By Sahil Kapur
31 October 2020
Trump's Limp-Wristed and Loose-Tongued Hate-Monger: Stephen Miller
Stephen has been swishing-away for way too long. He's about an undercover 'closet queen' as Trump's former side-kick Ray Cohn - and just as vicious if not more. That's only the conditional "if" - if there's a second term in-office for Trump. Silly Stephen has been on a rambling rage the past few days raging on and on as if he can tell his days in-the-glow could peter-out real quick.
Yes, we have been warned - one time in Vanity Fair, another time in a book by Jean Guerrero, another report in The Guardian, and a 30-minute phone-call to NBC yesterday. . .
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"Miller’s continued presence in the White House has led some to raise broader questions about what it means for the United States.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger’s editorial board wrote an opinion piece calling for Miller’s resignation last week, conceding that Trump “is sure to disregard this advice” and adding: “When his presidency finally comes to an end, and its political cult is deprogrammed, let’s hope that basic standards of decency are revived in North America.”
In a segment called Fire Stephen Miller Right F**king Now, late-night television host Samantha Bee, was just as blunt: “If we can’t all agree that a white supremacist has no business in the White House, then we should probably just turn out the lights on this grand American experiment.”
If You Thought Stephen Miller Couldn’t Get More Monstrous, Just Wait for Another Trump Term
The architect of the Trump Administration’s worst immigration policies—the travel ban, the wall, child separation—has big, “shock and awe” plans for the next four years.
WHO KNOW HOW-TO-STUDY? 7 Mesa City Council Members Have Had Their Assignments
First there's This Question: What's the difference between "Acknowledge receipt of minutes" and taking-the-time to read and to understand all the details? . . or for that matter, Why ask?
BLOGGER NOTE: There's a reason for that city-owned land sale and it's got something to do with ASU @ Mesa City Center
AUDIT, FINANCE & ENTERPRISE COMMITTEE October 1, 2020
The Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee of the City of Mesa met via a virtual format streamed into the lower level meeting room of the Council Chambers, 57 East 1st Street, on October 1, 2020, at 9:26 a.m.
COMMITTEE PRESENT: Jennifer Duff, Chairperson* Mark Freeman* David Luna*
STAFF PRESENT: Christopher Brady Dee Ann Mickelsen Jim Smith
Chairperson Duff conducted a roll call.
1. Items from citizens present: There were no items from citizens present.
2-a. Hear a presentation and discuss 2020 bond program including defeasance, new issuances, and refunding.
City Treasurer Ryan Wimmer displayed a PowerPoint presentation to update the Committeemembers on the 2020 bond program. (See Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer stated the purpose of the bond program is to support the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which is determined each year through the budget process. He indicated the funding source for most CIP projects is bond financing, adding it is important to remember the bond program is part of the City’s infrastructure CIP. He explained each year the City’s finance team looks at the need to sell bonds, and then issues the bonds to finance the CIP. He advised the City is always looking for savings opportunities by refinancing to a lower interest rate or by defeasing existing debt early. (See Page 2 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer defined a bond and outlined that municipal bonds are the most common way for cities to finance infrastructure. He provided the City’s bond process. (See Page 3 of Attachment 1)
Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee October 1, 2020 Page 2
Mr. Wimmer said the principal and interest paid to investors is called debt service and is paid for the life of the bond, which is generally 20 to 25 years.
He advised the City’s financial forecast included debt service for both existing and anticipated future debt service. (See Page 4 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer indicated there was a delay in bond issuances due to the pandemic pushing the City’s issuance to the November/December timeframe. (See Page 5 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer presented some project examples that were funded using 2020 General Obligations (GO) bonds, which include Fire Station No. 221 in Eastmark, the Mesa Drive street improvements, as well as the North Center Street Athletic Fields. (See Page 6 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer provided the numbers for the planned issuance for the 2020 GO bond sale that will cover streets, library, parks and culture, and public safety projects, which total approximately $22 million. (See Page 7 of Attachment 1)
In response to a question from Chairperson Duff regarding whether the Public Safety line item covers the new buildings, Mr. Wimmer explained the Public Safety line item includes funding for building Fire Station 221, as well as for the purchase of the land for the Northeast Fire Station 222.
He mentioned a full list of projects being supported by the bonds will be provided to Council in the coming weeks.
