June 19, 2020 Comprehensive Economic Imperial County Development Strategy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CEDS Committee Priscilla Lopez, Interim Director, Imperial County Workforce Development Board Othon Mora, Community Development Director, City of Imperial Lisa Tylenda, Planner, City of Imperial Efrain Silva, Dean of Economic and Workforce Development, Imperial Valley College Janeth Cruz, Coordinator, Imperial Valley College Mark Baza, Executive Director, Imperial County Transportation Commission Virginia Mendoza, Senior Transportation Planner, I.C. Transportation Commission Mark Gran, Manager, Real Estate Assets & Community Relations, CalEnergy Randy Taylor, Vice President Market Manager, Rabobank Victor Nava, Vice President / Branch Manager, Rabobank Mario Conde, Chief Executive Officer, Rook Public Relations Robert Rubio, Co-Owner/Printing Consultant, Imperial Printers Rudy Rodriguez, CEO, Imperial Printers Jose M. Lopez, Executive Director, Campesinos Unidos, Inc. Guadalupe L. Ponce, Community Services Block Grant Director, Campesinos Unidos, Inc. Meredith Garcia, Director, Small Business Development Center Tim Kelley, Chief Executive Officer. I.V. Economic Development Corporation Sean Wilcock, Vice President Business Development I.V. Economic Development Corporation Rosa Maria Gonzales, Community & Business Liaison, Imperial Irrigation District David Salgado, Regional Affairs Officer, So. California Association of Governments Other Persons Consulted Janette Angulo, Deputy Director for Community Health, Imperial County Public Health Dept. Glenna Barrett, Executive Director, Southern Border Broadband Consortium Michael Bracken, DMG Economics, Economic Consultant to City of Imperial Alexis Chalupnik, Management Analyst, City of Imperial David Dale, City Manager, City of Calexico Alfredo Estrada, Fire Chief, Imperial County Fire Department \ Office of Emergency Services Miguel Figueroa, Economic Development Manager, City of Calexico Dr. Todd Finnell, Superintendent, Imperial County Office of Education Salvador Flores, Chief, Information Technology, Imperial County Fire Department Joel Hamby, Building Official, City of Westmorland Robert Malek, Fire Prevention Coordinator, Imperial County Fire Department Rom Medina, City Manager, City of Calipatria Rosanne B. Moore, City Manager, City of Brawley George Nava, Mayor City of Brawley Marcela Piedra, City Manager, City of El Centro Aaron Popejoy, Conveyor Group Larry Ritchie, Mayor, City of Westmorland Luis Wong, Chief Technology Officer, Imperial County Office of Education Imperial County Overall Economic Development Commission (OEDC) Coordinating Staff Esperanza C. Warren, Deputy CEO, County of Imperial Jonathan Garcia, Community & Economic Development Coordinator, County of Imperial Tyler Mayo, Community & Economic Development Coordinator, County of Imperial CEDS Consultants Applied Development Economics, Inc. 1756 Lacassie Avenue, Suite 100 Walnut Creek, VA 94596 (925) 934-8712 Doug Svensson, AICP, President Tony Daysog, Senior Associate Peter Cheng, Senior Associate Monte White, Report Production Cover Photo Credits Agribusiness, Bill Gates Photography All American Canal, Imperial Irrigation District Salton Sea Birds, Bruce Wilcox, Asst. Secretary for Salton Sea Policy, CA Natural Resources Agency Hudson Ranch Power, Bill Gates Photography Silver Ridge Solar, Bill Gates Photography Windmill, Deidre Dubose This publication was prepared by the Imperial County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee pursuant to the requirements of the Economic Development Administration. The Statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and other data in this report are solely those of the Imperial County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration. Imperial County Workforce & Economic Development Department 2799 S. 4th Street El Centro, CA 92243 (442) 265-1100 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 1 OVERALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ..................................................... 11 ECONOMIC SUMMARY ............................................................................................. 19 ECONOMIC RESILIENCE .......................................................................................... 45 SWOT ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 54 VISION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ............................................................................ 74 ACTION PLAN ........................................................................................................ 77 PROGRAM EVALUATION .......................................................................................... 