County leaders committed to working toward jobs, economic recovery

The walk away message from the nation's conference of county leaders was federal and county governments must expand their partnership to create jobs and address the broad impacts of an economy in recovery.

"Our voices joined the chorus of other counties that told the administration and Congress that the success of any federal economic strategy relies on local governments at the front end working with local businesses to grow the private sector economy as well as deliver services to those in need," said Supervisor Mike Reagan, who serves on the NACo Community and Economic Development Committee.

Supervisor Reagan, County Administrator Michael D. Johnson and Health and Social Services Director Patrick Duterte were among more than 2,000 elected and appointed county officials at the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) 2010 Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., from March 6 to March 10 in Washington, D.C.

The Legislative Conference brought county officials face-to-face with federal government officials to discuss key county government priorities and specific legislation, regulations and funding levels affecting essential services and programs.

“We were able to give the county perspective directly to the people making decisions on how federal dollars are going to be spent,” Reagan said.

In addition, Solano County officials attended informational workshops on a broad range of current issues and future trends. In one workshop, Johnson learned about the potential role of counties in a carbon credit system – from the cap-and-trade market to local projects that can earn carbon credits.

“We are already a leading county in alternative energy. This workshop, along with the exchange of ideas with county folks from around the country, will help us retain that advantage,” Johnson said.

The availability of loans, grants and unspent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds was a recurring subject at the workshops Reagan attended. Speakers from the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture encouraged counties to create projects to access these federal dollars.

“These federal dollars can help us put our General Plan vision into action and direct more investment into Solano County that will create jobs,” Reagan said.

Jobs, economic recovery and Restoring the Partnership emerged as the main themes of the conference that featured such guest speakers as House Speaker Pelosi, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and TIME magazine columnist Joe Klein.

“NACo’s 2010 Legislative Conference was a tremendous success,” said NACo President Valerie Brown, supervisor from Sonoma County. “Our members are fiercely committed to Restore the Partnership between the federal government and America’s counties and this conference went a long way toward that goal.

“Especially in these tough times, it’s more important than ever that county officials pull together and speak with one voice to our federal representatives on the many critical issues affecting counties and communities,” Brown said. “I know from speaking with Speaker Pelosi, Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Vilsak, members of Congress and several White House officials that we are making great strides.”

A priority of NACo leaders and fellow county officials at the conference was soliciting Congressional support for H.R. 3332, the Restore the Partnership Act of 2009. The bill, introduced by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), would establish the National Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to facilitate cooperation among all levels of government and to find solutions to the critical issues facing the country. It is a NACo key legislative priority this year.

In addition, several important policy resolutions were adopted by the NACo Board of Directors upon the recommendation of NACo’s 11 steering committees such as one opposing online travel agencies attempts to preempt local taxing authority.

NACo’s steering committees consider issues such as justice and public safety, agriculture and rural affairs, taxes, environment and energy, telecommunications, economic and community development, healthcare, human services, education, labor and employment, public lands, and transportation. Resolutions adopted at the conference are available at www.naco.org in the Issues section under Issues and Interest Areas.
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The National Association of Counties (NACo) is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,068 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public's understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money. For more information about NACo, visit www.naco.org. For more information about the conference, contact Jim Philipps at 202.942.4220 jphilipps@naco.org.

Summary of Remarks from Prominent Speakers
at NACo 2010 Legislative Conference Speakers
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Speaker Pelosi said Rep. George Miller (D.-Calif.) will introduce a bill that “allows for county governments and municipalities to retain workers.” She offered no details.

Speaking at the March 9 General Session, Pelosi focused on her and the Obama administration’s priorities, particularly jobs and “health insurance reform.”

Highlighting jobs-specific legislation, Pelosi said the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, passed last week, will provide $15 billion for infrastructure investments in local communities. She said the health reform bill is also a jobs bill that would create “4 million jobs in its life” and “about 400,000 jobs very soon.”

