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Thursday, October 21, 2021 | View as Webpage
SUPPLY CHAIN CRISIS WORSENS, ECONOMIC FORECAST REPORT, REGIONAL BROADBAND RECAP AND MORE!
HOT OFF THE PRESS
DUNN & DONE: SUPPLY CHAIN CRISIS WORSENS FOR BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS:
  • Anyone who has gone to the beach or flown out of Southern California recently can tell you, there are a lot of cargo ships moored off coast—100 at last count—waiting for weeks to dock and offload merchandise for all of us. This backlog has pervaded every aspect of the global supply chain, with bottlenecks and labor shortages at ports, warehouses, trucking, and rail hubs nationwide. The Ports of LA and Long Beach, which comprise 35% of all US shipping container activity, have more than five times normal pre-pandemic levels of activity. A crisis of this magnitude demands action from State leaders. Not for the inconvenience of ordering holiday presents early or waiting longer for online furniture purchases, but due to worsening pressure on delivering food, medical supplies, and diapers. Supplies of these and other essential products will become harder to come by and in turn drive up prices making it more expensive for consumers to afford basic needs. There is also a devastating toll on the mental health of the supply chain workforce and mounting pollution concerns. That's why Governor Newsom’s Executive Order is an important first step but does not go as far or fast enough as this crisis warrants. OCBC and statewide leaders from business, commerce, and agriculture are calling on Governor Newsom to take specific actions now. Read our response to the Governor’s order here and list of regulatory relief strategies here.

ICYMI: OCBC/CSUF’S 27TH ANNUAL ECONOMIC FORECAST CONFERENCE:
  • OCBC and Cal State Fullerton virtually hosted a successful 27th Annual Economic Forecast Conference yesterday with the theme “Brave New World – Resiliency, Recovery and Reflation.” Dr. Anil Puri and Dr. Mira Farka, CSUF, expertly presented critical economic insight and answered great questions submitted by the audience with the assistance of moderator and EFC Committee Chair, Jeff Ball, President and CEO, Friendly Hills Bank. Thank you to title sponsor, U.S. Bank, presenting sponsor, Experian, and all of our sponsors for contributing to the success of this program. Check out the event recording and the economic report!

ICYMI: RECAP OF REGIONAL BROADBAND WORKSHOP:
  • OCBC joined leaders from the Orange County and LA Boards of Supervisors, local elected officials, technology and academic leaders, and telecommunications providers to discuss ways to work together to close the digital divide. Click for a recap or to watch the full event video. For questions on OCBC’s regional broadband efforts, contact Jennifer Ward.
ADVOCACY
OCBC ADVOCACY PAYS OFF IN SACRAMENTO:
  • Gov. Newsom signed 92% of bills sent to his desk this year for a total of 770 new laws. OCBC directly advocated on 45 bills; 26 were vetoed or designated as “two-year bills” after stalling in the Legislature, while the Governor signed eight supported bills—a 76% success rate! CalChamber identified 25 job killers this year; just two made it to the Governor’s desk, and only one was signed. Click here to see bills OCBC tracked by policy area, and stay tuned for OCBC's 2021 Legislative Scorecard to see how OC’s legislators performed on key bills impacting businesses.
TURNING RED TAPE INTO RED CARPET NOMINEE SPOTLIGHT
OC CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES’ DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN:
  • Orange County Child Support Services’ (CSS) Digital Marketing Campaign is nominated for the Incorporating Innovative Technology Award! To market CSS programs and inform customers of alternatives to in-person appointments during the pandemic, CSS launched a marketing campaign through social media, ads and mobile apps. The internet campaign yielded 22,800 clicks from 2.7 million impressions.*
CITY OF IRVINE’S DEI BUSINESS OUTREACH:
  • Nominated for the Public-Private Partnership Award is the City of Irvine’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Business Outreach, a program developed to connect with minority and women-owned businesses and inform them of the City’s bidding process and how to become a vendor. The city hosts quarterly meetings with large contractors to encourage partnerships with diverse business owners.*

*Winners announced at virtual event on Nov. 4; register here!
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS:
ORANGE COUNTY INNOVATOR! UCI ALUMNUS WINS NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY:
  • Congratulations to UCI alumnus David W.C. MacMillan for being awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in developing better catalysts for converting and building molecules. MacMillan, now the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University, shares the prize with Benjamin List from the Max Planck Institute in Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany. MacMillan was advised during his graduate studies at UCI by Larry Overman, Distinguished Professor emeritus of chemistry. The Nobel Prize winner has another connection to UCI: While at UC Berkeley and later at Caltech, he was Ph.D. advisor to Vy Dong, UCI professor of chemistry. Learn more. 
COMMUNITY RESOURCES:
ACC-OC TO HOST LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON 11/5:
  • Join Association of California Cities Orange County (ACC-OC) on Nov. 5 for its Leadership Conference featuring State Treasurer Fiona Ma, League of California Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman and other esteemed speakers, including OCBC's President and CEO, Lucy Dunn. Learn about OC’s economic outlook, the latest state and federal legislation affecting the region and more. Register here.

