Highlighting a Year of Advocacy
With the tenure of the 2016-1017 EBLC Board Chair coming to a close, Andrew Sabey highlighted a year full of adept advocacy at the Installation Dinner. Here are just some of the advocacy highlights from the past year.
TRANSPORTATION
The Transportation Task Force led the way with timely discussions which directly informed the EBLC’s advocacy regarding Contra Costa County’s potential half-cent sales tax measure. EBLC staff was deeply involved in discussions with diverse stakeholders as the measure took shape. As a result of this leadership, we are optimistic that the current iteration of the measure will meet the needs of families and employers in the East Bay and pass in November.
In addition, the EBLC joined forces with the Fix Our Roads Coalition to advocate for both infrastructure investment and meaningful reform at the state level. Advocacy has included pointed policy letters and weekly social media campaigns targeted at our East Bay elected officials and members of the legislative leadership. Our strong working relationships with Assemblywoman Catharine Baker and Assemblymember Jim Frazier will be key as this issue appears to be temporarily halted by lukewarm support by the Governor and some legislators hesitant to vote for taxes in an election year -- even if it means saving taxpayers money in the long term.
As adept as the advocacy has been in the past year, leadership will be changing in the coming year with Roger Hughes stepping down and Ed Del Beccaro of Transwestern joining Leo Scott of Gray-Bowen-Scott as task force Co-Chair.
HOUSING
The EBLC is continuing our work to make living in the East Bay affordable for more than just the members of the Golden State Warriors.
Even though Governor Brown’s recent housing proposal is promising, major political barriers remain. Solving the Bay Area’s housing paradox will require many creative solutions if the future East Bay workforce has any chance of living within 2 hours of their jobs. But even small policy changes require time and leadership, and the housing crisis is one of our largest, most intractable problems.
EBLC’s President & CEO, Kristin Connelly recently represented the EBLC at an MTC housing forum and spoke about the need to use all the tools at our disposal to address the housing crisis. One of those small policy reforms that could make a difference is Senator Bob Wieckowski’s SB 1069 which attempts to make it more affordable for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units on their property. These units would be naturally affordable and provide relatively invisible density in our communities making it a proposal that the EBLC proudly supports.
The EBLC will continue to be active in this policy area in the coming months and years and we look forward to working with all of our members to make housing affordable.
BUSINESS
The EBLC’s Business Task Force has continued to follow the progress on the Northern Waterfront Initiative and the redevelopment of the Concord Naval Weapons Station. These are important economic development opportunities for the East Bay and we look forward to increasing our role on both fronts.
The business task force also made a strong case for opposition after hearing from both sides of the Cortopassi Statewide Ballot measure regarding revenue bonds. If passed, the measure would subject public projects funded by revenue bonds to a statewide vote -- endangering local control, basic tenets of good governance, and much-needed infrastructure investment.
The task force also helped host the 16th Annual Small Business Awards which featured both an upstart airline CEO who brought commercial flights back to Buchanan Field after more than 20 years and a presentation from Congressman Mark DeSaulnier.
HEALTH
The passage of the amendments to the tax on Managed Care Organizations marked a major advocacy victory for the EBLC and plugged a $1.1 billion dollar hole in the MediCal budget which put the bipartisan leadership of East Bay Assemblywoman Catharine Baker on display. We were proud to support the MCO tax after deliberation in our Health Care Task Force and we will keep our fingers crossed for more of the same legislative compromise in the year ahead.
The Contra Costa CARES public-private partnership which includes $500,000 in funding from the county matched by private sector partners including many of EBLC’s health care members is on track to be renewed as a pilot project. The project is a positive step towards improving the inefficient and costly process of delivering care to an estimated 19,000 individuals who are ineligible for health coverage due to their immigration status. The effort was endorsed by the Health Care Task Force in August of last year and approved by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in September.
WATER
The EBLC’s Water Task Force focused on spotlighting innovative water technologies over the past year and also hosted an outstanding forum on water supply diversification co-hosted by the Pleasanton Chamber. In addition, Co-Chair Gary Darling provided his expertise in the creation of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Drought Relief legislation which the EBLC will continue to lend our enthusiastic support.
WORKFORCE & EDUCATION
The EBLC added two new co-chairs in David Wahl and Ken Maxey to the Workforce & Education Task Force and is focused on better aligning the East Bay’s workforce development initiatives in ways that will help employers build their workforce and job seekers build a career.
As a result, the EBLC has taken on a significant role in implementing digital tools and communications strategies to advance both the East Bay Slingshot initiative which seeks to improve income mobility for the local workforce and the Earn & Learn initiative which seeks to increase the number of meaningful work-based learning opportunities for all youth.
Kristin also became a board member of the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board in May to make it abundantly clear that the future workforce is a top priority for the EBLC.
ENVIRONMENTAL & MANUFACTURING
The EBLC took on SB 350 with the help of the Environmental and Manufacturing Task Force. The bill was heralded by Governor Brown and Senate Pro Tem Kevin DeLeon, but would have meant thousands of jobs lost in our community. In the end, the most destructive components of the bill were removed.
We also joined a coalition of business and environmental groups in support of Measure AA which passed with 69% of the vote in June. The measure focuses on restoration of one of our region’s most important resources: the San Francisco Bay.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The EBLC may have discontinued the Social Responsibility Task Force a few years ago, but our commitment to the issues remains. The Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to End Poverty continues to evolve and Kristin Connelly serves on the Executive Committee and Leadership Team of this effort. Their primary policy objective had been a regional minimum wage hike, but since a statewide hike was passed in May they are in the process of developing a new strategic plan.
Meanwhile, the Tri-Valley Anti-Poverty Collaborative has hired a program coordinator to help organize the effort as it enters its second full year. The EBLC, as well as Hacienda Helping Hands led by James Paxson, continues to help move this important collaborative effort forward. Funders, including Kaiser Permanente, see this as a model of how to address the difficult issue of fighting poverty and we look forward to staying involved.
EVENTS
We would be remiss to not highlight some of the outstanding events that the EBLC organized this past year that help make our advocacy possible.
From receptions with Congressman Swalwell, Senator Glazer, Assemblymember Baker, and Assemblymember Frazier. A Philanthropy Awards breakfast where we honored East Bay companies like Safeway and Clif Bar, an inspirational Costco employee named Arlie, and past chair of the EBLC Sue Rainey with a lifetime achievement award.
We hosted an East Bay USA Dinner featuring a former United States Secretary of State. Brought the State of the East Bay luncheon to Bishop Ranch's beautiful conference space and honored small businesses in partnership with Chambers from San Pablo to Pleasanton.
These events along with our monthly task forces help inform our membership and connect our region’s top business and civic leaders.