• OC Supervisor Andrew Do's COVID Safe Restaurant Program unanimously approved by the OC Board of Supervisors, awards qualified restaurants with $1,000 in CARES Act funding for complying with, and publicly posting, their checklist and attestation. Application coming soon. Kudos Supervisor Andrew Do!

• Drive through COVID-19 testing is available Wednesday - Sunday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and is made possible through a public-partnership between County of Orange, 360 Clinic, and City of Anaheim. Book your appointment today.

• Support local businesses! South Coast Plaza welcomes you with open boutiques and outdoor dining. All department stores are open along with select boutiques with accessible outdoor entrances. Restaurants are available for takeout, curbside pick up, delivery, and select outdoor dining.

• California set two new COVID records for hospitalizations and ICU admissions. Public health officials in LA County indicated another stay-at-home order may be required.

• Garden Grove expands its Accessible Business program to local businesses by waiving all permit fees to restaurants applying for temporary outdoor dining permits, with plans to offer no-fee temporary outdoor permits to other business sectors when allowed by state health and safety guidelines. Read more.

• On July 20, all CVS stores will require customers to wear face coverings followed by Target where masks will be required starting Aug. 1.

• Event planners rejoice, Newport Dunes now offers a private, seaside drive-in event space complete with car-side concessions for corporate events and meetings, weddings, birthdays, and fundraisers. Book your event today!

• OCBC member, Jamboree Housing, remembers gifted leader, Marcy Finamore, for her lifetime of service. Marcy spent 19 years with Jamboree Housing and rose from her part-time position to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Marcy led a team of over 95 and helped grow the annual operating budget from $830,000 to $12 million. Her innovative solutions helped create Jamboree’s current financial system that manages a $3.2+ billion portfolio of more than 96 communities. Marcy's legacy and contribution will continue to live on through Jamboree’s success. 

• Santa Ana residents receive free COVID-19 testing through a mobile test site at Walker Elementary courtesy of OC Health Care Agency’s partnership with Latino Health Access and Families Together of Orange County. View event recap with Supervisor Andrew Do.

• CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield noted the public can control the spread of COVID-19 within 4-8 weeks with the use of face masks. Redfield states asymptomatic people may be keeping the virus alive. #MaskUP!

• Rite Aid will launch 38 COVID-19 test sites in Southern California. The cost-free test will be available by appointment only for symptomatic and asymptomatic residents 18 years and older. Book your appointment today!

• Free testing in OC: How to access.
• DO IT! Where to get tested in OC: Find a testing site near you. 
• OC Testing Sites: Appointment & walk-in resources.
• Public & private sector testing: Contact your provider today.
• COVID-19 Hotline: For general questions & information call: (714)-834-2000.
• OC Health Care Agency: Data Dashboard featuring confirmed COVID-19 cases.

• As non-profit donations hit historic lows, United Way urges the community to reach out to Senators and Members of Congress to halt taxation of charitable donations. Bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate that aid this movement. Fill out a contact form and automatically pen your letter to lawmakers.

• OCBC will be hosting a virtual advocacy summit July 27 and 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Don’t miss your chance to discuss OC's priorities with top-level legislators and state officials. Confirmed speakers include Lieutenant Governor Elieni Kounalakis; Secretary of State Alex Padilla; Treasurer Fiona Ma; Senate Education Chair Connie Leyva; Assembly Utilities and Energy Chair Chris Holden; Senate Housing Chair Scott Wiener; State Water Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel; Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin; and others. Open to OCBC members only. Members can register HERE. To learn more about membership, contact Natalie Rubalcava.

• Yesterday’s Workforce Development Conference featured Dr. Jeff Hittenberger, Chief Academic Officer for the OC Department of Education who presented OCDE’s health guidelines approved by the OC Health Officer last month. Dr. Hittenberger acknowledged that the state of the pandemic has brought greater reservation to schools’ ability to open in person classes. How school’s open up will ultimately be decided by the each school district within OC. A link to the recording can be found here: Password: 9J@1#0ZP.

• Comptroller of the Currency announced the launch of Project REACh to promote financial inclusion through greater access to credit and capital. Under the REACh initiative, the Comptroller will convene people who have the ability to address the systemic inequalities in the US financial system, including the challenges of accessing credit and capital. The initiative will identify and reduce barriers that prevent full, equal, and fair participation in the nation’s economy. Learn more.

• Join UCI Beall Applied Innovation on July 17 at 11:00 a.m. to hear Saurabh Suri from CerraCap Ventures, an Orange County investment firm with Fortune 500 experience in discussion about his experience with sustainable technology products and global operation solutions. Register today!

• Join USC's popular “Sales Mindset for Entrepreneurs” sales speakers, Garrett Brown and Colin Coggins on July 23 at 12 p.m. for a conversation on how to close a sale amid COVID-19, how sales teams continue to grow through remote work, and the rare sales opportunity COVID-19 has presented. Register here!

• On August 6 at 12 p.m., Joe Johnston, Senior Accounting and Business Development Manager at TGG will lead a four part series that targets business models for retail, manufacturing, and software. This series will provide business executives with tools to evaluate how their companies rank against competitors based on basic business models and price-value matrix.

• Is your workforce in need of training? Rancho Santiago Community College District and Saddleback college can provide customized and subsidized training opportunities to upskill or reskill your employees. For more information, contact Jesse Ben-Ron, OCBC VP of Workforce and Economic Development.

• Small Business Development Center
• SBDC Resources for Small Businesses
• Go-BIZ FAQ for Small Businesses
• UCI's Free Small Business Toolkit

• Tuesday, August 11, Orange County Board of Supervisors will review the proposal for private aviation companies to operate out of JWA. Private companies will have access to provide services such as fueling, storage, parking, aircraft maintenance, and flight instruction to the community. Once a private company is selected a final proposal will be submitted for the Board’s approval. 

• Community Action Partnership of Orange County distributed it's one-millionth diaper through its Diaper Bank. In times of uncertainty, CAPOC rose to the occasion and launched its Diaper Bank early amid COVID-19. View CAPOC’s virtual celebration! 

• United Way’s Homeless Prevention Program has helped 4,280 low-income families at risk for homelessness due to an income change. This program provides families with a one per household $500 emergency debit card for food, rent, and utilities. Way to go United Way!