Is there any chance Jon Kvitky doesn't want more high tech biz in Santa Cruz?
Welcome to Silicon Beach. Or at least that’s what we should be calling Santa Cruz, according to a recent survey by the online polling and policy outfit Civinomics. The six-question poll, taken at the Chamber of Commerce Business Fair at Cocoanut Grove on March 14 by a Civinomics team (which included the author, a Civinomics co-founder), found that the industry in which Santa Cruz businesspeople have the most confidence is technology. In fact, 40 percent of those surveyed stated that if they could invest $10,000 in any local industry, technology would be their first choice, followed closely by tourism at 35 percent. Retail and agriculture finished substantially behind, with 18 percent and 16 percent respectively (some respondents picked two industries). Forever 21 might want to take notice of these results.
The greater emphasis on technology follows larger economic and cultural shifts in Santa Cruz. Last year proved to be a landmark year for the local tech industry. The opening of the CruzioWorks space.html (where both Civinomics and Santa Cruz Weekly have offices) and its hosting of the first ever TechRaising event, in which teams of entrepreneurs come together for a weekend of mad project development and investment-seeking, helped to bolster an already burgeoning entrepreneurial culture. Co-working pioneer NextSpace, building on its record of incubating tech start-ups locally, expanded to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, and also hosted members of the Code4America organization, a group dedicated to helping local governments become more effective through the use of digital technology. Together, both businesses have helped to redefine the identity of Santa Cruz, and the local business community seems to be taking notice.
The results were surprising, though, given response to last fall’s Santa Cruz Retail Market Analysis report by consultant Robert Gibbs. The report, which found that 85 percent of all retail purchases made by Santa Cruz residents occur outside the city limits, suggests significant opportunity for retail growth.html in town.
Although a large portion of people answered that they were “not familiar” with the Gibbs report (49 percent), despite the heavy press attention.html it received in this and other publications, its findings seemed to resonate with them. Upon hearing some of the report’s conclusions, more than half of those surveyed said they agreed with the analysis.
So what accounts for the lack of interest in retail, despite the general agreement on the Gibbs report?
Well, of the 71 people surveyed, 44 actually made suggestions as to how they would improve the local economy, with the dominant theme being, you guessed it, technology. As one respondent put it, “Encourage investment in technology, education and entrepreneurship; reduce parking deficiency fees, and help local businesses and creative people connect.”
As it turns out, people also seem to care a lot about the evolving Santa Cruz culture more than they seem to care about an increase in tax revenue (although the two are hardly exclusive). One participant suggested that Santa Cruz should maintain a “balance between local business [while] keeping the Santa Cruz culture in mind.”
Other popular suggestion themes centered on reducing the homeless population downtown and streamlining the business permitting process. The latter suggestion is generally seen as essential for the continued growth of Santa Cruz’s startup culture.
Overall though, people seemed genuinely optimistic about Santa Cruz business and were quite satisfied with the event. If there is one thing you can count on, it’s that there will be no shortage of people willing to express themselves in this town.
