Passage of Proposition A would provide more than $14 billion through 2048 for transportation infrastructure in the region, but it required two-thirds voter approval. EDC created both a finance and strategy committee, leveraging the business community’s resources. EDC helped execute a massive communications effort within San Diego County, targeting residents within a variety of neighborhoods and detailing specific projects to be built as a result of TransNet. Delivering on the communications strategy required EDC to coalesce the business community and raise nearly $3 million to fund the campaign. EDC also founded San Diegans for Congestion Relief, and influential group comprised of EDC board members and investors who with their leadership roles could communicate Proposition A to their employee-base. The business community was pivotal to the passage of the TransNet extension, with the campaign based primarily on targeted direct mail and employer-to-employee communications.

When TransNet’s 40-year renewal appeared on the ballot in November of 2004 as Proposition A, more than 67 percent of voters countywide approved it. Currently the City of San Diego annually receives about $25.5 million to improve and maintain local roads. The measure also provides $25 million for border-related infrastructure, and enables the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to bond against future sale tax proceeds and jump start improvements on such critical infrastructure projects as I-15, I-5, I-805, the Mid-Coast light rail extension and several new bus rapid transit lines.

EDC also helped establish an Independent Taxpayers Oversight Committee to ensure TransNet promises are kept, and to ensure that those administering the program are using the best tools possible and getting the highest return on the region's investment.

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) - In 2003 the Department of Defense (DoD) initiated the 2005 BRAC process approved by Congress, with an initial goal to eliminate as much as 25% of all bases and installations to more efficiently and effectively support forces, increase operational readiness, and facilitate new ways of doing business. When the BRAC Commission sent its final recommendations to President Bush on September 8, 2005, there were no major San Diego military assets were included — an affirmation of more than three years of hard work by EDC, its BRAC San Diego Steering Committee, and its partner organizations.

In the 18 months prior to BRAC’s final recommendations, EDC assembled a local group of experts and contracted for the professional services of William Cassidy, Jr., a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy. EDC’s goal was to retain and grow our military bases and installations, a $23 billion sector of San Diego’s economy. President and CEO Julie Meier Wright visited Washington D.C. nearly a dozen times to meet with Pentagon officials, our Congressional delegation and senior members of the administration. EDC developed position papers and produced maps and graphics that clearly demonstrated the important relationship between the bases and facilities in the entire southwest region. EDC established a BRAC San Diego Steering Committee comprised of representatives from the Congressional offices, private sector defense companies, retired military officers and City of San Diego officials.

As a result of EDC’s efforts, none of San Diego's operational bases was negatively impacted. In fact, San Diego was the beneficiary of the DoD’s decision to transfer the Navy’s Mine Warfare Command and 10 mine countermeasure ships to Naval Base San Diego, with an estimated economic impact of $20 million. Additionally, the BRAC Commission's report reaffirmed San Diego as the west coast hub for recruitment and training of Marines.

Airport - In 2004, EDC was a founding member of the Alliance in Support of Airport Progress in the 21st Century (ASAP 21), to create a new world-class international airport in the region by 2020. Together with ASAP 21 and the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, EDC hosted several forums educating the business community about the importance of air infrastructure to regional competitiveness. EDC advocated that 1) the San Diego Regional Airport Authority should continue to implement all feasible measures to expand the capacity of Lindbergh Field until such time that a new airport is completed; 2) the voters must be given the opportunity to approve any definitive airport plan, including full disclosure of funding, environmental, traffic, noise and safety impacts; and 3) any future airport plan for Miramar must be configured to ensure that its operations will not cause land-use restrictions adversely affecting the ability of the region’s businesses to operate or expand in the greater Miramar area, including Sorrento Mesa, Sorrento Valley, Kearny Mesa and UTC – home to many of our technology and biotech companies. EDC’s Board of Directors voted to support Proposition A on the November 2006 ballot.

Proposition A failed, but that doesn’t change the urgent need to address the region’s air infrastructure to provide passenger and cargo access to global markets. The fact remains that Lindbergh Field will be maxed out in 20-25 years and our region needs to improve its air infrastructure. EDC is promulgating valuable lessons that will be used to form a go-forward plan. The region’s air infrastructure remains a critical, and the business community must be unified around bold solutions.

Those lessons are:

· The Airport Authority should have not rushed to the November 2006 ballot, but stepped back and asked for more time
· The business community needs to be unified on the airport issue.
· The Airport Authority and other experts in the region needed to work more effectively in Washington, D.C. with both the Department of Defense and with the Department of Transportation
· It will now be urgent for the business community to support the most effective and efficient Lindbergh Master Plan.

EDC must accomplish the following in order to successfully lead a new airport development:

· We must rebuild and renew relationships with a new board of directors of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority – people who are very committed to the Authority’s mission.
· We must assess what needs to be done with the Lindbergh Master Plan, and be a unified business voice behind the Plan we support.
· We need to address any threats to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s mission or independence to craft solutions to San Diego’s air infrastructure.