She said the health reform bill Congress sends to the president “will ensure affordability for the middle class, accountability for the insurance companies, and access for millions more Americans, tens of millions.”

In closing, she called on county leaders to lend their support. “The challenges that we all face are too great to face them alone. We need to form the partnerships, strengthen partnerships at every level of government.”

Rep. Gerry Connolly

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) addressed his former colleagues in county government during the Opening General Session on March 8.

The former 14-year Fairfax County supervisor, now in his first congressional term, extolled the virtues of local government, along with the frustrations of working with legislators who are unfamiliar with how local government works.

“We have a mission to communicate clearly between different levels of government because not everyone has experience in a level of government where things have to get done,” Connolly said. He stressed that county commissioners and supervisors were often on the front line of the ire and complaints about other governments’ jurisdictions.

Specifically, he opposed a U.S. Senate proposal to tax municipal bonds, a change that would add costs to most debt-financed government improvement projects.

Connolly has introduced H.R. 3332, the Restore the Partnership Act of 2009, a bill to establish the National Commission on Intergovernmental Relations to facilitate cooperation among all levels of government and to find solutions to the critical issues facing the country.

Connolly praised the recovery act’s part in staving off teacher layoffs and opposed a change to a competitive grant system for funding schools, rather than the current formula-driven allocation process. He said the national economy was poised for recovery, but doubted it would be swift, and decried the crumbling transportation infrastructure and eroding transportation funding mechanisms.
Time Magazine Columnist Joe Klein
Time magazine columnist Joe Klein offered his diagnosis of what ails Washington in the current era of Congressional gridlock and “hyper-partisanship.” Handicapping the odds of Republicans picking up seats in midterm elections, he said of Washington, “No matter what happens in this election, the city will still be broken.”

Conventional wisdom has the party in power, the Democrats, losing seats. Klein said historically the president’s party has lost control of Congress if his approval rating is 50 percent or less. In recent polling, President Obama’s favorable ratings have hovered around 50 percent, plus or minus.

Klein looked at government dysfunction through the prism of the health care reform debate, in which each side has dug in its heels. Why try to reform health care when 80 percent of Americans are happy with what they have? He cited two arguments in favor — one economic, one moral: to remain competitive with countries that guarantee or subsidize health care, and the “short-term moral problem” that at least 30 million Americans have no health care, and a large percentage fear losing what they have.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
The Secretary Sebelius, speaking at the March 9 General Session, praised counties for stemming the spread of the H1N1 virus. The vaccination campaign depended on county governments’ work, which was complicated by budget cuts necessitated by the recession.

As governor of Kansas, Sebelius herself cut the state health and human services budget, admitting it is often the first department to see cuts, and her successor has continued on that path. She said the Recovery Act has helped fund safety net services, but they may not last until people get back on their feet.

Sebelius stressed the importance of counties’ close relationships with residents in guiding health care policy creation.

“Rather than figuring out strategies in Washington, we want your input,” she said. “You’re the laboratories and we can help take the solutions to scale.”
Director Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
Barnes, speaking at the General Session on March 9, started off her speech by thanking Linn County, Iowa Supervisor Linda Langston; Santa Clara County, Calif. Supervisor Liz Kniss and Tarrant County, Texas Commissioner Roy Brooks for their leadership in health care reform. She then focused on the Obama Administration’s commitment to governing differently. “The thinking needs to be different. It has to be people and place-based,” she said. “The days of the federal government thinking and talking and working in silos is over.”

She acknowledged that “we cannot approach problems at a city-state level -- counties deliver many services and must be involved.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Vilsack, speaking at the March 9 luncheon, stressed the importance and resilience of rural counties during his luncheon address at the Legislative Conference.

“People talk about the recession, but the rural communities have been dealing with conditions like this for years,” he said.

