JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

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Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

The late U.S. Senator Bobby Kennedy used to say, “Most people see things as they are – and ask why? I dream of things that never were – and ask why not?”

Why not build a city where good jobs are plentiful? Why not create an economy where clean industries can prosper? Why not promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship that can make the world a better place?

Bob Filner’s plan to create good jobs is not, like his opponent’s, just a roadmap of redundancy, but a set of unique proposals that can make a significant difference in the historical trajectory of job, income and investment growth in the region. It can make our City more competitive, our businesses more profitable, and our workforce more self-sufficient. This plan envisions jobs across industries that combine our “green” sectors (alternative energy, efficiency technology) with the “blue” sectors (maritime trade, ship-building, ocean research) into an Aqua Economy.

Bob Filner has identified specific goals that are essential to moving San Diego forward toward a stronger, diverse base of well-paying jobs. Implementation of this plan will add 50,000 jobs in the city by 2020, with a focus on jobs that pay at least an average of $50,000. The Filner Plan aims to accomplish these goals by growing the Aqua Economy, expanding the capacity of the Port, leading the creation of a Southern California Innovation Cluster, local preference in construction, and resurgence of niche manufacturing. The plan also calls for prioritized employment of veterans.

While in Congress, Bob Filner has been a champion of good jobs. He has worked in a bipartisan fashion to secure funding for our defense industry, biotech and stem cell research, veterans employment, facilities construction, and border entry projects. He has been a stalwart in international trade, having represented U.S. interests in countries around the world.

Bob Filner will bring these decades of leadership and experience to serving as your Mayor. No longer will San Diego be held hostage by special interests – and we will finally put people first!

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Contents

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................4

FILNER PLAN OF ACTION.............................................................................................................................6

5 Goals: Working together to work better...........................................................................................7

Diversity in our Economy.....................................................................................................................7

I. THE PORT AND THE AQUA ECONOMY......................................................................................................9

1. Global perspective to trade.......................................................................................................10

2. Strategic Port and Military Investment......................................................................................11

3. Intermodal infrastructure..........................................................................................................12

4. Marine highways, short sea shipping.........................................................................................13

5. Revitalize Fisheries.....................................................................................................................14

6. A Quality Undertaking for American (AQUA) Jobs.....................................................................14

II. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INNOVATION CLUSTER...............................................................................16

III. LOCAL JOBS...........................................................................................................................................19

IV. MANUFACTURING................................................................................................................................20

V. VETERANS EMPLOYMENT......................................................................................................................21

A Job-Creating Legislative Record..............................................................................................................22

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INTRODUCTIONWith the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, San Diego’s economy began a dramatic shift. While the rest of the nation went through a brief recession beginning in 1990, San Diego was impacted worse than the rest of the nation. Declines in active duty military spending coupled with the loss of defense contractors such as General Dynamics, which had provided tens of thousands of middle income jobs, made the recession here both deeper and longer. City government (including Councilman Bob Filner), however, reacted aggressively and, working with large and small business interests and higher education leaders, implemented a comprehensive economic development plan. By 1997, San Diego was regarded as a national model in how to fundamentally change a local economy. The plan focused on high technology industries – both by transitioning defense contractors to new, commercial uses and assisting the blossoming biotechnology sector – and on the small business sector - which historically supports the greatest job growth during a recovery. As a Member, and then Deputy Mayor, of San Diego’s City Council while that plan was being developed and implemented, Bob Filner was proud to play an active role in San Diego’s economic resurgence.

With the 2007 global economic collapse driven by Wall Street, again San Diego has suffered. But unlike the City’s efforts in the early 1990s, local government has done little to respond to these economic challenges. While the global and national economies are the main components driving the local economy, we showed in the 1990s that by acting locally we can strongly and positively influence our economic fate.

Nationally, there are glimmerings of economic hope. Yet San Diego’s unemployment rate remains well above the national average. Local defense expenditures since 2003 have helped to mitigate the worst effects of the Great Recession, but with the nation’s military operation in Iraq ended and in Afghanistan being drawn down, San Diego may soon see significant declines in defense spending. If we do not take aggressive steps once again to restore our economy, we will continue to be mired in economic stagnation.

In terms of average annual wage per job, San Diego has still not recovered from the loss of manufacturing jobs in the 1970s. During the 1981-1982 recession, our standard of living fell below the nation’s and the gap is widening.1 This is because in the past two decades, the region has been adding eight low-paying jobs for every one high-paying job. The figure below2 shows that even when adjusted for inflation, the average wage per job in San Diego in 2010 pays less than the average wage per job in 1972. And when compared to statewide statistics, real wages in San Diego have been trailing during the last decade.

