ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
Staff Report
Meeting Date : Oct. 17, 2022
To: Economic Development Subcommittee
From: David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer
Staff Contact: David Graham, [email protected] Subject: Economic Development Program and BEAR Update
Recommended Action
Receive an informational report regarding city economic development activities , discuss and provide recommendations.
Next Steps
Staff will return at the next Economic Development Subcommittee with updates to these items.
If desired, committee members can provide input and direction.
Discussion
Economic development staff have been engaged on a number of programs focused on support and growth of Carlsbad's economy. This report provides a summary of notable programs and ongoing activities .
Carlsbad Tourism BID
At the July 13, 2022, CTBID Advisory Board meeting, the board approved a Management District Plan and supported a petition to establish a new TBID operating under the Property and Business Improvement District Law of 1994. On Oct. 5, 2022, the petition was sent to all CTBID contributors, including hotels, motels, short -term vacation rentals and other lodging establishments - 405 in total. If greater than 50% of owners/managers as measured by revenue contributed to the CTBID petition the City of Carlsbad to establish a new TBID, it will be brought to City Council for consideration.
Banner Program
At the end of September, the city's lightpost banner program was expanded to include 73 new locations in several key retail areas around the city. They include:
• Bressi Ranch
• La Costa Town Square
• The Crossings
• The Shoppes at Carlsbad
The new locations add to the existing banners in the Village, Paseo Del Norte/Palomar Airport Oct. 17, 2022 Item #3 Page 1 of 4
Road area, and The Forum. There are now 195 banner locations in the city. All banners incorporate imagery that is symbolic of Carlsbad and help build a sense of place as well as create an inviting atmosphere.
Along with the additional locations, roughly one-third of banners in the Village and half of banners throughout the rest of the city incorporate Fall imagery. These seasonal banners will be added to the annual rotation along with the evergreen, and holiday banners.
The holiday banners will be mounted citywide in November.
Future Technologies Report
Staff have continued to work with Pioneer Partners, a Kansas City-based organization to help develop an assessment of future technologies in Carlsbad. The report, which will be presented to the subcommittee at its November meeting, analyzes the impact of technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, SG, internet of things, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, and drone s on the City of Carlsbad. The report examines technologies that are likely to have the largest impact on the city, provides potential recommendations for areas the city can better improve preparedness, and looks at economic development opportunities where the city has existing or could potentially develop industry clusters.
Life in Action Recruiter
The Life in Action, or LIA, Recruiter platform now has nearly 400 candidates who have shared their information and expressed an interest in a job in Carlsbad. Primarily oriented toward careers in Carlsbad's innovation economy, the LIA recruiter capture s interest from candidates down the street and across the country. By engaging on the platform, candidates are seen by a number of Carlsbad employers.
Carlsbad employers have found value in the program because it adds a pipeline of talent they may have otherwise missed. Employers are able to sort through candidates by experience, desired industry, timeline to move jobs and/or locations, and areas of interest.
With a recent " Phase 2" launch, employers are now able to subscribe to access the "talent roster" and receive automatic updates as new candidate s submit their information. This step has created greater efficiency in the process to connect candidates with employers and allows employers see candidates in a timelier fashion.
Job-Readiness Room
Economic development staff continue to work with library staff, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, Lightcast, and Bendable - a startup out of the Drucker Institute - on a workforce development pilot that provides access to training and a guaranteed job interview for low and middle -skill job seekers in Carlsbad. The pilot program utilizes the library system as a conduit for residents and workers to see in-demand career opportunities (provided by Lightcast) and use the Bendable platform to access entry level career skills certification, and then connect with employers hiring in those fields through the Chamber of Commerce and city staff. Currently, the training programs prepare candidates for jobs in manufacturing, hospitality and food service, and Oct. 17, 2022 Item #3 Page 2 of 4
office administration. These three industries have shown to have large availability in entry-level jobs.
To date, more than 30 candidates have enrolled in the program with four individuals having completed. Those that complete the program are then referred to employers who have signed up. Thus far, 15 Carlsbad employers have engaged in the program.
On Nov. 10, 2022, the program partners will announce the expansion of the program across the 78 Corridor, to include the cities of Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido. These cities, and their respective library systems, will ensure the program reaches a larger group of candidates and employers. With a population of more than 650,000, it also creates a better sample size to evaluate the program's success.
