Bay Area Economic Recovery Workplan will help identify regional priorities

By Linda Best, President and CEO, Contra Costa Council
 
As federal stimulus funds trickle down to the local level, there are numerous opportunities for agencies, public/private partnerships and organizations to access funds that meet certain criteria. Two things, however, are sure: the timelines are short, for obvious reasons, and demand will exceed available funds.
 
One stream of federal revenue will flow through the state and will be awarded on a competitive basis. To facilitate this process and to help ensure the funds will be used wisely, California's Business, Transportation & Housing Agency has asked each region in California to develop a regional strategy for economic recovery that will assist the state in making decisions on proposals by identifying projects and activities of high regional priority.
 
The Bay Area Council Economic Institute will coordinate this effort for the Bay region and will be receiving proposals beginning immediately, with a deadline of April 24. The regional plan must be delivered to the state by June 1. There are seven subject matter areas: Transportation, Water, Energy/Climate, Human Capital, Business Development, Science and Innovation, and Housing. Projects will fall into one of three timing categories: Tier 1/Immediate; Tier 2/24 months; and Tier 3/Other (more long-term or conceptual in nature). 
 
Not only will this exercise help the process of disbursing stimulus dollars for economic recovery, it can form the basis of a regional economic development strategy for years to come.
 
For each of the above subject matter areas, the institute has identified subject matter experts to advise the institute and the process. We can be proud that our own Bob Whitley, Co-Chair of our Water Task Force, has been identified as the subject matter expert on Water. Bob has written an excellent analysis of water needs for the Bay Area for the Institute, which we will make available shortly.
 
On April 6, the institute issued an RFP package, providing guidance to those who wish to submit proposals. The package can be accessed at www.bayareaeconomy.org/recovery.
 
In the meantime, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at the Council office at 925-246-1880.

Former State Finance Director Tom Campbell to talk budget at April 23 Council luncheon
 
Tom Campbell, former Dean of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, former State Director of Finance and member of the Franchise Tax Board, will speak at the Contra Costa Council luncheon on Thursday, April 23, at 11:30 a.m. Campbell will discuss state finances and budget reform, along with the ballot measures being presented to voters in a special election on Tuesday, May 19.
 
The luncheon will be held at the Contra Costa Country Club, 801 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill. To register by April 17, contact the Council office at 925-246-1880.
 
A fully tenured Stanford Law professor with a Ph.D. in economics, Campbell is a proponent of fiscal responsibility in government and individual liberty. Currently exploring a run for California Governor, he served in the Reagan Administration as Director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission, had five terms as a U.S. Congressman representing districts in the Silicon Valley, and was a State Senator. In Congress, Campbell served on the Judiciary Committee, the Joint Economic Committee, the Banking and Housing Committee and the International Relations Committee.
 
Since 2004, he has been on the Council of Economic Advisors to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2009, he joined the Chapman University School of Law in Orange County as the inaugural Presidential Fellow and Visiting Professor of Law. He also serves as an economic advisor to the international law firm of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.

Steve Poizner to address Contra Costa Taxpayers Association meeting
 
What better way to spend Wednesday, April 15, than to attend the 72nd annual meeting of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association. State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has been tapped as guest speaker at the event, which starts with registration at 11:30 a.m., and lunch from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. The venue is Zio Fraedo's Restaurant, 611 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill.
 
Register here or contact Kris Hunt at krishunt@cocotax.org, 925-228-5610 or 925-451-7794 (cell), for more information.
 
Cal State East Bay hosts Science Festival on April 25
 
A tradition since 1974, Science Festival 2009 at Cal State East Bay offers "a day of learning and adventure for the curious of all ages." The event will be held on Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the festival website or contact the College of Science at (510) 885-3441, andy.dobbin@csueastbay.edu.
 
Information sessions start May 4 for Opportunity Junction's Job Training and Placement Program in Antioch
 
Information sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, May 4 through 7, May 10 through 13, and May 18 through 20, to learn about Opportunity Junction's free Job Training & Placement Program that begins June 1. The program offers 12 weeks of training in Microsoft Office computer applications, life and business skills, followed by up to four months of a full-time paid internship. This program is designed to help people with limited work experience or skills to begin careers in office or administrative work.
 
More information is available online. Applicants are also welcome to stop by the office for an information packet at 3102 Delta Fair Boulevard, Antioch (one block east of Somersville Road), or call 925-776-1133.
 
Opportunity Junction is a non-profit organization that fights poverty by helping low-income Contra Costa residents gain the competence and confidence to support themselves and their families. Other programs offered include English as a Second Language, Do-It-Yourself Tax Assistance (English and Spanish), Computer Basics, and other workshops. Please spread the word about these free programs!

Governor's Special Assistant David Crane discusses budget reform at Economic Development Task Force briefing
 
David Crane (shown at right), the Governor's Special Assistant for Jobs and Growth, discussed state budget reform and the upcoming Special Election at the Contra Costa Council's Economic Development Task Force meeting on March 25. Co-hosts of the special presentation were the Council's Environmental/Manufacturing, Small Business, Transportation and Workforce Development & Education Task Forces.
 
Dubbing himself a "pro-growth Democrat," Crane said he believes it is important to "constantly create opportunities" and to let people compete. He said the state capital is "a very different world," where 120 representatives in the legislature and six constitutionally elected officers represent "only a tiny fraction of California." He added that he believes the open primary will address this issue.
 
Crane discussed the enormous influence on the Democratic Party of groups including the prison guards union, the California Teachers Association, public employee unions, trial lawyers and environmental groups. Republican Party influences include agriculture, social conservatives and business to some extent. "The business community doesn't pay much attention to Sacramento," he said. When business does focus, it is for particular issues rather than as a united group. The net result is that nobody has that much power.
 
