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FEATURED STORIES
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OCBC Congratulates Sandra Hutchens --
Orange County's New Sheriff
Sandra Hutchens was publically sworn in as Orange County's 12th Sheriff this morning. At a ceremony held at the Old Courthouse in Santa Ana, Hutchens proclaimed "Yesterday is history, today is a new era for the Orange County Sheriff's Department." OCBC congratulates the new Sheriff and wishes her and her department the best.
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One Voice, Two Capitols Advocacy Missions Conclude
in Sacramento
The Orange County Business Council led the second of its Two Capitols, One Voice advocacy trips to Sacramento earlier this month, exchanging ideas with legislative leaders, the Schwarzenegger Administration as well some of the most prominent lobbyists and members of the Capitol press corps.
A distinguished delegation of business leaders joined OCBC in advocating for the county’s highest priorities including infrastructure, workforce housing, workforce development, health care and economic development. The Business Council also paid tribute to outgoing Orange County legislators Dick Ackerman, Bob Margett and Todd Spitzer, all of whom are at the end of their respective term limits, at a special dinner sponsored by PhRMA.
OCBC would also like to thank the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, The Disneyland Resort, Ford Motor Company, The Metropolitan Water District, Rancho Santa Margarita Water District and Michael Brandman Associates for making this Advocacy trip a success.
Read more about OCBC’s trip, including briefings with Sacramento Bee Columnist Dan Walters, Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill and Political Strategist Garry South on OCBC’s website.
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This Thursday
OCBC Hosts St. Joseph Health President and CEO
Deborah Proctor at Chairman's Leadership Breakfast
Deborah Proctor, President and CEO of St. Joseph Health System, will kick off OCBC's Chairman's Leadership Breakfast series this Thursday at the Center Club in Costa Mesa. Ms. Proctor leads a $4 billion not-for-profit health system consisting of 14 hospitals as well as skilled nursing facilities community outreach services and an array of other health agencies.
The Chairman's Leadership Breakfast is an opportunity for OCBC Investors to hear from business executives and key influencers in a unique format. Past OCBC Chairman Tom Phelps conducts a candid interview illuminating the guest's background, rise to influence and leadership philosophy.
Also Coming Up: Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
OCBC and Manatt Phelps and Phillips are proud to present Erwin Chemerinsky July 22, 2008 in his first public appearance since taking office as the Founding Dean of UCI's Donald Bren School of Law. A nationally renowned professor of constitutional law and federal civil procedure at Duke University, Chemerinsky was named founding dean of UC Irvine's law school, effective July 1, 2008.
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OCBC Mayor's Summit Examines Civic Involvement and
"Customer Service"
“Civic Innovation and Customer Satisfaction” was the topic headline for the 3rd Annual Orange County Mayors’ Summit held last week. Organized by OCBC, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, the annual meeting focused on innovation and ways to improve customer service. Approximately 175 people attended the event at Anaheim Garden Walk, including elected officials, city managers and senior city administrators representing 27 of Orange County's 34 cities. Read more about the day's discussions, including a presentation by Stephen Goldsmith, the director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, on OCBC's Website.
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OCBC Advocating Immediate Action on Water Crisis
California’s water delivery system is broken. As a critical element of the state's econmic well-being, OCBC continues to advocate for a comprehensive solution to fix the state’s water infrastructure. The Business Council recently addressed a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger advocating for interim measures to address critical concerns about flood risks as well as the reliability and quality of the state’s water supply.
OCBC firmly believes that immediate action is necessary to safeguard the state’s water supply. Read OCBC’s letter to the Governor here, and for additional background visit www.ocbc.org/water.
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U.S. Treasury Official Updates OCBC on Housing Market,
Economic Outlook
A Senior U.S. Treasury Department official provided a "Housing and Economic Update" to a special meeting of OCBC's Housing Committee Friday, June 20. Phillip Swagel, pictured at right with OCBC’s Dr. Wallace Walrod, is Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy under Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson. Boasting Orange County roots as a graduate of Los Alamitos High School, Swagel has also served as a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and an economist at the Federal Reserve Board and the International Monetary Fund.
Swagel gave an overview of the current state of the housing market in California and across the U.S., and discussed what the sub-prime crisis could mean to the mortgage industry in terms of new regulation. Swagel shared that approximately 9% of U.S. mortgage holders are currently behind on their payments, with 2.5% actually in foreclosure. He outlined current efforts to aide these homeowners, noting that 50% of foreclosed borrowers have historically avoided all contact with their lender.
A new hotline is available, 888-895-HOPE, to help distressed homeowners during the current crisis. Swagel forecasted that as excess inventories are cleared, housing market recovery should be expected to begin on the near horizon. View his full presentation, including forecasted GDP growth and housing market data, on OCBC’s website.
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Watch for OCBC on CNN this Week!
Dr. Juan Carlos Araque, Vice President of Community Investments for the Orange County United Way and Chair of OCBC’s Latino Educational Attainment (LEA) Initiative, is appearing on OCBC’s behalf on Time Warner’s Local Edition this week. The segment will air throughout this week during CNN’s Headline News, and can also be seen on OCBC’s website. Dr. Araque discusses workforce development issues and OCBC’s August 5 Executive Invitational Golf Tournament, partial proceeds of which go towards supporting LEA.
Special thanks to Time Warner Cable and its Vice President of Community and Government Affairs Kristy Hennessey, OCBC Events Chair, for assisting with this media opportunity.
