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*Three Californias Project
*Proyecto de las Tres Californias

Fall 2011 Baja California Course
>>View Course Syllabus (.pdf)

Institute for Regional Studies
of the Californias
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive, AL 377
San Diego, CA 92182-6039

Location:Arts & Letters 377
Telephone: (619) 594-5423
Fax: (619) 594-5474
Email:irsc@mail.sdsu.edu

Last Update: 12/9/11

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Institute of the Three Californias Project

A Shared Vision

The three states of California, Baja California, and Baja California Sur comprise one ecological and economic region. They have strong historical and cultural ties that have existed for more than a century through trade, investment, labor flows, and personal connections created by tourism, migration, and family ties. In addition, all have an interest in preserving the shared fragile and unique ecology of mountains, deserts, and oceans, as well as building sustainable communities with sufficient water and local, renewable energy sources. The security and prosperity of the entire region is also important to the individual security and prosperity of each state.

The economy of the entire region depends on a transportation infrastructure that allows families and goods to move across the region efficiently and to cross the international border without the undue delays that are currently experienced.

Because of all these common interests, it is proposed that stakeholders in the three states work to improve the cooperative relationship of their governments so that the existing public policies of the three states be enhanced through the creation of the Institute of the Three Californias.

Shared Purpose and Goals of the Institute of the Three Californias

• Build Strong and Resilient Communities consistent with Pillar IV of the Mérida Initiative
  
  
• Enhance tri-state collaboration, especially of the local and state governments and academic sector
  
  
• Facilitate sharing of best practices among the three states, emphasizing community engagement
  
  
• Implement collaborative initiatives to improve public safety, advance sustainable economic development, and improve social and cultural institutions focused on concrete projects with measurable results

Founding Meeting and Membership

Some 40 current and former elected and appointed state and local officials from the three Californias, along with academic and Department of State/Relaciones Exteriores representatives, convened April 7-9, 2011, in San Diego’s Old Town—the 1769 birthplace of Alta California. The group developed the Shared Vision as well as the Purpose and Goals. The 2011 Work Plan was approved to include specific efforts on disaster preparedness and emergency response, capacity building for public-sector officials, training on shared environmental issues, and strategic analysis of socioeconomic and environmental issues of the Three Californias.

The founding group agreed to move forward with establishing a non-profit presence in each of the states and to convene again in the fall of 2011. The Institute of the Three Californias membership includes the founding meeting participants and each state’s delegation will add additional members as needed in the future.

>>Executive Summary of the April 7-9 Meeting (.pdf)

Contacts

Denise Moreno Ducheny: dmducheny@gmail.com

Paul Ganster: pganster@mail.sdsu.edu