SOCEC Positions

On January 11th, 2023, SOCEC sent a letter to the California Fire Authority to request an extended period of public comment so that business and community leaders could have sufficient time to review the proposed Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps that were released near the holidays.

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Update: CalFire agreed to our suggested 60 day extension for public review/comment.

On August 24, 2022, SOCEC joined over 60 organizations in signing onto a letter that urges the CA Public Utilities Commission to enact meaningful reform to the state’s rooftop solar program. This requires the elimination of the decades-long unfair cost burden on the 90% of Californians without solar. We ask the state to modernize its NEM program and actually meet its own clean energy goals.

SOCEC has sent a letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla as well as Representative Mike Levin, strongly in favor of supporting a request for funding concerning Santa Margarita Water District's Ranch Water Filtration & Oso Barrier Water Treatment Plant Projects.

SOCEC has sent a letter to the Deputy General Manager of Santa Margarita's Water District strongly in favor of funding SMWD's San Juan Watershed Project 

implementation grant application. This grant would ultimately help improve water supply reliability and create a new source of potable water in the San Juan Groundwater Basin.

The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board recently released Tentative Orders #s R9-2022-0005 & R9-2022-0006 relating to the Wastewater Authority & Doheny Desalination Project for public review. SOCEC urges support for these orders due to the critical need for a reliable, local and safe drinking water supply.

SOCEC signed on to a letter of opposition from the California Chamber of Commerce to members of the California State Senate voicing their disapproval of SB-213.  This bill, which has been labeled a “job killer” will impose an astronomical financial burden on employers in the healthcare industry.

SOCEC supports SB 743 (Bradford) which will effectively, sustainably, and equitably bridge the digital divide by removing barriers to broadband adoption for low-income public housing residents. 

SOCEC strongly supports the revitalization efforts of the Village at Laguna Hills which could create more than 8,000 jobs in retail, entertainment, construction and other areas. The project would also generate approximately $22 million in park fees to update community parks in the city.  

SOCEC signed onto a coalition of business, industry and community organizations requesting clarification to ensure that the SoCal Greenprint is appropriately crafted and that we have a viable tool that can truly support our business, development and labor partners in their efforts to strengthen the Southern California region for all of its inhabitants. 

Called on the San Clemente City Council to strongly consider a policy that does not restrain housing production, increase ownership costs and further complicate attainability.

SOCEC supports SB 623 (Newman) because it makes it clear that toll facilities are permitted to share necessary customer information with the Department of Motor Vehicles and other agencies to pursue toll collection and enforcement.

SOCEC calls on Governor Newsom to ensure the proposed Huntington Beach Seawater Desalination Project (“Project”) is approved.

SOCEC suppports the proposed budget item for the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity (RFFC) Program of the Department of Conservation in the California Resources Agency.

SOCEC calls on the Governor and Legislature to take immediate action to provide financial relief and
reduce the costs facing all employers in California.

On November 10,2022, SOCEC sent a letter calling on California’s state and local policymakers and the Newsom Administration to advance policy solutions that would provide more clean, affordable water for California's over 40 million residents. We also signed onto another Solve the Water Crisis Coalition Letter, adding our voice to the list of agencies and organizations who share in this effort.

On May 10th, SOCEC sent a letter to the Chair of the CA Coastal Commission urging them to approve the Development Permit for the Poseidon Water's Seawater Desalination plant in Huntington Beach. This project would reduce dependence on imported water while also enhancing 

regional water supply 

diversification at at time when Orange County currently imports 50% of its water.

SOCEC has sent a letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla requesting $1.8M for a cultural and educational facility in Mission Viejo.  This is part of a larger economic development project occurring in the Civic Core of the community and would provide new resource for the residents to enjoy, while exploring the history and the natural environment of Mission Viejo.

SOCEC sent a letter to California's elected officials notifying them that we are strongly opposed to the proposed property fee increases associated with the use of Doheny State Park for the 2022 Ohana Music Festival.  The festival generates millions of dollars in revenue for Dana Point and Orange County and any increased fees would negatively impact those economic benefits along with other social contributions to the local community.

SOCEC sent a letter of strong support to the Economic Development Administration for the Oso Creek Trail Improvement Project in the City of Mission Viejo. The project will expand and make improvements to the Oso Creak recreational trail as part of a larger project to revitalize the Village Town Square and bolster new economic opportunities in the region. 

