The Regions Rise Together initiative continued its tour through California last week, this time in Bakersfield, to hear from Kern County leaders who are featured in our latest video on the series of economic strategy sessions happening across the state. Read our longer recap of the event here.
The conversation turned to the County’s big economic sectors like agriculture and energy, and the perception and realities of what the region has to offer.
“I think Kern County represents a lot of what California is and what it can become,” said Robert Arias, chief deputy of local & statewide initiatives at the Kern County Superintendent of Schools office.
One of the key points raised in this statewide conversation is emphasizing the vital role that each region plays in the entire economy at same time highlighting their own assets and how the State can help bolster regional economies.
“The state has very clear values,” said Kate Gordon, director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and Governor’s senior advisor on climate change. “Every part of the state can kind of achieve those values differently and that’s what we’re learning from this project.”
The initiative is led by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). CA Fwd and the California Stewardship Network are partners in the effort to engage with regions and the preliminary findings and analysis will be a part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s keynote address during the 2019 California Economic Summit in Fresno in November.
