COUNTYWIDE : Board Joins Study of County Economy

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to join with businesses and school officials to devise a county plan for economic growth by 2010.

Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, one of the founding members of Partnership 2010, has been working to form the coalition since 1990. The county’s formal move to join the group will get things going, she said.

“We need a new way to govern--a way that will give the private sector more input,” Wieder said. “This coalition will bring everybody that is affected by government policies to the table to figure out where the county is going.”

The main goal of Partnership 2010 is to survey county businesses about their future employee and expansion plans. The coalition’s purpose is to help keep businesses from leaving the county.

“We’re not just talking about catering to big business. We want to find out what all employers need to stay in the county,” Wieder said. “Is it cheaper housing for employees? Or better trained employees? That kind of thing.”

The inclusion of school officials in the coalition, Wieder said, will allow students to develop a better understanding of what skills will be marketable when they graduate.

Other Partnership 2010 board members include J. Robert Fluor, senior vice president of Fluor Corp.; Irvine Mayor Sally Ann Sheridan; Jon Anderson, managing partner of Latham & Watkins; Monica Florian, senior vice president of the Irvine Co., and Kathleen Jones, vice chancellor of UC Irvine, among others.

Florian said the coalition will provide businesses with an opportunity to work with government and other businesses to bolster the county’s economy.

“We need to know what creates a healthy economy in Orange County,” Florian said. “By being at the table together, we can learn from each other what is needed to spur the economy.”