With equity and inclusion a priority for the 2040 Vision, this section focuses on providing opportunity for ALL Tri-Valley residents. The region already has a rich network of nonprofit service providers creating a sustainable future for all – where training for jobs, social programs and supportive living spaces are readily available to those that need them. The recommendations also take another step in ensuring that the 2040 future of the Tri-Valley will be marked by social mobility. While innovation is a key pillar of this vision, not everyone will work for a tech company or have an advanced degree or become an entrepreneur. Lifting up accessible job categories that provide a living wage and upward career trajectory will be critical in ensuring a sustainable future for all families in the Tri-Valley.
Three Valleys Community Foundation (3VCF) began in 2020 with a simple vision: to enhance the quality of life in the 580/680 corridor and to grow philanthropy in greater East Bay area. Their name, Three Valleys, is a nod to the Amador, Livermore, and San Ramon Valleys and the rich history and philanthropic spirit of all who live in the region. Three Valleys Community Foundation seeks to strengthen our vibrant Three Valleys region and beyond through inclusive leadership, thoughtful funding, informed giving, and collaborative action. They partner with donors who care about our community and connect them with impactful local organizations to make a real difference to the communities we serve.
The path to 2040 in the Tri-Valley will be heavily defined by the region’s elected leaders, in addition to the companies that call the region home and the technologies that are developed there. The Innovation TRIVALLEY Leadership Group already provides a forum for elected officials and their staffs to interact with community members from business, education, nonprofits, and other groups. But what does not exist is a clear way for more people to gain an understanding of how governmental bodies work, particularly at regional scale, and to learn more about opportunities and threats facing the region’s employers.
A regionally-focused civic leadership training academy—which could be housed at Las Positas College with partnerships with each of the Tri-Valley’s five cities—would allow early career professionals to gain exposure to the public sector via once per week training sessions and externships with regional bodies, city departments, or county agencies. If the training academy had buy-in from employer groups, companies could offer up top performing individuals to take part in the yearly program with the goal of allowing more people access to public office.
The Tri-Valley has Daybreak Labs in Livermore—an incubator for hard tech and life sciences—and San Ramon is home to BRIIA: The Intelligent Accelerator for startups using machine learning and artificial intelligence. The Tri-Valley can create another opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs by creating an incubator for companies in food, hospitality, and other service industries.
While the region’s focus on tech is justified, there are models that would allow for non-tech companies to grow in the region, such as La Cocina’s nonprofit kitchen incubator. Alternatively, the vision process yielded a focus on small business service providers in software, hardware, and talent solutions to enable the Tri-Valley to build a more robust startup environment. The Tri-Valley’s tech ecosystem utilizes these types of companies to do business, so it makes sense to build an environment where they can launch and grow in the region.
Universal access to high-speed internet connectivity is critical to achieving equity in the Tri-Valley. The economy was already highly reliant on digital connectivity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but 2020 has proven that an ability to connect digitally—whether for school, work, or doctor visits—can unlock more economic opportunity.
As communications companies roll out new technologies, such as 5G wireless and gigabit fiber broadband, the Tri-Valley should ensure that it is equipped to support such a buildout. Rather than having communications companies work across the five cities, a single point of regional contact or a five-city task force could be the coordinating point for approval of new communications investments, such as fiber optic cable. Because new technologies are usually piloted in large cities first given their population density, aggregating the demand in the TriValley could make it more attractive for investment (+)
By 2040, the Tri-Valley’s population will have grown significantly, and as such, will become more prevalent users of the healthcare system at large. While the healthcare industry is largely regulated by federal and state entities, the Tri-Valley region has a tremendous opportunity to form innovative partnerships and connections between its healthcare providers and its innovation ecosystem to keep its healthcare system best-in-class.
The COVID-19 pandemic exemplified how quickly the healthcare system can change, as providers ramped up testing, moved a large portion of visits to telehealth, and began to administer vaccines. It is clear that partnerships between the healthcare sector and local government can provide a greater influence on the community when needed, and can ensure that healthcare provider needs are met when new challenges arise in the future.