1 SANDAG, San Diego Regional Economic Prosperity Strategy 2008.2 Originally published by the VoiceOfSanDiego.org on January 30, 2012.

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There are still almost 68,000 people unemployed in the city of San Diego who are willing and able to work.3 In addition to the unemployed, one-in-five workers is underemployed, which includes people who are working fewer hours than they would like to, and those who have not looked in the last four weeks, perhaps because they were disappointed by the lackluster job market.

The combined impact of job losses and lower wages is felt on the overall economy of the region. During the recession, retail sales in San Diego fell by $12.1 billion, as battered consumer confidence and slimmer wallets led to severe cutbacks in household spending.

3 California Employment Development Department, unemployment data for April 2012 is not seasonally adjusted.

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FILNER PLAN OF ACTIONTo bring San Diego into the 21st century, Bob recognizes the need to build our economy in a sustainable manner. We are emerging from the deepest recession that most of us have experienced in our lifetime. As San Diego rebuilds our local economy and adds jobs, it is important to attract and retain quality high paying jobs in diverse sectors. Bob Filner has identified five goals that are essential to moving San Diego forward toward a stronger, diverse base of well-paying jobs. The Filner Plan to accomplish these five goals involves fully utilizing the Port of San Diego and a budding Aqua Economy sector, leading the creation of a Southern California Innovation Cluster and preparing for a resurgence of local manufacturing.

Bob Filner has a record of championing good jobs locally, and supporting the defense and biotech industries in our region. As Mayor, he will work to attract more middle-class jobs to the region.

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The Filner Plan of Action

Our Assets: Natural, human and intellectual capital

Natural amenities, good climate Location: border with Mexico, on the Pacific Rim Universities, research institutes, community colleges A vibrant and growing “innovation cluster” of industries America’s Finest Workforce

Our Liabilities: Lack of opportunity, infrastructure and leadership

High unemployment, underemployment, particularly among young people

Disproportionate number of low-wage jobs Crumbling transportation infrastructure Limited access to capital and investments Constrained by leadership at federal, state level

Our Goals:

Add 50,000 jobs in the city by 2020 Encourage jobs that pay $50,000+ Grow the Aqua economy, adding 6,000 good jobs by 2020 Attract investment in the Southern California Innovation Cluster Prioritize employment of veterans

5 Goals: Working together to work better

As Mayor, Bob Filner has the following goals to attract, create and sustain good jobs for our region’s workforce:

1. Achieve “full employment”4 in our city, with our private and public sectors creating at least 50,000 jobs by 2020.

2. Build a robust middle-class by attracting industries that pay an average wage at or above $50,000, and assisting other local industries in improving their average wages.

3. Create 6,000 jobs in the Aqua Economy, by pursuing a Strategic Plan for more public and private investment to the Port and increase the competitiveness of our region’s goods-movement economy.

4. Create a Southern California Innovation Cluster extending from Los Angeles to the border that positions us to be a globally competitive region. This cluster would attract thousands of good jobs and over a billion dollars annually in venture capital to San Diego.

5. Establish a Veterans Employment Department within the Mayor’s Office to ensure that veterans are given the opportunity to be self-sufficient in civil life.

Growing San Diego’s economy will require that we expand opportunities for middle class jobs, continue to diversify the businesses that import dollars to the region, and support small businesses that are key to job growth and revitalization of our communities. These are the three legs of a stable economic base.

Diversity in our Economy

San Diego’s economic base – the source of dollars coming into the region for local recirculation– has historically come from manufacturing, defense (both uniformed services and defense contractors), and tourism. Manufacturing has been waning nationally and locally for decades because of globalization. However, we have retained important pockets of manufacturing, especially in the Rancho Bernardo area. While defense spending declined in the early 1990s, increases during the two Middle East wars have provided a buffer of sorts for San Diego’s economy. Currently, about 25% of San Diego’s economic base derives from defense spending, and the city faces challenges in maintaining that share.

San Diego took advantage of every economic development tool available during the 1990s. Unfortunately, the City’s current economic development effort is not coordinated either regionally or even locally within City Hall. For example, city policy calls for an Economic Development Plan to be updated every five years – yet the current plan was last updated in 2001. The city’s Independent Auditor has found that the economic development strategy is outdated, lacks clear objectives, and is not

4 “Full employment” refers to a stable-state economy, with enough jobs being added to keep up with the population growth.

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coordinated with the Capital Improvement Plan.5 To make matters more confusing, economic development activities are now carried out in two separate departments. Bob Filner welcomes the City Council’s commitment to streamlining their efforts by establishing a standing Committee on Economic Development. The growth of local jobs is primarily driven by the growth of our home-grown businesses, many of which seek a well-educated workforce. As Mayor, he will work closely and cooperatively with the City Council to ensure that we operate an effective and well-coordinated economic development program to diversify our economic base and support the kind of innovation that will be an essential component of San Diego’s economic future.

