Newsletter June 2007
Mark Your Calendar Board Meeting Thursday, June 14, 2007 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday, July 12, 2007 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Marketing Committee Wednesday, June 6, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Wednesday, July 11, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Public Policy Committee Thursday, June 7, 2007 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., SDNEDC Office Thursday, July 5, 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: UCP 600 - An Overview Of The Revised Rules Governing Letters of Credit Thursday, June 14, 2007 11:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. IT@baja Showcase Thursday, June 21, 2007 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. For more information please contact Casey Cleveland at 619-615-0868 ext. 109 or ccleveland@sdwtc.org.	SDNEDC New Member: IT TechPros Presentation to the Board – Presenter: Eric Larson, Executive Director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau presented an introduction to agriculture in San Diego County. The San Diego County Farm Bureau is a non-profit advocacy group and the largest farm bureau in California. Agriculture in San Diego County accounts for $1.5 billion in annual wholesale sales with a $5.4 billion contribution to the local economy, and more than 85% of the agriculture in San Diego County is located in North County. The agriculture industry has experienced 15 years of consecutive growth in San Diego County, both in dollar value and acreage. Currently, San Diego County has the 12th largest farm economy in the United States (in dollar value). 273,000 acres are used for agriculture in 5,500 farms. The main reasons that agriculture is doing well in San Diego County are: weather that gives farmers 12 months a year of continuous farming; imported water that allows farming in areas such as Lakeside and Valley Center; the interstate freeway system that gives local farmers access to markets across the country; and a huge market for agriculture here in southern California. The main challenges facing farmers are: profitability; recovery from the winter freeze; immigration reform; water supply and cost; pest exclusion; market consolidation; and the price of corn feed (due to ethanol consumption). Eric predicted that the following agriculture trends will continue in San Diego County: moderate growth of agriculture as a whole, driven primarily by nursery crops; erosion of the citrus market due to the high price of water and labor; impact to the avocado market from Mexican imports; development of niche markets such as blueberries, fresh herbs, and bean sprouts; and expansion of the organic market because of higher profitability. Marketing Committee – Gary Knight, President and CEO, briefed the board on the activities of the committee. He reported that the Vision 2020 publication is moving forward. Last year's publication received an Award of Merit, and Gary invited members to contribute funds for a party to be held in early June to celebrate the award. Stephanie Weber, Project Manager, reported that she has been working with San Diego Magazine on the publication, and will be sending out a media kit to all members. There will be an opportunity for members to include a 15-20 word summary of their company in the publication for no cost. Gary also reported that the first episode of the Economic Roundtable TV show has been sponsored by Merriam Mountains and is in production. The April event at JDS Video & Media Productions, Inc. was well attended and well received. Public Policy Committee – Paul O'Neal, Committee Chair, briefed the Board on activities of the committee. The May meeting of the committee was well attended due to the topic of Traffic Impact Fees (TIFs). Representatives of the County presented the TIF policy and indicated a degree of wiggle room in their fee calculation in many instances. Members from Fallbrook discussed the fees with Rich Crompton from the County's Department of Public Works and Paul suggested that the discussion had brought value to all participants. Paul also reported that the committee heard a terrific presentation from Joe Perring and Linda Bailey about the Merriam Mountains development. He reported that the committee has not been able to weigh in on the question of TIFs for the City of Vista, and that the decision was made not to testify at a recent SDG&E rate hearing.   Creating an intellectual workforce   Written by: Gary Knight Over the last few months I have been discussing what it takes to create sustainable economic growth and a good quality of life. This month I want to look at workforce development as intellectual development. First, our region has a high cost of living index and requires jobs that have compensation at the upper scale versus incomes close to the poverty levels. The median cost for a home in North County for the month of April was $635,000 as reported by Ann Perry in the North County Times. The cost of gasoline has risen to $3.40 a gallon with the prospect of going higher. Food costs are increasing as we feel the effects of the recent freeze and the impacts of converting corn and soy crops into ethanol as an energy source. Many have called this higher cost of living in San Diego County the "sunshine tax". It would be easy to look at this data and assume that everything is horrible and the sky was falling, or you can view it as an opportunity to focus on activities that result in high wage jobs that are sustainable in this marketplace. One such opportunity exists with the opening of High Tech High in the City of San Marcos this September. This is a state charter school which has been operating in San Diego for over 7 years and has over 2000 students in seven schools. The goals of the school are to serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local community, and to integrate technical and academic education to prepare students for post-secondary education in both high tech and liberal arts fields. These will be the students who will go on to be the engineers, scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs that are needed for this region. High Tech High is still accepting applications for the 9th grade that begins September 2007. You can go to their web site to learn more click here. The key to job growth in North County will not be what we manufacture or sell but what we intellectually create. The best example of what I am talking about is Qualcomm. This company derives most of their income from the licensing of their technology to other companies. It's not about what they make as it is about what they think up; creativity that leads to innovation. The other opportunity I want to mention is being presented by CSUSM on June 26th where they will be holding a FREE introductory seminar on Innovation conducted by Andrew Papageorge from 3-5 pm or 6-8 pm. Go to their web site to learn more click here.
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