This week our guest writer is Jennifer Schoeneck, the Deputy Director of Economic Development for the City of Escondido...enjoy!

Cheers, JR

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Local economic development is the creation of wealth through which community benefits are realized. Through creating high-income job opportunities for residents, there can be higher revenue for businesses, more charitable donations to nonprofits, and tax revenue for the city to provide services such as public roads, sidewalks, trees, public restrooms, police, fire safety, and more. The core practice of local economic development centers around business retention, expansion, and attraction. It is also important to incorporate community development practices into the conversation to ensure that business support efforts complement the desires of local residents.  

The economic development priorities for the City of Escondido are determined by two documents: the City's General Plan which contains an Economic Prosperity section last updated in 2012, and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) which is updated every five years. Currently, the City is going through the process of updating the CEDS. Please take five minutes to voice your opinions by filling out this community survey here. Learn more about the CEDS and read the current CEDS here. 

Economic development efforts provide many community benefits including promoting economic stability, improving quality of life, and helping promote a sense of community pride. Did you know that in San Diego County, 96.79% of businesses are small businesses (with less than 20 employees) and that most business growth occurs through existing business expansion? That means that if each of the more than 11,000 businesses registered to do business in the City of Escondido added just one employee, that would equal 11,000 new jobs for our community. This can lead to higher household incomes and a better standard of living for local residents. Additionally, a strong local economy can help to attract new amenities and services, such as restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues. This can provide residents with more options for leisure activities and improve overall quality of life. This year, our team has already served more than 150 local businesses. We created a new tool to process business support requests; simply go to this webpage and click the “Request Support” button....

Last Week's Poll Results: "Would You Be In Favor Of Escondido Legalizing Marijuana Dispensaries?"