An Economic Recovery Plan

By Aaron Hake

Corona must be more proactive and creative in becoming an economic powerhouse at the crossroads of Southern California. We must better link our schools to our businesses and create a sustainable city budget. Downtown and Dos Lagos must also be revitalized.

We must involve our businesses, school districts, local colleges, residents, and neighboring cities in a comprehensive effort to build a Corona economy that fulfills our potential. Our geography is ideal, our schools are high-quality, our people are educated and driven. Let's use our natural assets to generate an economic game-plan that will bring more jobs to our city to reduce 91 freeway commute times and protect us from the boom-and-bust cycles that have hobbled the Inland Empire.

Waiting for things to get better is not a plan for success. Will Corona be proactive or reactive? Vote for a leader who is more ambitious and sees more opportunity than the status quo. Otherwise, we will fall behind other cities.

As a board member of the Corona Chamber of Commerce and member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I have relationships with local business leaders that can bring key players to the table. As a public policy professional, I can work with leaders in the public and private sectors to design a City Hall that is as business-friendly as possible.

• Downtown / 6th Street + We must unite around a long-term strategy to turn-around the heart of our city. Our state has taken away our #1 tool to redevelop downtown; we must respond with a plan of our own. Prioritizing downtown will lift all corners of the city as we strive to make it an economically vibrant place again.

• Linking our schools to business + Our children are the most special elements of our lives. They are also the key to our city's future. Corona's education leaders endorse me because I understand that our city must do more to connect our kids to jobs in the community. Let's keep our best and brightest here locally and give our employers the next generation of workers they'll need to grow.

• Reinvesting in public safety + Graffiti and break-ins mar the city's appeal and sense of security, and ultimately depresses the economy. I support bringing back our police force to normal levels as soon as reasonably possible.

• Long-term balanced budget + Although the city's budget is balanced at the moment, the next two years show that the city will continue to spend slightly more than the revenue it receives. One-time solutions are plugging the gap while we "hope" for the economy to turnaround. I believe we must take a serious look at our long-term fiscal situation to ensure the city's budget is sustainable over the long-term.