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0:00:01
Getting ready to have some fun with Evan Schmidt. She is the CEO of Valley Vision. We're gonna talk about Valley Vision. We're gonna get to know Evan a little bit better. And apparently, she has some things about her that are a little bit weird, which I definitely do. Anybody who knows me knows that I have a weirdness about me and, you know, sometimes that weirdness can be our superpower. So let's get to know Evan Schmidt and let's get to maybe start with a little over of Valley Vision. When let's let how did you become the CEO of Valley Vision? Yeah. Well, first, thanks so much for having me, Mark. Is really fun. I'm glad to be here. So a little overview of ValleyVision.

0:00:39
ValleyVision is a nonprofit and civic leadership organization. We are located in Sacramento, but we're much regionally facing. So we could work anywhere from a six to twelve county region all the way to a couple statewide projects. So we can be quite far reaching, but we usually focus right here on the region. We improve livability in communities by advancing what we call our triple bottom line values all co equally. So that is advancing economic prosperity, social equity, and and all sustainability. And what we're really known for is a few things. First is convening people and bringing about collaborative processes. So we really try to bring people together to solve the problems of our communities. Actionable research, we do a lot of research across economic factors, health factors, other things, and we really try to bring that into decision making here in the region. We do some policy work and system change work. So we do education, advocacy, as well as, you know, really helping to align different systems to work more effectively together. And then finally, we do what I call catalytic programming or we we manage processes and projects for clients around some of the most pressing issues in the region.

0:01:52
Sounds like you're a very, very smart person, which is gonna be awkward for since I'm a c student from Oakmont High School. I know you've got all this background and but I want I think it's important to share with our audience what's actually happening in the on the ground and how it relates to entrepreneurship. But first, What led you to this journey where you became the CEO? Yeah. That's that's a great question. I will say that all the way from when I was a kid, I've always been really interested in things being fair and kind of solving problems in community. I think that there's never been a time in my life that I wanted to I knew we were different, but I wanted to do a job anything other than kind of solving community problems or helping bring about now I would say equity, but as a kid, I would just think about it as as what's fair. You know, and I remember when when I was in sixth grade, I learned that there had never been a a woman president. And I was like, what? I know it's crazy. That's not fair. That's not right. That's half of the population. So I've always had that piece of me that really That's gonna change eventually. Right? Come on. Well, I can't believe now. It's leaking. Maybe years later, that's that's still the case. But so that's always been kind of where I've been oriented. Is is community problems I've been in California for about twenty two years now.

0:03:08
I came here to go to a graduate school at UC Davis, in the community development department. And what led me specifically to ValleyVision actually started right there. I was in my first year of graduate school and we would do these lunch and learns where people from the community would come and talk about what they do. And somebody from ValleyVision came and talked about the work that was going on. And I was like, light bulb. I was like, oh, that's the kind of work I wanna do. And so I kept it in my mind of, like, the types of things that you do if you work at ValleyVision and wanted to learn about it. So that's, you know, managing processes, doing research, you know, being really oriented towards kinda triple bottom line issues. So I really kind of pointed myself in that direction and a number of years later, I got in touch with one of the one of the former CEOs of vision Susan Fraser and did some work for her and eventually that led me to Valley Vision. And so I've been at Valley Vision for eight years now, almost eight years now, and I've done, like, all the things.

0:04:05
You know, I came in as a consultant, but I've been a project manager and a project Peter. I was kind of a research and strategy director. And then two years ago, I became the CEO after our my predecessor left and and Valley Vision did a national search and I just felt like I wanted to throw my hat in the ring because Valley Vision felt like home to me from a work perspective. You know, it really was all the things that I wanted to be doing in my professional life. Well, you've been recognized as one of the top CEOs in the region, in the in this business community. But you said earlier that you had awareness around the you lead. Okay.

0:04:41
So how do you become this, you know, recognized CEO where you've got this weirdness about you? Tell us about that. Well, my guess is any my guess everybody thinks that they're weird. So in that way, I'm totally normal. True.

0:04:55
But you know, what my particular brand of weirdness around leadership, I think. I mean, first of all, I'm an introvert. And I always like there's actually a lot of leaders who are introverts, but it's not something that people like, we all do these really extroverted jobs. But I have to you know, I think when you when you're doing that, you really have to push yourself to to be out there and to be in that really public role. So I've always felt like that makes me a little bit of a weird leader. I've also engaged you about that. So because that's interesting. I think there's a lot of people.

0:05:24
I think deep down, I'm a little bit more on the introverted side as well, but here's my job, you know, saying how I chose this. But was there something that clicked that said, look, I have to overcome that. Was did you have fear around being extraverted or being a leader? You all stepping up to lead? Was there a was there a turning point? Yeah. No. I absolutely did. And I had, I'll say, like, I specifically had fears around public speaking, and now I do it all the time. But as a young person and as a as a kid, you know, I actually actually, the first time I had to do a public speaking engagement as a teenager, I almost passed out and they had to escort me off the stage. So I've come a long ways from that.

