The green economy holds great promise for the tri-county region.

With thousands of jobs at stake, some interesting new players are emerging on the economic development scene. Sen. Tony Strickland, the Republican who won the narrowest of victories in a contested district, scored points when he backed a bill to exempt green manufacturing equipment from state sales tax.

San Luis Obispo and Ventura have jumped on the bandwagon to become an early node on Google’s proposed broadband network, a move that could launch a host of new “green” energy management programs for home and business. Ventura claims to be the first city to do so, but SLO and possibly Santa Paula or Ojai may not be too far behind.

As the Great Recession ends, we’re beginning to see that a few cities are emerging with economic development assets that didn’t exist a few years ago. Ventura and SLO are two cities where there’s a recognition that jobs and the new energy technologies are keys to the future — not just for headlines but for building a stable tax base for years to come.

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