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Thursday, November 18, 2021 | View as Webpage
NATIONAL PR AWARD FINALIST, INACTION DEVASTATING CA'S ECONOMY, MEET JENNIFER AND MORE!
HOT OFF THE PRESS
OC BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, OCBC AND OCHCA NAMED PR AWARD FINALIST: 
  • On Nov. 16 the 2021 Platinum PR Awards recognized Orange County Board of Supervisors, OCBC and Orange County Health Care Agency as award finalists for the SafeDineOC campaign. The agencies and OCBC collaborated last year in a public awareness effort targeting local restaurants to make them aware of grant funds available to offset costs of safety protocols and materials associated with modified re-openings or remaining open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.
THE NEED IS CLEAR – GOVERNOR MUST TAKE ACTION ON PORT CRISIS:
  • OCBC and business leaders statewide continue urging Gov. Newsom to take the port crisis seriously by utilizing his executive powers. CA’s goods movement industry is reeling from the lack of support from the state, which in turn is wreaking havoc on the economy and prices for essential goods. At minimum, the Governor should declare a state of emergency. In order to truly tackle the supply chain issues, though, OCBC and a broad business coalition also recommended in a letter that the Governor suspend the implementation of legislation that will worsen the crisis. Read this op-ed to learn more about how inaction is devastating CA’s economy.
OCCOG RECOGNIZES OCBC PRESIDENT DUNN:
  • During its annual General Assembly yesterday, OC Council of Governments, the regional planning entity for Orange County, honored Lucy Dunn for her years of service at OCBC. OCCOG Chair Trevor O’Neil from the City of Anaheim highlighted the close working relationship local governments and OCBC have shared over the years under Dunn‘s leadership, acknowledging the critical role public private partnerships play in a thriving and resilient economy.
MORE SETBACKS FOR BIDEN’S VAX-OR-TEST MANDATE:
  • Responding to several lawsuits by businesses, employees, and five states challenging the vaccine mandate, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit has extended its stay on the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers. The stay was issued on Friday evening and prevents the federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from taking any further steps to implement or enforce the mandate until further court order. Read more.
TURNING RED TAPE INTO RED CARPET WINNER'S SPOTLIGHT:
SOCCCD’S ONLINE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT ORGANIZATION:
  • Congratulations to South Orange County Community College District for winning the Incorporating Innovative Technology category for its Fully Online Bidding, Contracting and Public Procurement Organization! The District led an organization-wide implementation of the Jaggaer Contracts Management System (CMS) and the PlanetBids system. CMS has created and processed 2,686 contracts valued at over $327 million. Contractor outreach increased by 300% since PlanetBids implementation, with 36 bids conducted so far.
*HONORABLE MENTION* CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH’S ONLINE DATA DASHBOARDS:
  • Congratulations to City of Newport Beach for receiving the Incorporating Innovative Technology Honorable Mention for the Online Data Dashboards! Newport Beach’s online Dashboards are an interactive mapping/data app that enables residents to view all City-related activity going on around them, including construction projects, recent police/fire response calls, flight paths and noise, and short-term lodging rentals, in real-time.
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
COX COMMUNICATIONS WORKS TO CLOSE DIGITAL DIVIDE:
  • Cox Communications has broadened its affordability portfolio by expanding its low-cost internet tier, ConnectAssist. The newly expanded offering is one of Cox’s many efforts to create digital equity and is designed for low-income households that don’t qualify for Connect2Compete, which is designed for families with children in grades K-12 who are enrolled in government financial assistance programs. Learn more.
UCI RELEASES 2020-21 HEALTH IMPACT REPORT:
  • UCI College of Health Sciences released its 2020-21 Annual Impact Report, a reflection on its challenges and successes of the past year and its response to the pandemic, across both the county and the country. Click here to read the report.
OCBC TEAM HIGHLIGHT
GET TO KNOW OCBC'S SVP OF ADVOCACY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, JENNIFER WARD:
  • Jennifer has spent her career working on a broad set of policy areas impacting SoCal's future, so naturally, she knew OCBC would be a great fit when she joined the team last summer! Her favorite OCBC memory is when she had the opportunity to attend her first in-person event after the COVID-19 lockdown was lifted. As both an extrovert and government relations professional, Jennifer loved connecting with her colleagues and peers in real life. As a self-proclaimed government nerd, given a chance to have dinner with anyone from past to present, she would pick any of the founding fathers!
BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES
LAKE FOREST CHAMBER 5K NEEDS VOLUNTEERS: 
  • Volunteer at Lake Forest Chamber’s Inaugural Charity 5K this Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Lake Forest Sports Park. E-mail Lake Forest Chamber to sign up. 

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE WITH ONELEGACY:
  • Less than half of Californians are currently registered to be an Organ Donor, but the need for donations continues to grow--nearly 20,000 Californians are on organ, eye and tissue transplant waitlists. OneLegacy is working with and for the community to break down barriers and encourage everyone to say "yes" to giving the gift of life. Learn more.
OCBC'S UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS
EVENTS
2022 Annual Dinner and Installation of Board of Directors
February 10, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Mark your calendar to join OCBC at Disneyland Hotel on Feb. 10 for a magical night dedicated to reflecting on the previous year's successes while looking toward future opportunities and #EmbracingChange. The evening will honor OCBC's 2021 Board Chair, Jena Jensen, CHOC, and install the 2022 Board Chair, Dave Bartlett, Brookfield Properties. OCBC is grateful to title sponsor, The Orange County Register, for their commitment to ensuring this year's event is more incredible than ever! More details to come!

COMMITTEE MEETINGS*
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.