State of the City, Wine Festival ahead

Happy New Year! 2022 does seem to bring in the new year with some of the same difficulties of our previous years. But with all that, we continue to be flexible and find ways to have our business partners have as many opportunities as possible to engage and connect with members of the community. State of City – 1 p.m. Feb. 24, 2022, at Lakeside Church 745 Oak Avenue Parkway Folsom. Please join us to hear the Mayor's State of the City Address and see how our amazing city has been able to continue to THRIVE during these post-pandemic times! Register today at folsomchamber.com; members are $40 and non-members are $50. Foothill Wine Festival is back on April 2nd! With such an amazing turnout this past fall, we look forward to bringing all our Sierra Foothill Winery partners back to the Palladio Event center for another evening of exceptional wine! It was an excellent opportunity to meet with winemakers and discover some new favorites. For more information on the event, please visit foothillwinefest.com In non-event related news, every 10 years, local governments with by-district elections use new U.S. Census data to redraw their district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. The city of Folsom is in the process of switching to by-district elections and will similarly use 2020 Census data to draw boundaries for the new five City Council districts. State law requires cities and counties to engage communities in the districting and redistricting process by holding public hearings and conducting public outreach. For information on upcoming public hearings, please visit www.folsom.ca.us/government/city-clerk-s-office/by-district-elections-overview/by-district-elections-calendar. The finalized maps that you will help us create will define the five City Council district borders. These new districts will impact how you elect your council members for the next 10 years, starting with the 2022 Municipal Election. Joe Gagliardi is the CEO and president of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Folsom Partnership. He can be reached at joeg@goldcountrymedia.com.