December 8, 2000
Los Angeles

Summary and Results

The Speaker's Commission on Regionalism (SCOR) held its initial meeting in the form of an "immersion retreat" on December 8th at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. SCOR Chairperson Nick Bollman and SCOR's Executive Director, Christopher Carlisle, opened the meeting. Introductions were followed by a personal appeal from Speaker Emeritus of the Assembly Robert M. Hertzberg outlining his vision and hopes for the Commission's work.

This was followed by presentations from several speakers who provided oversight and historical perspective about regionalism in California. Commissioners were given opportunity for questions and discussion throughout the day and immediately began to construct the primary questions SCOR will be addressing over the next year. Members ended the meeting by breaking into groups and formulating a list of questions that represent the most pressing regional issues facing California's citizens, civic leaders, and public officials.

Speakers and Presentations

Charge to the Commission

Speaker Hertzberg thanked those present. He stressed the importance of the task before the Commission. He said that California, as a state is in the mist of a revolution, a convergence of a new economic movement and a bipartisan will. The Speaker launched the meeting by outlining his vision and goals for SCOR and suggesting effective ways the Commission may foster and implement new strategies for California's regions.

The Speaker maintained that the current structure of government in California is outdated and poorly equipped to deal with many of the issues facing the state. The winners in the new economy, he argued, will be those who participate and live in well-run regions. Thus, California will prosper as a state when its citizens address important issues on a regional level. "Regionalism", the Speaker concluded, deserves new attention as a leadership and governance strategy. Speaker Hertzberg suggested the Commission consider a number of important points while working towards innovative policies that will increase the level of collaboration between government, civic leaders, and citizens. He asked the Commissioners to:

• Clarify the vision and values driving the Commission's work so that it will have a solid foundation from which to build on and communicate to the public
• Be bold and yet practical in its proposals in order to ensure that progress is made
• Present a clear blueprint for action that includes long and short-term goals and strategies
• Produce an interim report as well as a final report that will be made readily available to the public
• Engage a broad cross-section of Californians and communicate through a wide spectrum of the press and media

A Theoretical Perspective on Regions

Michael Teitz, Director of Research at the Public Policy Institute of California, provided Commissioners with a broad theoretical perspective on regions. Teitz discussed the issue of regional definition and the manner in which regional issues in the state have manifested themselves over the last century. Historically, Teitz argued, regional identities in the state of California have persisted for many years, and yet, regions themselves have remained fluid and are continually re-defining themselves from within.

On the issue of regional governance, Teitz maintained that past attempts by the state to address regional governance issues have produced some strong results (such as the creation of Local Agency Formation Commissions in the early 1960's), however, most state laws have reinforced the traditional, lateral, top-down approach to control and regulation. The problems facing California today, he argued, have once again brought regionalism to the forefront. Issues concerning population growth, housing and transportation deficits, fiscal inequalities, and environmental stress are beyond the capacity of local authorities and have highlighted the urgent need for a regional, collaborative approach.

Teitz concluded his presentation to the Commission by stressing that the regional approach is the best option for addressing the kinds of fluid changes that California continues to undergo, however simple solutions are unfeasible. Regional responses, if they are to be successful, must be a solid combination of both local and state level initiatives.

California's Regions: Populations and Settlement Patterns

Hans Johnson, Research Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, presented the Commission with a demographic overview of population growth and settlement patterns across the state, including ethnic, geographic, and economic trends. Using extensive demographic data, charts, and graphs, Johnson discussed the manner in which regional demography has historically driven public policy in the state of California. He presented startling statistics revealing California's tremendous population surge in the last century.

California's population has almost doubled in the last thirty years alone, "no other region in the world has sustained this kind of population growth," Johnson said. Over the next twenty years the state is projected to grow by eight or possibly as much as sixteen million people. Johnson warned Commissioners that these statistics are difficult to believe but are a very realistic projection, "the Commission needs to take these numbers very seriously" he added. To emphasize his point Johnson told the Commissioners, "the Bay Area is our slowest growth in population as a region, but it is still growing at a rapidly faster rate than the rest of the country."

Johnson concluded his presentation by pointing out the "natural population growth" in California, measuring births over deaths alone and not immigration or migration patterns, constitutes 62% of California's overall population growth. He appealed to the Commission to pay attention to this statistic because it greatly impacts the ability of leaders in the state to deal with issues such as urban sprawl and housing deficits. When natural population growth alone maintains such a high rate, Johnson contended, the ability to address particular issues can be greatly impeded.

Regionalism in California: Is Voluntarism Enough?

Elisa Barbour, Research Associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, addressed the Commission on the significance of new voluntary regionalism. Barbour talked with Commissioners about the manner in which voluntary regionalism fits into the over-all planning system in California, and she reviewed the history of California's decentralized planning system and its effect on regionalism. California's growth, Barbour maintained, has emerged in waves and the government's response to post-war growth brought increased government fragmentation and stronger local authority.

Barbour discussed the strengths and weakness of voluntary regionalism and local reforms concluding that, because centralized approaches have generally failed, voluntary regionalism provides a much more politically feasible approach with a greater chance for long-standing reforms. Past attempts by the state legislature to create new regional planning from the top down have predominately failed, but in recent years counties across the state have increasingly used a horizontal model of cooperation that enables local officials to coordinate planning efforts across jurisdictions. At the ballot box, Barbour told the Commissioners, local voters seem more receptive than ever to coordinating planning efforts that extended local control while encouraging regional cooperation.

Like other voluntary movements, Barbour said, voluntary regionalism is vulnerable to the emergence of conflict, competing interests, and jurisdictional disputes that can quickly dissolve a reform movement's chance for success. Barbour told Commissioners that state government plays an essential role in reducing the limitations that are inherit in volunteerism by introducing incentives for cooperation and helping to formulate clear policy mandates while leaving the process decision to local and regional entities.

