Partnership Annual Summit plans moving forward
Dr. Mark Drabenstott, a seasoned observer of regional development and policy issues whose insights have gained national and international recognition, will be the keynote speaker at the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley’s First Summit in Visalia on Thursday, Oct. 4, from noon to 5 p.m. The Summit will be held at the Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave.
Dr. Drabenstott is founding director of the RUPRI national Center for Regional Competitiveness at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The Center helps regions craft world-class development strategies for competing in the global economics race. The Center’s products help regions understand where they stand in that race, diagnose their new competitive advantage, and sustain innovative models of regional governance.
In his 25 years in the Federal Reserve System, Dr. Drabenstott also led the creation and development of the Center for the Study of Rural Competitiveness.
The Summit also will feature the release of the Partnership’s Annual Report and updates on the work of the Partnership’s 10 work groups. The work group sessions will be divided into three breakout sessions, with each Work Group making a 45-minute presentation in separate rooms:
- Breakout A – Air Quality, K-12 Education, Energy
- Breakout B – Water Quality, Supply, and Reliability; Land Use, Agriculture, and Housing; Higher Education and Workforce Development; Advanced Communication Systems
- Breakout C – Transportation, Health and Human Services, Economic Development
The Summit will be held in conjunction with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s Air Quality Control Symposium, “Taking the Fast Track,” on Oct. 3-4 and BizTalk ’07, The San Joaquin Valley Business Conference, on Oct. 5. Both events also will be held at the Visalia Convention Center.
Registration information for the Summit is available by visiting www.sjvpartnership.org/summit.
More information on the Air District symposium is available by visiting www.valleyair.org/_billboard/images/AQSympLarge.pdf. More information on BizTalk ’07 is available by visiting www.biztalkconnections.com.
Regional Business Conference to be held in Visalia in conjunction with Summit
A conference aimed at bringing together business leaders, elected officials, government agencies and the private sector from throughout the San Joaquin Valley will be held in conjunction with the Partnership’s annual Summit in Visalia during the first week of October.
The 2nd annual BizTalk 07, The Business Conference with Connections, will be held at the Visalia Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 5, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The conference will feature a dynamic line-up of general session speakers, including former President of Mexico Vicente Fox, his wife Marta Sahagun de Fox, 1996 Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes, and nationally syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. of the San Diego Union-Tribune’s editorial board. In addition to the speakers, the conference will feature break-out sessions on a number of business-related topics.
More information on the conference is available by visiting www.biztalkconnections.com.
SJV Clean Energy Organization agrees to initiatives, selects leaders
The San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization, a 23-member group formed to lead clean energy efforts throughout the eight-county region, agreed to pursue two major initiatives and selected its leaders at its initial meeting in Visalia on Thursday, Sept. 13.
The organization agreed to work in support of the 25 x’25 Initiative, a national effort aimed at increasing renewable energy use in America. The 25 x '25 Initiative, a group of influential business and political leaders including former CIA Director R. James Woolsey, former Sen. Tom Daschle, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Gov. Schwarzenegger and the governors of 22 other states, is pushing for America to produce 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.
The organization also will pursue a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Visalia to support the Visalia Clean Energy Program. The partnership is designed to help Visalia become a model green community for the San Joaquin Valley. The Clean Energy Organization and its partners will seek to provide leverage and expertise to support and assist the city in identifying practical clean energy technologies, policies, programs and projects.
Officers selected at the meeting were: Chair – Rollie Smith, director of the Fresno field office of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and head of the Federal Interagency Task Force for the Economic Development of the San Joaquin Valley; Vice-Chair – J.P. Batmale of Primafuel, Inc.; Secretary – Elizabeth Knudsen of the Tulare County Farm Bureau; Treasurer – Jeff Manternach of Pacific Ethanol Inc. The board also selected Paul Johnson of Paul Everett Johnson and Associates, the consultant for the Partnership’s Energy Work Group, as interim executive director.
The SJVCEO’s board includes representatives from Partnership work groups, educational institutions, community-based organizations, and people with specialized expertise.
The Kings River Conservation District received a $125,000 Seed Grant from the Partnership to help establish the SJVCEO. More information on the organization’s efforts is available at the Energy Work Group page on the Partnership’s website.
Partnership encourages participation in high-speed rail hearing in Stockton
Members of the Partnership’s Air Quality and Transportation work groups are encouraging supporters of high-speed rail in the Valley to attend a California High-Speed Rail Authority public hearing in Stockton on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The meeting will be held in the San Joaquin Council of Governments’ Regional Board Center Room, 555, E. Weber Ave., in Stockton from 4 to 6 p.m.
The High-Speed Rail Authority will receive comments from the public and public agencies on the draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the Central Valley-Bay Area Corridor. The hearing is important as it provides regional stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in on issues such as the preferred alignment path for the train and where the hubs should be located. High-speed rail through the Valley would impact a variety of issues important to its residents such as air quality and health of residents, job growth, smart growth, and transportation planning.
