The Subregional Economic Strategies Project

The summary profiles the various economic development centers, resources, and information guides specific to each geographic area. Most of these resources are web-based and therefore readily accessible to the subregions.

GATEWAY CITIES

Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
LAEDC is the premier economic development organization for the region. Its mission is to "attract, retain and grow businesses and jobs in the regions of LA County." LAEDC authors numerous reports about industry clusters, analyses, and projections for Los Angeles County. These reports have economic development information that pertains to the Gateway Cities. There is no specific economic development strategy publication on the website for the Gateway Cities or for Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles Community Development Commission
LACDC supports local economies in Los Angeles County by offering a long list of loan programs, promoting business revitalization, attracting new business, and encouraging job creation and retention. The CDC also helps the public and private sectors respond to regional economic challenges.

World Trade Center Association Los Angeles-Long Beach
WTCA LA-LB supports successful international business development facilitating international trade by providing valued services to local and worldwide members. Since 1986, the WTCA LA-LB is the recognized clearinghouse for international trade information and resources in the Los Angeles region.

Entertainment Industry Development Corporation
EIDC acts as the Los Angeles County film permit office. The EIDC provides services, solutions and answers to the varied challenges and questions that are raised when filming in the real world. While the EIDC provides services to the entertainment industry, it also works hard to enhance the positive aspects production activity will have on a community.

EIDC supports and cultivates community-based arts organizations. Hoping to create opportunities in the high-growth entertainment industry for local communities, the EIDC builds programs that give people access to jobs and training.

One of EIDC's publications, "Make Your Property a Star" is a how to guide on earning money and creating publicity for property by using property as the set for filming. This document could help the Gateway Cities gain publicity through its backdrops appearing on television and film.

Los Angeles Manufacturing Networks Iniative
LAMNI is a multi-faceted economic development initiative of the CDTech Center. Its goal is to strengthen the industrial base of the Los Angeles economy by encouraging collaboration among small- and medium-sized urban manufacturing firms in six industries: apparel/textiles, ethnic and specialty food processing, plastics, household furniture, toys and biomedical technology.

LAMNI has several members representing industry clusters that also impact the Gateway Cities. These members include:

  • Southern California Biomedical Council (SCBC)
    SCBC works to promote the local biomed/biotech industry. SCVC mobilizes capital for new and growing firms, hosts networking and educational events, advocates for legislation affecting the industry, promotes linkages with universities, educates the public, identifies labor training needs, and provides market research.
  • Food Industry Business Roundtable (FIBR)
    FIBR's mission is to promote the growth and viability of the ethnic-specialty food processing industry in Southern California by sharing information, knowledge and resources that can lead to partnerships benefiting the entire food manufacturing industry.
  • Toy Association of Southern California (TASC)
    TASC is made up of local manufacturers, importers, and distributors. TASC's mission is to promote the welfare of the toy industry in Southern California through meaningful and practical seminars that provide members with the information needed to remain competitive.
  • Plastics Industry Consortium
    This network represents several plastics manufacturers working together to provide joint workforce training for their employees.
  • Los Angeles Furniture Design & Manufacturing Collaborative
    This network is a partnership that brings together the design and manufacturing sectors of the furniture industry with local educational/training institutions and non-profit groups.
  • The Apparel Roundtable
    A consortium of apparel industry trade groups, education/training organizations, public agencies and academic researchers. Projects include an apparel wage & occupational study and the development of a sewn product incubator.

Larta Institute
Larta is the think tank for technology businesses. Its mission is to raise the standard of living for all people through the commercial application of technological innovation, to equip businesses and innovators of all kinds with the skills necessary to succeed in the marketplace, and to develop and disseminate objective, dependable knowledge about the technology industry.