0:06:06
But I think that, you know, there's all kinds of things that that kind of lead us down the road that we do in the in ways we try to push ourselves into what can sometimes be uncomfortable situations. And I do feel like I'm kind of a pusher. Like, I like to push my battle through. I just worked through it. So any any advice is there a learning in there for because I don't think you and I are alone in terms of not feeling super comfortable getting up in front of people, but then we've learned to play through it. Is there anything that any tricks I think it's a a a changing point for me was this was a a shift in my thinking from, like, okay, leadership is the static set of characteristics.

0:06:45
And you've got to be really, you know, extroverted. You've got to be really, like, charismatic and out there and authoritative and assertive and take up a lot of space in the room and that's what leadership is. And I think I shifted in my thinking that, you know, I actually think leadership is stepping up and, like, volunteering to do the things and, like, keep taking a step forward, a step forward, a step forward about things you really care about. And if you can do that. You know, if you can, like, push yourself to do that, then you end up kind of being the leader in the room because you're, you know, kind of consistently doing the work and showing up and, you know, putting yourself out there in that way.

0:07:23
You know that's interesting because I feel like sometimes we look around and you see avoid in leadership and you say, well, if nobody else is gonna do it, I guess it's me. And I feel like that's the kind of leader. That's the way I've emerged into leadership as well as I just trying to be a team player, but it looks like we need some help then somebody has to step up and be a little bit more of a leader and so it's been me and it's kinda it's kinda snowballed, but it's not like natural born leadership. Right. And I think that's the shift of, like, having I think it's a myth that there's the the natural born leadership and and and that's it, you know. And it's a very kind of for me, a very male a picture. Mhmm. And so, you know, I think if you care and if you just like you said, you know, if if you you're all about the team, you're about the work, you're all about making the the improvement or whatever it is that you're trying to do, that's leadership. Yeah.

0:08:18
I think I interrupted you about you had another thing I think you were gonna tell me about or is that just it? That's probably the I mean, there's always other weird things. Course. Okay. Give us something nobody knows. No. But I think also that I think maybe it's all around that like an alpha a leader versus a different type of leader, maybe that's where I feel weird and I you know, as a kid and as a young person, I've I've always been known for being really sensitive, empathetic, very analytical type person. And so That's kinda just didn't cost my characteristics of what I thought of leader was. It's it's an interesting combo because a lot of times introverted people or really analytic people, you don't necessarily see the empathy write it off. Have you ever felt that? Have you have people that said that to you that they not that you're not empathetic, but that that wasn't their first impression? Yeah. No. I think so. Yeah. It's more it runs a deeper it's a deeper chord. Yeah. But that doesn't mean that, you know, I do have I I am very analytical, but I'm I don't think I don't think I'm cold about it, but it's those things can sometimes be intentional. Okay. Alright.

0:09:23
Let's talk a little bit more about Valley Vision. You're making a big impact. Talk to you about the different areas where you're working to make an impact. Yeah. Thanks. So one big area that we're working in is workforce and economic development. And I know that has a lot of intersection with with the work that's going on here. But we are first of all, we've been active in workforce for a long time, and so we do a lot of work to help align systems and work with employers to look at how do we kind of build a talent pipeline of for the jobs that are here in the region. And so we work with our community colleges, with four year universities with our workforce boards, with employers and other community stakeholders to bring data to bear.

0:10:05
So we just did a big study on worker, the worker shortage around child care, which is a really big issue in the region right now. And other kind of sector issues so that we can understand what are the jobs we really need around here and how do we how do we activate those? With so child care, that one I think that one wouldn't have come to mind. That's not the one that hear a lot. I hear stuff in cybersecurity. There's a big need for and others. But what's the how do we overcome are we doing to overcome that? I mean, the data is helpful, but, like, what action are we proposing or are we actually doing that can solve it? Yeah. Well, it's one thing I'll say about child care, it might not be the thing that jumps out to you, but it is a big barrier for workers across all different types of jobs. Right? If you don't have an workers and childcare and people can't get affordable. It's stopping other workers. Yeah. Exactly. It's a real yep. It's a real issue for the region.

0:10:59
So and it's good to understand all the issues because it's kind of a complicated one. There are wage issues, so there's just not a good living wage for people who are in that sector. So really looking at how are we providing opportunities for growth once you're in, that's the early childhood education sector. It's looking at different for example, transitional kindergarten is a new requirement for it is kind of moving into something. Something that something that's required. And so and they said you're going to school a bit early. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. So it's a year earlier than kindergarten. And their certification programs that and it pays way more than preschool. And so it's taking everybody who was working in preschool and now bringing them into the transitional kindergarten space, putting making a shortage in pre school. So understanding something like that really helps you under helps you know, like, okay, we need to do more around certifications for preschool. We need to do more about. About wage there, we have to understand that this transitional kindergarten, which is a really good thing, is having a bunch of other effects. So that's just an example of like an entrepreneurial opportunity to me. Let's all I mean, because, realistically, many of the day care centers It's entrepreneurs. They're small businesses. And so they it's really an effort to help them. Yeah. Yeah. No. Absolutely.

