Contributing businesses include our locally owned ice cream members

• Mission Hill Creamery
• The Penny Ice Creamery
• Marianne’s Ice Cream

with the generous support of

• Vinocruz (wine)
• Dave Ray (Darco Printing) and Island Breeze (music)
• Caffe Pergolesi (coffee)
• Beckmann’s Bakery (chocolate chip cookies)

This is also a great event to meet your local business owners and network with key business leaders, local government leaders and your business neighbors.

Details
Thursday, June 27th 5:30 pm
Santa Cruz Mission, 144 School Street
Cost: Free!

Be part of your local business community and join us for this fun event!

Click here for the full story...

The local checks of Think Local First’s 2012 Great Money Race have crossed the December 1^st finish line, and will be redeemed by their sponsoring financial institutions at TLF’s annual Radio Eggnog Holiday Social December 1, at the studios of KSCO radio, 2300 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz.

On November 1, $100 checks were handed to five TLF members from Bay Federal Credit Union, Lighthouse Bank, SC County Bank, SC Community Credit Union, and SC County Employee Credit Union.  Each check was then redeemed for goods and services at a TLF business, which then redeemed the check at another TLF business, and so the race was on through the month of November.

Each Great Money Race check had a volunteer racer to help it negotiate the various obstacles along the way—and there were many obstacles along the way!   Racers included:  Gina Cavuoto of the Believe Agency for Lighthouse Bank, Kristyn Glenn from UCSC for SC County Bank, Collin Hood from UCSC for SC County Credit Union, Andy Murray from UCSC for SC County Employee Credit Union.

The Great Money Race was administered by TLF’s Amanda Brandt and Volunteer Amber Schlosser.

In the first Great Money Race (2009), five $100 checks generated $6,900 of local business in one month.  In the second Great Money Race (2010), the five $100 checks generated only $4,900, as two of the checks went missing.

Over the course of the 30-day 2012 Great Money Race, the five $100 checks passed through numerous hands and generated $8,711.48 in local business.  Had those checks been redeemed at a national chain, they would have generated only $500 worth of business!

The winning checks, racers and financial institutions will be announced at Think Local First’s annual Radio Eggnog Social, Thursday, December 6, at KSCO Studios, 2300 Portola Drive in Santa Cruz.

The Great Money Race is designed to encourage Think Local First’s 650+ locally-owned businesses get to know each other, and to help the shoppers of Santa Cruz County understand just how important it is to Think Local First when making purchasing decisions!

Sixth Annual Radio Eggnog Social
Think Local First Celebrates turning $500 into $8,711.48 in 30 days!

Thursday, December 6, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, KSCO Radio, 2300 Portola Drive

SANTA CRUZ,  December 3, 2012 – Think Local First will celebrate the completion of its 3^rd Great Money Race, the culmination of its annual Shop Local Week, and the holiday season at its annual Radio Eggnog Social Thursday, December 6 at KSCO radio.

(TLF’s Great Money Race turned 5 $100 checks from Bay Federal Credit Union, Lighthouse Bank, SC County Bank, SC Community Credit Union, and SC County Employee Credit Union into $8,711.48 by circulating the checks through its community of  locally-owned businesses for 30 days.  The winning checks will be presented at Radio Eggnog with their sponsoring financial institutions and racers.

Radio Eggnog is open and free to owners, managers and staff of the locally-owned business community of Santa Cruz County, and will feature food from India Joze, drink from S. Martinelli & Company, studio tours, and a Shop Local Week raffle with thousands of dollars in prizes.

KSCO’s Happy Hour host Charley Freedman and Money Moves hostess Pamela Fugitt-Hetrick will feature as many representatives of local businesses as possible on the air at AM 1080 between 5pm to 8pm.

EVENT DETAILS
Think Local First County of Santa Cruz 6th Annual Eggnog Social
KSCO Radio, 2300 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz,
Thursday, December 6, 5:30pm-7:30pm
Food from India Joze & Drinks from Martinellis and Clover Stornetta
Hosted microphone for representatives of locally owned businesses

Soon the year will pass only to follow with filing yet another income tax return. How we all look forward to file income taxes; if only that were true. Hopefully the following information will help make that process one step easier: finding a competent tax return preparer.

Who will prepare your income tax return this year? One can pick from various types of preparers (unless you prepare your taxes yourself, or do not pay your preparer, thus this article is not intended to cover these choices). In order to prepare income taxes there are requirements and credentials a preparer needs to obtain. The IRS has recently made some changes regarding these credentials.

