Business and civic leaders from around the state will gather this Friday in Santa Clara to develop a shared agenda to generate jobs, improve regional competitiveness and promote the triple bottom-line outcomes of economic vitality, equality of opportunity and environmental quality.
Leading up to the Summit, at fourteen Regional Forums held around the state, we asked more than 2,000 people what was important to them. Many of these same people, joined by policy experts, then formed statewide Action Teams to translate priorities into problem statements, goals, measurable objectives and actions. These are now available in the California Economic Summit: Policy Playbook 2012.
At the Summit, participants will further refine and develop seven Signature Initiatives:
- Smart Regulations: Refining CEQA to restore its original intent and streamlining regulations
- Smart Workforce: Supporting the growth of major regional industry sectors
- Smart Innovation: Helping small business and start-ups innovate through regional and university partnerships
- Smart Capital: increasing access to capital for all businesses
- Smart Infrastructure: identifying new financing tools for infrastructure projects and promoting water infrastructure
There will be many other potential initiatives that are important to regions that should be the focus of regional action and other ideas that are not yet ready for collaborative action. That does not mean they are not important, but in this first Summit we will focus on where we can agree and what we can get done now.
As May 11 approaches, we realize we have an ambitious agenda. We also know that our work won’t be concluded at the Summit. It is a continuation of what started in the Regional Forums and represents a real opportunity to reach consensus among California’s diverse regions to make commitments for moving forward.
Look for two outcomes of the Summit: actionable proposals and champions to make sure they happen.
