Orange County Business Council, together with the Irvine Chamber of Commerce, hosted Senator Tom Harman’s Business Healthcare Advisory last Friday, November 29.  This unique and highly productive discussion was of great value as it brought together the business community, elected officials as well as representatives of the healthcare industry--a synergy that has been notably lacking in recent debates about current legislative proposals, including proposed “Universal Healthcare” reform bills circulating the state capitol that would substantially impact businesses.

The breakfast featured interactive dialogue with South Coast Medical Center, Memorial Care and Doctor’s Ambulance along with small businesses concerned with payroll taxes and other regulatory burdens.  With a broken financial system, California has seen nearly 80 hospital closures, only reiterating the necessity of a reformed approach to healthcare delivery.  Business leaders feel Sacramento is imposing restrictive roles that create burdensome regulations and prohibitive expenses.

Overall, the outlook for immediate reforms appears grim.  Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez canceled floor sessions scheduled for December 5 and 6 to vote on healthcare overhaul.  Together with the recent changes in leadership at the SEIU, this reveals the complete lack of consensus in Sacramento on this complicated, critical issue.

OCBC was honored to join RBF Consulting in hosting Colonel Thomas Magness, District Commander of the Los Angeles District of the US Army Corps of Engineers at a breakfast reception Tuesday morning at the Center Club.  Colonel Magness’ District includes 226,000 square miles of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah, and is responsible for permitting some of the nation’s most significant public and private infrastructure projects.

This was the ninth such event co-hosted by RBF and OCBC to welcome the local commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, and the discussion was a tremendous opportunity to know and understand just how critical the Army Corps is to civil service projects in the United States, in Iraq and building a security fence along the US-Mexican border.  Colonel Magness oversees a district budget of $748 million, and is responsible for water resource development and the maintenance of navigation channels at more than a dozen harbors along the California coast, among them the massive ports of L.A. and Long Beach.

In and around Orange County, he is responsible for flood control projects such as the completion of the Santa Ana River Mainstem Project, including the modification of Prado Dam in Corona and environmental restoration projects such as the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. 

OCBC’s Lucy Dunn spoke together with Rick Zbur of Latham & Watkins, Mike Berger of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Meg Caldwell, Stanford Law and former commission chair, and John Flynn of Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott, at the California Coastal Law Conference in Los Angeles Monday.  The topic of the conference, hosted by Continuing Legal Education International, was “Coastal Reform” and particularly whether the nine-member Coastal Commission should be reformed.

This is an important question as, from a business perspective, the Coastal Commission has integral ties to the most pressing issues facing the state today -- specifically, the development of housing and infrastructure desperately needed to keep the California economy moving.  From that vantage point, the Commission faces serious shortcomings.

The Automobile Club of Southern California addressed a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein last week, respectfully requesting the Senator’s support for the completion of the Foothill-South 241 toll road.  Specifically, The Automobile Club urged Senator Feinstein to lead efforts to defeat the “Davis Amendment” a segment of the National Defense Authorization Act that would preempt the Transportation Corridor Agencies' (TCA) federal authority to complete the 241 and potentially subject the project to additional state processes and delay.  View the full letter here.

Not only has this project already completed 20 years of environmental reviews, the 241 represents the only viable relief for traffic on the I-5 corridor.  As the Automobile Club states, “traffic on the 1-5 at the Orange/San Diego County border is expected to increase by 60 percent over the next 20 years, resulting in as much traffic as the gridlocked 91 Freeway experiences today--and with half as many lanes.”

OCBC Vice President of Research Dr. Wallace Walrod moderated a panel Tuesday at the 1st Annual UC Irvine Real Estate & Construction Forum, themed “Land, Labor, and Capital in a Down Market.”  Among the panelists appearing with Dr. Walrod were Bob Campbell, President of CT Realty; Mary Ann Jones, Senior Director at CIT Commercial Real Estate and Kathy Cole, Senior VP at Column Guaranteed LLC. 

Dr. Walrod draws on his significant knowledge of the economic state of Orange County and the real estate market in particular to lead and participate in forums such as this.  In addition to this year’s highly successful Workforce Housing Scorecard, Dr. Walrod has recently published a well-received commentary in the Orange County Business Journal titled “Is the Sky Falling for Orange County Real Estate?"

Citing the region’s unique blend of a vibrant economy, highly educated workforce and outstanding quality of life, in that article Dr. Walrod concluded that demand will continue to exceed the supply of new housing units built for the foreseeable future in Orange County.

Continuing this work, Dr. Walrod will also deliver a keynote address at the South Coast Apartment Association’s (SCAA) 10th Annual Membership Meeting on December 6. 

The SCAA’s members own or operate over 85,000 rental properties in Southern California.  Over 300 SCAA members, as well elected officials are expected to attend the meeting, where Dr. Walrod will again outline his perspective on the Southern California economy, and again the housing market in particular. 

On Friday, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and Steefel, Levitt & Weiss, one of San Francisco's best known and most respected law firms, announced an agreement to combine their two firms by February 1, 2008.  The combined firm will operate under the name of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.   

"This combination will advance Manatt's strategic plan and significantly expand our capabilities and reach in the Bay Area," said William T. Quicksilver, Manatt's Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner. “Steefel shares our commitment to excellence and to the progressive values that define us.”

In addition to sharing progressive cultures and core values, Manatt and Steefel share several strong practice areas, including complex business litigation, tax, non-profit organizations, financial services, real estate, and energy and natural resources.

If you earned less than $40,000 in 2007 there is a Federal credit called the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that can return up to $4,716 to your family.  Free tax preparation assistance to help you claim the credit and for anyone earning less than $50,000 in 2007 is available through the City of Irvine EITC Outreach Program.  Two sessions of classes are being offered, the first beginning January 15.  To make an appointment or learn more call (888) 434-8248.