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Our core initiatives are to be a CATALYST for local economic growth, to be a CHAMPION for the business community with all levels of government, and to CONVENE greater Irvine stakeholders.
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(Orange County Register) The Irvine Unified School District on Jan. 19, received some much-needed financial assistance from one of its partners. A $2 million donation from the Irvine Company will help the district provide art, music, and science programs for students in grades fourth through sixth. The contribution is part of an ongoing 20-year, $45 million commitment by the Irvine Company’s Excellence in Education Enrichment program. Established in 2006, the program has helped Irvine Unified navigate declining state and local budgets and is now offering aid amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. “This commitment is essential in helping IUSD address the challenges brought on by the pandemic and helps maintain our specialized programming in the arts, music and science,” Superintendent Terry Walker said in a statement. The Irvine Company’s funding helps the district employ specialized instructors to deliver lessons, which have been adjusted because of the pandemic. District officials said it has created smaller groups for in-person and hybrid instruction models and used classroom technology to allow students to perform projects such as symphonies and science labs online. “COVID-19 has shaped teaching and learning in new ways,” Walker added. “The support and partnership of Irvine Company really is a symbol of what makes our community great.” Irvin...
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(KABC) Remember the SARS and MERS outbreaks? Those were both coronaviruses. Could another deadly outbreak occur in the next few years? If there's anything we've learned is that we need to be prepared. Scientists at UC Irvine are developing a vaccine designed to prevent future coronavirus outbreaks. In December 2019, a novel coronavirus appeared in Wuhan, China. Shortly after, Chinese scientists released the virus's full genome sequence. With that, researchers were able to develop COVID-19 vaccines in record time. But even with unprecedented speed, the virus has killed nearly 2 million people worldwide. UCI professor Lbachir BenMohamed, Ph.D. said it's not a matter of if another coronavirus will emerge, but when. "Are we prepared for the next outbreak?" he asked. "There will very likely be an outbreak. Maybe 2025, 2028, 2030. Who knows?" BenMohamed and his team at the UCI School of Medicine are working on a pre-emptive strike -- a universal vaccine that can protect against all forms of the coronavirus. "It is also the vaccine that is targeting the viruses that are not here yet," he said. How can it do that? Researchers explained the current vaccines go after the spike protein specifically, creating an immune response to prevent it from attaching to cells. But this ne...
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(CalChamber) In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw discuss what employers need to consider before mandating that their employees get the COVID-19 vaccine. *This podcast was recorded on January 12. Listeners should be aware that given the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, information shared on this podcast episode may change at any time. The recent distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine has sparked a lot of questions from employers and many of them are asking whether employees can be required to get the vaccine, Frank tells podcast listeners. Because the COVID-19 vaccine is so new, employers may find it helpful to put employees’ minds at ease and direct them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website so that they may learn more about the safety measures taken for developing the vaccine and how its efficacy is evaluated, Shaw suggests. Even though the vaccine is available, Shaw adds, it’s clear that reaching herd immunity is going to be a slow process that may not be achieved until 2022. So, it’s very important that employers remain diligent about social distancing protocols, she stressed. Problems with Mandating the Vaccine While it is temptin...
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The City of Irvine received $722,000 from the County of Orange to assist small businesses affected by COVID-19 within the Irvine portion of Orange County’s Third Supervisorial District. One-time grants up to $5,000 are available to eligible small businesses to help cover the costs of business interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and related stay-at-home orders. To qualify, the business must be in the 3rd District of Irvine and employ 10 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees. Additionally, businesses must not have received grant funding through the City of Irvine Small Business Support Program from June 2020, and must have an active City of Irvine Business License that has been valid since March 1, 2020. Businesses that meet program requirements will be entered into a lottery after the application closing date on Jan. 29, 2021. Lottery numbers are expected to be posted on the City’s webpage by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3. “We are thrilled to offer additional funding to Irvine’s small businesses located within the 3rd District,” said Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are grateful to have the opportunity to offer our business owners continued economic support.” Most of Irvine lies within the Third Supervisorial District, but some areas like Turtle Ridge, Shady Canyon, Quail Hill...
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