The mission of Action Pajaro Valley is to facilitate an on-going collaborative process for planning and creating a positive future for all residents of the Pajaro Valley.

Action Pajaro Valley was formed to provide a process for the entire community to establish a common, practical vision for the future of the Pajaro Valley. In July 1999, we formed a nonprofit corporation and today we have an Advisory Board of over 50 community leaders representing over 20 stakeholder groups. (See our Advisory Board listed below.) The community office has a small staff that is located in the heart of Watsonville, across the street from the City Plaza.

The idea of a regional community vision in the Pajaro Valley grew out of observing similar visioning processes in other regions. Business leaders, community organization members and government officials served as a catalyst to bring together private and public sponsors to initiate the process. To date, Action Pajaro Valley sponsors include: The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the City of Watsonville, and numerous community members.

Excitement about the process is growing into an organized effort involving a partnership of people from many sectors of the Pajaro Valley.

The responsibility for making the vision happen rests with the people of the Pajaro Valley. As community members step forward to join with organizations, businesses, and government, the Pajaro Valley will have the kind of future which we all want.

On October 8-10th, 1999, Action Pajaro Valley hosted a Vision Festival Weekend for community members of the Pajaro Valley. The Vision Festival was one of the initial outreach efforts aimed at involving community members in the creation of a vision for the future of the Valley.

The Festival included a range of activities and opportunities for community input and dialogue addressing diverse issues including business, government, agriculture, education, health, transportation, labor and the environment. While more elements of the vision will continue to surface, the following is a summary of the key vision points raised by community members during the first vision workshop:

• Create powerful educational opportunities for the Valley's young people
• Celebrate and capitalize on diversity
• Develop a strong economy
• Have a healthy downtown
• Create a sufficient balance between jobs and housing
• Develop diverse employment opportunities
• Balance agricultural preservation with urban development
• Maintain the agricultural economy
• Create the Valley as a model of organic farming
• Provide mixed use and infill development
• Secure comfortable, safe and affordable housing for all Pajaro Valley residents
• Provide protection of environmental resources.

The Vision Festival was the first step in creating a plan for our future. Our outreach efforts will include a broad range of community members as we gather visions for the future. We hope that everyone will give their input into the process.

The Vision Festival Summary report is available at the Action Pajaro Valley office and on our new web site. Feel free to call (831) 786-8536 for a copy or visit www.actionpajarovalley.org