and_cosmetics.asp


Perhaps all Solano tattoo artists are ethical enough to pay out the higher costs as explained. 

Whatever you do, just be careful with your decision to go or not go for price quotes at Fairfield Tattoo Parlors.

More Educated Fairfield Voters Are The Answer

More Educated Fairfield Voters Are The Answer.

Read the Daily Republic article on the fast food they want to have replace Marie Calendar's across from the Hyatt - Garden Inn Hotel. Is downgrading Fairfield now the official moto for the city of Fairfield?





Isn't this action disrespecting the Hyatt investors who sunk lots of money creating a nice impression for Fairfield? It's highly visible from I-80.  The Hyatt hotel manager has often attended the chamber's political discussions.  Is there by small chance the possibility that the city is retaliating against them for political reasons?  Fairfield is well known to harass businesses by letting their immediate area get worse and other odd activities. This blog covers it too.

I'd like the city to list all the upgrading, and downgrading projects they've pushed.  There should be another column for "questionable". I'd be careful that downgrades aren't put into the upgrade category, strictly because it's a change. While change is often good, we can't presume all change is good, just because it's a change.

Now simply changing the city council may not solve all the problems.  Educated Fairfield voters know this. First one needs a majority on the council.  Second the problem has not changed despite numerous changes in the city council.  What's the solution?

More Educated Fairfield Voters Are The Answer.

Rodriguez High Teacher Implicated In Child Molestation

Here comes another arrest of staff from Fairfield's high schools.

Felica Killings aged 27 was arrested Tue Nov 9th for multiple counts of child molestation. Felicia Killings is a high school teacher at Fairfield's Rodriguez High School.

Details at www.DailyRepublic.com.

Books To Help Fix Fairfield

There are many books that will teach us not to make the same mistakes other American cities and towns made in their redevelopment programs. Suisun City knew what they were doing because they read the right books.

There are many books available through Fairfield's Barnes & Noble. Or they can be ordered through them online. For example, "

A City Transformed: Redevelopment, Race, and Suburbanization in Lancaster, Pennsylvania 1940-1980", by David Schuyler. Used copies can be had for $15 and up online.

More Solano County business news, jobs and income generation ideas at Solano Business News www.SolanoBusinessNews.com - The premier Solano County business news source for small businesses in Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun, Vacaville, Vallejo and next door Napa County.

Where Fairfield Gets Its Water

Details On Where Fairfield Gets Its Water.

Fairfield water source: http://www.water-ed.org/watersources/community.asp?rid=4&cid=488

It's not too specific however. Would be nice to see something showing what percent of our water comes from where.

Many of the big food companies like Budweiser like Fairfield water quality which is why they opened shop here.

Athenian Grill Helping Rodriguez and Armijo

Motivating Fairfield - Suisun High School Kids - Athenian Grill Helping Rodriguez and Armijo. Donations are made to Rodriguez and Armijo high school students who are applying themselves in school.

It's nice to see one of the area's nice restaurants being pro-active. 

Full article in the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber newsletter sent to members.

Fairfield Gateway Site Seeks Volunteers

Fairfield Gateway seeks Fairfield volunteers to update its website. It's your chance to help fix Fairfield and make a difference.  It's better to join in than complain about how Fairfield needs to improve its small business climate. Call them at 707 427-6400.

How Will Fairfield's History Be Written?

Today and Tomorrow - Fairfield History Books Might Write

Fairfield History Up To 2000:

• Fairfield’s Indians settled in Fairfield’s Rockville and Green Valley areas.

• In 1810 Gabriel Moraga was sent by the Spanish to take over local Suisun Indians. Sadly the Suisun Indians retreated.

• The Suisun Chief Solano in 1842 sold the land. It changed hands and ended up with A.A. Ritchie and Captain Waterman for only $50,000.

• Waterman named the area Fairfield in 1856, after his home in Connecticut. Fairfield became an incorporated city in 1903.

Fairfield History After 2000:

• City spent its redevelopment funds building new projects while forgetting its promise to fix central Fairfield.

• Central Fairfield declined.

• Fairfield voters stood up and demanded the entire Fairfield City Council unite in fixing Fairfield as they were promised decades earlier. Getting only two of the five city council votes wasn't enough.

• Let's hope the Fairfield history continues with... Central Fairfield is redeveloped as promised.  It's a win-win for everyone.

Loyalty Is Important In Fairfield City Promotion To Fairfield Public Works Chief

Fairfield's Public Works assistant director now leads the department. Fairfield City Hall's article 

http://www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/latest_news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=149&TargetID=1


With the limited budget let's hope the new Fairfield Public Works chief will practice cost effective business planning.  Good luck!