In the absence on an economic development strategy, the city has been drifting towards jobs that are in the lowest paying industries. In order to build a robust middle-class, the city needs to focus strategically on industries that pay an average wage at or above $50,000, and incentivize other industries in improving their average wages. It makes good business sense to invest in industries that yield the highest returns on investment in terms of economic impact on all San Diegans.

5 Office of the City Auditor, City of San Diego, Report 13-006; Performance Audit of the Economic Development Program. http://www.sandiego.gov/auditor/reports/fy13_pdf/audit/13-006_econdev.pdf

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Industries with higher average wages:

Information, Technology Manufacturing Professional and Business Services Financial Services

Industries with average wage around $50,000:

Construction Education and Health Services

Industries with lower average wages: Retail and wholesale trade, transportation Personal and other services Leisure and Hospitality

Source: California Employment Development Department, ranked by 2010 annual average wage per job.

I. THE PORT AND THE AQUA ECONOMYWe have a beautiful bay, with a waterfront where thousands of San Diegans go to work. The maritime industry consists of more than 1,400 companies producing over $14 billion of direct sales and a workforce of almost 46,000 jobs spread across an array of traditional and technology-oriented sectors.6 Indeed, some economists estimate that the industry may directly or indirectly be supporting as many as 120,000 jobs in the region.

Bob Filner contemplates an economy that combines our “green” sectors (alternative energy, efficiency technology) with the “blue” sectors (maritime trade, ship-building, defense, ocean research) into an “Aqua Economy”. Aqua Economy is a cluster of industries that support maritime operations, maritime technology, defense, ship-building, ocean research, climate science, fishing, and aqua energy in San Diego. These “Aqua Jobs” span across blue-collar jobs, white-collar jobs and green-collar jobs, are oriented towards the water, include innovations for sustainability, and are well-paying.

The anchor of the Aqua Economy is our Port. It is the largest break-bulk port in the state, importing and exporting cargo that does not fit easily in containers. 7 The Port’s two cargo terminals process almost $6 billion in imports and $71 million in exports annually. One of the largest clients of the Port is Dole Food

Company, Inc. This company operates in a “niche market” because their products (bananas) are perishable and consumed within the region that they are delivered. According to the National University System of Policy Research, the two maritime terminals operated by the port play an increasingly important role in the region’s economy:

$1.7 billion in regional economic activity: That is

the equivalent of 4.5 Super Bowls, 12 U.S. Open Golf Championships, or 60 Holiday Bowls. This impact also exceeds the annual economic impact of the San Diego Convention Center.

19,000 jobs are associated with the activities at the maritime terminals. The jobs they create are high paying. On average, Port positions pay 28 percent more than the

region’s median (private sector) wage. Certain professions, such as longshore workers, clerks, and dock foremen, pay more than double and triple the region’s median wage.

6 San Diego Maritime Industry Report, 2012.7 “Economic and Fiscal Impacts of the Port of San Diego”, Economics Research Associates, 2007.

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The cruise-ship business is also an important part of our Aqua Economy. The Port estimates that each ship beginning and ending a cruise in San Diego contributes about $2 million to the local economy.

Strategic Plan of Action

Bob Filner aims to create 6,000 jobs in the Aqua Economy by 2020. He will bring more public and private investment to the Port and increase the competitiveness of our region’s goods-movement and cruise-ship economy. Although the San Diego Unified Port District is a separate agency from the city, three commissioners (out of seven) are appointed by the City of San Diego. Hence the Mayor has a significant role in regional policy-setting and as a spokesperson.

These are the five strategic areas that Mayor Bob Filner will focus on:

1. Global perspective to trade

We are located on the rim of the Pacific Ocean, the largest, deepest ocean in the world that is the gateway to emerging markets in Asia and Latin America. Nearly a quarter of the state of California’s economy can be attributed to international trade, along with more than 500,000 jobs for California workers and approximately $7 billion in state and local tax revenues collected annually.8

However, we are nowhere near the capacity of what we can do. As Mayor, Bob Filner will utilize the platform of Mayor to bring goods-movement and goods-movement jobs to the Port of San Diego. He will work with Port District officials to make trade (and trade-related businesses) a priority. He will take aggressive action to secure international trade opportunities:

Bob Filner will reach out to local San Diego businesses to increase local use of the Port of San Diego, for both imports and exports.

Bob Filner will increase exports from our region 33% by the year 2020. This is a $5 billion increase, which would lead to $20 billion in total exports annually by 2020. As our green energy sector (such as the manufacture of solar turbines) grows, our exports will grow.

