PLAN OF ACTION TO STRENGTHEN THE REGIONAL ECONOMY Menu of Strategy Options A set of policy options is presented for consideration and discussion. In many areas, important work is already underway and should be supported or augmented. The attached list, while comprehensive, is not exhaustive. It is intended as a menu to gauge initial interest, direction, and priorities. The table distinguishes the appropriate ABAG involvement, signified by: • lead, which means ABAG will take a primary role in seeing this strategy accomplished; • convene, which means ABAG will bring together the people and organizations working in this field to facilitate policy development consensus, strategy, and implementation; or • assist, which means ABAG will support the main actors and publicize innovative and successful efforts in furthering the goal. Strategies 1. Education and Job Training • Strengthen existing partnerships between business, area school districts, community colleges, and job training programs to ensure that students graduate with the skills needed by employers both now and in the future. • Encourage the replication of local innovative programs and activities which create and improve linkages between education, training, and jobs. • Work with area chambers of commerce, private industry councils, and others to develop job placement and transportation programs to ensure access of central city residents to suburban job markets. • Advocate state and federal funding for projects which link education, training, transportation, and jobs, especially related to preparing the labor force for the new jobs in a global-economy. 2. Infrastructure • Support infrastructure investment strategies that serve urban areas and give priority to the maintenance and operation of existing public facilities and systems. Could include new joint regional financing mechanisms. • Direct growth to where infrastructure capacity is available or committed. For example, create differential infrastructure development fees/pricing to reflect full costs and planning priorities. 3. Urban Data and Policy Analysis • Encourage technical experts in both public and private sectors to build on existing efforts in data research and analysis. Periodically review these activities to ensure that data is developed, integrated, presented, and shared so as to maximize usefulness for policy makers. 4. Arts and Culture • Encourage a regional approach to arts, culture, and entertainment. This might involve forming cultural districts to fund the promotion and development of regional cultural amenities. 5. Inter-Jurisdictional Collaboration and Service Delivery • Consider collaborative cost and revenue-sharing to address revenue-driven land use decisions and to promote efficiency and equity in providing services to new and existing development. • Seek new opportunities to assist Bay Area cities and the region during the current devolution of power from the federal government. For example, a regional approach to allocating shrinking social service funds could be explored. • Provide technical assistance, training, and support to those who are working on brownfield cleanup. Seek effective regulatory and financial solutions wherever possible to overcome existing obstacles. • Advocate incentive grants that encourage localities to plan collaboratively across city and county lines, share revenue on joint economic development projects, or combine or consolidate service districts or departments to improve cost-efficiency. 6. Economic Development • Support broad-scale regional approaches to economic development which identify and promote the competitive advantages of the region. An example is the recent Bay Area Economic Forum work identifying industrial clusters for which the region has a competitive advantage. • Support central cities and older suburbs in a strategic process to identify and promote their unique competitive advantage and to retain and develop businesses that provide high wages relative to education/skill levels, particularly for hard-to-employ people within the local labor force. • Develop a regional or subregional strategy of incentives and tax breaks for new development to avoid unnecessary “giveaways.” • Establish a task force to assess and address the impacts of poverty on regional economic vitality. • Identify state and federal barriers and disincentives to effective regional economic policy-making and collaboration; relay to appropriate state and federal decision makers. 7. Race Relations • Encourage open discussions and seek resolution of race problems in all aspects of community life, including housing and employment. This should be a broad-based effort involving schools, lenders, business and civic organizations, the real estate community, and religious and community organizations. 8. Housing • Work collaboratively with local governments to retain and attract middle- and upper-income households within cities. • Work with local governments to increase the region’s housing supply, at a range of affordability levels. • Advocate adequate funding for housing which is affordable to low and moderate income households and to first time home buyers (such as the federal HOME program and recent HUD activities to support home ownership). 9. Media/Public Relations • Develop a media strategy to increase awareness and to educate the public and key groups about the nature and implications of urban and suburban interdependence, and regional identity. 10. Federal and State Urban Agenda • Advocate an urban agenda designed to increase development in central cities through tax incentives and direct funding. One example is support for new tax credits within urban economic opportunity zones; this could be combined with the development of a strategic plan to identify and capitalize on local competitive advantage.