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OCBC's Research Leading the Way
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Government Affairs
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OCBC Briefed on Budget Negotiations,
Proposals to End Chronic Deficits
OCBC’s Advocacy and Government Affairs Committee met Friday June 13 and received an update on the State Budget from Lisa Kalustian, Chief Deputy Director of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Los Angeles Office. Committee Chairman Ron DiLuigi of St. Joseph Health System chaired the meeting.
Kalustian spoke about current budget negotiations taking place in the State Capitol. She outlined the tenets of the Governor’s proposed budget, as well as his proposed long-term solution to the state's chronic deficits. As outlined, the Governor's Budget Stabilization Act proposes to trigger a reduction in spending if a deficit opens up during the state’s fiscal year. It would also set aside revenues in good years to establish a “rainy day” fund that would be accessed when the state faces an economic downturn.
OCBC supports the principles of the administration’s proposal as a practical approach to ensure long term fiscal stability.
In the meantime, OCBC urges you to try your hand at solving the budget at www.next10.org. Click on "Take the Budget Challenge" and see how you would tackle tough decisions facing the legislature this summer.
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Healthcare
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Governor to Develop Comprehensive
Health Care Reform Package
Herb Schultz, Special Advisor on Health Care to Governor Schwarzenegger, updated OCBC’s Health Care Committee last week on a developing proposal to produce comprehensive health care reform in California. Schultz discussed the administration’s goals of addressing accountability, cost containment and prevention in a reform package scheduled to be presented to legislative leadership in the coming weeks.
Health Care Committee member Ron DiLuigi of St. Joseph Health Systems questioned Schultz on the Governor’s approach to what could shape into a contentious debate, to which Schultz replied: “The Governor is committed to working with both sides of the legislature to produce a comprehensive health care reform package.”
Schultz indicated that no new costs will be induced while the state deals with the continuing budget deficit. However, the Health Care Committee ultimately thanked him for his presentation and stressed that the budget must remain a priority during the ongoing crisis.
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Investor Spotlight
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Federal Auditors Side with Boeing
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) last week upheld an appeal submitted by the Boeing Company contesting a large military contract awarded to Northrop Grumman and European Aeronautic Defense and Space over Boeing. OCBC was on record in support of Boeing’s original proposal, and issued a statement in support of the ruling.
OCBC noted Boeing’s established track record of positive economic impacts for Southern California, employing 12,000 workers in Huntington Beach and Seal Beach alone. Boeing’s proposal for a new generation of Air Refueling Tankers would mean supporting support local workers trained in high-tech applications and a healthier economy in Southern California. Read more about the GAO decision here.
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Workforce Development
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OCBC Partners with Vital Link to Connect Business
and Education Communities
OCBC’s Workforce Development Committee met June 19 to review its 2008 work plan and adopt a new program to add to the Committee’s portfolio of educational partnerships. Vital Link, initiated by the American Business Conference, seeks to link business and education together and prepare students for a successful transition to meaningful employment. Vital Link supports OCBC’s own principles of standards based education and creating opportunities for students to interact with the businesses community.
Earlier this year, the Workforce Development Committee adopted Project Tomorrow, a national, education nonprofit also consistent with OCBC’s workforce development priorities. The Workforce Development Committee has now fulfilled its goals for 2008 partnerships in championing these two programs.
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Upcoming Events
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The 2008 Executive Invitational Golf Tournament
is in Full Swing!
Team up and tee off with the Orange County Business Council and UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business to support educational programs benefiting Orange County's Workforce all on an award winning golf course.
What: 2008 Executive Invitational
Golf Tournament Where: Monarch Beach Golf Links
When: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 -- 12:30p.m. Start
Tournament proceeds benefit OCBC's Latino Educational Attainment Initiative and
UCI's Paul Merage School Scholarship Fund.
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Committee Meetings
June, July and August 2008
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Thursday, June 26 |
Community College Working Group, 3:00 p.m. |
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Tuesday, July 8 |
Infrastructure Committee, 7:30 a.m. |
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Wednesday, July 16 |
Workforce Development Committee, 7:30 a.m. |
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Friday, August 1 |
Latino Educational Attainment, 9:00 a.m. |
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Tuesday, August 12 |
Infrastructure Committee, 7:30 a.m. |
All meetings are at OCBC's main offices unless otherwise indicated. Please also view OCBC's Master Calendar.
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Community Events
World Affairs Council of Orange County
Thursday, June 26
Join World Affairs Council for an evening with Major General Rick Olson, who is currently serving as the Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. In 2006, he began one year of service in U.S. Embassy, Baghdad serving as Deputy Director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office and Director of the National Coordination Team. Please see www.worldaffairscouncil.org for more information or to register email or email: wacoc@hotmail.com.
OC Forum "Markets in Transition"
Thursday, July 17
The traditional regulated utility markets of yester-year no longer exist. With rising energy costs, declining natural resources, and increasing competition, public utilities companies must find innovative ways to deliver their services in the 21st century. California Public Utilities Commission President, Michael Peevey, will discuss several policy initiatives currently underway at the to address these issues and share his perspective of the potential impact on today’s markets. Visit www.ocforum.org for details and registration.
Rancho Santiago Community College District - Chancellor’s Ball
Friday, October 24
The eleventh annual Chancellor’s Ball, “By the Light of Lanterns,” will be a celebration of diverse Asian cultures. Since 1998, the black tie optional event has raised nearly $650,000 to support student scholarships and programs at Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. The 2008 Chancellor’s Ball is slated for Friday, October 24 from 6 to 11 p.m. in the Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom. For information on sponsorships or to RSVP, contact (714) 480-7450 or visit www.rsccd.org.
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