Member of the Month Archive

OC to Offer Optional Digital Vaccine Record, Not a Mandate

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

(Orange County Register) Orange County health officials still plan to provide digital proof people can use to show they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, but county leaders stress they will not mandate that anyone get a so-called “vaccine passport” and one won’t be required to get services from the county. The OC Board of Supervisors on April 13, faced an angry crowd demanding the county abandon plans to require that people carry proof of vaccination to go about their daily lives – but no such plans exist. Currently, when people get a vaccine shot, they’re given a white card issued by the Centers fo...

Orange County in Pandemic Holding Pattern in Orange Tier

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

(Orange County Register) Orange County is in a pandemic holding pattern as three critical coronavirus metrics maintain low altitudes as the mass vaccination campaign grows. Both the local case rate and share of swab tests coming back positive were unchanged since last week, according to a state Department of Public Health update on April 13. The county’s case rate held week-to-week at 3 cases per day per 100,000 residents, while testing positivity remained at 1.6%. The health equity metric – testing positivity among hard-hit neighborhoods where access to health care is limited – dipped to 1.8% from 2.1% last week. To advance to th...

SBA Opens Applications for Shuttered Venue Operators Grants

Thursday, April 08, 2021

The U.S. Small Business Administration officially opened the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal on April 8 for operators of live venues, live performing arts organizations, museums and movie theatres, as well as live venue promoters, theatrical producers, and talent representatives to apply for critical economic relief, as those eligible entities are some of the first that had to shutter their doors a year ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Concerts, plays, dance performances, movie premieres, museum exhibits – these are the lifeblood of culture and community, and often the anchor for travel, tourism, and neighborhood food and retail stores. We know tha...

California Travel Looks to Bounce Back After Dramatic Decline During COVID-19

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

March marked one year since the coronavirus changed the way Californians live and work. This spring carries a sense of optimism as vaccines become more widely available. But recent data outlining the pandemic’s devastating effects on the state’s tourism economy illustrate just how challenging a year it was for the travel industry and how much work it will take to climb back to 2019 travel spending levels. The coronavirus halted a record 10 years of growth for California’s tourism economy in 2020, erasing $86 billion in visitor spending and 518,000 travel and hospitality jobs throughout the state. More than one-third of the jobs lost i...

Business Executives Eager to Return Employees to the Office

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

(CNBC) The days of working from home may be numbered. While some companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are dumping office space, others are ramping up their return-to-work plans. Just this week, Google, one of the first major U.S. companies to send employees home last year because of the coronavirus, told staffers it is accelerating plans to get back in the office ahead of the Sept. 1 return deadline. In a memo to Bloomberg employees first reported by Business Insider, Michael Bloomberg said he expects workers to return to the office as soon as they are vaccinated. In a survey of more than 350 CEOs and human resources and financ...

California to Fully Reopen June 15

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

(Patch) Sixteen California counties will move into less restrictive tiers as officials look to lift all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, gatherings, and recreational activities June 15, though a statewide mask mandate will remain in place. Assuming continued availability of vaccines and no spikes in COVID-19 hospitalizations — particularly among people who have been vaccinated — the state on June 15 will do away with its Blueprint for a Safer Economy, the four-tier, color-coded system that has guided economic reopening through a series of restrictions and capacity limits. That system has been in place for 31 weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said during ...

Celebrate Irvine to Honor Frontline Community Heroes

Monday, April 05, 2021

After a year faced with the Coronavirus pandemic, the Greater Irvine Chamber will honor some of the community's frontline heroes during the 2021 Celebrate Irvine virtual event, live-streamed Wednesday, June 9 at 12 p.m. Celebrate Irvine will also feature a welcome from Greater Irvine Chamber President & CEO Bryan Starr and an update about the city, celebrating its 50th anniversary, from Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan. Join us in the spirit of gratitude as we honor those who have gone above and beyond to serve our community during the pandemic. They have performed their work duties in close proximity to the public or colleagues...

