fresno elections 2008

There is not a magic pill for our economy. A well rounded, long term plan must be created and continuously revisited and adjusted to accommodate the changes in our landscape. First, Fresno should nurture local business. The Fresno Business Incubator is a creative idea that will generate businesses in the city that, when expanded, will provide revenue for the city that will not be sent out of town. Second, cleaning up the air quality will encourage more jobs and retain professionals that have left the area because they or their child has asthma. Third, a successful downtown with a creative flavor will give a dimension to Fresno that is currently missing.

Fourth, Fresno has sun and water; we need to capitalize on these resources by both using hydroelectricity and solar power, and by making Fresno “Electric Vehicle” friendly. If we focus on utilizing our strengths, we can make Fresno a Green Destination.

Fifth, we need to actively pursue large companies to Fresno. We have available land, beautiful sunny days, and we are less expensive then San Jose. I, myself, will actively pursue businesses that are searching for a place to set up their business or manufacturing plant. For example, Zapp Electic Automobiles, is based in Northern California, but has a manufacturing plant oversees, and wants to build one her in California. San Jose was expensive, so they’ve been looking for an alternative. We need to bring these companies to the area with Tax Incentives and a business friendly negotiation process.

Lastly, we need to capitalize on the location. We are in between three National Parks, and yet we do almost nothing to attract tourism. Another consultant hired to assess tourism, made some very insightful recommendations. I believe they should be instituted.