Linkages: Forward

The Community Economic Revitalization Team (CERT) in California is officially drawing to a close. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that it operates under expires in December, 1998. The collaboration and pooling of resources that has taken place in the nine rural Northern California Counties (Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity) to diversify their economies and strengthen local capacity has been a success and an example of teamwork when linkages are made throughout a community, county, and region between those in need of assistance and those that provide assistance.

Was the CERT a success? In terms of dollars it is easy to see. As of July 31, 1998 over $142 million has been delivered to the area as a direct result of the CERT. An additional, $156 million has been delivered through programs other than those directly linked to the CERT. However, the money alone doesn’t tell the complete story. When the money returns to traditional levels success will be viewed by the ability of the communities to more than survive, but thrive. Many communities were in a state of readiness when the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative (NEAI) rolled into the State and were able to make quick use of the funds. Other communities were not in that position and are only now starting to turn around. While others are still one step behind. Because of this, there is great interest by the local communities to continue the collaboration and information sharing between and among local governments and funding agencies that have served as the true success of the CERT and constitute the CERT Process.

This Process of bringing different State and Federal agencies to the same table to serve local communities is what is needed. In the effort to continue the process after the term of the CERT has expired, the membership of the CERT needed a clear understanding of what the CERT has done in order to move forward in exploring what and how the CERT can operate in the future. This report aims to fulfill that need. The report contains four parts: (1) historical information on the CERT (2) direct feedback by local government representatives (3) direct feedback by State and Federal funding agencies and (4) direct feedback by the Community Coordinators. This is an evaluation of the CERT, by the CERT.