Program Award: Business Retention and Expansion

Winner

City of Hope Orange County: Hope is at Work

To combat our state’s dire nurse staffing predicament, City of Hope Orange County teamed up with local colleges and business consortiums in 2022 to recruit over two dozen physician experts and 300 skilled nurses and other employees for City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center.

Honorable Mention

OC Community Resources – OC Community Services: The Orange County Veterans Employment Program

The Orange County Veterans Employment Program (VEP) provides a variety of wraparound and career services designed for active military who are near separation, or who have recently separated, and for their eligible dependents.

Program Award: Building & Land Reuse and Community Revitalization

Winner

City of Santa Ana: My First Home Down Payment Assistance Loan Program

The City of Santa Ana committed $3 million with its unprecedented Down Payment Assistance Program to help provide homeownership opportunities for lower income households. Last year, 21 families were able to make homeownership a reality.

Program Award: Incorporating Innovative Technology

Winner

OC Community Resources – OC Community Services – Office on Aging: Access to Technology Program

The Orange County Office on Aging (OoA) Access to Technology Program (ATT) aims to reduce social isolation and increase access to virtual services for older adults and people with disabilities by providing access to technological devices (i.e., iPads), broadband service, and training.

Program Award: Sustainable And Green Development

Winner

OC Community Resources – OC Parks: Capistrano County Beach and Doheny State Beach Sand Replenishment Project

To address coastal erosion, the Capistrano County Beach and Doheny State Beach Sand Replenishment Project replenishes about 45,000 cubic yards of sand along a 1-mile stretch of beach using repurposed sand from flood control efforts by Orange County Public Works (OCPW).

Public – Private Partnership

Winner

Anaheim Public Library: Foster Youth Initiative 2022

Partnering with CASA OC, Orangewood Foundation, and Covenant House, Anaheim Public Library provided 652 “We’re Here for You” library cards to foster youth and youth in need who do not have a permanent address and/or cannot obtain a parent’s signature.

Honorable Mention

City of San Juan Capistrano: Salida del Sol

The City of San Juan Capistrano partnered with Jamboree Housing to develop a Permanent Supportive Housing community and a new city hall on the current city hall site. The project will provide onsite supportive housing with services for 40 formerly homeless individuals and veterans.

Leadership In Public Service

Winner

California State Senator Josh Newman 29th District

California State Senator Josh Newman helped secure an $8.5 million grant through the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) allowing RevHubOC to convene leading OC public, private, and non-profit organizations under NorthSTAR to build a social enterprise ecosystem for under-represented and under-resourced communities.

Program Award: Business Retention and Expansion

Winner

City of Garden Grove: Foods of Garden Grove

The City of Garden Grove launched the Foods of Garden Grove program in July 2021 which lists 150 local restaurants to help expand their reach. The City’s casual dining sales tax revenue has grown at a faster rate than the state’s overall since launching the program.

Program Award: Building & Land Reuse and Community Revitalization

Winner

City of Santa Ana: MainPlace Specific Plan

The City of Santa Ana’s MainPlace Specific Plan is an ongoing transit-oriented redevelopment of the MainPlace site, aiming to add 1,900 housing units and economic development opportunities.

Honorable Mention

City of Fountain Valley: Prado Family Homes

Prado Family Homes is the City of Fountain Valley’s first new, fully affordable housing project in almost 20 years. It adds 50 units for low-income families and includes an onsite social services office.

Program Award: Incorporating Innovative Technology

Winner

City of Tustin: Streamline Tustin Initiative

The Streamline Tustin Initiative leverages technology to improve government processes for businesses and residents, including accelerated building plan reviews, online plan submittals and more. From 2020 to 2021, the number of permits able to be issued increased by over 200, among other improvements to the development process.

Program Award: Sustainable And Green Development

Winner

Orange County Transportation Authority: OCTA College Pass Program

The College Pass Program provides Orange County’s 120,000 community college students free access to OCTA bus routes, reducing transportation costs by more than $10M while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4,000 tons.

Public – Private Partnership

Winner

Orange County Health Care Agency & CalOptima Health: Be Well OC Orange Campus

Be Well OC is a coalition of hundreds of OC organizations supporting a high-quality behavioral health system. In 2018, CalOptima Health and OCHCA entered an agreement to deliver behavioral health services at the first Be Well OC Orange Campus, which has served an estimated 2,400 CalOptima Health members since opening.

Honorable Mention

City of Irvine & City of Hope Orange County: Lennar Foundation Cancer Center

City of Hope OC’s Lennar Foundation Cancer Center opened in Irvine in 2022 after close collaboration with the City and County agencies. This partnership created more than 350 new professional jobs in Irvine as well as a new regional hub for medical innovation.

Leadership In Public Service

Winner

Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen

Clerk-Recorder Nguyen has served in the role since 2013. In recent years, he has implemented numerous tax-cutting and streamlining initiatives. In 2022, the Clerk-Recorder expanded the South County branch in response to demand and reduced passport photo fees. Clerk-Recorder Nguyen’s department also received national attention for offering wedding services safely at Honda Center throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.