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The 2010 East Bay Forecast event was held Friday May 7th at Dublin's Shannon
Community Center. The event was attended by over 200 East Bay EDA members
and guests who came to hear Dr. Ed Leamer, Director of the UCLA Anderson
Forecast, give his forecast for the East Bay.
Dr. Leamer's presentation
East Bay EDA would like to give special recognition and thanks to this year's
signature corporate sponsor PG&E, as well as the San Francisco Business Times,
the Tri-Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Livermore, Dublin and
Pleasanton Chambers of Commrece.
Highlights of this year's event can be viewed at our website.
L-R Alameda County Supervisors Keith Carson and Scott Haggerty, Alameda County
Administrator Susan S. Muranishi. Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle
Just weeks away from the closure of the New United Motors (NUMMI) automobile plant in Fremont, workers, local businesses and the community at large received assurance that ample resources are being mobilized to help with the loss of one of Alameda County’s largest employers.
Officials from local, State and federal agencies gathered in Fremont
February 16, 2010 for
a special session to
outline steps
already being taken
to help NUMMI
employees deal with
job losses and
transition to new
careers, and to
articulate
strategies being
adopted to help the
region recover from
the economic impact
of NUMMI’s closure.
The session,
sponsored by Alameda
County and East
Bay Economic
Development Alliance, featured
comments by city,
County, State and
federal officials,
including Dr. Ed
Montgomery, Director
of the White House Initiative for Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers.
“Since the day last August when we learned that NUMMI would be closing, we have been looking at viable re-use options for the facility and at ways we can best help employees and businesses that are suppliers to NUMMI to transition to other industries,’’ said Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty.
Continue reading official press release.
Led by the nation’s single largest investment in the third quarter of 2009, the two-county East Bay alone attracted more venture capital than the perennial number 2 recipient state, Massachusetts. Based on the latest data from Thomson Reuters posted on the PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association Money Tree Report website, the East Bay, representing .8% of the US population, would be ranked second among the top five states receiving venture capital:
1. California $2,711 million (including the East Bay)
EAST BAY $ 594 million
2. Massachusetts $ 495 million
3. Texas $ 197 million
4. New York $ 189 million
5. Washington $ 182 million
Although national venture investments in Q3 increased over Q2, the nation’s Q3 venture investments fell -33.9% compared to 2008 and California companies experienced a milder fall of -25.6% year-over-year. Softening the blow to California were East Bay companies who experienced a +141.0% INCREASE in venture investments and attracted 12.3% of all venture capital distributed nationally. The fact that East Bay companies received over 15 times more venture capital than predicted by population, largely explains why California’s share of the nation’s Q3 venture pie increased 6%, from 50.4% to 56.4% compared to 2008.
Continue reading.
On April 8, 2010 East Bay EDA's Board of Directors will meet at Bayer
Pharmaceuticals for their annual retreat. This session allows East Bay
EDA's leadership to review and refine our work plan, and offers members of our
Board the opportunity to be sure the needs and priorities of their industries
and constituencies are reflected therein.
The retreat will be held from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM and will feature a keynote from
Bayer, as well as a series of topical, moderated workgroups designed to capture
the important issues and concerns of our membership.
East Bay EDA's Board of Directors is a 130 member body, representing the
corporate leaders, County Supervisors, Mayors, City Managers and Economic
Development Directors of each of our member jurisdictions, as well as the
general managers and directors of our member government agencies, educational
institutions and nonprofits. Registration for this event begins next
Monday, March 8th and is open to all
East Bay EDA Board members.
In February the Town of Danville launched a new campaign to promote local shops and restaurants - and to remind residents of all there is to do within the town limits. The "Daycation" campaign allows residents of Danville to nominate their fellow residents to win a full day of shopping, activities and dining in the Town's many upscale establishments. Danville's Economic Development Coordinator Jill Bergman worked with local merchants to offer deep discounts and giveaways to Daycation winners, who in return were featured in local papers, the Town's newsletter, and on the Town’s award-winning website
www.danvilleinstyle.com. Knowing this type of "feel good" publicity in a down economy was a great opportunity, a host of shops, restaurants and spas participated in giving the Daycation winners a day to remember.
To learn more about the Daycation campaign and recipients, visit
www.danvilleinstyle.com or contact
Jill Bergman directly.
Thinking about reducing waste at your business, but need funding for bins or equipment?
StopWaste helps Alameda County organizations with financial assistance for waste reduction and prevention projects.
StopWaste's Mini-Grants program and the Waste Prevention Fund have April 30th deadlines coming up fast. Funds will be awarded to approved projects on a first-come first-served basis. Beat the rush and apply today!
Mini-Grants range from $500-$5,000 for start-up waste reduction projects such as:
• Desk-side recycling bins and kick-off party supplies
• Shop floor bins, signs and employee incentives
• Reusable mugs or restroom hand dryers
Click here to learn more and apply by April 30.
Waste Prevention Fund grants range from $10,000-80,000 for projects that prevent waste before it's recycled or landfilled. Examples include:
• Buying reusable plastic totes to replace cardboard boxes
• Replacing physical construction or product modeling with 3D software
• Implementing paperless software tools to reduce printing
Click here to learn more and apply by April 30.
Both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties have introduced subsidized employment
programs designed to stimulate the local economy by providing a significant
subsidy to employers who hire eligible residents meeting income requirements.
Alameda County employers can benefit from these programs by receiving reimbursement of 80% of
the eligible employee’s wage and reimbursement of 80%
of the costs for Social Security, Medicare, and Federal and State unemployment
tax. In Contra Costa County, the County pays $8.50/hr to all employees, and covers employer insurance costs. Both County programs are
funded through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars and end September 30, 2010.
To learn more about the Alameda County program visit
www.achire.org, for more information on the Contra Costa County program please download this
informational flyer.
East Bay EDA has completed an economic impact
study on the Oakland Zoo. The report,
which was approved by the Executive Committee at
their February 11 meeting, examines the economic and cultural impacts of
the Oakland Zoo within Alameda County during 2009. The findings of the
report show that in 2009 alone, the Zoo created a total of 293 jobs within
the State of California, 229 of which were direct jobs, including
116 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE), of which
83% are residents of Alameda County, and 45% live
within the City of Oakland. During this period the Zoo also contributed a total of $9.94 million
in payroll and benefits to the region, directly spending $6.74 million on
payroll and benefits. This direct spending
generated an additional $3.2 million in
indirect growth within Alameda County and
$1.4 million within the City of Oakland.
Download and read the full report.
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