ARTICLE
The Winter Has Come Upon Us The 2019 Thanksgiving weekend is behind us and the blustering weather did not put a damper on our economy— Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday have reported record growths compared to past years. We are now focusing our community on the run up to the holiday season — business after hours holiday events, company holiday gatherings, family gatherings, a host of events associated with the end of year activities, and along the way, the occasional holiday purchase before December 25 and New Year’s Day. The winter storms hit us hard this past weekend and as we move into December, there appears to be storm fronts on the horizon for the foreseeable future. Yes, we need winter rains to fill our reservoir and penetrate into the ground water basin throughout Santa Cruz County. On Monday morning, I watched in awe as the flowing San Lorenzo River was again moving at a quickened pace. We know from past history, the river is the lifeline to our community — through high water times the past couple of years and back to the Flood of 1955 — with this cold wet rainy front, we see plenty of snow in the Sierras too — a welcomed sight for ski resorts, skiers and California’s winter economy. As the sky opened up again late Monday afternoon, my mind wondered to the quote in “A River Runs Through It.” Norman Maclean’s book which lead to the Robert Redford produced movie is a symbol that stuck: “Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.” One must wonder, why a river running through our community is a link to the Santa Cruz County Chamber’s activities. It is directly related to how the community is influenced by nature and how we respond. The river can be the “great divide” of our community or it can be the “great equalizer” bringing our east and west side to a common natural place. If you recall, a couple years back, the Chamber invited Dan Schnur to join us at our annual membership breakfast. For those of you who know Dan, he is every bit the Californian political and policy guru. He is well spoken, articulate and well prepared on any subject facing our great state. Earlier this year, he reached out to 101 California Influencers to produce a yearlong series in the Sacramento Bee on the issues that impact our state. These “influencers” come from all political sides, from the business, non-profit, public and private sectors, from union leaders, environmentalist, professors and other interests that make up California’s diversity. I read, study and follow all sorts of reports, research papers, opinion pieces on policy subject matter that are a part of California’s economic fabric. This week, a selection of 101 California Influencers are answering questions critical to the state's future. This week's topic is jobs and economic growth. No one has the magic ball to say when the eventual downturn can or will happen but one telling sign is in the shadow of the fast-moving economy. Like the river, our economy runs through all of us. Dan Schnur’s series turns to the influencers on “Low unemployment numbers hide income inequality, other economic issues in California.” California has now experienced almost 10 years of uninterrupted economic growth. But as the state braces itself for the inevitable downturn, the storm clouds on the horizon are becoming more menacing. “California’s current robust top-line job statistics disguise underlying problems that have plagued the state for decades,” said Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project and IVC Media. “Nowhere in America is the middle class shrinking faster than in California. Nowhere in America is there a higher concentration of both wealth and poverty than in California.” USC Professor Manuel Pastor emphasized California’s vast income inequality, but also cited other critical issues for the state’s political leaders to address. “With California unemployment at its lowest level in four decades, it might seem time to rest on the Golden State’s job creation credentials. But there are several key challenges facing the state,” Pastor said, pointing to the worsening housing crisis and the economic disparity between the coast and inland. “While the governor and the legislature might want to focus on just one issue, they will definitely need to multi-task.” Former Congressman Tom Campbell also warned of the broader impact of a weakening business climate. “Being compassionate is not inconsistent with being fiscally responsible,” Campbell said. “Indeed, we can’t be generous without having something to be generous with — the wealth we used to create in California when everyone wanted to start, or expand, a business here.” Caitlin Vega, Legislative Director for the California Labor Federation, stressed the role of unions in helping to close the state’s income gap. “Working people through their sacrifice — and sometimes their lives — won workplace regulations and won unions and that is what created the middle class,” Vega said. “If we want to rebuild it today, the only path is to raise workplace standards, enforce landmark labor laws like AB 5, and protect all workers seeking to join unions.” “As we face the challenges brought by an evolving economic landscape, the top priority for Governor Newsom and the State Legislature should be to prepare today’s workforce for tomorrow’s economy,” said Donna Lucas, President of Lucas Public Affairs. “Automation alone will eliminate jobs and change the way we work, making it imperative to educate and up-skill Californians so that we do not lose our economic viability.” The most frequently mentioned obstacle to continued economic growth was the state’s dire shortage of affordable housing. “Housing shortages weaken the state economy more broadly because employers can’t find workers, especially in areas like San Francisco and Silicon Valley,” said Sacramento public affairs specialist Cassandra Walker-Pye. “If we’re unable to place skilled workers in homes, we’re limiting job creation in a very real way.” Bay Area Council President Jim Wunderman minced no words in his appeal to the state’s elected leaders. “Build More Housing,” Wunderman pleaded. “The legislature in recent years has taken some modest steps to reform outdated and onerous housing policies that are largely to blame for the problem, but … without immediate action to increase our housing supply California’s vaunted economic competitiveness will suffer dearly.” David Townsend, Managing Partner for TCT Public Affairs, called for a no-holds-barred effort to take on the twin challenges of affordable housing and homelessness. “We are the fifth-largest economy in the world, with the brightest minds in the intellectual universe,” Townsend said. “We need a level of effort equal to the Marshall Plan for Europe or the New Deal during the Depression. We have the money. Now we need the effort from our leaders. We can do this.” As winter takes hold of our central coast, we know from history that the divisions in our local economy must work together, to produce the necessary policies, programs and projects so that just like the river that runs through us, we remain focused on an economy that is better, stronger for all of us.