Carlsbad Cybersecurity Awareness Program
Staff is continuing its work with the San Diego Cyber Center of Excellence to promote basic cybersecurity awareness and provide resources to small businesses located in Carlsbad, or that are suppliers to Carlsbad businesses. The program includes a cyber-risk assessment and basic cybersecurity awareness training for all employees of participating companies. Staff is working to promote one final cohort of Carlsbad companies before the program concludes at the end of the year. So far, 67 companies have participated in the program.
In addition to the program participants, staff was able to vet 56 city ven-dors through the program, adding ability for the city to assess risk vulnerabilities among some vendors.
Business Expansion, Attraction, and Retention (BEAR} Update Over the past several months, economic development staff have continued to engage on several large BEAR projects that will yield gains in employment and new investment in the city.
Staff met with Thermo Fisher to understand their continued expansion plans. This included an on-site visit with city leadership. In the meeting, Thermo Fisher discussed their plans to potentially add an additional building to their campus, as well as densifying operations within their existing footprint.
lonis Pharmaceuticals is continuing to hire for a number of new positions as the company continues to expand in North County. lonis pursued additional space in the City of Carlsbad but was unable to find a site that met their requirements . They announced in mid-October plans to establish a new facility in Oceanside. This facility will complement the work being done in Carlsbad, where they will also continue to grow.
Bitchin' Sauce, a natural foods company headquartered in Carlsbad, is pursuing several new ventures that could lead to new businesses in Carlsbad. One of these concepts is a permanent drive-thru coffee-cart concept that supports underserved communities by subsidizing ownership of a cart and franchising operations to disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Staff is working with the company to understand how this concept may fit within current zoning and land-u se.
Oct. 17, 2022 Item #3 Page 3 of 4
Staff is working with Carlsbad Village Association and the Chamber of Commerce to better understand how current market conditions and other challenges are impacting small businesses.
Public Notification
Public notice of this item was posted in keeping with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting date.
Exhibits
None.
Oct. 17, 2022 Item #3 Page 4 of 4
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
AND BEAR UPDATE
• Recommendation: Receive an informational report regarding city economic development activities, discuss and provide
recommendations.
Item 3
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CARLSBAD TBID UPDATE
• CTBID Advisory Board approved pursuing efforts to establish a TBID u
nder the '94 ACT authorization and disestablish the current CTBID operating under the '89 Act authorization
• A Management District Plan was approved at the July 13 meeting of t
he CTBID Advisory Board
• On October 5, a petition was circulated to all 405 lodging e
stablishments in Carlsbad
• If more than 50% of contributors (as measured by revenue contributed t
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BANNER PROGRAM
• City Council approved funding to e xpand the city’s lightpost banner program in the FY 2022-23 budget
• At the end of September, the program was expanded to include 73 new locations i
n several key retail areas around the city. These include:
o The Shoppes
o Bressi Ra nch
o La Costa Town Square
o The Crossings
• There are now 195 total banner locations in the city
• All banners incorporate imagery that is symbolic of Carlsbad and help build a s
ense of place as well as create an inviting atmosphere
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BANNER PROGRAM
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LIFE IN ACTION RECRUITER
• Life in Action Recruiter connects candidates from around the country with Car
lsbad innovation businesses
• Nearly 400 candidates enrolled
• More than 20 Carlsbad companies participating
• Phase 2 launched at the end of August
o Employers can now sign up for access and see candidate information, d
irectly
o Can sort results by desired industry, experience, timeline to move, and ar
eas of interest
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JOB-READINESS ROOM
• Partnered with Carlsbad Libraries, Carlsbad Chamber of Co
mmerce, Lightcast, and Bendable to provide basic skills training and guaranteed interviews for entry-level candidates • Now expanding to Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido • More than 30 candidates and 15 companies have signed up • Four candidates have completed the training portion and have b
een introduced to Carlsbad employers for interviews
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CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS PROGRAM
• Final pilot Cybersecurity Awareness Program cohort to take place i
n Nov. – Dec.
• So far, 67 Carlsbad businesses or suppliers to Carlsbad businesses ha
ve participated in the program
• Through the program, staff was also able to vet 56 city vendors t
o assess risk vulnerabilities
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NOTABLE ACTIVITIES
BUSINESS EXPANSION, ATTRACTION & RETENTION
• Thermo F isher
• Tyra Biosciences
• Aptera Motors
• Status S kateshop
• Ionis Pharmaceuticals
• BMW Carlsbad
• Calsense
• L3 Harris (V iasat )
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FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
• Future Technologies Report
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Adjourn
Thank you!
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