Partnership representatives already have provided comment at Authority hearings in Merced, Gilroy, and the Bay Area. Review the Partnership’s testimony at the Merced hearing at www.sjvpartnership.org/docs/HSRStatementMerced8-30-08.pdf.
Public comments also may be provided online through the Draft Bay Area to Central Valley High-Speed Train (HST) Program EDIR/EIS Comment Form at www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/public_notice/Comments/default.asp.
The recently enacted state budget provides $20.69 million to continue development of the high-speed rail project. Activities include completion of a more detailed and achievable financial plan, and completion of preliminary engineering and environmental studies. A total of $3.5 million of the funding is allocated to the Orange County Transportation Authority for high-speed rail infrastructure in that area.
Methamphetamine Advisory Council launches, selects co-chairs
A broad range of participants from all eight San Joaquin Valley counties took part in the launch of the Partnership’s Health and Human Services Work Group’s Methamphetamine Recovery Project in Fresno on Sept. 7.
“Methamphetamine is an incredible scourge to our families and our communities – it touches everything,” said E. Jane Middleton, chair of the College of Health and Human Services at Fresno State. “We need to collaborate through the Valley to meet the needs of our region on this issue.”
At the kickoff meeting, the group selected Cary Martin of San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services and Kim Smith of the University of the Pacific’s Bakersfield program as Council co-chairs.
The creation of the Advisory Council is a critical step in meeting the Health and Human Services Work Group’s goal of developing a comprehensive methamphetamine education, treatment and law enforcement program as outlined in the Partnership’s Strategic Action Proposal.
The Advisory Council will address the methamphetamine issue across a continuum of care that includes education, prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery. Since methamphetamine use has implications for the Valley’s workforce development, education, and health and human services, the Council will integrate its efforts with the Partnership’s Higher Education and Workforce Development and K-12 Education work groups.
The Central California Social Welfare Evaluation, Research & Training Center at Fresno State received a Partnership Seed Grant of $125,000 to help launch the Methamphetamine Recovery Project.
For more information on the efforts of the Health and Human Services Work Group, visit the Partnership’s website at http://www.sjvpartnership.org/hhs.html.
Seed Grant helps kick off Valley Health Enterprise Zone Project
A $125,000 Seed Grant from the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley is helping the Central Valley Health Policy Institute study the creation of a Health Enterprise Zone in the San Joaquin Valley.
The project is consistent with a recommendation in the Partnership’s Strategic Action Proposal to “establish medical ‘enterprise zones’ through the region that offer tax credits and other financial incentives for providers to retain, open and expand services for underserved populations.”
The project has three initial objectives:
- identify the elements for successful recruitment and retention of health professionals and health services in underserved areas of the region;
- foster consumer awareness and responsibility for healthy living and wellness practices; and
- explore the feasibility of applying the model through community and stakeholder participation.
The Health Enterprise Zone Task Force held its first meeting in Fresno on Sept. 11. The task force will be assisted on the project by a consulting team comprised of representatives of the Partnership’s Economic Development, Higher Education and Workforce Development, K-12 Education, and Advanced Communications Systems work groups.
Governor Appoints Barbara Goodwin to Partnership Board
Representatives of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley’s Air Quality Work Group provided a full briefing on Valley air issues to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Steve Johnson at a meeting in Fresno on Aug. 7.
The meeting, arranged by Congressman George Radanovich, provided the Partnership with an opportunity to discuss the unique air quality challenges of the Valley and enlist the Administrator’s support for solutions. At the meeting, Administrator Johnson offered to co-host a technology forum to identify innovative solutions to the Valley’s air pollution problem.
In addition to representatives from the Partnership, other attendees at the meeting included Fresno Mayor Alan Autry, California Air Resources Board Mary Nichols, and officials from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the National Parks Conservation Association and Operation Clean Air, a nonprofit group dedicated to voluntary pollution reduction.
Presentations were made at the meeting by Pete Weber of the Air Quality Work Group and EPA regional officials.
Meet the Board:
Voiland best of Valley ‘transplants’
Even though it’s been almost 40 years since he arrived in Bakersfield, Gene Voiland can be considered a transplant by San Joaquin Valley standards. Originally from Washington State, his career in chemical engineering brought him here in 1969 to work for Shell Oil Company.
Since 1997, Voiland has been president and chief executive officer of Aera Energy LLC, one of California’s largest oil and gas producers. Area was formed following the merger of the California exploration and production operations of Shell and Mobil, now jointly owned by Shell and ExxonMobil.
His career has taken him away from Bakersfield; but he always feels like he’s home when he returns. “At the time I came here, I felt this was the best place I had ever lived, for a variety of reasons, starting with the people and the community.” And he still feels the same way.
Voiland’s civic affairs include serving on the executive committee of the California Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as director for R.M. Pyles Boys Camp; California State University, Bakersfield Foundation; Bakersfield College Foundation; and United Way of Kern County. In 2006, California State University, Bakersfield, School of Business and Public Administration named him the recipient of the John Brock Award for Community Service.