Bob Filner will give personal attention to the expansion of international trade, and will lead trade missions across the border and overseas. He will bring in business from new and emerging markets, including China, India, Australia, Brazil and Peru. He will work with our friends in Mexico so that the San Diego Port can increasingly serve the growing Mexican manufacturing industries. He will bring closer together the large Filipino community in the region with the Republic of the Philippines. He will personally welcome trade missions to our city.

Recently, the selection of the Port of San Diego by the Brookings Institute for its Metropolitan Export Initiative is exciting news for our region. We now have an opportunity for ground-up collaboration between our regional civic, business, and political leaders to create and implement a Metropolitan Export Plan (MEP). This export plan will apply market intelligence to develop targeted,

8 California Association of Port Authorities (CAPA).

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integrated export-related services and strategies to help our port better connect domestic firms to global customers, in order to meet our export goals.9 For example, the Minneapolis-St. Paul region is working towards a plan to double the region’s exports in 5 years.10 As Mayor, Bob Filner will immediately convene our regional leaders, and the Port of San Diego, to set export targets, and work with them to implement the export plan.

2. Strategic Port and Military Investment

The Port of San Diego serves an important role in national defense as one of only 17 “strategic ports” in the United States and #1 strategic port on the west coast. According to the Commander of U.S. Navy Southwest Region, Rear Admiral Dixon Smith, 18.4 million pounds of military cargo has gone through the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal and the National City terminal in the last two years. This ranks the Port of San Diego 6th amongst the 17 strategic ports in the U.S.11

The San Diego region includes the largest concentration of military personnel in the world – some 60,000 sailors and 40,000 marines. The naval base includes 57 home-ported ships and 34,000 military and civilian employees. 12 Our geographic location on the Pacific Ocean, and proximity to the Army’s national training center at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert, gives us a strategic advantage. In addition, our Port offers secure, deep-water berths, and good inland infrastructure (such as connections to highways and rail). As a result, the Port handled 15 major military cargo loadings and unloadings

9 Brookings Institute. http://www.brookings.edu/about/projects/state-metro-innovation/mei 10 Minnesota Trade Office. http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/Data_Publications/Publications/Reports/Minneapolis-St._Paul_Export_Plan/Minneapolis-St._Paul_Export_Plan.pdf 11 Rear Admiral Dixon speaking at a recent panel discussion video posted at: http://www.portofsandiego.org/maritime/3146-port-of-san-diego-strategic-port.html 12 Port of San Diego, The Working Waterfront, April 2012.

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between 2007 and 2010.13 About a quarter of these consisted of stryker unit refurbishments, which alone created $93 million in contractor work and 2,000 jobs for the region.

The private sector, too, plays a role, since General Dynamic NASSCO is the only major shipbuilder on the west coast. The Navy uses their facilities for ship repair as well as to build new vessels.

Bob Filner recognizes the importance of the Port in terms of national security, to provide infrastructure and services necessary for military and deployment activities, in terms of vehicles and equipment in and out of the homeland. Through a collaborative relationship between the Navy, Port and the private defense industry in San Diego, Bob Filner proposes the following as Mayor:

Maintain our “strategic port” designation, and bringing federal funds to San Diego to continue our active role in homeland defense at the two marine terminals.

Work with waterfront businesses (like General Dynamics NASSCO and BAE Systems) and Navy to more effectively utilize Port real estate and build an infrastructure to grow their operations.

Actively support our major fleet support installations at the Naval Base in San Diego, which is one of only two in the U.S.

3. Intermodal infrastructure

Every dollar invested in the Port yields $2.80 in economic activity for the region. However, the growth of our Port in the 21st century is constrained by our infrastructure and real estate. In order to be competitive and efficient, there needs to be seamless goods movement from ship to trucks or from ship to rail.

The National City terminal has some land that is used by Pasha for car offloading and storage before being transported to dealers. However, there is not much more room for container storage. This is because it operates on tidelands that generate complementary real estate revenue. The Port is also affected by urbanization and gentrification, which leads to incompatible land uses juxtaposed.

As Mayor, Bob Filner will bring local governments (like cities, county, Port, SANDAG) together to focus on the infrastructure needs of our region’s goods

movement, and explore the following:

13 Port of San Diego, Maritime Factsheet, 05-05-2012.

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Plan an intermodal infrastructure that combines roads, rails and bridges to move goods in and out of the port synchronously.

Pool local resources (like TransNet) and seek federal public-private resources (like a proposed “Infrastructure” Bank) to invest in building the intermodal infrastructure.

