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anticipates a need to move in the next vear or beyond. whether the firm anticipates changes in local employment. whether the firm would like information about available assistance programs. etc. These types of questions could be used to identify those businesses which should be targeted for staff outreach and follow-up. Roles and Responsibilities. Economic Development staff would be responsible for developing the questions to be asked in consultation with the EDAC and forwarding the information to the Finance Department for incorporation into the business license renewal materials. Finance Department staff would then be responsible for distributing the questions along with business license renewals materials and forwarding responses to Economic Development staff. who would then perform subsequent review and analysis of the responses. Priority: HIGH Costs and Sources of Funding. Costs for distribution and collection of the questionnaires along with business license applications would be minimal. Expenses for revie,,y and analvsis of completed questionnaires would include data entry and data analvsis, and would vary depending on the type and number of questions included on the questionnaire. Annual on -going costs for this Action are estimated to be LOW. Action L4: Hold Economic Development Focus Groups The objective of this task is for the City to develop a more intimate understanding of the types of opportunities and barriers to retention. expansion. and attraction of specific industries or industry clusters by holding discussions with representatives of firms that are a part of specific industries or clusters. The rationale is that the focus group format provides the City the opportunity for in-depth exploration of economic development issues and potential solutions. By spending the time with industry representatives necessan, to develop a strong understanding of the factors that will influence businesses' decisions to remain. expand. or relocate to San Leandro. the City will be better equipped to implement effective economic development strategies. Holding focus group discussions with representatives of specific industries can also be a useful mechanism to identify industr clusters. For example. discussions with representatives of food processing firms might reveal common linkages with ke- suppliers. such as packaging companies. which could then be targeted for recruitment if they are not already present in San Leandro. The City should hold focus groups that address retention and expansion of key industries such as those identified in Tables 4 and 5. above. Issues that could be explored would include barriers to updatin_ technology. businesses' needs for assistance with emplovee- skills upgrading. or the need to link with job training programs that provide access to qualified nee+ employees. Other topics could include businesses- responses to Citywide 21