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Contra Costa Council News
The Contra Costa Council is a public policy advocacy organization
that promotes the economic vitality of Contra Costa County and the region.

1355 Willow Way, Suite 253, Concord CA 94520 / phone 925-246-1880 / www.contracostacouncil.com

  February 2008
In This Issue
News & Comment: CCUSA 2008: A stellar event with an ample measure of science, economics and politics
CEO Viewpoint: Dr. Willard Daggett inspires Business/Education Leadership Summit
Task Force Briefings: Transportation, Water, Nonprofit/Business and Environmental/Manufacturing upcoming briefings
Other Events & Briefings: 2008 Small Business Government Contracting Seminars, State of the County Address by Federal Glover on February 15
Member News: Council appoints Clark Morrison and Mitch Randall to East County Habitat Conservation Plan Advisory Committee; Director Merle Gilliland resigns
Corporate Member Spotlight: Foley & Lardner
Welcome, New Members
Quick Links

Calendar of Events

CC Council Business Portal

Contra Costa Council

Council Board of Directors

Council Staff

Council Task Forces

CCUSA 2008

Newsletter Archive

Upcoming Events
 Joint Work Session
Organized by the East Bay's Business Councils & Chambers

The Housing & Subprime Mortgage Crisis:
Actions local government can take to protect communities and keep families in their homes

Thursday, February 14
2 to 3:30 p.m.

Conference Center, 19th floor
Wendel, Rosen Black & Dean LLP
1111 Broadway, Oakland

Welcome by Mike Brown, Principal, Morgan Miller & Blair and Vice Chair of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance.

Moderated by Jim Jakel, City Manager, Antioch

Panel featuring:

Framing the housing & subprime impact on the East Bay:
Dr. Cynthia Kroll, Senior Regional Economist, Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics

State and federal actions under consideration:
Preston DuFauchard, Commissioner, Department of Corporations, California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency

Family support featuring local government best practices: panelist TBA

Role our community foundations play to support families:
Carole
Watson, Chief Investment Officer, United Way of the Bay Area

Group discussion.

There is no cost to attend this event, and pre-registration is not required. For more information, please contact Bruce Kern, [email protected] or call East Bay EDA at 510-272-3874.

  .............................................

Contra Costa Council's State of the County Address by Board of Supervisors Chair Federal Glover

Friday, February 15
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn
1950 Burnett Avenue, Concord 

Presented by the
Contra Costa Council

Co-hosted by AT&T, ConocoPhillips, Shapell Homes and Tesoro

Sponsored by
Archer Norris, The Bowlby Group, Chevron, Contra Costa Water District, Emerald Consulting, Gray Bown and Company, Inc., John Muir Health, Morgan Miller Blair and Zell & Associates

Members and elected officials: $35; nonmembers: $50.

Reservations and payment required by February 12.

Register here by February 12 ...

 .............................................

  For information about any Contra Costa Council event, please contact Suzanne Schoenfeld at 925-246-1880.

CCUSA 2008 on CCTV

Contra Costa Council's CCUSA 2008 will air on CCTV

Comcast Channel 27 and Astound Channel 32


Will Durst,
Political Satirist

Monday, February 11, 8 p.m.
Friday, February 15, 10 a.m.

..............................

Stanford Professor Stephen H. Schneider and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's Alan H. Sanstad, Ph.D.:
Global Warming: Is the Science Settled Enough for Politics?

Will Travis, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission: Climate Change Strategy for the San Francisco Bay Region

Monday, February 11, 9 p.m.
Friday, February 15, 1 p.m.

..............................

Christopher Thornberg, Beacon Economics:
Peering Over the Edge: Housing and Why It's Hurting the Economy

Tuesday, February 12, 9 p.m.
Friday, February 15, 1 p.m.

..............................


To check listings, visit CCTV's program guide at
www.contracostatv.org.

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Join the Contra Costa Council and help guide our economy and quality of life.


Visit our website
or call 925-246-1880.
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News & Comment
Alain Enthoven

CCUSA 2008:
A stellar event with an ample measure of science, economics and politics

Judging by the strong praise and approval from numerous audience members, CCUSA 2008, the Contra Costa Council's signature event, was one of the most topical and informative events the Council has hosted to date. What's more, it was fun!

"CCUSA is an event with great history and relevance, and this year was no exception," said Council Chairman of the Board Steve Lesher of Shell Oil Products, who served on the CCUSA Steering Committee with James Brandt of UBS Financial Services, Inc., and Sue Rainey, Walnut Creek City Councilwoman, along with Council staff. 

