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Monday, April 25, 2022 | View as Webpage
THIS WEEK IN ORANGE COUNTY
Good News for Goodwill OC's Tierney Center for Veteran Services
On April 18th, members of the local veterans community, as well as representatives from The Business Council, attended a check presentation for Goodwill OC’s Tierney Center for Veteran Services. Congressman Lou Correa presented a $300,000 check to The Center which will be used to continue building out this destination for veteran services and community collaboration. The funds are part of community projects identified by Members of Congress that were part of the bipartisan Omnibus spending bill. Congratulations to Business Council Board Member Nicole Suydam and her team for this impressive recognition of the work they do for our community.
Lunch Discussion: Post-Pandemic Economic Recovery
Orange County Public Affairs Association (OCPAA) members are invited to a lunch discussion with Orange County Business Council CEO Jeff Ball and County of Orange CEO Frank Kim focusing on public-private sector approaches to Orange County’s post-pandemic economic recovery on Wednesday, April 27; space is limited.
Exploring Experian's Creative Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Efforts
On April 13, the Business Council's DE&I Committee hosted Raudy Perez,  Director, DEI External Partnerships for Experian for its Workforce Committee Meeting. Raudy gave an overview of Experian's Global DEI Framework, why an organization should develop strategic partnerships for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the communities they serve, how Experian measures success, and lessons he's learned by leading Experian in this portfolio of work. This year, Experian has partnered with influencer and Grammy-award winning artist, Lecrae, to creatively improve financial health through a project called 'Protect the Bag.' In collaboration with Lecrae, Experian has created more relatable and entertaining content around financial health that reaches a wider and more diverse audience. For more information on the presentation, please contact Jesse Ben-Ron
ADVOCACY
Good Bill, Bad Bill – Legislation OC Business Council is Tracking For You
The Legislature is extremely busy this time of year, with a flurry of bills being heard by legislative committees over the next few weeks—meaning the Business Council’s Government Affairs team is hard at work tracking bills that impact a myriad of business issues. So far, the Business Council is monitoring 75 bills and has taken formal positions on 31 of them. Here are some highlights:
  • AB 2893 (Daly), SPONSORED, This important legislation would create more oversight for agencies developing regulations that have an economic impact exceeding $50M. The Business Council spearheaded an 18-member coalition supporting the bill. Read our coalition letter.
  •  SB 1410 (Caballero), SUPPORT, will modify vehicle miles traveled, or VMT, regulations so that they do not add thousands of dollars of additional costs to much-needed housing statewide. Read our letter.
  • AB 2438 (Friedman), OPPOSE, would disrupt local planning of transportation projects by realigning state funding programs to be consistent with the CA Transportation Plan and the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI). Last year, the Business Council warned the state that CAPTI lacked specific metrics to determine project alignment and would negatively affect local project funding, which would come into fruition if this bill is passed. Read our letter.
  • SB 1276 (Durazo), OPPOSE, would degrade legal privacy protections for businesses, consumers and employees while not providing notice to consumers or establishing the oversight needed to safeguard sensitive personal data. Read our letter.
  • AB 2570 (Daly), SUPPORT, will help address the state’s looming unemployment insurance (UI) fund insolvency and reduce future tax increases for CA businesses. Business should not bear the brunt of this debt while many companies are recovering from the pandemic. Read the coalition letter.
  • AB 1951 (Grayson), SUPPORT, will provide a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase of manufacturing and R&D equipment, expanding investment and production opportunities in Orange County. Read the coalition letter.
  • SB 1162 (Limón), OPPOSE, encourages burdensome litigation against employers based on broad, unreliable employee pay data collected and made public by the state. Read the coalition letter.