Explore an inland port located eastward that operates as a distribution facility and is connected by an east-west rail-line to one of the terminals.

Provide transitional-use zones in city areas bordering Port tidelands to provide protection for our urban neighborhoods even as we expand our maritime industry.

4. Marine highways, short sea shipping

Short sea shipping is a form of domestic transportation that uses water barges and smaller vessels for moving cargo, rather than land modes like highways or rail. The M-5 Marine Highway Corridor runs along the west coast.14 This highway provides a viable means of water-based transportation and should be utilized by the Port. It would not only ease traffic congestion from containers on land-based highways, but also ease air pollution from trucks driving through surrounding neighborhoods.

The marine highway is a potential game-changer for goods movement through San Diego. As Mayor, Bob Filner will establish our Port as a major node within the U.S. marine highway network by taking the following steps:

Develop a Marine Highway Initiative that examines the role of our port within the highway system that is appropriate to our location and growth objectives, by working cooperatively with sister cities that are part of the San Diego Port, as well as destination M-5 ports, including Seattle, Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Outreach to businesses that will locate to San Diego to service the maritime highway operations.

Seek federal grant funding (U.S. Department of Transportation, Marine Administration) for a container-on-barge service route serving California and Washington.

5. Revitalize Fisheries

San Diego has a small boat fishing industry with about 130 fishermen who catch swordfish, California spiny lobster, rockfish, red sea urchin, sharks, halibut, rock crab, albacore tuna, lobsters, California sheephead, spot prawn and other live fish contributing to 2.5 million pounds valued at $7 million in landings in 2008.15 There are four ports in the region: Driscoll’s Wharf, Tuna Harbor, Mission Bay and

14 U.S. Department of Transportation, Marine Administration. http://www.marad.dot.gov/ships_shipping_landing_page/mhi_home/mhi_home.htm 15 Port of San Diego. http://www.portofsandiego.org/commercial-fisheries.html

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Oceanside, of which the first two are within the jurisdiction of the Port of San Diego. Our region exports sea urchins.

However, over the decades, the fishing industry has experienced a significant decline, mainly because of regulatory barriers and global competition. At the same time, there is a growing demand for fresh, sustainable seafood in the region. In response, the Port is currently implementing a Commercial Fisheries Revitalization and Coastal Public Access Plan. The plan calls for a facility for fishermen to sell fish directly to the public.

As Mayor, Bob Filner will reinvigorate the fishing industry by building a San Diego’s version of Pike’s Place for local consumption, restaurants, tourism, and healthy eating for school children.

There is a significant untapped market for recreational fishing in California, which could be anchored in San Diego. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has signed a 10-year lease with the Port for home porting of its newest vessel (Reuben Lasker, named after late Professor Lasker at Scripps Institute) as well as office at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. The vessel is one of the most technologically advanced in the world, and will conduct surveys for fish, marine mammals and turtles off the west coast of North America and in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. A new NOAA fisheries vessel in San Diego brings an estimated $27 million annually in direct economic contributions, creating approximately 24 local jobs.

6. A Quality Undertaking for American (AQUA) Jobs

The Aqua Economy consists of many technology and intellectual property-based firms that encompass sectors as diverse as seafood, ship-building, ocean energy, defense, robotics and clean water engineering. They have a global focus, but are often rooted in local research institutions like Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, and the USD Department of Marine Sciences and Environmental Studies. Even though some of the customer base may not be local (especially for those serving the energy sector), they benefit from local talent and complementary services by clustering together.

According to a recent BusinessWeek report, biotech innovators in San Diego are leading the way in producing fuel from green goo (algae). These job creators are clustered around our UC, Scripps and Salk research institutions. Biofuels from algae are the top clean technology priority for policymakers in California, on a path to produce fuel on an industrial scale by 2015. Aircrafts could start using biofuels in 5 years. The algae industry has an $81 million in economic activity in the region and creates 466 local jobs. 16

16 Bloomberg BusinessWeek. October 11, 2012. “Algae are a Growing Part of San Diego’s Appeal”. http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/75568-algae-are-a-growing-part-of-san-diegos-appeal

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As Mayor, Bob Filner recognizes the need to tap into local strengths to serve a constantly-changing global marketplace of ideas and innovation. Bob Filner wants to grow the Aqua Economy by pursuing the following:

Create PortTechSD by partnering with the Port and the Maritime Alliance. This is a technology incubator similar to PortTech LA to attract and mentor entrepreneurship that will enable the Port of San Diego, and ports worldwide, to meet their environmental, energy, security and logistics goals.

Establish a Desalination and Clean Water Technology Center of Excellence that would develop, test and find commercial applications for new water purification technologies. This could be either in conjunction with PortTechSD, or as a separate public-private partnership.