Mr. Wimmer stated GO bonds are secured by the full faith and credit of the City, referring to property tax, and are primarily paid from secondary property tax revenue.
He described the issuance process used by the City. (See Page 8 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer discussed some Utility System bond project examples, adding one of the larger projects is finishing the Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant Expansion. (See Page 9 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer reviewed the numbers for the Utility System Revenue bond sales.
He pointed out the largest number falls under wastewater, and the total planned issuance is approximately $70 million. He advised the numbers could change over the next couple of weeks as the markets change. (See Page 10 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer identified that Utility System Revenue bonds are secured by the Utility System Revenue and finance Utility Systems infrastructure, which are paid for primarily from Utility System Revenues. (See Page 11 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer commented each year the City’s finance team looks for opportunities to save on interest costs and defeasance opportunities to pay debt off early. He explained due to the current lower interest rates the City has refinanced existing bonds for cost savings. (See Page 12 of Attachment 1)
Mr. Wimmer provided the conservative estimated savings numbers for the GO Bonds and the Utility Systems Revenue bonds, which total approximately $17 million. (See Page 13 of Attachment 1)
Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee October 1, 2020 Page 3
In response to a question posed by Chairperson Duff, Mr. Wimmer commented he is unclear what portion, if any, of the new development impact fees goes to infrastructure costs; however, the bonds help pay for the infrastructure that supports the development that will be constructed.
He stated the new development then pays for the impact that development will have on the system to help recover those costs.
City Manager Christopher Brady expanded by saying that impact fees are regulated by State law and are limited on how much can be collected. He added the City is only able to use funding from impact fees to pay off existing outstanding debt.
City Attorney Jim Smith advised the impact fee statute changed approximately 10 years ago and gave cities two options.
He mentioned the option the City of Mesa chose was to use the impact fees to pay for past debt, with the other option being to use the impact fees for future costs where an impact fee analysis would need to be conducted and included many more restrictions.
He said as the impact fees are paid off, the fees go away. He commented the impact fee rate has not changed which makes it nearly impossible to recapture the costs with the current rate.
In response to a question from Chairperson Duff, Mr. Brady explained how the impact fee is calculated and the regulations on how the fee can be applied.
He stated what is eligible for payment using the impact fee has been limited to outstanding debt since 2011.
In response to a question posed by Committeemember Luna regarding whether taxpayers’ rates are also lowered when the City refinances to a lower rate, Mr. Wimmer advised GO bonds only resets the property tax levy after a new bond election.
Mr. Brady stated refinancing to lower interest rates plays a factor in keeping the rate lower, as well as affects commercial development. He reported by managing the debt the City is reducing the cost of the debt.
In response to a question from Committeemember Luna, Mr. Wimmer indicated the tax levy is recalculated each time there is a new bond election.
Mr. Brady remarked the goal is to smooth out the debt service over 15 to 20 years to avoid having peaks and valleys and then calculating the tax levy impacts from there.
In response to a question from Committeemember Luna regarding how many bond elections there have been since 2013, Mr. Wimmer stated there were GO bond elections in 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2020.
He elaborated by saying utility elections took place in 2010 and 2014.
Committeemember Luna noted his appreciation that the City looks for opportunities to refinance the bonds for taxpayer savings.
He asked whether there is a concern that the City is overburdening taxpayers with bonds?
Mr. Brady advised that the numbers are reviewed every year as the City goes to sell bonds. He explained staff are sensitive to the impact to the average homeowner while trying to keep up with redevelopment within the City to replace water and electric lines, along with new infrastructure as the City continues to grow. He added new growth and commercial development helps spread out the tax burden.
Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee October 1, 2020 Page 4
Committeemember Freeman commented refinancing bonds is important to leverage the lower interest rates. He stated the City of Mesa is diligent about paying debt off and building up the City.
In response to a question from Chairperson Duff, Mr. Brady indicated when the capital improvement budget is created, there is anticipation that some of the capital projects that are financed with bonds will add additional expenses to the General Fund when those projects are completed.
He confirmed that CIP is for new infrastructure or replacement of older infrastructure and that maintenance is built into the budget.
Mr. Wimmer shared the estimated timeline for the 2020 bond transactions. (See Page 14 of Attachment 1)
In response to a question from Committeemember Freeman regarding the interest rate for the bonds, Mr. Wimmer stated five issuances will be sold which all have a slightly different interest rate based on their maturities and the type of debt, but the estimate is around 2%.
