Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Focus Groups

You are Invited to Participate in CEDS Focus Groups

Sponsored by the Marin Community Foundation; Employment and Training Branch of Marin County HHS (Health and Human Services); and Union Bank of California

In helping Marin Economic Forum determine strategic goals for Marin County’s economy and community, we want your voice to be heard. Marin Economic Forum is in the process of producing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) report for Marin County. This report will provide the current state of Marin County economically and socially, as well as provide goals for Marin County between 2015 and 2020. At a higher level, this document is meant to provide guidance and regional context for policy making here in Marin County. You will notice some of these groups have similar issues and concerns; that is ok. Seeing how different groups set goals with different contexts helps us build the report. Below you will find details about the focus groups and a registration form to get involved.

Robert Eyler, Ph.D.,
CEO Marin Economic Forum

Two Ways to Participate

• Attend a Focus Group: Register for a focus group with the form at the bottom of this page.
• Leave Feedback Online: Click on the focus group titles below to leave feedback on their individual pages.

Focus Group Descriptions

• Housing and Transportation: because these two issues are interconnected, this focus group will look at both in Marin County and attempt to generate goals for Marin County over the next 10 years.
• Education and Workforce Development: This group will look at goals to address the future needs of both local residents and employers, and skills beyond hard sciences, job titles, and classic vocations. We will need goals for Marin County over the next 10 years.
• Social Safety Net: These are issues of inclusion, ranging from income inequality to health access, from support for the aging, for the homeless, and other issues such as food security. We will seek to set goals for Marin County over the next 10 years.
• Broadband Access: Providing faster internet speeds and internet access period is a rising challenge for almost all of Marin County; how businesses will be affected and the most efficient way to provide such access. We will need goals for Marin County over the next 5 years.
• Natural Resources: This group will look at land use, population density, sea level rise, and other “environmental” issues, but really how Marin County uses its natural resources. We will need goals for Marin County over the next 5 to 10 years.
• Tourism: Because of the flow of people in and through Marin County weekly to stop in Marin or to go to points north, east and south of Marin County, there are uses of infrastructure beyond local residents and businesses. We will need goals for Marin County over the next 5 to 10 years.

General Agenda for all Focus Groups

• What are major issues facing Marin County with respect to this issue?
• What are the goals for this issue and can consensus be found?
• What infrastructure needs or systems would help achieve those goals?