2025 Ventura County Economic Forecast Event
Thursday, February 20th, 2025 | 9:00am
Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks
Pursuing Inclusive Economic Growth
CERF Executive Director Matthew Fienup will present the 2025 Ventura County Economic Forecast, with in-depth analysis of the county’s economic and demographic performance and the role of local and regional policies in shaping growth. Fienup will also present CERF’s award-winning U.S, and California Economic Forecasts.
Featured Speaker Anthony Bradley is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Acton Institute. Bradley is a prolific writer who addresses the intersection of economic and cultural issues and will discuss the importance of inclusive economic growth. He has written more than a dozen books and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, and NPR.
This year’s event will also feature comments and analysis from former Ventura Mayor Bill Fulton and current Ventura County Supervisor Matt Lavere. Fulton will discuss the intended and unintended consequences following more than 20 years of SOAR. Lavere will share his personal experience as a Ventura County native and how it informs his work as Supervisor.
Matthew Fienup, PhD
Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research & Forecasting
Anthony Bradley, PhD
Distinguished Research Fellow, The Acton Institute
Bill Fulton
Former Mayor of Ventura, Professor of Practice, U.C. San Diego
Matt Lavere
Ventura County Board of Supervisors
Sponsored By
2026 TRAILER: Shared Inheritance | Multi-generational Farming in Ventura County
Register now: 2026 Ventura County Economic Forecast Event February 24, 2026 at 8:30am Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks https://clucerf.org/event-list/2026-forecast-event/ Farming is integral to the identity and the character of Ventura County. Yet many people don't quite understand what being a farmer means to those who are farmers. It is not just a job, it's a lifestyle. It's 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The knowledge that farmers carry is indispensable. It's an accumulation of all the knowledge of all the generations that came before. It's a shared inheritance that we are all responsible for stewarding.
View on YouTubeFeature 1 | Smart Growth Advocate Bill Fulton (as seen at the Forecast Event)
Former Mayor of the City of Ventura and one of the architects of Ventura County’s land use system, Bill Fulton is a nationally recognized thought leader on land use and economic development. Reflecting on more than 20 years of developments since the passage of Ventura County's SOAR initiatives, Fulton comments on both the intended and the unintended consequences.
View on YouTubeFeature 2 | Matt LaVere, Native Son and Ventura County Supervisor (as seen at the Forecast Event)
Matt LaVere was elected to the County Board of Supervisors in March 2020, having previously served on the Ventura City Council and as Ventura’s Mayor from 2018-2020. Matt is a 2nd generation Ventura County native. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and a law degree from the Pepperdine School of Law. In addition to working as a lawyer in private practice, Matt has also held positions in the White House as a legislative aide. Matt lives in Ventura with his wife and two daughters. Lavere shares his personal experience as a Ventura County native and how it informs his work as Supervisor.
View on YouTubeBradley: Welcome to Ventura County, a Place that Loves People
Anthony Bradley, PhD is a distinguished research fellow at the Acton Institute and a research professor at Kuyper College. He lectures nationally and internationally on issues including fatherhood, criminal justice reform, poverty, education policy, social ethics, and race in America. His writings have been featured in publications such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Washington Examiner, and Christianity Today.
View on YouTubePart 1: U.S. Economic Outlook (2025 CERF Forecast Event)
Executive Director, Matthew Fienup discusses CERF's award winning U.S. economic forecast, during a challenging policy environment.
View on YouTubePart 2: Ventura County Outlook and Forecast (2025 CERF Forecast Event)
CERF Executive Director, Matthew Fienup presents the 2025 Ventura County Economic Forecast publication, with in-depth analysis of the county’s economic and demographic performance and the role of local and regional policies in shaping growth.
View on YouTube2024 Event Flashback | The People Behind the Data
From Simi Valley to New Braunfels Travis Knabe: "To grow up, born and raised somewhere, and to have so much family in one town – and you've all grown up and you've all had kids, there are nieces, nephews, cousins – to leave that is a Big Deal. A very big deal. And it's very hard. But we wanted so badly for our kids to have a future that we left all of that behind."
View on YouTube