Participants of the first moderated session for the 2024 Orange County Business Council (OCBC) Legislative Day are pictured from left Assistant Vice Chancellor for Community and Government Relations Alberto Sandoval of the University of California, Irvine, and The Honorable Josh Newman from the California State Senate.IRVINE, CA (August 1, 2024) — Orange County’s state and regional legislative representatives shared updates and discussed issues impacting the nation’s sixth most populous county at Orange County Business Council’s (OCBC) inaugural Legislative Day on July 31st at UC Irvine. The sold-out event connected elected officials with Orange County’s stakeholders to discuss issues vital to the economic development of Orange County, California. Modeled after OCBC’s Sacramento Advocacy trips, the day-long event included moderators leading discussions with legislators, followed by Q&A sessions, as well as lunch and networking. The Q&A portion gave legislators an opportunity to hear from business and community leaders about topics impacting stakeholders such as economic development, workforce, housing, and infrastructure. Honorable Legislative Day speakers included California State Senators Catherine Blakespear, Josh Newman, and Tom Umberg. Representing the California State Assembly were Diane Dixon, Cottie Petrie-Norris, Tri Ta, and Avelino Valencia. Representing the Orange County Board of Supervisors in a panel discussion were Chairman Donald P. Wagner and Supervisor Katrina Foley, while Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento participated in a moderated discussion. Among topics and legislation discussed, panelists stressed the importance of many OCBC policy initiatives. Conversations included the necessary reform of California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), implementation of the recent reform of the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), retail theft and organized crime prevention, expanding water supply through projects such as the Delta Conveyance Project, funding for higher education, and other issues impacting the region. Title sponsors for the event were University of California, Irvine and UCI Health; luncheon sponsor was Southern California Edison, and legislative sponsors included Cal State Fullerton and Disneyland Resort. About Orange County Business Council For over 25 years, Orange County Business Council (OCBC) has been representing and promoting the region’s business community together with government and academia to enhance the economic development of the nation’s sixth largest county, Orange County, California. The Council’s core initiatives include advocating for adequate investment in regional and statewide infrastructure, education development that leads to a competitive workforce, advocating for a range of housing, and developing pro-business solutions that lead to economic growth. Member organizations include businesses and local organizations representing a diverse cross section of industries including biomedical, construction, education, financial services, health care, manufacturing, municipalities, nonprofit, real estate, technology, tourism, transportation, real estate and utilities. For more information, visit ocbc.org. Media Contact Lizz Mishreki, APR Vice President of Communications Orange County Business Council [email protected]