In response to a series of questions from Committeemember Luna, Mr. Wimmer remarked that the term “refunding” used in the bond industry essentially means refinancing.
He added the bonds that will be refunded were issued in 2010.
He continued by saying the GO bonds being refunded total $30 million and the utility bonds total $45 million.
In response to a question posed by Chairperson Duff, Mr. Wimmer explained the Utility Systems Revenue bonds have a debt service coverage ratio that is restricted to 1.75% to ensure the City has enough coverage to make the payments. He stated the City does not have a policy regarding the amount of coverage required but attempts to keep the number as high as possible. He remarked the State Constitution has two restrictions on the amount of GO Bond debt, which combined equals 26% of the taxable value of property in the City.
Chairperson Duff thanked Mr. Wimmer for the presentation.
2-b. Hear a presentation and discuss funding for the ASU @ Mesa City Center project.
City Treasurer Ryan Wimmer displayed a PowerPoint presentation and provided an update on the Arizona State University (ASU) at Mesa City Center project.
(See Attachment 2)
Mr. Wimmer stated along with the GO and utility bonds being issued, excise tax obligations will be issued to help fund the ASU project.
He reported construction is underway and the project will be completed in October of 2021 with classes beginning shortly thereafter. (See Page 2 of Attachment 2)
Mr. Wimmer presented the current funding plan for the project which totals $73.5 million plus furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E).
He explained ASU’s commitment is $10 million, plus the FF&E.
He remarked the City will be contributing approximately $20 million in cash, as well as $42.8 million will be financed with excise tax revenue obligations. (See Page 3 of Attachment 2)
Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee October 1, 2020 Page 5
Mr. Wimmer commented an excise tax is simply a tax on a transaction and are guaranteed by sales tax receipts.
He listed previous projects that have been financed with excise taxes. (See Page 4 of Attachment 2)
In response to a question from Chairperson Duff, Mr. Wimmer confirmed there is no outstanding debt on the Highway nor the Stadium project; however, there is some outstanding debt on the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport improvements.
He reported the City of Mesa has no excise tax debt outstanding, which is rare for a city and puts Mesa in a good position.
Mr. Wimmer indicated that Council has already approved the issuance of the excise tax obligations. (See Page 5 of Attachment 2)
Mr. Wimmer presented the annual cost estimates for the obligations, comparing the numbers at the time of approval to present day numbers.
He added the actual cost will be determined when the bonds are sold in November. (See Page 6 of Attachment 2)
Mr. Brady pointed out the City was able to pull together enough cash contributions for the ASU project to significantly reduce the annual debt service payments and will continue to look for other opportunities to pay the down the debt service.
Mr. Wimmer reviewed the timeline for the excise tax obligations.
(See Page 7 of Attachment 2)
In response to a question posed by Committeemember Freeman regarding whether the City is going to pledge the excise tax for the ASU project at $42.8 million or $63.5 million, Mr. Brady confirmed the City is obligating $42.8 million, coming down from the original $60 million that was identified in 2018 from the cash contributions, and are hoping to have additional land sales to help fund the annual debt service.
Committeemember Luna expressed his support for the ASU project and lowering the cost of the ASU project with proceeds from land sales to save the City money.
Chairperson Duff agreed that seeing the debt significantly lowered is another point of pride for the project and continued by saying the City will continue to chip away at the debt.
Chairperson Duff thanked Mr. Wimmer for the presentation.
3. Adjournment.
Without objection, the Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee meeting adjourned at 10:13 a.m.
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Audit, Finance & Enterprise Committee meeting of the City of Mesa, Arizona, held on the 1st day of October 2020.
I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present.
_______________________________ DEE ANN MICKELSEN, CITY CLERK
la (Attachments – 2)
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The Final Agenda
City Council Study Session
City of Mesa
Meeting Agenda - Final
Mesa Council Chambers 57 East First Street
Mayor John Giles
Vice Mayor Mark Freeman - District 1 Councilmember Jeremy Whittaker - District 2 Councilmember Francisco Heredia - District 3 Councilmember Jennifer Duff - District 4 Councilmember David Luna - District 5 Councilmember Kevin Thompson - District 6
5:15 PMVirtual PlatformMonday, November 2, 2020
Roll Call
1 Review and discuss items on the agenda for the November 2, 2020 regular Council meeting.
2 Acknowledge receipt of minutes of various boards and committees.
20-1106 Audit, Finance and Enterprise Committee meeting held on October 1, 2020.
