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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