Turning Red Tape into Red Carpet Awards

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire:
Big Brothers Big Sisters Workplace Mentoring Program,
Featuring Disneyland

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County’s Workplace Mentoring Program addresses the region’s labor shortage by connecting high school and college students with industry leaders at local corporations and institutions. Partners in 2023 included Golden State Foods, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Cypress College, Santa Ana College and Cal State Fullerton with inaugural partner Disneyland helping to set the stage. By offering tailored mentoring and career guidance, the program ensures that students have the resources and confidence to succeed.

City of Costa Mesa: Bike Rack Program

Due to its numerous mixed-land use settings throughout the city, Costa Mesa benefits from heavy pedestrian activity. Looking to increase foot traffic for local businesses, the city implemented the Bike Rack Program which increased the number of bike racks and foot traffic in front of commercial spaces.

City of Costa Mesa: Totally Electronic Self-Service Application (TESSA)

The City of Costa Mesa streamlined its land management and permitting systems into one centralized application system called Totally Electronic Self-Service Application, or TESSA. The digital platform used across all departments has reduced processing time, allowing projects to launch sooner. Moreover, the city partnered with local universities to provide part-time roles to interns giving them hands-on experience in developing a centralized application system.

City of Santa Ana: Planning and Building Agency
Express Permit Program (PBx)

The City of Santa Ana’s Planning and Building agency launched PBx, short for Planning and Building Express, an express permit service that allows customers to get same-day permits at the Building Safety Division counter. Since the program’s launch, wait and service times have been reduced. With the success of the program, the city is assessing other areas to expand PBx services such as Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) permitting services.

County of Orange, Treasurer-Tax Collector: Cutting Red Tape to Deliver Cost-Effective Tax Bills That Save Taxpayer Funds

To innovate the secured property tax bill process, the County of Orange replaced traditional tax bills with postcards. The new process reduced printing and postage costs, time, while continuing to provide taxpayers secure information and introducing many to the County’s online resources.

Office of Orange County Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen:
Bridging Distances for Love: Orange County Clerk-Recorder’s
Virtual Marriage Ceremony Initiative

The Orange County Clerk-Recorder launched the Virtual Marriage Ceremony Initiative at three county sites to enable couples to live-stream their marriage ceremony to guests unable to attend in person. Since the launch of the program, the County Clerk-Recorder’s office has facilitated 10,377 ceremonies and having the most affordable civil ceremony fee in the state, $28, the program has drawn couples from across the region, helping to boost the local economy.

Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA):
OCTA Headquarters Acquisition

With responsible fiscal management as one of Orange County Transportation Authority’s core principles, the agency recently transitioned from leased to owned space for its headquarters saving taxpayers $50 million. Working closely with advisors such as CBRE, Griffin Structures and others, the purchase of the sustainable building, which features LEED Gold Certification and solar panels, is expected to lower operational costs as well.

Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA): Partnership in Motion:
Tomato Springs Toll Plaza Reuse

To repurpose unused tollbooths after moving from cash to electronic tolling collection, Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) partnered with the Irvine Police Department and other local police departments to use the Tomato Springs North Toll Plaza for training motorcycle officers. The partnerships, offered at no cost by TCA, is a way to prepare first responders while also giving back to the community.

Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA): The Toll Roads Customer Service
Back-Office System Upgrade

Faced with an outdated customer service system, Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) Toll Operations was in need of a major upgrade in order to continue serving the roughly 240,000 daily drivers of The Toll Roads. Collaborating with other agencies to share best practices in customer service support, the major upgrade was completed in October of 2023.

CalOptima Health: CalOptima Health Provider
Workforce Development Initiative

CalOptima Health distributed $25 million in workforce education grants to seven institutions in Orange County to help address shortages in Orange County’s healthcare workforce. The initiative provides economic assistance for education, training, recruitment and retention for future health care workers. Grant recipients include Cal State Fullerton, Chapman University, Coast Community College District, Concordia University Irvine, Orange County United Way, Rancho Santiago Community College District and UCI.

City of Los Alamitos: Pine strEATs Event Grant Program

The Pine strEATs event in the City of Los Alamitos is a partnership between the city and its local restaurants. Participating restaurants and vendors receive up to $5,000 grants to showcase their culinary offerings and cover event-related expenses. Proceeds benefit the Los Alamitos Community Foundation to support community-focused initiatives benefiting local residents and organizations, and participating businesses report a boost in sales during the annual event.

City of Santa Ana: Foster Youth Voucher Initiative Collaboration:
Santa Ana Housing Authority, Orange County United Way, and Orangewood Foundation

In 2019, the Santa Ana Housing Authority partnered with Orange County United Way to provide housing for nearly 100 former foster youth, age 18-24, who had exited the foster care system. Through the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program, youth receive housing vouchers and additional support comes from Orangewood Foundation and the Orange County Social Services Agency.

County of Orange Procurement Office: The SoCal Procurement Alliance

Founded and led by the County of Orange Procurement Office, the Southern California Alliance is a group of local governments in Southern California collaborating to reduce costs through bulk purchasing and to enhance operational efficiency. The Alliance has improved access for smaller agencies and boosted business for suppliers with $14 million in new sales since 2023.

Jamboree Housing Corporation: Estrella Springs

Jamboree Housing partnered with public agencies such as the County of Orange, the city of Santa Ana and CalOptima Health to transform an underused Budget Inn in Santa Ana into Estrella Springs. The 89-apartment development offers housing for individuals and veterans experiencing homelessness, those living with mental health diagnoses, and individuals earning up to 30% of the area median income (AMI). Units provide kitchens with modern appliances, while residents also have access to a computer lab, fitness stations and community garden.

Related California: The Crossroads at Washington

In 2019, the City of Santa Ana and the County of Orange selected developer Related California to build an 86-unit affordable housing development. The Crossroads at Washington, which provides housing for low-income families and special needs populations, offers onsite services for residents, as well. Today, it is 95% leased with more than 200 residents living in the development, working in Orange County, attending local schools and supporting the local economy.

City of San Juan Capistrano

The City of San Juan Capistrano worked with ALMQUIST Development to plan and approve its joint vision of River Street Marketplace, an economic revitalization project that establishes San Juan Capistrano as South Orange County’s premier dining and entertainment destination. Designed to impact the city’s economic development, the 60,000 square foot family-friendly dining and shopping hub, located in the oldest neighborhood in California dating back to 1775—Los Rios Historic District—brings in 32 new businesses and approximately 440 new jobs, and features farm-inspired architecture that pays homage to the history of the site and surrounding community.

Debbie Hansen-Bosse, The Flora May Foundation,
Working Women Winning (WWW)

Debbie Hansen-Bosse is the founder of The Flora May Foundation and Working Women Winning. As the founder of Working Women Winning, she has created pathways to employment for underemployed and underserved women. Through partnerships with local businesses and corporations, she’s helped to build internships and job opportunities. In addition to this role, she mentors fellow non-profit CEOs in the region providing guidance to help make those nonprofits strong.