Expand economic opportunities for young San Diegans through the Youth Development Office (proposed in Bob Filner’s Youth & Education Plan), by partnering with the maritime industry cluster, the Navy, and our maritime research institutions.

Establish a national Maritime Robotics Center of Excellence which would focus the region’s efforts and broaden awareness as it could serve as a national test bed.

Tie the green and blue technologies closer together by encouraging such areas as wave energy, use of algae as biofuel, and ocean sources of food.

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II. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INNOVATION CLUSTER

The Innovation Economy encompasses one-in-ten workers, and consists of high-tech, IT, life sciences, chemical technology, clean energy technology, robotics, and similar fields focused on science and engineering. This is a key driver of our economy, since for every new job created in high-tech, five additional jobs are created. 17 Southern California is home to nearly 32,000 such companies, which together represent an enormous base of talent for driving new company formation. Many brick-and-mortar businesses in what has become “traditional” innovation like online services, entertainment, art, consumer sports, and military/defense are reinventing themselves through technology.

There are thousands of well-paying jobs in this region that are waiting to be filled with talented workers, and hundreds of entrepreneurs waiting to connect with the right investment. These are four focus areas in the Innovation Economy:

I. Life Sciences and Bioscience: This is an industry that is a life saver globally, using science to treat diseases. San Diego’s biotech industry is the third largest in the nation, clustered around Scripps Research Institute, Salk Institute and the University of California, San Diego. In San Diego County, the combined contribution to the local county economy of the bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotech R&D industries is almost $8 billion, generating 34,000 jobs and $66 million in local tax revenues. Our region is home to global biotech companies like Amlyn Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer.

II. Communications, Semiconductors and Wireless Technology: An industry that makes us smarter, excelling in smartphone chips and telecommunications code. San Diegans’ own Dr. Irwin Jacobs led the commercialization of wireless voice and data communication. There are over 6,000 technology employers in San Diego employing 140,000 workers. Qualcomm alone employs about 10,000 high-wage workers, and was listed within Fortune’s top 25 companies to work for in 2012.

III. Clean Technology: Clean energy jobs are part of the larger Aqua Economy. With a California requirement (AB 32) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2020, there is considerable demand for alternative energy and energy services.

IV. Software and Multimedia Programming: An industry with growing demand from healthcare, education and entertainment for programmers. Some of the offshored programming is coming back to the U.S. According to the San Diego Software Industries Council, there are about 6,000 vacant information technology jobs in the county.

17 Moretti, Enrico. 2012. The new geography of jobs.

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To the extent that innovation is technology-agnostic , there is a lot of convergence as well as cross-over that occurs within these sectors. A sharing of ideas, partnerships and near-sourcing, and access to state-of-the art research are catalyzed by the clustering of these industries and institutions within southern California.

For 30 years, CONNECT has been providing support for entrepreneurs to grow their ideas into successful businesses. It has assisted in the formation and development of over 2,000 local businesses, and is a

global model of business incubation, by linking inventors and entrepreneurs with the resources they need for commercialization of innovative products in high tech and life sciences. CONNECT was a key player in San Diego’s emergence from the recession in the early 1990s, and it should once again be asked to facilitate linkages with other regional economic development efforts.

The strength of our innovation industries is evidenced in the fact that they are leading our region out of the economic recession. Patent activity has hit an all-time high and venture capital investment is rebounding. San Diego benefited from over a billion dollars in federal grant funding in 2011, including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.18 However, the number of venture capital firms located in the region is quite low.

Bob Filner recognizes the role of Mayoral leadership in bringing in capital from outside the region. Innovation needs upfront investment, as the primary value of local labor lies in developing an idea into a commercially viable product. The worldwide fame of our UC system, of Hollywood, our research centers like Salk Institute, of our innovations and innovators need be harnessed, to accelerate us forward. In order for southern California to compete on a global scale, Bob Filner proposes the following actions:

Convene regional leadership in southern California, for a call-to-arms to increase venture capital investment in the Southern California Innovations Cluster. The outcome of such a summit will be a strategic plan to promote our assets, and leverage our resources in each industry.

Work with groups like CONNECT, BIOCOM, CleanTech, and the Software Industries Council to address regulatory barriers in locating and expanding innovative businesses, like Soitec.

18 CONNECT, “Innovation Economy Stepped up in 2011”, April 27, 2012.

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Work with the biopharma industry to site and build new research and development facilities in the region.

Educate our youth on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), and create pathways through our higher education and learning institutions for a career in innovation. The Youth Development Authority, presented in Bob Filner’s Youth & Education plan, will coordinate the public and private sectors to implement this program.