0:12:16
That pipeline of small business around child care is a huge piece of this whole puzzle. And part of that is about facility costs. You know, there's all kinds of things into that that make it really expensive and difficult to run a child care center. And so how do we look at some of the policy issues that are creating barriers there. What policy issues aren't creating barriers there? Well, it's it's just requirements around facilities. There's kind of permitting and all the regular, like, ways that you might stream line processes for small business You feel like we're over regulated in that realm? I would hesitate say over regulated because we're talking about the care of little kids. But I do think, you know, there is things to look at to say, how can we be more efficient and make it more user friendly and make it more accessible for people who are trying to start those businesses. Okay. Interesting.

0:13:05
So workforce is a big piece of it. Is there anything else within workforce that you feel like we need to dive deeper on? Well, one exciting project that we have coming up that we're just getting launched into it's called the Community Economic Resilience Fund, and ValueVision is spearheading it for our region. And it's really an opportunity. Is it called SERF? Like, or is there an premium for that to self. And it's really about creating and implementing a regional vision for economic growth and development. And it's centered around equity. So really looking at where the communities and neighborhoods across our region, where people have been left out in the and how do we make sure that we're making sure that the outcomes are positive for them. And then it's also about recovery from the pandemic so that's a big piece of it. One of the reasons of this came about is saying not everybody had the same experience and recovery coming out of the pandemic. So how we help equalize things. And then the third piece is the lower carbon economy. So there's some, you know, a lot of he's pushing us into electrification of transportation and buildings and things like that. How do we build the worker pipelines and make sure that we're, like, aims to hit those calls. Yeah.

0:14:18
Now on the equity piece, these are the, I guess, underserved populations. These might be in I don't know if this is their correct term, but the maybe the lower income areas or and so is there a higher unemployment in those areas? So it seems like that's definitely not only from a fairness standpoint, but there's there's a lot of talent there. Howard Bauchner: Exactly, you know, the return on investment for really having a strategy that brings so it's low income, it's it's communities of color, rural communities because we're looking at a whole eight county region, so it's really diverse communities in terms of, you know, just the landscape we've got we've got cities. We've got suburbs. We've got rural communities. We've got farming. We've got mountain communities. So it's all of the above. You know, the more you're able to harness the talent of people who haven't those opportunities, the better the economic outcomes are for all of us. So it's really it's not only important from kind of a moral standpoint, but it's actually really important from an economic standpoint.

0:15:17
You feel like there's maybe some lack of awareness in some of these communities? Or maybe even across different sectors, even here Placer County, which is probably not known for that other than maybe in our rural areas. But there's lack of access to this knowledge that these opportunities even exist. Yes. When you start looking at, you know, I think it was for the manufacturing sector. I looked at this list of jobs things that I'd never heard of before. I don't I didn't have any awareness of, and the annual income was so much higher than I would've ever imagined for jobs that only took maybe a junior college degree or something like that. So I do think lack of awareness around what the opportunities are and how to onboard onto them is a huge issue. And then I think also, like, can you imagine yourself in those types of jobs? And for a lot of communities maybe they don't that that hasn't been out there. So so that's more challenging. Yeah. And people aren't like, one of the jobs so I we have a workforce group as well. Well called Allegiant and where it's focused on veterans predominantly.

0:16:19
And one of the areas that we've seen this big need is in sort of rebuilding our infrastructure. And with the five g rollout, we need a lot of people that can climb towers and do electrical type stuff. And they don't have to have, you know, elect the electrical license. They just need to be physically able to learn, you know, to climb a ladder or climb a tower and learn. And there's you know, these are pretty high paying jobs, and there's a lot of upward mobility because there's, you know, there's gonna be a huge rollout. In many areas like that as we rebuild our infrastructure. Exactly. And there's so I mean, there's there's a lot of money coming down the pipe for infrastructure jacks. We're anticipating a lot of construction in in different things. And so it is really important that there's an awareness piece. There's a training piece. And then there's also kind of an anticipating piece especially when you're thinking about the low carbon transition that we're imagining as a nation as a state Like charging stations, would that be a big need for people that to put to install charging stations.

0:17:18
Absolutely. Absolutely. And and, you know, even reimagining different systems for transportation, I mean, there's the what we can see in the immediate future, and then there's kind of what we know might be coming a a further further way away. So I think being able to really, as a whole region, kind of set our vision of what does that look like. I think it's exciting opportunity. So okay. So I'm kinda diverting a little bit.