SOCALGAS LAUNCHES GRANT PROGRAM: 
  • SoCalGas to support Southern California nonprofits with up to $400,000 in grant funding for programs, projects and research that address community climate solutions. The 2021 SoCal Climate Champions Grant program is open now to non-profit organizations working to navigate climate change through Resilient Energy, Clean Air, or Organic Waste Diversion. The application deadline is Nov. 5. More information.

LEARN HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH MWD: 
  • Join OneLA on Oct. 28 to learn how your small business can take advantage of doing business with Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Professional services that Metropolitan contracts out include engineering, architectural, legal, human resources, audit, communications networking, and environmental studies, among others. Procurement and purchasing contracts of interest to Metropolitan include fleet, trucks and lifts, pipes and valves, water treatment chemicals, hardware and tools, electrical equipment, computer software, landscaping services, janitorial and custodial services. Register here. 

OC WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS OFFERS FREE RESOURCES:
  • Orange County (OC) Workforce Solutions, formerly the OC One-Stop Center (Center), is hosting a Business Solutions Networking Event on Oct. 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Learn how OC Workforce Solutions can help employers find the work-ready talent they need to compete, access business resources to support their growth, and address challenges that come with transition and change. Hear about their On-the-Job Training (OJT) opportunity, which has federal funds available to reimburse qualifying employers with 75-90% of program participants' training wages. RSVP here. 

DISCUSSION ON IMPROVING HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY IN CA:
  • Join UCI’s Center for Health Care Management and Policy Fall Speaker Program virtually on Nov. 4 for a conversation with senior health care leaders and policymakers on policy issues, challenges and solutions for improving healthcare affordability. Learn what state policymakers should do to promote health care affordability for consumers, details on new Qualified Health Plan (QHP) affordability standards and much more! Register today to secure your seat!
OCBC'S UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS
EVENTS
11th Annual Turning Red Tape Into Red Carpet Awards
November 4 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Now in its eleventh year, OCBC’s groundbreaking awards program honors outstanding public agencies for implementing policies and programs that cut through red tape, eliminate barriers to economic growth and open the door to private sector jobs creation. Winners will be announced live! Thank you, title sponsor, Amazon and silver sponsors, Charter Communications, SDG&E and Verizon. Register today!

Chairman's Leadership Breakfast featuring Ken Potrock
November 9 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Join OCBC for an IN PERSON Chairman’s Leadership Breakfast featuring Ken Potrock, President, Disneyland Resort. Hear about Ken's mission, how the Disneyland Resort has evolved over the past year and a half, what's new at the resort, what's coming soon, and so much more! OCBC Board Member, Steve Churm, FivePoint, will lead what is sure to be a fascinating discussion. Thank you to our incredible gold sponsors, Disneyland Resort and SDG&E, and supporting sponsors, BIA-SC, CSUF College of Business and Economics, Siddiqui Law, APC and The Orange County Register. Purchase your ticket today!

For more information about OCBC Events contact Lauren Martin, OCBC Events Manager.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS*
November 5 | 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Join OCBC virtually for a discussion on public policy issues that have a direct impact on the business community.
OCBC members, contact Connor Medina, OCBC Government Affairs Manager, to register.

November 16 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
OCBC's guest speaker will be Dr. Bobbie Porter, Assistant Vice President, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Programs for Cal State Fullerton. Hear how Cal State Fullerton, which employs over 4,000 people, identifies, recruits, attracts and retains a diverse workforce. OCBC members, register here.

November 18 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
OCBC's guest speakers will be Dr. Wallace Walrod, Chief Economic Advisor for OCBC, and Katie Kalvoda, President and Board Chair of AdvanceOC, which brings together leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors to champion equity-oriented, data-driven strategies. Dr. Walrod will discuss migration data and its impact on Orange County's population, and Katie will discuss the work of her organization and their OC Equity Map. OCBC members, register here.

*OCBC Committee meetings are an exclusive benefit offered to OCBC members.
NOT AN OCBC MEMBER? JOIN TODAY!
Join OCBC and connect with the most influential companies and top executives actively engaged in creating a pro-business environment and prosperous economy. Hundreds of Orange County's leading businesses, cities and non-profit organizations represent an elite group from every industry cluster. But we need YOUR VOICE! For more info, contact Natalie Rubalcava, OCBC Chief Operating Officer.