Newsletter April 2007
Mark Your Calendar Board Meeting Thursday, April 12, 2007 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Caltrans - Traffic Management Center Thursday, May 10, 2007 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Marketing Committee Wednesday, April 4, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Wednesday, May 2, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Public Policy Committee Thursday, April 5, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Thursday, May 3, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Please RSVP for every event! SDNEDC President's Message - Video click here     Save The Date San Diego World Trade Center Events: HTS Compliance and Your Business April 20, 2007 11:00 - 2:00 p.m. Global Logistics Symposium 2007 May 10, 2007 1:30 - 7:00 p.m. To register and for more information please contact: Casey Cleveland 619-615-0868 x109 ccleveland@sdwtc.org	SDNEDC New Members: San Diego Business Journal SDNEDC Renewing Members: BioFilm, EDCO & Workforce Partnership Presentation to the Board – Presenter: Teri Safranek, Director of Workforce & Community Development, Palomar College Escondido Teri gave a presentation on her department's programs at Palomar College. She began her presentation with a thank you from Palomar College President, Bob Deegan. President Deegan asked her to be sure and thank the San Diego North Economic Development Council for their endorsement of Proposition "M" and to let the council know that their support was instrumental in the passage of this bond. Ms. Safranek shared that this month's board meeting was being held in their new Escondido facilities. These new office spaces also include six training rooms, which have enabled them to expand their vocational programs to help meet the workforce needs in Palomar's community. Ms. Safranek shared that all of these programs are operating as self-supporting without tax payer dollars. A few of these new programs include: Pharmacy Technician, Massage Technician, Security Guard & Firearms Training, Floral & Cake Design Certificates, Casino Dealer School, and Medical Billing Program. In addition, plans are underway to launch new certificate programs in the fall for: Orthopedic Technician, Massage Therapy, Electrical/Telecommunications Technician, Optical Assistant, Esthetician and Real Estate Appraisal. Ms. Safranek spoke about their community development programs including their College for Kid's program, Driver's Education, Foreign Language classes, and a variety of new enrichment classes like stained glass and wine tasting. Workforce & Community Development also offers customized on-site/workplace training for businesses to help meet employee training and development needs. Ms. Safranek is also responsible for a private/public partnership with an intensive English as a Second Language school, The California English School which operates on the main campus in San Marcos. She finished her presentation by sharing that their mission is to meet the local community's workforce, economic and development needs and encouraged anyone with training needs to give her a call at 760-744-1150 ext. 2632. She also extended an invitation for everyone to sign up for their annual dance honoring their dance instructor, Mel, on Friday, April 20th at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido from 7 to 10:00 p.m. ($15.00 per person, $25.00 for a couple). Marketing Committee – Diane Strand, Committee Chair, briefed the Board on activities of the committee. The TV project is moving forward, funding is going slower than expected but the plan to produce the Economic Roundtable show will happen. Diane reported on the Kudos program, encouraging everyone to bring a guest to help membership by introducing new business to the SDNEDC. The Outlook 2020 project is on track with the magazine to be released 3rd quarter of this year. Stephanie is heading up the project and doing a great job. We are still interviewing publishing companies so we can put out a quality publication. Also, an event is being planned for August, stay tuned for details. Public Policy Committee – Paul O'Neal, Committee Chair, briefed the Board on activities of the committee. He gave an update on the Poseidon Resources desalinization project which will be going to the Coastal Commission some time before the end of the year. The committee continues to be involved in regional transportation issues, working with SANDAG and Caltrans. The next board meeting will be held at the Caltrans transportation management center. A motion was made by Paul O'Neal, seconded by Dan Wray, approved, that Keith Battle be appointed the alternate rep for the Energy Working Group. Chargers Subcommittee – Scott Strand briefed the Board on activities of the subcommittee. It was decided that the subcommittee should begin a fact-finding mission to gather as much information as possible on stadium deals and the economic impact they have on communities. Paul and Scott will meet to strategize what role the subcommittee should play and what course of action would be taken from that position. If possible, members of the subcommittee should attend the Leader breakfast discussion/panel on the fiscal impact of a new stadium in San Diego County.   E-tran: Keeping Elk Grove Green & On Time   The city of Elk Grove, California has taken a preventive step to improve the environment by using a fleet of gasoline hybrid buses and ultra low sulfur buses. Elk Grove's creative approach to meeting its transit needs included purchasing completely remanufactured buses and integrating the cleanest propulsion technology available. The gasoline hybrid system, using an ultra-low emission engine, is the only commercially available propulsion system for buses producing nearly zero particulate matter, exceeding both state and environmental standards. The e-tran buses are stripped down to the bare frame, given structural repairs, and are then rebuilt from scratch. Key features of the remanufacturing process include LED brake lights, LED destination signs and talking bus automatic stop annunciation systems. The buses in the e-tran fleet also possess features for a more enjoyable commute. Each bus has a wireless Internet connection, plush airline-style reclining seats, eight television screens with real-time satellite news broadcasts, and parcel racks with individual reading lamps. E-tran ridership has continued to increase at an average of 10 percent per month since making its debut in January of 2005. Riders have praised the comfort, technological improvements, customer service and on-time performance. In the first three months of service, e-tran had 98.58 percent on-time performance and tripled the national average for miles between service interruptions.
San Diego North Economic Development Council, 100 N. Rancho Santa Fe Rd., Suite 124, San Marcos, CA 92069 Phone: 760-598-9311 Fax: 760-598-9325 or email garyknight@sandiegnorthedc.org stephanieweber@sandiegonorthedc.org