Despite rural America’s experience dealing with difficult economic circumstances, Vilsack said the current loose confederation of small towns would likely not survive. “Many small communities won’t be able to tackle this alone,” he said. “They must combine forces to create a vibrant economy.”

He advocated any program that encourages a regional approach to rural planning.

The Agriculture Department will address rural issues through a variety of programs, including expanding broadband access, optimizing bio-fuel energy production and food supply capacities, and expanding ecosystem markets and natural habitats.

The challenges rural Americans face tempers them into a resource for the county as a whole. “The value system of the country is at stake, more than jobs, poverty rates and income levels,” he said. “We undervalue farmers and ranchers, when if we paid them for the work they did, they’d get contracts like professional athletes.”

Posted: March 11, 2010

Fish restoration could be a catch for Rio Vista

Fish restoration could be a catch for Rio Vista
By Matt Weiser / The Sacramento Bee
Posted: 03/12/2010 01:02:06 AM PST


One of many empty buildings at the old abandoned Army base located in Rio Vista is seen in 2003. (Joel Rosenbaum / The Reporter)

Rio Vista, long a hub for levee building and dredging in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, could find its next fortune in fish restoration.
Solano County's smallest city is being courted by a who's who of state and federal agencies that see a former U.S. Army property on the waterfront as an ideal home for Delta research.
The latest proposal is for a federal fish-breeding project to raise "refuge" populations of several species in case they go extinct in the wild.
"It would be perfect for these uses," said Rio Vista Mayor Jan Vick. "Nobody has any money for it yet, but we're pushing because it's becoming more urgent so research in the Delta can proceed efficiently."
The property has been eyed for a joint state-federal science center. The city also wants public recreation and interpretive facilities on the site.
The 28-acre property was first developed in 1911 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for levee building and dredging operations. It later became a training site for riverine military operations, then an Army Reserve center.
Centrally located in the Delta, it offers a long waterfront wharf, a large marine railway, and many building sites well above the water. It lies between a marina and a U.S. Coast Guard station.
The city bought the site for $30,000 in 2003 as part of the military base-closure process.
Since 2003, state and federal agencies have wanted a science center on the property to consolidate environmental research and monitoring.
Ted Sommer, program manager at the state Department of Water Resources, said state water contractors have agreed to pay the state's share of costs for the science center, which could accommodate a staff of 160 on about 10 acres.
The project already has a nifty government acronym: RIVERS, or Rio Vista Estuarine Research Station.
"We're still keen on building this facility, though certainly it hasn't gone as quickly as we had hoped," Sommer said. "Being able to share resources is a big part of it. We think having people together would help us make better science."
More recently, the Obama administration identified the Rio Vista site for a large fish-breeding operation. Dubbed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an "Aquatic Technology Center," it would breed imperiled species in case they go extinct in the wild.
The service already maintains a "refuge" population of Delta smelt at a hatchery near Redding. But it wants to move the operation closer to the Delta, and to breed other species if necessary, including longfin smelt, Sacramento splittail, Sacramento perch and green sturgeon, said Bob Clarke, the agency's acting assistant regional director.
"We're starting to think ahead of time so that we're prepared," he said. "Other fish are hard-pressed, and we don't want to get in a position of building a facility that can only handle Delta smelt."
The service has no money for the facility. But on Monday it hosts a daylong science conference at the University of California, Davis to discuss how such a facility could serve a variety of species.
Rio Vista, meanwhile, is pressing federal representatives for funding, said Vick.
"We're very excited about it," she said. "We really need to be able to get some economic benefit out of this property."
For more information about Monday's science conference, visit http://caba.ucdavis.edu/activities.

Fewer deaths reported on highways through Solano County in '09

By The Reporter, Vacaville and Associated Press reports
Posted: 03/12/2010 01:01:50 AM PST

A CHP officer enters eastbound Interstate 80 at North Texas Street in Fairfield on Thursday. Road improvements, increased seatbelt use and stepped up speed enforcement have helped lower Solano County's traffic-related fatalities. (Rick Roach/The Reporter, Vacaville)
U.S. highway deaths have fallen to their lowest levels since the 1950s, as more motorists bought into buckling up and embraced safety innovations. A sour economy that dampened traveling instincts also was a contributor.

