A Constitutional Convention Q&A with Jim Wunderman
The Bay Area Council’s Jim Wunderman kicked off a whirlwind of activity and interest around the possibility of calling a California Constitutional Convention with an op-ed piece he published in the San Francisco Chronicle last August. Since then he has held a summit on the idea in Sacramento and has traveled around the state generating interest for the idea of a Constitutional Convention.
Fox and Hounds Daily caught up to Jim recently to ask him what progress he sees in this quest eight months later.
Q. Your idea for calling a constitutional convention garnered a lot of attention at first. Has that interest grown since August?
A. The interest in holding a constitutional convention has grown substantially since the Chronicle first printed our op-ed piece calling for it in August. The longer the budget debacle played on, the more groups, individuals and the media became interested, many excited. Over the months we’ve had the chance to make quite a few presentations and many of those groups have signed on or are likely to do so.. We’re by no means alone in this, we get lots of pats on the backs from the strangest places.
International Tourism Marketing Critical to Boosting Industry and State Economy During the Recession
Despite gloom and doom travel predictions in the news, California’s tourism industry has an incredible opportunity to boost its economy by continuing to invest in lucrative international markets.
Preliminary statistics for 2008 confirm that although international travel is expected to be down 4% due to the global recession, and some markets will struggle in 2009, it strategically makes sense to think of these markets over the long term, rather than panic and just focus on in-state or regional domestic marketing.
Why? Because international long-haul travelers tend to stay longer and spend more money in California. And, even though there is a global recession, some markets are less affected than others. China’s economy, for example, is growing, and their visitation to the Golden State grew 24 percent. Additionally, the strength of the euro has helped visitation boom from the United Kingdom (+4%), Germany (+21%) and France (+29%). Closer to home, although Mexican travel was down 9% due to economic challenges, Canadian travel grew approximately five percent, boosted by a more stable economy and a relatively strong dollar against ours.
Hurry-up, California: Fix all of our problems with green directives
I recently watched an employer focus group unfold. An executive was asked, "Is there anything positive about conducting business in California?" The employer replied, "Yeah, investment barriers to new competitors in California." Another respondent replied without hesitating, "There is no way we would invest anything more in California."
These realities play out in so many ways — notwithstanding California’s tremendous quality of life advantages — while so many unfounded and rushed policy directions tip economy-altering board room decisions against our working families.