California State University Long Beach
CSULB produces a yearly regional economic forecast. There also is a PowerPoint presentation on the Long Beach City Economy available from May 2002. The Office of Economic Research at CSULB has published a number of reports pertaining to the Gateway Cities' economy. These include:

  • Implementing a Statewide Goods Movement Strategy and Performance Measurement of Goods Movement in California
  • Overcoming Labor Market Challenges in the U.S.A
  • Performance Measures of Goods Movement in California: Regional Implications, A Report to the Southern California Association of Governments
  • Estimates of Export-Related Employment for Southern California
  • Labor Market Dynamics During a Period of Structural Change: California in the Early 1990s
  • Economic Impact of Sporting Events
  • Economic Impact of Transwest Park on Long Beach and Southern California
  • Economic Impact of Proposed Multi-Purpose Motorsports Facility on Long Beach and Southern California
  • An Evaluation of the First Year of the Long Beach Enterprise Zone
  • Recommendations for Revisions to Water Rates (Los Angeles Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee)
  • Assuring Our Future Water Supply: A Consensus Approach to Water Rates (Los Angeles Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee)

CSULB's Center for International Trade and Transportation (CITT)
CITT has several reports on the importance of trade through the ports, also impacting the Gateway Cities:

  • 24/7 Operation by Marine Terminals in Southern California: How to Make it Happen
  • Industry Stakeholder Workshop Two: Use of Technology to Improve Goods Movement in Southern California
  • Current State and Future Options for Expanded Use of Information Technology in Seaports
  • IT - The Global Supply Chain Perspective

University of California Los Angeles
UCLA has done research that could benefit the Gateway Cities in their economic development activities. Some examples:

  • Scott, A. J. and D. Bergman. 1993. Advanced Ground Transportation Equipment Manufacturing and Local Economic Development: Lessons for Southern California.
  • Ong, Paul and Doug Miller. 2002. Economic Needs of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Distressed Areas: Establishing Baseline Information.
  • Economic Prospects for Los Angeles in an Era of Globalization: Structural Change, Employment Issues, and Policy Problems. Funded by the Haynes Foundation, 2001 - 2003. Principal investigators: David Rigby and Allen J. Scott.

Gateway Cities Partnership
The Gateway Cities Partnership is an alliance of business, labor, education and the public sector. The Partnership's mission statement says it will "Define, develop and lead the collaborative efforts of business, education, labor, government, and the expanded community in order to achieve regional economic revitalization and growth."

Gateway Chambers Alliance
The Gateway Chambers Alliance members include member organizations seeking to promote the general economy, as well as the civic, cultural, professional, social, agricultural, and industrial development of a local community.

Each of the 23 cities in the Gateway Cities has a chamber of commerce that promotes the individual cities and promotes doing business in the cities.

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INLAND EMPIRE

The County of San Bernardino's Economic and Community Development Division has published a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy as well as a pamphlet that details business financing incentives. The Economic and Community Development Division provides information on economic development, community development, and housing development.

The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) was submitted to the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration as a requirement to receive funding. It is an almost 400-page document that details the current economy in San Bernardino County, provides a vision for the future, and then describes the goals, objectives, strategies, and actions for the county as a whole and for the five designated regions within the county.

The Riverside County Economic Development Agency provides some information about conducting business in the county.

The Riverside County Integrated Plan (RCIP) is a comprehensive, three-part, integrated program to determine future conservation, transportation, housing, and economic needs in Riverside County. There is not a specific section on the RCIP website for economic development, but economic development is integrated as a part of the General Plan, conservation plan, and transportation plan that make up the three key components of the RCIP.

The Inland Empire Research Consortium, a partnership between the Institute for Applied Research and Policy Analysis at California State University-San Bernardino and the Center for Social Behavior Science and Research at the University of California-Riverside produces an Inland Empire Annual Survey.

The Survey's purpose is to provide policy-related research that bears on issues important to the Inland Empire. This report provides decision-makers with objective, accurate information for:

  • Evaluating key public and private sector services and activities
  • Describing the public's current views as well as changes over time
  • Providing a regional focus
  • Disseminating a coherent picture of Inland Empire views, beliefs, and demographic characteristics

The Institute for Applied Research and Policy Analysis at CSU-San Bernardino also produces a monthly Inland Empire Report on Business.