Nobody represents the interests of the vast majority of Californians except Governor Swarzenegger, who Crane calls a social liberal and fiscal conservative.
 
Crane cautioned against spending revenue and making promises that go on for decades, and cited the most egregious example in 1999, when pension funds were temporarily overfunded. Government decided to retroactively increase pension benefits for government employees, issuing promises to pay out over $10 billion. The taxpayer is still on the hook for those promises.
 
Last year, the governor said he would not sign a budget unless it included budget reform, and now that has happened, according to Crane. He said that Proposition 1A on the May ballot would stabilize the state budget by taking revenue in good years and carving it away to a rainy day fund for one-time expenditures.
 
He said the governor and the legislature are resolved to cut the current financial shortfall. He noted it was crucial that a number of ballot propositions pass, particularly 1A and 1B (education funding) and he is in favor of 1D. He finds 1C, which calls for modernization of the lottery, "troubling" because you never want to sell off future revenues
 
Ending on a fairly positive note, Crane said that he sees a favorable lasting impact of current legislative reform efforts. He noted that home sales were up slightly in February, the Department of Energy had just announced massive grants, there is large investment in roads, etc. "This massive deleveraging is incredibly painful but (eventually will be) good for Americans," he said. "I am optimistic but not nearly as optimistic as the governor."

New and prospective Council members are welcome to attend Task Force meetings. Please notify a Task Force chair prior to the meeting to confirm time and location.
 
Here is a list of upcoming briefings, as currently scheduled:

Health Care Task Force . . . . . Thurs., April 2, 8:30 to 10 a.m. . . . Morgan Miller Blair, 1331 N. California Blvd., Suite 200, Walnut Creek. Discussed the federal stimulus package and funding opportunities for local health care providers. Next meeting is Thurs., May 7. Contacts: Ron Wetter (925-372-1475) and Frank Puglisi, Jr. (925-683-6091).
 
Environmental/Manufacturing Task Force . . . Fri., April 3, 8:15 to 10 a.m. . . . Brown and Caldwell, 201 N. Civic Drive, Suite 115 (Mt. Diablo Conference Room, third floor), Walnut Creek. Gary Lucks of Beyond Compliance summarized environmental legislation passed in 2008 and current pending legislation. Recently drafted concerns and comments regarding the Municipal Stormwater Permit process; encouraging speaker comments at the Bay Area Stormwater Management Agencies Association (BASMAA) meeting on May 13. At the Fri., May 1, meeting, Don Trueblood and John Haig of Brown and Caldwell will discuss Sonoma County's sustainability program and the recently produced Sustainable Energy Practices Guidebook for Local Agencies. Contacts: Peter McGaw and George Smith
 
Transportation Task Force . . . Tues., April 7, 8 a.m. . . . PMI Building, 3003 Oak Road, Walnut Creek (across from Pleasant Hill BART). Shirley Douglas, Community Relations Manager, Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), offered an overview on WETA's expanded mission and the status of its Draft Transition Plan and Draft Emergency Water Transportation System Management Plan, which can be viewed online http://www.watertransit.org/ and will be out for a 45-day comment period beginning April 2, 2009, and must be adopted by July 1, 2009. Next meeting is Tues., May 5. Contacts: Hank Haugse and Bob Brown
 
Land Use Task Force . . . Wed., April 8, 8:15 to 10 a.m. . . . Morrison & Foerster, 101 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 450 (south of Walnut Creek BART). Antioch City Manager Jim Jakel commented on the effects of the development downturn on local government revenues and staffing. Next meeting is Wed., May 13. Contacts: Dan Muller and Mike McGill
 
Workforce Development & Education Task Force . . . Thurs., April 16, 8:30 to 10 a.m. . . . JFK University, 100 Ellinwood, Room 209, Pleasant Hill. City of Concord presentation and discussion about the City of Concord's Economic Vitality Strategy and revisions to the Economic Vitality Plan rewrite. Economic Development Task Force members are invited. Contacts: April Treece and Keith Archuleta
 
Water Task Force . . . Tues., April 21, 8:15 to 10 a.m. . . . Morrison & Foerster, 101 Ygnacio Valley Road, Suite 450 (south of Walnut Creek BART). (Check with the Task Force co-chairs for details.) Presentation in March by Tom Francis of EBMUD on the proposed long-term EBMUD Water Supply Management Program (WSMP 2040). Contacts: Bob Whitley and Mitch Randall
 
Economic Development Task Force . . . Wed., April 22, 8 to 9 a.m. . . . . PMI, 3003 Oak Road, Walnut Creek (across from Pleasant Hill BART). (Check with the Task Force co-chairs for details.) (See article this issue on Special Task Force briefing by Governor's Assistant David Crane.) Continuing to focus on the Concord Naval Weapons Station reuse project, the status of the Higher Education study and updates on the Green Economy study. Contacts: Gary Craft and Mike Conlon
 
Social Responsibility Task Force . . . Thurs., April 23, 8 to 9:30 a.m. . . . Chapman University, 2950 Buskirk Ave., Room 307, Walnut Creek. Presentation by the Contra Costa County Health Department on its services to citizens; continuing to discuss Unnatural Causes event. Next meeting is Thurs., May 28. Contacts: Mike Erwin and Mark Hughes
 
Small Business & Entrepreneur Task Force . . . Tues., April 28, 7:30 a.m. . . . Mass Mutual Financial Group, 2121 N. California Blvd., Suite 395, Walnut Creek. Recently produced a special event on Fri., March 27: Accessing Capital Now! (See News & Comment, this issue.) Planning the annual Small Business Awards event on May 15. Next meeting is Tues., May 26. Contacts: Stuart Bolinger and Zachary Sahar