Fairfield Jelly Belly Tour Video

Enjoy the video http://www.vidly.net/video-jellybelly-factory-tour.html

Fairfield Voters Want Better Fairfield Restaurants

What was one of the biggest complaints Steven Kays kept hearing from Fairfield voters when I ran and almost won the Fairfield City Council seat? Voters were driving to Napa and Vacaville due to the lack of good Fairfield restaurants.

But Fairfield politics often is not nice and tidy to fit into a single focus oriented commentary. We all need to frequent the relatively better quality restaurants Fairfield has (i can't put in a plug for them here). This will send a message to Fairfield restaurateurs. 

This doesn't have to stop one from taking the fast drive to central Napa which is about 25 minutes from central Fairfield.  Why drive to Vacaville when Napa has a much more developed restaurant culture? Dollar for dollar you get more in Napa's affordable restaurants than in Solano's. This all ties into why Napa with somewhat similar grape growing climate and soil has taken the world by storm while Solano continues to sleep.  The Solano Business News covers the possibility for Solano to trademark itself like Napa did, and learn from Napa's mistakes as well. Ask any of the Suisun wine growers about this.

Details at Fairfield's newspaper. (The Daily Republic requires a password which is free to print subscribers).  Free Fairfield news with fewer articles naturally, is at Solano Business News.

Fairfield Riffraff Ordinance - City Wants To Weaken It?

Will converting Fairfield motels increase or decrease Fairfield crime?  Fairfield city hall wants to convert motels from long-term stay to short term stay.  Up to now, Fairfield motel guests can stay only up to 30 days.

This is the “Fairfield Riff Raff Ordinance”. Some at Fairfield Police might unofficially say the 30 day maximum stay is another way to keep out Fairfield riff raff.

Instead of focusing on the city’s important promise to improve blighted parts of Fairfield, it’s again focusing on ways to worsen Fairfield’s blighted neighborhoods.

In 2008 Fairfield stopped allowing new motel construction (others call it affordable hotels). John Mraz, and Cat Moy, and the others on the Fairfield City Council wisely believe Fairfield motels are an important focus for cutting Fairfield crime rates.

Solano needs to give affordable housing.  And Fairfield continues to take up the problem because the other Solano cities are informally saying they want Fairfield to take on the responsibility.

More details at the Fairfield newspaper www.dailyrepublic.com. Check out the other articles on how the city is keeping or not keeping its promise to Fix Fairfield.

What are your views?

What Are The Best Employers City Should Target? 1st Question: What Are Fairfield Buyer Tastes?

What type of new business will Fairfield support?

What are common Fairfield buying tastes? How can you best predict what Fairfield services or customers Fairfield customers are most likely to buy? The subject has dozens of main components. Are you open minded into looking at what might constitute your Fairfield customer buying preferences?

Naturally look at common factors within your industry nationwide.  Then consider the Fairfield regional differences. What sells well elsewhere in California may not sell as well here. Fairfield customer preferences will be shown to have at least moderate deviations from the norm. Step outside the Fairfield mindset and look at Solano customer buying preferences objectively.

Factors To Consider:

• Solano election voter traits: More below

• Worldliness: Travis Air Force gives people lots of travel experience.  Plus those who do travel share their experiences with those who are less fortunate to have traveled as much.

• Proximity to Inner Bay Area: Napa, Berkeley, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. These regions often pride in their worldliness.  Their greater level of liberal intellectuals exposes those in Fairfield to alternative ideas. At least your Fairfield clients might be more accepting of liberal modalities, even if such are not fully embraced.

• Proximity to Central Valley: Their citizens are more conservative, and will influence Fairfield tastes and buying decisions accordingly.

• Bedroom Community: This facet pushes people usually to the more conservative. 

Comments Innovation Institute Received About Solano Buying Tastes Versus The Inner Bay Area (not necessarily our opinion - so don't take this personally). Most other Solano business information sources may not have the guts to reprint the following:

• Spends less. Expects more value for the money.

• More prone to celebrate bank holidays, so are more able to shop on those days.

• Spend much of their purchasing dollars outside Fairfield and even Solano County. Suisun worked hard to reverse this imbalance and mayor Pete Sanchez, along with city council members Mike Hudson, and Jane Day are continuing to attract businesses while Fairfield might focus on other types of businesses (to be discussed in future articles).

• Fairfield Restaurants: Less healthy food oriented, yet this is changing. Exotic ethnic foods are becoming more popular - look at the new Afghanistan restaurant's popularity in Fairfield's Gateway mall, but the health oriented Chipotle's (started by McDonalds) is much more crowded.