0:17:42
But how does a vision like that get set? So we're talking you know, there's a broader vision for value vision. But in terms of setting a vision, who are the stakeholders? Who gets involved and to set the, you know, a a a single vision where there's so many people with, you know, varying points of view and priorities. Yeah. Well, our job in this is really to to build that coalition. So that's the so we're building a coalition and we're building an investment strategy. And so and the coalition is who is going to inform that investment strategy. And so we've been giving a lot of that to just that question of how do you take and it's an eight county region how do you how do you build a regional economic vision in such a large and diverse area? And with the goal of making it really inclusive, making it really points towards those who have been excluded in the past. So these are all this is a really, like, ambitious effort.

0:18:37
But the way we're thinking about it, first of all, is is recognizing that we're not all one geography. You know, we really have to so hear placer we're thinking about, you know, the kind of the Sierra foothills band is, you know, is here. There's some of this some of Tahoe. There's also kind of a Sacramento, metro, and suburban area. And plush is a good example because you've kinda got a little bit of everything in there. So we're starting with kind of dividing up into five different subregions so that people can really talk about the issues that are most relevant to that to the area. And that's a really important part. And the stakeholders right now are anybody who raises their hand and wants to participate And as we go further down the line and kind of get, you know, people who wanna get more involved, they wanna be decision makers, they wanna sit on the regional counts. So, then we'll have different criteria and different kind of ways to apply to positions like that.

0:19:30
This is interesting to me because I wonder how these teams that you're building to do this, it sort of makes me wonder the composition of those teams is to get chemistry and to get them working together and to make sure that they don't get going down a path that's not gonna be collaborative with the rest of the group with a broader vision. To me, that seems like a very big thing. And then making sure that it's this group thinks sometimes cannot be as effective. I mean, I like to insert entrepreneurial thinking and different points of view into big decisions like this. Yeah, well, and I think that entrepreneurial thinking would be a really important component of this.

0:20:19
But I think to me, part of the work is you know, what I would say, learning together to do things a little bit differently. So, you know, setting those expectations as we as we kick off on this of, like, how how are we going to operate together? What are the clear kind of rules engagement? How are we thinking about these different terms? Because this is even -- I feel like I'm always throwing around specialized language, which you don't wanna do, but you get in the space and there you are talking about inclusive economic development and most people are like what? You know, sometimes you get your capital too. We start going around all the acronyms and stuff, and it's like, okay, break it down for me, buddy. Yeah. Exactly. So coming together around, like, common you know, a common language, a common understanding of what it is we're trying to do, and and we're really pointed towards creating jobs. Like, that's what this program is all about. You can, like, creating the jobs, reducing barriers to employment and making inclusive pathways into those jobs. And so we wanna be really goal oriented, we wanna be clear around the parameters, and we wanna kind of have a common way of learning and working together. And this isn't just a planning for planning and doing that forever. This is the part of the SERF program is implementation funds, and so we'll have the opportunity to submit high priority projects to the state to be funded. And then we'll also have this really comprehensive investment strategy for our region. So even if we have really great projects that don't get funded by the state, it'll give us a better platform to go to other funders to think about how to make those happen in different ways. So I think it'll bring about a lot of actions. Okay.

0:21:48
So you're in the early innings of this. Is it really launched yet? Sounds like the plan is there and when does it kick off? We're just getting there. So really just this month is when we're kicking off We actually have an event on on Monday, on February thirteenth. Yeah. And that's gonna be kind of our official here we go. Awesome. What kind of thing? Are you what's the what's the emotion about that? Are you excited or nervous? Or All of the emotions? Yeah. No. I'm it is a it is an ambitious project. It's gonna be a big challenge, but I'm really excited about it. I think the opportunity for impacts and the all the ways we'll be able to just really get our arms around what are the big exciting things that are going on and how do we kind of add fuel to those things. I think it's really exciting. That does sound cool. Okay.

0:22:36
So that surf, which is only the fraction of what you do. Broaden it out and talk to us about some the other areas where you're having some impact. Yeah. Well, broadband and digital equity, that's a major area that we work in. Okay. Now that's getting Internet to places that don't have Internet now. That's right. Yep. And it's that means it's infrastructure.

0:22:57
So how are we building the conduit and the lines that we need? It is kind of access to to technology and like computers and and things like that, and then it's the skills piece. And that comes into workforce too. But how are people, you know, digitally literate and have the skills that they need to actually apply that to jobs and other ways of engaging in the community. And so we do a lot around all three of those pillars and we you know, we bring research, we have a coalition, we have community we're kind of helping bring community partners and resources to get to help people get the digital training and learning that they need.

