Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Editorials

It's good business, but for whom?

The idea of bringing together the Chamber of Commerce, the Los Gatos Downtown Association and the Los Gatos Boulevard Community Alliance predates the new Town of Los Gatos Chamber, an affiliate of the San Jose Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

Those discussions were based on the idea that the three groups might share resources--one office, one fax machine, one copier--to the advantage of all three.

The idea had a lot of merit. Unfortunately, the old chamber folded before the three could put the overhead-reducing plan into play. So, when the San Jose Chamber targeted Los Gatos to establish the first of what it hoped would be several affiliate chambers, no one thought twice about continuing the "umbrella" discussion.

Only this time around, the scales were tipped. The San Jose Chamber brought to the table a sophisticated organization with a large support staff and a modern, well-equipped office.

BCA and LGDA members began thinking in terms of what the chamber had to offer them. In both organizations, proponents said: "We need the services the chamber has to offer." What no one ever asked was: "What's in it for the chamber?"

Now the Town of Los Gatos Chamber has announced that the three organizations "have come together under one umbrella, The Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce."

Listed as a benefit, as it is in the membership letter, the unification announcement suggests that dues need only be paid to one organization to support all three--a kind of United Way of business associations--with each person contributing to the umbrella organization and trusting allocation decisions to its leadership.

That's fine, except neither the LGDA nor the BCA has the endorsement of its membership for such an arrangement. What's more, no one in either group seems to understand that membership will require each of its members to pay dues to the chamber.

The San Jose Chamber can't imagine where they got that idea. Why would a successful business organization give away staff time free? Good question.

Much as LGDA and BCA leaders might want to believe the San Jose Chamber's impulse was a benevolent one, they must now face the fact that it was, in fact, a business arrangement. What's in it for the chamber is greater membership, and the increased income that go with it.

While the chamber does offer many benefits for its affiliates in the Town of Los Gatos Chamber, we can't imagine what's in it for the BCA and the LGDA. Right now, there are no dues required to participate in the BCA, which, at this point, is really an ad hoc committee working with the town to develop guidelines for growth along the boulevard. If the BCA affiliated with the chamber, would that mean only those who had coughed up their $300 chamber dues could participate in this town process?

LGDA member Shirley Henderson says she doesn't intend to join the chamber. Does that mean her services as cheerleader and workhorse for downtown beautification will no longer be required?

Many questions need to be answered, not the least of which is: If BCA and LGDA members are willing to part with their money to improve the environment where they do business, why send it to San Jose?