| Dear Professional The California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) is a 700 plus professional association of public, private, and nonprofit organizations who are the stewards of their local economies. For over twenty-five years, we have been building a state and local role in jobs and revenue development. We believe that local economies do not run on automatic pilot. From a public perspective, economic development is a process of deliberate intervention in the normal economic process to stimulate economic vitality by making business growth easier or more attractive. In order to get involved in this process, you have to know what resources are available to you. For these reasons, we are pleased to provide you with this economic development resource-driven web site to help you in your efforts to growth healthier and wealthier communities. This information is a valuable resource not only to those who are economic development professionals, but also for those who want to know more about economic development and how to get involved--specifically, local elected officials. Government can only be as healthy as the economy, and now, more than ever, it is imperative that local leaders understand economic development and its role in catalyzing prosperous economies. Many have already realized this. When CALED formed its first board of directors, we had trouble finding enough economic develop practitioners to occupy twenty-five board seats. Now, there are over 250 cities with full-time economic development offices, 30 counties and over 50 economic development organizations. Whether your community has been involved with economic development for a while, or if you're just starting out, remember that all local efforts aimed at stimulating economic development should be seen as a revenue solution not just another government program. CALED is here to help you in your efforts to stimulate your economy. For more information about this guide or CALED, contact us at 916-448-8252. We wish you all the best in creating healthy and wealthy communities. Sincerely, Wayne Schell |