• Yoga is growing in popularity but remains well behind the Inner Bay Area. A new center just opened in central Fairfield 707 427-6400.

• Book purchasing: Fewer people book aficionados touring used book stores. However thrift stores remain popular for the thrifty Fairfield consumer.

• More willing to drive a few extra miles.

How Does Solano Compare With California State As A Whole? In many ways Solano voters picked election candidates like other California voters. So far liberal Jerry Brown beat Meg Whitman 53.7% to 41.3% statewide. Jerry Brown beat Meg Whitman 58% to 36.8% in Solano County.

Detailed analysis on Solano buying tastes can be created by Innovation Institute in Fairfield at 707 428-5000.

How Solano Voters Stack Against Voters Statewide

In many ways Solano voters picked election candidates like other California voters.

So far Jerry Brown beat Meg Whitman 53.7 percent to 41.3 percent statewide.

Jerry Brown beat Meg Whitman 58% to 36.8% in Solano County, making Solano as usual more liberal than at least the central valley voters.

Details at the Fairfield – Suisun newspaper www.DailyRepublic.com

Like Him Or Not - Give Governor Brown A Chance. No Other Choice.

More Fairfield businesses backed Meg Whitman than Jerry Brown this election.

Like it or not, Brown may actually get the state government to seriously fix its ways. At this point, let's give Jerru Brown a strong level of support to let this happen.  Brown just might be able to speak on the democrat's level and fight for what's right.  Time will tell.

More on Brown.

Government Workshop: Start Your Own Business

The Solano Small Business Development Center is offering the workshop: How to Start Your Small Business.

It is 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the conference room at the middle of the second floor in the California Business Center, 1652 W. Texas Street, Fairfield.  Located diagonally from the new ultra modern indoor swimming pool complex in Allan Witt Park.

The starting your own business workshop space and coffee are donated by Solano Business Incubator. The office building has more businesses than any other office building in Solano and Yolo county.

Matt Garcia Center Gets Another $5000 Donation

 Business Contractors Helping Local Youth Center

Northern California Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors gave $5,000 to the Matt Garcia Youth Center. It’s past president Gary Walker said it raises money through its Solano golf tournaments. Gary Walker was the youngest Fairfield City Council member until Matt Garcia was elected in 2007.

Fairfield and Solano Elections

What happens in neighboring Solano cities effects Fairfield's economy and how quickly we can fix it.

My suggestions for Solano election candidates that are business friendly & may create Solano job openings. I created these blogs. Feel free to comment on the blogs. Send your friends this blog link if they live in Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville or Vallejo.

• John Vasquez, Solano Supervisor http://www.johnvasquezsolanosupervisorsupporters.blogspot.com/ 

• Mariko Yamada, State Assembly 8th District

http://www.marikoyamadastateassemblysupporters.blogspot.com/ While some may prefer Yamada's republican opponent, with liberal Davis being part of the 8th district, it's unlikely anyone but Yamada will win.  Plus my conversations with Yamada were very pro-business.

• Pete Sanchez, Suisun Mayor http://suisunmayorpetesanchez.blogspot.com/

• Jane Day, Suisun City Council http://www.janedaysuisuncitycouncilsupporters.blogspot.com/

On other links, check out the Suisun Voters site www.SuisunVoters.com.  www.SolanoBusinessNews.com also covers the economic impacts on Fairfield's economy.

If we require a larger majority of the state assembly to agree on tax increases, there's less chance for special interest groups to push for more taxes and such.

It's OK for us to have different views on Solano politics.  Key is for us to work together and work out our differences. Are all Fairfield City Council members listening to more than the special interest groups?

Cheers

Steven Kays, Founder

FixFairfield.Org

434-8000

Fairfield Polling Places

Fairfield Polling Places: 

Find your Solano election polling booth locations at http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/rov/. Cast ballots by Tue, Nov 2 8PM. 

Vote for the most business friendly Solano election candidates!

Will Fairfield Art Explosion Stay?

There's an interested construction company buyer wishing to purchase an important building in downtown Fairfield. The three-year old Art Explosion - an art gallery and studio space there was using it until a buyer was found.

The buyer wants to tap into all the traffic coming through West Texas Street leading into the new Solano County capital building.  The key concern is will Fairfield city keep it's promise to redevelop the city's main gateway in 2000?

Where did the money for fixing West Texas Street go before the recession hit? More people will spend money in downtown Fairfield, creating more job openings when the city follows through its promise to quickly redevelop the street. Construction was to start in 2000 or so. It's a win-win for everyone.

Details at www.DailyRepublic.com