• Regions Build Together – A Housing Agenda for All California was produced by California Forward (CA FWD), with support from Wells Fargo, recommends 14 practical actions that can relieve the state’s housing crisis, including re-envisioning financing solutions, connecting hosing with transportation while maximizing affordability and incentivizing local governments to increase their housing supply. Learn more. 

• With every park throughout the world opened except OC’s top employers like Disneyland Resort, OCBC calls on Governor Newsom to get this done now. As California’s Governor celebrates more “checks” and subsidies to folks, and signs a California stimulus bill of “surplus” state funds, the reality is that most of us just want to get back to work, and it’s time. With vaccines, one of the nation’s lowest positivity rates, declining hospital and ICU admissions, high recovery of Covid infections, it’s time. Add to that frustrated parents who cannot get the public education system to do what it’s supposed to do—educate their children effectively—it’s time. It’s time to get back to work, school, and safe protocols. #OpenCA That’s my opinion—Lucy Dunn, CEO, OCBC.

• Disney California Adventure will host A Touch of Disney starting March 18, a new, limited-capacity ticketed experience offering world-famous food and beverages from around the resort and a chance to see Disney characters. Learn more. 

• UCI investigators will present their work in a symposium on the anniversary of the W.H.O. designating COVID-19 a pandemic, March 19, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Attendees can watch the symposium via Zoom Webinar or YouTube and can submit questions in both platforms' Q&A boxes. Registration is required.

• Join OCBC and health care leaders from County of Orange, Hoag, Kaiser Permanente, KPC Health, MemorialCare, Providence, and UCI, for a critical update on the lessons learned during the initial vaccine deployment in OC and hear what's coming next. Thank you title sponsor, Hoag, platinum sponsor MemorialCare, gold sponsors, Kaiser Permanente and Providence. The event is free to attend, register today! 

• Join Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce for a free webinar examining the recent surge of COVID-related employment litigation in California and focus on best practices for small and medium-sized employers to take to avoid litigation. Learn more!

• The U.S. health insurance system could not be more different than that of Germany. Join German American Business Association Southern California on March 17 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. for a session highlighting the different systems as well as options for employees, the self-employed, and retirees. We will additionally explore repatriation: eligibility and options when returning to a system once left behind. Learn more!

• OC Supervisor Don Wagner and OC Health Care Agency invite you to attend a Youth Town Hall on March 3 at 5:00 p.m. Learn and share info about the impact of COVID-19 on youth mental health and hear about resources that can address stressors and promote mental health among OC students. Register here. 

• OC Board of Supervisors has extended the application deadline for candidates seeking to serve on the First 5 Orange County Children and Families Commission. Three positions are open, two in the education category and one in the health category. Apply here. 

• The State Legislature is considering a new COVID-19 paid sick leave mandate under budget bills AB 84/SB 95. The mandate would require businesses of all sizes to provide an additional 80 hours of paid leave to employees for eight different COVID-related reasons. There are no tax credits or other financial relief to offset the cost of the leave. Click HERE to let your legislators know you oppose these bills!

• Mark your calendars! OCBC hosts its annual Sacramento Advocacy Trip virtually on April 6 and April 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This year’s slate of speakers includes Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis and Controller Betty Yee. Watch for a link to register and this year’s agenda! Contact Jennifer Ward, OCBC SR. VP of Advocacy and Government Affairs, for more information. 

• Join Selvi Stanislaus, the Franchise Tax Board’s Executive Officer, for an update on what’s new in 2021, filing statistics, litigation, regulatory development, conformity, and much more. Register here for this webinar and other CalTax Foundation webinars. 

• EBay has partnered with CA Small Business Advocate to host the free Up & Running Program, which offers participating businesses education to compete on eBay’s marketplace. Applications are open until March 11. Learn more and apply. 

• Registration is now open for MemorialCare's 16th Presidents' Partnership Event: 2021: A Path to Renewal - moving health benefits forward in a world transformed by COVID-19. Hear from Barry S. Arbuckle, Ph.D., President and CEO, MemorialCare and Dr. Lisa Bielamowicz, President and Co-Founder, Gist Healthcare.

• SCE Small Business Resources
• Small Business Development Center
• SBDC Resources for Small Businesses
• Go-BIZ FAQ for Small Businesses
• UCI Free Small Business Toolkit

• The Johnson & Johnson candidate vaccine for COVID-19 raises no safety concerns, according to a report released early Wednesday. A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is holding an all-day meeting Friday to review the data and is likely to give the vaccine a thumbs up, leading to an expected FDA authorization for the vaccine in adults within the next few days.

• All OC school employees will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting March 1. OCDE is planning several vaccination points of dispensing on school sites countywide over the next few weeks. Read more. 

• City of Anaheim will provide $20 million in assistance to families and landlords struggling with rent debt due to the pandemic. Renters and landlords impacted by COVID-19 can get help with unpaid rent from the past year. Applications will open on March 1 and will be due by March 31. Learn more. 

• Anaheim Convention Center Test Site: Appointments Required.
• Testing Basics: COVID-19 Test Options.
• Free testing in OC: How to access.
• DO IT! Where to get tested in OC: Find a testing site near you. 
• OC Testing Sites: Appointment & walk-in resources.
• Public & private sector testing: Contact your provider today.
• COVID-19 Hotline: For general questions & information call: (714)-834-2000.
• OC Health Care Agency: Data Dashboard featuring confirmed COVID-19 cases.

• Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) was awarded $5 million from the California Energy Commission to acquire charging stations, batteries, and the other solar infrastructure required to support ATN’s MicroGrid and zero-emission vehicle fleet. Read more. 

• The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) this week kicked off a pilot program in which cattle graze the land at the Agencies’ Live Oak Plaza Conservation Area in Trabuco Canyon. The first grazing period will continue for approximately two to three weeks. The program, approved by the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) Board of Directors last year, helps to mitigate wildfire risk and promote native vegetation. Learn more!

• The revised Tentative Order incorporates Poseidon’s proposed Enhanced Coastal Habitat Restoration Plan which nearly doubles the number of mitigation projects from three to five including four projects inside the Bolsa Chica Wetlands and provides a four-fold increase in restored habitat acreage from 21 acres to 84 acres. Read more.

• Irvine Valley College (IVC) and the Irvine Valley College Foundation are proud to announce the first-ever naming gift for the IVC Performing Arts Center. Masoud Rezanoor, an Irvine resident, pledged $250,000 to provide enrichment opportunities for the music department at IVC. To acknowledge Mr. Rezanoor’s generosity, the Main Stage of the Performing Arts Center will be renamed the Rezanoor Stage.