The 22nd annual day-long conference, CCUSA (shortened from Contra Costa USA), was held on Thursday, January 24, at the Concord Hilton, drawing between 200 and 500 people at each of the presentations. Highly entertaining  speakes and an array of exhibit booths and tables completed the successful mix. Exhibitors and organizations--ranging from Chapman University to the East Bay Regional Park District to Treadwell & Rollo--provided information about their organizations, and handed out favors that included brochures, newsletters and other promotional items. (For a full list of event sponsors, exhibitors and table patrons, see below.)

Bay Area political satirist Will Durst was first on the agenda, warming up the crowd for the day's events and showing little mercy with his political and social lampooning. 

The science of global warming 

Durst was followed by a presentation on the science and economics of global warming, titled Global Warming: Is the Science Settled Enough for Politics?, by Professor Stephen Schneider, Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Professor of Biological Sciences, Professor (by courtesy) of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Senior Fellow in the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. He was joined by Alan Sanstad, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, Environmental Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Dr. Schneider (www.climatechange.net), who is internationally recognized for research, policy analysis and outreach in climate change, said that no one piece of data proves or disproves global warming, yet "the preponderance of evidence does point to global warming." He noted that Arctic Sea ice, measured in millions of square kilometers, is dropping at a faster rate than expected, which is considered part of a long-term trend, and while the polar bear is not extinct, the polar bear ecosystem is extinct. "There is no clinical trial . . .  and no data on the future, only data on the past," he observed. Dr. Schneider added that determining the cost to stabilize the atmosphere, which he pegged at as much as $400 trillion by 2100, requires comparing today's costs to the economy of the future, not that of today. The bottom line, he said, is that costs do matter, but climate policy is "more an ethical-equity judgment than an economics issue," and public understanding is critical.

Observing that the U.S. has a national policy to deal with climate change, Alan Sanstad of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory offered a balanced view of various points of view about global warming. He referred to The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism, by Christopher Horner, noting that the chapter titled "The Cost of the Alarmist Agenda," does not say, e.g., "Nothing should be spent on CO2 abatement because global warming is a hoax/myth/natural phenomenon out of our control." Over time, he said, developed economies require less energy per unit of economic output, CO2 per unit of economic output is declining and the available evidence strongly suggests that this pattern will emerge in developing economies as they mature. He discussed S. 280, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007 (McCain-Lieberman III), which would establish a comprehensive, long-term emissions cap and trade system, and by 2050 would reduce U. S. greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 44% from a "reference" level.

There has to be agreement between the developed and the developing world, Sanstad said. China is very much aware of what's coming--with the greatest potential damage likely to affect agriculture in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. He cited a "supreme irony" in the climate debate where climate models are criticized while economic models are treated as oracles. Take what you see about costs in the mass media with a grain of salt, he advised. We don't know for certain what it will cost to decrease CO2 emissions.

Keepers of the Bay

Following a break for attendees to explore exhibitor booths, Will Travis, Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, or BCDC, addressed the topic, Climate Change Strategy for the San Francisco Bay Region. "Our job is to keep the Bay from getting smaller," he said. "We know that Bay levels will continue to rise; we just don't know how fast." Using the example of San Francisco's Crissy Field, now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Travis pointed out that coastal restoration projects have actually expanded areas of the Bay. Yet San Francisco and Oakland international airports, as well as Silicon Valley, are all built on levels that are sinking from fresh-water extraction. In addition, the Sierra snowpack will bring more water into the Bay, and salty water will continue to reach farther into the Delta.

"We're in much the same position as the captain of the Titanic," said Travis. It is too late to prevent climate change and the rise in the sea's level. He reported that an important partnership has been created among the four regional agencies--the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and BCDC--that is working to develop a new plan for the region. This plan is expected to require the building of levees strong enough to withstand seas and floods in addition to earthquakes. Tidal wetlands will also play a big role in the plan, and low-lying areas scheduled for development also need to be looked at. Designing resiliency into new shoreline projects can provide a secondary benefit--if new private development provides flood protection, he said. "Our strategy needs to be bold and audacious . . . We need to plan and design the Bay for the way it will be in the future--with different chemistry and different species," he said. "The issue is not to play God. The problem is, how do we get it right?" (For more information, visit www.bcdc.ca.gov > Climate Change Planning.)