Project Lead the Way - As part of our long-term workforce development efforts, EDC has championed the Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the pre-engineering curriculum program for more than four years. Working for the program’s state affiliate SDSU, EDC helps recruit school districts and individual schools, which to-date has successfully led to its adoption in eight districts and more than 40 middle and high schools county-wide. EDC petitioned the UC Regents to reclassify the eight core PLTW courses to make them eligible as A-G college credit, thus encouraging and rewarding students for enrolling in the rigorous courses as a part of their high school curriculum. EDC has also raised more than $250,000 to support the PLTW teacher-training program, provide equipment to area high schools, and fund college scholarships. Most recently, we helped SDSU’s College of Engineering develop a fundraising strategy so it can make a compelling case to secure funding from companies outside San Diego that also benefit from the program, which is offered at schools throughout the state.

Economic Indicator Studies - Understanding that regions compete within an increasingly global economy, EDC partnered with SANDAG to evaluate where our economy ranks relative to other economies in the U.S. We identified our strengths and weaknesses, in order to catalyze initiatives that would help maintain and improve our region’s competitiveness. In 2001 and 2005, we produced the Indicators of Sustainable Competitiveness, measuring the region’s progress against 18 peer regions in three areas – Economy, Environment, and (social) Equity. The research was communicated to policy makers including every 18 city councils and other policy-makers in the region.

Partnership for the Global Economy - In 2007, Partnership for the Global Economy convened more than 300 business and community leaders in a five-month dialogue from which two important areas of consensus emerged. One, the San Diego region’s future economic prosperity rests on three competitive factors: growth of high-wage industries, an expanding skilled workforce, and infrastructure to support a globally connected community. And two, successfully following this roadmap will require a business community that proactively champions innovation and investment through an active program of civic leadership. Around the issue areas – Infrastructure, Workforce and Convergence -- eight teams of civic entrepreneurs assembled to create action plans, defining bold, sustained and definitive initiatives to capitalize on opportunities and resolve challenges. Their implementations will take many forms from policy recommendations to industry collaborations to new projects and require innovation, investment and, of course, civic leadership.

Five-Year Strategic Plan - EDC is moving ahead in a new strategic direction after consulting with our stakeholders, prioritizing opportunities and challenges, and assessing our resources. Our expanded business development program supports significant corporate outreach and retention, while nurturing emerging industries and attracting new corporate investment through targeted marketing efforts. We will enhance our impact in public policy, and form actionable strategies to address a narrow set of the region’s most challenging business climate issues. EDC will develop plans for implementation by policy makers and voters in workforce and infrastructure development. The plan calls for quantifiable metrics that demonstrate success and fulfill EDC’s value proposition, using regional benchmarking and organizational goals.

Business Attraction - EDC is identifying those companies outside of the San Diego region that have the potential to consider the area for investment. Through a targeted prospect identification and qualification process, a roster of prospective companies will be developed. EDC will organize a small delegation of high profile San Diego executives to meet with decision-makers from these companies. The attraction program compliments EDC’s existing retention efforts that include meeting with at least 100 local companies each year to identify issues that may obstruct business. In addition, EDC seeks to understand the strengths our region has for particular industries, and what EDC can do to make San Diego a more business friendly environment.

Industry Convergence - San Diego, with its cutting-edge research and leadership in science and technology-based industries, is in a unique position to build opportunities through convergence of existing industry expertise and functions. As one of the Partnership outcomes, EDC is focused on leveraging common strengths between industries to foster homegrown innovation. Convergence committees are organized and active in linking assets within the defense, healthcare, maritime, and sustainable industries to capitalize on common goals and further technological innovation.

Media Relations - As part of our image enhancement program, EDC has retained the only national media relations firm to solely represent places. The firm has worked with more than 350 cities, regions, states and countries, helping them attract both investors and visitors. They are promoting San Diego to various top-tier national news publications. Innovative companies, our business climate, and recent city reforms are showcased and pitched to publications ranging from Newsweek to Genetic Engineering News to Wired, raising awareness about San Diego to ultimately position our region for investment.

Mega-Region Initiative - We have partnered with the Imperial Valley EDC to position our respective areas along with Baja California as a “mega-region” to compete in the global economy. The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a $225,000 grant to develop a strategy for creating an economic environment attractive to outside investment. Under the initiative, the workforce and infrastructure of San Diego County, Imperial County and Baja California, Mexico, have been assessed to address gaps and other deficiencies. Ultimately, we will leverage San Diego’s knowledge workforce and research capabilities, with Imperial Valley’s water, energy and land resources, and Baja’s manufacturing abilities to offer high wage industries such as cleantech, ag-bio, applied manufacturing with opportunity for investment.

Best Practices Trip to Orlando, FL - When the Burnham Institute for Medical Research selected Orlando as the site for its $80 million expansion project, lured by a $350 million financial incentive package, much was made of the San Diego-based institute’s expansion. EDC lead a business delegation to learn first-hand what attracted Burnham to the “Medical City”, and how Florida is leveraging state and local incentives in an aggressive business attraction strategy. EDC heard from public transportation agencies, workforce development champions, and a University-based incubator – all developed to enhance Orlando’s competitiveness. We also had an in depth discussion with members of the Orlando EDC's Governors Council and learned more about its business attraction and retention program. We also surfaced interest from Disney Cruise Line to homeport a new ship in San Diego. We are working with Port officials to offer a compelling case for San Diego over the Port of Los Angeles, the other west coast location Disney is evaluating.