Message from L.A. County
Board of Supervisors
Consensus Strategic
Planning Process
Participants in Public Workshop
Process [PDF] »
Watch the highlights of LAEDC President and CEO Bill Allen's talk on why L.A. County needs a strategic plan for economic development and what we all can do to ensure a strong, diverse and sustainable economy for L.A. County's residents and communities. To inquire about having someone speak about the Plan to your group of 25 or more at no cost to you, please email info [at] lacountystrategicplan [dot] com.
In 2009, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) engaged and solicited input from more than 1,000 stakeholders in more than two dozen public forums that brought together leaders from the public, private, business, government, labor, education, environmental, and community-based organizations to develop the first-ever comprehensive, collaborative, consensus Strategic Plan for Economic Development in Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles County and its 88 cities have underperformed in job creation in recent decades, due in part to the lack of a strategic plan for economic development to guide decision making. There are many risks associated with not having a proactive strategic plan for future economic development, including reduced quality of life, social inequity, disinvestment and a corroding economic environment that undermines job growth, impairs business attraction and retention, and depresses overall economic well-being and wealth creation.
In the age of globalization, a strategic plan is an essential guide to long-term regional prosperity. A better connected world will bring greater demands for resources and products and increase location options for companies seeking a competitive advantage. Rapid development will unleash a flood of qualified and educated workers, increasing the need for local workers to attain higher skill levels and improve productivity in order to maintain and improve current living standards.
Our response to these competitive pressures must be shaped by a clear, comprehensive, collaborative strategy that guides job and business retention, expansion and attraction. Having good quality, stable jobs is the only path to a stronger, more sustainable economy and a better quality of life for our current and future residents.
To see what's been accomplished during the first year, download the Los Angeles County Strategic Plan for Economic Development Implementation Year One Progress Report - 2010 [PDF].