The Inland Empire Economic Partnership is the main economic development voice in the Inland Empire. IEEP produces a Fact Book that highlights the expanding industries and favorable business climate in the Inland Empire. Several specialized economic development organizations are affiliated with IEEP. These include:

  • The Small Business Development Center provides the small businesses and entrepreneurs in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties with business assistance services from various locations in the Inland Empire.
  • The Inland Empire Film Commission is the official advocate for filming interests in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
  • The Inland Empire Tourism Council promotes the region as a "Recreation Destination." Information on accommodations, numerous outdoor recreation opportunities, wineries, Indian gaming, festivals, and a calendar of events are located on this site. The information in these pages is not very detailed. Telephone information is available for many of the attractions. However, Internet links are not available to most of the attractions.
  • The Inland Empire High Technology Committee (IEHTC) identifies and implements initiatives that encourage regional technology economic development. To meet this objective, the IEHTC is defining, coordinating, and managing initiatives that encourage the growth and attract the expansion of technology industry to the Inland Empire. The IEHTC is a consortium of universities, county and city economic development organizations, and community businesses.
  • The Inland Empire Economic Partnership Foundation, a 501(c)3 tax exempt charitable organization, was organized for the purpose of complementing the business retention and expansion activities of the IEEP through activities targeted at lessening the burdens of local governments and promoting the social welfare of the Inland Empire communities and their residents.
  • IETechJobs.com is a new Internet website launched by IEEP for Inland Empire high technology firms to place job announcements and for technology workers to post their resume. To date, technology firms have not posted any job openings.

All of the cities in Riverside County have chambers of commerce. In San Bernardino County, all of the cities and several of the unincorporated communities have a chamber of commerce. The contact information for these chambers is listed in the CEDS. The Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerce publishes a monthly 12-page newsletter of news and events. The City of Ontario has a chamber of commerce and a convention and visitor's bureau to facilitate information about the Ontario Convention Center. Most chambers of commerce have an economic development committee.

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IMPERIAL COUNTY

The authoritative guide to economic development activities in Imperial County is the Imperial County Business Guide, published in June 2002 by the Imperial County Community and Economic Development Department. This publication lists contact information for financial and technical assistance to businesses, chambers of commerce, state and federal grant programs, and hiring and training agencies, as well as provides maps showing where the state and federally-designated grant programs are located.

The financial information presents contact information for numerous loans, grants and other assistance provided by federal, state, and local governments for businesses in Imperial County. The section profiles the services provided by the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, the Imperial County Community and Economic Development Department, Small Business Development Center, and Neighborhood House of Calexico, Inc. This section also includes profiles of the financial and technical assistance offered to businesses by each of the seven incorporated cities of the county.

The second section of the Business Guide profiles six chambers of commerce, for the cities of Brawley, Calexico, Calipatria, El Centro, Holtville, and Imperial. These pages promote the "pro-business" business climate of each of the cities.

Section Three of the Business Guide describes the different state and federal programs that aid businesses located in specific parts of the county. These include Enterprise Zones, Manufacturing Enhancement Areas, and Rural Champion Communities, to name a few.

As another benefit to businesses, section four describes hiring tax credits that companies may qualify for in Imperial County.

There are almost twenty hiring and training agencies in Imperial County. Section five of the Business Guide profiles each one of these. The profiles include the contact information and a description of the services offered. Some of the agencies are nonprofits, others are run by different government entities, and others are affiliated with colleges and universities.

There are other organizations that play a role in economic development not listed in the Business Guide. The Imperial County Film Commission's mission is to attract the Film Industry to Imperial County therefore maximizing the economic potential by exhibiting the County's filming locations, accommodations, services, talents and by mediating the permitting process between private owners, federal, state, local agencies and the film production companies.

