2011 Index of Silicon Valley - Silicon Valley Community Foundation

ABOUT THE 2011 SILICON VALLEY INDEX
Dear Friends:
Two years after the start of the Great Recession, Silicon Valley is beginning to show some signs of economic recovery.
We are seeing small gains in private sector employment as well as modest improvements in income. And yet we
remain a region at risk.
This year's Index also shows that gains in private sector employment are being offset by job losses in the public
sector, and we can only expect that trend to continue.
The Special Analysis carefully examines the crisis facing local government and the problems are serious: city and
county revenues, long under stress, have plummeted during the recession, and public services are being severely
strained. The analysis documents underlying structural issues at the state and local level that have created these
problems—problems that were masked during boom years but have now reached a crisis point.
As a region, we have a choice. We can continue on our present course, in which modest improvements in the economy
will not be enough to shore up the public sector, resulting in the loss of public services we currently take for granted.
Or we can take steps to address the public sector financial crisis and find ways to keep investing in the education
systems, infrastructure, health and safety, and community development that are essential to a healthy economy and
our quality of life.
If we fail, we risk a dangerous downward spiral in which a declining public sector leads to sharper declines in
employment, which in turn creates an additional drag on our economic recovery.
Most of the things we care most deeply about – the education of our children, the health and safety of our families
and the creation of great places to live – depend on effective government. It is clear that our institutions of local
government are at a critical juncture. It is also clear that we must work together to make difficult choices and at
the same time explore new efficiencies and operating models responsive to the realities of the 21st century.
Joint Venture and Silicon Valley Community Foundation are dedicated to improving the future of our region. This
report provides the facts that can help us grapple with our choices and act on our priorities. We're pleased to provide
this crucial information and anxious to move forward.
Sincerely,
Russell Hancock, Ph.D.
Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer CEO & President
Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network
Silicon Valley Community Foundation