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The Leading Voice of Business in Orange County |
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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OCBC WANTS 100,000 NEW JOBS FOR CALIFORNIA: 10 NEW ENTERPRISE ZONES
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 While California gave conditional designation to five new Enterprise Zones (EZ)
last month, there were ten additional applicants--which qualified under the
law--but not selected due to a total number of zones allowed. OCBC, in
conjunction with the Anaheim Chamber, are proposing new legislation that would
designate those 10 jurisdiction, including Anaheim, as one-time
EZs.
Working in partnership with Anaheim Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of President Todd
Ament, and 10 cities and chambers across the state, OCBC supports the newly introduced bill from Assembly Members Blakeslee and Solorio--ABX3 82. Now winding its way through the state
legislature, the legislation would amend current
conditions to grant authority to the Housing and Community Development
Department (HCD) to temporarily increase the number of total zones from 42 to 53 and designate for one 15-year period those applicants who were
not approved in March of this year. The bill is facing fierce
opposition from public employee unions and YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED. Send your letter of support today. For more info, contact
Kate Klimow or Dr. Wallace Walrod.
Recent economic development studies show each EZ generates over 10,000 jobs
during the 15-year designation period. Santa Ana's EZ has been a success--Anaheim could
benefit as well. This legislation represents an important and
immediate economic development tool that would generate over 100,000 jobs during
the time period of this one time designation. Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) released it's latest
poll: jobs creation and economy are Number 1 in the minds of voters. Click here to view the report. |
OCMOVES BRIEFED ON UPCOMING PRIVATE INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES IN OC
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OCBC's innovative
infrastructure committee, OCMoves, hosted OCTA CEO Will Kempton
this past Friday for an exclusive briefing on private industry opportunities
planned for transportation in Orange County. Also attending were OCBC Infrastructure Committee chairman, Les Card of LSA, OCTA board members,
Chairman Peter Buffa, and Orange Mayor Carolyn
Cavecche. Mr. Kempton and OCTA's Executive Director of Development, Kia Mortazavi, shared information on the 57 freeway improvements construction
management, as well as upcoming Measure M
projects.
Sadly, Measure M sales
tax projections are 40% under budget, resulting from a stagnant economy.
However, with OCTA's creative fund management, leveraging state funds
efficiently and private sector involvement in these public projects, businesses
will grow, hire folks and help secure economic recovery sooner. Kudos to OCTA
for recognizing the importance of this strong public private partnership as well
as the importance of delivering these projects EARLY to take advantage of cost
savings in a down economy.
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REPORT FROM THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
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OCBC's President and
CEO, Lucy Dunn, is Orange County's only representative on the statewide
California Transportation Commission whose mission includes ensuring the
mobility of California. At this month's meeting, the CTC took up the adoption
of design-build guidelines and public-private partnership (P3) guidelines to
encourage private capital investment in California's crumbling infrastructure. Click here for copies of the draft guidelines.
Under SB 4X (Cogdill),
California now has the opportunity to move ahead on a limited number of
design-build projects and unlimited P3 projects, until 2017. Called a
"demonstration project," California is one of the last states in the union NOT
to have design-build or P3 authority which helps further leverage limited and
declining state dollars, bond funds and tax
dollars. OCBC, as well as it's
partnership in the statewide business-centered R.E.A.L. Coalition,
strongly support this authority and encourage quick
implementation.
Bad news: The CTC
reports that due to California's economic decline and fiscal budget crises, 295
ready-to-go statewide transportation projects are DELAYED due to lack
of funding. For more info, contact Lucy Dunn. |
STORMWATER GENERAL CONSTRUCTION PERMIT CIRCLES THE DRAIN
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 OCBC recently submitted a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger urging him to share
concerns with the State Water Resources Control Board members and staff
regarding the negative economic impacts of the proposed new Stormwater General
Construction Permit that would seriously curtail development opportunities, drive up costs to projects and ultimately cost all California consumers and taxpayers millions of dollars. A major fault in the permit is the nearly impossible to follow monitoring requirements. The permit imposes requirements on monitoring and cleaning up stormwater runoff that even the Water Board's own panel of Blue Ribbon experts deemed were "basically not possible" to implement at this time.