SOCEC supports a broad based group of business, industry and community organizations that call for the Regional Council to stop SCAG’s work on the Greenprint until clear and well-considered policy directions have been established. 

SOCEC supports AB 1560 (Daly) which will help effectively, sustainably, and equitably bridge the digital divide, by removing barriers to broadband adoption and bring more Californian’s online.  

SOCEC recently joined LABizFed and the Inland Empire Economic Partnership in opposition to SAQMD Rule 2305 which imposes an illegal tax on warehouses, requiring them to reduce emissions by limiting the amount of trucks that can come to their buildings or be subject to a "mitigation fee." ​

SOCEC supports s the Irvine Ranch Water District’s (IRWD) Syphon Reservoir Improvement Project. The project would greatly increase the district’s recycled water storage capacity, reducing the need to import more expensive water from outside the region, and would be a great asset to residents and the business community. 

SOCEC expressed concern over SB 213's effort to replace trhe current resolution process administered by the Division of Worker's Compensation with a new system that would establish presumption in the Worker's Compensation Program for hospital employees without having to demonstrate that the ailments arose out of their work.

SOCEC supports AB 259 which would allow a one-year retroactive tax credit for personal income taxes and corporation taxes for 2020 providing much needed relief.

SOCEC opposes SB 213 (Cortese) which would establish a presumption in the workers’ compensation program for hospital employees for a broad range of illnesses and injuries.

SOCEC stands with South Orange County's right to have a local water source.

SOCEC suppports SB 74 (Borgeas and Caballero) which would appropriate $2.6 billion dollars to the Office of Small Business Advocate in order to award grants to small businesses and non-profits that have experienced economic hardship resulting from COVID-19.

On October 7, 2022, SOCEC sent a letter to the California Coastal Commission to voice our support of the Doheny Ocean Desalination Project. This project will greatly contribute to the long-term sustainability and water supply reliability in South Orange County, and it is a step in the right direction towards approving more desalination plants where appropriate.

SOCEC sent a letter to the President of the CA PUC urging her to adopt the Federal Funding Account Program Rules and remove pricing proposals to advance broadband infrastructure in Southern California.

SOCEC has sent a business & Labor Coalition Summary Recommendation Letter to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) concerning the Greenprint & the Draft Regional Advanced Mitigation Program (RAMP) Policy Framework that was presented at the February 18, 2022 meeting of SCAG’s Regional Advance Mitigation Planning Advisory Task Group.

SOCEC has notified the San Diego Grants Program Manager that we support the proposed partnership between Cox Communications and SANDAG/SCAG with the goal of providing better internet access to people living in South Orange County. 

SOCEC has joined a diverse coalition of organizations, businesses and renewable energy advocates that support an extensive reexamination of California’s solar rooftop Net Energy Metering program that currently jeopardizes our transition to 100% clean energy.

SOCEC sent a letter to Rep. Katie Porter (CA-45th D) that urgers her and her colleagues in Congress to not raise corporate taxes to fund infrastructure.  Any raise in corporate taxes would further burden our Main Street business that are still recovering from the hardships caused by the recent COVID-19 Pandemic.  

SOCEC sent letters of opposition to Assemblymembers Davies, Choi and Petrie-Norris and signed-on to a letter from the California Chamber of Commerce in opposition of AB 650. This bill seeks to impose at least an estimated $6 billion in direct payroll costs on healthcare providers, which have lost billions of dollars during the pandemic, jeopardizing access to affordable healthcare for Californians. 

SOCEC recently joined the California Chamber of Commerce in opposition to AB995 which would impose signficant costs on small businesses by amending the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act to increase the number of sick days employers are required to provide. 

SOCEC supported SMWD's application for funding through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSmart Program for Title XVI water reclamation and reuse projects for FY 2021. 

Called on U.S. Representative Porter to prioritize Providence's Medical Assistant Academy Program in Mission Viejo as one of her recommended projects. 

SOCEC supports AB 62 (Gray) which will facilitate and assist with California’s economic recovery and provide a tax credit for struggling businesses seeking to comply with costly new COVID-19 regulations.

SOCEC supports SB 214 (Bates) which would remove the January 1, 2022, sunset date and authorize the County of Orange to develop a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) transportation plan for the developing community of Rancho Mission Viejo.

SOCEC supports The Legacy at Coto project and requests that the project traffic study within the DEIR include the specific intersections that will be impacted within the city of Rancho Santa Margarita.