Bay Area officials seek stimulus input - San Francisco Business Times:

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The submission deadline is April 24. The region’s final report is due to the stat e byJune 1. The economic institute, whic h is developing a regional plan for seeking federalstimulue cash, is already working with local governments and agenciea like the , the East Bay’s Economic Development Alliancew and the Association of Bay Area Governments. The economicc institute said Thursday it wants input as well from area business leadera and residents as it writes its The regionalproposal — whichy will show how the Bay Area wantsa to spend money it gets is seen as the most effectives way for the area to make a strong case for moneh in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We’rde getting submissions from everypossible direction” to help pull together the regionalp plan, said Sean Randolph, presidentg of the Bay Area Council Economic “This program … can ensure the Bay Area gets the maximum bang for its stimulus bucks.” Much of the money in the stimulu s act goes to areaw based on formulas. But about one thirxd of the total cashis discretionary, meanin g projects in the Bay Area will compete with proposalx across the state and across the country. “We are in a high staked game in Californiaand we’re in a competition with othetr states,” said Bruce Kern, executive directorr of the .
Billionss of dollars are at stake. About $30 billion in stimulus moneu will be divvied up in Sacramento before going to variouz regionsaround California. Another $20 billion of discretionar y money will be doled out to Californiafrom D.C. Starting April 6, the economic institutd said it will startr collecting project proposals onlineat www.bayareaeconomy.org/recovery. The submissiomn deadline is April 24. The region’xs final report is due to the state byJune 1. Project s should fall into one of seven categories, the economic institute said.
Thosw are: Transportation, water, energy/climate, workforce training and business development, science and innovation or The projects should also lead tosignificantg short-term job creation and generatew long-term return on investment. There is benefit to the plan even if it does not resulft instimulus money, officials By bringing together agencied that often don’t plan the regional proposal is generatinb attention on regional said Randolph.
“We see the plan framinhg a longer term conversation aboutregional