The Leading Voice of Business
Thursday, October 14, 2021 | View as Webpage
HEAR OCBC CHAIR AT OCCOG ASSEMBLY, ECONOMIC FORECAST CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK, OC BLACK CHAMBER BANQUET TODAY, OCBC ADVOCACY PAYS OFF AND MORE!
HOT OFF THE PRESS
OCBC CHAIR TO KEYNOTE OCCOG GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
  • Jena Jensen, Chief Government Relations Officer for CHOC and Chair of OCBC's Board of Directors will provide the morning keynote address at the OC Council of Governments General Assembly on Nov. 17 at Disney's Grand Californian. Businesses interested in joining hundreds of leaders in local government, transportation, housing and energy at this event, click here for more info.

REGISTER NOW FOR OCBC/CSUF’S 27TH ANNUAL ECONOMIC FORECAST CONFERENCE:
  • Join OCBC and Cal State Fullerton virtually on Oct. 20 at 10:30 a.m. for the 27th Annual Economic Forecast Conference: A Brave New World – Resiliency, Recovery and Reflation! You won’t want to miss critical economic insight presented by Dr. Anil Puri and Dr. Mira Farka, CSUF. Thanks to title sponsor, U.S. Bank, presenting sponsor, Experian, and all our incredible sponsors, this event is complimentary to attend. Register today!

TODAY! JOIN OC BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL BANQUET:
  • Virtually join OC Black Chamber of Commerce's 29th Annual Banquet: "We are still here for you" at noon! Watch here.

ACC-OC TO HOST LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON 11/5:
  • Join Association of California Cities Orange County (ACC-OC) on Friday, Nov. 5 for its Leadership Conference featuring State Treasurer Fiona Ma, League of California Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman and other esteemed speakers. Learn about OC’s economic outlook, the latest state and federal legislation affecting the region and more. Register today!.

2021 OC YIMBY AWARDS:
  • Join People for Housing Orange County for the OC YIMBY Awards, an evening of food, drinks, and revelry to celebrate and support the pro-housing movement and to honor and recognize “Housing Heroes”, including OCBC President and CEO, Lucy Dunn! This annual event brings together advocates, elected leaders, lawmakers, home builders, architects, and members of the housing advocacy community from OC and beyond to recognize the progress being made. Take a peek at all the 2021 Housing Heroes and register today for an "Early Bird Ticket" special!
ADVOCACY
OCBC ADVOCACY PAYS OFF IN SACRAMENTO:
  • Governor Newsom signed 92% of bills sent to his desk this year for a total of 770 new laws. Overwhelmingly, the voice of business was heard in Sacramento in 2021. 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
CITY OF WESTMINSTER’S WESTMINSTER CROSSING:
  • Nominated for the Building & Land Reuse and Community Revitalization Award is City of Westminster’s Westminster Crossing, an affordable rental housing complex at a formerly dilapidated retail site offering 44 affordable housing units and 20 permanent supportive housing units. The project is designed as a mixed-use building and includes multiple community gathering spaces and wraparound services for residents.*
 
COUNTY OF ORANGE SSA’S ELDER ABUSE FORENSIC CENTER:
  • Nominated for the Public-Private Partnership Award is County of Orange Social Services Agency’s Elder Abuse Forensic Center! Since 2003, the Elder Abuse Forensic Center (EAFC), through funding from SSA and in-kind donations/grants, has reviewed cases, conducted in-home mental and medical health checks, completed evidentiary investigations and more to better treat and prevent elder abuse. Professionals from numerous agencies provide resources and justice to older adults.*

*Winners announced at virtual event on Nov. 4; register here!
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH HIGHLIGHT
TODAY! CELEBRATE HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH WITH OCDE:
  • Join OCDE from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a colloquium hosted by Orange County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Al Mijares in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. This virtual forum will convene a diverse panel of voices to share their stories as we celebrate the cultures, contributions and histories of Hispanic and Latino-identified communities. View the speaker lineup. Register here.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS:
SAMUEL JOHNSON RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED AWARD: 
  • OCBC congratulates Board Member and Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) CEO Samuel Johnson who has been recognized with the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA) 2021 Distinguished Leadership Academy Alum of the Year Award. Johnson was presented with the award during IBTTA’s 89th Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Anaheim. Watch an IBTTA video that recaps the first day of the Annual Meeting and includes footage from the technical tour. 

GOODWILL OF OC HELPS GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK:
  • Goodwill of OC’s longstanding partnership with ARCO has helped connect many OC residents with meaningful employment. This year, ampm and Coca-Cola have joined the partnership to amplify the positive impact. Until Dec. 7, a portion of proceeds from every purchase of two 1-liter Dasani Waters at any participating ARCO ampm convenience store in OC will benefit Goodwill’s mission services. Learn more.
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. Ken is responsible for all facets of the business, including oversight of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks, three resort hotels and the Downtown Disney District. OCBC Board Member, Steve Churm, FivePoint, will lead what is sure to be a fascinating discussion with the new Disneyland Resort President. 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 2 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Join OCBC virtually for the next installment of employer conversations around DE&I topics.
OCBC members, register here.

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 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.