Cal Lutheran CERF gives 2020 VC forecast

(WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – Oct. 20, 2020) The 2020 Ventura County Economic Forecast will include in-depth analyses of the region and possible roads to recovery, as well as the effect of the election on California’s political landscape.

The annual event of the California Lutheran University Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) will be a live webcast held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. This year’s program is titled “Charting a Road to Recovery: COVID-19 Impacts on Ventura County.”

Executive Director Matthew Fienup will present CERF’s once-a-year analysis of the county’s economic performance and future, as well as report on the California and United States economies. 

A panel of community leaders with expertise in small business, education and healthcare will share their experiences during the pandemic and discuss steps the county can take to ensure a strong and enduring recovery. 

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters will discuss the political effects of the Nov. 3 election. Before writing for CalMatters, a nonprofit journalistic organization that distributes articles to dozens of California news outlets, Walters wrote more than 9,000 columns for the Sacramento Bee and Sacramento Union. Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, mostly for California newspapers but also publications such as the Wall Street Journal.

Marni Brook, director of lending for Women’s Economic Ventures, will emcee the event. 

Cal Lutheran’s CERF provides county, state and national forecasts and custom economic analysis for government, business and nonprofit organizations. CERF is a contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s Economic Forecasting Survey and the National Association for Business Economics’ Economic Outlook and Policy Surveys. The center has been referenced by many major news outlets including Barron’s, MarketWatch, CNBC and the Economist.

Fienup is an expert on the economics of land use, urban growth restriction and environmental markets. He speaks frequently on these topics as well as on general economic outlooks for the nation, state and region. He teaches graduate courses in econometrics, macroeconomics and environmental economics.

Registration fees, which include access to the full forecast, are $55 with a $10 discount applied to purchases until Nov. 1. To register, visit CLUCERF.org. For more information, email cerf@callutheran.edu.