Our state faces a structural deficit as high as $5 billion in the coming years.  With the inherent volatility of tax revenues, that kind of shortfall represents a level of insolvency dangerous to our economy, the business community, and the State’s future.  

Ensuring a balanced budget is a principled stance that the business community and all responsible California citizens can stand behind.  California Republican Senators, led by Dick Ackerman, are showing a willingness to take those tough stands while under tremendous pressure by the Governor and the other side of the aisle.  I contend this is something we should support and respect.   

As part of that effort, OCBC will host transportation leaders throughout the year to brief them on Orange County’s critical infrastructure needs, as well as the county’s role in facilitating the movement of people and goods throughout the region.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointment of John G. Cruz as his appointments secretary last week.  Cruz’s nomination was supported by OCBC, as a highly accomplished professional and long-time Orange County resident. 

Dr. Byron F. Schweigert, Chief Education & Government Affairs Officer at Memorial Health Services, attended OCBC’s August 8 Workforce Housing Committee meeting and offered a compelling perspective from the healthcare industry as to the dire need for workforce housing in Orange County.  

Dr. Schweigert estimates that more than 25% of the employees in our medical centers that resign are doing so in order to find housing they can afford to purchase.  As his and other medical centers look to fully staff their facilities, the cost to his business for temporary employees is approaching $60 million annually.

Saddleback Memorial, for instance, is the largest employer in Laguna Hills.  Dr. Schweigert referenced Saddleback CEO Steve Geidt as having cited findings of OCBC’s Workforce Housing Scorecard at a recent meeting with Laguna Hills city officials as he outlined the difficulty in retaining skilled employees – particularly those in the 25 - 34 year-old range. 

OCBC’s Lucy Dunn and Wallace Walrod were quoted in an item in the World Journal (世界日報), the largest circulation daily Chinese language newspaper in North America. The item ran in the Journal’s Real Estate Section and dealt with the release of OCBC’s Workforce Housing Scorecard.

Want to help us translate?  Download an image of the article from OCBC’s website and email Communications Director Robb Korinke. 

Caltrans wasted no time in initiating inspections of “structurally deficient bridges” throughout the state in the wake of the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis last week.  California bridges that share the same classification as that of the Minnesota span account for nearly 13 percent of the state’s bridges, and while bridges here are rarely faced with conditions similar to those in Minnesota, the state Transportation Department is taking no chances.