Fiona Ma

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Watch Melissa Fox’s Town Hall on Small Business Assistance, Affordable Housing, and COVID-19 with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma and Small Business Majority’s Claudia Moreno

COVID-19 has impacted both small businesses and housing in California.

In this Town Hall held on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, Irvine City Councilmember Melissa Fox , California State Treasurer Fiona Mam and Claudia Moreno of Small Business Majority discuss the impact of COVID-19 on California’s economy, small business assistance programs, and new opportunities for affordable housing.

Fiona Ma is California’s 34th State Treasurer. She was elected on November 6, 2018, with more votes (7,825,587) than any other candidate for treasurer in the state’s history. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position.

Claudia Moreno is an Southern California Outreach Director for Small Business Majority, a national small business advocacy organization. She previously worked at the White House during the Obama Administration in the Executive Office of Presidential Correspondence where she served as an intermediate between the President and the American people. She also took lead in the Office’s Spanish Analytical Department as an interpreter to support the President’s vision to serve all communities.

Melissa Fox is an Irvine City Councilmember and an attorney, and also serves as Chair of the Irvine Community Land Trust, dedicated to building more affordable housing.

Watch the Town Hall here:

Note:

Join me for our next virtual Town Hall!

On Wednesday, May 5, 2020, at 4:00 p.m., I’ll be speaking with California State Controller Betty T. Yee about the COVOD-19 Crisis and the California Economy.

The title of the Town Hall is “The California Economy Challenged.”

The ZOOM Meeting ID is 951-321-0807.

Please contact my Chief City Council Aide Allison Binder at abinder@cityofirvine.org.

I hope you can join us!

 

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Join Me for a Virtual Town Hall on Small Business Assistance and Affordable Housing with State Treasurer Fiona Ma!

Join me on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. for a Virtual Town Hall on Small Business Assistance and Affordable Housing with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma!

ZOOM Meeting ID is 951-321-0807

COVID-19 has impacted both small businesses and housing in California.

Join Irvine City Councilmember Melissa Fox and California State Treasurer Fiona Ma as they discuss the impact of COVID-19 on California’s economy, small business assistance programs, and new opportunities for affordable housing.

Fiona Ma is California’s 34th State Treasurer. She was elected on November 6, 2018 with more votes (7,825,587) than any other candidate for treasurer in the state’s history.

She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position.

Melissa Fox is an Irvine City Councilmember and an attorney, and also serves as Chair of the Irvine Community Land Trust, dedicated to building more affordable housing.

For more information, contact Allison Binder at abinder@cityofirvine.org.

To see the Facebook page for this event, click here.

UPDATE:

Melissa Fox will also be joined joined on the Virtual Town Hall by Claudia Moreno, Southern California Outreach Manager for Small Business Majority.

Claudia Moreno develops relationships with both business partners and small business owners across the region to discuss ways to best help small businesses thrive in their local economies. Claudia also works closely on statewide policy initiatives. The daughter of a small business owner, Claudia understands the importance of giving back to her community and intentionally working to empower under-served entrepreneurs.

She previously worked at the White House during the Obama Administration in the Executive Office of Presidential Correspondence where she served as an intermediate between the President and the American people. She also took lead in the Office’s Spanish Analytical Department as an interpreter to support the President’s vision to serve all communities.

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State Treasurer Fiona Ma Announces $20 Million in Sales Tax Aid for Irvine-Based Biotech Company Edwards Lifesciences

I’m extremely pleased to report that California State Treasurer Fiona Ma has approved up to $20 million in sales tax benefits for Irvine-based biotech company Edwards Lifesciences to upgrade and expand a facility that makes devices to treat cardiovascular disease.

This action will support the retention and creation of 974 production jobs and 90 construction jobs, primarily in Orange County.

The award to Edwards Lifesciences was one of several approved by the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) which is chaired by Treasurer Ma.  CAEATFA works collaboratively with public and private partners to provide innovative and effective financing solutions for California’s industries, assisting in reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the development and deployment of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and advanced transportation and manufacturing technologies to reduce air pollution, conserve energy, and promote economic development and jobs.

Edwards Lifesciences makes transcatheter heart valves, surgical heart valves, and blood flow monitoring devices. In 2011, it made the first aortic value approved in the U.S. that does not require open heart surgery to place inside the patient.

In announcing her decision, Treasurer Ma stated that Irvine’s Edwards Lifesciences is “the kind of company that we need to keep in California. Edwards Lifesciences is saving lives and keeping our state on the cutting edge of technology, and doing all of this while reducing its energy consumption.”

