A 10-year plan to transform the quality of life on the Central Coast by building a sustainable, inclusive economy with opportunities for all residents to enjoy productive, fulfilling lives.
This goal — 15,000 jobs paying annual salaries of at least $50,000 — works to counteract the region’s deficit of good-paying jobs and provide people a path to financial stability. Today, 2 of 3 local jobs pay less than $50,000, lower-wage jobs are growing faster than any other income level, and too many of us are struggling to get by.
We can and must do better. The REACH 2030 goal moves us toward a living-wage job for every working household, one that provides an entrance to the middle class and the security to remain there. It also shifts our job mix significantly toward a healthier balance and provides mobility up the economic ladder.
REACH 2030 Strategic Initiatives
These six interrelated initiatives — designed with input from hundreds of leaders and more than a thousand residents from across the Central Coast — work in concert to accelerate the growth of quality jobs.
1. Foster the Start-up, Attraction and Expansion of High-Wage Industries
Energy/Clean Tech. Agritech. Aerospace & Defense. Precision Manufacturing. Technology. These industries hold potential to become prime drivers of high-paying jobs in the region.
2. Build a Thriving Space Enterprise at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg is a prime launchpad for the new Space Age, one fueled by commercial enterprise and reinvigorated NASA missions.
3. Influence the Transformation of Diablo Canyon
The plants’s impending closure presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to repurpose existing infrastructure and thousands of acres of pristine land and unspoiled coastline.
4. Champion Regional Planning in Support of Economic Expansion
Housing, transportation, water and high-speed connectivity are essential to supporting the region’s workforce and promoting business expansion.
The cornerstones of a thriving economy
Thriving economies across the globe rest on a foundation of four basic building blocks:
- sufficient housing
- adequate infrastructure
- aligned education
- business expansion
Despite long periods of low unemployment, respectable growth and other bright spots, these cornerstones have been lacking on Central Coast
Our initiatives work to shore up these fundamental and interlocked elements in order to drive the growth of quality head-of-household jobs and ultimately support and foster a sustainable, resilient economy.
1.
A HOUSING SUPPLY ADEQUATE TO MEET WORKFORCE DEMAND.
2.
A VASTLY IMPROVED REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WATER SECURITY, CLEAN ENERGY AND TRANSPORTATION.
3.
AN EDUCATION PIPELINE THAT PREPARES CENTRAL COAST RESIDENTS FOR JOBS.
4.
CONDITIONS SUITABLE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND BUSINESS EXPANSION.
Charting the path
Behind our goal and strategic initiatives lies an extensive process to engage local leaders and residents in uncovering challenges, aligning goals and prioritizing activities.
First came data-gathering and analysis, followed by a poll gauging the outlook of the regional workforce. REACH then brought in the expertise of Deloitte, the world’s largest consultancy, to help identify ways to unlock economic potential.
In conjunction with Deloitte, REACH conducted:
- 5 facilitated engagements with leaders in each part of the region
- 2 day-long tactical sessions aimed at amplifying the potential of two major assets, Diablo Canyon and Vandenberg AFB
- An immersive, two-day event with top regional leaders and Gov. Newsom’s chief economic and business advisor
Months of research and collaborative engagement were distilled into the half-dozen initiatives that will direct our collective efforts now and over the decade to come.
This sprint has brought us to the starting line of a 10-year marathon to transform the Central Coast’s quality of life through our strategic goal: Create more high-paying jobs for more people for more inclusive prosperity.
8
workshops
200
leaders
1,000
residents
1
action plan