California to Allow Indoor Events, Gatherings As Cases Near Record Low

Friday, April 02, 2021

(Patch) In a major about-face from the state's strict and stringent reopening plan, California officials on April 2 announced that the state will allow indoor concerts, theater performances, and gatherings starting April 15. The announcement comes as officials said the state's coronavirus test positivity rate nears a record low, according to the California Department of Public Health. To attend indoor gatherings, Californians will have to get tested for coronavirus or show proof of full vaccination, the state said. Guidance on indoor events and gatherings will also vary by the level of restrictions in each county's tier assignment. It remains to be seen just ho...

Orange County Moves To Orange Tier Today: What To Expect

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

(Patch) Orange County will move into the Orange Tier of the State's Blueprint for a Safer Economy after having successfully achieved Orange Tier metrics for two weeks, officials say. The California Department of Public Health announced that effective Wednesday, March 31, Orange County businesses can move toward the Orange Tier metrics that allow them to expand capacity or resume operations altogether. The orange tier is the second-least-restrictive tier, and the county does not intend to enact any additional restrictions on top of what the state already requires. Residents are advised to continue seeking vaccinations and wearing masks and social distancing. If the county i...

City of Irvine and MemorialCare Expand COVID-19 Vaccinations to More Irvine Residents

Friday, March 26, 2021

The City of Irvine expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to Irvine’s highest risk residents aged 55 and over through a continued partnership with MemorialCare. The City of Irvine continues to bring vaccines to Irvine residents through Mayor Farrah N. Khan’s COVID-19 Task Force. The state’s announcement to extend eligibility to California residents 50+ starting April 1 and all individuals 16+ April 15, will only continue these alliances and vaccination efforts. “MemorialCare continues to be an outstanding partner to help meet the vaccination needs of our residents,” said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “We will continue to work together until every Irvine resident receives ...

All Californians 16+ Will Be Eligible For Vaccine April 15

Thursday, March 25, 2021

(Patch) All Californians 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 15. Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement on March 25 at an Orange County vaccination site. Californians 50 and older will be able to sign up for a vaccination appointment beginning April 1, he added. This expanded eligibility comes as the state anticipates a significant increase in COVID-19 vaccine supply. Just last week, Newsom told reporters that all Californians would be eligible for the vaccine in early May. "The light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter," Newsom said in a tweet. California expects to receive 2.5 millio...

Many American Households Use Stimulus Payments to Pay Down Debt

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Americans are poised to receive a third round of stimulus checks through the new American Rescue Plan Act and data from the Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey show past stimulus payments helped ease financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of COVID stimulus payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child began reaching households in April and May 2020. According to the survey, around a quarter of adults in those households were still using those payments to pay for usual expenses as of the first half of June 2020. But Household Pulse data also suggest many households may have accumulated deb...

OC Closer to Orange Tier, Improving Trends Rending

Thursday, March 25, 2021

(Orange County Register) Just one week after entering the red tier – which let restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms invite customers back indoors – Orange County is already on track to advance to the even less-restrictive orange tier for the first time since state officials introduced the four-tier framework of pandemic rules last summer. If local COVID-19 case rates and other critical metrics used to track the speed and spread of the coronavirus stay as low as they are now, the county could advance to the orange tier on March 31, said Dr. Clayton Chau, OC Health Care Agency director and county health officer. Th...

Governor Signs New Paid Sick Leave Mandate Into Law

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

(CalChamber) Governor Gavin Newsom on March 19 signed legislation that mandates the addition of up to 80 hours of employer-paid COVID-19 sick leave retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. The new law applies to employees who work for a public or private employer with more than 25 employees. Upon signing the legislation into law, Governor Newsom said, “Even as case rates and hospitalizations decline and vaccinations ramp up, we can’t let our guard down and must do all we can to stop this virus from spreading.” The California Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of more than 110 allied groups, strongly opposed the proposal. Th...

