Jim Wunderman Area Quotations

What a difference three months makes. This is strong news for our economy and Bay Area workers. Last quarter, with the hurricanes and spike in energy costs, local confidence plunged to the worst level in 33 months, and many survey respondents were considering postponing new hiring. As we suspected, that now appears to have been only a momentary shock, and the Bay Area business community expects the region's economy to steadily improve.

What a difference three months make. This is strong news for our economy and Bay Area workers.

Continuing historical trends, the Bay Area has clearly emerged from the most recent recession in a strong position. Bay Area employers are in the center of one of the world's most dominant and rapidly growing economic hubs. That said, economic conditions change extremely rapidly. Forces that many would argue are in our control are at this very moment rapidly eroding our economic advantage.

First and foremost transportation. Every time we ask, Bay Area business leaders and voters tell us that's the number one headache in the Bay Area. Number two education ... third is affordable housing.

As we suspected, that now appears to have been only a momentary shock, and the Bay Area business community expects the region's economy to steadily improve.

The Bay Area is not prepared for its next major disaster. The painful lessons that emerged from recent disasters in the United States drive our passion to protect the Bay Area. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina revealed the unthinkable cost in terms of lives and money of haphazard planning and irresolute leadership. Not putting ferries on the Bay for disaster recovery is like New Orleans not strengthening its levees, knowing a hurricane was coming. The threats to the Bay Area are well known and we must act urgently to avoid repeating this tragedy.