0:23:34
Yeah. That's so how do you think about this in terms of, like, creating a timeline? Because if you think this infrastructure needs to go in. That's not one you that's not one that's not right now thing. But the but the training might be able to happen sooner than that. Or getting computers out there might happen sooner. How do you sort of project out a timeline for that, you know, that effort? Yeah. I think of it kind of like a three legged stool, so you really need to be working on all of them, and you're right. The infrastructure takes takes longer to to get in.

0:24:07
I will say in terms of just the we still have a lot of gaps in broadband access, but we have a lot of people who have access as well. So we, you know, so always keep pushing on whether it is a rural area, kind of urban deserts. There's a lot of like food and ag or other rural businesses that that that really lack the Internet that they need. So working with businesses to, you know, on the infrastructure piece to make sure that they're able to optimize their operations. So you know, I would so that's always a push with the knowledge that it doesn't that that's not an overnight success that that really takes a a lot of He's gonna do a lot of, I'll call it band dating, if you will, or or temporary fixes. Yeah. Well, that bigger plan is in motion. Yeah. Exactly.

0:24:55
And there's different is that, you know, part sometimes the issue is affordability. So, you know, the so maybe the infrastructure there, but it's not accessible. So you can kind of or maybe, you know, there's different ways of installing the infrastructure that's needed that that's all on different timeline. So it's a, you know, it's it's a puzzle. And in terms of that, so if you if you need to provide computers, it's like who pays for all that I mean, I I can imagine the people that are running the underground is is done by the service provider. Right? This is like, hey, wave. You need to get Internet out to our you know, rural location here or, you know, at AT and T. I don't know who these people are for sure that you're working with, but on getting computers into the hands of, let's call it, lower income people -- Yeah. -- who pays for all that?

0:25:41
There's a lot of government programs. I wanna say, so we do a lot of work with the California Public Utilities Commission. The then there's this the federal agencies as well. So there's, for example, the Internet affordability program where people can get low cost Internet, and it's really a matter of going through the motions people signed up. So we've done a bunch of drives with community partners to bring people in, get them signed up for affordable Internet to just use that research that's already out there and make make sure people are aware of it. There's also, you know, philanthropy. There's corporate interest. We have some some good anchors there across the region.

0:26:16
But, you know, it's like many of these social issues. It's a kind of all hands on deck wherever you can, get the funding where you can and and rely, you know, some on government programs, but other sources. We think about how much time is wasted because people don't have quick easy access to this stuff. People are driving places to use the Internet or maybe not using it at all and it's like, how inefficient how and if any and especially with people that are, you know, we talked about jobs a second ago, there's a lot of people working remotely now. And so if you're in an area where I can't even work remote. Well, that takes you out of a certain type of job. Yeah.

0:26:52
And I think, you know, part of the shift is, you know, the Internet's not a nice to have anymore. Like it used to be just like an amenity or something that's just nice to have, but we've seen with the pandemic and with just where we are in the world. It's kind of like a u it should be like a utility to have it. You have to have it. Yeah. And so, you know, there's a lot of ways of looking at, like, do we make this a more public system that it's just really like a utility? Okay. Alright. Let's talk about other areas of impact. Let's keep marching down the path. When you because I know it's not that only Yeah. Nope. We have we have other areas of impact.

0:27:22
I'll talk a little bit maybe about the clean economy work that we do because there's a lot of intersections there. So we do work. It's kind of in the climate space and but really around here, there's a lot clean air work that we do. So we're doing clean air or we're doing air monitoring in disadvantaged communities or in low income communities to help to help monitor monitor and create action plans for air quality issues because as as as we all might know, is air quality is a huge issue for our region. It's a big issue, but I didn't is it a big problem? It is problematic.

0:27:55
What's the where's is it isolated? Or where is it all of us are breathing in this bad air? Well, to some extent, all of us are somewhat breathing in bad air. Some of the time. So we have, you know, we are I don't really hear that many people. I mean, I I hear about it in terms of globally and maybe China, but I didn't I never heard that Sacramento had worse air quality. We do. It's really just about where we sit geographically because we're in kind of the bathtub of California. And so you know, air quality issues end up kind of coming right into the into the central valley with that we're a part of and just kind of sticking in there.

0:28:31
And so we are federally recognized as a as it's called a non attainment area. Wow. Yeah. No. We don't wanna be breathing in bad air, but are there stats around how it affects life expectancy and, you know, basically our health, I are do we have more health issues here than other areas? Do you have cleaner air? Yes. Oh. As because of the air? Yeah. Asthma and and other kind of long term chronic illness. So and then, you know, it's really compounded close to our transportation corridors. And so for neighborhoods that are living, like, right next to highways and interstates, which is actually a lot because we have, you know, we have a lot of busy roads around here. It's a bigger issue. And then I will say, and this might this might be a bigger issue here in Placer County is the wildfire smoke, seasons now that we can kind of think of as these like routine events that are going on that really affect our quality. And yeah. Every now you live out in Davis. When when we have these wildfires up here in the sticks, how bad is you you guys get that? You get the taste of it. Do you do you have to get breathed in? Yeah. The ash ringy down. And I mean, I'm sure it's, you know I mean, we're we're in I it's not as bad as in other places. But it's it's I think we're all affected pretty pretty equally across this region.