The Political Future of California's Regions

Peter Detwiler, Staff Director for the Senate Local Government Committee, provided the Commission with a brief history of California's regional policy approaches with particular focus on three periods of policy reform: "Progressivism Second Wave" ushered by Governor Pat Brown, the 1950's that led to the LAFCO's and regional planning districts: the legacy of the 1960's Environment Movement which led to a state authorized planning process and regulatory commissions such as the San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Commission; and the growth management of the 1980's that ushered in what Detwiler called, "the new regionalism". Policy leaders were unwilling to use the word "regionalism" Detwiler pointed out, but there was clear recognition that "larger-than-local problems demanded larger-than-local-solutions".

From this period of growth management, Detwiler contends, there emerged broad support for regionalism and recognition of the importance of race and class as defining elements in regional development. It also became apparent that corporate California had a stake in regional planning with demands for a mobile and educated workforce.

Detwiler emphasized the essential role of executive political leadership in developing regional policy issues, but suggested that third party leadership from civic leaders may be the most important and effective way to initiate regional policies. He closed his remarks by urging Commissioners to recognize the importance of being "policy entrepreneurs" that "earn, acquire, invest, and risk political capital." The Commissioners as advisors to Speaker Hertzberg, Detwiler argued, are policy entrepreneurs who must "prop open the windows of opportunity and remove boundaries to successful policy." Commissioners must make legislators understand regional problems, Detwiler said, revealing the true intention of lobbyist and special interests, and most importantly, "putting regional action on the political agenda."

Achieving Regional Equity

Angela Blackwell, President of PolicyLink, closed the meeting's morning session by speaking to the Commissioners about achieving regional equity. Blackwell urged Commissioners to see the issue of equity as an umbrella under which all other issues must fall, "for us to succeed equity can not be an add-on, or extra subcommittee," Blackwell stressed, "equity must be the driver." She described regional issues as housing, transportation, and the environment as "place strategies", but urged the blending of "people strategies" including workforce development, childcare, and civil rights.

Efforts at regional approaches will fail, Blackwell warned, if the approach does not integrate the issue of equity into the discussion of all other regional issues. "We must think about these things together," Blackwell urged, "or the consequence will be mismatches and failure." If the regional approach incorporates human needs with housing, transportation, and environment issues, leaders can achieve regional equity. If the regional approach incorporated addresses the environment separately from civil rights, the results, says Blackwell, is environmental racism, but if the approach incorporates these two vital issues together, the result is justice.

The problems of equity, Blackwell explained, have always been intricately tied to living patterns, and this has manifested itself in institutional public policy. "The civil rights movement developed public policy with nickels and dimes," Blackwell said, "but suburbinization was greatly funded, thus it goes to broader infrastructure decisions."

Blackwell concurred with previous speakers who noted that state initiated reform efforts often fail, but she cautioned that the future of California's regions, and the future of Californians themselves, is far too important to leave in the hands of narrow local interests who do not have the necessary capacity to deal with complex regional issues.

Blackwell concluded her remarks by urging Commissioners to follow the example of minority activists whose primary tool for achieving policy results is to focus on the "uncommon ground" and heed the needs or other interests, because they lack the capacity in other ways to make change. "People who feel like outsiders," Blackwell said, "lack the capacity to say 'make it so', when they walk into an issue they know the only way to be successful is to listen to what other people want." Commissioners must always ask the questions who benefits? And who needs to benefit? Because, Blackwell added, "our future depends on investing in the people most vulnerable."

New Governance Models

Doug Henton, President of Collaborative Economics, was the luncheon speaker for SCOR's first full Commission meeting. Addressing the Commission, Henton focused on the need for governance reform and the important lessons that can be learned from innovative regional organizations in California and across the nation. Henton highlighted a primary question before the Commission: How can regions deal with California's demographic, economic, quality of life and equity challenges given the current state-local governance capacity? Successful regional collaboration is being modeled across the state (Sierra Business Council, San Diego Dialogue, Great Valley Center, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley to name just a few), but this current collaborative regional model, Henton argues, does not fit the current governance structure of California.

Henton told Commissioners that all too often, leaders fail to meet the major challenges facing California because our capacity to address these challenges is not adequate, we are suffering a "crisis of governance" because our institutions are suited to the 19th Century Industrial Age, not the 21st Century Information Age. He emphasized the importance for what Neal Peirce calls "democratizing the planning process", using information tools to "let citizens in", creating rapid and direct feedback for government officials.

Henton cited two examples where the state is beginning to implement a regional approach: the Economic Strategy Panel, which recommended a regional approach to industry clusters that is now a focus of the Trade and Commerce Agency; and the Workforce Investment Act, which mandates state and regional workforce investment boards to replace the Private Industry Council. Henton urged Commissioners to look to examples like the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, a national movement that parallels the collaborative regional initiative movement in California. (www.regionalstewardship.org). Regional stewardship, Henton contended, is broader than regional governance; it is leadership, collaboration, boundary crossing and civic entrepreneur.

Henton urged the Commissioners to provide a new vision of governance and initiate the first steps to promote this vision. Regional solutions cannot be achieved through the traditional federal-state-local governance model, Henton argued. California is too big and complex to deal with economic problems statewide, Henton said, on the other hand, local governments by themselves do not have the capacity or resources to address major challenges like smart growth and workforce development. Therefore, Henton argued, regions are the appropriate place to deal with key challenges between state and local government. The Commission should work to combine regional initiatives with state and federal partnerships. Commissioners, Henton said, "must adopt a framework for moving from 19th Century government to 21st century governance based on information, collaboration and regional stewardship."