Orange County Eyes Orange Tier, Blue Shield Vaccine Distribution

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

(Patch) Orange County has met the coronavirus metrics to move to the less-restrictive orange tier under the state's blueprint for reopening the economy. Still, the county must maintain these figures until April 7 to officially graduate up to that level. A new relationship with Blue Shield will see to a more streamlined vaccine delivery across the county, though details are still being made known as of March 23. The latest weekly update from the state, issued on Tuesdays, shows the county's test positivity rate improved from 2.2% to 2.1%, and the adjusted case rate per 100,000 people on a seven-day average wit...

City of Irvine and Hoag Continue COVID-19 Vaccine Partnership

Monday, March 22, 2021

Mayor Farrah N. Khan’s unwavering pledge to vaccinate all Irvine residents continued March 22, with another COVID-19 vaccine clinic held through an ongoing partnership with Hoag. Higher-risk Irvine residents aged 60 and over received COVID-19 vaccines at Lakeview Senior Center. “Continuing to expand COVID-19 vaccine parameters to more Irvine residents brings me great satisfaction,” said Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “My COVID-19 Task Force continues to be successful in meeting the needs of my constituents and I’m extremely grateful for these fruitful partnerships. I’m certain that in coming weeks the City will be able to provide even more vaccines to eligible Irvine residents.” O...

Destination Irvine, Irvine Hotels Partner to Advocate for State Guidance in the Reopening of Business Meetings

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Leaders from Greater Irvine Chamber and Irvine hotels met with Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan at the Irvine Marriott on March 16 as part of the California Hotel & Lodging Association’s hotel demo program advocating for state guidelines on safe reopening of business meetings. “Every other state released protocols and has been safely holding meetings during the pandemic, but California has prohibited meetings of any size since the state’s stay-at-home order went into effect on March 19, 2020. As a result, other states are exploiting California's lack of guidelines for meetings and poaching business intended for Irvine,” said Wendy Haase, vice president of Destination Irvine, a division of th...

Orange Tier May Be Within Weeks for OC Provided Pandemic Improving Metrics Continue

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

(Orange County Register) Two days after Orange County entered the red tier of pandemic rules – allowing restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms to invite customers inside once again – the county’s latest coronavirus metrics suggest another leap toward normalcy isn’t far off. If promising trends hold, Orange County is poised to spend only a few weeks in the red tier before advancing to the even more relaxed orange tier, which would bring back another wave of shuttered businesses, including bars and bowling alleys, with pandemic modifications in place. The county’s COVID-19 case rate fell for the ninth week in a row to ...

Orange County Restaurants, Movie Theaters Welcome Customers Back Indoors Under New Red Tier Rules

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

(Orange County Register) Some restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters across Orange County shot out of the gates Sunday, March 14 as other owners and managers prepared to bring back and retrain staff, replenish supplies and get the word out to customers that they are welcome indoors once again. State public health officials announced Friday that California had met a 2 million vaccination goal in disproportionately impacted areas, meaning Orange County and some others – Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties included – with improving pandemic metrics would shift Sunday from the strictest purple tier of the state’s four-tier monitoring system to the more relaxed re...

Steps to Consider When Employee Telecommutes from Another State

Friday, March 12, 2021

As a result of COVID-19, we’ve had a lot of employees working remotely, but now some of them are planning to move out of state and wish to continue to work for us on a remote basis. Is there anything special we have to do for our employees working in other states? Once your employees begin working in another state, they will, in most circumstances, be subject to the laws of the state in which they are performing services for the employer. You will need to work with your workers’ compensation carrier, or an insurance broker to secure coverage in each stat...

California Could Get $150B From Federal Virus Relief Bill

Thursday, March 11, 2021

(AP) The massive COVID-19 relief bill Congress approved on March 10 will pump more than $150 billion into California’s economy, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration said, including a $26 billion windfall for the state’s already burgeoning budget surplus. Nearly half of the money will go to Californians directly in the form of $1,400 checks and expanded unemployment benefits. Another $15.9 billion will go to public and private schools while $3.6 billion will boost the state’s vaccination, testing, and contact tracing efforts. There’s also money for public transit agencies, airports, and child care. About $16 billion will go to local governments and will be split betwee...

