2010 ChamberPAC BBQ

On August 26, History Park in San Jose was the rendezvous point for more than 1,000 political and business leaders and supporters of ChamberPAC - the San Jose Silicon Valley (SJSV) Chamber of Commerce's bipartisan political action committee.

Presented this year by the San Francisco 49ers, the barbecue marked the 28th annual gathering of ChamberPAC. The event is ChamberPAC's largest annual fundraiser, which funds efforts to promote candidates and ballot measures that represent the best interests of the business community on city, county and state levels. Over the years, it has been hailed as Silicon Valley's "must attend" event of the summer.

During the opening remarks, ChamberPAC Chair, Jim Eller reminded the crowd of ChamberPAC's accomplishments. "ChamberPAC advocated for pension reform and binding arbitration in addition to working on initiatives and infrastructure that would support a vibrant, growing economy such as the expansion of the Convention Center, bringing baseball to San Jose, and contracting out non-core city services."

Among the attendees were Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and San Jose Councilmembers Pete Constant - District 1, Sam Liccardo - District 3, Kansen Chu - District 4, Pierluigi Oliverio - District 6, Rose Herrera, District 8 and Vice Mayor Judy Chirco - District 9. ChamberPAC Endorsed Candidates Mike Wasserman, Magdalena Carrasco, and Minh Duong were also in attendance among the crowd of local and state elected officials.

Councilmember Sam Liccardo commented on the strong character of San Jose business and community leaders. "They are incredibly resilient to the challenges we've had the past couple of years and are very committed to making their neighborhoods, their business districts, their entire community a better place."

Guests enjoyed a visit from the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush girls, and learned more about the team's stadium plans in Santa Clara. Attendees also sampled complimentary cocktails, wine, hors d'oeuvres, sushi, ice cream and barbecue from a multitude of sponsors.

Los Gatos Councilmember and Candidate for Santa Clara County Supervisor, Mike Wasserman, told us why bringing all these people together with common goals is great for the community. They are "... pro-business, [they] help the community, create jobs, and bring business to Santa Clara County."

Councilmember Constant said, "From a government perspective, we have to keep doing the work we are doing, because we have to make it easier to do business and encourage people to come to San Jose. When the businesses do well, the government does well, and the residents do well ...we can provide the services people need, and it all starts with good solid businesses."

Chair of the Board, Gerry DeYoung, said it best: "Together we can make a difference and truly make San Jose and Silicon Valley the best place to live, work, and raise a family."

To learn more about ChamberPAC and how you can be a part of the 2011 barbecue, visit sjchamber.com or call (408) 291-5250.