Seek continuing federal and state support for the San Diego Biofuels Initiative, which is a collaborative effort involving CleanTECH San Diego, BIOCOM, BIOCOM Institute, San Diego Regional EDC, San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology (SD-CAB) and the San Diego Workforce Partnership. This initiative will provide careers to unemployed and dislocated workers, in the emerging biofuels industry.

Build an Innovation Campus, a place where entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists, creative thinkers and policymakers collaborate on nurturing ideas, and developing commercial applications. The city would be seeking federal Economic Development Authority funds to seed this project, and partner with organizations like CONNECT, the Zahn Institute at SDSU and the Moxie Center at UCSD for startup support.

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III. LOCAL JOBSAs our economy grows, City of San Diego residents need to reap the benefits. Over the past decade, the number of people that live and work within the city has decreased, even though the population and labor force has increased. In fact a majority of jobs within the City of San Diego are now held by those that commute from outside the city.19

With the drop-off in new housing development, San Diego’s construction workforce, as with the rest of the country’s, has been hit particularly hard by the Great Recession. One of the ways that the city can create local jobs is through local preference in public contracting. We have a significant buying power with over $1 billion in current city contracts. It is estimated that a $1 billion in capital spending can generate over 20,000 jobs during construction. Local government is always contracting out for capital improvement and other construction projects, from water and sewer projects to affordable housing and solar efficiency projects to routine road and facilities maintenance.

As Mayor, Bob Filner proposes the following to keep San Diegans working, when our taxpayer dollars are spent:

(1) Local Preference in Business: The City will require 15% of all city contracts go to small, local, minority-owned, women-owned and veterans-owned businesses. The Small and Local Business program, which is currently limited to construction contracts, will be extended to all service and vendor contracts, where practical.

(2) Local Preference in Workforce: As Mayor, Bob Filner will incentivize contractors to hire locally, including veterans, minorities, women, unemployed workers, and partner with quality apprenticeship programs to train our local workforce in skilled trades.

19 U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2002-2010).

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IV. MANUFACTURINGThe growth of manufacturing jobs is dependent on our ability to harness our innovative and technological prowess. For many new innovations by our scientists and technologists in the lab, the challenge is ensuring that, as a product moves from discovery to production, local workers and factories are part of the equation.

Jobs in manufacturing have decreased nationwide in the last decade. California lost half a million manufacturing jobs from 2000-2010, and the San Diego region went from 128,738 to 90,205 in the same period. We now have more jobs in restaurants and bars than in manufacturing. However, according to South County Economic Development Council, the region has become more attractive to manufacturing as labor and transportation costs abroad continue to increase.20 Our region is competitive in high value-added and customized manufacturing. Data from the California Employment Development Department show that in San Diego county, job losses in the manufacture of plastics & rubber, food, textiles, apparels and printing, have been partially offset by job gains in manufacturing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and in-vitro diagnostic devices. Some of these areas supplement our competitiveness in the Innovation Economy.

As Mayor, Bob Filner will protect our regional manufacturing base, promote innovation and remove obstacles to new manufacturing by acting in the following areas:

(1) Land-use and Zoning: Industrial land suitable for manufacturing is in short supply in San Diego. Therefore, there needs to be some preservation of industrial zones and buffer, as well as co-location policies that respect the health and safety of residences. Mayor Filner will prioritize industrial acreage in areas such as Otay Mesa East and Mira Mesa West within the community plans for manufacturing uses. Maritime-related manufacturing & boat building should be protected from encroachment by incompatible land uses.

(2) Land assembly and infrastructure: Mayor Filner will request proposals aimed at land banking future industrial lands for manufacturing purposes. His Neighborhood Investment Council will explore financing of redevelopment and utility upgrades in older industrial areas. And he will work to augment San Diego’s and Tijuana’s cargo transport capabilities, particularly air cargo at the Rodriguez airport, and develop a joint strategy for both Rodriguez and Brown Field airports.

(3) International Trade: Bob Filner will use his Mayoral platform to work with Tijuana to promote linkages in high tech and electronics manufacturing. He will promote the potential joint advantages of the San Diego/Tijuana region to both global and local manufacturers.

20 South County Economic Development Council’ “San Diego Regional Manufacturing Sector Report”, June 2012.

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V. VETERANS EMPLOYMENT

Although unemployment is high amongst youth, it is highest among youth that have served our nation. The unemployment rate among young veterans aged 18 to 24 is nearly 25 percent and has soared recently. California’s Employment Development Department reported that these veterans have had a much harder time finding jobs than their peers. This situation is likely to get worse as 16,000 post-9/11 veterans return to San Diego over the next decade.

