City Council Staff Report Page 1 of 2 June 9, 2026
Staff Report
Agenda Item No. 4.1
DATE: June 9, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Joan Malloy, City Manager
SUBJECT: Review of Draft Economic Development Strategic Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of the Study Session is to provide the City Council an opportunity to review and provide feedback on the draft Economic Development Strategic Plan (“ED Strategic Plan”) (Attachment 1) and related performance measures/metrics.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This agenda item is in alignment with:
Goal A, Strategy 1: Establish a comprehensive fiscal stability and sustainability plan to address the General Fund’s long-term structural deficit; and Goal C, Strategy 6: Update the Economic Development Strategic Plan to meet the City’s financial goals and build regional partnerships.
BACKGROUND
Strategic Economics Inc. (the “Consultant”) was retained to work with City staff and the City Council on the update to the ED Strategic Plan. The ED Strategic Plan is a policy document that will guide the City’s economic development activities over the next five years.
The draft ED Strategic Plan establishes a clear vision and goals for the City while providing a practical roadmap for directing staff time and resources toward achieving that vision. The ED Strategic Plan equips the City Council with a framework for prioritizing initiatives.
On Thursday, March 19, 2026, the Economic Development Advisory Team reviewed the draft ED Strategic Plan, which included an overview of the strategic planning process, goals, objectives, and strategies. EDAT members asked some clarifying questions, which were addressed in the current draft of the ED Strategic Plan.
Agenda Item No. 4.1
City Council Staff Report Page 2 of 2 June 9, 2026
Any feedback received will be addressed in the final draft that will be presented to the City Council for approval in the June/July timeframe.
DISCUSSION
The ED Strategic Plan includes four sections. Section I introduces the ED Strategic Plan and the process behind its development. Section II presents the data and analysis used to establish a comprehensive profile of Union City’s economic trends. Section III reflects the City’s strengths, opportunities, and challenges, based on both the quantitative analysis presented in Section II and input from multiple focus groups and stakeholder interviews. These interviews provided greater context and deeper insights into the data, helping define a framework for the Plan’s goals, objectives, and strategies presented in Section IV. Section IV also includes performance objectives and metrics to measure progress towards achieving the Plan’s goals, as well as a timeline for implementing the many individual strategies.
The Study Session will include an overview of the process to date; a summary of the ED Strategic Plan’s vision, goals, objectives, and strategies; and an overview of performance objectives to measure progress in achieving the Plan’s goals, including implementation timing. Staff will also provide an overview of additional Economic Development metrics for the City Council's consideration.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact on the General Fund associated with this item.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council review and provide feedback on the draft Economic Development Strategic Plan (“ED Strategic Plan”) (Attachment 1).
Prepared by: Gloria Ortega, Economic Development Manager Submitted by: Carmela Campbell, Economic and Community Development Director Attachments:
1. Economic Development Strategic Plan Report