Peering over the edge

Following lunch, economist Chris Thornberg, founding partner of Beacon Economics, addressed the topic, Peering Over the Edge: Housing and Why It's Hurting the Economy. A dynamic speaker, Thornberg cautioned against confusing the trends with the bends of the economy. According to Thornberg, trends are long-run growth patterns driven by demographics, productivity and policy; bends are short-run fluctuations in the economy driven by imbalances. He said that the East Bay is likely to be hit harder than other parts of the Bay Area housing market, yet noted that the Bay Area is still one of the richest economies around.

Pointing out that 2001 was "one of the mildest recessions we've had," Thornberg said that downturn did not start with consumers but with business. Consumers never pulled back from spending, yet jobs haven't returned from their previous peak. He discussed the mortgage market, the financial meltdown and the increase in notices of default and foreclosures--up in Contra Costa County by 533% in the fourth quarter 2007 over the year earlier, as compared to 483% in the Bay Area. 

Thornberg said a recession has arrived, with weakness in  both the consumer and business sectors, in addition to the fact that exports will not be sufficient to offset the imbalance. Problems driving the current recession scenario include turmoil due to the credit crisis and foreclosures, secondary financial shocks (commercial, autos), oil prices/the fall of the U.S. dollar, job losses driven by construction declines and the slowing of consumer spending and a shift to a "different" economy, the inequality of losses and the cyclical impact of inventories.

In summary, he said that the East Bay's strengths of 2001, when the region was at the center of the housing market, account for tough times today. In the long run, however, the picture is still bright. What kind of a recession will it be? Not huge: a 2% decline followed by a period of doldrums. It might get worse, though, depending on financial markets.

An upbeat Tony Snow

Last but not least, Master of Ceremonies at the evening portion of the program was Bay Area television newscaster Mark Curtis, who recently established his own firm, Mark Curtis Media, providing freelance news reporting and public relations and political analysis.

Curtis introduced dinner speaker Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary (pictured above), who engaged the capacity audience with his remarks on the "damndest presidential campaign," his life in Washington and his bout with colon cancer. If you've been somebody that people enjoy throwing rocks at, you develop a special appreciation for people who "put it on the line at the local level. It's one of the reasons why I'm deeply optimistic about America," said Snow.

Commenting on the current presidential campaign, Snow said that Hillary Clinton's big problem is her "rapscallion husband," who is trying to take the heat off the candidate by being the center of attention, a hugely risky strategy. Hillary has superior money and organization, he noted, and is someone "my former boss" might call "somebody you should never misunderestimate." He said that Barack Obama is the only person who "gets it" in terms of a message of hope and optimism. "He's like lightning in a bottle. He has captured what a lot of people want," said Snow, adding that Obama is deeply vulnerable on a number of issues.

He also commented on Republican candidates Rudy Giuliani, who has "made himself irrelevant"; "the smoothest customer" Mike Huckabee; "fringe candidate" Ron Paul; Republican Party "maverick" John McCain; and Mitt Romney, whom he described as wooden and perhaps "too pretty to be president."

Taking on Bush politics, Snow said the United States is winning the war on terror, the nation's economy is "a thing of wonder" and the troop surge in Iraq is working. As reported in the Contra Costa Times, he took some light-hearted jabs at his two former White House bosses. "President Bush and George H.W. Bush bothhad common enemies--Saddam Hussein and the English language," he said. "The current president speaks English and Spanish the same way--they're both second languages."

"It's easy to be cynical at a time like this," said Snow, but tough times manage to draw good things from leaders. It's a great and wonderful country and a time for optimism and determination." When asked about his fight against cancer, he responded, "Cancer creates a perspective . . . My marriage is stronger than it's ever been. I've got three kids, ages 15, 12 and almost 11 . . . I feel so lucky!"

Sponsors: The Council thanks all CCUSA sponsors, including Chevron (title sponsor); The PMI Group, Inc. (premiere sponsor); Comcast, Contra Costa Times, John Muir Health, Morrison & Foerster, Shell Oil Products and Wells Fargo; Air Products, Allied Waste Services, Citibank, City of Concord, ConocoPhillips, First Republic Bank, Miller Starr Regalia, PG&E, Sunset Development Company, Sunvalley Shopping Center and Workforce Development Board (sustaining sponsors); and Delta Diablo Sanitation District, Foley & Lardner LLP, Hilltop Mall and Stoneridge Shopping Center, The Mechanics Bank, Mirant, LLC, Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP, Praxair, Inc. and Tesoro (contributing sponsors).

Exhibitors included 511 Contra Costa, Chapman University, Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, Citibank, City of Concord, Comcast, Contra Costa Child Care Council, John Muir Health, Mt. Diablo Region YMCA, Opportunity Junction, PG&E, Sunvalley Shopping Center, Treadwell & Rollo, Wells Fargo and Workforce Development Board.