Business Council Supports Rep. Kim's Bill to Combat Retail Crime
Organized retail crime is a real economic and public safety threat resulting in $125.7B in lost economic activity, which is why the Business Council is proud to support Representative Young Kim’s H.R. 7499, the Improving Federal Investigations of Organized Retail Crimes Act. This bipartisan legislation directs federal agencies to develop a cohesive strategy on improving coordination and information sharing with law enforcement, retailers and state and local authorities. President and CEO Jeff Ball said: “The Orange County Business Council is proud to support Rep. Kim’s efforts to better coordinate the federal response to these criminal enterprises so Orange County’s diverse, resilient retailers can be more assured these acts will be prevented and prosecuted.” Read the press release.
Share Feedback on Business Priorities for Greater SoCal
If your business or organization advocates on issues that extend beyond Orange County's borders into Los Angeles and greater Southern California, take a moment to fill out BizFed's 2022 Pulse Poll. BizFed, a collaborative partner of the OC Business Council, is seeking responses to this poll until early May to ensure their efforts reflect the issues SoCal businesses care about in order to grow and be successful in the regional economy. Click here to add your voice and support data driven advocacy.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Chairman's Leadership Breakfast featuring Nicole Suydam
Join The Business Council on Tuesday, May 3, at The Cove at UCI for the first Chairman’s Leadership Breakfast of the 2022 series featuring Nicole Suydam, President and CEO, Goodwill of Orange County.

Thank you Executive Leadership Sponsor, Amazon and Supporting Sponsors, College and Career Advantage and Goodwill of Orange County.
INVESTORS IN THE NEWS
New Amazon Fresh in Mission Viejo Utilizes 'Just Walk Out' Technology
Amazon Fresh's innovative "Just Walk Out" technology made it's Orange County debut last March. Now shoppers with an Amazon account can skip the checkout process entirely with a "virtual" cart that uses weight gauges and scanners to process their items. Amazon is also working to open six more Fresh stores across Southern California. Read more.
Edwards Lifesciences and Goodwill of OC's Dynamic Collaboration Creates More Inclusive Opportunities
Edwards Lifesciences has partnered with Goodwill of Orange County and Project SEARCH, a program designed to help prepare young adults with disabilities for successful careers. Check out this video to meet their interns: Pei-Hsien, Tan, Aaron and Andreas! Pei-Hsien and Tan work in the Surgical Structural Heart business unit as lab assistants. Aaron supports storage and inventory control where he helps to maintain organization for incoming orders, and Andreas helps sort the daily mail.
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Committee meetings are an exclusive benefit offered to The Business Council's Investors.
Click the committee meeting link to learn more about the specific topics and issues that will be covered and any special guest speakers.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
  • April is Donate Life Month. To raise awareness about donation, Americans are encouraged to register as organ, eye and tissue donors and to honor those who have saved lives through the gift of donation. 
  • Join the 2022 Orange County Economic Outlook presented by UCLA Anderson Forecast and UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate Presents on April 27. The free event offers insight on real estate and investment in Orange County against a backdrop of the national and state economic outlook!
  • SoCalGas has partnered with California Restaurant Foundation’s (CRF) Restaurants Care Resilience Fund and is now offering grants to restaurant owners for kitchen equipment upgrades or retention bonuses. Eligible restaurants can apply for a $3,000 grant until April 30.
  • Join Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce's free webinar workshop series focused on equipping business owners with the necessary skills to manage the changing workplace!
  • Need to fill a position at your company? Attend the CSUF Internship & Career Virtual Expo May 5 to connect with talented CSUF students. 
  • Edison International and SCE are committed to creating a diverse workforce. As part of this commitment, Edison International developed a four-year, $1-million pilot scholarship program to provide scholarships and additional support totaling up to $25,000 per recipient. The application deadline is May 6.
  • Join OC San's Wastewater 101 Citizens Academy, a series of free virtual workshops, starting May 12.
  • The Culinary Arts & Hospitality Regional Advisory Board of Vital Link, a nonprofit preparing OC’s future workforce, is looking for employers and employees who work as chefs (personal, caterer, restaurant), or work as managers/operators at hotels, bed and breakfast, theme parks or tour companies to be panelists for its virtual May 13 event 
NOT AN INVESTOR? JOIN TODAY!
Join Orange County Business Council 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, The Business Council's Chief Operating Officer.