字幕列表 影片播放 列印英文字幕 [ INAUDIBLE DISCUSSIONS ] >> THE MOST PLEASANT OF MY ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES FOR TODAY IS TO INTRODUCE OUR PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT PARA HAS HAD A LONG AND DEDICATED CAREER AT CSULB FOR 12 YEARS. HE WAS CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC. HE'S BEEN BOTH AN ASSOCIATE DEAN AND THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF THE ARTS. HE SERVED AS BOTH INTERIM PROVOST AND PROVOST AND NOW, HE IS OUR INTERIM PRESIDENT. WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE DR. PARA AS OUR PRESIDENT THIS YEAR AND MY SADDEST OF MY ALTERNATIVE DUTIES TODAY IS TO KNOW THAT THIS IS LIKELY THE LAST ECONOMIC FORUM THAT HE WILL JOIN US FOR AS HE IS STARTING A MUCH DESERVED RETIREMENT THIS SUMMER. IF I TOOK TIME TO REVIEW EVEN JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS OF ALL OF DON PARA'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO CSULB OVER THE YEARS, WE WOULD BE HERE FOR SOME TIME. SO, LET ME JUST SAY THAT FOR TWO DECADES, WHEN THIS UNIVERSITY ASK DON PARA TO TAKE UP A NEW CHALLENGE TO WAIT INTO A COMPLEX PROBLEM AND MOST RECENTLY TO CSU SOME VERY DIFFICULT ECONOMIC TIMES, HE NOT ONLY ACCEPTED THOSE CALLS BUT HE DID SO WITH DEDICATION AND INSIGHT. IT'S MY GREAT PLEASURE TODAY TO INTRODUCE THE PRESIDENT OF CAL STATE LONG BEACH, DR. DONALD J. PARA. [ APPLAUSE ] >> THANK YOU FOR THAT VERY KIND INTRODUCTION, DAVID. NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ALONE. THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT TEAM OF PEOPLE WORKING AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH FOR A LONG TIME. AND ONE OF THE REASONS THAT IT WORKS IS THAT WE HAVE A VERY SIMPLE REDIRECT MISSION AND THAT'S ABOUT STUDENTS AND STUDENT SUCCESS, GRADUATING STUDENTS, GETTING THEM UNDER THEIR LIFE, GETTING THEM INTO THE CAREER, GETTING THEM TO GRAD SCHOOL, WHEREVER THEY'RE GOING TO GO. THAT'S BEEN OUR FOCUS. THAT'S BEEN OUR MISSION FOR A LONG TIME AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WE SUCCEED AND I KNOW THAT'S WHY THAT CAL STATE LONG BEACH IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE AND I HAVE BEEN HONORED TO BE THERE FOR 26 YEARS. AND JUST BECAUSE I'M RETIRING DOESN'T MEAN I WON'T BE COMING BACK TO THE ECONOMIC FORUM. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE IN THIS SECOND DAY OF SPRING. I HAVE A DAUGHTER WHO LIVES IN CHICAGO. IT'S THE SECOND DAY OF SPRING THERE BUT THEY DON'T KNOW IT YET BECAUSE IT'S BEEN-- IT WAS BEEN A VERY TOUGH WINTER. I'VE BEEN ATTENDING THESE FORUMS FOR MANY YEARS AND ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT I LEARN ABOUT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AND THEN THE LARGER ECONOMY AND THE IMPACT THAT'S GOING TO HAVE AND THE DECISIONS THAT WE ALL MAKE FOR THE FUTURE. A GREAT CITY NEEDS A GREAT UNIVERSITY AND A GREAT UNIVERSITY NEEDS A GREAT CITY. WE HAVE THAT KIND OF REALITY IN LONG BEACH. PART OF THIS PACKAGE, PART OF THIS PACKAGE WITH THE CITY AND THE EDUCATION WHAT THIS IS, THE LONG BEACH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, AN OUTSTANDING SCHOOL DISTRICT. LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE, AN OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND THE UNIVERSITY. WE'RE ALL FORTUNATE TO BE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY THAT HAS THIS KIND OF COHESIVENESS AND THIS KIND OF DIRECTION THAT WE ALL WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND THE EDUCATIONAL ENTITIES ALSO INCLUDES ONGOING INTERACTION AND DIALOGUE. A PART OF OUR PARTNERSHIP AND THIS IS GRADUATING STUDENTS AND THROUGH OTHER EFFORTS THAT WE CREATE TO SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY AND VITALITY OF THIS COMMUNITY. TWO NIGHTS AGO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD A MAYORAL DEBATE ON OUR CAMPUS. WE WERE VERY HONORED TO HAVE IT ON OUR CAMPUS. SEVERAL OF THE CANDIDATES ARE HERE TODAY. DOUG OTTO IS HERE. BONNIE LOWENTHAL IS HERE. [ APPLAUSE ] AND IT WAS A VIGOROUS DEBATE. IT WAS AN INFORMATIVE DEBATE AND IT-- LET'S JUST ALL KNOW HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE TO HAVE LEADERS LIKE THOSE PEOPLE AND THE OTHER THREE WHO ARE AT THE DEBATE IN OUR CITY. WE WILL BE IN GOOD HANDS. ALSO, THANKS TO THE LOS ANGELES NEWS GROUP AND THE PT, OUR ASSOCIATED STUDENTS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION FOR BEING THE ONES TO LEAD THAT EFFORT. EFFORTS SUCH AS THE REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM HELP US TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT ARE VITALLY IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US. THESE QUESTIONS INCLUDE, HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE MORE CSULB GRADUATES TO STAY AND WORK IN LONG BEACH? HOW CAN ENTITIES LIKE THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH PROVIDE EXPERTISE TO THE COMMUNITY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PROVIDING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR STUDENTS? HOW DO WE, THE UNIVERSITY AND THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER CREATE THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY FOR OUR AREA? AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO PLAY KEY ROLES AND THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY AND UNIVERSITY AND IN DRIVING UNIVERSITY FORWARD AND WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY IS DR. HEATHER STEPHENS WHO YOU WILL HEAR FROM TODAY. DR. STEVENS IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EDUCATOR WHO IS ALSO A VERY VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. DR. STEVENS WILL LEAD OFF THE FORUM WITH A REGIONAL ECONOMIC OVERVIEW PRESENTATION. FOLLOWING THAT, WE ARE PLEASED TO WELCOME THREE INDUSTRY EXPERTS WHO WILL SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS INTO THE CURRENT ISSUES IN THEIR INDUSTRIES AND THE IMPACT THEY WILL HAVE ON OUR AREA. THANK YOU TO NOELLE HACEGABA, DIANA HENDEL, AND MARIO RODRIGUEZ FOR JOINING US TODAY. [ APPLAUSE ] DISCUSSION AND QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE WILL FOLLOW AND THEN THERE WILL BE TIME FOR INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS AND DIALOGUES. WE VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE FORUM AND OF CAL STATE LONG BEACH, A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE PRESENTATIONS AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. [ APPLAUSE ] [ PAUSE ] >> THE LAST OF MY ALTERNATIVE ASSIGNMENTS FOR TODAY IS TO INTRODUCE DR. HEATHER STEPHENS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS. DR. STEPHENS HAS HAD THE UNENVIABLE TASK OF FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE AMENABLE JOE MAGADDINO WHO PRESENTED THE ECONOMIC FORECAST FOR YEARS WITH THE KINDS OF ACUMEN AND THE PLUM THAT REALLY CAN'T BE DUPLICATED. AND HEATHER HAS WISELY DECIDED NOT TO DO THAT. ALTHOUGH, AS-- IF YOU WERE HERE LAST YEAR, YOU SEE THAT THE APPROACH SHE HAS TAKEN AND THE ANALYSIS THAT SHE BRINGS-- THAT SHE'S REALLY MORE THAN CAPABLE OF FILLING THOSE RATHER LARGE SHOES. I'VE BEEN DELIGHTED WITH THE WAY THAT DR. STEPHENS HAS WORKED TO ENSURE THAT THIS EVENT AND THE ANALYSIS THAT INFORMANT RESPOND TO THE PARTICULAR COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS CONCERNS THAT THIS ASSEMBLED GROUP REPRESENTS. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE TO BID YOU FAREWELL AT THIS POINT TO GET BACK TO THE UNIVERSITY ABOUT 100 OF MY FACULTY I'M MEETING RIGHT NOW AND THOSE OF YOU WHO RUN BIG GROUPS, NO, YOU DON'T LEAVE A GROUP LIKE THAT ALONE FOR VERY LONG. [ LAUGHTER ] HOWEVER, I'M VERY HAPPY TO LEAVE YOU IN THE VERY CAPABLE HANDS OF DR. HEATHER STEPHENS. THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] [ PAUSE ] >> ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, PEOPLE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS WILL NOT BE AT THAT MEETING, DAVID [LAUGHS]. SO, THANK YOU, DEAN WALLACE AND THANK YOU, PRESIDENT PARA. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND THE SUPPORT OF OTHER PEOPLE FROM THE UNIVERSITY FOR THIS EVENT. WELCOME TO THE 2014 CSULB REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM. TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE GREATER LONG BEACH ECONOMY AND WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM THE PANEL A DISTINGUISHED LOCAL INDUSTRY EXPERTS THAT DR. PARA MENTIONED TO YOU. BUT BEFORE I BEGIN, I THINK I WANT TO START BY THANKING THE MANY PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO MAKE TODAY'S EVENT A SUCCESS. FIRST, I WANT TO START BY THANKING THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS. I DON'T KNOW IF DIANE WHO IS AT THE BACK CAN HERE ME BUT DIANE GOT HERE EVEN BEFORE I DID THIS MORNING AND BETWEEN HER AND CERISE [ASSUMED SPELLING] SIMPLY COULD NOT HAVE PULLED OFF THE LOGISTICS OF TODAY'S EVENT. I ALSO WANT TO GIVE A STRONG THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE SUPPORT AND HELP FROM SMG AND THE LONG BEACH CONVENTION AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTER ESPECIALLY AND INCLUDING SAVOR AND THE PROJECTIONS. THEY TOO ARE THE ONES MAKING THIS EVENT FLOW SMOOTHLY. I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF BEACON ECONOMICS WHO CONTRIBUTED THE ANALYSIS THAT YOU CAN SEE IN YOUR FOLDERS ABOUT COMMUTING PATTERNS AND ALSO THAT I WILL TALK ABOUT IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION. I WANT TO THANK DEAN WALLACE AND THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS EVEN THOUGH HE HAS LEFT. MY DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS COLLEAGUES, SEVERAL OF WHOM ARE HERE SITTING IN THE AUDIENCE WITH YOU. ANNETTE KONIECZKA [ASSUMED SPELLING], A SENIOR ECONOMICS MAJOR WHO HELPED ME WITH MUCH OF THE ANALYSIS THAT I WILL PRESENT TO YOU AND SIMPLY I COULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN ALL TOGETHER IN TIME WITHOUT HER HELP. I ALSO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE OTHER STUDENT VOLUNTEERS WHO WERE HERE GREETING YOU, CHECKING YOU IN AND WHO ARE NOW SITTING AMONG YOU TODAY, ALSO HOPEFULLY INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY. BEFORE I START THOUGH, I ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE SPONSORS. ALL OF YOU WHO CAME TODAY, WE COULD NOT DO THIS EVENT WITHOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT. SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM AND GOLD SPONSORS, THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, BEACON ECONOMICS, LONG BEACH CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU, THE DOWNTOWN LONG BEACH ASSOCIATES, LA COUNTY SUPERVISOR DON KNABE AND MOLINA HEALTHCARE. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] AND THEN THE MANY PEOPLE WHO SPONSORED AT THE SILVER LEVEL BUT I WOULD BE HERE FOR A WHILE LISTING ALL OF THEIR NAMES. LAST YEAR AT MY FIRST REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM, I HONORED THE TRADITION OF JOE MAGADDINO BY PICKING A MOVING TO KICK OFF MY PRESENTATION. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD BEEN TO HIS PREVIOUS FORUMS, HE HAD A WHOLE SLIDESHOW OF CURRENT MOVIES AND LINKED THEM TO CURRENT EVENTS. WELL, I DECIDED THAT REALLY WASN'T GOING TO BE MY APPROACH. BUT LAST YEAR, I DECIDED TO DO A MOVIE AND SO THIS YEAR, I'M GOING TO DO ONE AGAIN. WHEN I WAS PREPARING MY PRESENTATION, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A MOVIE COMING OUT, THE "NEED FOR SPEED." AND IT'S OUT AND I LIKED AARON PAUL IN BREAKING BAD BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SEE THIS MOVIE. IT LOOKS REALLY STUPID TO ME. [ LAUGHTER ] WHEN I THOUGHT THE TILE AND THE TOPIC OF THE MOVIE WAS REALLY RELEVANT FOR TODAY. FIRST, WE HAVE THE UPCOMING GRAN PRIX. AND AS MANY OF YOU SAW WHEN YOU CAME IN, THE BARRICADES ARE ALREADY UP AND WE ACTUALLY-- THAT'S WHY WE HAD TO SEND YOU THAT SORT OF CIRCUITOUS ROUTE TO GET TO THE BALLROOM TODAY. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A LOT OF EXCITEMENT ABOUT THAT STARTING AND I UNDERSTAND THE AIRPORT GOT ITS CAR THIS WEEK AS WELL AND IT'S NOW SITTING INSIDE THE AIRPORTS. THE NEXT YOU FLY OUT, YOU MIGHT SEE IT THERE. AND OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S THE DEBATE ON WHETHER THE FORMAT AND-- IS GOING TO CHANGE AND THERE'S BEEN SOME DELAY ON THAT BUT GRAN PRIX IS ON PEOPLE'S MINDS IN LONG BEACH. AND SECOND OF ALL BECAUSE THE NEED-- BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE ECONOMY NEEDS. IT NEEDS A LITTLE BIT MORE SPEED BECAUSE WELL, WE'RE DOING BETTER. RECOVERY IS STILL A LITTLE BIT SLOW. SO, HOPEFULLY, OUR DISCUSSION TODAY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A GREATER DISCUSSION ABOUT THE GREATER LONG BEACH ECONOMY AND HOW WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND CAPITALIZE ON AREA-- ON WAYS TO MAKE THINGS GROW FASTER WHILE MINIMIZING ROADBLOCKS THAT WILL MAKE IT HARD FOR US TO ACHIEVE THAT SPEED. SO, LET'S GET STARTED. BEFORE WE CAN TALK ABOUT LONG BEACH, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE SETTING THAT WE ARE OPERATING IN. CLEARLY, WE ARE OPERATING IN A TIME OF GLOBAL TENSION. THE ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA BY RUSSIA THIS WEEK CREATES LOTS OF POSSIBILITIES FOR ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AND THEY'RE ALREADY BEING IMPLEMENTED AS WE SPEAK. THIS CONTRIBUTES TO THE OTHER MAJOR, GLOBAL INSTABILITIES WE'RE ALREADY ALL AWARE OFF, SYRIA, AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, I COULD GO ON FOR A LONG TIME. WHAT ABOUT THE GLOBAL ECONOMY? WELL, THE 2014 GLOBAL FORECAST IS ABOUT 3 TO 3 AND A HALF PERCENT GROWTH AND THAT IS AN INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR. BUT ONE OF MY CONCERNS IS THAT THOSE FORECASTS ASSUME THAT EUROPE IS GOING TO BE RECOVERING MORE THIS YEAR AND CLEARLY WITH THE NEW STANDOFF OVER CRIMEA AND THE POTENTIAL THAT THAT COULD HAVE TO DISRUPT THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIES, WE DO HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED THAT THOSE GROWTH RATES MAY NOT BE REALIZED. THERE'S ALSO SOME TALK THAT CHINA, MAYBE IT WON'T SLOW DOWN THIS YEAR BUT DEFINITELY BY 2015, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE REALLY NEED TO BE AWARE OF AS YOU'LL SEE WHEN I TALK ABOUT TRADE THAT GOES THROUGH THE LOCAL PORTS. US GDP, WELL, IT'S BEEN GROWING A LITTLE BIT STRONGER THAN IT HAD BEFORE AND EVEN THOUGH 2013 ONLY SAW ABOUT 1.9 PERCENT GROWTH. THE SECOND HALF WAS THE STRONGER PART OF THAT HALF. AND PROJECTED GROWTH THIS YEAR, ABOUT 2 AND A HALF TO 3 PERCENT BUT WE NEED TO GET UP TO 3 PERCENT TO BE CLOSE TO WHERE WE WERE IN THE '70S AND '80S ON AVERAGE. SO, WE'RE STILL LAGGING A LITTLE BIT BEHIND. THE BOTTOM LINE WITH THE US ECONOMY IS THAT EVEN THOUGH WE SEEM TO BE RECOVERING ON THE GDP LEVEL, THE PROSPECTS FOR JOB GROWTH ARE PRETTY WEEK. IN A RECENT SURVEY OF THE TOP CEOS BY THE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE, THEY FOUND THAT ONLY 37 PERCENT EXPECT TO INCREASE THEIR EMPLOYMENT IN THE US THIS YEAR, EVEN AS THEY FACE 72 PERCENT INCREASE IN SALES AND A 50 PERCENT INCREASE IN CAPITAL SPENDING. SO, THEY'RE NOT REALLY EXPECTING TO TRANSLATE THAT INTO NEW JOBS. AND CONSUMERS ARE ALSO CONCERNED THAT THE JOBS ARE JUST NOT GOING TO BE THERE. ONLY 13 PERCENT IN A FEBRUARY POLL BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE-- IT'S GOING TO BE JOB GROWTH THIS YEAR. WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE FEDERAL ECONOMY OR THE US ECONOMY WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THE FEDERAL RESERVE. WE'VE KNOWN FOR A WHILE NOW THAT THE FED IS STARTING TO TAPER BACK ITS BOND-BUYING PROGRAM AND THAT TAPERING WAS INITIALLY ASSIGNED AT THE FED SAW THINGS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BUT THE GUIDANCE THIS WEEK TO TAKE OFF THE CAP OR THE TARGET RATE OF 6.5 PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT SUGGEST THE FEDS STILL BELIEVES THAT THERE IS SOME ONGOING UNCERTAINTY WITH OUR FUTURE. NEVERTHELESS, THEY'VE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY EXPECT TO START INCREASING INTEREST RATES AS SOON AS 2015 AND THAT CLEARLY IS PUTTING SOME FEAR INTO THE STOCK MARKET WHICH WAS ALREADY STARTING TO KIND OF REAL AFTER ITS NICE RETURNS FROM 2013. THEN THERE'S THE FEDERAL BUDGET. WE CANNOT GET SORT OF COMPLACENT INTO THINKING THAT JUST BECAUSE THERE IS A DEAL THAT FUNDS US FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, THE THINGS ARE GREAT WHEN IT COMES TO FEDERAL BUDGET. WE HAVE RECORD DEBT AND THE CURRENT AGREEMENT IN CONGRESS ONLY FUNDS US UNTIL REALLY SEPTEMBER 30TH. AND THE WHITE HOUSE, THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGE OFFICE AND OTHERS HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT UNLESS MORE CUTS ARE MADE, WE'RE GOING TO SEE THOSE ACROSS THE BOARD SEQUESTER CUTS AGAIN IN 2014 STARTING OCTOBER 2014. THEN, THERE'S THIS NEW SORT OF UNCERTAINTY COST BY THE END OF THE FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE EXTENSION PROGRAM. THIS DESCENDED IN DECEMBER NATIONWIDE AND IT CUT UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS FROM UP TO 63 WEEKS IN CALIFORNIA DOWN TO A MAXIMUM OF 26 WEEKS. SO, IF YOU'D BEEN UNEMPLOYED FOR 37 WEEKS AND YOU WERE STILL GETTING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, YOU IMMEDIATELY LOST YOUR BENEFITS. IN NORTH CAROLINA WHERE THEY ENDED THE BENEFITS' EXTENSION SIX MONTHS EARLIER, THEY SAW A BIG DROP OFF IN LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION THIS, YOU KNOW, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE GO DOWN TOO BUT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED MIGHT JUST DECIDE TO DROP OUT OF THE MARKET. AND OBVIOUSLY, YOU CAN'T OPEN A NEWSPAPER WITHOUT HEARING ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION. ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING PARTS OF IT IS THAT IT ELIMINATES THE ABILITY FOR YOU TO BE DENIED COVER TO BASE ON PREEXISTING CONDITIONS. AND THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED UP UNDER COVERED CALIFORNIA AND ABOUT FIVE MILLION PEOPLE NATIONWIDE. BUT WE'RE STILL WAITING TO SEE THE FULL IMPACTS OF THIS. SO, SOME OF THE POSITIVES IN MY VIEW IS THAT YOU'VE SEEN PEOPLE LEAVE JOBS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE TIED TO THEM ANYMORE. SO, YOU HEAR ABOUT PEOPLE RETIRING WHO ARE STILL WORKING JUST BECAUSE THEY NEEDED HEALTH INSURANCE. YOU HEAR ABOUT PEOPLE, THEY WERE THINKING ABOUT STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS. I ACTUALLY HAVE SOME FRIENDS THAT ARE DOING THIS. BUT A BIG UNDERLYING QUESTION THAT STILL THERE'S NO GOOD DATA ON IS HOW MANY OF THESE NEW PEOPLE OR HOW MANY OF THESE FIVE MILLION PEOPLE, THIS ONE MILLION IN CALIFORNIA DIDN'T HAVE HEALTH CARE BEFORE? ARE WE ACTUALLY ENROLLING NEW PEOPLE OR NOT? AND ALL THE FEARS OF THE HEALTH CARE MANDATE ON BUSINESSES BECAUSE OF THE DELAY AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE WHILE TO HEAR ABOUT THAT ONE. THEN, THERE'S THE 2014 ELECTIONS. IT COULD ALTER THE MAKEUP OF CONGRESS AND MORE LOCALLY, WE HAVE A LOT OF IMPORTANT LOCAL RACES LIKE THE LONG BEACH MAYORAL RACE WHICH WILL DETERMINE THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF OUT REGION. GET OUT AND VOTE. OK. [ APPLAUSE ] THEN THERE'S WATER. YOU KNOW, WHEN I READ ABOUT THE ECONOMIC FUTURE, EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT DROUGHT BUT THEY FAIL TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T IGNORE THE WATER ISSUES IF WE'RE GOING TO-- IF WE'RE IN CALIFORNIA ESPECIALLY AND WE WANT TO TAKE-- WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR REGIONAL GROWTH. IN THE SHORT RUN, WE ARE GOING TO FACE HIGHER FOOD PRICES. IN THE LONG RUN, THESE RISING WATER COSTS AND SHORTAGES WILL DEFINITELY HURT THOSE WHO LIVE AT THE ECONOMIC MARGIN BUT ALSO LEAD TO JOB LOSSES AND OTHER MUCH MORE MAJOR ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS. EVEN JUST THE RISING FOOD PRICES COULD BE A CONCERN IF YOU ARE LIVING AT THE ECONOMIC MARGIN ALREADY. SO, HERE'S THE JANUARY DATA AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN TERMS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND EVEN THOUGH UNEMPLOYMENT IS DOWN, LA COUNTIES IS STILL ABOUT 1.3 TIMES THE NATIONAL LEVEL. AND IN 2013, LONG BEACH'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WAS ABOUT A PERCENTAGE HIGHER THAN LA COUNTY OVERALL. SO, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE SERIOUSLY EVEN WHEN YOU READ THE NEWSPAPER THAT, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT IS ALMOST AT 6.5 PERCENT. IT'S A LITTLE BIT HIGHER IN THIS REGION. NATIONALLY, ABOUT 175,000 NEW JOBS WERE CREATED LAST MONTH BUT THE NUMBER OF LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED ALSO ROSE. DROPS IN UNEMPLOYMENT CAN BE DUE TO A COUPLE OF THINGS EVEN IF NO NEW JOBS ARE BEING CREATED. IT COULD BE PEOPLE DROPPING OUT OF THE WORKFORCE OR WORKING PART-TIME, WHICH MEAN THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY ABLE TO MAKE ENDS MEET. ONE THING THAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION HAS REACH LEVEL IS NOT SEEN SINCE APRIL 1978. AND THAT COULD BE ESPECIALLY WORRISOME IF IT'S YOUNGER WORKERS DROPPING OUT AND WE'RE ONLY JUST NOW STARTING TO SEE THE IMPLICATION OF THE END OF THOSE EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. SO, YOU CAN SEE IN THIS CHART THAT LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION IS GOING DOWN AMONG ALL AGE COHORTS. SO, ONE THING I THOUGHT WAS KIND OF FUN. I SAW A CHART, SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN THE PAPER, I DON'T KNOW, SIX MONTHS AGO THAT WAS TALKING ABOUT COMPARING THE ECONOMY OF 1978 TO 2014. SO, IN APRIL 1978, WE HAD LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION OF 63 PERCENT JUST LIKE WE DO NOW. AND YET IN APRIL 1978, ONLY 42 PERCENT OF WOMEN WERE PARTICIPATING. AND NOW, WE'RE UP TO 47. SO, THAT'S REALLY CONCERNING TO ME BECAUSE WOMEN ARE PARTICIPATING AT A HIGHER RATE AND YET WE STILL HAVE THE SAME LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE AS 1978. SO, THAT MEANS THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO PROBABLY WANT TO HAVE A JOB WHO'VE JUST DECIDED TO DROP OUT. SINCE THE NCAA STARTED THIS WEEK, I ALSO THOUGHT I'D TELL YOU WHO THE FINAL FOUR THAT YEAR WAS. IT WAS ARKANSAS, DUKE, KENTUCKY, AND NOTRE DAME. AND KENTUCKY UNFORTUNATELY BEAT DUKE IN THE FINAL SINCE I'M A DUKE FAN. SO, YOU MIGHT BE NOTICING ME TRY TO LIKE CHECK MY PHONE AS SOON AS THIS PRESENTATION IS OVER SINCE THEY MADE THE UNFORTUNATELY MISTAKE OF SCHEDULING THE DUKE GAME AT 9 AM THIS MORNING. OK. SO, PER CAPITA INCOME IN THE REGION, WE'VE SEEN IT REBOUNDED A LITTLE BIT FROM HAVING DROPPED DURING THE RECESSION BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT LA COUNTY IS CLOSE TO THE US AVERAGE BUT BELOW CALIFORNIA AND BELOW ORANGE COUNTY, OK? SO, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH PER CAPITA INCOME. AND DESPITE THE INCREASE, YOU KNOW, LONG BEACH HAS A RELATIVELY LOW PER CAPITA INCOME THAN IT DID-- COMPARED TO 2008. SO, WE'VE HAD A BIG DROP HERE IN OUR AVERAGE INCOME. AND OBVIOUSLY WHEN AVERAGE INCOMES GO DOWN, THAT'S USUALLY ACCOMPANIED BY RISING OR STABLE POVERTY RATES IN THE REGION, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE REALLY JUST CANNOT IGNORE. SO, SOME COLLEAGUES OF MINE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS HAVE DONE SOME WORK AND THEY'VE PROJECTED SORT OF WHERE THEY-- THE COUNTRY IS GOING AND THEN THEY'VE ALSO LOOKED AT WHAT DIFFERENT METRO AREAS ARE GOING. AND THIS IS THE PROBABILITY OF EXPANSION IN THE NEXT YEAR. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE PROBABLY OF THE US ECONOMY IS GOING TO EXPAND IS ALMOST 90 PERCENT. AND YET, THEY'RE FINDING THAT A LOT OF THE METRO AREAS LIKE LA, CHICAGO, THERE'S A LOT OF THESE OTHER METRO AREAS ARE NOT GOING TO GROW QUITE AT THAT RATE. SO, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO BE CONCERNED WITH AND YOU CAN SEE LA IS DEFINITELY PRETTY FAR DOWN IN THAT RANKING. SO, THIS IS THE STUFF I TOLD YOU ABOUT IN MY INTRODUCTION THAT BEACON ECONOMICS HELPS ME WITH AND REALLY THIS IS TO LOOK AT COMMUTING IN THE REGION USING DATA FROM THE US CENSUS AND REALLY UNDERSTAND THE COMMUTING PATTERNS BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO UNDERSTAND OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING AND WORKING AND THE THINGS THAT ARE MOTIVATING THEM TO MOVE. SO, THERE'S ABOUT 200,000 RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH THAT ARE EMPLOYED AND ABOUT 66 PERCENT OF THEM WORK OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AND THERE'S ABOUT 182,000 JOBS. SO, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS, YOU CAN SEE THE RED ARE THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE AND WORK IN LONG BEACH AND THEN THE GOLD ARE THOSE WHO-- FROM LONG BEACH WHO COMMUTE OUT TO OTHER AREAS. AND THE BLUE ARE THOSE WHO COMMUTE IN TO LONG BEACH TO WORK. AND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MAKE MORE MONEY IF-- TO COMMUTE SOMEWHERE ELSE, RIGHT? AND THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE YOU'RE WILLING TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT LESS IF YOU CAN LIVE CLOSE TO YOUR HOME POTENTIALLY VERSUS IF YOU NEED TO COMMUTE ALONG WAY. THERE'S GOT TO BE A FINANCIAL MOTIVATOR FOR YOU TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO, THIS ISN'T SAYING PEOPLE MAKE LESS IN LONG BEACH, IT'S JUST SAYING THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE AND WORK ON AVERAGE MAKE LESS. AND THEN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO COMMUTE, YOU MAKE MORE. HERE'S THE BREAKDOWN OBVIOUSLY, MOST OF OUR SORT OF CROSS-COMMUTING IS WITH LA AND ORANGE COUNTY BUT WE DO HAVE SOME OTHER AREAS AND, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY LIKE IF THEY'RE COMMUTING AND AS THEIR GENERALLY PLACE IS VERY FAR AWAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, INLAND EMPIRE AND I'M SURE THERE ARE PEOPLE I KNOW SINCE WE HAVE COLLEAGUE-- AND MY HUSBAND AS A COLLEAGUE WHO LIVES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, SO I MEAN PEOPLE COULD BE DEFINITELY COMMUTING TO THOSE OTHER AREAS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS DEFINITELY NOT SURPRISING TO ME IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COMMUTERS BY INDUSTRY, YOU SEE, IF YOU LOOK IN THAT FINAL COLUMN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S THIS NET OUTFLOW OR THAT'S NEGATIVE OR THAT WOULD BE A POSITIVE NET INFLOW OF PEOPLE IN THE TRADE TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES INDUSTRIES. CLEARLY WITH THE PORTS HERE, IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT THAT'S WHERE YOU WOULD BE RECRUITING THE MOST PEOPLE WHO DON'T ALSO LIVE HERE TO COME IN. IF YOU LOOK AT IT BY OCCUPATION, YOU CAN SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY COMMUTING OUT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE TYPE JOBS BUT WE'RE BRINGING PEOPLE IN, IN TRANSPORTATION AND HEALTH CARE. AND AGAIN, IT'S PROBABLY NOT SURPRISING, WE HAVE A LOT OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES IN THE CITY AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE WORK-- THE JOBS RELATED TO THE PORTS. NOT A BIG DIFFERENCE AND PEOPLE ARE COMMUTING OUT AT ALL EDUCATION LEVELS AND PEOPLE ARE COMMUTING OUT AT PRETTY MUCH ALL NET OUTFLOW OF ALL INCOME LEVELS EXCEPT THAT WE DO ACTUALLY SEE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE COMING IN TO MAKE MORE MONEY AT THE HIGH LEVELS, OK? SO, THOSE HIGH LEVEL JOBS ARE ATTRACTING PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE REGION. AND AGAIN, THAT'S NOT SURPRISING. YOU'RE WILLING TO COMMUTE FURTHER IF YOU CAN MAKE MORE MONEY. AND IF THEY ALREADY LIVE SOMEWHERE AND THEN THEY GOT THIS JOB, THEY MIGHT NOT DECIDE TO MOVE. OK. SO, ONCE WE UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE DEALING WITH NOW, WE HAVE THESE PEOPLE SOME OF WHOM LIVE HERE, SOME OF WHO COMMUTE AWAY, I MEAN WORK HERE, SOME OF WHOM COMMUTE AWAY BUT WE HAVE PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS REGION, WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE HOUSING MARKET. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HOUSING. AND NOT SURPRISING, WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THAT THE HOUSING MARKET STARTS TO RECOVER, PRICES ARE GOING UP. BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE NOTICED BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY BEEN A SLOWDOWN IN SALES IN THE LAST MONTH OR TWO. I'VE SEEN A LOT MORE OPEN-HOUSES AT THE SAME HOUSE WEEK AFTER WEEK. THESE HOUSES ARE NOT TURNING OVER. AND THAT'S EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT THERE WAS A 16 PERCENT DECLINE SINCE LAST YEAR IN SALES. WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO SEE FORECLOSURES FALL AND THAT IS ALSO DRIVING THIS DECLINE IN SALES 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THESE FORECLOSED HOUSES BEING SOLD. AND RENTS, WELL, THEY'VE GONE UP A BIT. THEY'RE HOLDING A BIT STEADY NOW, OK? SO, THEY WERE RISING QUITE FAST BUT THERE SEEMED TO BE SORT OF SLOWING DOWN AND THAT'S PROBABLY MIRRORED WITH THE FACT THAT THE HOUSING SALES ARE DOWN AS WELL. SO, WHAT'S THE HOUSING MARKET FUTURE THEN IN LONG BEACH? WELL, GIVEN THAT LONG BEACH AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES ARE RELATIVELY BUILT UP AREAS, YOU KNOW, IT'S UNLIKELY WE'RE GOING TO SEE ENOUGH NEW HOUSING BUILT TO KEEP WITH DEMAND AND SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE HOUSING PRICES LIKELY CONTINUE TO RISE. OFFSETTING THAT THOUGH MAY BE THE FACT THAT NEW MORTGAGE LENDING RULES MAY MAKE IT HARDER FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUY TO BUY AND THEN THAT COULD ACTUALLY LEAD TO INCREASES IN RENTS. SO, THERE'S A COUPLE SORT OF FORCES THAT ARE KIND OF GOING AGAINST EACH OTHER WITH THE HOUSING MARKET. BUT WE-- HOUSING MARKET INCREASE PRICES-- INCREASES GREAT IF YOU CURRENTLY OWN YOUR HOME, IF YOU'RE IN THE HOUSING INDUSTRY. BUT OBVIOUSLY AS HOUSING PRICES START TO GO BACK UP AGAIN, WE CAN'T IGNORE THE ISSUES OF AFFORDABILITY. YOU KNOW, THE LA MUCH A REGION RANKS AMONG ONE OF THE LEAST AFFORDABLE METRO REGIONS AND LA AND ORANGE COUNTY WERE NOTED AS TWO, THE SECOND AND THIRD MOST UNAFFORDABLE PLACES ONLY BEHIND SAN FRANCISCO. AND LET'S PUT IT INTO PERSPECTIVE. I LIVED IN DC FOR A LONG TIME. THE MEDIAN INCOME IN LONG BEACH IS ABOUT 52,000 IN 2012. AND THIS IS THE-- THIS IS SORT OF THAT MIDDLECLASS PERSON. AND THE MEDIAN INCOME IN DC IS 64,000 AND HOUSING IS ABOUT THE SAME COST. AND DC IS NOT ONE OF THE MOST AFFORDABLE CITIES. IT'S ALREADY PRETTY LOW DOWN ON THE LIST. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IS ONE OF THE MAJOR DRIVERS AS WELL AS THE LACK OF JOBS IN TERMS OF NET DOMESTIC OUT MIGRATION FROM CALIFORNIA AND LA COUNTY. IF YOU LOOK AT THE RESULTS FROM THE 2008 TO 2011 AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY FROM THE CENSUS, YOU CAN SEE THAT ROUGHLY 300,000 PEOPLE LEFT LA COUNTY TO OTHER US COUNTIES WHILE ONLY ABOUT 200,000 MOVED IN. AND THEN I SAW SOME INTERESTING DATA FROM ALLIED VAN LINES SHOWING THAT THE NET OUT MIGRATION OF PEOPLE WITH LARGE LOADS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE WEALTHIER AND MORE EDUCATED PEOPLE WHO HAVE A LOT OF STUFF IS OBVIOUSLY THERE'S NEGATIVE IN MIGRATION FOR CALIFORNIA. AND TEXAS AND FLORIDA ARE THE PLACES WHERE THEY'RE GOING. SO, LET'S TALK ABOUT EMPLOYMENT NOW. EMPLOYMENT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF TALKING ABOUT THE ECONOMY OF GREATER LONG BEACH. AND I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF THIS GREATER LONG BEACH REGION RATHER THAN JUST LOOKING AT DATA FROM THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. SINCE CLEARLY, THE CITY ITSELF IS NOT ITS OWN ECONOMY, SO WE'RE SORT OF TALKING ABOUT CITIES THAT ARE RELATED OR NEXT TO EACH OTHER. SO, TOP INDUSTRIES IN THE REGION, MANUFACTURING STILL REMAINS NUMBER ONE. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS PROBABLY NOT SURPRISING, TRAVEL AND ENTERTAINMENT, RETAIL, HEALTH CARE, ADMINISTRATION, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, GOVERNMENT, TRADE, TRANSPORTATION, CONSTRUCTION, FINANCE. THIS IS AS PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL JOBS. YOU CAN SEE HERE SOME JOBS BY INDUSTRY FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND WE'RE SEEING ACTUALLY SOME DROP IN THE HEATH CARE JOBS BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT WE'RE MAYBE NOT CAPTURING SOME OF THE JOBS IN THESE PARTICULAR NUMBERS BECAUSE I COULD ONLY GET THEM FOR 2013. SOME OF THESE HOME HEALTH CARE JOBS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, IF I PUT THEM IN, IT WOULD LIKE THIS HUGE INCREASE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THEM IN MY 2012 DATA. SO, THE PEOPLE MAY BE TRANSITIONING TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF HEALTH CARE JOBS. MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT CLEARLY IS DOWN BUT STEADY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. BUT WITH BOEING'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE C-17 BUSINESS IS GOING TO LEAVE, WE CAN'T EXPECT THAT NUMBER TO HOLD STEADY FOR MUCH LONGER. AND MANUFACTURING IS STRUGGLING OVERALL. DURABLE GOOD ORDERS IN JANUARY AND DECEMBER WERE DOWN, ALTHOUGH MOST OF THAT WAS DRIVEN BY LOWER COMMERCIAL AIRLINER ORDERS. BUT I THINK THAT THE BOTTOM LINE IS WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO THINK ABOUT DIVERSIFYING OUR ECONOMY AND LET IT BE OK IF MANUFACTURING IS NOT NUMBER ONE ON THAT LIST. HERE'S THE TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING JOBS AND YOU CAN SEE THEY'VE BEEN STEADY BUT AS SOON AS THOSE C-17 JOBS GO AWAY, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A BIG SPIKE DOWNWARD THERE AS WELL. TRAVEL AND TOURISM, IT'S BEEN GOING WELL, SLIGHT UPTICK. WE'VE SEEN MORE PEOPLE, MORE EMPLOYMENT AND FOOD AND DRINK. ESTABLISHMENTS, WE'VE SEEN EMPLOYMENTS AT LONG BEACH AIRPORT ON THE RISE AND 2013 WITH A STRONG YEAR FOR THESE INDUSTRIES. HOTEL, YOU KNOW, OCCUPANCIES FORECAST TO BE ABOUT FLAT THIS YEAR BUT LONG BEACH IS PREPARING FOR INCREASES IN THE CONVENTION BUSINESS THANKS TO ALL THE RENOVATIONS HERE AT THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THE ARENA SO THAT THE HOTELS ARE PREPARING FOR FUTURE INCREASES WITH RENOVATIONS, ET CETERA. AND I BELIEVE THAT THESE LONG BEACH AIRPORT RENOVATIONS WILL HELP DRIVE FUTURE PASSENGER TRAFFIC GROWTH EVEN THOUGH THERE'S SOME EVIDENCE THAT 2013 TRAFFIC MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT DOWN. RETAIL TRADE-- OOPS, SLIGHT UPTICK GOING STRONG. HEALTH CARE, THIS IS THOSE SLIGHT DOWNTICK THAT I SHOWED YOU FROM BEFORE AND SO WHAT'S GOING ON WITH FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE EMPLOYMENT THEN? SO, SEVERAL TRENDS ARE HEADING THIS AND THESE ARE WHAT ARE GOING TO BE WHAT WE HAVE TO WATCH, GOING BACK TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE, I MEAN THE AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE ACT. FIRST, THE NEED TO REDUCE COSTS. HOPEFULLY, AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF INSURED WHO SIGNED UP THROUGH COVERED CALIFORNIA. AND THEN THE THIRD TREND IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS GROWING YOUNGER AND OLDER POPULATION BOTH OF WHOM DEMAND MORE HEALTH CARE SERVICES. ALL THREE OF THOSE TOGETHER WERE GOING TO DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE EMPLOYMENT. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT, YOU SAW THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS DOWN BUT FEDERAL AND STATES SEEM TO BE HOLDING PRETTY STEADY. TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSING. SO, TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSING IS THE STUFF RELATED TO THE PORT AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THAT IT HAS BEEN ON THE UPRISE. WE ALSO HAVE THE FACT THAT INBOUND CONTAINERS AT THE PORTS OF LONG BEACH AND LOS ANGELES ARE BOTH UP. AND WE ALSO SEE THAT EXPORTS ARE UP AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, SLIGHTLY DOWN AT PORT OF LOS ANGELES BUT STILL ON THE GENERAL TREND UPWARDS. VALUE OF IMPORTS THROUGH BOTH PORTS IS UP AND THIS IS WHY ASIA IS SO IMPORTANT. NUMBER ONE TRADE THROUGH THE PORTS OF LONG BEACH IN LOS ANGELES IS CHINA. AND THEN JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE REST OF THAT LIST, EXCEPT FOR IRAQ. THEY'RE ALL ASIAN. SO, WE DO CARE IN THIS REGION ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE ASIAN ECONOMY. TRADE WITH CHINA AND THE US OVERALL WHICH IS THAT TOP BLUE GRAPH LINE AND IN CALIFORNIA, THE YELLOW LINE ARE UP AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THAT'S ALSO UP AT THE TWO LOCAL PORTS. AND THESE JUST TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE MAJOR COMMODITIES GOING THROUGH THE PORTS WHICH ARE THINGS LIKE MACHINERY, VEHICLES, PLASTICS, FUELS, AND THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE DRIVING THE MAJOR EXPORTS AND IMPORTS THROUGH THOSE PORTS. THE PORTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. AS THEY PUT MONEY INTO CAPITAL INVESTMENTS OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THERE'LL BE ALL THOSE KINDS OF INVESTMENT AND CONSTRUCTION TYPE JOBS. WE STILL HAVE TO BE WATCHING WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE PANAMA CANAL NOW THAT THE EXPANSION HAS RESUMED. AND CLEARLY, THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME MAJOR MANAGEMENT CHANGES AT THE PORT AND THOSE WILL AFFECT WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE FUTURE OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY. OTHER SERVICES ARE ALSO ON THE RISE. AND THIS WAS THE NUMBER ONE CATEGORY IN MY TOP 10 IN TERMS OF WHICH INDUSTRIES ARE GROWING. SO, WHAT ELSE CAN I TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN LONG BEACH. WELL, ACCORDING TO A SURVEY, THE LONG BEACH BUSINESS MONITOR, SMALL BUSINESSES