Campaign Encourages Shoppers to Buy Local

>> >>PEGGY PICO: THE IDEA BEHIND THINK LOCAL FIRST IS TO GROW JOBS, INCREASE THE LOCAL TAX BASE, AND KEEP BUSINESS REVENUE CIRCULATING IN OUR OWN COMMUNITIES. A NUMBER OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE SUPPORT THE PLAN. DEBRA ROSE N CEO OF SAN DIEGO NORTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER, RYAN STEVENS. A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK I SHOP AT MY GROCERY, LOCALLY, WHERE DOES MOST OF THAT MONEY GO? >> >>DEBRA ROSEN: ANY TIME A CONSUMER WILL SHOP ANYWHERE, THEY SHOULD KNOW AUTOMATICALLY 1% OF WHATEVER IT IS THAT THEY'RE SPENDING THERE IN THAT RETAILER OR THAT RESTAURANT WILL GO WACK BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. >> >>PEGGY PICO: JUST 1%. YOU HAVE SOME EXAMPLES OF THE MONEY BEING SPENT OUTSIDE, FOR INSTANCE WITH THE SAN DIEGO CITY VEHICLES. >> >>DEBRA ROSEN: RIGHT. THERE ARE SOME CITIES THAT PURCHASE THEIR VEHICLES OUTSIDE OF THE REGION. THEY MIGHT PURCHASE THEM UP IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, INSTEAD OF INSIDE THEIR PARTICULAR CITY, AND ONE% OF ANY PURCHASE MADE WILL GO BACK INTO THAT COMMUNITY OR THAT PURCHASE MADE THROUGH SALES TAX REVENUE, AND IS USED FOR CITY INFRASTRUCTURE, POLICE AND FIRE. >> >>PEGGY PICO: THAT'S KIND OF RECYCLING OUR DOLLARS. YOUR REPORT ACTUALLY BROKE IT DOWN BY NORTH COUNTY CITIES AND YOU FOUND THAT IN PURCHASES OVER 15,000DOLLARS, POWAY HAD JUST OVER 44%. THEY SENT THAT MONEY OUT O THE AREA, THEY WERE SPENDING IT OUT THE AREA, ESCONDIDO ABOUT 40, AND SAN DIEGO COUNTY 32.4% OF THE MONEY IN THAT REGION WAS SPENT ELSEWHERE. SO WE DIDN'T GET THE BENEFITS OF THAT 1% CERTAINLY COMING BACK. TELL US HOW THINK LOCAL FIRST WOULD KEEP THAT MONEY CLOSER TO HOME. >> >>DEBRA ROSEN: IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE GOVERNMENT, SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CONSUMERS, RETHINK THEIR BUYING. TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THEY CHANGE UP A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING, JUST TO KEEP SOME OF THAT MONEY IN THE REGION. FOR EXAMPLE IN THE CITY OF POWAY, IF EVERY SINGLE RESIDENT TOOK JUST 2,000DOLLARS A YEAR THEY'RE SPENDING OUTSIDE O THE REGION AND SPENT IT INSIDE OF THE REGION. >> >>PEGGY PICO: FOR INSTANCE ONLINE. >> >>DEBRA ROSEN: UHHUH, THAT WOULD GENERATE AN ADDITIONAL 700 TO 900,000DOLLARS THAT COULD BE PUT BACK INTO THE CITY INFRASTRUCTURE. >> >>PEGGY PICO: IT COULD CERTAINLY HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES. RYAN YOU OWN REPLICA PRINTING WITH BRANCHES IN SAN DIEGO AND POWAY. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS INITIATIVE WOULD HELP YOUR BUSINESS? >> >>RYAN STEVENS: IF THIS GOT AWARENESS OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND OTHER BUSINESSES IN SAN DIEGO. THEY JUST CHALLENGED THEMSELVES TO LOOK AT THEIR VENDOR LISTS AND YOU KNOW IF THEY'RE SHOPPING OUTSIDE OF SAN DIEGO OR BUYING THEIR PRINTING OUTSIDE OF SAN DIEGO JUST TO KIND OF CHALLENGE THEMSELVES AND SAY HEY, LET'S KEEP IT LOCAL, LET'S KEEP THE MONEY BACK IN SAN DIEGO, AND CAN YOU MATCH THIS PRICE? IF IT IS ABOUT PRICE. THEN THEY'LL GET THE PRODUCT SOONER, THEY'LL BE HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES AND HOPEFULLY HELPING OUR ECONOMY. >> >>PEGGY PICO: AS FAR AS JOBS GO, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS SUPPOSED TO HELP INCREASE JOBS. DO YOU THINK IT WOULD HELP YOU TO BE ABLE TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE? >> >>RYAN STEVENS: NATURALLY. IF MORE PEOPLE ARE KEEPING THEIR BUSINESS LOCAL AND GIVING ME BUSINESS ASIDE FROM ONLINE, I'LL BE ABLE TO HIRE MORE PEOPLE, WE'LL BE RAMPING UP, PRINTING MORE, AND INCREASING OUR HOURS, INCREASING SOUR WORK FORCE. >> >>PEGGY PICO: DEBORAH, NOW IS THERE A WAY THIS IS HELPING THE TAX BASE, AND IS THERE A WAY YOU CAN OFFER INCENTIVES FOR PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS? >> >>DEBRA ROSEN: I DON'T KNOW ABOUT INCENTIVES. WE HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT IS GOING TO BE LOOKING AT WAYS IT CAN BE GENERATED. ALL HOME OWNERS ARE PROPERTY TAX PAYERS. WHEN WE PAY PROPERTY TAXES, A BIG CHUNK OF IT GOES TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE DID A REPORT WHICH IS ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL, ARE SPENDING A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY OUTSIDE OF THE REGION. WE INVEST OUR PROPERTY TAXES IN THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WE FEEL THEY NEED TO REINVEST THOSE FUNDS BACK INTO OUR COMMUNITIES. I THINK WE CAN ALL START BY WRITING LETTERS TO THE SUPERINTENDENTS SAYING SHOP LOCALLY. >> >>PEGGY PICO: IF YOU NEED PRINTING, GO SEE. RYAN, WHAT DO YOU WANT OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS TO KNOW? I UNDERSTAND THIS INITIATIVE IS BEING HIGHLIGHTED UP IN NORTH COUNTY, NORTH OF 52. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TELL BUSINESS OWNERS? >> >>RYAN STEVENS: CHECK OUT THINK LOCAL FIRST.COM, AND THINK LOCALFIRSTSD.COM, SEE WHETHER BUSINESSES ARE CAMPAIGNING AND CHAMPIONING THIS EFFORT. HELP EACH OTHER OUT, HELP LOCAL BUSINESSES BUILD VIBRANT COMMUNITIES. >> >>PEGGY PICO: IT KIND OF HELPS THEMSELVES AS WELL. >> >>RYAN STEVENS: ABSOLUTELY. >> >>PEGGY PICO: YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS BY GOING TO OUR WEBSITE THINKLOCALFIRST, AND KPBS.ORG.