San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center

Local fish, global flavors! Come join us at the Dockside Night Market on Sunday, August 25 to celebrate and support San Diego’s local fishermen. This is a one-night culinary event that showcases dishes prepared by San Diego’s top chefs, featuring all locally caught and sourced seafood.   100% of ticket profits will be donated to The San Diego Fishermens' Working Group to protect the commercial fishing interests and opportunities in San Diego by providing seafood choices that affirm regional cultural traditions, support local communities, and contribute to the health and productivity of natural marine resources.   Get your Dockside Night Market tickets here! https://lnkd.in/g2pDwQez

The equity and economic disparity in San Diego has been glazed over by the reputation of affluence the county has, but more than 335,000 residents live below the poverty line. “All San Diegans — and all Californians — deserve to live in just, equitable and resilient communities.” Read the full article “When it comes to poverty in San Diego, we need change now” written by San Diego Foundation’s Pamela Gray Payton, MSEL and our chief economist Daniel Enemark for The San Diego Union-Tribune here: https://lnkd.in/gKwb33wU

Not just air, but surface temperatures are rising across U.S. cities. This informative The New York Times map shows how hot some city sidewalks have gotten in the southwest and west of America. https://lnkd.in/g-SADnQc Extreme temperatures as a result of climate change are already here, and we must embrace climate-friendly solutions to keep things from getting worse – proactively. This climate risk data can help communities be more resilient, and more information on that can be found in this study by our partner The Brookings Institution: https://lnkd.in/eaSRPAkD

Meet the team: Tiffany Frost Tiffany is the operations administrator and compliance specialist for PIC. She has an extensive and varied background in office administration. In her role at PIC, she is charged with compliance monitoring, overseeing internal policies and establishing efficient workflow, support and oversight. Learn more about Tiffany and her work here: https://lnkd.in/gxvhjczh

#SanDiegoComicCon kicked off this week, bringing with it a surge of tourism. Amid all the fun, events, and people-watching, it's also an awe-inspiring example of the power of the $10 billion creative economy right here in San Diego.   Our "Creative Economy in the San Diego Region" report breaks down all of the creative industries and occupations that are strongest - and recommends ways that policymakers, educators, funders and nonprofits can help advance San Diego’s creative economy and support San Diegans working and doing business in the creative sectors. https://lnkd.in/gywcMtim

Meet the team: Gabriela Stone Gabriela is an economic analyst for PIC. With a wide variety of professional experience including developing and executing actionable, equity-focused research, she is a skilled data analyst. In her current role, she is responsible for interpreting and leveraging data to drive sustainable community change. Learn more about Gabriela and her work here: https://lnkd.in/gTRr6_GW.

Black Americans hold much less wealth than white Americans and other groups, as noted in benchmark data from the federal government. Increasing the share of Black-owned employer businesses can create opportunities for all and narrow economic divides in communities nationwide - but how we do that? Check out some ideas in a new report from our partners at The Brookings Institution. https://lnkd.in/eC5e3cuT 

Meet the team: Fernanda H. Fernanda is an economist at the Policy & Innovation Center, using her expertise to lead research for San Diego and Imperial Valley on economic development, climate, equity and more. Her binational perspective and experience provide keen insight into PIC’s projects and research. As a researcher in economics Herrera has worked with academia, government agencies, and scientific organizations. Learn more about Fernanda and her work here: https://lnkd.in/gJjEBZjF.

Climate change is here, and it will be an even bigger force in the lives of our children. While we’re helping the grown-ups prepare for San Diego’s climate future through our environmental policy initiatives, we’re glad to see that Sesame Street is tackling this issue head-on - check out this article in the Los Angeles Times about Sesame Workshop’s new programming that aims to help kids to deal with our changing environment: https://lat.ms/3xAExaE

Chula Vista has a population of nearly 300,000 people, and it’s the largest city in California without a college offering bachelor’s degree programs. Meanwhile, 30% of jobs in San Diego—and counting—require a bachelor’s degree. 40% of South County adults surveyed want to earn a bachelor’s degree and expand their economic opportunities. But it’s hard to do so when they need to move or commute long distances away from where they live, work, and have family responsibilities. PIC created "Planning a Thriving Ecosystem of Higher Education in South County" for Southwestern Community College District and City of Chula Vista, which included  research and an education/job assessment around a thriving higher education ecosystem in the South Bay. Spectrum News 1 talked to our team about the need for these degree programs, and what can be done next: https://bit.ly/3VXd2lh.