When I’m out and about, I like to ask people I meet in Alameda what it is that we need most here. Do we need more restaurants, tech, or entertainment options? Maybe another grocery store? Boutique?

Having a healthy community is about having the right balance of businesses, recruiting businesses that will be good job providers and provide a good quality of life. We want to attract the types of businesses that will make people want to visit Alameda and spend money with us.

We also need things outside of business to have a good quality of life like affordable housing. Businesses won’t be able to hire if there aren’t enough people here to work or if the people who live here don’t have the right skills for what the businesses need. We also need people to feel satisfied with our services and programs so that their personal needs are met and they tell others about how special their town is.

We need to give our residents access to a strong education that meets the future needs of the economy. We want employers to see Alameda as home to a wealth of good employee options.

Transportation feeds in too because not everyone who works here will live here. They need to be confident that they can get to work easily every morning. If they can’t, they’ll quit their jobs and that will impair our businesses even further.

At the Alameda Chamber & Economic Alliance, we advocate for the business community and providing a better quality of life. There are many wonderful businesses and programs within our community but we want to be even better.

So I ask you, what do we need more of in Alameda?