• Community Leadership and Power Building ($183 million): The goal is to empower Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) members of the community, and those historically marginalized, to participate in decision-making and civic processes.
• Child Care ($87.5 million): The goal is to shift the public perception of child care to a necessary public investment that will enable economic growth and mobility for the region.
• Housing ($103.25 million): The goal is to increase available and affordable housing as a critical component in achieving regional economic growth and mobility.
• Economic Opportunity Expansion ($136.75 million): The goal is economic growth and shared economic prosperity through formation of new businesses and creation of jobs that provide livable salaries and benefits.

Embracing the opportunities and challenges of our region: The tri-county Monterey Bay region – more than 5,115 square miles encompassing Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties – stands at a significant crossroads. Its natural beauty, robust agricultural output, significant tourism, and emerging technology sectors distinguish this vibrant region from other parts of California. Yet the region also is marked by significant socio-economic inequities, with many residents struggling to cover basic costs of living such as housing and child care. Those twin truths are at the heart of this Investment Blueprint. With the right partners and investments, it is possible to forge a future that builds on the region’s assets while addressing its challenges.

Racial equity is a core building block of the Regions Rise Together collaborative, acknowledging that current socioeconomic inequities were created, and are perpetuated by systemic racism, and as such require solutions that eliminate or transform these forces. Race, class, economic and social status are intricately connected and require root cause analysis as the basis of developing effective and long-lasting solutions. People-centered solutions in partnership with traditional business- and industry-centered solutions lift all in the economic ecosystem and help create thriving economies.

The updated Investment Blueprint addresses those current socioeconomic inequalities and the systemic challenges that prevent communities from thriving: a dire lack of affordable child care, particularly for infants and toddlers and for the low-income families already struggling to make ends meet; a housing affordability crisis in which the majority of the tri-county region’s renting population spends 30% or more of their income on rental costs, with a quarter of renters spending half or more of their income on housing; a lack of sustainable job opportunities in a region whose economy remains heavily reliant on low-wage industries such as agriculture, hospitality, retail, and tourism.

The critical investment areas and actionable strategies identified in the Investment Blueprint are designed to collectively forge a stronger future for the Monterey Bay region. The region stands at a pivotal moment, poised to harness its potential for inclusive economic growth and community prosperity. The Blueprint offers a roadmap – and a promise – for a better future for all who live here.