The challenge is clear: Rising income inequality, a growing sense of economic insecurity, and a dramatic decline in upward mobility—are at the heart of the existential crisis facing California today: While millions of people in this state are prospering, millions more do not have a clear path to the California Dream—or the confidence that they can hold on to it if they reach it.

At the 2018 Summit in Santa Rosa, more than 500 participants discussed how they could work together to take on these challenges—and advance a broader agenda to “Elevate CA,” promote rural economic development, and make every California community more resilient. They also agreed that to make progress on any of these issues, the state will need to set an explicit target for promoting economic mobility—and measure progress toward achieving it. The Summit has introduced a place to start with its proposed new California Dream Index.

The 2019 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity outlines the California Economic Summit’s plans for comprehensive agenda to address with a triple bottom line approach to solving the state’s biggest challenges:

1. Creating the California Dream Index, a new scorecard for tracking the state’s progress toward improving economic mobility.

2. Developing a poverty prescription through innovative “two generation” strategies and system change efforts that can improve results with adequate investments in a smarter safety net and put the CA Dream within reach of every child.

3. Encourage early childhood strategies that support community, regional, and state efforts to coordinate and expand high quality learning and nurturing for all children age 0 to 5 through system change strategies, partnerships, and adequate investments.

4. Continuing the Summit’s “One Million Challenges,” ongoing initiatives to close gaps in skilled workers, livable communities, and well-paying jobs.