California Forward (CA Fwd) applauds Governor Newsom for recognizing and supporting in his proposed budget a regional approach that brings together public, private and civic organizations to address the state’s most complex challenges.
We are pleased to be a leader in 2020 of the Regions Rise Together initiative, which we launched last year with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz) and the Office of Planning and Research (OPR). We will continue to work with the Newsom Administration and many other public and private partners to strengthen the connections within and across regions, leveraging their unique economic assets to create prosperity for all.
A shining example of inclusive regional planning is the new Fresno D.R.I.V.E. Initiative and we are very pleased to see proposed investments like the $33-million Fresno-Merced Food Innovation Corridor and the $17-million Fresno Integrated K-16 Education Collaborative come out of this process. We are also glad that the Governor is proposing to create new Go-Biz representatives in regions throughout the state to better connect regional priorities to public policy.
CA Fwd and its California Stewardship Network, through the California Economic Summit, will work to shape the statutory infrastructure needed to support the governor and legislature in advancing solutions that grow the economy, protect the environment and deliver opportunities for all.
As an advocate and key supporter of the Rainy Day Fund, we are proud to see it continues to work as intended, strengthening the state’s economic foundation with an additional $2 billion in 2020-21.
— Statement on behalf of Micah Weinberg, CEO of CA Fwd