Unfortunately, the permit has been re-instated--however, implementation has been pushed back to July 1, 2010., The Business Council is continuing to work with Californians for Improved Water Quality, a coalition of business, labor, public schools, local government, home builders and others who support tough standards for water quality and stormwater runoff. For more information, please contact Kate Klimow.
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OCBC HELPS IN GREENING ORANGE COUNTY
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 Orange County gains a competitive advantage for a green economy thanks to the research conducted by Dr. Wallace Walrod and OCBC. The Green Initiatives Steering Tactics (GIST) plan which provides a framework to forecast emerging green industry and jobs based on a number of economic, regulatory and environmental factors. The GIST evaluated the county's existing and emerging
top job clusters, as well as other important drivers of green industry
such as regulations like AB32, California's global warming solutions
act, and the region's natural resource landscape, for example Southern
California's limited water supplies.
Recognizing the huge potential of green jobs to transform local economies, the Orange County Workforce Investment Board partnered with Clean Agency,
a sustainability consulting firm, to strategize and create momentum
towards improving the economic downturn by bringing high-value green
jobs to the county. [read more]
For more information, please contact Dr. Wallace Walrod.
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OCBC WIN: GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER VETOES CARD CHECK BILL
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 Governor Schwarzenegger last week rejected a union-backed Card Check bill that would have required farmers to negotiate with
a labor union if a majority of their employees signed membership
agreements.
The Governor's latest veto was similar to federal legislation for non-farm employees that OCBC strongly opposes. The Card Check
bill would change how unions organize workers in the United States and while the bill may have been well-intentioned, Card Check has the potential to
inflict costs, erode profitability, and decrease revenue for small
business.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the card check bill,
H.R. 800, in 2007. It fell just nine votes short in the U.S. Senate, and
is bound to resurface early in the next Congress.
OCBC strongly opposes this
anti-democratic legislation, and encourages you to send an important message to Congress through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Virtual March on Washington. For more information, please contact Kate Klimow. |
MISSED THE LAST CLB WITH GREG SPIERKEL? NO PROBLEM, CATCH THE WEBCAST REPLAY
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Last week Ingram Micro CEO, Greg
Spierkel, held a full room of business execs captivated during the last
Chairman's Leadership Breakfast of 2009 giving OCBC a candid look into his life
and rise to leadership. As the world's leading technology distributor,
Ingram Micro handles distribution for major companies like Apple and WalMart.
Based here in the county, Ingram Micro is OC's largest public company and ranks
70 on Fortune's 500 list. Don't believe us? See for your self with OCBC's first
web brodcast presented by V-Cube. Kudos again to Tom
Phelps of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips in his continuing role
of interviewer, to OCBC Chairman Larry Buster of First American Title, for  moderating,
and to Richard Porras of AT&T for their generous program sponsorship.
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UPCOMING EVENT SPOTLIGHT: OC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE: REBOOT OC
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 Join Orange County Business Council and the Orange County Workforce Investment Board for
the 2009 Workforce Development Conference:
Reboot OC. This year's guest speaker is Sherry Lansing, former CEO of Paramount
Pictures and Founder and CEO of the Sherry Lansing Foundation, a non-profit
dedicated to public education and engaging retirees in their communities.
Lansing will be interviewed by Orange County's Superintendent of Schools Bill
Habermehl on the latest issues affecting Orange County's workforce.
The
conference will also unveil Orange County's 2009 Workforce Indicators
Report with Dr. Wallace Walrod analyzing
the county's economic and labor force trends. The research partnership between
OCBC, County of Orange, and Orange County Workforce Investment
Board (OCWIB) examines the growth of industry and employment, salary and
wage trends, demographic changes and the educational attainment of Orange County
students.
All attendees receive a complimentary copy of this study.
Click
here to learn more about the report and view last year's
research.