IN LONG BEACH ARE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2014. WHAT OTHER EVIDENCE CAN I PROVIDE? WELL, LET'S SEE HERE. NEW HOTEL NEAR THE AIRPORT, ICU BUSINESSES OPENING UP ALL AROUND TOWN, NEW RESTAURANTS, NEW SHOPS, THE LEASING OF THE FLY DC JETS PLANT BY MERCEDES-BENZ, BOEING'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S CLOSING DOWN THE C-17, IT'S STILL GOING TO BRING 300 NEW ENGINEERING JOBS TO LONG BEACH. THE GREAT WORK THAT LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE IS DOING WITH ITS NEW INNOVATION FUNDS, SOCAL, THERE'S A LOT OF POSITIVE THINGS GOING ON IN GREATER LONG BEACH THAT'S POINT TO A GREAT ECONOMIC FUTURE. BUT WE ALSO HAVE SOME CHALLENGES. WE HAVE TO FACE THE FACT THAT THOSE 2,000 JOBS ARE GOING AWAY. AND WE'RE POSITIONED IN SOME FAST-GROWING INDUSTRIES LIKE HEALTH CARE AND SERVICES. I BELIEVE THAT OUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES ARE IN HEALTH CARE IN CONTINUING TO GROW, THE TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSING, THINGS-- TYPES OF JOBS RELATED TO THE PORT, TRAVEL AND TOURISM, AND ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURS TO START NEW BUSINESSES. THEY CAN BENEFIT FROM LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE'S NEW INNOVATE FUND AND THEY MAY ALSO BENEFIT FROM BEING ABLE TO LEAVE JOBS BECAUSE THEY'RE NO LONGER HELD DOWN BY EMPLOYER SPONSORED HEALTH CARE. SO, I HOPE THAT WHAT I'VE TOLD YOU TODAY HELPS YOU SEE THAT MOST OF THE SHORT-TERM RECOVERY, WE HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT SORT OF AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL STAGE, BUT I THINK WE CAN START PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE. WE CAN START TRAINING PEOPLE FOR THE JOBS THAT ARE GOING TO BE THERE A YEAR, TWO YEARS, FOUR YEARS, FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS FROM NOW AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO BUILD ON OUR ASSETS THE THINGS THAT ARE DOING WELL AND TRY TO GROW LONG BEACH AND ITS SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES TO A BRIGHTER AND MORE-- AND ECONOMICALLY DIVERSE BECAUSE THERE WILL BE FEWER MANUFACTURING JOBS' FUTURE. THANK YOU. [ APPLAUSE ] >> ALL RIGHT. TODAY, I AM PLEASED TO WELCOME THREE DISTINGUISHED LOCAL INDUSTRY EXPERTS THAT ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THEIR BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS AND THE INDUSTRIES IN WHICH THEY OPERATE AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL HELP US GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE LOCAL ECONOMY. SO, I'M GOING TO FIRST INTRODUCE THE THREE PANELISTS AND THEN ONCE I'VE INTRODUCED THEM, THEY WILL TALK BUT THAT WAY, I WON'T BE INTRODUCING THEM IN BETWEEN. AND I COULDN'T DECIDE WHETHER THERE WAS A GOOD ORDER TO PUT THEM IN. SO, FOR LACK OF A BETTER ORDER, I JUST MADE IT ALPHABETICAL. SO, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S NO LIKE PREDETERMINED REASON WHY PEOPLE-- WHY THIS IS THIS ORDER. AND I ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD A PREFERENCE AND THEY DIDN'T EITHER. SO, LET-- SO, OUR FIRST PANELIST THEN OUT OF-- THE FACT THAT IT'S ALPHABETICAL IS NOEL HACEGABA AND HE IS THE ACTING-- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH. AND IN THIS CAPACITY, HE'S THE ONE THAT MANAGES THE DAILY BUSINESS OF THE PORT INCLUDING FOUR BUREAUS, 17 DIVISIONS, AND OVER 450 EMPLOYEES. SO, I THINK DAVID NEED TO GET BACK TO 100 PEOPLE, YOU PROBABLY CAN RELATED. HE BRINGS TO HIS CURRENT POSITION, KNOWLEDGE OF THE PORT AND ITS STAKEHOLDERS BECAUSE HE WAS PREVIOUSLY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HARBOR COMMISSION, THE PORT'S GOVERNING BODY. THERE, HE-- IN ADDITION TO MANAGING ALL THE ADMINISTRATION AND COMMUNICATION, HE ALSO REPRESENTED THE HARBOR COMMISSION BEFORE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND PORT STAKEHOLDERS. NOEL HAS MORE THAN 17 YEARS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERIENCE, MOST RECENTLY, PRIOR TO JOINING THE PORT AND HARBOR COMMISSION. HE WORKED AT REPUBLIC SERVICES, ONE OF THE NATION'S LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES COMPANIES. HE HAS BOTH UNDERGRADUATE AND MASTER'S DEGREES IN ECONOMICS. GOOD CHOICE FROM USC AS WELL AS DEGREES IN BUSINESS AND URBAN PLANNING AND HE HAS A DOCTORATE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE WHERE HE'S CURRENTLY SERVES ON THE FACULTY IN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT. HE'S ALSO A GRADUATE OF THE CORO FELLOWS PROGRAM IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS, ONE OF THE NATION'S PREMIERE POST-GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS AND HE IS A CANDIDATE FOR PORT PROFESSIONAL MANAGER. IN ADDITION TO SERVING ON THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PORT AUTHORITIES, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, HE ALSO SITS ON A NUMBER OF BOARDS LOCALLY, INCLUDING ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER, THE MARINE EXCHANGE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE HARBOR ASSOCIATION OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. YOU MUST BE BUSY. THANK YOU, NOEL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. OUR SECOND PANELIST IS DIANA HENDEL. DIANA IS THE CEO OF LONG BEACH MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER, MILLER CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LONG BEACH AND COMMUNITY HOSPITAL LONG BEACH. THAT IS A LONG TITLE. DIANA HAS SERVED IN HER CURRENT ROLE SINCE 2009 BUT SHE HAS MORE THAN 24 YEARS IN THE MEMORIAL CARE HEALTH SYSTEM AND MOST RECENTLY WAS A COO. HER EXPERIENCE AT MEMORIAL CARE INCLUDES SEVERAL ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS INCLUDING ADMINISTRATOR AT SADDLEBACK MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER, THE SAN CLEMENTE CAMPUS, AND AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PHYSICIAN INTEGRATION AND STRATEGY. DIANA HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR HER LEADERSHIP IN GROWING THE LONG BEACH HOSPITALS AND FOR THEIR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND PROMINENCE AND IN THE HEALTH CARE FIELD MORE BROADLY. SHE HAS BEEN HONORED WITH THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL WOMAN MAKING A DIFFERENT CEO AWARD, THE PRESS TELEGRAM, AMAZING WOMAN OF THE YEAR IN THE HEALTH CARE AWARD. AND THE WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD FROM WOMEN IN HEALTH ADMINISTRATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. SHE HOLDS A DOCTOR OF PHARMACY DEGREE FROM UC SAN FRANCISCO WHERE SHE ALSO SERVED AS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AS WELL AS A BACHELOR'S IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES FROM UC IRVINE. SHE ALSO SERVES ON MANY BOARDS INCLUDING THE HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, CALIFORNIA CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION AND LOCAL BOARDS SUCH AS THE LONG BEACH AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE LONG BEACH POLICE FOUNDATION AND MANY OTHERS. AGAIN, WE HAVE A BUSY PANELIST. AND SO, THANK YOU DIANA FOR BEING HERE TODAY. OUR THIRD PANELIST IS MARIO RODRIGUEZ. HE IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT AND HE HAS BEEN IN THAT ROLE SINCE 2009. MARIO HAS MORE THAN 25 YEARS IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY AND IS A WELL-REGARDED AVIATION EXPERT. MOST RECENTLY, BEFORE COMING TO LONG BEACH, HE WAS THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG NEW ORLEANS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE HIS LEADERSHIP HELPED THE AIRPORT RECOVER QUICKLY FROM THE EFFECTS OF HURRICANE KATRINA. HIS PRIOR EXPERIENCE INCLUDES AIR FORCE IN KUWAIT AS WELL AS PALM BEACH, FLORIDA. MARIO IS AN ENGINEER BY TRAINING AND HAS A DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI. HE ALSO SITS ON THE BOARD OF AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL, IS PRESIDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA AIRPORTS COUNCIL. AND HE HAS WON THE PRESTIGIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL. HE IS ALSO A LEADING AUTHOR AND SPEAKER ON AVIATION ISSUES AND IS CURRENTLY AUTHORING A TEXTBOOK ON AIRPORT FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT. VERY INTERESTING. MOST IMPORTANT TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY IS THE IMPRESSIVE RECORD HE HAS HAD SINCE COMING TO LONG BEACH. SINCE THE RENOVATION IS NOT ONLY IS EASY TO FLY IN AND OUT OF LONG BEACH AIRPORT, IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE. AND I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT WE WERE INTERVIEWING SOMEONE FOR AN OPEN-FACULTY POSITION WHO IS FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY AND HE FLEW IN THROUGH LONG BEACH AIRPORT AND HE ASKS ME IF THE FIRE PITS MEANT ANYTHING. AND I SAID, "YES, THEY MEAN YOU'RE AT LONG BEACH AIRPORT." IT'S JUST FOR THE ATMOSPHERE. HE THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME KIND OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE. >> WE CAN MAKE ONE UP [INAUDIBLE]. >> SO, THANK YOU, MARIO FOR BEING HERE TODAY. OK. SO, FIRST OF ALL, BEFORE WE BEGIN, I WANT TO GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE PANELIST FOR BEING HERE. [ APPLAUSE ] >> IT'S REALLY A PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE HERE AND I'M ACTUALLY JOINED BY TWO OF OUR HARBOR COMMISSIONERS, DOUG DRUMMOND AND COMMISSIONER SUSAN WISE AND ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONERS, DR. MIKE WALTER IN ADDITION TO SEVERAL OF OUR STAFF. IT IS BECAUSE OF THEIR LEADERSHIP AND THE STAFFS' DEDICATION THAT I'M THE LUCKY ONE WHO GETS TO TALK ABOUT ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT'S TAKING PLACE HERE AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH. IT'S AN EXCITING TIME AT THE PORT BUT IT'S ALSO A CHALLENGING TIME. WE SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO GROW OUR BUSINESS AND MAKE THE TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS GREENER, AND ALSO TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF JOBS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THROUGHOUT THE REGION. BUT FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE PORT OF LONG BEACH, WE ARE THE NATION'S SECOND LARGEST SEAPORT AND WE HANDLE EACH YEAR A WIDE RANGE OF CARGO VALUED IN OVER 100 BILLION DOLLARS. 40 PERCENT OF THE NATION'S IMPORTS COME THROUGH THE SAN PEDRO BAY COMPLEX. PORT OF LOS ANGELES AND PORT OF LONG BEACH COMBINED. THAT'S A HUGE NUMBER WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT MOST OF THE TRANS-PACIFIC TRADE COMES INTO THIS GATEWAY. BUT PORT ACTIVITY AS IT RELATES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY GENERATES ONE OUT OF EIGHT JOBS IN LONG BEACH, OVER 300,000 IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, AND IF YOU LOOK ACROSS THE NATION, OVER ONE AND A HALF MILLION JOBS. THAT'S A HUGE JOB GENERATOR FOR ECONOMY. LAST YEAR, JUST TO GIVE YOU A PICTURE, OUR CARGO BOUNDS GREW BY OVER 11 PERCENT. THAT'S THE PORT'S THIRD BEST YEAR AND WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR 103 YEARS. TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE FOR YOU, WE WERE GROWING AT THE FASTEST RATE OF ANY PORT IN NORTH AMERICA AND WE GREW FASTER THAN THE US ECONOMY BY FOUR TIMES. THAT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT. BUT WE FACE INCREASE IN COMPETITION FOR MEXICAN PORTS AND CANADIAN PORTS TO THE NORTH. AND LET'S NOT FORGET ABOUT THE PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION PROJECT. THEY WENT THROUGH A FEW BUMPS HERE ALONG THE ROAD THIS YEAR BUT NOW, THEY'VE RESET THEIR COMPLETION DATE TO 2016. THE REASON WHY PANAMA CANAL, THE EXPANSION PROJECT THERE IS SO SIGNIFICANT IS BECAUSE IT WOULD ALLOW LARGER VESSELS TO BYPASS WEST COAST PORTS AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE GULF COAST AND EAST COAST. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE TWO-THIRDS OF THE US POPULATION RESIDES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, BUT WE ARE CONFIDENT AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND ONE BIG REASON IS BECAUSE THE SIZE OF THE VESSELS ARE GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE ARE ALREADY BIG SHIP READY. UNTIL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THE TYPICAL VESSEL SIZE CALLING THE PORT OF LONG BEACH WAS ABOUT 8,000 TEUS. TWO YEARS AGO, WE RECEIVED THE FIRST 12,000 TEU VESSEL AND THAT WAS FOLLOWING SHORTLY BY A 13,000-TEU VESSEL. LAST YEAR, WE'VE ALREADY-- WE ALREADY RECEIVED THREE 14,000 TEU VESSELS. NOW, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE JARGON, LET ME EXPLAIN WHAT TEU STANDS FOR. IT STANDS FOR TWENTY-FOOT EQUIVALENT. AND YOU SEE THESE STEEL BOXES ON SHIPS, ON TRUCKS, ON TRAINS, THEY VARY IN LENGTH FROM 20 TO 40, SOMETIMES UP TO 53 FEET BUT THEY'RE 8 FEET TALL, THEY'RE 8 FEET WIDE. AND THESE CONTAINERS IF YOU PICTURE A VESSEL WITH AS MANY AS 14,000 OF THESE TEUS, YOU GET A PICTURE OF JUST AN APPRECIATION OF JUST HOW MUCH CARGO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WHEN YOU GO TO CARGO, WHEN YOU GO TO TARGET, WHEN YOU GO TO WALMART AND YOU GO TO LOOK AROUND THE SHELVES AND YOU LOOK AT THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU'RE CONTEMPLATING, PURCHASING EVERYTHING FROM CLOTHES TO SHOES, TO TOYS, TO ELECTRONIC DEVICES, CHANCES ARE THAT MOST OF THAT CAME TO THE US ON ONE OF THESE-- IN ONE OF THESE CONTAINERS. THE OTHER DAY, I WAS WITH MY FAMILY AND WE WERE LOOKING AROUND AT DIFFERENT ITEMS IN A CLOTHING STORE, AND I HAVE THIS REALLY BAD HABIT OF LOOKING WHERE THESE ITEMS WERE MADE. AND SO, MY WIFE IS TIRED OF THAT AND SO BASED ON THE COUNTRY, I SAID, "THIS ONE PROBABLY CAME ON OOCL OR THIS ONE PROBABLY CAME ON NY [PHONETIC]." SHE SAYS, "I DON'T CARE, IS IT ON SALE?" [ LAUGHTER ] OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, WE WILL SEE A TREND THAT IS TRULY AN INDUSTRY GAME-CHANGER. OVER HALF OF ALL THE VESSELS IN TRANSIT WILL BE 10,000 TEU OR LARGER. THAT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT. LET ME SHOW YOU JUST HOW BIG THESE VESSELS ARE. IF YOU COMPARE A 14,000-TEU VESSEL WITH SOME OF THESE OTHER LANDMARKS, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THEY'RE NEARLY AS LONG AS THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING'S TALL AND IT NEARLY THE WIDTH OF A 10-LANE FREEWAY BUT THEY'RE ALREADY TOO WIDE TO PASS THE PANAMA CANAL WHICH IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND SET TO OPEN IN 2016. SO, WHY ARE THESE VESSELS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER? WHAT'S DRIVING OR WHAT'S STIRRING THIS CHANGE? THREE WORDS, ECONOMIST OF SCALE. THE BIGGER THE VESSEL, THE LOWER THE COST PER CONTAINER. LIKE COSTCO AND OTHER BIG BOX RETAILERS, BUYING IN BULK REDUCES A UNIT COST. HOW MANY OF YOU SHOP AT COSTCO? AND I PRESUME IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE 150 HOTDOGS AND POLISH DOGS THEY SELL OUTSIDE BUT WE SHOP AT COSTCO BECAUSE YOU GET VALUE FOR THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU BUY. WE LIKE TO BUY THINGS AT A LOWER PER UNIT COST. BUT OF COURSE WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE HAVE TO FIND SPACE IN OUR HOMES TO PUT THAT STUFF THAT WE BUY. MANY HOUSEHOLDS, PERHAPS YOURS NOW HAVE TWO REFRIGERATORS. AND IN MANY HOUSEHOLDS, NOW YOU'RE-- HALF OF YOUR GARAGE, IF NOT MORE IS UTILIZED AND USED FOR THESE THINGS THAT WE BUY. IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE PORTS, YOU GET A BETTER SENSE OF SOME OF THE STRUGGLES THAT WE FACE, THE LARGER THE VESSELS, THE MORE CONTAINERS. THE MORE SPACE WE HAVE TO FIND, THE MORE EFFICIENT WE HAVE TO BECOME. THE MORE INCENTIVES WE HAVE TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY. THAT'S ONE REASON WHY OUR BOARD OF HARBOR COMMISSIONERS HAS ESTABLISHED A SUBCOMMITTEE TO EXPLORE WAYS TO IMPROVE THROUGH PUT EFFICIENCIES AND ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY AT THE PORT. EARLIER, DR. STEPHENS WAS TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR SPEED. WELL, THE NEED FOR SPEED IS THERE AT THE PORT AS WELL. AS THE VESSELS ARE GETTING BIGGER, WE NEED TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO INCENTIVIZE AND FACILITATE THE SPEED THROUGH WHICH THIS CARGO IS PASSING TO OUR GATEWAY. I TALKED ABOUT SPEED BUT IF THESE VESSELS ARE GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER, WE ALSO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE. THANKFULLY, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A 10-YEAR 4.5 BILLION DOLLAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. IN ADDITION TO THE MODERNIZATION AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF OUR BRIDGES, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, OUR TERMINALS AND OUR RAIL SYSTEM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT THIS AS A GOOD WAY TO INCENTIVIZE THE ECONOMY BY GENERATING NEW JOBS. LET ME GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING CURRENTLY. IN THIS FISCAL YEAR, OUR CAPITAL BUDGET IS 788 MILLION DOLLARS. WE ARE SPENDING 2 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS A DAY TO MODERNIZE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAKE IT MORE ADEQUATE FOR THE LARGER VESSELS TO MAKE OUR GATEWAY MORE COMPETITIVE ON THE YEARS TO COME. THAT'S THE BIGGEST ONE-YEAR CAPITAL BUDGET IN THE PORT'S HISTORY. NOW, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAINTAIN OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. WE DON'T WANT THE CANADIAN PORTS OR THE MEXICAN PORTS OR EVEN THE EXPANSION OF THE PANAMA CANAL TO BE AN EXCUSE FOR THESE CARRIERS TO RUN THEIR CARGO THROUGH THOSE OTHER GATEWAYS. AND WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT THAT WITH THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING AND THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'RE FORGING AND CULTIVATING WITH ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDER PARTNERS THAT WE'RE IN A GOOD POSITION OF MAINTAINING THAT COMPETITIVENESS. ONE OF OUR BIGGEST PROJECTS IS THAT MIDDLE HARBOR REDEVELOPMENT TERMINAL. WHEN THAT'S COMPLETED IN 2019, THAT TERMINAL BY ITSELF WILL RANK AS THE NATION'S FOURTH LARGEST PORT. THIS IS GOING TO MORE THAN DOUBLE ITS CURRENT CAPACITY AND CUT EMISSIONS BY 50 PERCENT. JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, THE FIRST CRANES, THE LARGEST CRANES IN THE WORLD ARRIVED AT THE SITE OF MIDDLE HARBOR. UNFORTUNATELY, I DID NOT GET PERMISSION TO BRING ONE OF THE CRANES WITH ME TODAY TO SHOW YOU AND BECAUSE THE PICTURE OF THE SLIDE SIMPLY WOULDN'T JUST IS, I BROUGHT A VIDEO. SO, IF THIS WORKS, WE'LL ENJOY IT. [ PAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] AND THAT'S HOW QUICKLY WE WORK AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH. [ LAUGHTER ] WE'RE VERY, VERY SPEEDY. DID YOU SEE THAT DR. STEPHENS? OK. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR FUTURE IS BIG BUT OUR FUTURE IS ALSO BRIGHT. BUT THE BEST WAY TO APPRECIATE THE MAGNITUDE AND THE SCALE OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE AT THE PORTS IS TO SEE IT UP CLOSE AND WE OFFER AT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH FREE TOURS TO THE COMMITTEE [PHONETIC] DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. SO, PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR THAT. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE REALLY, REALLY MOTIVATED AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT ALL OF YOU IN THIS ROOM ARE BECAUSE YOU SHOWED UP ON A FRIDAY MORNING AT 7. WE HAVE OUR UPCOMING ANNUAL POST OF THE PART EVENT AND THAT'S ON APRIL 2ND. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE PROGRAM. >> [BACKGROUND MUSIC] TODAY, THE BEST HEALTH CARE GOES BEYOND MEDICINE. MEMORIAL CARE IS TRANSFORMING HEALTH CARE WITH A PERSONALIZED APPROACH, KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES HEALTHY AND CARING FOR THEM THAT ARE NOT. OUR PHYSICIANS USE BEST PRACTICES, DRAWING ON THE LATEST RESEARCH FOR SUPERIOR OUTCOMES. AND THANKS TO SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY BRING THE BEST OF OUR BEST RESOURCES TO INSURE COORDINATED CARE. MEMORIAL CARE TAKES HEALTH CARE BEYOND TREATMENT, PUTTING PEOPLE ON THE PATH TO WELLNESS WITH HEALTHY NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND THE RIGHT LIFESTYLE CHOICES. MEMORIAL CARE HAS EXPANDED OUR REACH AND OUR REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND COMPASSION. NOW, ONE OF THE LARGEST AND BEST HEALTH SYSTEMS RIGHT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD. MEMORIAL CARE HEALTH SYSTEM, INVESTING IN YOU. >> OK. I LIKE THAT PICTURE ACTUALLY. >> WE CAN LEAVE THAT. >> SURE. ACTUALLY, IT'S A GREAT VECTOR. WELL, THANK YOU. I CHOSE THAT VIDEO BECAUSE IT REALLY BEGINS TO PORTRAY THE FUTURE OF HEATH CARE WHERE PATIENT INVOLVEMENT, PATIENT CONNECTIVITY THROUGH ELECTRONIC CONNECTION AND THE ABSOLUTE FOCUS ON PREVENTION AND WELLNESS IS PARAMOUNT FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR TRANSFORMATION OF OUR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM. JUST AS BACKGROUND AND REALLY TO FRAME THE COMMENTS THAT I'M GOING TO MAKE, I WANT TO SPEND A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION THAT I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE. FOR OUR THREE HOSPITALS WHICH ARE PART OF AN INTEGRATED DELIVERY SYSTEM, MEMORIAL CARE AS EVIDENCED ON THE VIDEO, WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING HAVE THREE REALLY STRONG CONNECTIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY. FIRST OF COURSE AS A VERY LARGE EMPLOYER, MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE AMONGST THE LARGEST EMPLOYERS IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH REGION. IN FACT, WE HAVE MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE WHOSE LIVELIHOODS DEPEND UPON US EITHER THROUGH DIRECT EMPLOYMENT, THROUGH PHYSICIAN RELATIONSHIPS OR INDIRECTLY INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS. MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK DIRECTLY IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA. SECONDLY, WE HAVE A LONGSTANDING LEGACY OF EDUCATION. MANY OF THE FOLKS, THE CLINICIANS, THE CAREGIVERS HAVE TRAINED AT LONG BEACH MEMORIAL, MILLER CHILDREN'S OR COMMUNITY HOSPITAL. WE HAVE A STRONG CONNECTION OF COURSE WITH CAL STATE LONG BEACH AND LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE WHERE MANY OF PRACTITIONERS HAVE GRADUATED AND THEN BECOME EMPLOYED AT LONG BEACH MEMORIAL. IN FACT, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ANNUALLY WHO ARE TRAINED AT OUR THREE HOSPITALS. ADDITIONALLY, OF COURSE, AND WHAT WE'RE REALLY WELL-KNOWN FOR AS A PROVIDER OF HEALTH CARE, MORE THAN 120,000 PATIENTS COME TO US TO OUR TWO EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS AT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL AND AT LONG BEACH MILLER CHILDREN'S. MORE THAN 350,000 PATIENTS ARE CARED FOR ANNUALLY EITHER AS INPATIENTS OR AS OUTPATIENTS. AND ALMOST 6,000 BABIES ARE BORN TO US. AND I WOULD REMISS TO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE EXTRAORDINARILY FORTUNATE IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA AND WHILE I'M REPRESENTING THREE LARGE HOSPITALS IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM. WE ARE QUITE FORTUNATE TO HAVE AMONGST THE VERY BEST HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA. OF COURSE, WE HAVE FOLKS HERE FROM MOLINA WHO SERVED THE UNDERSERVED POPULATION IT HAVE FOR DECADES, CERTAINLY SCAN HEALTH PLAN WHO SERVE SENIORS. MANY OTHER ARE NOT-FOR-PROFIT CLINIC-- CLINICALLY-ORIENTED FEDERAL QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE CLINICS LIKE THE CHILDREN'S CLINIC, COMMUNITY CLINICS, CERTAINLY ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER, NUMBER OF OTHERS, AND OF COURSE OUR OWN PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AND WE'RE ONE OF THE FORTUNATE CITIES THAT HAS OUR OWN CITY-LED PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SO, WE'RE QUITE FORTUNATE IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH TO HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY WEALTH OF HEALTHCARE RESOURCES. AND I THINK IT REALLY BODES WELL. AND THE REASON I'M PURPOSELY AND INTENTIONALLY EMPHASIZING THAT IS THAT, OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT THROUGH THE CHANGES, THE TRANSFORMATION THAT ARE UNDERWAY THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. OUR NEXT SEVERAL YEARS IN DECADES WILL BE TUMULTUOUS AT BEST, MESSY AT BEST. BUT WE'RE IN GOOD HANDS IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA. AND THE ABILITY TO INSURE THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOTH FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, FOR OUR CITIZENS AND FOR CHILDREN WHO BECOME FUTURE EMPLOYEES IS APPARENT NOT IMPORTANCE. SO, OF COURSE, OUR HOSPITALS ARE NOT-FOR-PROFIT, LONGSTANDING PROVIDERS OF CARE, EDUCATORS OF NEXT GENERATION PROVIDERS AND OF COURSE, VERY STRONG EMPLOYERS. WE ARE PROUD TO BE NOT-FOR-PROFIT BECAUSE HOW WE VIEW THAT MISSION IS THAT WE'RE HERE TO SERVE EVERYONE IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA REGARDLESS OF COURSE OF AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION, AND REALLY MOST IMPORTANTLY, ABILITY TO PAY. SO, EVERYONE IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA IN THE SENSE IS OUR MEMBER. AND SO, THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT WE DESIGN ARE PURPOSEFUL IN ENCOMPASSING ALL PEOPLE IN THE GREATER LONG BEACH AREA. AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT I EMPHASIZE PEOPLE, BECAUSE WE USED TO TALK A LOT ABOUT PATIENTS AND WE STILL DO. WE'RE HERE TO CARE FOR PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE ILL. BUT WE'RE REALLY HIGHLY FOCUSED ON ALL PEOPLE LONG BEFORE THEY BECOME PATIENTS. AND IT'S EVIDENCED IN THE VIDEO, THE IDEA OF PROVIDING CARE AND TREATMENT BEFORE PEOPLE BECAME PATIENTS, IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELLNESS IS A RADICAL TRANSFORMATION IN OUR HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY. NOT JUST FOR OUR REGION, BUT CERTAINLY FOR OUR NATION. AND SO, OF COURSE AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF UNPRECEDENTED IN MULTIYEAR. IN FACT, I THINK WE'RE ON THE VERGE OF FOUR-YEAR MARK, THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSING OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. AND, IT WILL TAKE MANY DECADES TO LITERALLY TRANSFORM OUR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM IN OUR NATION. AND WHY WAS THE TRANSFORMATION NECESSARY? WHY WAS THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OR SOMETHING LIKE IT NECESSARY? AND I THINK IF WE RECALL BACK IN 2008, 2009, THERE WAS AN AMAZING AND MASSIVE COLLISION OF TWO FACTORS THAT REALLY NECESSITATES AN URGENT TRANSFORMATION OF OUR HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM. AND THE ONE WAS THE RAPID RISING COST OF HEALTH CARE. AND I MEAN COST OF HEALTH CARE. WE HAD GROWN EXPONENTIALLY IN THIS NATION, LARGELY DUE TO COST OF TECHNOLOGY, PHARMACEUTICALS, LONGEVITY, CERTAINLY THE INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CHRONIC DISEASES THAT OUR CITIZENS NOW HAVE, THE IMPACT ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY AND OBESITY LATER IN LIFE. CERTAINLY DEFENSIVE MEDICINE PLAYED A PART. AND DIRECT TO CONSUMER MARKETING. MANY OF US WANT TO BE CHOOSING OUR HEALTH CARE AND HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE OUR HEALTH CARE. ALL OF THOSE FACTORS COMBINED WITH A MECHANISM FOR REIMBURSEMENT IS KNOWN AS FEE-FOR-SERVICE MEDICINE, SO BEING PAID FOR VOLUME. BEING PAID FOR THE NUMBER OF PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED, THE NUMBER OF PROCEDURES DONE, THE NUMBER OF SURGERIES DONE, THE NUMBER OF TIMES A PATIENT VISITS THE DOCTOR OR IS ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL, THAT FEE-FOR-SERVICE REIMBURSEMENT MECHANISM THAT EXISTED PREVIOUSLY. AND ALL OF THOSE OTHER FACTORS COMBINED TO ESCALATE THE COST OF HEALTH CARE TO DOUBLE WHAT OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HAD BEEN SPENDING. SO, IN OUR COUNTRY, WE SPEND ABOUT 8,500 DOLLARS PER PERSON, WHICH IS MORE THAN TWICE WHAT OTHER DEVELOPED NATIONS SPEND FOR A HEALTH CARE. IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE PART OF OUR NATION'S ECONOMIC ENGINE AT 18 PERCENT OF OUR GDP. OTHER COUNTRIES SPEND ABOUT HALF AS MUCH AS I MENTIONED. AND HAVE ABOUT THE SAME OUTCOMES. AND ONE WOULD SAY, "WELL, WHY WOULD THAT BE?" BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN THIS NATION, AND BECAUSE OF THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT I'VE MENTIONED. BECAUSE OF THE ADVANCES IN PHARMACEUTICALS, BECAUSE OF OUR INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE WHICH HAS BEEN A DRIVER FOR OUR ECONOMIC ENGINE, BUT HAS ALSO LED TO INCREASE COST. BUT OUR NATION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND HEALING. AND WE'VE DONE THAT AMAZINGLY WELL. BUT WHAT WE HAVE NOT FOCUSED ON IN THIS NATION IS PREVENTION AND WELLNESS. NOT ON IMPROVING THE POPULATION, THE HEALTH OF OUR POPULATION AND IMBEDDING IN REIMBURSEMENT, IDEAS OF IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELLNESS FOR OUR CITIZENS. NOW, THAT'S CHANGING, AND WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF THAT CHANGE. BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE LARGE TORNADOES THAT HIT IN 2008, THIS RAPID RISE OF HEALTHCARE COST. BUT NO LONGER COULD WE ALL AFFORD. NO LONGER COULD THE GOVERNMENT WHICH FUNDS ABOUT 75 PERCENT OF THE PATIENT CARE VISITS IN OUR COUNTRY. NO LONGER COULD THE GOVERNMENT IN THE FORM OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID AFFORD TO KEEP PACE WITH THAT RISING COST. SECONDARILY, ON THE OTHER TORNADO THAT HIT AND COLLIDED AT VERY MUCH THE SAME TIME WAS THE GREAT RECESSION. SO, NO LONGER COULD EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES AFFORD THE DOUBLE DIGIT INCREASES IN PREMIUMS FOR HEALTH CARE. UP TO THAT POINT, PRIVATE INSURANCE, PPO, HMO, COMMERCIAL INSURANCE HAD EFFECTIVELY BEEN INTERNALLY SUBSIDIZING THE COST OF HEALTH CARE THAT WAS UNDERFUNDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO, WHEN THOSE TWO ELEMENTS COLLIDED, TRANSFORMATION WAS NECESSARY. AND WITHOUT A DOUBT, SOMETHING NEEDED TO CHANGE. AND SO, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT IN MOVING TOWARD THIS IDEA OF CARING FOR THE HEALTH OF POPULATION AND OF MERGING THREE FACTORS. ONE, IMPROVING ACCESS, SO THAT ALL CITIZENS HAD ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE INSURANCE, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE. THE SECOND, BEING IMPROVING QUALITY AND THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF IMPROVING QUALITY THAT I'LL SPEAK TO IS IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION IS HELPING TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BECOMING OR HAVING TO BECOME ACTUAL PATIENTS IN THE ACUTE CARE SETTING. AND THEN THE THIRD ASPECT OF COURSE IS DECREASING COST, BUT AS I HAD MENTIONED, HEALTH CARE REPRESENTS ABOUT 18 PERCENT OF OUR GDP. AND SO EFFECTIVELY, THIS MASSIVE INDUSTRY CANNOT BE TRANSFORMED OVERNIGHT. SO, WHILE WE MAY REALIZE THAT AMAZING TRANSFORMATION MUST OCCUR, IT CAN'T OCCUR OVERNIGHT. IT WILL TAKE DECADES, IN FACT I'VE OFTEN SAID, THAT WE'LL LIKELY TAKE THE REST OF MY CAREER LIFETIME TO AFFECT THE FULL IMPACT OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND ITS CHANGES, BECAUSE IN EFFECT, IT IS THE PROVERBIAL GORDIAN KNOT. IT'S NOT HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE SIMPLY SEVERED NOR CAN YOU PULL ONE THREAD. YOU MUST IMPROVE ACCESS. YOU MUST IMPROVE QUALITY, THE POPULATION OF THE HEALTH. AND YOU MUST DECREASE COST ESSENTIALLY ALL AT THE SAME TIME. AND WHEN I SAY, ALL AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND WHAT HAS BEGAN TO HAPPEN AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN. SO, I SPEND JUST A COUPLE MINUTES ON EACH OF THOSE ELEMENTS. SO, TALKING ABOUT ACCESS AND GETTING DOWN TO THE DATA. IN LA COUNTY ALONE, IT'S ESTIMATED THAT PRIOR TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXCHANGES AND THE EXPANSION OF MEDICAID. ABOUT 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE WERE UNINSURED. AND ABOUT HALF OF THE 1.6 MILLION WERE UNINSURED AND WERE ELIGIBLE FOR THE EXCHANGES. AND AS HEATHER MENTIONED, IN CALIFORNIA ABOUT A MILLION PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP THROUGH THE EXCHANGES. THERE ARE ANOTHER MILLION THAT ARE IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS. AND WE EXPECT BY THE END OF MARCH TO HAVE CLOSE TO THREE MILLION PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA ENROLLED THROUGH THE EXCHANGES. BUT WHAT MAY NOT ALSO BE KNOWN THE OTHER PART OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND THROUGH CALIFORNIA IS THE EXPANSION OF MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY. SO, IN JULY 1ST, 2013, THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS OR CRITERIA FOR MEDICAID, MEDI-CAL IN CALIFORNIA WERE EXPANDED. AND ABOUT HALF OF THE 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE THAT I MENTIONED IN LA COUNTY ARE AND WERE ELIGIBLE FOR THAT EXPANDED MEDICAID. AND WE'VE ALREADY BEGAN TO SEE ENROLMENT IN MEDI-CAL INCREASE. AND WE'VE ALREADY BEGAN TO SEE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO OUR HOSPITALS THROUGH OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE UNINSURED BUT WHO NOW QUALIFY FOR MEDI-CAL. ALMOST THE DIRECT CORRELATION, INVERSED CORRELATION IN A VERY POSITIVE MEASURE FOR US FINANCIALLY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR PEOPLE WHO NOW COME TO US AND CAN BE MATCHED WITH A MEDICAL HOME. SO, OF THE ABOUT 11,000 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS THAT WE HAVE AT LONG BEACH MEMORIAL, MILLER CHILDREN'S, AND I KNOW THAT THESE STATISTICS ARE SIMILAR FOR ST. MARY'S MEDICAL CENTER AS WELL. ABOUT 2,500 PEOPLE PER MONTH OUT OF THE 11,000 COME TO HAS UTILIZING THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A MEDICAL HOME. BECAUSE THEY'RE-- CANNOT CONNECTED WITH AN OUTPATIENT PHYSICIAN OR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN. SO, WHAT'S NICE ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF MEDICAID WHEN PATIENTS COME TO US AT THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, WE CAN MATCH THEM WITH A MEDICAL HOME. WE CAN MATCH THEM TO AN OUTPATIENT PROVIDER. SO, THAT THEY CAN RECEIVE CARE IN A VERY APPROPRIATE SETTING INSTEAD OF UTILIZING THE EMERGENCY, THE HIGH-COST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO IMPORTANTLY FOR THEM THE IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING FOR THEIR FUTURE AND FOR THEIR FAMILY'S FUTURE. SO, WE LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF UNINSURED AND CAREFULLY AND CLOSELY TRACK, WE DON'T HAVE AS GOOD A DATA FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENROLLED THROUGH THE EXCHANGES AS HEATHER MENTIONED, WE'LL CLOSE OUT THE ENROLLMENT AT THE END OF THIS MONTH. AND BY MIDDLE OF APRIL, IT SHOULD HAVE SOME REALLY SOLID DATA. AND HEATHER MENTIONED THAT IT'S REALLY CRITICAL BECAUSE WE AREN'T SURE YET WHETHER PEOPLE ARE MOVING FROM ONE INSURANCE PRODUCT TO ANOTHER WITHIN THE EXCHANGE OR THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY, COMPLETELY UNINSURED AND NOW JOINING THE EXCHANGE. WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH AT THIS TIME IN OUR HOSPITALS. THE SECOND AND I MENTIONED THIS BRIEFLY IS THE VENUE OF CARE. I MENTIONED OUR EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS IN ACUTE CARE SETTINGS. WE ARE ALSO WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND WITH OUR OWN ORGANIZATION TO EXPAND ACCESS FOR CARE IN OUTPATIENT SETTINGS SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO CARE FOR PREVENTION AND WELLNESS AND A FOCUS ON PREVENTION AND WELLNESS BEFORE NEEDING TO COME TO THE HOSPITAL FOR ACUTE CARE EPISODE. SO, CONTINUE TO SEE THE GROWTH IF YOU WILL BOTH FOR EMPLOYMENT BUT IN NUMBER OF VISITS AND NUMBER OF CARE SITES IN OUR GREATER LONG BEACH AREA IN THE OUTPATIENT ARENA. AND THEN THE THIRD ASPECT OF ACCESS IS RELATED TO THE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD ASPECT OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. ABOUT NOW MORE THAN HALF HOSPITALS IN THE NATION HAVE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS. AND ABOUT HALF OF THE MEDICAL GROUPS AND PHYSICIAN OFFICES HAVE ACCESS AND FULL CONNECTIVITY FROM ELECTRONIC PERSPECTIVE. VERY SOON, 100 PERCENT IN THE NATION WILL BE ON ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS. FORTUNATELY IN GREATER LONG BEACH, THE HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS ARE ALL VERY WELL CONNECTED AND REALLY LED THE WAY IN OUR NATION FOR CONNECTIVITY. THAT WILL BECOME A VERY IMPORTANT ONE FOR REDUCING COST BUT ALSO IMPROVING QUALITY BECAUSE OF THE ABILITY OF CAREGIVERS TO COMMUNICATE WELL WITH ONE ANOTHER ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE IN DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS ON AND FOR ON BEHALF OF THAT PATIENT, AND SO THAT WE AS PATIENTS HAVE ACCESS TO OUR OWN INFORMATION AS WELL. THE OTHER PART OF THE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT IS IT GIVES FROM A SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE ACCESS TO AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF DATA. AND AGGREGATED CAN REALLY SET THE TONE FOR THE FUTURE OF HOW WE MAKE DECISIONS FROM A DIAGNOSIS PERSPECTIVE OR FROM A PREVENTION AND WELLNESS PERSPECTIVE. SO, THAT DATA MINING WILL BE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. AND SO, WATCH OVER THE NEXT COMING YEARS TO SEE THE PROLIFERATION OF DATA THAT COMES THAT A SCIENTIFICALLY BASED FROM ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS. THE SECOND ASPECT THAT I MENTIONED ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT IS THE QUALITY. AND SPECIFICALLY, AND OF COURSE