California Economic Recovery Forecast to Outpace the US

Thursday, March 11, 2021

(Los Angeles Times) The U.S. and California economies will experience near-record growth this year thanks to widespread vaccinations for COVID-19 and massive federal relief for struggling workers and businesses, UCLA forecasters predict. “A waning pandemic combined with fiscal relief means a strong year of growth in 2021 — one of the strongest years of growth in the last 60 years — followed by sustained higher growth rates in 2022 and 2023,” according to the quarterly economic outlook released March 10. California, buoyed by high-earning technology and professional sectors that shifted to at-home work during the pandemic, will recover somewhat faster than the U.S., even thoug...

Governor Newsom Delivers State of the State

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Last night, as California passed a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Gavin Newsom delivered his third State of the State address in a virtual presentation from an empty Dodger Stadium – a striking visual display of the approximate Californians lost to COVID-19. The Governor highlighted the state’s continued progress in battling the pandemic, reflected on those lost, and recognized everyday Californians who have risen to meet the challenges of this unprecedented time – including the health workers now vaccinating some of the most vulnerable Californians at the stadium. The Governor also highlighted the urgent relief the state is providing to the hardest hi...

Orange County May Move to More Relaxed Red Tier Next Week

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

(Orange County Register) Orange County notched week one of two in qualifying to move to the less restrictive red tier of pandemic rules, according to a state Department of Public Health update on March 9. If three key coronavirus metrics continue their downward tumble from pandemic peaks in early January, the county will officially move out of the strictest purple tier next Tuesday, March 16, meaning a range of businesses, including restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms, could begin letting masked customers indoors the following day. Orange County rounded out a second full month of improving pandemic figures this week as the rate of coronaviru...

COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance Released

Tuesday, March 09, 2021

(CalChamber) On March 4, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its COVID-19 guidance, addressing several vaccination-related questions. The updated guidance replaces the version last updated on July 24, 2020. The DFEH answers one of employers’ biggest questions — can they require employees to get vaccinated? Yes, says the DFEH, an employer may require employees to receive an FDA-approved vaccination so long as the employer complies with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), meaning it “does not discriminate against or harass employees or job applicants on the basis of a protected characteristic, provides reasonable accommodations related to disability or sincerely-hel...

Stadiums, Disneyland May Reopen with Limitations on April 1

Monday, March 08, 2021

(CalMatters) Californians holding out hope for spring baseball games, summer trips to Disneyland and outdoor concerts in the park are in luck. State officials today announced that outdoor sports and live performance venues, as well as amusement parks, will be allowed to begin reopening on April 1 — with restrictions. That is, if counties proceed through the state’s four-stage, color-coded reopening tiers as hoped with increasing vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 infections. And if would-be outdoor audience members are quick on the draw, since strict capacity limits and reservation requirements will be in effect. “We feel like this is a good time to begi...

City of Irvine and Hoag Partner to Provide COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

Friday, March 05, 2021

Through the continued efforts of Mayor Farrah N. Khan’s COVID-19 Task Force, the City of Irvine and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian partnered to provide a small COVID-19 vaccine clinic for Irvine senior citizens. The small vaccine clinic took place March 4 at Lakeview Senior Center. A total of 300 seniors aged 65 and over received the COVID-19 vaccine. With nearly 28,000 seniors aged 65 and over in the City, the City of Irvine is making it a priority to get seniors vaccinated against the coronavirus. “My COVID-19 Task Force will continue to forge relationships and bring vaccines to the City of Irvine,” sai...

Employee Quitting Due to COVID May Still Collect Unemployment

Friday, March 05, 2021

(CalChamber) QUESTION: I have several employees who have quit for COVID-19 related reasons, including lack of child care and fear of being in the workplace. Why are they able to collect unemployment insurance when they were the ones who chose to quit? ANSWER: An employee who quits with good cause is eligible for unemployment insurance (UI) in California. According to the California Code of Regulations, good cause exists when the “motivating factor… is real, substantial, and compelling and would cause a reasonable person genuinely desirous of retaining employment to leave work under the same circumstances.” (22 CCR 1256-3(b)) Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, some commo...