Bob Filner will establish a Veterans Employment Department within the Mayor’s Office that will directly report to the Mayor. The Department will perform the following functions:

Convene a business summit to encourage specific commitment to veteran hiring.

Deploy mayoral resources and leadership to elevate veterans issues, including the need for a self-sufficient career in civilian life. The Department will work with public agencies and private employers to place veterans.

Partner with federal training programs (such as Operation Boots to Business) and

private programs (such as Google’s Entrepreneurship Day for Veterans) that train veterans in business skills.

Partner with private industry for training veterans in different occupations, such as BRIDGE21 in biotech, and “Helmets-to-Hardhats” and “Veterans in Pipefitting” in construction.

Identify internship opportunities in collaboration with veterans’ higher education programs such as SDSU’s Troops to Engineers and SERVICE.22

Increase public contracting participation by veteran-owned businesses.

The Veterans Employment Department will internally coordinate with the proposed Youth Development Authority, Purchasing & Contracting, Public Works Department as well as Office of Small Business to ensure that veterans are provided with adequate opportunities in our City.21 Biotechnology, Readiness, Immersion, Certificates & Degrees for Gainful Employment (BRIDGE) is a collaborative effort of SDSU, the BIOCOM Institute, Miramar College and the San Diego Workforce Partnership.22 Success in Engineering for Recent Veterans through Internship and Career Experience.

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A Job-Creating Legislative Record

Bob Filner has long fought for strengthening the middle class by working to ensure opportunities exist for skilled, well-paying jobs. Through his career, the Congressman has stressed the quality as well as the quantity of jobs that government can help create. He has brought hundreds of millions of jobs-producing dollars to San Diego.

Representative Filner has spent decades supporting new opportunities for the American worker. His career in Washington is marked by votes, sponsorships and co-sponsorships of bills designed to enhance job opportunities and create possibilities through the workforce. Congressman Filner authored the Veterans Benefits and Economic Welfare Improvement Act of 2010 to improve employment opportunities for veterans. Filner voted to support the Rural Star and Loan Star Programs to create clean energy jobs by boosting demand for energy efficient products through low-interest reasonable loans to homeowners and businesses.

In a recent community newsletter, Bob Filner wrote that his top priority is “putting people back to work and strengthening the economy in San Diego” (May, 2010). This has been his top focus for the last several years and will continue to be his highest priority as Mayor of San Diego.

Soon after sharing this statement in May, 2010, Rep. Filner backed legislation crafted to create jobs in communities by providing funds to local governments to restore eliminated positions and threatened services. The Local Jobs for America Act would have restored funding aimed to restore 3,263 jobs in the City of San Diego. The Department of Labor program received strong support in Congress and from many national organizations.(https://filner.house.gov/may-2010-e-newsletter)

Representative Filner championed numerous efforts to strengthen the job prospects and reduce burdens for middle-class Americans. From 2009-2010 alone, Filner co-sponsored over 10 bills that are identified as job creating legislation. These include:

TEACH for Our Future Act of 2009

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H.R.13 (introduced 1/6/2009) Wounded Veteran Job Security Act

H.R.466 (introduced 1/13/2009) Equity for Our Nation's Self-Employed Act of 2009

H.R.1470 (introduced 3/12/2009) Congressional Made in America Promise Act of 2010

H.R.2039 (introduced 4/22/2009) Protecting America's Workers Act

H.R.2067 (introduced 4/23/2009) AgJOBS Act of 2009

H.R.2414 (introduced 5/14/2009) Transportation Job Corps Act of 2009

H.R.2497 (introduced 5/19/2009) Keep America's Waterfronts Working Act of 2009

H.R.2548 (introduced 5/21/2009) Put America to Work Act of 2009

H.R.4268 (introduced 12/10/2009) Create Jobs by Expanding the R&D Tax Credit Act of 2010

H.R.4770 (introduced 3/4/2010) Local Jobs for America Act

H.R.4812 (introduced 3/10/2010) Women and Workforce Investment for Nontraditional Jobs

H.R.4830 (introduced 3/11/2010)

Several key pieces of job-creating legislation that Rep. Filner supported became law. His key votes include support for the Employment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Appropriations and Tax Credits Bill (H.R. 2847) which excluded most employers from paying an excise tax for the majority of 2010 on wages paid to new employees.

Congressman Filner’s decades of leadership have opened avenues to job creation and economic growth. The Filner administration will be focused on enhancing the strengths of San Diego as a region while building upon exciting new ideas and spurring the growth of budding industries to create a balanced job environment. With Filner as Mayor, San Diegans in every industry will benefit from a plan to add a wide spectrum of job opportunities with a healthy core of well-paying, middle class, skilled jobs.

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Paid for by Bob Filner for Mayor 20121460 7th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101

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