2-a
| File #: | 20-1106 |
| Type: | Minutes | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 11/2/2020 |
| Title: | Audit, Finance and Enterprise Committee meeting held on October 1, 2020. |
| Attachments: | 1. October 1, 2020 Audit & Finance |
LET'S SEE AND READ WHAT IT IS! 12 pages 3.54MB
3 Current events summary including meetings and conferences12 attended
4 Scheduling of meetings
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Historical Perspective of Downtown Mesa 1936 > An Aerial View (Without The Slum and The Blight)
There's Chandler Court built in 1908 - in all its original glory - on the NWC Quadrant of MacDonald Street at the intersection with Main Street. It was a U-shaped open-air arcade ahead of its time termed in one description as Mesa's 'first shopping center'.
A term that would come back to haunt what was then the city's Central Business District when shopping centers morphed into suburban malls, multiplying like ground-hogs at the same time draining and taking away almost all the goods-and-services and entertainment attractions from downtown out to the fringes way beyond the city's original One-Square Mile.
Notice there are no parking lots - notice on the land behind Chandler Court spanning west from MacDonald Street to Robson is what looks like a homestead, a very large building surrounded by trees. Unfortunately it's not identified with any details . . . That site is now under consideration by the Mesa City Council for "High-End Living" in a proposed development called Eco Mesa to be constructed on the city-owned Pepper Place Parking Lot.
Notice also there is no 'old post office' on MacDonald @ Pepper Place, no I.D.E.A. Museum on Robson, no Robson Villas,and no Greyhound Bus Station on the north side of Pepper Place.
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HERE is an extract taken from page three of the Council Report furnished with a lot of other other attachments for the SPECIAL HEARING conducted on Thursday, October 22, 2020:
"Prior to 1960, the parcels comprising the Property accommodated several small buildings. Sometime between 1960 and 1969, the buildings were removed, and the site was converted to a surface parking lot. In 1999, due to significant slum and blight conditions on the parcels and within the surrounding area, the City Council adopted the City’s Central Business District (CBD) and the Town Center Redevelopment Area.
> The City Council renewed the designations of slum and blight by resolution adopted April 6, 2020.
The 2020 CBD renewal report by Matrix, an economic development consultant, found that
> 55.3% of parcels in the CBD had at least one blight factor, including the Property. Additionally, > 68.7% of the CBD was determined to be blighted and the crime rate within the CBD was twice that of the citywide average.
> Household income in the CBD is 25% lower than the rest of Mesa and over 50% less than many regional counterparts.
According to the report, the existence of the Town Center Redevelopment Area plus the designation of a Central Business District (CBD) on the parcels (the Property) allows the City to offer the maximum benefit of the GPLET – an eight-year full abatement of the excise tax; for which the Eco Mesa project qualifies. . ."
| File #: | 20-1003 |
| Type: | Resolution | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council |
| On agenda: | 10/22/2020 |
| Title: | Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) Lease Agreement, and related agreements and documents, to lease to EV Development, LLC, approximately 0.9± acres of property generally located at the southeast corner of Pepper Place and Robson after EV Development, LLC, redevelops the property into a mixed-use project, consisting of a seven-story building with commercial, market-rate residential units and a parking garage in accordance with the previously approved Development Agreement and related agreements and documents for the project. In accordance with the lease, the property will be reconveyed to EV Development, LLC after the lease term. The redevelopment and lease of the property will generate significant economic benefits to the City of Mesa. (District 4) |
| Attachments: | 1. Presentation Summary Slides, 2. Council Report, 3. Exhibit A to Council Report - Economic Impact June 2020 and Addendum, 4. Resolution, 5. GPLET Lease Agreement |
30 October 2020
"Eco Mesa" Streaming Video Upload > VERY SPECIAL Remote ZOOM Mesa City Council Meeting - 10/22/2020
City Manager Chris Brady really wants to make this questionable deal, calling on Jeff McVay, Director of Downtown Transformation, to do his job to make the presentation to get approval from the seven members of the city council.