Orange County Chief Executive Frank Kim Provides UPDATE OC

Wednesday, March 03, 2021

A partnership with local Chambers of Commerce to educate the community about relevant issues emerging in Orange County, County Executive Officer Frank Kim discussed how the County is doing financially including the progress of the Orange County vaccination program and the impact of the pandemic on the County. Watch the video:

City of Irvine Launches $17.7 Million Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Tuesday, March 02, 2021

To continue to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on Irvine’s residential renters, the City of Irvine, in partnership with Orange County United Way, will be allocating approximately $17.7 million for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The program is funded through a combination of federal and state dollars. The program will provide funding for unpaid rent from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. For eligible households, the program will pay for up to 80% of unpaid rent if the landlord agrees to forgive the remaining 20%. In cases where landlords are unwilling to participate, 25% of the unpaid rent wil...

Orange County Details Pandemic Spending

Friday, February 26, 2021

(Orange County Register) Over about nine months of last year, Orange County spent more than $500 million in coronavirus aid money to address the need for COVID-19 testing, food assistance, grants to struggling small businesses, places for the homeless to quarantine, help to prevent or manage nursing home outbreaks, and preparations for county employees to work remotely. Funding from the federal CARES Act (intended to cover pandemic-related public health and safety measures) had to be spent by the end of 2020. The Board of Supervisors authorized county CEO Frank Kim in March to bypass typical procedures so he could more nimbly deal wit...

City of Irvine and MemorialCare Partnered to Provide COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

Friday, February 19, 2021

Through the leadership of Mayor Farrah N. Khan, the City of Irvine and MemorialCare partnered together to offer a COVID-19 small trial vaccine clinic for Irvine’s most vulnerable seniors. “I’m thrilled to be able to provide vaccines to our City’s most vulnerable residents,” said Mayor Khan. “The City Council and I have listened to residents’ requests and needs to bring vaccines to the City, and this is just the beginning of the great work my COVID-19 Task Force is capable of achieving through our partnerships.” The small trial clinic took place Friday, Feb. 19 at Lakeview Senior Center. Seniors vaccinated include the City’s most vulnerable populatio...

Orange County’s Coronavirus Metrics Improve Again, Putting Red Tier Within Reach

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

(Orange County Register) Marking a fifth week of improving pandemic metrics from a rough start to the new year, Orange County has dipped one toe into the next, less restrictive tier of the state’s four-tier tracking system, which governs which businesses and public spaces can reopen. The county’s testing positivity – that’s the share of swab and spit tests coming back positive and is one of three critical metrics used to determine how strict pandemic rules should be – this week fell to 7.8%, barely making it over the 8% threshold into red tier territory, according to a state Department of Publi...

California Restaurant Jobs: Is The Industry Recovering?

Monday, February 15, 2021

(Patch) Restaurant workers are among the Golden State residents who have been most at risk of unemployment since the coronavirus pandemic began almost 11 months ago. California is one of the 46 states that have seen overall losses in restaurant industry employment from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of 2020. Only Indiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma ended 2020 with more people employed in the industry than in February of that year. Idaho saw no change. The trends are not going in the right direction nationally, however. A net 19,400 restaurant industry jobs were lost in January, according to early data from the Bureau o...

Federal COVID-19 Response Taps UCI Health as a Model for Delivering Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Monoclonal antibodies are showing promise for improving outcomes for COVID-19 patients, but when a hospital is already beyond capacity, administering them can be a challenge. As hospitalizations soared across California, clinicians with UCI Health created a system for delivering monoclonal antibodies that is keeping hospital beds available for patients with the greatest need. “The hospital bed is one of the most valuable resources that we have, which has been stretched thin by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Daniel S. Chow, an assistant professor in residence in radiological sciences and co-director for the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine as well as th...

Port Activity Surges as Pandemic Drives E-Commerce Imports

Sunday, February 07, 2021

(The Grunion) When 2020 dawned, the major concern at the Port of Long Beach centered around a burgeoning trade war with China. But then the global coronavirus pandemic quickly changed that, posing challenges the port had never before faced. The fallout from the pandemic was the focus of Executive Director Mario Cordero’s annual State of the Port address on Feb. 4, during which he touched on how the port marshaled resources to keep operations going, chronicled the year’s wildly inconsistent cargo numbers — which flatlined in the first half of 2020 and then boomed to record levels ahead of the holidays — an...

