Economics of Being a Woman Seminar Deal
The Los Osos Based Economics of Being A Woman is supporting women for Gender Equality Month, dedicated to celebrating the social, political, cultural, and academic achievements of women in the world.
“Today, the need for financial education and preparedness for women is more important than ever,” said Andrea Wasko with Economics of Being a Woman. “March is Gender Equality Month, and we want to do what we can to help support women. The frequency and intensity of natural disasters is increasing, more women are financially supporting aging parents and/or boomerang kids who are returning home, and women’s rights are changing — all of these impact a woman’s financial path.”
The Economics of Being a Woman offers group financial education and preparedness through virtual learning seminars. During the month of March, they are offering one group seminar at half price.
For more information, email info@EconomicsOfBeingAWoman.com.
Presenters Andrea C. Wasko and Meaghan Gilbert, are long-time members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and founding members of the Neighborhood Emergency Awareness Team (NEAT).
Andrea has over 35 years of leadership, consulting, and innovation experience and has held executive positions in finance, business development, operations, marketing, manufacturing, and sales for a variety of companies including Eli Lilly, Boston Scientific, and Abbott Labs.
Meaghan spent many years in new product development with companies including Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, and several others. At Apple, she worked with Steve Jobs and was one of the original 100 Macintosh team members. She has over 40 years’ experience in the areas of finance, product development, program management, business development, manufacturing, and engineering.
SLO Master Chorale Emphasizes Community Outreach
The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale has received and given community outreach opportunities tied to the organization’s 40th anniversary and current season.
In November 2024, the group learned that the Paso Robles High School Choir – Forte – needed financial support to travel to Carnegie Hall in New York City. To make this dream a reality, the students needed to raise $90,000 to cover the costs of travel, accommodations, meals, and other expenses related to this significant event. Master Chorale members were happy to support the students, and the board of directors matched the funds donated by Chorale members, resulting in a donation to Forte of over $8,000.
Also in November, Paso Robles Plumbing, Heating and Air selected the SLO Master Chorale to be one of three organizations in the running for a donation through PHA’s Community First program during the month of December. That resulted in an award of $500 from PHA.
Then, the SLO Master Chorale celebrated its 40th anniversary on March 1, 2025, by honoring Music Director and founder Thomas Davies and accompanist Susan Azaret Davies in a special recognition event at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Luis Obispo.
Next month, the community is invited to attend the season’s final concert on April 27, featuring a performance of Verdi’s “Requiem,” a work that requires a full, powerful orchestra, excellent singers, exceptional soloists, and a dynamic conductor. Four soloists – soprano, mezz-soprano, tenor, bass – will join the SLO Master Chorale on stage to bring life to the masterpiece’s robust rhythms, majestic melodies, and considerable contrasts, sure to evoke powerful emotions alongside the liturgical text.
All concerts are given in Harold Miossi Hall at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo on the Cal Poly campus. Tickets are available for purchase at www.pacslo.org or by calling the PAC box office at 805-756-4849.
St. PETrick’s Day Adoption Promotion
Readers can find plenty of good luck this Saint Patrick’s Day at Woods Humane Society.
From March 14 to 17, Woods will celebrate “St. PETrick’s Day,” reducing adoption fees for all animals, including dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, to just $70 (plus license fees for adult dogs).
“This fun new take on a popular holiday was planned to help draw attention to the many animals at Woods Humane Society who are hoping to luck out and find a loving family,” says Woods CEO Emily L’Heureux. “St. Patrick’s Day weekend also lands squarely at the outset of spring, which for us means baby season is now underway. We hope this adoption promotion will help us make room in the shelter for the many kittens and puppies we are anticipating sheltering in the coming weeks.”
L’Heureux notes that Woods has already found loving homes for 49 kittens and 132 puppies in 2025 and currently has 7 kittens and 22 puppies in foster care. With the warmer days of spring arriving, those numbers will rise dramatically.