0:29:46
Are there simple solutions to solving this that that we're avoiding or that or that we're going after and try to fix. There's a spectrum of of somewhat simple to much more complicated. So, you know, on the on the simple side, actually, sources there's a lot of indoor air pollution that can really compound people's air quality. So there's, like, small things you can do to help improve your indoor air quality. There are things like burning like fires burning, I mean, like, in your fireplace. Mhmm. And there's, you know, I know there's a lot more limits on that, at least in some places around the region, usually more in urban is. Yeah. I know I never really think of that as, you know, you got a fireplace. I'm I'm I'm just unaware of people with the fireplace. You you have less healthy air in your house. Because it feels so good to sit there with next to the fire. Yeah. Well We're a bonfire. Who doesn't love a bonfire? I know. No. I love I love a fire in the fireplace, but it is a it can be a major source of air pollution, not just in your house, but the smoke coming out of the chimney and then in kind of the localized area around your house. And then some of them are more complicated like, the transportation corridors piece. That's really about, you know, how or as as we, like, electrify by cars. That helps as we think about, like, traffic mitigation. You know, there's all kinds of different solutions that are that take a lot longer to Well, it seems like the electric car issue or not issue.

0:31:10
The electric cars are really showing up big. How do we stack up I don't know if you know how Sacramento stacks up in terms of percentage of people driving electric electric cars. Because I see them all the time. Yeah. No. I increasingly, I see them. I mean, I got myself down the street. There this the street that we're on right now has got so many electric cars. Yeah. I mean, it's incredible. Yeah. No. I I have one as well. And I've seen I see much more. I don't know actually where we are on numbers, but I will say we're a good environment for it. I you know, one of the things that can erode. The battery for electric cars is cold weather, but we don't have that many freezes. We have, you know, just really good conditions for electric vehicles.

0:31:49
And the mobility center here in Sacramento, I know that that's probably part of the main focus for them is solving some of the climate issues associated with transportation. Yeah. And we'll end creating business startups and really like looking at the entrepreneurial aspects of kind of that particular sector. And I think this idea of, like, hey, we wanna be the clean transportation capital of the world, that is great for air quality and for climate, and it's also really great for our economy. I mean, that's really, like, that could possibly be a niche for us, the Cal the California Mobility center is really helping to seed. You bet. And I've I mean, from any investors out there, I've invested into some of these company and they've done well because it's it's a hot space to be. And so the valuations end up, you know, improving rapidly because people wanna buy that technology in a lot but it's you know, this is a good place to do it here in California. Yeah. Especially here at the capital. Yeah. Exactly. Okay. So we got air quality.

0:32:50
What else? I I looked at your website and I saw leadership in civic engagement. Is there a specific initiative around that? Or is that just sort of a broader thing that you work on? Yeah. The idea behind that kind of portfolio of work is about, you know, areas where ValleyVision is really take it, like, looking at some of the some of the issues in the region and try and and trying to push us and and taking a leadership role.

0:33:15
One of the ways that we do that that's in that kind of spectrum of projects is our public opinion poll. So this is a really unique asset that ValleyVision and we work with SAC state to manage this. We have a panel of two thousand survey respondents and we send across our six county region. We send them surveys at least two or three times a year around kind of the big issues of the region. And then we release that data. What is so unique about it. First of all, is that, you know, maybe you probably remember this, like newspapers used to be pulling people all the time, and that's a big way that we get kind of our pulse on on what's happening. And then it's newspapers as a business has have been challenged. It's not happening as much anymore. So So having a regional panel that you can go out to to do polls is just a really unique thing. And it's it's it's the only one in our it's the only one here in region. So we work with cap public radio, for example, and other news sources to provide that information.

0:34:11
But the idea behind this is to be able to take the pulse of what's going on in our region. And also, you know, making sure that data and what we know about people's experiences is informing policies and programs and different different actions that we're taking. So the most recent one that we did was the livability poll. So really looking at quality of life indicators and, you know, how are people feeling about their quality of life on a day to day basis here in this region? So we focused on, you know, lots of things that are very specific to this place, so we soon do people still wanna live here? Do they think we're going in the right direction? Do they like their neighborhoods? Can they afford their housing and other necessities? So really getting a pulse on those on those sorts of issues.

