Following 18 community meetings, nearly 4,000 online surveys, two dozen expert roundtables and input from the county’s 24 cities, the Countywide Vision will be considered for endorsement Thursday night.
The Board of Supervisors and the San Bernardino Associated Governments board will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Maloof Foundation for Arts & Crafts in Rancho Cucamonga for a special joint public meeting to endorse the Vision, which can be viewed at https://cao-vision.sbcounty.gov/ in an interactive format. The Maloof Foundation is located at 5131 Carnelian Street.
“The ‘Vision’ is designed by the people of San Bernardino County to project the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams for their communities,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Josie Gonzales. “To ensure success the ‘Vision’ needs to be adopted and embraced.”
The Vision includes the five-paragraph Vision statement, information on how the Vision was identified, detailed elements of the Vision, examples of local programs that can be replicated to help achieve the Vision, results of the online surveys, and a sample of the Letters from the Future written by county residents during the 18 community meetings conducted in January and February.
Starting in November 2010, the Vision Project launched a series of more than two dozen roundtable discussions with experts in education, the economy, the environment, public safety, tourism, and community service to find out what they see as the county’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential.
In January and early February, the project convened 18 community meetings throughout the county and asked hundreds of residents to paint a picture of what they want the county to become 20 years from now. Thousands of residents completed online surveys and said they are pleased with the county’s recreational opportunities and affordable housing options, but concerned about the availability of good jobs and
about improving the county’s image. They want an honest and open government that will focus on creating jobs and enhancing public safety. The project also met with representatives of each of the 24 cities and towns, and digested each of their general plans.
The Vision Team spent many months crunching and analyzing the data from the meetings, plans, and surveys. What emerged is a Vision of a complete, sustainable community that creates and retains jobs by producing an educated workforce while making the county’s communities safe and livable.
The Vision statement is as follows: We envision a complete county that capitalizes on the diversity of its people, its geography, and its economy to create a broad range of choices for its residents in how they live, work, and play.
We envision a vibrant economy with a skilled workforce that attracts employers who seize the opportunities presented by the county’s unique advantages and provide the jobs that create countywide prosperity.
We envision a sustainable system of high‐quality education, community health, public safety, housing, retail, recreation, arts and culture, and
infrastructure, in which development complements our natural resources and environment.
We envision a model community which is governed in an open and ethical manner, where great ideas are replicated and brought to scale, and all sectors work collaboratively to reach shared goals.
From our valleys, across our mountains, and into our deserts, we envision a county that is a destination for visitors and a home for anyone seeking a sense of community and the best life has to offer.