Capstone Conversation by Jared Asch

California Forever: Unveiling the New Vision for Solano County with Jim Wunderman

Host Jared Asch interviews Jim Wunderman, head of public affairs for California Forever, about plans to develop roughly 70,000 acres of largely undeveloped land in south-central Solano County between Suisun City and Rio Vista into a dense, walkable urban community with an adjacent 2,100-acre advanced manufacturing park and a proposed major shipyard along the Sacramento River. Wunderman argues Solano’s shrinking blue-collar economy—citing multiple recent closures—and high out-commuting make large-scale housing and job creation urgent, with starter homes projected around $400,000–$450,000 and union construction agreements in place. He says environmentally valuable areas would be preserved, development would avoid impacts to Travis Air Force Base, and an extensive EIR is underway via the expansion of Suisun City under current law. The conversation emphasizes rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding capacity on the West Coast, clean manufacturing, and growing public support.

Danville and Lafayette: Vibrant & Engaged Communities in the East Bay

Host Jared Asch interviews Danville Councilman Mark Belotz and Lafayette Councilman John McCormick, second-year elected officials from Central Contra Costa County, about what contributes to their towns’ success, including strong schools, vibrant walkable downtowns, and effective city management. McCormick, a retired tech worker and downtown business owner, describes entering council after Chamber leadership during COVID; Belotz recounts years attending meetings and serving on boards before running. They discuss the importance of continuity in town/city managers, reliance on sales tax over property tax, and concerns that online sales tax is allocated through counties and Sacramento rather than by ZIP code. Danville reports balanced budgets and no unfunded liabilities; Lafayette passed Measure H to address shortfalls while also having no unfunded liabilities. Both explain the benefits of contracting policing with the Contra Costa Sheriff and describe the steep time commitment of council service. They address state-mandated housing development, emphasizing shaping projects to fit community character, and share goals of preserving safety, downtown vitality, and community engagement.

Tri-Valley Dynamics: Brandon Cardwell on Livermore's Innovation

Host Jared Asch interviews Brandon Cardwell of the City of Livermore about the city’s economic development and innovation strategy. Cardwell describes Livermore as the easternmost Bay Area city, celebrating its 150th anniversary, with a symbiotic mix of a revitalized historic downtown, wine country, significant industrial/flex space, and two national labs employing about 12,000 people. He highlights the outlets as a major sales tax driver and details downtown’s transformation after rerouting a state highway, enabling outdoor dining, parks, and an all-day nightlife economy, with projects like Blacksmith Square expansion and a new event center plus a “downtown 2.0” plan. Cardwell explains how the labs drive jobs and procurement networks and support fusion commercialization, while noting California competitiveness challenges and tailored tools like fee deferments and abatements. He discusses regional workforce links via the Altamont Pass and Valley Link, the municipal airport strategy (EVTOL mobility, hangars, public safety complex, and a 2027 innovation center), data-driven/AI-assisted business attraction, Startup Tri-Valley/IGATE’s role, and Tri-Valley regional collaboration.

Economic Success Stories: City Leaders on Retail Attraction and Development

Guest host Alex Greenwood records Capstone Conversations live at the ICSC Idea Exchange in Monterey, interviewing economic development leaders from five California cities about retail attraction strategies, successes, and lessons. Martinez describes zoning streamlining, concierge support, by-right approvals (including breweries), expedited permitting, a successful Ross store opening, housing upzoning, and a proposed $500M waterfront redevelopment. Sunnyvale highlights its CityLine mixed-use public-private partnership, downtown specific plan, Murphy Avenue pedestrian mall, and designing flexible ground-floor retail to attract tenants like restaurants and entertainment. Merced reports reuse of a 94,000-square-foot Sears building, mall renovation, downtown change, and emphasizes persistence, relationships, and a confidential council subcommittee. Pleasanton discusses void analysis, targeted broker outreach, new tenants, process and customer-service improvements, and new marketing tools including a “Pleasanton Playbook.” San Leandro outlines a 2024 strategy and retail action plan with void analysis, target tenant lists, property upgrades, a retail landing page, downtown mixed-use openings, and Bayfair area TOD planning and reuse.

The Procurement Puzzle: Understanding Government Sales

Host Jared Asch interviews procurement experts Ricardo Martinez, a former California Department of General Services chief procurement officer, and Oscar Garcia of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce about how companies sell to state and local governments in California. They explain that public-sector procurement is a law- and policy-driven process—from need identification through solicitations and approvals—often lengthy for IT, including the Project Approval Lifecycle (12–24 months), with separate technical and procurement teams and many acquisition methods. They describe guardrails such as risk management, data-breach protections, fair competition (e.g., two-envelope evaluations), and limited contract clause negotiations. Common vendor mistakes include cold outreach and assuming the government will “rip and replace.” They urge relationship-building, readiness for RFP requirements, certifications and small-business preferences, partnering with primes, and persistent bidding. For procurement staff, they recommend ongoing learning, leveraging statewide resources, and staying open to pre-solicitation meetings while observing “cone of silence” rules, alongside evolving AI policies, disclosure, cybersecurity, and human oversight.