The RTRP (Registered Tax Return Preparer) certification has recently been added by the IRS. An exam must be passed establishing minimal competency covering only individual income tax returns (Form 1040). RTRPs must adhere to ethical standards and have limited practice rights before the IRS, representing clients in only certain limited circumstances. Whereas in the past paid preparers could complete income returns without any credential and/or education; those days are over. In addition some states have their own requirements and California is one of them.

California, in addition to the IRS has its own requirements; if you are not a CPA, attorney, or EA, you must become a CTEC (California Tax Education Council) in order to lawfully prepare taxes in California. This certification was established by the California State Legislature to promote competent tax preparation. Qualifying educational requirements must be met by a CTEC Approved Provider. For more information and/or to find a preparer you can access http://www.ctec.org.

CPAs (Certified Public Account) receive their license with the state thus fulfilling their individual state’s requirement. CPAs and attorneys can only practice in the states in which they are licensed. All CPAs do not prepare income tax returns just as all attorneys do not work on income tax preparation. Both of these licenses do not specifically focus on taxes but allow both CPAs and attorneys to lawfully prepare taxes if they so choose. Click the following link to access information regarding CPAs in California http://www.dca.ca.gov/cba/index.shtml

Lastly, another option to prepare your taxes is an EA (Enrolled Agent) who specializes in the preparation of income tax. An Enrolled Agent is a person who has earned the privilege of representing taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service by one of two ways: passing a three-part comprehensive IRS test covering individual and business tax returns, or through experience as a former IRS employee. Enrolled agent status is the highest credential the IRS awards. Individuals who obtain this elite status must adhere to ethical standards and complete 72 hours of continuing education courses every three years.

Enrolled agents, like attorneys and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), have unlimited practice rights. This means they are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what types of tax matters they can handle, and which IRS offices they can represent clients before.

An EA can help you in many ways: with advice, representation, and they prepare tax returns for individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates, trusts, and any entities with tax-reporting requirements. EAs prepare millions of tax returns in a typical year. EAs’ expertise in the continually changing field of tax law enables them to effectively represent taxpayers audited by the IRS.

Until we say good-bye to 2012 and welcome 2013 may you enjoy a successful holiday season. Should you need additional information please feel free to contact Barbara Knirlberger, EA by email: AccountByDesign@pacbell.net or at 831-477-7009

We will be giving away prizes to lucky pledge winners for their commitment to shop locally during TLF’s Shop Local Week.

Also, the results of the Great Money Race will be announced during the mixer and the businesses who hold the final checks will be awarded $100 each from our participating financial institutions.

Bonus: KSCO radio will be hosting an open mic where you can go on the radio live and promote your business to the world! It’s free and open to members of Think Local First only.

TLF EGGNOG SOCIAL DETAILS

KSCO Radio, 2300 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz
Thursday, December 6, 5:30-7:30pm

• Food & Drink
• Hosted live radio microphone for members of Think Local First
• Free! Open to the community

For additional information contact us at info@thinklocalsantacruz.org.

These meetings are where most of our business gets done, so please only attend if you wish to contribute to the organization by means of volunteering or offering us meaningful feedback, or if you’d just like to listen in and see how we work.  We also ask that you email info@thinklocalsantacruz.org first, so we can make sure there is time in the agenda for you to introduce yourself.

We challenge the community to choose to shop at locally-owned businesses this holiday season and beyond. Encourage your patrons, friends, and family to pledge to shop local. All pledges will be entered to win prizes donated by generous TLF member businesses!

JOIN US! Shop the Logo. Shop Local.
November 29 – December 6

Email your pledge to shoplocal@thinklocalsantacruz.org and enter to win! The winners will be announced at TLF’s 5th Annual Eggnog Mixer on Dec 6.
Note: winners need to present a shopping receipt from a TLF member business (dated during SLW) to claim your prize!!!

Watch the video

The president took his daughters, Sasha and Malia, to One More Page Books in Arlington, Va., on Saturday afternoon.

The White House says Obama was promoting an effort called “small business Saturday” to encourage shoppers to patronize mom-and-pop businesses after Thanksgiving.

Read more: http://india.nydailynews.com/newsarticle/ff19d280ca436dfa56190f414ff36f4a/obama-buys-books-to-promote-independent-shops#ixzz2DGv83eeo