Lightner to Head New Council Jobs Committee

The San Diego City Council created a new committee on Tuesday to focus primarily on job creation.

The 7-0 vote—Marti Emerald was absent—creates the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Strategies, which will be chaired by Councilman Sherri Lightner, who represents District 1 which includes Rancho Peñasquitos.

Emerald, Kevin Faulconer and Lorie Zapf are the other members.

They will focus on city involvement in economic development; workforce development and education; attracting, retaining and expanding businesses; and other matters that address job creation, according to council President Tony Young.

He also said committee members will work on a long-term strategic plan for economic development.

No current committee has those tasks.

Councilman Carl DeMaio said the council as a whole has given small business more attention over the past six months than before.

"How do we understand the issues of small businesses, how do we streamline government to make it easier for small businesses to navigate the bureaucratic process, how do we start partnering with the emerging industries and sectors of the economy that are going to be the big job creators, how do we prepare San Diego?" DeMaio said. "Those issues deserve 100 percent and full attention."

The committee will meet on Mondays, beginning later this month.

-City News Service

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to say that the council created the committee on Tuesday, not Monday.