Blueprint for California’s Future

Yesterday I attended the Milken Institute’s State of the State Conference.  This annual gather puts on stage a group of California’s most influential decision makers.  The goal of the day was to discuss fresh solutions to make California a better place to do business with a focus on educating the future workforce and laying the groundwork for economic growth.  Governor Jerry Brown, not surprisingly, talked about the State budget, the need to reform our spending and pension reform.  Much of the day’s conversation centered around jobs and the importance education plays.  Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said a skills mismatch is responsible for a half-million vacant jobs in California.  There are many reasons for this mismatch. California spends $2,489 less on K-12 education than the national average, ranking California 47th.  The proportion of California residents with bachelor’s and advanced degrees is well above the national average.  Unfortunately, many of those degrees are not in fields where the jobs are heading.  As we continue to hear, STEM education is critical for California’s future success.  One forum was titled, “Cities of the 21^st Century: Innovative Approaches to Urban Challenges.”  Among the panel member were Henry Cisneros, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of AEG.  Panelists from both political parties discussed the need of California to streamline regulations and make it easier for both development within the State as well as creating a climate to both retain and attract businesses.  Tim talked about the challenges for building the proposed Los Angeles Football Stadium in regards to the regulatory climate.  He then mentioned the positive effect development has on the local economy.  “Los Angeles was 26th in convention traffic before AEG built its downtown complex. It’s now 15th “because of one hotel.”  While I left feeling positive about the possibilities for California, until we can get past the “us versus them” mentality in the legislature and have a truly bi-partisan solution focus, much of the possibility will continue to be a dream.  www.milkeninstitute.org