99 APPENDIX TABLES ................................................................................................ 102 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Summary of 2014-2016 Annual Average Number of Deaths by Leading Causes of Deaths ................................................................................................................. 32 Table 2: Imperial County Industry Employment Trends and Projections, 2007 to 2027 ..... 34 Table 3: Economic Roles of Imperial County Industries ................................................ 37 Table 4: Imperial County Industry Employment Trends and Projections, 2007 to 2027 ..... 41 Table 5: Imperial County Retail Demand and Sales, 2017 ($Millions) ............................. 44 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Annual Percent Change in Household Population ........................................... 20 Figure 2: Median Age, 2016 ..................................................................................... 21 Figure 3: Educational Attainment, 25 Years or Older, 2016 .......................................... 24 Figure 4: Unemployment Rates, Imperial County, California and Comparison Counties ..... 25 Figure 5: Average Annual Pay Levels by Industry ........................................................ 26 Figure 6: Per Capita Income, Cities in Imperial County and Comparison Counties ............ 27 Figure 7: Megawatts of Power Generation Capacity by Source, Imperial County, 2002-2017 ........................................................................................................................... 56 Imperial County CEDS Imperial County CEDS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) reflects a cohesive and coordinated vision for economic development in Imperial County, embracing the goals of each municipal jurisdiction as well as a wide range of private sector, public and not-for-profit partner organizations. The CEDS meets the planning criteria from the Federal Economic Development Administration (EDA), thereby qualifying each jurisdiction to submit projects to EDA for funding assistance. VISION STATEMENT “To develop and strengthen economic development, and to provide a sustainable and healthy environment for the residents of Imperial County by providing training, job opportunities, a sustainable environment, and planning and delivery of transportation services to improve economic self-sufficiency, with an emphasis on Imperial County Target Areas. The County’s economy will be balanced and diversified amongst a variety of sectors, building opportunity by leading California’s renewable energy future while remaining true to our rich agricultural heritage. The Imperial County region will be fully integrated into the world economy by maximizing the advantages offered by its border location and abundant renewable resources.” STRATEGIC ASSETS AND OPPORTUNITIES Imperial County offers a number of economic development assets and opportunities. Binational Trade/Foreign Trade Zone. Strategically located at the U.S. Mexico border in proximity to Mexican maquiladoras in Mexicali, Imperial County offers a tremendous opportunity for international trade. The two Ports of Entry (POE) in and near Calexico support cross border product shipments totaling $16.1 billion in 2017, of which $10.6 billion are advanced manufacturing products. The County also has a third POE serving the Yuma area. In addition, an estimated $1 billion in consumer retail expenditures come from Mexico annually. The County is designated as Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #257 and offers a flexible location designation that makes most areas of the County eligible to benefit from FTZ status. In addition, the Cali Baja Bi-National Mega-Region (Mega Region Initiative) is an intermediary that coordinates US- and Mexico-based economic development organizations, so as to foster in a coordinated manner long-term economic development strategies that promote the global competitiveness of Mega Region Initiative partners and San Diego County, Imperial County, and Baja California in Mexico in general. Another key economic development entity is the Imperial-Mexicali Bi-National Alliance (IMBA). To support growth in binational trade between Mexicali, Mexico and Imperial Valley the Imperial-Mexicali Binational Alliance (IMBA) was established on September 18, 2013 via a Memorandum of Understanding by the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC), Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation (IVEDC), Consejo de Desarrollo Económico de Mexicali (CDEM), Comisión de Desarrollo Industrial de Mexicali (CDI), el Instituto Municipal de Investigación y Planeación Imperial County CEDS | Page 1 Urbana de Mexicali