The Salton Sea Authority has an arm of its organization that considers economic development. The restoration process of the Salton Sea, in its commitment to maintaining the Salton Sea, seeks to revitalize industries at and around the Sea - agriculture, fisheries, tourism, real estate, and geothermal.

The Imperial Irrigation District markets its water resources and inexpensive electric rates as a way of promoting the economic benefits of doing business in Imperial County.

Three universities are conducting research in Imperial County that is related to economic development. The California Center for Border and Regional Economic Studies, part of the San Diego State University's Imperial Valley Campus, has a plethora of economic data for the county. They also have a list of publications on their website, as listed below:

  • Data needs in the Imperial Valley and California-Baja California Border Region
  • Imperial County Political Organizations Contact List
  • Understanding Air Quality and Health in the Binational Air Basin of the Imperial and Mexicali Valleys
  • Economic Development in the California and Arizona Counties Bordering Mexico

The University of California-Davis has a Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville. Researchers conduct numerous projects from this Center. These projects all are geared toward agriculture and improving the agricultural produce. This research could lead to better and more bountiful harvests, but are not specifically addressing economic development.

Researchers at the University of California-Riverside and the UC Desert Extension Center produced a report entitled On the Economic Feasibility of Sugar Cane-to-Ethanol Operations in the Imperial Valley. This report researches the feasibility of using sugar cane to produce ethanol, which will in turn be used as a gasoline additive in California.

Other resources found during this research include the Industrial Development Commission of Mexicali. Across the border from Imperial County, economic development specialists are working to bring industry to Mexicali. The Industrial Development Commission of Mexicali was created with the main purpose of attracting and facilitating the activities of industrial firms, serving as a clearinghouse for information and professional services.

One chamber of commerce not noted in the Imperial County Business Guide is the Niland Chamber of Commerce. The contact information was all the information available for this organization.

Niland Chamber of Commerce
8031 Highway 111
Niland, CA 92257
Telephone: (760) 359-3300

There have been other efforts, in the form of conferences, to promote economic development in Imperial County. On December 11, 2001, the California Workforce Association (CWA) and the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) facilitated a consensus workshop for community leaders to identify the practical ways to establish ongoing linkages between economic and workforce development in Imperial County. This workshop identified nine significant ways to build these linkages. On May 16, 2002, CWA and CALED facilitated a reconvening of these leaders to develop action plans to implement three of these linkage-building ideas.

The top three linkage-building ideas were:

  • Establishing a vision and policies that support linkages between economic development and workforce development
  • Creating an avenue to identify, share and coordinate resources
  • Maximizing the One-Stop concept

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STATEWIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

There are a number of reports that research economic development on a statewide level that could be used to spur development in the Gateway Cities, Inland Empire, and Imperial County. A County Level Analysis of California's R&D Activity 1993-1999 ranks the state's counties by the amount of research and development dollars invested in each county from 1993-1999. The California Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency (now titled the Business, Transportation & Housing Agency) produced this report and has produced several others that address developing high technology companies. The principles and best practices in these reports could be applied to the three focus areas.

The California Economic Strategy Panel engages in an ongoing strategic planning process. SCAG's Chief Economist is a member of the Panel's Technical Advisory Group. The Panel, which meets quarterly, studies the rapidly changing economy by examining economic regions, industry clusters, and cross-regional economic issues. Public policy recommendations are identified and developed at the completion of this process. The Economic Strategy Panel has published several reports, including:

  • Creating a Shared California Economic Strategy: A Call to Action, December 2002
  • Collaborating to Succeed in the New Economy: Principles from the La Jolla Retreat, May 2000
  • Collaborating to Succeed in the New Economy: Findings of the Regional Economic Development Survey, May 2000
  • Special Statewide Forum on the California Aerospace Industry Cluster, White Paper on Issues and Opportunities, July 1998
  • Collaborating to Compete in the New Economy, 1996
  • Addendum I, Key Policy Issues for Nine Industry Clusters, 1996
  • Addendum II, Results of the Economic Base and Industry Cluster Studies, 1996

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