By Councilmember Rochelle Swanson
April 13, 2012 (Washington DC) – Keyword for Friday was homework! At the end of each meeting we have been asked to identify successes – “good case studies” – when we return back to Davis that demonstrate how we are excelling at cooperation. We’ve also been directed to go through the draft of the Farm Bill with a fine tooth comb and make suggestions on ways the bill can be improved to address items in Davis and Yolo County and help shape our white paper on an Innovation Accelerator Zone concept. This concept has been so well received – the US deputy chief technology officer thinks its “fantastic” and is “enthusiastic” to get more information – it is now officially an acronym! IAZ, a living laboratory to explore and best practices for leveraging investments of both financial and human capital. You heard it here first!
At the legislative briefing at Nossaman, LLP we were apprised of highlights from the President’s budget that had just been released and that could apply to directly to our region, including research investments, TIGER fund restoration, Rail Service Improvement Funds and a National Infrastructure Bank, just to name a few. In addition, they advised us of the heavy preference for Public-Private Partnerships and regional efforts required for funding and then praised us for being ahead of the game on our local practices in both these areas.
Congressman John Garamendi clearly sees the title “representative” as a verb. His advocacy for our needs started before we could get ten minutes into our presentation. He believes we could very well get additional federal help on the water project. First homework assignment, get him specific information so his staff can help identify additional resources. Next assignment, get information to his staff on local entrepreneurs that are facing some regulatory hurdles so they can engage. When that’s complete, Rob and I will be rolling up our sleeves to tighten up our Innovation Accelerator Zone concept and get it to him directly for input, direction and support. The big assignment? Go through the farm bill and transportation bill with a fine tooth comb for opportunities to “put in tweaks.” Both are expected to be rewritten in the very near future. He is keenly interested in hearing more about the potential for a rail relocation project in Yolo County. Lots of good advice and inspiration and encouragement to “stay with it.”
Next we met with the White House, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs & Office of Science and Technology Policy. It was again a meeting that ran extra time due to the excitement by the White House staff for our projects and initiatives. They asked us to give them more info on our Davis success stories, like Mori Seiki and Schilling Robotics, and we have already planned considerable follow-up. The team we met with are “very enthusiastic” about how we are doing things. They see the IAZ concept as perfect example of the President’s focus on “bottom up clusters.” The range of advice was broad, including resources to get ubiquitous broadband throughout our county.
We ate lunch at the White House cafeteria, but the Truman Bowling Alley closed until further notice. Another symptom of sequestration.
After lunch we met with staff on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology. It was a productive meeting, discussing topics like UC Davis research and partnership with our federal labs in CA. They shared that the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA are looking for investment opportunities beyond academics. They also want us to follow up with examples what works and doesn’t work in interaction with agencies like NSF, National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and other science and technology related agencies.
We met with Congressman Eric Swalwell’s staff in the mid-afternoon to discuss partnerships that exist between UC Davis and the national labs in Livermore and how we can support the regional approach to federal funding. Staff were well versed on the linkages between the university and the labs and indicated the Congressman’s strong support for increased collaboration between the regions, creating pipelines to research and venture investment that benefit all of California.
At last minute meeting with Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s office kept us on the hill until 6:30 pm on a Friday. We shared our Davis and Yolo successes and discussed ways to improve job creation from the research that happens at UC Davis and in the region. Staff wants to review our IAZ white paper, when complete, and will look for ways that it complements the Congresswoman’s efforts. She is well known as an advocate for research and technology. In the coming months, they plan to bring a K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) competition to our region.
The majority of our Davis/Yolo group also went out to a team dinner in Georgetown to debrief and discuss the exciting meetings we have had over the last two days. The information we have gathered, the contacts we have made, and the input from elected officials/agency reps for our current and future efforts have been invaluable and would have taken months to get similar results.
Today we are planning for our next four days of meetings and catch up day. This evening the bulk of the regional delegation arrive to get settled in, connect with teams and gear up for a day of planning on Sunday to hit the ground running bright and early Monday. The Davis/Yolo County leaders, via DSIDE and the Nossaman, LLP, are hosting a reception for the Metro Chamber delegation, giving all a chance to build up our networking and show off some Yolo County products, including olive oil, olives and local beef jerky. And our team becomes complete with Mayor Joe Krovoza landing this evening!
Keep following our posts on twitter at #DavisinDC to see the pics and descriptions of our efforts throughout the day.
Now for homework for all those in Yolo County. Document the impacts you experience as a result of sequestration. Our elected officials out here in DC want to know the specifics. We must engage to help them help us. And today I transition from the Davis/Yolo team point person to the honorary co-chair duties for official Cap to Cap delegation. Lots to do; rest is for the flight home!
Tomorrow, I will send along an update to the schedule for the Cap-to-Cap meetings. We have people on the teams of Innovation, Ag & Food, Transportation, Water, and Jobs.
Rochelle
Thanks again for taking the time from a very busy scedule to keep those of us back home informed.
We get so used to voicing complaints here on the Vanguard (and all across Davis) that when we get positive news like what Rochelle has outlined her, we are speechless.
So to help us loosen our tongues, here’s a couple of questions for everyone,
[b][i]”What companies in addition to Mori Seiki and Schilling Robotics would you be highlighting as examples in response to the White House, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs & Office of Science and Technology Policy request for more info on our Davis success stories?”[/i][/b]
[i][b]”Do you agree that Davis’ Innovation Accelleration Zone (IAZ) concept is perfect example of the President’s focus on bottom up clusters?”[/b][/i]
[quote]Now for homework for all those in Yolo County. Document the impacts you experience as a result of sequestration. Our elected officials out here in DC want to know the specifics. [/quote]
Which elected officials are being referred to? It would be odd for the White House to be asking for specifics since the the idea of the sequestration initiated from Obama and his staff.
GI, I think she is referring to Garamendi, Matsui, Feinstein, Boxer, etc.
[quote]It would be odd for the White House to be asking for specifics since the the idea of the sequestration initiated from Obama and his staff. [/quote]
As Growth Izzue knows, neither the administration nor congress wanted or expected sequestration to see the light of day. Both agreed to it as a tactical measure, each believing their respective strategies would obviate it before implementation became necessary. Both were wrong, and both would like to get rid of it.
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I think the carbon budget for the City of Davis has been blown by this trip.
[quote]t would be odd for the White House to be asking for specifics since the the idea of the sequestration initiated from Obama and his staff.[/quote]
It would be odder still to expect either the White House or Congress to know the exact specifics of how sequestration, or any other policy for that matter play out in every community across the country. How else would either be better able to gather such information than from the elected and business leadership of these communities ?
Steve Hayes – yes…
[quote]It would be odder still to expect either the White House or Congress to know the exact specifics of how sequestration, or any other policy for that matter play out in every community across the country. How else would either be better able to gather such information than from the elected and business leadership of these communities ? [/quote]
I think we all know why the White House and Democrats want communities to cry about possible sequestration impacts. The White House is just looking for cover when the economy implodes so they have something else to blame it on.