COVID-19 Shots Speed Up In Orange County As Health Networks Join the Race

Saturday, February 06, 2021

(Orange County Register) The Orange County government’s mass coronavirus vaccination drive is no longer the main option in town as traditional health networks ramp up immunizing their own elderly patients. Together, county representatives and health care providers – including large players such as Kaiser Permanente, Providence, and UCI Health – had administered about 265,000 first and second doses to 221,000 people by Jan. 31, according to the OC Health Care Agency’s latest figures. The shots are speeding up. Administrators have more than doubled the average number of shots given daily since mid-January to about 12,000 per day. The county Health Care Agency’s vaccination networ...

Why US Hiring Could Rebound Faster Than You Might Expect

Saturday, February 06, 2021

(Associated Press) Hiring has weakened for six straight months. Nearly 10 million jobs remain lost since the coronavirus struck. And this week, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that employment won’t regain its pre-pandemic level until 2024. And yet a hopeful view is gaining steam that as vaccinations reach a critical mass, perhaps around midyear, and the government provides further stimulus, the economy and the job market will strengthen much faster than they did after previous recessions. “I am not often optimistic,” said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. “But I am optimistic now.” The brighter outlook rests on three premises. The first is tha...

MemorialCare Participating in I-SPY COVID Trial to Evaluate Treatments for Severely-Ill COVID-19 Patients

Friday, February 05, 2021

MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center continues its fight against COVID-19 as a participant in the I-SPY COVID Trial (Investigation of Serial Studies to Predict Your COVID Therapeutic Response with Biomarker Integration and Adaptive Learning). The focus of the trial is to improve outcomes for severely-ill COVID-19 patients. The I-SPY COVID Trial is an adaptive platform trial that incorporates a single-study structure to evaluate multiple treatments independently within the same trial. This method allows for the rapid assessment of potentially impactful therapies. All patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 requiring high flow oxygen or mechanical ventilation are screened for potential participation in thi...

Destination Irvine Earns Global Hospitality Award: Irvine, USA’s Best Emerging Leisure & Recreation Travel Destination

Tuesday, February 02, 2021

LUXlife has awarded its 5th annual Hospitality Award to Destination Irvine for its work to market Irvine’s well-deserved status as “USA’s Best Emerging Leisure & Recreation Travel Destination.” “To be globally recognized with this award, during a truly challenging year, is quite an honor,” said Wendy Haase, vice president, Destination Irvine. “Irvine being recognized as the best U.S. destination for leisure and recreation will further our marketing efforts that highlight the city’s safe and responsible COVID-19 recovery.” LUXlife Magazine, one of AI Global Media’s most popular standalone publications, recognized that many firms whose work is vital to the industry were not bein...

COVID-19 Dominates California’s Latest Workplace Regulations

Sunday, January 31, 2021

(The Press-Enterprise) In response to the coronavirus pandemic, California lawmakers and regulatory agencies spent much of 2020 passing legislation and issuing regulations to prevent and address the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Many of these laws and regulations went into effect Jan. 1 and will continue impacting California businesses well beyond 2021. New Measures in Workplaces California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health approved sweeping emergency temporary standards on COVID-19 infection prevention in November for all employees not covered by Cal/OSHA’s Aerosol Transmissible Diseases standard. The state’s ATD regulations commonly apply to workers in health care facilities, laboratories, public health as wel...

In Case You Missed It: Greater Irvine Chamber Business Outlook Presentation and Slides Available Online

Friday, January 29, 2021

Whether you missed the Jan. 28 live-streamed presentation of the 2021 Greater Irvine Chamber Business Outlook event, would like to revisit it, or share it with others, the complete presentation, program booklet, and Chris Schwarz’s slide deck can be accessed here: Business Outlook 2021.