Table patrons included AAA, California State University East Bay, Contra Costa Community College District, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, Diablo Valley College Foundation, The Dow Chemical Company, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Gray Bowen & Company, Kaiser Permanente, Loving & Campos Architects Inc. and Safeway.

Supporting sponsors were AlphaGraphics, Walnut Creek, Archer Norris and Eichleay Engineers Inc.

Tony Snow photo by Stahlberg Photography

CEO Viewpoint
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Dr. Willard Daggett inspires Business/Education Leadership Summit

By Linda Best, President and CEO, Contra Costa Council

More than 100 attendees at the Contra Costa Council/Contra Costa Economic Partnership's 2008 Business/Education Leadership Summit were inspired by the words of keynoter Dr. Willard Daggett. His riveting two-hour presentation at the January 10 event focused on the need to provide rigor and relevance in education as well as on the importance of our education system to respond to today's rapid technological change.

President of the International Center for Leadership in Education, Dr. Daggett is known worldwide for his efforts to move the education system toward more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students. He has worked on school reform initiatives in several states as well as education ministries and institutions in other countries.

As a result of Dr. Daggett's visit to Contra Costa County seven years ago, the Economic Partnership's Business/Education Collaborative was established under the leadership of April  Treece, bringing together business, education and labor to coordinate activities to secure a pipeline into high-wage, high-skill, high-demand careers in our economy.The Contra Costa County Office of Education, under Superintendent Joe Ovick's leadership, and the Contra Costa Community College District, under Chancellor Helen Benjamin's leadership, are essential partners in this effort.

Following Dr. Daggett's presentation, the group broke into small groups to plan the action steps for the Collaborative in the coming year.  

The luncheon program was keynoted by Congressman George Miller, chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, who echoed Dr. Daggett's themes and spoke about No Child Left Behind and the need to amend the act to more accurately gauge student progress. 

As testimony to the successful work of the Collaborative over the last seven years, nearly 50 people plan to attend Dr. Daggett's workshop in February to learn more about model schools that have achieved success in bringing rigor and relevance to students' education.  They include teams from several schools districts, as well as business and labor representatives. 

Many thanks to the Summit Organization Committee, also known as the "Daggett Doers," and to the leadership of April Treece and Keith Archuleta, Co-Chairs of the Council's Workforce Development and Education Task Force, for presenting this excellent event.

And last, but not least, thanks to our sponsors who made the event possible! These include John Muir Health, Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, NECS/IBEW and the City of Concord.

Task Force Briefings


Transportation Task Force . . . Tuesday, February 5, 8 a.m.
. . . Jim Melino, Esq., of Bell Rosenberg & Hughes LLP discusses trends in public private partnership (P3) development in California. PMI Building, 3003 Oak Road, Walnut Creek. (Next Transportation Task Force meeting is Tuesday, March 4.) Contacts: Hank Haugse or Terry Bowen

Water Task Force . . . Tuesday, February 19, 8:15 to 10 a.m. . . . Experts will address the decline of fisheries in the Delta. Morrison & Foerster, 101 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 450 (opposite Walnut Creek BART). Contacts: Ann Spaulding or Bob Whitley

Nonprofit/Business Task Force . . . Thursday, February 28, 8 a.m. . . . Chapman University College, 2950 Buskirk Ave., Room 307, Walnut Creek.
Contacts: Mike Erwin, Mark Hughes or Terry Shoaff

Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force . . . Friday, March 7, 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.  . . . Presentation by Jeffrey Jacobs of Chevron Technology Ventures, based in San Ramon, on Chevron's alternative energy programs. Brown and Caldwell, 201 N. Civic Drive., Suite 300, Walnut Creek. Contacts: Peter McGaw or George Smith

New and prospective Council members are welcome to attend Task Force events. Please notify a Task Force chair prior to the meeting.

Other Events & Briefings

Congresswoman Ellen O. Tauscher's 2008 Small Business Government Contracting Seminars . . . Offered in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Contra Costa Small Business Development Center, Solano College Small Business Development Center and the Federal Technology Center. For more information, call 925-932-8899 or 707-428-7792.

  • Marketing to Government: Thurs., February 14, 3 to 5 p.m.,Solano County Government Center, Supervisors Chambers, 675 Texas St., Fairfield; and Thurs., February 28, 3 to 5 p.m., Walnut Creek City Hall, City Council Chambers, 1666 N. Main St., Walnut Creek.
  • Introduction to Federal Contracting: Tues., July 8, 3 to 5 p.m., Walnut Creek City Hall, City Council Chambers, 1666 N. Main St., Walnut Creek; and Thurs., July 10, 3 to 5 p.m., Solano County Government Center, Supervisors Chambers, 675 Texas St., Fairfield.

