RE: Regional Economic Recovery and Readiness
by Mabel Salon
(Editor’s note: this was a letter from Mabel Salon to City Manager Mike Webb.)
Throughout Yolo County, UC Davis supports the recent progress and strategic economic development led by the Cities of Davis, Woodland, Winters and West Sacramento. Many of these efforts have focused on traditional economic strengths within Yolo County and included connections to agriculture, biotechnology, and healthcare, some of which had have directly benefited from connections with original UC Davis research. Newly emerging initiatives will follow those prior successes in areas such as the seed technology for feeding a growing world, health and veterinary health technology, and innovative sustainability efforts addressing climate change and community resiliency. We expect collaboration from many private and public partners to expand these ongoing successes and bring innovation forward with 
ideas that will ultimately become the next big thing.
One essential element for these efforts is readiness. Within our region, we must collectively and collaboratively lead with economic recovery and be ready to support long-term economic development. Successful economic development demands early innovation, support for new industry startups, and readiness with our workforce, facilities and infrastructure. For UC Davis our effort in Sacramento at Aggie Square is one example where we will have a specific focus on research innovation and entrepreneurship with proximity to our medical fields, the UC Davis hospital, and where we will provide facility access for key industries that align with our UC Davis and regional goals. For Aggie Square, we are on track and are now finishing our pre-construction planning.
In addition, UC Davis supports the effort of local cities to consider other strategic development projects in the region such as the Davis Innovation and Sustainability Campus, the Woodland Research and Technology Park, and the City of West Sacramento housing and riverside development efforts. With each of these projects having a unique development focus, a unique timeline and specific community serving attributes, we see an assembly of careful readiness strategies that are poised for community consideration and then approvals for construction.
With careful attention to community equity and sustainability requirements, these types of projects could produce new opportunities for our shared communities. Regional economic development remains a priority for UC Davis and encouraging projects that provide future readiness appears as a win-win for our overall regional community and for UC Davis.
Mabel Salon is the Chief Government and Community Relations Officer for UC Davis.
UCD didn’t do the DISC project any favors with that letter. It isn’t quite as bad as “damning with faint praise” but it is close. Why is Gary May choosing to be silent on DISC?
I certainly don’t know the answer, but do you think it might have something to do with the University preferring to wait for local leadership in the host community to formally recognize and embrace the need and benefits from increased employment opportunities and housing in the City – before placing its heavy finger on the scales?
A letter from a campus bureaucrat that says everything while saying nothing at the same time. I hope they are well paid as a master of their art.
Someone initiated the discussion between Sacramento and UCD about developing Aggie Square. Where is the City leadership to create a similar discussion right here?
I think communication on planning and development issues between the city and the university collapsed about a decade ago.
Please note this was a letter from Mabel Salon to City Manager Mike Webb.