Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce Events Newswire

Business After Hours: Kaiser Arena - Home of the Santa Cruz Warriors 10/28/2026 5:00 PM - 10/28/2026 7:00 PM

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:22:44 GMT

Business After Hours: Santa Cruz Warriors

Join the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce for an evening of connection, conversation, and community at Business After Hours!

Gather with fellow Chamber members and local business professionals on Wednesday, October 28 from 5:00–7:00 PM at Kaiser Permanente Area, home of the Santa Cruz Warriors for a relaxed evening of networking, relationship-building, and fun. Enjoy the opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces, and discover what’s happening in our local business community. Please note: Sneakers or flat shoes are required, as heels are not permitted on the court.

Whether you’re a longtime member or joining us for the first time, Business After Hours is a great way to expand your network while enjoying the vibrant Santa Cruz business community.

Come make connections, share ideas, and enjoy an evening with your fellow Chamber members!

RBEFORE REGISTERING, PLEASE EAD!
To register, please follow the instructions below.

- Click on the red “Register” button at the top of this page.
- THEN Click the blue “Login” button in the upper right corner on the next screen. After you enter your username and password, click login, then proceed with the registration form.
- If you do not have your login or password information feel free to use the “Forgot Password” feature to retrieve your password via the email you have on file with the Chamber.

If you still have technical issues please feel free to call (831) 457-3713 or email administration@santacruzchamber.org

No Refund for Cancellations

Advocacy 101: Making Your Voice Count in Sacramento 11/4/2026 11:00 AM - 11/4/2026 1:00 PM

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:29:02 GMT

Every year, decisions made in the state Capitol shape the rules your organization operates under, from budget allocations to regulatory requirements. Yet for many business leaders, the legislative process can feel like a black box: unfamiliar timelines, unclear entry points, and no roadmap for when or how to weigh in.

This session opens that door. Join us for a practical, member-focused briefing on how state government actually works and how you can work within it. You'll walk through the legislative calendar and budget process to understand the moments that matter most for engagement, and when speaking up early can shape outcomes more effectively than reacting after the fact. You'll learn how to build relationships with legislative staff, the people who often shape policy long before it reaches a vote. And you'll get hands-on guidance for submitting letters of support or opposition through committee portals, plus simple strategies for tracking bills that could affect your industry.

We're pleased to welcome Peter Kellison, Managing Partner of Clear Advocacy, as our featured speaker. With more than four decades of experience in California politics and government, Peter brings a rare, ground-level understanding of how credibility and influence are built in the Capitol, and how the best advocacy often starts long before an issue becomes urgent.

Whether you're new to public policy or looking to sharpen your organization's approach, you'll leave with the knowledge and confidence to engage effectively, at the right time, in the right way.

Meet Our Speaker: Peter Kellison is Managing Partner of Clear Advocacy and has spent more than four decades in California politics and government. He began his career in Washington, D.C. and the California State Senate, eventually managing Capitol operations for a Senate leader before becoming, at the time, Sacramento’s youngest full-time lobbyist. He founded his own firm in 2000 and later co-founded Clear Advocacy.

Along with partners Tom Daly, a former California legislator, and Debbie Daly, Peter leads Clear Advocacy, a boutique government affairs firm with a longstanding reputation for credibility, influence and substantive impact. The firm has built its practice by being a constructive participant in the political and policy process—not simply showing up when a client needs something.

Over his career, Peter has represented Fortune 100 companies, statewide associations, healthcare organizations, nonprofits and emerging businesses, earning recognition from Capitol Weekly as one of California’s most influential voices in health policy and politics. A Capitola resident, Peter approaches advocacy as a craft: credibility is earned over time, influence starts well before you need it, and the best advocacy often happens before an issue ever becomes a problem.

Details

Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Location: Seacliff Inn, Aptos, California
Format: Educational lunch with networking

BEFORE REGISTERING, PLEASE READ!
To register, please follow the instructions below.

- Click on the red “Register” button.
- Click the blue “Login” button in the upper right corner on the next screen. After you enter your username and password, click login, then proceed with the registration form.
- If you do not have your login or password information feel free to use the “Forgot Password” feature to retrieve your password via the email you have on file with the Chamber.

If you still have technical issues please feel free to call (831) 457-3713 or email administration@santacruzchamber.org

Business After Hours: Hotel Paradox 11/19/2026 5:00 PM - 11/19/2026 7:00 PM

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 19:21:34 GMT

Business After Hours: Hotel Paradox

Join the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce for an evening of connection, conversation, and community at Business After Hours!

Gather with fellow Chamber members and local business professionals on Thursday, November 19, from 5:00–7:00 PM at Hotel Paradox for a relaxed evening of networking, relationship-building, and fun. Enjoy the opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces, and discover what’s happening in our local business community.

Whether you’re a longtime member or joining us for the first time, Business After Hours is a great way to expand your network while enjoying the vibrant Santa Cruz business community.

Come make connections, share ideas, and enjoy an evening with your fellow Chamber members!

RBEFORE REGISTERING, PLEASE EAD!
To register, please follow the instructions below.

If you still have technical issues please feel free to call (831) 457-3713 or email administration@santacruzchamber.org

No Refund for Cancellations

Holiday Business After Hours & Food Drive: Woodstock's Pizza 12/2/2026 5:00 PM - 12/2/2026 7:00 PM

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:53:57 GMT

Woodstock Holiday Business After Hours

Join us for a festive evening of networking, community, and holiday cheer at our annual Holiday Business After Hours! We’re gathering at Woodstock’s Pizza for an evening filled with great connections, tasty bites, and seasonal spirit.

This year’s event is sponsored by Woodstock's Pizza, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Santa Cruz Metro as we come together to support our community through an end-of-year Canned Food Drive.

Please bring a non-perishable food item (or a few!) to help families in need this holiday season – most needed foods are canned meat, peanut butter, soups, chili beans, cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, whole grain rice, pasta and oats.

Our event will feature:

Lively networking with local professionals and community leaders
Delicious pizza and refreshments from Woodstock’s
The joy of giving back through our food drive partnership

If you can't join us that night, stop by between 1 pm - 5 pm to drop off food donations.Santa Cruz Metro will be supporting this event and will have a bus parked in front of Woodstock's Pizza in the loading zone to collect your donations.

$10 Members
$20 Non-Members
Proceeds help fund Chamber education events.

Let’s close out the year by strengthening our business connections while making a meaningful difference in our community. We look forward to seeing you there!