WE'RE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN IMPROVING QUALITY AROUND ERRORS AND OUTCOMES, BEST PRACTICES, ET CETERA. AND THOSE HAVE LONG BEEN UNDERWAY IN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS. BUT WHAT'S NEW IS REALLY FOCUSED ON THE HEALTH OF THE POPULATION. AND IMPLEMENTING AND DESIGNING AND THEN MEASURING THE IMPACT OF PROGRAMS THAT IMPROVE THE HEATH OF OUR POPULATION, IMPROVE AND INSURE PREVENTION AND WELLNESS, INCLUDING MORE EMPLOYERS IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS. AND YOU'VE SEEN THIS ACROSS OUR COUNTRY AND CERTAINLY IN OUR REGION, MANY MORE EMPLOYERS DIRECTLY IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES' HEALTH AND WELLNESS. AND THEN THE THIRD ASPECT REALLY LOOKING AT COST AND DECREASING COST. AND SO, THROUGH IMPROVING ACCESS IN CREATING AN AMAZING COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE EXCHANGES, MANY PEOPLE SAY THAT WELL, THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW RUNNING INSURANCE. I CAN ASSURE YOU THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FRANKLY HAS NO INTEREST IN BEING IN INSURANCE PLAN. IN FACT, THEY'RE ACTIVELY LOOKING TO REDUCE AND REMOVE THEMSELVES AS THE INSURER. IT'S SAFE TO SAY THOUGH IN THIS COUNTRY RIGHT NOW THROUGH MEDICARE AND THROUGH MEDI-CAL, THE VAST NUMBER OF OUR PATIENTS CURRENTLY ARE COVERED BY GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED PLANS. WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS A SLIGHT RISE IN THE EMPLOYER-SPONSORED PLANS. AND WE'VE SEEN THAT THE COST OF THOSE EMPLOYER-SPONSORED PLANS HAS ONLY GROWN 4 AND A HALF PERCENT. NOW, IT'S AMAZING FOR ME TO BE SAYING, ONLY GROWN 4 AND A HALF PERCENT AND CELEBRATING THE IDEA THAT THE COST OF PREMIUMS INCREASING ABOVE CPI IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE. BUT YOU'LL RECALL THAT IN PREVIOUS YEARS, THE COST OF PREMIUMS HAD BEEN EASILY IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS. SO, WE ARE SEEING A DECREASE IN THE INCREASE IN PREMIUMS. AND WE EXPECT BECAUSE OF THE EXCHANGES, BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT, WE EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE. SO, THE PRESSURE ON COST WHILE IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING ACCESS AND QUALITY IS AS PARAMOUNT. WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THAT AND THAT OCCUR IN THIS NATION. SO, I WOULD CLOSE WITH SAYING THAT WE CERTAINLY AND REFLECTING FOR ALL OF YOU FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE. THREE KEY AREAS THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND MEASURE AND DISPLAY DATA AS WE MOVE FORWARD AS THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION BECOMES MORE MATURE. ONE IS OF COURSE ON THE IMPACT ON EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES. SO, DO EMPLOYERS AS THE EMPLOYER MANDATE, WE ALL KNOW HAS BEEN MOVED BACK TO 2015, DOES THAT COST ANY SHIFT IN NUMBER OF COMPANIES THAT CONTINUE TO SPONSOR OR OFFER EMPLOYER-SPONSORED HEALTH PLANS? I THINK THE PREDICTION AT THIS POINT IS LIKELY NOT, BUT POSSIBLE, SECONDLY IS JOB DEVELOPMENT. AND AS HEATHER MENTIONED, OF COURSE HEALTH CARE IN THIS REGION IS A MASSIVE ENGINE. AND US AS AN EDUCATOR, AS WE LOOK FORWARD AND PROJECT INTO THE FUTURE, WE SEE THAT THE GROWTH OVERALL FOR JOBS WILL HAVE A SLIGHT INCREASE. BUT WE EXPECT THAT THE SHIFT IN KINDS OF PROVIDERS WILL CHANGE DRAMATICALLY. WE WILL EDUCATE MANY MORE PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS, NURSE PRACTITIONERS, CLINICAL PHARMACIST AND OTHER CAREGIVERS WHO WORK IN OUTPATIENT AND AMBULATORY SETTINGS. AND THOSE CAREGIVERS WHO REMAIN A SPECIALIST WITHIN A HOSPITAL, THEIR DEGREE OF SPECIALIZATION WILL CONTINUE WITHIN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE THE ACUITY, THE SEVERITY OF ILLNESS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEN IN THE HOSPITAL NOW HAS RISEN DRAMATICALLY. AND THEN THIRD IS THE OVERALL HEALTH OF OUR POPULATION AND MEASURING ELEMENTS LIKE CHILDHOOD OBESITY. LIKE NUMBER OF DAYS LOST AT WORK BECAUSE OF ILLNESS. AND SO, FOCUSING ON THOSE KEY DATA ELEMENTS WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR OUR FUTURE. I THINK FOR US AS A COMMUNITY WHEN WE THINK OF POPULATION HEALTH AND HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY, WE THINK PRIMARILY ON BENDING THE CURVE OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY. WE SAW SOME PRELIMINARY DATA THAT WAS PRODUCED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO IN THE LA TIMES AND A NUMBER OF OTHER JOURNALS INDICATING A SHARP DECREASE IN CHILDHOOD OBESITY. AND FOR CHILDREN YEARS OF AGE TWO TO FIVE, SUBSEQUENT ANALYSIS OF THAT STUDY HAS REALLY DISPELLED THAT-- THAT WAS, IT WAS A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. AND SO, I THINK THAT WE MUST AS A COMMUNITY CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON PROGRAMS THAT DECREASE OBESITY IN CHILDREN. AND THEN SECONDLY IS LOOKING AT END OF LIFE, INSURING THAT WE ALL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING DECISIONS FOR END OF LIFE FOR OURSELVES AND FOR OUR FAMILIES AND FOR OUR PARENTS. SO, I WILL CLOSE ON THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE, IT'S A PLEASURE. [ APPLAUSE ] >> OH, GOOD MORNING, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME HERE. YOU KNOW, AS I WAS WALKING UP THE STAIRS TODAY AND I ALWAYS HAVE THIS SAME THOUGHT IN THE MORNING. WE ALL HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF LIVING IN THE MOST WONDERFUL COUNTRY ON THE FACE OF PLANET THAT HAS THE MOST CAPABLE AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ON THE GLOBE. I CAN'T SPEAK ABOUT LONG BEACH AIRPORT WITHOUT ACTUALLY TYING IT TO THE ENTIRE GRID. IT'S BECOME SO MUCH PART OF OUR ECONOMY AND SO MUCH PART OF OUR LIVES THAT YOU CAN'T DISENGAGE FROM IT. YOU KNOW, WE COULD TRAVEL ACROSS COUNTRY NOWADAYS IN A MATTER OF HOURS. WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IT VERY DEEPLY. BUT WE COULD TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, SIT IN THE CHAIR, WORK ON YOUR COMPUTER THROUGH WI-FI, WATCH A MOVIE, AND BOOK ALL OF THIS IN A MATTER OF MINUTES ON YOUR IPHONE. AND IT'S BECOME SO COMMON PLACE THAT WE FORGET THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY IN SITTING INSIDE, WHAT IS IT? ESSENTIALLY A 300-TON ROCKET FLYING TO THE SKY ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT REALLY IS A MARVELOUS SYSTEM. I MAY SHOW YOU A LITTLE BIT OF HOW THIS SYSTEM LOOKS ABOVE YOUR HEAD. THAT'S WHAT YOUR NATION LOOKS AT ANY GIVEN TIME, THAT'S A SNAPSHOT IN TIME OF YOUR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM. THERE'S OVER THREE-- THIS COUNTRY MOVES OVER THREE QUARTERS OF A BILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE NATION FROM STATE TO STATE EACH YEAR, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF TONS OF CARGO, OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT CARGO THAN THE PORTS RECEIVE. BUT IT'S AN ESSENTIAL PART OF EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES, EVERYTHING FROM THE SERVICE INDUSTRY, ALL THE WAY TO ON DEMAND MANUFACTURING AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. AND THIS COUNTRY WOULD NOT BE THIS COUNTRY WITHOUT THE SYSTEM. AND TO THINK ABOUT IT ALL STARTED, YOU KNOW, AS AN ODDITY, BACK ABOUT 100 YEARS AGO. THERE'S A COUPLE OF GENTLEMEN THAT COME TO MIND, ONE IS CAL RODGERS THAT ACTUALLY EXECUTED THE FIRST CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. HE BOUGHT WRIGHT FLYER FROM THE WRIGHT BROTHERS AND CAME ACROSS COUNTRIES, LANDED HERE IN THE LONG BEACH ACTUALLY CRASH ABOUT 17 TIMES ALONG THE WAY. AND EVENTUALLY MADE IT HERE AND IT WAS AN ODDITY. THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER GUY CALLED, CALLED TONY JANNUS THAT STARTED WHAT IN ESSENCE IS THE FIRST AIRLINE. FLYING PEOPLE, FERRYING PEOPLE ACROSS TAMPA BAY AND FLORIDA WHICH IS A DISTANCE OF ABOUT HERE TO NAPLES ISLAND, WHICH IS AN AMAZING FEET AT THAT TIME. AND FROM THEN ON, IT'S TRANSFORMED TO BEING PART OF-- PART OF WHAT MAKES THIS COUNTRY INCREDIBLE. NOW, THE NEXT SLIDE IS JUST THE NETWORK OF ONE AIRLINE. THIS IS HOW WE MOVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. BY THE WAY, THIS IS DELTA AIRLINES AND WE BRING FEET INTO DELTA AIRLINES THROUGH THEIR HUB IN SALT LAKE CITY. SO, FROM THERE, WITHIN ONE HOP, YOU'RE ONE HOP AWAY FROM MOST OF THE COUNTRY AND MOST OF THE WORLD. SO, IT REALLY IS A POWERFUL-- WE DON'T THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE, WHEN WE TRAVEL, WE JUST TRAVEL FROM POINT A TO POINT B. BUT THIS IS ONE AIRLINE. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN OLD SAYING AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S A CURSE OR A BLESSING, IT SAYS, MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES. LIKE IT OR NOT-- WHETHER I LIKE IT NOT, MY INDUSTRY IS ALWAYS CHANGING. IT'S BEEN A DECADE SINCE WE HAD A PLETHORA OF AIRLINES AND IN THE LAST DECADE WE'VE MANAGE OR THE AIRLINES HAVE MANAGED TO CONSOLIDATE TO ABOUT FOUR MEGA AIRLINES. UNITED, DELTA, SOUTHWEST, AND AMERICAN AIRLINES. WHEN THE AMERICAN AIRLINES AND US MERGER FINISHES, FOUR MEGA AIRLINES WILL CONTROL ABOUT 85 PERCENT OF THE DOMESTIC MARKET SHARE, AND EACH AIRLINE TOWARDS ANY OTHER AIRLINE IN THE FACE OF THE PLANET. NOW, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT AS THE SOLIDIFY WHAT THAT MEANS TO US IN LONG BEACH AND US AS CONSUMERS, AS THEY SOLIDIFY, THEY BECOME STRONGER, THEY BECOME MORE EFFICIENT, THEY BECOME MORE SOLVENT. SO, IF YOU HAVE AIRLINE STOCK, GOOD FOR YOU. YOU PROBABLY WON'T SEE ANOTHER BANKRUPTCY IN THE NEAR FUTURE. NOW, IF YOU FLY, PRICES ARE GOING UP AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO GO UP. AND THE AMOUNT OF SEEDS IN THE MARKET WILL CONTINUE TO GO DOWN. THE AIRLINES, THE LARGER AIRLINES ARE RETRENCHING IN LARGER MARKETS. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY'RE LEAVING THE SMALLER MARKETS A LITTLE IT AND RETRENCHING IN THE LARGER MARKETS IELAX BECAUSE THERE IS EFFICIENCY IN THAT SORT OF CONSOLIDATION. FOR THE TIME BEING, WE CAN PROBABLY PREDICT IN OUR INDUSTRY THAT ALTHOUGH THERE'S A LIQUIDITY IN THE MARKET, THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A LOT OF STOMACH IN THE MARKET FOR A STARTUP AIRLINES. SO, YOU WILL NOT SEE LIKE A NEW SOUTHWEST ATTACKS AND STARTING THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ANYTIME SOON. BUT THINGS DO CHANGE. LET ME SHOW YOU-- THIS IS HOW YOUR AIRPORT LOOKS. NOW, THIS IS JUST THE DIRECT DESTINATIONS BUT WE DO TIE INTO THAT GRID THROUGH MULTIPLE HUBS. ONE OF THEM BEING PHOENIX, ONE OF THEM BEING SALT LAKE AND OBVIOUSLY JFK, DALLAS HAS A HUB, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. SO, YOU COULD TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY THROUGH THIS AIRPORT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT MY CAREER FIELD IS THAT IT'S NOT PREDICTABLE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF BANKRUPTCIES AND THE AMOUNT OF AIRLINES THAT HAVE GONE OUT OF BUSINESS AND THE AMOUNT OF CARGO CARRIERS THAT HAVE GONE OUT OF BUSINESS IN MY INDUSTRY, IT TEND-- YOU TEND TO BELIEVE OR LEADS YOU TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S KIND OF UNSTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE AND ACTUALLY IT IS TO A CERTAIN DEGREE UNSTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE. SO, IN LIEU OF CRYSTAL BOWLING THINGS, YOUR AIRPORT WHICH IS YOUR AIRPORT BELIEVES THE FINANCIAL TARGETS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. SO, IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE AIRPORT HAS INCREASED ITS NET REVENUES BY ABOUT 50 PERCENT. WE'VE INCREASE OUR NET RESERVES BY ABOUT 35. THAT EQUATES TO AN OPERATIONAL RESERVE OF OVER A YEAR. SO, IN OTHER WORDS, WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE INDUSTRY AND WE HOPE IT CONTINUES TO GO UP WE CAN OPERATE YOUR AIRPORT FOR OVER A YEAR WITHOUT MISSING A BIT FINANCIALLY. AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE INCREDIBLE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT IT PROVIDES TO THE AREA. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IT'S A GATEWAY TO THE CITY. AND I-- THIS-- IT WAS WONDERFUL WHEN THE FIRST SPEAKER SAID THAT A GREAT CITY DESERVES A GREAT UNIVERSITY. THIS GREAT CITY DOES HAVE A GREAT UNIVERSITY. BUT IT ALSO DESERVES-- [ APPLAUSE ] BUT IT ALSO DESERVES A GREAT GATEWAY. AND RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A GREAT AIRPORT. THE ORGANIZATION-- THE AIRPORT ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW IS AN AWARD WINNING ORGANIZATION. WE'VE PICKED UP FOUR AWARDS IN THE LAST YEAR. WE ALSO HAVE STATE-OF-THE-ART WORLD CLASS FACILITIES. AND WE ALSO HAVE EXCEPTIONAL FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. SO, THE FUTURE IS REALLY LOOKING BRIGHT, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE SOME SADNESS, OBVIOUSLY, THE C-17 PROGRAM IS SLOWLY WANING AND, YOU KNOW, ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END. BUT, BY THE SAME TOKEN, THE GULFSTREAM, THE MANUFACTURING OF GULFSTREAM JETS IS ACTUALLY GOING UP. THERE'S MORE GULFSTREAM JETS BEING PREPARED AT THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT AND FINALIZED AT THE LONG BEACH AIRPORT. LET ME SHOW YOU A LITTLE VIDEO, YOU KNOW, A VIDEO IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS I GUESS ON THE ECONOMIC-- [ MUSIC ] [ APPLAUSE ] THANK YOU, YOU KNOW, AS PROFESSIONALS AND THE AVIATION PROFESSIONALS, WE'VE PREPARED THE AIRPORT TO BE POISED FOR THE FUTURE. AND WE BELIEVE THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AND WE'RE THERE AND WE HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF CAPITALIZING ON THAT BRIGHT FUTURE. SO WE, ALTHOUGH WE SEE CHALLENGES IN THE FUTURE, THERE'S ALWAYS CHALLENGES IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY, THAT DOESN'T CHANGE. EVEN WHEN THE ECONOMY WAS GOOD, THERE WERE AIRLINE BANKRUPTCIES, THERE WAS CHANGES IN AIR SERVICE. WE'RE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THAT FUTURE, PREPARED TO MITIGATE ANY SORT OF PROBLEMS AND CAPITALIZED IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [ APPLAUSE ] >> WELL, THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PANELISTS FOR SOME VERY INTERESTING VIDEOS AND VERY INFORMATIVE PRESENTATIONS. WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THREE OF YOU BEING HERE TODAY. BEFORE WE WRAP UP THE EVENT, I WANT TO OPEN UP TO QUESTIONS FROM YOU. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR ME OR FOR ONE OF OUR PANELISTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO POST, LET ME JUST-- RAISE YOUR HANDS, STAND UP AND I'LL RECOGNIZE SOMEONE. AND THEN YOU CAN POST IT. THIS IS A CHANCE TO BEGIN THE DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY, ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE GREATER LONG BEACH REGION. AND ONCE WE'VE TAKEN SOME QUESTIONS, THEN WE'LL ADJOURN AND YOU CAN CONTINUE THE DISCUSSIONS MORE INFORMALLY. DO I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE? OK, GO AHEAD. >> THIS IS OUR QUESTION FOR-- EXCUSE ME, FOR EACH OF THE PANELISTS. >> AND JUST IN CASE YOU COULDN'T HERE THAT IN THE BACK, THE QUESTION IS TO EACH OF THE PANELISTS, WHAT GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU SEE IN YOUR INDUSTRY IN LONG BEACH? >> THAT WAS-- SINCE THE PORT WAS MENTIONED FIRST THEN, I CAN RESPOND TO THAT IN-- I CAN GIVE YOU THE LONG ANSWER OR THE SHORT ANSWER SO I'LL GIVE YOU THE SHORT ANSWER. BY FOCUSING ON ONE ASPECT OF HOW WE CAN CAPITALIZED AND LEVERAGE ON GROWTH. SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FACT THAT A FEW YEARS AGO, PRESIDENT OBAMA UNVEILED THE NATIONAL EXPORTS INITIATIVE. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA AND YOU LOOK AT THE CARGO VOLUMES, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE MOVEMENT ON THE EXPORT SIDE THAN THERE IS ON THE IMPORT SIDE. AND SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE AS A PORT, OUR LEVERAGING IS THE MOMENTUM BEHIND A PUSH TO INCREASE EXPORTS, AND WE DO THAT BY-- WE HAVE A TRADE DEVELOPMENT STAFF THAT MEETS WITH THE ENTREPRENEURS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. AND WE TRY TO CONNECT THEM TO FIRMS OVERSEAS TO INCENTIVIZE THEM AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO CAPITALIZE ON THESE OPPORTUNITIES. EXPORTS ARE A HUGE SOURCE OF JOB CREATION, NOT JUST HERE IN LONG BEACH, THROUGHOUT THE REGION, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. AND SO, THAT'S ONE THING AND THAT'S ONE WAY THAT THE PORT OF LONG BEACH IS SEIZING THAT OPPORTUNITY. >> I WOULD SAY THAT THE ABSOLUTE PRIMARY AREA OF GROWTH IS IN EXPANSION AND NEED FOR MORE PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS. AND THAT MEANS PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS, FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIANS, INTERNISTS AND OTHERS, BUT ALSO, MANY MORE PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS SUCH AS NURSE PRACTITIONERS, CLINICAL PHARMACIST AND OTHERS WHO CAN WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH PATIENTS. AND WE HAVE A SHORTAGE NOT JUST IN OUR STATE BUT CERTAINLY IN OUR REGION OF PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS. AND SO, WE LOOK TO THE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES AROUND PRIMARY CARE, AND PRIMARILY IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING. WE WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SOME GROWTH IN THE ACUTE CARE SETTING AND SPECIALTY POSITIONS AND ANCILLARY POSITIONS. BUT WE WILL SEE MUCH MORE GROWTH IN THE OUTPATIENT AREA AND FROM A PRIMARY CARE PERSPECTIVE, SO. >> RIGHT, THERE'S MANY, MANY, MANY EXAMPLES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE INDUSTRY, OBVIOUSLY THE C-17 PROGRAM 100 PERCENT CORRECT IS WANING. AND IT WILL BE WANING IN THE FUTURE AND IT'LL EVENTUALLY STOP PRODUCTION AND THE PLAN WILL BE CLOSED. SIMULTANEOUSLY, GULFSTREAM IS INCREASING THEIR ACTIVITY. SO NOW, WHERE IS GULF-- THE GULFSTREAM PLANT AT THE AIRPORT IS INCREASING ITS ACTIVITIES. AND IT ALSO IS LOOKING TOWARDS EXPANDING ITS FOOTPRINT. WE HAVE MANY, MANY PROGRAMS AND FOR EXAMPLE AIR SERVICE MARKETING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BRING THE RIGHT AIR SERVICE TO THE AIRPORT AND CONNECT THE RIGHT CITY PAIRS. WE ALSO HAVE AN ACTIVE PROGRAM WITH CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU TO PROMOTE THE CITY OF LONG BEACH AS A DESTINATION. BASICALLY, WHAT WE'RE TYING TO DO, IT REALLY IS INTERESTING, I DID THIS WHEN I WAS IN FORT LAUDERDALE. FORT LAUDERDALE WAS ACTIVELY DEVELOPED AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BECAUSE MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS A PAIN IN THE NECK TO FLY INTO MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. SO, YOU WANTED BUSINESS PEOPLE TO FLY THROUGH FORT LAUDERDALE, SPENT A COUPLE OF ROOM NIGHTS IN FORT LAUDERDALE AND DRIVE DOWN TO MIAMI AND CONDUCT BUSINESS. IT ACTUALLY HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT SLOWLY THROUGH PROMOTIONS IN BOSTON AND IN NEW YORK. FOR EVERY SINGLE PERCENTAGE THAT WE TURN IS AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF 20 MILLION DOLLARS TO THE CITY OF LONG BEACH. SO, IT IS-- AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO. BUT IT'S BASICALLY SETTING INTO PEOPLES' MINDS THAT THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO LAX. SO, AND THERE IS SEVERAL OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD. AND THAT'S WHY IF YOU LOOK AT THE AIRPORT, MOST OF THE AIRPORTS OF THIS SIZE AROUND THE NATION ARE LOSING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC. BURBANK HAS LOST I THINK ABOUT 25 TO 30 PERCENT OF ITS TRAFFIC. ONTARIO HAS LOST 40 PERCENT OF ITS TRAFFIC. IT'S A GREAT TRAGEDY OUT THERE. WE'VE MANAGED TO HOLD STEADY. AND WE'VE MANAGE TO HOLD STEADY BECAUSE OF ALL THIS ACTIVITY THAT WE'RE DOING AND ACTUALLY THAT PROBABLY THE NEW-- THE NEW NORMAL IS THAT IF WE HOLD STEADY, WE'RE IN GREAT SHAPE AND WE ARE IN GREAT SHAPE. JETBLUE IS DOING WELL AND ALL OTHER AIRLINES ARE DOING WELL. NOW, OBVIOUSLY THEIR SHIFTS IN ROUTE MAPS ALL THE TIME. AND WE WORK WITH THE AIRLINES WHO TRY TO CONNECT THE DOTS AS WELL AS POSSIBLE. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. >> THANK YOU, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OK. ALL RIGHT, SO WE'LL TAKE ONE MORE AND THEN I WILL, YOU KNOW, AT 10 TO KEEP ON TIME. I WILL, YOU KNOW, LET PEOPLE GO WHERE THEY WANT TO. BUT GO AHEAD TIFFANY [ASSUMED SPELLING]. >> OK. A QUESTION FOR DIANA [INAUDIBLE] THE PHYSICIANS ON YOUR [INAUDIBLE]. I WANTED TO ASK YOU WHAT [INAUDIBLE] AND ALSO [INAUDIBLE]. >> WELL, SEVERAL DIFFERENT ASPECTS AND, THANKS FOR THE QUESTION, TIFFANY. WE HAVE STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH MOST OF THE MAJOR UNIVERSITIES FOR GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION. AND SO, WE ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS THAT ARE FOCUSED PRIMARILY IN PRIMARY CARE MEDICINE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE AT LONG BEACH IN MILLER CHILDREN'S, WE HAVE 115 FULLTIME EQUIVALENT GRADUATE MEDICAL EQUIVALENCE OR EDUCATION. AND BUT MOST OF THOSE RESIDENTS OR FELLOWS ARE FOCUSED ON SPECIALTIES. AND SO, WE ARE MAKING THE CONVERSION TO FOCUSING SPECIFICALLY ON INTERNAL MEDICINE. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE AND DO HAVE AND ARE GROWING OUR FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAM THAT IS LONG BEACH MEMORIAL-BASED. BUT ALSO IN IMPORTANTLY WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH CAL STATE LONG BEACH TO BOTH TRAIN NEW NURSES AFTER WE GRADUATE 108 NURSES A YEAR TO THE CAL STATE LONG BEACH PROGRAM. MOST OF WHOM WE'RE ABLE TO EMPLOY DIRECTLY THROUGH A TUITION DEFERMENT PROCESS. THEY JOIN OUR ORGANIZATION. AGREE TOP WORK FOR TWO YEARS, TUITION IS FORGIVEN. SO, THAT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL WAY TO EMPLOY AND TRAIN ON SITE. BUT THAT PROGRAM IS EXPANDING TO NURSE EDUCATION INTO NURSE PRACTITIONER. AND GRADUATE LEVEL NURSE PRACTITIONERS WHO CAN CARE DIRECTLY FOR PATIENTS. SO, THOSE ARE JUST TWO EXAMPLES ADDITIONALLY, OUR CLINICAL PHARMACY RESIDENCY PROGRAM IS PRIMARY CARE-ORIENTED CONTINUES TO GROW AND EXPAND AND FOCUS ON. SO, THOSE ARE THREE EXAMPLES WHERE WE'RE SHIFTING OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS, EXPANDING THEM AND ALSO MAKING IT FEASIBLE FOR STUDENTS TO OVERCOME THE COST OF TUITION, OVERCOME THE COST OF THAT ADVANCE EDUCATION. >> ANYONE ELSE? >> HI, GOOD MORNING [INAUDIBLE] SMALL BUSINESSES [INAUDIBLE] SERVICES. HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE CITY OF [INAUDIBLE] IN THE LAST [INAUDIBLE]? AND SO [INAUDIBLE] LONG BEACH. I'M REALLY LOOKING [INAUDIBLE]. HOW CAN [INAUDIBLE] SERVICES? >> YOU'RE EXACTLY THE PERSON I WANTED TO TALK THIS MORNING. I'M HAPPY TO STICK AROUND AFTER THE PROGRAM TALK TO YOU SOME MORE. BUT THERE ARE DEFINITELY A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES. AND WE CERTAINLY HAVE AN OPEN DOOR POLICY ESPECIALLY THE LONG BEACH BUSINESSES. SO, I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THAT WE CAN OFFER TO YOU THAT YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO ELUDE TO YOU EARLIER, MY EARLY RESPONSE IS AS THE MIDDLECLASS IN ASIA, PARTICULAR IN CHINA CONTINUES TO GROW. THE DEMAND FOR US SERVICES AND GOODS ALSO GROWS. AND SO, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES, BUT I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU AFTER THE PROGRAM SOME MORE. >> OK, WE'LL TAKE ONE LAST QUESTION. AND THEN LIKE I SAID, IF YOU WANT TO STICK AROUND AND COME UP AND TALK, OUR PANELISTS WILL BE AROUND FOR A LITTLE WHILE, YOU CAN ASK FURTHER QUESTIONS. GO AHEAD SIR. >> AND THEN FIRST [INAUDIBLE], YOU KNOW, BASICALLY [INAUDIBLE] EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM [INAUDIBLE] BUSINESSES WANT TO DROP, CORPORATIONS WANT TO DROP, AND REALLY IS A REGULATORY CLASSES THAT WE HAVE IN THE STATE [INAUDIBLE] STATE THAT STARTS BUSINESSES [INAUDIBLE]. SO, THAT'S JUST SOMETHING FOR OUR MEMBERS OF [INAUDIBLE]. I APPLIED [INAUDIBLE]. BUT PEOPLE WANT TO GROW [INAUDIBLE] RESTRICTIONS, THE IMPORTANT [INAUDIBLE]. WE CAN'T, WE'RE UNDER RESTRICTIONS. MEDICAL SERVICES, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GIVE [INAUDIBLE] MIGHT HELP ME [INAUDIBLE]. BUT [INAUDIBLE] SORT OF LEGISLATIVES AND ARE SOON TO BE LEGISLATIVES. PLEASE [INAUDIBLE] REGULATORY PROCESS BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT [INAUDIBLE]. >> OK. [ APPLAUSE ] >> AND I GUESS I WOULD JUST ADD THAT WE WANT TO GROW WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO US IS US HELPING YOU KEEP YOUR EMPLOYEES HEALTHY AND WELL SO THAT YOU CAN GROW. AND THAT'S OUR PRIMARY FOCUS. >> WELL, LET ME THEN STOP IT THERE. LIKE I SAID IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, FEEL FREE TO COME UP AND TALK TO OUR PANELISTS WILL BE AROUND FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES. AND YOU CAN TALK TO FOLKS THAT ARE SITTING IN THE DIFFERENT TABLE. THERE IS FRESH COFFEE OUT IN THE LOBBY. AND YOU CAN ENJOY THAT. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR COMING TODAY. >> GREAT JOB. >> I REALLY APPRECIATE IT, HAVE A GREAT DAY. [ APPLAUSE ] [ INAUDIBLE DISCUSSIONS ]
B1 中級 2014年CSULB經濟預測 (2014 CSULB Economic Forecast) 216 16 richardwang 發佈於 2021 年 01 月 14 日 更多分享 分享 收藏 回報 影片單字