The Winter Has Come Upon Us
The 2019 Thanksgiving weekend is behind us and the blustering weather did not put a damper on our economy— Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday have reported record growths compared to past years. We are now focusing our community on the run up to the holiday season — business after hours holiday events, company holiday gatherings, family gatherings, a host of events associated with the end of year activities, and along the way, the occasional holiday purchase before December 25 and New Year’s Day.
The winter storms hit us hard this past weekend and as we move into December, there appears to be storm fronts on the horizon for the foreseeable future. Yes, we need winter rains to fill our reservoir and penetrate into the ground water basin throughout Santa Cruz County. On Monday morning, I watched in awe as the flowing San Lorenzo River was again moving at a quickened pace. We know from past history, the river is the lifeline to our community — through high water times the past couple of years and back to the Flood of 1955 — with this cold wet rainy front, we see plenty of snow in the Sierras too — a welcomed sight for ski resorts, skiers and California’s winter economy.
As the sky opened up again late Monday afternoon, my mind wondered to the quote in “A River Runs Through It.” Norman Maclean’s book which lead to the Robert Redford produced movie is a symbol that stuck:
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.”
One must wonder, why a river running through our community is a link to the Santa Cruz County Chamber’s activities. It is directly related to how the community is influenced by nature and how we respond. The river can be the “great divide” of our community or it can be the “great equalizer” bringing our east and west side to a common natural place.
If you recall, a couple years back, the Chamber invited Dan Schnur to join us at our annual membership breakfast. For those of you who know Dan, he is every bit the Californian political and policy guru. He is well spoken, articulate and well prepared on any subject facing our great state. Earlier this year, he reached out to 101 California Influencers to produce a yearlong series in the Sacramento Bee on the issues that impact our state. These “influencers” come from all political sides, from the business, non-profit, public and private sectors, from union leaders, environmentalist, professors and other interests that make up California’s diversity.
I read, study and follow all sorts of reports, research papers, opinion pieces on policy subject matter that are a part of California’s economic fabric. This week, a selection of 101 California Influencers are answering questions critical to the state's future. This week's topic is jobs and economic growth. No one has the magic ball to say when the eventual downturn can or will happen but one telling sign is in the shadow of the fast-moving economy. Like the river, our economy runs through all of us.
Dan Schnur’s series turns to the influencers on “Low unemployment numbers hide income inequality, other economic issues in California.”
California has now experienced almost 10 years of uninterrupted economic growth. But as the state braces itself for the inevitable downturn, the storm clouds on the horizon are becoming more menacing. “California’s current robust top-line job statistics disguise underlying problems that have plagued the state for decades,” said Chad Peace of the Independent Voter Project and IVC Media. “Nowhere in America is the middle class shrinking faster than in California. Nowhere in America is there a higher concentration of both wealth and poverty than in California.”
USC Professor Manuel Pastor emphasized California’s vast income inequality, but also cited other critical issues for the state’s political leaders to address. “With California unemployment at its lowest level in four decades, it might seem time to rest on the Golden State’s job creation credentials. But there are several key challenges facing the state,” Pastor said, pointing to the worsening housing crisis and the economic disparity between the coast and inland. “While the governor and the legislature might want to focus on just one issue, they will definitely need to multi-task.”
Former Congressman Tom Campbell also warned of the broader impact of a weakening business climate. “Being compassionate is not inconsistent with being fiscally responsible,” Campbell said. “Indeed, we can’t be generous without having something to be generous with — the wealth we used to create in California when everyone wanted to start, or expand, a business here.”
Caitlin Vega, Legislative Director for the California Labor Federation, stressed the role of unions in helping to close the state’s income gap.
“Working people through their sacrifice — and sometimes their lives — won workplace regulations and won unions and that is what created the middle class,” Vega said. “If we want to rebuild it today, the only path is to raise workplace standards, enforce landmark labor laws like AB 5, and protect all workers seeking to join unions.”
“As we face the challenges brought by an evolving economic landscape, the top priority for Governor Newsom and the State Legislature should be to prepare today’s workforce for tomorrow’s economy,” said Donna Lucas, President of Lucas Public Affairs. “Automation alone will eliminate jobs and change the way we work, making it imperative to educate and up-skill Californians so that we do not lose our economic viability.”
The most frequently mentioned obstacle to continued economic growth was the state’s dire shortage of affordable housing.
“Housing shortages weaken the state economy more broadly because employers can’t find workers, especially in areas like San Francisco and Silicon Valley,” said Sacramento public affairs specialist Cassandra Walker-Pye. “If we’re unable to place skilled workers in homes, we’re limiting job creation in a very real way.”
Bay Area Council President Jim Wunderman minced no words in his appeal to the state’s elected leaders. “Build More Housing,” Wunderman pleaded. “The legislature in recent years has taken some modest steps to reform outdated and onerous housing policies that are largely to blame for the problem, but … without immediate action to increase our housing supply California’s vaunted economic competitiveness will suffer dearly.”
David Townsend, Managing Partner for TCT Public Affairs, called for a no-holds-barred effort to take on the twin challenges of affordable housing and homelessness. “We are the fifth-largest economy in the world, with the brightest minds in the intellectual universe,” Townsend said. “We need a level of effort equal to the Marshall Plan for Europe or the New Deal during the Depression. We have the money. Now we need the effort from our leaders. We can do this.”
As winter takes hold of our central coast, we know from history that the divisions in our local economy must work together, to produce the necessary policies, programs and projects so that just like the river that runs through us, we remain focused on an economy that is better, stronger for all of us.