From Tahra's Desk

Dear friends,

Much is happening at MBEP. Your engagement is important, and your membership with MBEP is critical in conveying these important regional conversations. Please contact me on how you can become a member here. See you at the Housing Summit!

Warmly,
Tahra M. Goraya, MA, MPA
President & CEO, MBEP

Regional Economic Outlook: Addressing Housing and Workforce Shortages Key to Thriving Regional Economy

In an insightful analysis of the national and regional economy at MBEP's Ninth Annual Regional Economic Outlook, economist Dr. Christopher Thornberg dissected the gap between narrative and reality, the influence of miserablism, which he describes as "the philosophy of pessimism" despite evidence to the contrary, and the very real stresses on the regional economy of housing and labor shortages. Addressing those challenges so that our local economy can thrive will require investments in childcare, upskilling and worker training, said Thornberg, and in policy changes that create housing, particularly more multi-family housing. See the Monterey County Weekly's coverage here. 

State to Send $95 Million to Undocumented Flood Victims

Undocumented flood victims who were impacted by the winter storms will receive $95 million in aid starting this month. The funding, announced at a March press conference in Pajaro by Gov. Gavin Newsom, comes from the state's Storm Assistance for Immigrants Project, which is designed to help undocumented flood victims who are not eligible for FEMA assistance in counties that fell under President Biden's Major Disaster Declaration in January and April. In the Monterey Bay region, the Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey and the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County will help distribute the funding to eligible residents through pre-loaded debit cards or checks. Assistance is on a first-come, first-served basis, with individuals eligible to receive $1,500 and minors $500, with a household maximum of $4,500. 
News courtesy of KION

Center for Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz Will Support New USDA Regional Food Business Center

The University of California, Santa Cruz will support the establishment of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Food Business Center to support resilient food systems by providing coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building to help farmers, ranchers, and other food businesses access new markets and navigate federal, state, and local resources, thereby closing the gaps to success.

The new center is one of 12 Regional Food Business Centers the USDA will establish to serve all areas of the country, including U.S. territories. The Regional Food Business Centers will provide producers with assistance in accessing a variety of markets, including linking small and mid-size producers to wholesalers and distributors. In addition, the centers will connect growers to resources including educational workshops and technical assistance providers. 

News and photo courtesy of UC Santa Cruz.

Continuing Involvement Following the Digital Equity Regional Workshop Event at CSU Monterey Bay

As a partnering organization on Friday's Digital Equity and BEAD Workshop, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership co-hosted a critically important event to share our regional story and unique challenges in bridging the digital divide. We are grateful to the California Department of Technology (CDT), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF), Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, San Benito County, and the Central Coast Broadband Consortium (CCBC) teams and offices for putting on an influential and successful engagement session. 

The workshop's purpose is to provide input to help California develop the state's Digital Equity and BEAD Five-Year Action Plans. Ultimately, these two programs will determine how future federal dollars are allocated to address digital inequities in our communities. Over 125 people attended Friday's Digital Equity and BEAD Workshop at California State University, Monterey Bay, including representation from all 10 of the State's Covered Populations represented across 11 Population Speakers who shared testimonies in English, Spanish, and Mixtec.

One of a series of digital equity workshops taking place across California, Friday's event was well attended by local and state representatives, with South Salinas Valley Broadband Authority (SSVBA) President and Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez, Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo and San Benito County Supervisor Angela Curro among the elected officials who spoke during the regional welcome. Table leaders and session moderators represented a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from city offices, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations, Central Coast Broadband Consortium members, representatives from local and national ISPs, and the MBEP team, demonstrating MBEP's convening efforts to bring all to the discussion.

Gathering Community and Stakeholder Feedback

Take the Digital Equity Survey: The Digital Equity Survey is intended to identify the digital equity barriers and needs of California’s residents. The survey can be taken online or via mobile phone. It is accessible in 14 languages and includes audio functionality for residents with limited English proficiency and/or literacy. Below are links to the survey and an outreach toolkit to promote to your partners and residents.  

Complete and Distribute the Digital Equity Ecosystem Mapping (DEEM) Tool: The California Department of Technology (CDT) is asking its partners, one of which includes MBEP as the Executive Director of the regional consortium, to map out digital equity work and help the CDT develop an inventory of organizations, programs, funding, and other resources that are, or can be, leveraged to promote digital equity and support implementation of the Digital Equity Plan. Take a moment to fill it out for your organization and encourage others in your network or community to do so. This could prove decisive in furthering the state’s commitment to empowering localities and rewarding existing regional efforts in digital

Looking Forward to Continued Regional Involvement

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership thanks all those who participated in the Broadband for All, Digital Equity and BEAD Regional Planning Workshop in Seaside. We are grateful for the opportunity to have such a wide array of local, regional, and state partnerships to call upon in collecting public comments on digital equity barriers facing the covered populations in our communities and for the thoughtful strategies developed and recommended by our region and summarized in the state’s report.

We look forward to your continued partnership and engagement. If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact our lead, Ameer Othman, for all things broadband and digital equity in the Monterey Bay Region at aothman@mbep.biz. 

Below are some additional helpful links: 

Proposed Cabrillo College-UC Santa Cruz Housing Project Awaits Approval of $111 Million in State Funding

Funding for the proposed student housing project being jointly developed by MBEP members Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz could be approved next week if the California Legislature approves a state budget recommendation of $111 million in grant funding for the project. The joint project is budgeted for a total of $181.7 million, with UCSC contributing $70 million.

The student housing development, the first of its kind between the University of California and California Community Colleges, is expected to receive $111 million in grant funding as outlined by the governor’s revised budget in May.
If approved, the 624-bed development would be built near athletic fields on Cabrillo’s Aptos campus, easing what officials describe as one of the greatest barriers to college success.
News courtesy of Lookout Santa Cruz, KSBW