September 2011 Contra Costa Council News & Events

While not criticizing the Delta Protection Commission for its Economic Sustainability Plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Contra Costa Council nevertheless has registered concern that the August 2011 plan does not consider the entire Delta economic region.

"...We have noted considerable improvement in the content between the first and second drafts and we appreciate those efforts. We also understand the challenges of obtaining appropriate baseline economic data within a relatively tight timeline to compile the information and prepare several drafts for public review," wrote Council President and CEO Linda Best in a September 16 letter to Don Nottoli, chair of the Delta Protection Commission. "The content is informative and may even be the first compilation of economic data for the Delta."

Referring to the Council's 2007 Delta Vision Statement of Principles, Best said: "We have consistently expressed the importance for a comprehensive and holistic approach for viewing Delta policies. We are concerned that the Economic Sustainability Plan is too narrow in its approach to the economic analyses by focusing on just the Primary Zone in the Delta.

"The Delta Region ... includes the Legal Delta and the Suisun Marsh in the western Delta. Had the [plan] been developed for the Delta Region, it would have included all of the economic activity in and surrounding the Delta waterways within the triangular geographical area reaching from the Benicia/Martinez industrial complex, to the Port of Sacramento and south to the Port of Stockton. This is a region that has much more extensive global economic activity than has been presented in the [plan]. ..."

The Council urged the commission to continue to develop and refine the plan during the next year to include the entire Delta Region, and strongly recommended that the commission "request and adopt an action plan, including appropriate requests for resources, to continue development of this very important baseline planning document."

BCDC Bay Plan Amendment praised

The Council has announced its support of the July 29, 2011 version of the proposed Climate Change Bay Plan Amendment. "We commend the time and effort that the ccommissioners and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) staff have taken to engage stakeholders over the last several months. The [proposed Bay Plan Amendment] is a true example of thought leadership, compromise and balance in the global fight against climate change," wrote Council President and CEO Linda Best to BCDC Chairman Sean Randolph and commissioners on September 22.

"We recognize the importance of addressing climate change and sea rise and support the Bay Plan Amendment as a good first step in developing a balanced approach to the challenge. This complex issue presents a significant environmental and economic challenge for the region, one that demands a multi-sector, multi-agency approach that is inclusive of stakeholders from multiple groups across the region.

"We thank you for your leadership on this issue and look forward to working together to create a long-term regional strategy."

Support urged for SB 436 land use mitigation

The Council has urged Governor Jerry Brown to sign SB 436 (Kehoe), providing nonprofit organizations such as land trusts (that hold and manage land or easements that have been conveyed to them) the statutory authority to also hold and manage the governmental agency funds needed to provide stewardship oversight of lands or easements set aside for mitigation purposes.

"We are writing to express our strong support for [the bill], which is urgently needed to bring certainty, efficiency and cost-effectiveness to the mitigation process in California," wrote Council President and CEO Linda Best on September 19. "...SB436 sets out clear standards for holding mitigation lands and funds, and imposes protections for the assets and reporting requirements that provide strong safeguards for the long-term management of the assets."

R.E.A.L. Coalition supports SB 14 and SB 15 performance-based budgeting

Reiterating its stand on SB 14 (Wolk, Huff, DeSaulnier) and SB 15 (DeSaulnier, Wolk), the Council joined the R.E.A.L. Coalition (Regional Economic Association Leaders of California) in calling for California Assemblymembers and Governor Jerry Brown to sign the bills on multi-year budgeting and performance-based management and budgeting. SB 14 has been unanimously approved by both the Senate and Assembly and SB 15 is close behind.

"The R.E.A.L. Coalition's support for these measures comes within the context of our broader support for the fiscal reform plan advocated by California Forward," noted Linda Best, president and CEO of the Contra Costa Council and other members of the coalition in a July 1 letter to the Assembly. "This plan represents a non-partisan effort that applies best practices from successful businesses, local governments and other states, and would improve the way the state manages our money and plans for the future."

Support for housing in Sustainable Communities Strategy

The Council has also joined the Bay Area Business Coalition in a letter of support for providing adequate housing to keep pace with population growth in the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) process, a strategy developed to comply with the greenhouse gas emission reductions required by SB 375.

Opposition to SB 776 carries recommendation for two-year suspension

The Council is opposing SB 776 (DeSaulnier) in its current form, which focuses on mandated expenditure levels for local Workforce Investment Boards "without first understanding the full extent of existing program investments and effectiveness." In an August 11 letter to Felipe Fuentes, chair of the State Assembly's Committee on Appropriations, Council President and CEO Linda said, "We recommend that [the bill] be placed in two-year suspension to allow time for an evaluation of the use of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) dollars--and other funds leveraged for workforce training--including assessment of current outcomes of these investments."

"We recognize the importance of education and training to ensure a skilled workforce, which is vital to a healthy, growing California economy. We also believe that it is important for local WIBs, in collaboration with industry, to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and support services it provides," wrote Best.

"Contra Costa County and the East Bay Region is home to many high-demand industry sectors that offer family-sustaining wages and career advancement opportunities. We believe it is imperative, as we strengthen California's competitiveness, that there is alignment of public resources and other funding streams for sector workforce training programs. Our local WIB is an example of this with such collaborative programs as those developed at Los Medanos College including Process Technology (PTEC) and Engineering Technology (ETEC). These programs responded directly to an expressed industry need and were developed collaboratively by major manufacturing firms, the community college system--and the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County. There continues to be sustained industry investments in these programs directly related to the training outcomes performance. The state should look to these best practices and evaluate their return on investment and impact--using a broader set of numbers beyond those available currently through the Employment Development Department (EDD)," she continued.

"While we cannot support SB 776 in its current form, the [Council] looks forward to working with the author and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association (and particularly its Contra Costa member organizations) to develop and strengthen government investments in skills training that meet local demands. We expect that the dialogue SB 776 has generated in various regions across the state will open doors to more strategic discussions to address California's workforce and economic development issues in a collaborative manner that unifies our approach to strengthening the economy and putting more Californians back to work in good paying jobs."