Irvine Company is Nation’s First Commercial Real Estate Co. to Partner with Environmental Quality Testing Leader to Confirm Ventilation, Filtration Systems Effectiveness

Friday, January 29, 2021

A healthy workplace environment starts with healthy air. The Irvine Company is the first commercial real estate company in the nation to partner with SafeTraces, an indoor environmental quality testing leader, to confirm the effectiveness of our ventilation and filtration systems. The Irvine Company also continues to proactively evaluate our building systems and wellness protocols: UL Verified Healthy Building Mark - Indoor Air. Irvine Company is the first commercial real estate provider in the United States to receive the UL Verified Healthy Building Mark for Indoor Air. Learn more about the comprehensive testing process and results. UCI Health - Workplace Wellness Protocols. Top epidemiologist...

COVID Vaccine Given at Soka University, OC’s Second Mass Vaccination Site

Saturday, January 23, 2021

(Orange County Register) The county opened its second Super Point-of-Dispensing, or POD, vaccination site on Jan. 23 at Soka University in Aliso Viejo. With 1,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on hand, the inoculations began. Eventually, officials hope to ramp up to delivering 3,000 to 4,000 doses a day at the site, seven days a week, as long as supplies are available. Currently, the county has about 66,000 doses of vaccine, which are being delivered at the super PODs and smaller mobile sites. Disneyland was the first large site to open. The county receives only about 20% of the overall supply designated for Orang...

UCI Coronavirus Vaccine Could Protect Against All COVID Strains

Friday, January 22, 2021

(Patch) UC Irvine scientists are developing a vaccine to attack all strains of coronavirus, the university reported on Jan. 21. Along with the vaccine, scientists say they have identified a potential breakthrough that —if it works—would solve many of the problems related to distributing the medicine to patients across the world, a UCI professor on the project says. Lbachir BenMohamed— a UCI School of Medicine professor of immunology and the founder of the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology at the University of California, Irvine—says that his team is developing what they envision will be a vaccine that could work on al...

City of Irvine Cares Campaign

Thursday, January 21, 2021

The City of Irvine launched Irvine Cares, the first initiative of Mayor Farrah N. Khan’s newly assembled COVID-19 Task Force. The campaign invites the public to slow the spread of COVID-19 by pledging support of mitigation measures which includes acting as an advocate to ensure the health and safety of Irvine’s most vulnerable. Through Irvine Cares, community members pledge to protect one another by wearing a mask, washing their hands frequently, practicing social distancing, and staying home when sick. They commit to practicing kindness and good judgment by being respectful of others, especially those who are at increased risk for severe illness, and to be an advocate by promoting best practices in preventing COVID-19. Community members can take the pledge online at cityofirvine.org/irvinecares or download a pledge card and mai...

COVID-19 Vaccine: Can It Be Required?

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

(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 th...

Disneyland, OC's First Large-Scale Vaccination Center Opens To Lines

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

(Patch) If you are trying to get a handle on how to get vaccinated in Orange County, you are not alone. On Jan. 13, Cars lined up on the streets near Disneyland Resort of hopefuls awaiting their dose of coronavirus vaccine. As of Jan. 13, only those who fall in Phase 1A of the vaccination plan, and those 65-years-old or older, can register. Still, the application designed to handle the registry was not working as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Orange County officials planned to open a guest parking area off Katella, transforming that into a coronavirus vaccination center—one of five planned fo...

Disneyland to be Orange County’s First Large-Scale Vaccination Site

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

(Orange County Register) On the day the coronavirus death toll in California reached 30,000, Disneyland and other locations such as Dodger Stadium were established as vaccination super sites. Newly confirmed infections are rising at a dizzying rate of more than a quarter-million a week and during the weekend a record 1,163 deaths were reported – Orange County surpassed 2,000 reported deaths. Bereft of visitors for months because of the pandemic, Disneyland will soon see thousands of guests when it serves as one of Orange County’s five planned mass vaccination sites. County officials announced the deal Monday, Jan. 11, to use the theme park i...

