North County EDC Business Journal

FALL 2017 // ISSUE 17

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l IN THE NEWS NORTH COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL x WINTER 2016 x sdnedc.org T o many who don't live in the region, North County is a quiet, unassuming collection of bedroom communi- ties located between two meccas of business: San Diego and Or- ange County. They don't realize that North County is a hotbed of small and large businesses in a variety of industries: manufacturing, bio- medical, green energy, informa- tion technology, agriculture and tourism, among many others. These businesses need an advo- cate that works to influence reg- ulatory measures, laws and funding priorities that best serve the region. The San Diego North Eco- nomic Development Council's Public Policy Committee does just that. "We're the responsive voice of North County as it re- lates to matters pertinent to busi- ness growth, retention and attraction," says Mike Cully, CEO of the San Diego North EDC. The committee, he adds, serves as a connection point where business leaders can meet with those most influential in matters of public policy. "It's also a dissemination point where important legislative develop- ments are shared and debated." The committee became inac- tive in May 2016, following the departure of the Council's previ- ous CEO. Cully reconstituted the committee the following April, and it has since grown very quickly, from 16 meeting atten- dees to 80 last July. Although North County's communities fend for themselves only, "Our Public Policy Committee fills a niche that isn't able to be filled by any other organization in our region," says Cully. "North County has a big reach, and as such we can address issues on a regional basis." John Osborne, the Commit- tee's Chair and Director of Exter- nal Affairs at AT&T in San Diego County, concurs. "We can be a collective voice for the region. We're not limited to the interests of one city." Along with Cully and Os- borne, the Committee includes David Bennett, head of Market- ing for the Tri-City Medical Cen- ter; Tory Walker, Principal of Tory R. Walker Engineering; and Linda Bailey, Principal of Com- munity Strategies Group, Inc. "We've already tackled some heavy issues," Cully says, "in- cluding sustainable water use and demand reduction, commu- nity choice aggregation, and the creation of a new government- controlled energy model." Regional transportation is an- other key issue, says Osborne. The Public Policy Committee members fought against State Assembly Bill 805, which would give only two cities, San Diego and Chula Vista, veto power per- taining to transportation throughout the entire county. While they lost this battle, the Committee and local business leaders continue to work to- gether to boost the region's leg- islative influence to benefit local businesses, cities and, by exten- sion, North County residents. "I don't think there's been a real voice speaking for North County outside of what we've put together in the Public Policy Committee," Osborne says. "There's an opportunity to grow that voice. Business is kind of the lowest priority in California poli- tics." Although this state of af- fairs is a little better locally, Osborne said, it's far from being pro-business. Working diligently with public officials and firms throughout North County, the Public Policy Committee seeks to change this environment in a big way, he said. A TOP PRIORITY n THE GROWING NORTH COUNTY EDC'S PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE MEANS BUSINESS BY LARRY URISH The Public Policy Committee addresses issues in North County, such as transportation. ›› CALL the North County EDC at (760) 510-3179 for details.

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