Panelists discuss We Prosper Together initiative and the future of Sacramento’s inclusive economy

By Hannah Ross | Solving Sacramento Panelists at Solving Sacramento’s “Suds & Solutions” event on Thursday, May 9 agreed that the conditions are ripe for Sacramento to be the inclusive economy of its dreams, but the region can’t let the moment pass it by. Up for discussion was the recent implementation of California’s $14 million investment for inclusive economic development in the Sacramento region as a part of the statewide California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative, Valley Vision’s most recent Inclusive Economy Poll, released April 29, and its We Prosper Together initiative. The panel was moderated by Sacramento Business Journal reporter Emily Hamann at Track 7 Brewing in Curtis Park. The We Prosper Together initiative is a California Jobs First grant-funded collaborative of 150-plus organizations working to create community-led economic development across Sacramento’s eight-county region: focusing on centering community voices, encouraging investment and creating more living-wage jobs. Valley Vision conducts its polls in partnership with Sacramento State’s Institute for Social Research, which helps the nonprofit organization create data-driven policy and programs specific to the region’s needs. A key factor to the new poll is taking stock of the hurdles the region faces in building inclusive and sustainable economic growth. “This...