SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- A diverse group of Santa Cruz County
representatives recently traveled more than 150 miles in the hopes of learning
how they could make their community a better place.
In May, 67 people from various cities and industries across
the county hopped aboard a bus to San Luis Obispo on a trip sponsored by the
Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce.
The cities of Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo have much in
common –- vibrant downtown spaces, comparable population sizes, similar
economies built on tourism and agriculture, and prominent universities.
"They had some interesting programs around an incubator
space and then obviously the performing arts center, which was a collaboration
between the city and the university," explained Santa Cruz city councilmember Ryan
Coonerty. "It's really tremendous and a
model for something we would want to do here."
Chambers of commerce typically sponsor trips like this to
study how similar communities are addressing key issues. Nothing was off limits, and the two-day visit
included discussions about the retail industry, schools and how to adapt to a
post-recession economy.
The hope, said Bill Tysseling, executive director of the
Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, is to organize the community around a
shared vision.
"We spent a lot of time talking about the question of how as
a community can we support each other?" said Tysseling. "And I think across jurisdictions, as a
single positive outcome, that's the one I would hope for the most."
One of the main points, said San Luis Obispo officials, is
showing how similar communities can learn from each other.
"Not putting yourself in a box and thinking you're the only
one that needs to figure out how to navigate out of it is a great reminder that
we need to focus on how we can continue to improve ourselves as a community," said Ermina
Karim, president of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.
San Luis Obispo is in the running to be named the "Friendliest
Town in America," according to USA Today and Rand McNally's "Best
of the Road" survey. Santa Cruz leaders
said the city didn't disappoint.
"They really put out the welcome mat for us and showed us
around," said Coonerty. "It was really
wonderful and what we got was that they have many of the same challenges we
have here, but they're addressing them from a very positive place and I think
that's a good model for all of us."