Date: Thursday, October 15,
2009
Time: 11
a.m. registration | 11:30 a.m. lunch & program
Place: The Hyatt Regency
Irvine
Info?
Alicia Berhow at 949.794.7215
Online Registration |
Event Flyer |
Sponsorship Info
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WELCOME HECTOR RETTA! OCBC'S NEWEST BOARD MEMBER
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 OCBC is proud to welcome Hector Retta, Orange County Regional President, Wells Fargo
to its Board of Directors. Mr. Retta manages Wells Fargo's retail banking activities across Orange County which represents 130 banking stores and $14 billion in deposits including legacy Wachovia locations. Retta, takes the place of former board member Robbin Preciado who was recently relocated to Oxnard in another Wells Fargo leadership role. Under Preciado's leadership the Business Council workforce development initiatives have grown with a solid track record of success. A very special thank you to Ms. Robbin Preciado for her hard work and dedication to the business community and OCBC. The Business Council looks forward to working with Mr. Retta and continuing to enhance the Orange County's economic prosperity.
Hector Retta Bio | 2009 OCBC Board of Directors
Looking for your seat at the table? Contact Vice President of Investor Relations Celeste Signorino about how you can get involved and join OCBC's prestigious Board of Directors. |
OC PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION DISSECTS WHERE BUSINESS MEETS POLITICS
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 The Orange
County Public Affairs Association (OCPAA) held the second in a series of four
panel discussions around the general theme of "Where Business Meets Politics."
The panel on September 11 included OCBC's Lucy Dunn as well as Adam Probolsky
of Probolsky Research and Gary C. Lawrence of Lawrence research, who discussed this meeting's topic, "The Art of Community Relations and Public
Opinion Polling." During the lively discussion, shared their
war stories on how polling helped in a variety of issues, what the limitations
are, and pointed to several
OCBC members as shining examples of companies doing well at community relations. Special kudos to the Irvine Company, Disneyland Resort, Sempra SDG&E, AT&T and Orange County Transportation Authority for their acknowledgment in this field. We
encourage you to attend the next panel put on by OCPAA on Friday, September
25, 7:30 to 9 am at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. For more information, more information, please contact Carol Perry. |
OCBC HAS BEEN BUSY! TAKE A LOOK AT OUR LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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 Working through 2009, OCBC has been working hard to focus on fulfilling its top four priorities, including:
- An improved infrastructure.
- Preparing a future workforce.
- Increasing the supply of affordable workforce housing.
- Enhancing the county's economic development.
Take a look at some of OCBC's highlights with a mid-year report card by clicking here.
Is your company hard at work? Tell us about it... (here) |
OCBC
MEMBER TO MEMBER OFFER: DISCOUNTED LUNCH OR DINNER AT CHARLIE PALMER
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 Charlie Palmer South Coast Plaza
next to Bloomingdales would like to extend a discount of 15% for lunch, dinner,
or any large party of 15 or more to OCBC members and guests. The discount is not valid during happy
hour. Just print out this story and give to your server to receive the discount.
Charlie Palmer
South Coast Plaza: The social lounge is ideal for shared small plates and fun
whimsical cocktails. The dining room features a la carte selections as well as
prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner. The private dining room, accented by a
massive wine wall, offers weekly wine tastings and monthly wine dinners and can
be reserved for private events. Self parking is available in the South Coast Plaza parking lot directly outside the
restaurant's main entrance.
Charlie Palmer also
offers cooking classes/demos, click here for more info.
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UPCOMING OCBC EVENTS
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Workforce Development
Conference:
Sherry Lansing, former
CEO, Paramount Pictures
Thursday,
October 15, 2009 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Hyatt Regency
Irvine
Economic Forecast Conference:
Richard Davis, CEO, US
Bank
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 |
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 a.m. | Hyatt Regency Irvine
Click here fore event details and
registration! |
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
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September 2009
Workforce Development Committee
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 from 7:30 - 9 a.m.
Workforce Housing Committee
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 from 9:30 - 11 a.m.
Community College Working Group
Thursday, September 24, from 3 - 4:30 p.m.