McVey starts off choking on his words from a prepared script, noting that $30M has been deposited in an Escrow Account to qualify for getting included in that Opportunity Zone Program for distressed areas.
Here are the Meeting Details to look at ahead of time:
| File #: | 20-1003 |
| Type: | Resolution | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council |
| On agenda: | 10/22/2020 |
| Title: | Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) Lease Agreement, and related agreements and documents, to lease to EV Development, LLC, approximately 0.9± acres of property generally located at the southeast corner of Pepper Place and Robson after EV Development, LLC, redevelops the property into a mixed-use project, consisting of a seven-story building with commercial, market-rate residential units and a parking garage in accordance with the previously approved Development Agreement and related agreements and documents for the project. In accordance with the lease, the property will be reconveyed to EV Development, LLC after the lease term. The redevelopment and lease of the property will generate significant economic benefits to the City of Mesa. (District 4) |
| Attachments: | 1. Presentation Summary Slides, 2. Council Report, 3. Exhibit A to Council Report - Economic Impact June 2020 and Addendum, 4. Resolution, 5. GPLET Lease Agreement |
Let's first go back in time to see what the site looked like in an aerial view of Downtown Mesa circa 1936
REMOTE ZOOM Mesa City Council Study Session - 10/22/2020
Here's the Presentation for Meeting Details:
PROPOSED SALE OF CITY-OWNED LAND
Kim Fallbeck Real Estate Administrator
DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS
• Remain zoned Single Residence-43 (RS-43) and develop with one (1) acre lots
• The City will retain land at the northeast corner of the property for a future well site
• Water line extension required • Septic systems will be allowed for the 10 ±homes
• Provide street access to site
• Flood Control District Clearance required
• Successful bidder to work with City on existing cityowned monitoring wells
• Comply with all City development codes, regulations, guidelines, standards etc
| File #: | 20-1055 |
| Type: | Presentation | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 10/22/2020 |
| Title: | Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the process for the sale or transfer of 13 +/- acres of undeveloped City-owned land located along the north side of the alignment of Thomas Road just west of Loop 202. |
| Attachments: | 1. Presentation |
Meet AZ Governor Doug Ducey:Trump & ALEC's Foster Child
Nothing could be more clear after four years in the political arena that Arizona's highest elected official has been chosen as one of the President's new apprentices in the right-wing agenda to deploy and run-the-game in their national political playbook. On the local state level Dicey Doug has succeeded sooner than Trump in 'stacking' the Arizona Supreme Court - he's already done that. The Arizona State House is a totally story where a slim Republican majority could lose its edge-control in this election cycle.
Peddling Trump's Pandemic Play-Book to sell-it-to-the-public is a conflicting panorama of highly-charged clouds filled with disinformation and distrust.
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RELATED CONTENT
“Thank you to Arizonans for weathering the storm to date,” he said. “We know that there is a storm ahead of us yet its not here.”
Arizona governor defends school rule as virus 'storm' looms
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Ducey: 'Storm Ahead' on COVID cases but no new restrictions on the horizon 
29 October 2020
Update > Distressed Communities Index 2020 (Economic Innovation Group)
Let's see what's changed after this previous blog post about the CDI 2017
Be smart: This isn't a Republican or Democratic problem.
At every level of government, both parties represent distressed areas. But the economic fortunes of haves and have-nots have widened the political chasm, which hasn't been addressed by substantial policy proposals from either side
25 September 2017
Distressed Community Index 2017
The large parts of America
behind by today's economy
Kim Hart https://www.axios.com
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UPDATE > 20 October 2020 Ideas + Advocacy: Advancing innovative solutions to America’s economic challenges.
Join the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) on Tuesday, October 20th at 2:00 pm ET for a webinar on the findings from EIG’s latest Distressed Communities Index (DCI), “The Spaces Between Us: The Evolution of American Communities in the New Century.”
Explore
The DCI is a timely research project and digital mapping interactive that visualizes community well-being across the country down to the zip code scale. The report finds that, despite modest progress reducing racial disparities in exposure to community economic distress, the benefits of national economic growth of the last two decades largely bypassed America’s most vulnerable communities.
