I. Summary of the 2005 Civic Entrepreneur Summit

a. Overheard at the Summit...
b. Thanks to Summit Sponsors

II. 2005 Civic Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

III. Summit Sessions

IV. Related Resources

The Regional Civic Leadership Movement in California: Coming of Age
2005 Civic Entrepreneur Summit

I. Summary of the 2005 Civic Entrepreneur Summit

The seventh Civic Entrepreneur Summit in Long Beach on September 19 and 20, attended by over 225 participants, showcased the groundbreaking work of four cabinet secretaries, twenty Regional Collaboratives, and over 100 civic leaders from throughout the state.  Topics covered included strategies for achieving economic vitality in every region of the state, improved goods movement policy and practice, affordable housing solutions, advancing reform of the state’s K-12 and higher education policies, and conservation strategies that benefit all segments of the population.   At the heart of the Summit lies a common set of values based on the idea that successful and vital communities requires a regional and collaborative perspective.  The regional collaborative movement in California took advantage of the Summit to engage in meaningful conversations with state leaders, to ask critical questions, and to chart a course for future action.

This seventh Summit marked a critical stage in the evolution of the Regional Collaborative movement in California.  The “soul” and “godfather” of the movement in California, Nick Bollman, was not able to attend due to an unexpected illness.  The good news is that Nick is back on his feet and on his way to a full recovery.  The challenge remains of how to come together to develop a strategy for sustaining the movement after Nick retires in January. 

Many questions remain unanswered: should the Regional Collaborative movement in California focus on state policy?  If so, how?  Should we move beyond dialogue to form advocacy coalitions?  How do we formalize the network of regional civic leaders that makes up this collection of individuals and organizations?  If we are committed to pursuing both policy and program work, how do we sustain this work from an organizational point of view?  These questions are a starting point for more ongoing discussions, but because we are serious about institutionalizing the Regional Collaborative movement in California, we must bring a sense of urgency to these conversations.  See below for details…

This Summit reached out to new constituents to expand the breadth and reach of the conversations.  The diversity of participation was terrific, including “grassroots” and “grasstops” organizations, women and men, students and professors, and a full range of political affiliations. 

Key next steps from the Summit include:

• “Go California” (transportation) Regional Dialogues with Business, Transportation & Housing Agency
• State “Smart Growth” task force participation with Resources Agency
• Metropolitan and Rural Economic Vitality strategies with Labor & Workforce Development Agency and Business, Transportation & Housing Agency
• Affordable Housing Regional Dialogues with a special focus on post-Prop 46 state subsidy sources  
• Institutionalizing the Regional Collaborative movement in California
• Continued outreach to under-represented populations -- successful participation and prosperity in this state depends on securing their full engagement and support in the critical issues facing the whole state.
• Continued outreach across sectors – bringing together disparate fields, such as the environment and goods movement, housing and transportation, health and education.
• Lastly, the future of the Regional Collaborative movement requires planning. We need to build on the efforts of our regional leadership partners and bring in new leaders to ensure change.

We at CCRL would like to express our deepest thanks to the staff and board of the Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc. for inviting us to their region and for providing invaluable assistance in the coordination of this year’s Summit.

a. Overheard at the Summit:

Representing a new level of leadership in state public affairs, Lynn Pike, President of the Bank of America State Bank, said:

“…Bank of America’s sponsorship of this conference is a natural outgrowth of our sponsorship last year of a series of economic vitality conversations, led by CCRL on behalf of Secretary McPeak. Those conversations have given hundreds of community, business and local government leaders, including many of you, a chance to become directly involved in crafting plans and strategies to address the state’s economic challenges and opportunities.  This conference is a logical next step in that process.  It’s also a logical fit with Bank of America’s own regional structure. We’ve got 21 regional Market Presidents throughout California. Each of them leads a team of local business executives who focus on identifying and addressing the key economic development needs in each of their communities. So I guess you could say we conduct our own “economic vitality conversations.”

…There are a lot of different visions here in this room. A lot of big ideas about what needs to change, and how to make it happen. And by the time everybody goes home tomorrow, I hope we’ll be just a little bit closer to doing what needs to be done.  At Bank of America, as we do our own regional planning, our local leadership teams have identified the same three key needs in almost all of our California communities, and here they are: affordable housing, small business growth and workforce development.

…It’s vital that we increase not just the amount of housing units, but the housing choices, balancing single-family homes with apartments and condos. We must also build in the right places, so we don’t increase urban and suburban sprawl or pave over valuable farmland and other environmentally sensitive ground. And we need to find ways to house people close to their jobs, so we’re not forcing them into cars where they can’t afford the gas and we can’t afford the pollution. 

To quote President Kennedy: “The road ahead, to be sure, is a hard road, a road full of obstacles. But America has never long faltered in the face of new challenges.”  As we continue the task of “reinventing” California and creating a new practical vision for our state, we would do well to remember the lesson that history has taught us, time and time again. The future of America often begins here in California.”

b. Thanks to Summit Sponsors

We are grateful to the following sponsors for their generous support of the 2005 Civic Entrepreneur Summit:

The Civic Entrepreneur Awards are supported by a gift from the Morgan Family Foundation.

