Results from Phase III Community Forums:

Leadership Bakersfield - February 18, 2000

Our Slogan:
· A great place to call home
· Home to the family
· We're all in it together

Our Image:
· Progressive
· World destination
· Fun and safe place to live
· Friendly people
· Good jobs
· Active-forward thinking
· Safe place-open and supportive of a cosmopolitan environment
· Agricultural preservation
· Healthy environment

Our Reputation:
· Safe place to live -family friendly
· Business destination
· Strong academic excellence
· High-tech
· Strong economy
· Great housing
· Inclusive
· Arts & Culture
· Strong education - K-12 & college
· Dynamic
· World class health care and research

Busines Environment:
· High tech central supportive
· Opportunities are bountiful
· Growing
· Educated
· Open to new ideas and willing to incubate and support
· Diversity of opportunities
· Business friendly - minimum regulation & taxes
· Support of entrepreneur business (the small business person)
· Less regulation for businesses
· Family friendly policies in all workplaces

Arts & Culture:
· More!
· Public Art Mecca
· Arts education for all
· Available to all - economic status not a barrier for access
· Always something going on
· More ethnically diverse

Heart of the City:
· Cohesive
· Gang-free
· Lots of trees
· Kid/family friendly
· Affordable housing
· All cultures and languages welcome!
· Hiking is safe, though alone
· Arts & culture center
· Entertainment, dining & shopping downtown
· River running thoufhout city year-round
· Stop Urban Sprawl

Our Values:
· Friendliness (Where everyone knows your name)
· People aren't afraid to stand up for what they know is right

Technology:
· Hub of development
· High speed wireless network throughout area to all homes

Transportation:
· Increased direct jet service
· Bullet service
· Ability to get to major attractions easier
· 7 day/24 hour transportation
· Accessible and affordable
· Convenient rail service

Biggest Changes
· Increased health care insurance for kids
· Increased access to health care
· No underclass
· No racist attitudes
· Well-funded schools and universities
· No gangs-no crime
· Celebrate differences
· Cure cancer, heart disease, diabetes

Break-thrus:
· Healthier youth and adults
· Clean air
· Women CEOs
· Tolerance!
· Decling homeless population
· No Aids
· Affordable/quality child care

Looking Back I'm Most Proud of:
· People communicating from all walks of life
· Safe communities
· Democracy
· Vision 2020

What's Our Vision for Our Economy over the next 10-20 years?
· Affordable,quality child care
· Diverse economy - high tech
· Regional center for distribution (ie: store & deliver e-business outputs)
· Connected to Northern & Southern Cal, Arizona, Nevada via high speed rail & major roadways
· Economic opportunity and training for individuals at all socio-economic levels
· Many opportunities for all types of individuals
· Continued agricultural preservation
· Healthy workforce-initiatives that support employers to support healthy lifestyles
· Stable, full-employment
· Strong tourism industry
· Attract major business H.Q. Eliminate ceilings for professionals

What kind of Economic Development Initiatives do we want to create?
· Investment back into our community
· Child care language included in long term economic development plans - invest in child care!
· Access to affordable education and vocational training
· Continued affordable housing market!
· Not to develop in prime farmland
· Projects to recycle profits back into the community
· Those that help diversify the economy from oil and ag (attract industries that are less cyclical)
· Incentive to develop within; not without
· Tapping into global market

What kind of Jobs do we want to Attract here over the next 10-20 years?
· Hi-Tec caring industry
· Be the next Silicon Valley
· All services for the community retail/wholesale
· Nurses/helath care providers -quantity
· Higher skilled workforce-better educated workforce
· Human resource research and development
· Professional positions (major corporations, insurance companies, etc.)
· Top Notch academics
· Invest in those who take care of our children-parents, child care providers, teachers
· Enviro-friendly businesses
· Jobs that promote cultural diversity
· High tech, high touch health care & preventive health
· Teach social as well as technical skills
· Top child care and adult care
· Specialization
· Emergency response

In our Community's Future …WE WANT:
· Close-knit neighborhoods
· Water in the Kern River 365 days/year
· Multilingual, global citizens
· Better libraries
· More reliable water supply
· Self-sufficiency with the employment opportunity and training to support it
· Larger CSUB campus - more students, more educational options, more community involvement
· Maybe, also, U.C. of private university, too
· Clean air
· Government that is forward looking and responsive
· Qualtiy housing for our elderly population
· City area pride
· Quality transportation/acfcess
· Community that takes pride in our environment
· More community based recreation & education programs
· Family friendly employers
· Affordable/qualtiy child care - "Children really are our future"
· Safety - reduce crime
· Cure for Aids
· Nordstrom "real" shopping
· To be unique!

In our Community's Future…WE DON'T WANT:
· Urban sprawl on productive farmland ..ie: NW & SW Bakersfield
· Water in Kern without taking water from Farms
· "Islands" in community that don't participate in funding schools
· Bigots
· To be just another suburb of L.A.
· Poor air quality
· Apathy
· Racism
· Poverty without opportunity to improve
· Development that puts our natural resources at rish (groundwater protection)
· High teen pregnancy rate
· Fear for safety
· A "Big City" mentality
· Gangs

Our Vision for Downtown:
· Better access from Southwest and Northwest Bakersfield
· Arboreteum/botanical garden
· Nordstroms
· Riverwalk
· Trees
· Shopping, entertainment, walking paths
· Outdoor theatre
· Teen Center!
· Attractive tourist center
· Natural gas tour bus
· Greeters!
· Occupational health clinic
· Child care center
· Major hotel
· Expandable Convention Center
· Farmers Market
· Museum
· Pedi-taxi people mover
· Shopping/restaurants/entertainment district
· Support business & tourism & local support
· Hospital
· Beach
· Commercial/recreation life along the river
· Outside cafes
· Use the river not the canals
· Regional event - our version of a Rose Parade
· Kern River Festivale
· Accessable to all

Common Themes - Meeting Wrap-up:
· Safety
· Family-friendly
· Technology
· High level of support for education
· Air quality
· Good transportation system
· Support for Ag
· Good health
· Celebration of differences
· Recreation
· Water themes
· Focus on education
· Child care
· Good stewardship of resources: air, water
· Arts & Culture
· Affordable housing
· Comaraderie
· Educational opportunities
· Efficient transportation
· Elimination of helath concerns
· Confidence in the FUTURE

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