This is the fourth edition of the DCI, which has been cited extensively in leading national and local news publications to contextualize uneven economic conditions across the country. Non-profit organizations and state and local governments utilize the DCI to target services and programs supporting distressed communities. Healthcare providers, academics, and private businesses incorporate the DCI into their work. At the national level, the DCI is used to inform federal policies to forge a more balanced and equitable geography of national economic growth.
Panelists from EIG will demonstrate how the DCI can provide crucial context to support policy efforts that ensure the COVID-19 recovery is more inclusive than the recovery from the Great Recession. Please reach out to info@eig.org with any questions.
This is a past event. View a recording of the webinar for more information
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Introduction to the Distressed Communities Index (DCI)
Explore > https://eig.org/dci/interactive-map
The Distressed Communities Index (DCI) examines economic well-being at the zip code level in order to provide a detailed view of the divided landscape of American prosperity. When we consider the health of the U.S. economy only in aggregate terms, we miss out on the textured—and deeply uneven—story of how national growth and prosperity lift up, or leave behind, individual communities and the residents who call them home. The DCI is therefore an attempt to understand the spatial distribution of U.S. economic well-being. It is a lens through which we can evaluate where and for whom the country truly lives up to its promise as a land of opportunity.
This is the fourth edition of the DCI, which was first launched in 2015. Leading national and local news publications rely on the DCI to contextualize uneven economic conditions across the country. Non-profit organizations and state and local governments utilize the DCI to target services and programs supporting distressed communities. Healthcare providers, academics, and private businesses incorporate the DCI into their work. At the national level, the DCI is used to inform federal policies to forge a more balanced and equitable geography of national economic growth.
7 metrics and 5 tiers of communities
The chart displays average values for the seven component metrics of the DCI across the five tiers of communities, here defined at the zip code level. Hover over a metric or tier to explore more.
The index combines seven distinct and complementary socioeconomic indicators into a single score that depicts how economic well-being in a community compares to its peers. The DCI is calculated at four different levels of geography, each scale revealing its own insights about the U.S. economy: zip codes, counties, cities, and congressional districts. Within each level, places are sorted into quintiles based on their performance on the index: prosperous, comfortable, mid-tier, at risk, and distressed.
About the DCI
The centerpiece of the DCI is an interactive map that allows users to explore data at the zip code, county, and congressional district levels by state. The DCI is derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Patterns and American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for the 2014-2018 period. It covers nearly 25,500 zip codes and 99 percent of the U.S. population.
The nation’s longest-ever economic expansion came to a grinding halt in 2020, just as the benefits of robust and prolonged growth had finally begun to reach many marginalized workers and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again exposed deep fractures in our nation’s social and economic well-being, disproportionately affecting the most disadvantaged Americans and hitting communities of color the hardest. The events of this year have provided brutal reminders that the terms of the American experience are still too often dictated by race, place, and inequality. Since 2000, many inequities that cut deep across the map of the United States have persisted. The pandemic and associated economic fallout laid these inequalities painfully bare. At this moment of national introspection and upheaval, we hope this edition of the DCI gives Americans a chance to step back, consider where we have been, and use those insights to inform our future.
Conclusion
The pandemic has pushed the American economy into uncharted waters and placed low-wage service industries and the people of color predominantly employed in them at the epicenter of a deep recession that has left other industries, professions, and demographics relatively unscathed. Its worst economic impacts will therefore be experienced most acutely in the already distressed and at risk neighborhoods where directly-affected workers and populations tend to reside. As a result, the pandemic will test the fragility of the more equitable, more diverse prosperity that was taking shape across the country and threaten the modest progress made in many Black communities since the turn of the century.
The DCI shows how seemingly abstract forces such as a pandemic that should be color blind end up not being so when they map on top of pre-existing inequalities. In that sense, the pandemic should be a wake up call that the magnitude of our current divides leaves our economy and society more vulnerable in the face of outside shocks.
Make no mistake, there is much to celebrate about the past decade and the breadth and duration of the economic expansion that followed the Great Recession, which demonstrated the positive impact tight labor markets can have for low income families. Yet, it is now clear that modest gains briefly enjoyed can slip away in an instant, while the foundations of prosperity for well-off people and places stand on much firmer ground. In retrospect, the 2010s looks like a grievous missed opportunity to invest in a more inclusive future that narrows the gaps between communities, rather than preserves them.
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Interested in learning more about your community? Explore the map here.
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