The U.S. Transportation Department said Thursday that its projections show total traffic deaths declined nearly 9 percent in 2009 -- to 33,963. That's the lowest toll since 1954. In 2008, an estimated 37,261 people died on the highway.

Highway safety officials also reported a record low fatality rate, the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. It fell to 1.15 in 2009, compared with a record low -- at the time -- of 1.25 in 2008.

Highway deaths have dropped steadily since 2005, when an estimated 43,510 people were killed.

In Solano County, highway safety statistics have also been on the decline.

The California Highway Patrol said there were

33 traffic fatalities in Solano County in 2008 (the most recent year for which statistics are available). That figure was down from 47 deaths in 2007.

"And that means 14 more people made it to Christmas, 14 more people could spend Thanksgiving with their families," said Sgt. Trent Cross with the CHP's Golden Gate Division, which serves Solano County. "Every day our goal out there is to save lives on the road."

The number of injury accidents in Solano County also declined to

1,735 in 2008 from 1,810 in 2007.

Cross attributes the decline in fatalities and injuries to

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a number of things.
"It's a combination of education and public safety campaigns, which are just as important as enforcement," he said. "And also just good old-fashioned enforcement.

"And we focus on speed, seat-belt use and those who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol because statistics show that is where we are losing lives."

Statewide, the CHP reported there were 3,113 fatal crashes in 2008, resulting in the deaths of 3,401 people.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he was encouraged by the national data but said there were still "far too many people dying in traffic accidents.

"Drivers need to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their focus on the road in order to stay safe," LaHood said.

Safety experts attribute the reductions to increased seat-belt use, progress in targeting drunken driving and more enforcement of traffic laws. Others point to the sluggish economy, which typically leads fewer people to drive.

Preliminary data by the Federal Highway Administration showed that vehicle miles traveled in 2009 grew by about 6.6 billion miles, or about a

0.2 percent increase. That followed fewer miles logged by American drivers in 2008 and 2007.

The decline in roadway deaths follow similar patterns formed during the early 1980s and early 1990s, when difficult economic conditions led many drivers to cut back on discretionary travel.

But the reductions also come in the wake of years of safety improvements. Seat-belt use climbed to 84 percent in 2009, helped by efforts in states to let police stop a vehicle for a seat-belt violation, even if this is the only violation an officer observes.

Side air bags that protect the head and midsection are also becoming standard equipment on many new vehicles and electronic stability control, which helps motorists avoid rollover crashes, is more common on new cars and trucks.

Additionally, states have pushed tough laws to reduce drunken driving and the federal government has urged states to adopt more stringent laws against distracted driving and drivers who type out text messages from behind the wheel.

SSU conference ‘call to action’ on economy gets response

SSU conference ‘call to action’ on economy gets response
Posted By Jenna V. Loceff, Business Journal Staff Reporter On March 8, 2010 @ 4:35 am In Banking and Finance, Cities and Counties, Conference Reports, Education, Employment, Events, Green, Industry News | No Comments

SSU’s Silver: ‘I think that people believe in the North Bay’

NORTH BAY – “This is a call to action,” said Dr. William Silver, dean of the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University when he opened its annual economic outlook conference Feb. 25.

This year, in addition to the political and economic outlook by Brian Sobel, Dr. Rob Eyler and Brian Pretti and the panel of speakers, Dr. Silver handed out a “Call to Action” that he asked the more than 200 attendees to sign.

He wanted people to pledge whether they are willing to do any or all of the following: be an ambassador for the North Bay; connect a start-up businesses to the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster; elect public officials who support sustainable economic development; help create or fund a regional economic development corporation; advocate for policies that support regional prosperity; invest in North Bay businesses; play, eat, drink and give local; and invest in local education.