All adoptable animals have been spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, licensed, and treated for parasites. Adoptions also include a voluntary 30 days of pet insurance and a free wellness exam at a local vet clinic.
Woods Humane Society is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, and at 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, and is open to the public daily from 12-5 p.m., with adoption hours from 12-4 p.m. For more information about Woods, visit www.WoodsHumane.org or call (805) 543-9316.
PG&E Helps Customers Recognize and Avoid Utility Scams
Scams targeting utility customers continue at an alarming rate. In fact, during 2024, PG&E received over 26,000 reports from customers who were targeted by scammers impersonating the company, and customers lost $646,000 in fraudulent payments. Unfortunately, this number is likely just the tip of the iceberg for overall scam attempts, as many go unreported.
A news release states that the number of reports is continuing at a high level thus far in 2025, as PG&E received over 1,700 reports of attempted scams in January alone, with customers paying scammers nearly $22,000 during the month.
“Scammers will attempt to create a sense of urgency by threatening immediate disconnection of your utility services if you don’t make immediate payment,” said Ron Rose, lead customer scam investigator for PG&E. “Remember, PG&E will never ask you for financial information over the phone, nor will we ask for payment via pre-paid debit cards or money transfer services like Zelle. If you receive a call like this, hang up, and then either log onto PGE.com to confirm your account details, or you can call our customer service number.”
Scammers are opportunistic and look for times when customers may be distracted or stressed and are constantly contacting utility customers asking for payment to avoid immediate service disconnection.
Small and medium-sized businesses are also a target, and scammers will focus their efforts during busy business hours, preying on business owners’ sense of urgency to keep the doors open and the lights on. PG&E received over 1,200 reports of scam attempts targeting these customers during 2024.
Signs of a potential scam:
• Threat to disconnect: Scammers may aggressively demand immediate payment for an alleged past due bill.
• Request for immediate payment: Scammers may instruct the customer to purchase a prepaid card then call them back supposedly to make a bill payment.
• Request for prepaid card: When the customer calls back, the caller asks the customer for the prepaid card’s number, which grants the scammer instant access to the card’s funds.
• Refund or rebate offers: Scammers may say that your utility company overbilled you and owes you a refund, or that you are entitled to a rebate.
How customers can protect themselves
Customers should never purchase a prepaid card to avoid service disconnection or shutoff. PG&E does not specify how customers should make a bill payment and offers a variety of ways to pay a bill, including accepting payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person.
If a scammer threatens immediate disconnection or shutoff of service without prior notification, customers should hang up the phone, delete the email, or shut the door. Customers with delinquent accounts receive an advance disconnection notification, typically by mail and included with their regular monthly bill.
Signing up for an online account at pge.com is another safeguard. Not only can customers log in to check their balance and payment history, they can also sign up for recurring payments, paperless billing and helpful alerts.
Scammers are now able to create authentic looking 800 numbers which appear on your phone display. The numbers don’t lead back to PG&E if called back, however, so if you have doubts, hang up and call PG&E at 1-833-500-SCAM. If customers ever feel that they are in physical danger, they should call 911.
A recent trend is that scammers are creating fake utility bill-pay websites that appear in internet search results. For online payments, customers should log into pge.com, and either log into your account or create one to pay your bill.
Customers who suspect that they have been victims of fraud, or who feel threatened during contact with one of these scammers, should contact local law enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission’s website is also a good source of information about how to protect personal information.
For more information about scams, visit pge.com/scams or consumer.ftc.org.
Are you or a neighbor Taking Care of Business. Is your business, including non-profits, supporting our community? Maybe you’re launching a new business, or you’re making updates to your current business model, or re-opening. Perhaps you have a job opportunity, or have been doing some volunteer work, or are collaborating with another business or a non-profit. Or maybe you know someone who is. Submit your awesome local efforts for publication to EditorEBN@gmail.com.
