This was submitted as an idea to the Politifest 2012 Idea Tournament. VOSD members will vote on the best ideas and on Sept. 19 we’ll announce six contenders (Not a member? Join now to vote). At Politifest on Sept. 29, each of the six finalists will have five minutes to pitch their idea to a panel. The panel rates the ideas and two finalists advance. The crowd at Politifest will vote on a winner. The winner will receive an “idea-inspired” trophy custom-designed by former City Councilwoman Donna Frye. VOSD CEO Scott Lewis will also write about the winner’s idea.
The California Economic Summit is a process that began early this year providing a unique way for San Diego to engage with the Capitol to drive changes that are much needed in the San Diego region. A group of the region’s economic development leaders have been working on Action Teams with others from around the state to collaborate in a nonpartisan way on solutions to many of San Diego’s most pressing economic issues — issues which affect other regions of the state as well.
Over the course of the year, the summit process has produced seven signature initiatives, all of which play a big part in improving the economy of the San Diego region and the quality of life for Californians. These include closing the skills gap in some of San Diego’s most promising high-tech industries — boosting industries and creating good jobs in San Diego, addressing the regional and statewide infrastructure deficit, fixing the infrastructure of water distribution to the region from the Delta, increasing the capital available to small companies trying to get their start in San Diego, landing a U.S. patent office in California (an early win with the establishment of the patent office in San Jose) and putting an end to the anti-business abuses of the California Environmental Quality Act, which affect all regions of the state in addition to San Diego. These signature initiatives are supported by a nonpartisan coalition of leaders in San Diego and throughout the state who are actively pursuing legislation to make these positive changes for the economy of San Diego and all of California.
Stacy Danielson submitted this idea to the Politifest 2012 Idea Tournament. Join us on Sept. 29!