This leads to our second challenge, how to grow opportunity for the region’s working and middle-class residents. Despite its reputation as an abode for the rich, or at least the very affluent, barely one in three OC residents earns over $75,000, a significantly lower level than many of our competitors. Much of our job growth in recent years has been concentrated in lower-wage sectors, like hospitality, restaurants and personal services. This has left far too many struggling to make ends meet. In the worst cases, residents find themselves part of a growing segment living in overcrowded conditions or even in the expanding homeless encampments. Given these realities, must be given to providing not just more affordable housing, but also skills training for our less prosperous families. This should include job training for high value-added industries like technology, advanced manufacturing, design, and medical devices. As OC matures and its population becomes more dependent on those raised here, finding ways to utilize our local workforce has become a critical priority.
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