“It is interesting,” he said of the information that has been aggregated so far from more than 100 forms returned. “The first thing that struck me is how many people are checking more than one or almost all of the boxes.”

He said he was surprised people were willing to fill it out and to do so enthusiastically.

“I think that people believe in the North Bay,” he said. “Sometimes you have to hold a mirror up for people to see that there are things they can do.”

He said in addition to the individual pledges, he thinks that collectively there is a shared vision of economic development, and if people come together and get an inventory of existing resources and align them, and create a strategic action plan and move on key initiatives, real economic development can take place.

“We should focus on a couple of programs that are already in place,” he said, “triple bottom line programs like the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program.”

He also mentioned the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce’s Worksite Held Employee English Learning courses, the Small Business Development Center and the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster.

“Businesses that exist in groups like the business cluster,” he said, “have an 85 percent chance of success versus 10 percent chance that is the national standard.”

People who filled out the call to action will be contacted throughout the year so at next year’s conference the school can publish the results.

The rest of the conference was as follows: Brian Pretti, senior vice president at Mechanics Bank, provided a macroeconomic forecast indicating a dramatic shift from past economic cycles and suggestions for how businesses should prepare differently for the future.

Dr. Rob Eyler, chair of economics at SSU and director of the Center for Regional Economic Analysis, gave a North Bay economic analysis.

Brian Sobel, principal consultant for Sobel Communications, talked about the local and national political climate and its impact on conducting business.

Tracey Grose, vice president of research and strategic development at Collaborative Economics, shared numbers on the emerging green economy, described the core concepts of a green economy and outlined the opportunity that exists for North Bay policy makers to spur business growth.

Naheed Ali of the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program covered how this program has translated into economic development, generating money going into the community.

Michael Ammann, president of the Solano Economic Development Corp., discussed how Solano has structured its economic redevelopment according to the broader context of growing clusters in the greater mega-region.

Jeri Gill, CEO of Sustainable Napa County, gave an example of successful private-public-NGO collaboration in Napa.

The speakers’ PowerPoint presentations along with the Call to Action form are available at www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com in the resources section of the Web site. Readers can also find a PDF of a special “The Time is Now” section prepared for SSU by the Business Journal.

Article printed from North Bay Business Journal: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com

URL to article: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/18999/ssu-conference-call-to-action-on-economy-gets-response/

Stem Cell Research Facility coming to UC Davis

Stem Cell Research Facility coming to UC Davis
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - Press Release
Rocklin & Roseville Today http://www.rocklintoday.com/

$62 million project in Sacramento promises to advance regenerative medicine

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The new, $62 million UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures, a facility supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), officially opens Wednesday, March 10, on the university’s Sacramento campus.

The invitation-only, grand-opening ceremony at the newly refurbished building begins at 3 p.m. at 2921 Stockton Blvd. Parking is available on the east side of the building and can be accessed from either Second Avenue or Broadway.

The event will feature remarks by Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor for Human Health Sciences at UC Davis and dean of the School of Medicine; Robert Klein, CIRM chairman; Jan Nolta, director, UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures; Judy Roberson, president, Northern California Chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America; and Kevin and Teresa Partington, parents of twins who suffer from cystinosis, a rare, hereditary disorder.

The new facility is the first of several major, CIRM-supported laboratories to open. The state’s stem cell agency provided key funding for the initial phase of the project, which is envisioned to be a $100-million hub for regenerative medicine research that eventually will house more than 200 UC Davis scientists and laboratory personnel

“Within this new stem cell institute, our scientists and physicians, from a wide range of disciplines, are working together to innovate and discover answers for people with serious injury and illness from across the state and around the world,” said Pomeroy. “This facility gives the best minds in medicine the tools they need to turn stem cells into cures.”

