George Rebane

ERC released its draft of the Nevada County ‘Comprehensive Economic Development Master Plan’ (pdf 271KB ) prepared for the county BOS.  I guess it’s now intended for broad distribution and comment since Jeff Pelline has posted a review of it on his blog.  The plan is well written and makes it clear that we will continue to expend resources to attract manufacturers to our neck of the woods.

I am on record about the prospects of including manufacturing (of stuff) as a major contributing factor to our county’s economic future – I believe efforts in that direction to be misdirected.  To be clear, I’m a proponent of information intensive businesses and believe that’s a viable direction of growth.  However, my own noodling on the matter continues to recommend the development of tourism and retirement.  These two always seem to pop up as the major clean cash importers that play to our strong suits here in the mountains.  In the plan neither of these play a visible role in our economic future.

As if to corroborate some of these thoughts, I have reported on California’s ongoing and successful effort to make itself the most anti-business state in the Union.  The overwhelming number of California businesses that consider moving, aren’t thinking of stopping in some out of the way community before they get to the border.  If they don’t want to move it, they’ll try to sell it while the selling is still good (e.g. Thomson and the Grass Valley Group and Intel shutting its Santa Clara chip making plant while upgrading similar plants in neighboring states.)  And then there’s the developing story that Open Energy will close its GV plant that manufactures green technology products.  Starting a “Green Rush” has been suggested by some as to how we too can nuzzle up to the Great National Teat that we hope will soon start spraying milk and honey over the countryside.

Meanwhile, as revealed in the above draft plan, the county political jurisdictions will push on in the attempt to attract new manufacturers to these mountains.  It appears that we will definitely be spending money to identify entrepreneurs who see great benefit in moving their shaky businesses during shaky times into the mountains, away from large labor pools, proximity to suppliers, and economical distribution centers.  These are the people who are willing to bet the farm that it will all be better when they strap things together under the pine trees.  Step right up!