SBA and Treasury Re-Open PPP with New Guidance

Monday, January 11, 2021

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the Treasury Department, reopens the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initially only community financial institutions will be able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, Jan. 11, and Second Draw PPP Loans on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The PPP will open to all participating lenders shortly thereafter. Updated PPP guidance outlining Program changes to enhance its effectiveness and accessibility was released on Jan. 6 in accordance with the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Venues Act. This round of the PPP continue...

Mayor Farrah N. Khan’s COVID-19 Task Force Launches First Initiative

Saturday, January 09, 2021

Governor Newsom Plans $4 Billion for Economic Recovery

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

(NBCLA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 5 proposed a $4 billion spending plan he says will create jobs and help small businesses recover from the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Close to half of that money — $1.5 billion — would help people purchase electric cars and build the charging stations necessary for drivers to use them. That proposal is part of Newsom's goal to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars in California by 2035. Small businesses would get $575 million. The money would pay for grants of up to $25,000 each to small business owners, with priorit...

Legislative Lifeline for Small Business Deemed Urgent

Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach), Senator Andreas Borgeas (R-Fresno), and Senator Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) unveiled new coalition support and legislative details of the Keep California Working Act during a Jan. 6 virtual press conference. The Keep California Working Act, otherwise known as Senate Bill 74, is a bipartisan small business relief package spearheaded by Senators Andreas Borgeas and Anna Caballero, and Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris. The bill invests $2.6 billion (or 10% of California's projected windfall) in grants for small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. "SB 74 may be an essential lifeline for California businesses that are struggling to maintain jobs an...

California’s New Series of COVID-19 Reporting Requirements

Monday, December 21, 2020

(CalChamber) During the 2020 California legislative session, COVID-19 forced lawmakers to pivot from their routine business to addressing the growing pandemic, and answering the question: "One of my employees just reported that they tested positive for COVID-19. Do I have to report this positive case?" In response, the Legislature enacted SB 1159 and AB 685 that created certain reporting requirements for employers when learning of a positive case. Following up, Cal/OSHA recently approved and implemented COVID-19 emergency regulations that also create a set of reporting requirements. Outline of Requirements To help readers sort out these varied requirements, we have created the table below outlining th...

TIME Names Best Innovations of 2020

Friday, December 18, 2020

Some good things came out of 2020. Among them, were 100 Best Innovations changing how we live as named by TIME. The list includes Virti, a training platform that drops workers into high-stress augmented and virtual reality scenarios, where they can practice responding and receive feedback. Trauma surgeon Dr. Alex Young launched the U.K.-based Virti in 2018 to help medical professionals train for difficult situations, such as what to do when an artery is nicked during surgery. This year, the company found an important new use case: the pandemic. Virti’s COVID-19 modules teach frontline workers around the world skills like the proper wa...

CalChamber Joins California’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

(CalChamber) The California Chamber of Commerce will be joining a broad coalition of community stakeholders to serve on the state’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee. The committee will help guide the state’s decision making about COVID-19 vaccine distribution and allocation. As the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine arrive in California, state officials plan to leverage a well-established existing immunization framework and emergency response infrastructure to coordinate efforts between state, local, and territorial authorities to distribute and administer the vaccine. The Community Vaccine Advisory Committee will build on the work of the Scientific Safety Review Work Group and the Drafting Guidelines Work Group. The Committe...

UCI Researchers Develop At-Home Coronavirus Saliva Test

Wednesday, December 09, 2020

Researchers in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine announced promising results in the development of a noninvasive at-home antigen test to detect the spike of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in saliva. The team, led by Michelle Khine, professor of biomedical engineering, posted their findings on the preprint server medRxiv.org. Khine is proposing a point-of-care platform that uses saliva, an electrochemical reaction and the children’s toy Shrinky Dinks to create the low-cost electrodes. “A rapid, population-scale diagnostic and screening device is our goal, and we think our electrochemical aptamer-based assay could be an ideal candidate,” Khine said. Working with Khine...

Coronavirus Trackers

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Tracking by County State’s Daily Actions Everything You Need to Know About California’s Response to Coronavirus Daily Coronavirus Tracker Coronavirus State by State

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