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"California has a unique opportunity to further its efforts to build a'regions' approach to development that brings together goals surrounding economy, equity, and environment," says Ashley Swearengin, former mayor of Fresno and current president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, per the Public Policy Initiative of California.

That means investing in rural parts of the state, she says, "actually means a brighter future for other parts of the state."

That's why the Little Hoover Commission is applauding Gov.

Gavin Newsom's $600 million Regional Investment Initiative, launched in 2021 to support regional economic development efforts.

The initiative "offered a tremendous opportunity for the state to strengthen and expand existing grassroots coalitions and accelerate more inclusive and sustainable regional economic growth," the commission found in a November 2022 report, per the Fresno Bee.

But the commission also found that the initiative suffered from challenges, including balancing among different outcome goals, ensuring that regions receive the scale of investment necessary to change their economic trajectories, and coordinating the range of state programs that can support inclusive regional economic development.

In its report, the commission also recommended that the state better support regions as they seek to execute economic development strategies, such as focusing on industries with high growth potential and connecting members of disadvantaged communities with the quality

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