Government Affairs Committee
Friday, September 25, 2009 from 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Committee meetings are open to
OCBC members and invited guests only. All committee meetings are held
at the OCBC offices unless otherwise specified. For more information on
upcoming committee meetings for 2009 check out OCBC's Committees.
Looking to get more involved?
Click below to receive specific committee notices.
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| COMMUNITY EVENTS |
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3rd Annual Governance Outlook - Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 5 - 7 p.m.
Presented by the Forum for Corporate Directors,k eynote speaker Holly Gregory's
remarks will focus on how directors, CEOs, CFOs, and other executives who deal
with boards should be prepared for the 2010 proxy
season.
There will be an exciting
announcement regarding the future of the Forum for Corporate
Directors. The 3rd Annual Governance Outlook
epitomizes the Forum for Corporate Directors' thought leadership, high quality
programs and the forging of peer-to-peer relationships among prestigious
corporate members. Click here for more information.
Filipino
American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County - Business Opportunity
DayThe Orange County Chapter of the Filipino American Chamber of
Commerce is proud to present A Twenty First Century Business Opportunity Day.
Save the date: Thursday, September 17, 2009. Highlights will include updates on
the Obama health reform, panel discussion on preserving the eco-systems, tax
incentives for starting green businesses and more. For event information
and registration, please visit www.faccoc.orgOrange County Forum Luncheon with U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez -- Friday, September 18, 2009Join the Orange County forum for another insightful luncheon with U.S. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez who will be discussing the nation's current economic state and road to recovery. Click here for more information.2009
Komen
Orange County Race for the Cure -
Sunday, September 27, 2009The
Susan G. Komen Race for the CureŽ is an important community event bringing
women, men, families and teams from corporations, businesses and friends
together to celebrate breast cancer survivors and remember those who have lost
their battle with the disease. The beautiful Newport
Beach route is a 5K run and walk
and draws more than 25,000 people each year. The early run/walk steps off at
7:30 a.m.; survivor tribute at 9:00 a.m. and the second run/walk starts at 9:45
a.m. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. To register and for more
information visit: www.komenoc.org. 75% of funds raised will
provide breast health services in Orange County and 25% will go to breast cancer
research. All registered participants receive a Race for the Cure shirt; breast
cancer survivors receive a special pink Race shirt. 2009 Lake Forest Business Appreciation Luncheon - October 13, 2009, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
The City of Lake Forest invites you to its annual Business Appreciation
Luncheon on Tuesday, October
13, 2009, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Join Lake Forest for Lunch,
Economic Climate Discussion, and Networking with keynote speaker: Dr.
Demos Vardiabasis, Economist, Entreprenuer, and Economic Commissioner in
California
RSVP with economicdevelopment@ci.lake-forest.ca.us |
IS IT NEWS TO YOU? THEN IT'S NEWS WE CAN USE!
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Have an event coming up? Was your company just
highlighted in the news? Are you doing something great in Orange
County? The Business Council wants to know about it. Now OCBC members can submit news stories for OCBC's E-Update Indicator
Newsletter.
Click here and fill out the submission form for one of Orange County's premier business news source. Not a member? Click here for more information on how to get involved and join the leading voice of business in Orange County.
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SPREAD THE WORD! IMPACT THE WORLD! FORWARD YOUR COPY TO ASSOCIATES!
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Forward OCBC's E-Indicator to friends and colleagues by clicking on the "Forward Email" link at the bottom of the email and encourage them to sign up for one of Orange County's premier business publications!
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BUSINESS MEETS SOCIAL MEDIA
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 Do you tweet? Have a Facebook page or surf YouTube? Then follow the latest news
and information from OCBC online! The leading voice of business is connecting
you to business in Orange County like never before.
If you
have questions on how to get connected with the Business Council online, please
contact Director of Communications, Matt Prince at 949.794.7221. | |
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2 Park Plaza, Suite 100, Irvine CA 92614 | www.ocbc.org | PH: 949.476.2242 | FAX: 949.476.9240 | |
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