The 109,000 square-foot building on Stockton Boulevard originally was part of the old California State Fairgrounds. Over the past 18 months, construction crews renovated 54,000 square feet of space, creating new research facilities that include Northern California’s largest academic Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory, a state-of-the-art suite of rooms that will enable scientists to safely prepare and manufacture cellular therapies for clinical trials.

Designed to maximize research collaboration and innovation, the new Institute for Regenerative Cures will be a centralized location for researchers from departments and programs throughout UC Davis as well as a shared-research facility for other institutions to use. The initial phase of the project provides space for approximately 20 senior scientists and 115 other researchers and technicians.

"This is an exciting day, not only for UC Davis but for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the entire state of California,” said Robert Klein, chair of the CIRM Governing Board. “Proposition 71’s initial ‘push’ for the construction of new research facilities, like the UC Davis Institute for Regenerative Cures, will now generate the long-term funding ‘pull’ from the outstanding scientists and clinicians who will be housed in these facilities and who will strive to obtain supplemental public and private resources to drive stem cell research and therapy developments for California patients and their families."

Researchers will move all of their equipment into the building in the coming weeks. They are working toward launching several clinical trials using adult stem cells to explore potential treatments for Huntington’s disease, retinal occlusion (vision impairment) and peripheral vascular disease. UC Davis researchers already have treated four patients with adult stem cells to repair tissues damaged by heart attacks. The new GMP suite will greatly expand the university’s ability to test novel treatments and therapies.

“What is exciting about this facility is that it is designed to integrate basic science and clinical medicine,” said Nolta, who is a professor of internal medicine. “UC Davis now has 15 disease-specific teams, with expertise ranging from liver and kidney diseases to cancer, HIV, blood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. Bringing together this clinical knowledge and laboratory experience keeps the primary focus on patient needs and helps us rapidly advance the opportunities to find cures.”

Clinical and research programs throughout the university are playing active roles in the disease- team work. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine provides unique benefits to the stem cell program not found at other institutions. Equine research experts in Davis are working closely with Nolta and her team to develop techniques that will help in bone and tissue regeneration in horses and to treat spinal cord injuries for dogs. Those research outcomes will help guide similar studies involving bone and tissue regeneration in humans.

The institute also benefits from its location on UC Davis’ Sacramento campus, where nearby facilities include a nationally designated cancer center, a renowned neurodevelopmental institute, state-of-the-art imaging and biophotonics programs, and UC Davis Medical Center. The ability to renovate a large, existing building also provided crucial advantages for the stem cell program.

“UC Davis chose to spend its CIRM funding on state-of-the-art equipment, not fancy building facades or design,” said Pomeroy. “It allowed us to accelerate construction and focus on quickly creating a unique facility that will support our researchers to fully concentrate on addressing critical health challenges faced by the patients and communities we serve.”

Plans call for the remaining 38,000 square feet of space to be built out as new grants and other funding becomes available. The building already houses the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health and complements much of the research work that soon will be taking place within the new institute.

Rocklin & Roseville Today http://www.rocklintoday.com/

Fairfield's central location ideal for business grow

Fairfield's central location ideal for business growth
By Brian Miller and Karl Dumas | | March 05, 2010 17:51
Fairfield's central Solano County location, economical lease rates and choice building inventory is proving to be a big plus in a regional economy struggling in many respects. Fairfield continues to attract interest from industrial companies and national and regional retail and restaurant operators who are still looking for new markets or expansion.

The Gateway/Westfield Solano mall area is the county's biggest shopping area and provides an important critical mass of customers needed by shopping, food and entertainment user to be successful. Westfield Solano alone receives more than 1 million monthly customer visits, and many of these visits spill over into the adjoining retail and restaurant venues.

If a national or regional retailer/restaurant is looking for a Solano County location, the Fairfield Gateway/Westfield Solano mall area is one of the most obvious choices. This appears to be especially true for the casual dining category, with Fairfield a hotspot for restaurant concepts.