0:34:51
And then in March, we're gonna release another poll. It's gonna be it's called the built environment poll, and it's about how largely about housing and transport patient. So really kind of diving into what types of housing do people wanna see develop? What types of neighborhoods do people live? And what are people's biggest issues around transportation, are people willing to do public transportation or other types of shared mobility? So I think it's a huge asset that ValueVision brings and it really does help. You know, we really provide that information to decision makers so they can be thinking about, you know, how are people feeling about these different issues?

0:35:27
On the on the poll you've already done with the two thousand people, across the entire region. Were there any things that surprised you about that pull the results of that poll? Yeah. Well, there's always there's always surprising results for sure. And on the livability poll, I think some of the standout results, we'd actually did quite a bit of questions around work and opportunity. One thing that we learned is that people really want remote work opportunity opportunities. They really want remote training opportunities. So I think the majority of our respondents said yes. They would like to get additional training. They would like it to be remote and hybrid and short term. And then we found we do employer survey surveying as well. So we found employers kinda wanna give that too. So it's like, okay, we gotta, like, figure out how do we do more of this because it's something that people are obviously really interested in.

0:36:21
About in terms of geographic, like, Placer County, that's where we're at today, Eldorado County, I mean, the overall Sacramento area is actually one of the areas in the state that's growing. People are coming here. Yeah. You haul reports and Forbes reports are saying people are coming here. So I I assume that we're you know, that's a really good thing for us. And then my daughter's a realtor. And so I see the amount of people moving into plastic that, you know, our region, our our area. So I wonder though, are there pockets that are not as not doing as well as, say, and attitudes that are different than Placer County or El Dorado County or maybe even Davis or El Grove, you know, these some of these suburbs that seem to be attracting people and maybe we're seeing a little bit less, you know, people trying to get downtown. Yeah. Well, I think I, you know, I think Placer might be the fastest growing county in the region, so I'm seeing so much going on around here.

0:37:24
And there's always, you know, there's so many different kind of overlays into how people like, what's not what's driving people's perceptions, but, like, if you look at where people are feeling the same or differently or having different types of experiences. So the tight you know, those types of communities that people live in, like, suburbs, city, rural. That there's always a lens there that affects what people think about where they're living. And in I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to, like, pull, like, specific numbers about where there's there's differences there. But I will say that that's that that does drive people's thinking. But then we also have, you know, when you look at our region, like politics is a piece of that too. And we look at the data by that to see where, you know, those who lean Republican often have a slightly different view than those who lean Democrat, which is not a surprise at all. One thing that I do find is that there's usually, from a political lens, more commonality than there is difference. There's sometimes, you know, the tip all ways that people are thinking about things differently. But when you're talking about your experience of day to day life and what it is that you value, I think there's a lot of commonality there.

0:38:26
I would think that everybody cares about public safety in a big way. I mean, I mean, maybe, you know, maybe that's why people move to the Placer County is because maybe we're perceived or maybe we are a little bit safer than maybe being in an inner city. But safety is like, sometimes we want to bear. Like, give us the basics. Hey. Keep me safe. I need to eat. I need to be safe. I need to and then you're into, like, a size of my yard, how good is the school system, or how good is the parks, and, you know, sort of the experience of you know, day to day life. Yeah. Are you getting are you diving into that stuff too? And maybe maybe there's a longer term trend I wonder if there's a longer term trend to give the suburbs, and that's just not gonna go away for a while. Yeah.

0:39:08
And one thing I've heard I do have a thought about the poll, but I'll say one thing I've heard about suburban growth is that people basically like it's not micro urban areas, but it's kind of like, people will tolerate more dense suburban areas. Like, where there's kind of a town center. Oh. You know? And so, like, there's some mixed use, but there's also legal family and apartments, and it's like, the model is a lot of separate town centers that have a suburban feel to them rather than what you think of as like the urban core and then just housing around the outer ring. So that's kind of shifting a little bit to say like, no, I want my I like those areas too. Yeah. I do too. I do too. And I forgot what I was gonna say about those. Okay.

0:39:50
So on the politics side, what do you I mean, we're a lot more like them. We're not like where are we I don't know. Where where where where do you see the discrepancies there? Because some people view us as because you hear if you turn on the NASH social news, you're gonna hear all you're gonna hear about is how divided we are. So this is more like the truth. Right? They were getting, like, a real we're a device diverse population and you're getting it straight versus that turn on CNN or Fox where it seems like we're we're super divided. We're maybe we're not. Yeah. Well, also, like, what surprising result that that I've seen is on climate change where you really think there was gonna be this huge divergence around how people are buying into the fact that climate change is man made and that it's happening. And we actually saw, like, it was, like, ninety five percent agreement that climate change is real. It's man made and that didn't have a very strong political view to it, which I thought was interesting.