The sales tax benefits will be applied to the purchase of $239 million of production equipment, facility improvement, tooling equipment, lab instruments, computers, and information technology. The upgrade, according to the company, will reduce energy use by 10 percent and trim the amount of hazardous and solid waste produced by the facility.

Edwards Lifesciences employees approximately 5,000 people in Orange County.

I have had the privilege of being friends with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma for many years and have long been a supporter of her approach to business-government relations and her efforts to promote economic development and jobs while also protecting the environment.

I am very happy to see that her policies as Treasurer are having a direct and positive impact on people and businesses here in Orange County.

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California State Treasurer Fiona Ma Presents Free Small Business Seminar!

Join California State Treasurer Fiona Ma along with state, county, and local elected officials at her inaugural free small business seminar!

The seminar will be presented on Friday, April 5, 2019, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m.

The location is Rowland Unified Board Room, 1830 Nogales St., Rowland Heights, CA 91748.

This seminar is FREE and will feature speakers from CalCAP, CalSavers, California Franchise Tax Board, GO-Biz, and Small Business Majority to share information and resources with small business owners to help them comply with regulations and grow their business.

Seminar sponsors include California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, US Representative Gil Cesneros, State Senator Ling Ling Chang, State Assemblyman Philip Chen, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, and L.A. County Assessor Jeffrey Prang.

Topics will include access to capital, small business loans, forms of ownership, retirement programs, and more!

Space is limited, so please RSVP at http://bit.ly/SGVSBS2019 or by calling (916) 653-2995.

See the Facebook Event Page here.

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Join Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel for a Community Safety Meeting at the Irvine Chinese School on April 15

Join Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel and members of  the Irvine Police Department who speak Mandarin as they answer questions regarding public safety in Irvine.

What: Community Safety Meeting at Irvine Chinese School

Date: Sunday, April 15, 2018

Time: 9:45 am – 11:45 am

Location: South Coast Chinese Cultural Center / Irvine Chinese School, 9 Truman St, Irvine, California 92620

This is a free event and is open to everyone.

To submit a question, go to the Irvine Chinese School’s WeChat account or email info@sccca.org by April 7.

Irvine Police Department Mission:

Working in partnership with the community, we will preserve the peace, uphold the law with fairness and provide quality service.”

Irvine Police Department Vision:

We will engage with our community through exemplary service and unparalleled professionalism, while employing a staff that reflects the growth and diversity of our community.

We will commit to implementing the latest technology and best practices to meet the demands of modern policing.

We will invest in the success of the men and women of the Irvine Police Department by providing unrivaled opportunities for training, advancement and personal growth.

Irvine Police Department Values:

Integrity – Recognizing right from wrong and the willingness to do what is right, no matter the consequences. Set the example.

Quality Service – Providing the highest level of service to our community.

Accountability – Accepting responsibility for our decisions and actions.

Respect – Valuing human life, having considerate and courteous regard for all persons. We follow, honor and defend the constitution of this country.

Contact Irvine Police Department:

Irvine Police Department, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, CA 92606-5207

Phone: 949-724-7000

For emergencies or to report a crime in action, call 911.

 

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Future Chinese Leaders of America: KUCI Podcast with Oliver Ma and Melissa Fox

FCLA.01
This summer, I had the great pleasure of working with Oliver Ma, a 2015 graduate of Irvine’s University High School and now a history and political science student UC Berkeley, to create a new Irvine non-partisan student group called Future Chinese Leaders of America (FCLA).

Irvine Commissioner Melissa Fox speaking at Future Chinese Leaders of America about the Irvine Master Plan

FCLA “seeks to train young Chinese Americans in politics and inform the Chinese American community of the political issues it faces. During meetings, local leaders/elected officials will speak about a topic of their choice. Then, the students will have a discussion/debate where they are encouraged to think critically and to formulate their own arguments about American politics and society.”

In just a few weeks, Oliver and current Irvine Chinese-American high school students Marvin Li, Ted Xiang, Leo Krapp, Michelle Tang, Michelle Liu and others successfully created this extraordinary club through their own initiative and dedication.

My role in the formation of FCLA was encouragement, mentoring, and connecting Oliver to various California Chinese-American political leaders such as State Controller Betty Yee, California Board of Estimate Chair Fiona Ma, and State Treasurer John Chiang, who spoke at an early FCLA meeting.

Oliver and I recently discussed the formation and future vision of the Future Chinese Leaders of America with KUCI’s program “Ask a Leader” with Claudia Shambaugh.

Please listen here.

Our discussion begins at 1:42 and continues to 29:38.