The California Economic Summit To Be Held In San Diego For The First Time

SAN DIEGO, May 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The sixth annual California Economic Summit, the only statewide and multi-sector effort to promote economic security, will be held in San Diego on November 2-3, 2017.

Through the Summit, a vibrant and diverse network of business, education, government and civic leaders are advancing a comprehensive agenda to reduce poverty, improve workforce opportunities, increase the supply of housing, lower the cost of living, and invest in communities and infrastructure necessary for a sustainable future.

Earlier this year, a cadre of San Diego leaders took the initiative to bring the 2017 Summit to their region to continue the Summit's strategy of using regional solutions to drive state policy.

"I thought we had innovations here in San Diego, not only in housing but job creation and water management to showcase to the rest of the state, so I actively pursued this opportunity," said Jennifer LeSar, who has been involved in the Summit's Housing Action Team and was instrumental in the launch of Housing You Matters, a San Diego coalition working to improve housing affordability. "We have a diverse economy and are interested in developing more momentum for meeting the challenges for not only our region but for the entire state of California to successfully compete in the global economy."

Since 2012 the Summit's robust network of civic, business and government leaders have been refining and promoting the Roadmap to Shared Prosperity. Among the accomplishments are the passage of $200 million Strong Workforce Program, which forged and funded new partnerships among community colleges, employers and students to help produce 1 million more skilled workers over the next decade.

Summit leaders also helped to develop and are implementing Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFDs) to encourage local governments to work together to finance economic development projects.

"JPMorgan Chase is delighted to participate in this very important conversation and action agenda about our state's future," said Kari Decker, Managing Director of the Office of Corporate Responsibility for JPMorgan Chase in the Western Region. "We are well aware that the cost of living here, especially housing, is rising faster than wages, that many workers require new skills to qualify for better-paying jobs and that state, regional and community leaders need to better collaborate to help build a stronger economy. This summit is a critical component of that collective effort."

The Summit has long been focused on California's economic equality and defining steps that need to be taken to expand the middle class through a triple-bottom-line strategy that simultaneously grows the economy, improves environmental quality and increases opportunity for all.

The Summit's 2017 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity defines an action plan to address the One Million Challenges, a Summit initiative launched in response to the state's high cost of living and wage gaps:

• Produce one million more skilled workers
• Build one million more housing units
• Save, capture, and reuse one million acre-feet of water annually

Eighteen million Californians live below or near the poverty line. A lack of upward mobility is keeping Californians from achieving all they want for themselves, their children and their grandchildren. Building pathways to increase upward mobility is critical for the state's future.

"We know that Californians are inspired to act on this critically important issue," said Jim Mayer, CA Fwd President and Chief Executive Officer. "The Summit, with its regional infrastructure and state influence, is best suited to develop and promote a unifying solution."

The California Economic Summit was developed by CA Fwd and the California Stewardship Network.

ABOUT CA FWD

California Forward (CA Fwd) is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization, devoted to improving the performance of government in California. It believes that increased emphasis on accountability and transparency will create government that Californians deserve and expect. CA Fwd strongly advocates for confidence and trust in elected officials as being an essential ingredient to good government. 

ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA STEWARDSHIP NETWORK

The California Stewardship Network was created in 2008, when a group of diverse regions across California were inspired by Becky Morgan to come together to establish an alliance of regional partnerships to tackle the state's most pressing economic, environmental and community challenges.

Contact: Ed Coghlan, CA Fwd
[email protected], 818.489.4774

SOURCE California Forward

Related Links

http://www.cafwd.org