Business and government leaders will gather on campus Tuesday to discuss state and local housing policy, as well as learn about the likely path of the economy in the coming year.
“Inland Empire Vision: Recession in 2019?” consists of three components: an economic forecast, a housing policy panel, and an interactive Q&A. It is the annual joint conference for the Rose Institute of State and Local Government and Lowe Institute of Political Economy.
Manfred Keil, CMC economics professor and associate director of the Lowe, will present the Inland Empire Forecast. He has been analyzing and forecasting economic activity in the region since the project began in 2009.
“Manfred is one of very few forecasters that explicitly goes beyond the nation and state to focus on the Inland Empire. He is also an unusually careful and insightful forecaster,” said Cameron Shelton, Director of the Lowe, McMahon Family Associate Professor of Political Economy, and George R. Roberts Fellow.
“With this conference, we want to contribute to the greater community by deploying our expertise in the service of relevant issues. We want to hear audience members’ perspectives—because this informs us as to what is relevant, challenging, and important to consider.”
The opening hour will highlight student research at the two institutes. Students are also helping with a collaborative exercise to end the conference, a strategy session that Shelton finds useful because it exposes them to “a broader set of people and assumptions” beyond the classroom.
The presenting sponsor for Inland Empire Vision is Cadence Capital, whose founder and chairman is Bill Rothacker ’73. Gold sponsors include Citizen’s Business Bank and the Oremor Auto Group, whose president is RJ Romero ’89.
The line-up includes:
Breakfast and registration
7 to 8 a.m.
Inland Empire Forecast featuring CMC economics professor Manfred Keil
8 to 9 a.m.
The Housing Challenge: Regulatory Environment and the Housing Market
9 to 9:45 a.m.
- Jeff Collins, housing reporter, Southern California News Group
- Brian Desatnik, planning director, City of Redlands
- Jim Holas, vice president of forward planning, William Lyon Homes
Collaborative exercise and wrap-up
9:45 to 10:30 a.m.
Inland Empire Vision takes place in Roberts Pavilion. Tickets are $35 per person or $200 for a table of eight. Visit the conference website for more information and to register.