II. 2005 Civic Entrepreneur Awards

At each Summit, CCRL presents the Civic Entrepreneur Awards to outstanding leaders in the civic entrepreneur movement in California.  The recipients of these awards are nominated and chosen by Regional Collaborative leaders and CCRL.  An excerpt from the nominating criteria for this year’s awards illustrates their exceptional requirements:

“…The nominee must embody the values and vision that comprehend the interconnectedness of economic, social, and environmental goals, and must have the kind of deep personal commitment to community that is necessary to regional civic leadership.  The nominee must posses an entrepreneurial approach to the civic purpose: creative, flexible, boundary-crossing, collaborative, inclusive, results-oriented, and accountable…”  

Interestingly the four candidates selected this year have all been entrepreneurial leaders in both the public sector and the civic sector over the course of their careers. 

The 2005 Civic Entrepreneur Awards were presented by West Sacramento Mayor and CCRL Board member Christopher Cabaldon.  Excerpts from Mayor Cabaldon’s presentation:

Sunne Wright McPeak
Sunne has been an entrepreneurial leader as a private citizen, public servant, and leader of the business community and of non-profit organizations…  Sunne is spelled with Three E’s.  She has operated always—before anyone put a name to it—upon the values of the 3Es—strong economy, a well protected environment and social equity. Thanks to Sunne McPeak, regions are becoming the fundamental unit of public discourse for state government.

Bob Hertzberg
In his brief six years (forced by term limits) as a member of the Assembly, and as Speaker for the last two years, Bob accomplished more in that short period of time than many accomplish in decades...  In the regionalism movement across California, we have a special regard for Bob Hertzberg.  He is the politician head and shoulders above all else who has recognized that California is a state of regions and that state government needs to align its policies and programs to and support the regions for economic success, environmental protection and social equity.

• Read Hertzberg Championing Regionalism in the LA Independent.

Stan Oftelie
Stan has served both in the public sector and private sector during an era in which Orange County (with some fits and starts along the way, like a bankruptcy) nevertheless has come into its own as a region…  Fully aware of its natural advantages and building upon demographic and economic trends, Orange County is reinventing itself upon the principles of the 3Es, in part because of Stan’s visionary and effective leadership.  As he leaves his position at OCBC this year, rest assured that he has friends and admirers not only in Orange County, which he has served so long and so well, but all across the state of California.

Carlos Palacios
As the Watsonville City Manager, Carlos is a leader recognized for his innovative approach to solving issues in this rural locality with urban-related issues.  He collaborates across public and private sector lines and is acknowledged not just as the city’s leading professional, but as a civic leader as well, and a visionary for his community…  The demographic shift in California positions Latinos as a major political and intellectual force.  Carlos embodies the kind of leadership that not only represents the interests and desires of the Latino community, but also a model on how to govern on behalf of the whole community. 

• Read more about this award in the Register-Pajaronian.

This year, the staff of CCRL felt the need to give one additional award – the CCRL Luminary Award to Christopher Cabaldon in recognition of his continued dedication and outstanding contribution to the success of regional leadership in California.  Special thanks to the Morgan Family Foundation for sponsoring the Civic Entrepreneur Awards.

III. Summit Sessions

Stories from the Regions: Kicked off the Summit with “A Tale of Four Cities” presented by the Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc. Regional Collaborative teams presented their latest accomplishments across California’s rich and diverse regions.
 
The Future of the California Economy - Regional, State, and Federal Leadership: Partnership between state agency leaders and the regions on coordinated economic strategies, working with the California Economic Strategy Panel.

Land in the Public Interest - Conservation and Community in Rural and Urban Settings: What do the Sierra Nevada and greater Los Angeles area have in common?  Both places are the site of regional strategies to protect, restore, and manage the land in the interest of the whole community.

Universal Pre-Kindergarten: New Schools Better Neighborhoods facilitated a discussion around the needs and opportunities for universal Pre-Kindergarten in California.

It’s Your Choice - What Kind of California Do You Want?  The recent release of the Public Policy Institute of California’s “2025” report was discussed with a focus on preparing the workforce for a globally competitive 2025 economy, with education that allows for good jobs and career ladders with good wages and benefits.

Regional Indicators: How do you measure regional competitiveness and quality of life?  Benchmarking community progress and assessing regional competitiveness around the 3Es.

California Housing - Taking Care of our Own: This session focused on the economy and possible new initiatives to provide a permanent, dedicated source of state funding for affordable workforce housing, when Proposition 46 funds run out in 2007.

Goods Movement/Logistics - Economic and Workforce Opportunities: No longer just moving goods from our ports to inland destinations, the “logistics” value-chain creates new business and job opportunities.   

Rural Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Collaboration: Rural regions are hotbeds of entrepreneurship, collectively building a new economic engine.  This discussion focused on how capitalizing innovatively on our rural regions’ strengths will bolster the whole state’s economy.

What is your Vision of California’s Future?  To sustain our high quality of life, what vision and priorities should California pursue?

Next Ten’s Budget Basics, California Budget Challenge: The state budget and how it might be addresses is a matter of great concern to regional civic and business groups.  “Budget Basics” gave insight on the state budget and the structural deficit – covering revenue sources and amounts, spending categories and trends, and comparisons with other states.  The “California Budget Challenge” was used to explore a sampling of the major policy choices that affect the state budget.

Mega Infrastructure for Mega Regions: How can we muster the political will and the large-scale planning and creative financing to build and manager the infrastructure we’ll need to stay economically competitive – while mitigating community and environmental impact?  

IV. Related Resources