Lobbying works by a simple rule: There’s clout in numbers. That’s why Downtown San Diego’s highly organized business community has such an agenda-setting influence. North County’s fragmented business community, split up among many different organizations, had nothing to compare with it.

And that’s why the Rancho Bernardo Chamber of Commerce and the I-15 Diamond Gateway Chamber of Commerce merged last July to form a new organization, the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce.

If the San Diego North moniker sounds familiar, it’s because two other North County groups previously adopted it, namely the San Diego North Convention & Visitors Bureau and the San Diego North Economic Development Council. The reasoning for all three is the same: They want to be identified with San Diego, yet also known as a distinct subregion. “San Diego North” says it in as few words as possible.

Early signs look good for the new group. From a membership of fewer than 900 companies for the groups before the merger, membership has swelled to 1,100 members. About 150 of those members have joined since January, says Gary Powers, president and CEO of the San Diego North chamber.

Political Reach

Most politicians at the state level “won’t listen to a chamber with less than 1,000 members,” says Powers, who was CEO of the Rancho Bernardo chamber. “Once you break that threshold, you have a voice. They now call us, instead of we calling them.”

The combined chamber has the numbers to keep watch on various local governmental agencies, Powers says. When the Rancho Bernardo Inn applied for an expansion, the chamber sent representatives to the San Diego Planning Commission and City Council, which approved the $5 million project. The Inn is a Chamber member.

The chamber also is keeping an eye on statehouse politics. In late April, the chamber is sending a delegation to Sacramento to meet with local legislators and state officials.

“They’ll be talking with insurance commissioner John Garamendi, with Charlene Zettel (director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs who previously represented North County in the Assembly), some very key high-level government people,” Powers says.

The group also will include some political newbies, who will attend a seminar on the nuts and bolts of politics — how a bill is created and gets enacted into law.

Geographic Reach

The chamber’s growing role is a direct result of its increased geographic scope, says Richard M. Alvino, a member of the chamber’s executive committee. Its territory covers the communities of 4S Ranch, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Miramar, Mira Mesa, North Poway, Rancho Penasquitos, Sorrento Mesa and Torrey Highlands, and, of course, RB and Scripps Ranch.

Alvino was a main driver of the unification, which he suggested a decade before. “Small chambers do not do well, because of their inability to influence public policy,” Alvino says. “We found that you need to be a larger chamber to basically talk to a politician or city council with any force.”

That’s not necessarily the view of the other North County chambers, however. The Poway Chamber of Commerce, which would fit neatly into the group’s geographic focus, has decided to remain independent.

But Alvino says the San Diego North chamber has good prospects to add members in the Mira Mesa, Miramar and Sorrento Valley areas, which he said are not well served by any existing organization. The Golden Triangle Chamber would beg to differ.

There is, of course, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, which aims to represent the entire county. That chamber was originally called the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce. It adopted its present name in 2000 with the explicit goal of representing business interests throughout the San Diego County region.

The San Diego Regional Chamber co-operates with the San Diego North chamber, says Angelika Villagrana, a regional chamber spokeswoman. “They have a representative on one of our legislative committees.”

Powers says the San Diego North Chamber aims for a different role than the San Diego Regional Chamber, especially because it is more focused on direct personal contact to members.

“If you call our chamber, you get a live voice. It will not go to voice mail,” Powers says. “We invested in an extra person to answer the phones and give information to our members, whether it’s a closure on I-15 or how to get trash picked up — these are all important services that we provide to members.”

San Diego North
Chamber of Commerce
sdncc.com
(858) 487-1767
11650 Iberia Place, Suite 220
San Diego, CA 92128

Major members include:
Bank of America
Cox Communications
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Northrop Grumman
Palomar Pomerado Health
San Diego Gas & Electric Co.
Sony Electronics
Time Warner Cable
Wells Fargo Bank