Rumor has it that a well-known purveyor of fish tacos and authentic Mexican cuisine is headed to the former Baja Fresh site on Travis Boulevard (near Jamba Juice and Starbucks). After scouring several sites around town, the Westfield Solano location took top honors. Fish taco aficionados will have another local option.

Westfield Solano mall is also rumored to have signed a lease for a casual food/bar scene operator to locate on the back part of the mall. And from what we hear, the restaurant may have more than 250 seats and an outdoor dining area. Tenant improvements would take time to construct but the restaurant could potentially be open by summer.

This type of casual restaurant/sports bar concept may benefit from the proximity to the 24 Hour Fitness Center located a short walk away. The 24 Hour Fitness has been extremely popular, with membership tripling since moving from the old Travis Boulevard location. And people are hungry and thirsty after expending energy at the gym.

Reliable sources are also telling us that the currently vacant Marie Callender's space has a 'casual dining' national restaurant chain interested in the space. Nearby, the city's Redevelopment Agency recently agreed to terms on a new ground lease with Fresh Choice Restaurant so it could continue its operation at the corner of Travis and Gateway boulevards. The former Circuit City building is also abuzz with rumors of strong tenant interest.

Afghani food is also making its way to the Gateway area. The former restaurant space vacated by M&S Tasty Burgers (adjacent to Coldstone, Chipotle and Quiznos) will soon be home to Afghan Tandoor. The food can probably best be described as a combination of Indian and Persian and other central Asian cuisines, some of which are cooked in a Tandoor-type oven. Lovers of kebabs and rice dishes can rejoice.

We have written before about the Frank-Lin Distillers Products Ltd. project on Huntington Drive and Peabody Road but it is surely worth mentioning that they are getting statewide attention. The company has applied to use tax-exempt Recovery Zone Facility bonds to finance $22 million of its anticipated $34 million project for its 296,000-square-foot building.

And Fairfield's attraction to industrial users is also evident in the recent Cablecom occupancy of a building of about 45,000 square feet on Chadbourne Road. Cablecom is a leading cable network company that partners for Internet, analog and digital TV and phone services.

News broke last week about interest from a buyer looking to occupy the empty Ford dealership building, and now we hear rumors of interest from other companies looking at the former Chrysler building on Auto Mall Parkway. All this activity solidifies our memorable slogan: 'Fairfield, Heart of Solano County.'

Economic Notes is an update from Fairfield City Hall written by Brian Miller and Karl Dumas of the Fairfield Planning and Development Department. They can be contacted at 428-7461 or e-mail at kdumas@ci.fairfield.ca.us or bkmiller@ci.fairfield.ca.us.

Stem cell research center to open at UC Davis med center

Friday, March 5, 2010, 10:13am PST
Stem cell research center to open at UCD med center
Sacramento Business Journal - by Kathy Robertson Staff writer

UC Davis will open a $62 million stem cell facility Wednesday at its medical center campus in Sacramento.

The 90,000-square-foot facility is the first major stem cell laboratory supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to open in the state.

The state’s stem cell agency provided $20 million for the project, which involved renovation of an existing building and construction of a unique laboratory to help speed development of stem cell treatment testing.

The facility, located at 2921 Stockton Blvd., will be the hub for regenerative medicine at UC Davis. The campus has received 15 grants from the institute totaling more than $49 million.

The new facility includes laboratories and related research space, including the largest Good Manufacturing Practice facility in Northern California. The federally certified suite of lab rooms will enable researchers to safely prepare cellular therapies for clinical trials.

Initial construction of the building, originally part of the old California State Fairgrounds, took less than two years. About 54,000-square-feet has been redesigned for more than a dozen senior scientists and about 115 other researchers, technicians and laboratory support personnel.

The remaining unfinished portions of the building will be completed as new grants and funds become available.