0:40:41
And then if play the other in polling, the other place where you can kind of try to break away from political differences, if you ask your what do you think about, you know, what do you think about housing development and you know, if you ask a really general abstract question, that really pulls on people's politics. And Republicans might say one thing, and Democrats will say another thing and there's not too much convergence. But when you ask about people's personal experience, you know, when it's so if you ask, you know, what kind of housing development do you prefer, there might be a political difference to that, you know, about what people want to see in their community. But if you ask them what they personally like are looking for, they're usually looking for kind of the same things. Mhmm.

0:41:21
One of the things that I've noticed is every everybody loves puppy dogs. Everybody loves children. And everybody seems to love entrepreneurs and small business. I mean, we're sort of like this realm that I'm the sandbox that I'm playing in. There I don't get a lot of, you know, hatchets throwing at me for supporting small business. It seems that everybody believes that that we're the backbone of America. Yeah. Oh, oh, absolutely. I mean, that's away I take it, but obviously I've, you know, I'm one it's one man's opinion, but I I don't get a lot of pushback on that. Yeah.

0:41:54
And I think too, you know, there's a lot of issues that when you depending on how you frame them and what angle you come at, you can get a lot more agreement. So I mean, if we're talking, like, climate change, for example, can be really controversial. But you cannot when you talk about the economic opportunity of new technologies that are coming in. That's a different type of conversation. And so that can bring people together more. I agree. Okay. So what have I not asked you? I wanna make sure that I have one final question, but I wanna make sure what I what did I not ask you that we that we probably need to make sure we cover? One thing that well, one thing I'll just add, I guess, about the polling that we're doing is that we're also we've been shaping a new annual event around this polling, this idea that we really are trying to bring data to people and bring people together kind of the common issues that we all need to be talking about. So we did this for the first time last year. It was called the livability summit. And I want this to be the collaborative event of the year in the region so that we're really kind of creating the space where we can start with data and then have the conversations about the big things that are going on in the in the community and really shape some big picture goals. Because I think for me, the strength of an organization like Valley Vision and where I really want us to go is, what are our big ambitious goals? Is a region, when it comes to economy, when it comes to environment, when it comes to our community, the health and well-being of our communities. Because I think when you can really articulate that and create a compelling story around some of the things that we all know are good and that we're all working on, but the more we can kind of bring a focus together and ambitious agenda around some of these things, the more successful we'll be.

0:43:34
What are the weird things about me? This is my final question for you here. So one of the weird things about me is that I'm a day dreamer. Right? I love the day dream. My wife says I'm the laziest man in America because I'm spent a lot of time. I'm I'm I'm I'm working, honey. But it's been a it's been it's like it's my it's like my secret friend. Right? My my vision of what we can become as an entrepreneurial community. And but I'm curious on the broader picture. You the name of your organization is Valley Vision. Paid me a picture so that I can help manifest this for you with you. Pay me a picture of the broader vision for Sacramento and the Sacramento region. How might I you've put that into a visual for myself? Yeah. That's a great question. And I'm a daydreamer too.

0:44:26
You know, I think that I think that we're at a moment right now where we've just all been through a really hard thing together.

0:44:34
There's a lot of change in the air. Right? There's a lot of dissatisfaction, which is really uncomfortable. And but that also brings about a lot of opportunity to do things differently. There's a lot of kind of momentum towards creating those changes from, like, a government investment and other types of, you know, resource base. So I think we're at a moment where we really can, like, Daydream as a as a whole region and is a community about what we want the future to look like. I think we have a lot of opportunities to rethink some of our some of our, like, roadway infrastructure. So really thinking about how we're supporting that clean mobility and the way that we're kind of sustainable in the region around transportation. And the more we can align our economics strategies of that too. I guess, I think that we're in a moment where we can really take some big ideas and move move them together.

0:45:29
You can imagine a city where there's a lot less traffic? I think less Yes. I think less traffic. I think more, like, more electric vehicles or more, you know, of other technology. Just a little quieter. Yes. Exactly. Cleaner. It's a little quieter, a little cleaner. Yeah. You get from point a to point b a little bit more efficiently. Yeah. So I think that's that's a piece of it.

0:45:57
I also think when you're looking at our workforce and education system, really looking at how do we create opportunities for people. And I think we're at a moment that we can do that. We're seeing so many different models of how people wanna get trained in educated. And, you know, the more we can be responsive to that and connect that to the real needs of employers and growth I think, you know, that's a way of ensuring a a fantastic talent base for the future to come. So really thinking about access to opportunity, training people, and educating people in different ways than what we've done in the past and using that to increase access and interest in it.

0:46:37
So, yeah, I'm imagining this city or this region that's sort of a beacon around the US and maybe around the country around the world where people are saying, look what's going on in Sacramento. And then we have this female president who rolls into town. She's so proud. Of what we've accomplished. And, you know, that's the Sacramento future. I want. Yes. Absolutely. I can get behind that. Alright. Thanks for coming on the show. Thank you so much. You bet.

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