BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1420
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1420 (V. Manuel Perez)
As Amended January 4, 2010
Majority vote
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 6-0 HIGHER EDUCTION 8-0
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|Ayes:|V. Manuel Perez, Logue, |Ayes:|Portantino, Block, Cook, |
| |Beall, | |Fong, Galgiani, Huber, |
| |Bill Berryhill, Block, | |Ma, Ruskin |
| |Salas | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requests the California Council on Science and
Technology (CCST) and the California Space Authority (CSA) to
seek funding to expand their assessment of the state's
innovation infrastructure capacity including university research
facilities, private research parks, manufacturers and
incubators.
Authorizes the CCST and the CSA to collaborate with public and
private colleges and universities, corporations with research
capacity, economic development organizations, investment and
finance professionals, and the California Community Colleges.
Provides that the final assessment be presented in a format that
allows for its display on the Internet and facilitates its use
by potential applicants for green and other innovation-based
federal funding.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose: The author states that an important element to
California's long-term economic growth is its continuing
investment in innovation-based industries. Historically, this
has been an area in which California has enjoyed a comparative
advantage, not only relative to other states but to other
regions of the world. In the last decade, however, other
states, such as Massachusetts, and other countries in the
AB 1420
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world, such as Singapore, have begun to implement more
targeted economic development activities to attract
innovation-based industries.
These changes, the author states, are a cause for concern and
suggest that California cannot be passive or assume that what
was true in 1990 will continue to be true in the 21st century.
Over the last decade, significant changes have occurred in
the way new technologies are created and commercialized.
Traditional regional clusters are giving way to more globally
based "knowledge networks" formed and enabled by technology,
rather than geography.
The author states that this shift toward technology-based
networks requires that the state have a better understanding
of its own innovation assets. AB 1420 calls on the CSA and
the CCST to continue mapping the state's innovation resources
(as detailed below) and make recommendations on how to
strengthen the state's role as a leader in science and
technology in the changing innovation economy.
2)The California Innovation Corridor and Asset Mapping: In
2006, the CSA in partnership with the California Labor and
Workforce Development Agency was awarded a $15 million/3-year
grant from the federal Department of Labor for the development
of the "California Innovation Corridor" (Corridor). The
purpose of the Corridor project is to "drive entrepreneurship,
global manufacturing competitiveness, and 21st century
workforce" within the 13 participating counties, including San
Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside,
Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Monterey, Santa
Cruz, Santa Clara, and Alameda.
The Corridor project was designed and implemented through the
collaborative efforts of over 65 public and private
stakeholder groups including CCST, Stanford University,
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, and the San Bernardino
County Workforce Development Board.
One of several initiatives of the Corridor was the Innovation
Asset Mapping Inventory (Inventory) project. The purpose of
the project was to inventory key innovation assets in such a
way as to assist regional partners in gaining a greater
understanding of the organizational assets available to foster
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innovation and entrepreneurship and guide workforce
development.
To this end, the project inventoried innovation-based assets
owned and/or managed by the private sector, academia, and
government, such as federal laboratories and industry
technology research resources. Information from the Inventory
was then developed as separate innovation asset profiles and
incorporated into a searchable online platform where they are
accessible to economic and workforce development
professionals, education stakeholders, and the public.
Through this online platform, known as the Innovation Asset
Mapping Portal
http://www.connectory.com/portal_home.aspx?portalid=5 , one can
access over 1,500 profiles.
According to CSA, the Innovation Asset Mapping Portal has
proven to be very useful for both public and private entities
interested in engaging with entities within the Corridor.
With this success, a question arises as to whether other areas
of the state may benefit from being included in the Inventory.
Analysis Prepared by : Toni Symonds / J., E.D. & E. / (916)
319-2090
FN: 0003541