Contra Costa Council's State of the County Address . . . Friday, February 15, 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. . . . Annual address from Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors Chair Federal Glover. Holiday Inn, 1050 Burnett Avenue, Concord. $35 members, $50 nonmembers. Register online by February 12. Contact: Suzanne Schoenfeld, 925-246-1880.

Member News

Council appointment . . . Clark Morrison of Cox Castle & Nicholson has been appointed by the Contra Costa Council's Executive Committee to represent the Council on the East County Habitat Conservation Plan Advisory Committee; Mitch Randall of Morrison & Foerster LLP was appointed as the alternate. The Council was actively involved and ultimately supported the adoption of the East County Habitat Conservation Plan.

Director on the move . . . Merle Gilliland of Gilliland Consulting, a longtime, active member of the Council's Board of Directors, has moved to Spokane, Washington, and has resigned from the board. He will be missed.

Corporate Member Spotlight
Foley & Lardner logo

Foley & Lardner LLP provides a full range of legal services to the business community

Foley & Lardner LLP is a highly regarded, national law firm providing innovative client-focused services for its business clients.

Foley brings a wealth of technical experience and industry knowledge to its client representation, enabling the firm to serve a diverse client base, from global multinational to small entrepreneurial companies. Practice areas encompass a range of legal services, including corporate governance and compliance, intellectual property and IP litigation, securities, labor and employment, mergers and acquisitions, and tax. The firm's attorneys are recognized as leaders regarding these and many of today's most complex business issues.

An innovative spirit pervades all aspects of the business--from the emerging industries Foley attorneys serve to the landmark subject matter they address to, and most especially, a cutting-edge connectivity with clients. Foley's commitment to world-class interactivity has earned the firm accolades from various industry experts as an award-winning technology trendsetter.

Continually evolving to meet the changing legal needs of its clients, Foley's team-based approach, proprietary client service technology and practice depth enhance client relationshipsthrough the most complex legal challenges.

Foley is committed to providing pro bono services. These activities run the gamut from providing services to individuals, legal aid societies or civil rights organizations, to representing non-profit organizations in strategic projects and litigation matters. In recent years,Foley attorneys have provided significant representation in matters referred to the firm by such public interest firms as the AIDS Legal Clinic, Pro Bono Advocates and Public Counsel.

With more than 1,000 attorneys in 22 offices and some 50 practice areas, Foley offers high-caliber business and legal insight. The firm has a substantial presence throughout California, with offices in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Sacramento. Locally, Foley can be counted on to understand the business and legal needs of the Bay Area and East Bay Area business communities, and on its commitment to supporting organizations such as the Contra Costa Council that promote the economic vitality of Contra Costa County. Partner Michael Delehunt has been a member of the Council's Board of Directors since 2003.

For further information, please contact Michael Delehunt at [email protected], or visit the Foley & Lardner website.

New Members

Please welcome these new Contra Costa Council members!

David Dolter, Principal
Legacy Land Strategies
383 Diablo Blvd., Suite 100
Danville, CA 94526
[email protected]
www.legacyland.org

John D. Davi, Realtor
Prudential California Realty
2331 Walnut Road
Walnut Creek, CA 94597
[email protected]
www.prurealty.com/johndavi

Garry Joe Bolin, General Partner
Ultimate Home Solutions
668 Doral Dr.
Danville, CA 94526
[email protected]

Mary C. Hanson
Wealth Strategies Group/Metlife
2001 North Main St., Ste. 380
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
[email protected]
www.marychanson.com

For information about joining the Contra Costa Council, visit our website or call our office at 925-246-1880.

Our Mission

The mission of the Contra Costa Council is to provide advocacy on public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in Contra Costa County.

The
Council engages on issues of critical importance to the business community and residents of Contra Costa County, balancing the needs of a diverse county though policy efforts that provide for economic development while retaining our quality of life. The Council also produces top-tier events, including Contra Costa USA, the premier business event in the County, featuring major national speakers as well as providing a local perspective on current events.

The Council retains a close relationship with local, state and federal elected officials. These relationships provide regular opportunities for our members to interact with their political representatives and other business leaders.

For more information about the Council, please visit our 
website.

To comment about items in this newsletter, please contact Linda Best
at the Contra Costa Council.

This issue was edited for the Contra Costa Council by Molly A. Walker of
Walker Communications.

� 2008 Contra Costa Council