Pleasanton Chamber's New "Vision Pleasanton" Program Provides Business Community with a Political Voice

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Businesses need to forge strong ties and partnerships within the community in which they work to make business successful and to cooperatively address community needs. That's the thinking behind Vision Pleasanton, a new initiative from the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce designed to provide a business perspective on community issues like education, housing, the local economy, and transportation.

"Vision Pleasanton provides a base for the Chamber to represent the business viewpoint in community discussions," says Steve Clarkson, chairman of the Chamber board of directors.

Clarkson explains that the program is not a response to a particular issue but instead is a pro-active effort to interface with the community. "I think the business community spends a lot of time trying to produce its goods and services and not enough time attending to community involvement and I think it's easy for communities to overlook the business perspective on things that they're doing."

Vision Pleasanton focuses on eight specific areas, stating the importance of each and then enumerating several priorities to support those areas. For example, one area the program addresses is the Local Economy and the need for " thoughtful, balanced economic policies (which) help attract and retain quality employers who bring a higher wage base and improved quality of life for all residents." Actions advocated to support that goal include "enhancing Pleasanton's economic and job environment by encouraging types and sizes of businesses that contribute synergistically to each other and the community," "ensuring the timely development of adequate infrastructure to support all needs of the community," and "increasing the prosperity of local businesses, workers, and residents and increasing sales tax and other revenues by promoting Pleasanton."

Other categories addressed in the Vision Pleasanton program include Education, Health and Human Services, Public Safety, Recreation and Open Space, Arts and Culture, Housing, and Transportation. The Chamber's objective is to integrate these eight initiatives, pulling together the disparate agendas of other civic and community organizations and working collectively to achieve common goals.

For more information about Vision Pleasanton, please visit the Chamber's web site at www.pleasanton.org/VisionPleasanton.htm or telephone (925) 846-5858.

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