Chamber danger

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How much does it take to fold a chamber of commerce? 

In Lompoc, apparently, it takes a little less than $50,000. The Lompoc City Council decided to cut into the amount of funding it provides to the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce—both in cash and in-kind. 

The result of that is about a net $60,000 benefit for the chamber rather than the more than $100,000 it usually gets. And with that cut, the chamber—which reported to the IRS that it closed the fiscal year 2022-23 with more than $140,000 on hand—took to the internet. 

It announced on Facebook that it was going to cancel this year’s Old Town Market before also announcing that it was going to have to close because of the move “to abruptly and drastically cut funding to the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce—without any prior discussion or opportunity for response.”

“This is more than a budget cut. It’s the potential loss of a vital community pillar that has stood beside our local businesses, youth, and families for decades,” chamber President/CEO DeVika Stalling wrote. “We are calling on YOU—our members, neighbors, and partners—to show up and speak out.” 

Stalling, however, did not respond to the Sun’s requests for comment. And she rarely does. Mayor Jim Mosby also said he hasn’t been able to chat with anyone from the chamber either. I do get it, he’s a tough one, but he is the city mayor.

We don’t really have an understanding about what’s happened to the chamber’s finances between June 2023 as the last publicly available tax document is from the 2022-23 fiscal year. So. The question becomes: Can losing out on $48,000 really sink the chamber? And if that’s the case, what’s happened since 2023? And, should the city suck it up and give it to them? 

Maybe we’ll find out at the council’s June 17 meeting, the one the chamber is rallying the troops to show up and speak out at. 

Meanwhile, Mosby is complaining that Lompoc only has $300,000 to $400,000 to give out police raises and that’s the reason why the chamber isn’t getting the funding that it’s used to. 

“Do we want to lose police officers or do we want to support the chamber?” Mosby said. 

On the other hand, Councilmember Jeremey Ball is touting the city’s $8 million reserve fund, pointing to it and saying that it’s ridiculous for people to claim that the city’s broke and doesn’t have $48,000 measly dollars to share with the local business advocacy organization. 

“We do have the funds. We do have the discretion to do the right thing, period,” Ball said. 

And I don’t really know what to believe. But I do believe in transparency. 

Maybe everything will get aired out at the meeting, and the chamber will tell everyone why that cut would push it over the edge and its show of force will force the city’s hand into making a difficult decision.

Maybe it won’t. 

Politics is dicey these days. I don’t know who or what to believe, but I do know that half of what everyone says is spin. Spin. SPIN.

The Canary is dizzy. Send facts to canary@santamariasun.com.

This article appears in Jun 19-29, 2025.