Governor Schwarzenegger in January 2007 appointed Voiland to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.
“I came to California because nothing was too big to overcome. Sadly, that view doesn’t seem to exist now,” Voiland said. “I joined the Partnership because the Valley is my home, and I believe the Partnership can be a mechanism to solve a few of the big problems before us.”
Legislative Update
Important Note: Oct. 14 is the last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature on or before Sept. 14 and in the Governor’s possession after Sept. 14.
Legislation Consistent with the Partnership Strategic Action Plan
AB 575 (Arambula) - Prop 1B AQ Mitigation Criteria/Funding
A bill to require that $1 billion to mitigate air pollution from goods movement, approved by voters under the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act of 2006 (Proposition 1B), be appropriated to the highest priority projects according to a set of region-neutral criteria.
- Status: Held in Assembly Appropriations Committee. Meanwhile, the Governor signed a budget that allocates $250 million of these funds in the 2007-08 Budget.
- SB 88, included as part of the 2007-08 Budget, was signed by the governor. It establishes the criteria for the allocation of Proposition 1B “Goods Movement Emission Reduction” (AQ Mitigation) Program.
AB 1223 (Arambula) - Net Energy Metering
A bill to permit an agricultural customer who uses solar or wind generation to offset the customer's own electrical needs to aggregate the electricity use of properties adjacent or contiguous to the generator that are under the same ownership to its full electricity usage over a 12-month cycle at the retail rate. This legislation directly addresses the Air Quality Work Group’s objective of “implementing a net metering program within [the] same agricultural operation or water district,” and the Energy Work Group’s objective to “work with state agencies to explore and demonstrate innovative approaches to increase use of renewable energy, including trading of net metering credits, streamlining requirements for interconnection to grid, and structuring incentives for renewable energy production.”
- Status: Assemblymember Arambula says that the bill will now be two-year bill and be taken back up in January. Bill currently rests in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.
AB 1129 (Arambula) - Housing Trust Fund
A bill to establish the San Joaquin Valley Rural Regional Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
- Status: Held in Assembly Housing Committee as a two-year bill. Funding for housing trusts is still on the table and Valley advocates continue to work with trust fund advocates from across the state.
- SB 586 (Dutton) is the moving bill that allocates the $100 million Affordable Housing Innovation Fund created by the Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act of 2006 (Proposition 1C). It passed Assembly Appropriations and awaits a vote by full Assembly. If bill passes, the bill will be sent to the governor for enactment or veto.
AB 1403 (Arambula) – Education
A bill to establish an innovative, five-year Central Valley School District Improvement Pilot Program. Specifically, this bill would allow two County Superintendents (Fresno and Tulare) to opt to assume additional responsibility for ensuring the academic success of those struggling school districts within their jurisdiction that are both identified for program improvement or corrective action under the federal No Child Left Behind and have 50 percent of more of their schools ranked in deciles 1 and 2 of the state Academic Performance Index.
- Status: Placed on the Suspense File in Senate Appropriations, and did not pass out of committee.
AB 1455 (Arambula, Villines) – Air Quality Zones
The bill as most recently amended would authorize the State Air Resources Board to designate “California Air Quality Zones” for the purpose of providing incentives for owners of mobile and stationary sources of air pollution to invest in air pollution control equipment that produce surplus emission reductions, and for owners of stationary sources of air pollution to invest in the production and utilization of renewable energy technologies. Areas eligible include those that: 1) have been in nonattainment for PM 2.5 and in serious, severe, or extreme nonattainment for ozone using the 8-hour rule, and 2) have countywide unemployment rate at least 50% higher than the statewide average for at least two of the last three years.
The bill’s goal is to improve air quality in the state’s dirtiest air basins and generate jobs in the most disadvantaged communities.
- Status: Placed on the Suspense File in Senate Appropriations, and did not pass out of committee.
SB 23 (Cogdill) – Vehicle Replacement
On July 26, the Executive Committee agreed to offer support for SB 23 as introduced. The bill, as introduced, would require the Air District, in consultation with the Air Resources Board, to develop and administer a vehicle exchange program to replace high polluting vehicles with donated, smog-compliant vehicles according to specified conditions.
- Status: The bill has been passed and sent to the governor for enactment or veto.
Dates to Know
September 18
California High-Speed Rail Authority public hearing
Draft Bay Area to Central Valley EIR/EIS
4 to 6 p.m
San Joaquin Council of Governments, Regional Center Board Room
555 E. Weber Ave.
Stockton
For more information, visit www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov
September 19
Local Government Commission Water Workshop
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visalia Conference Center
For more information, contact Vallia Dahdouh, 916-448-1198, ext. 327, vdahdoug@lgc.org
September 28
Air Quality Work Group meeting
10 a.m. to noon
Council of Fresno County Governments (Sequoia Room)
2035 Tulare St.
Fresno
October 3-4
San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District Annual Symposium
Oct. 3 – Noon to 5 p.m.
Oct. 4 – 8 a.m. to noon
Visalia Convention Center
303 E. Acequia Ave.
Visalia
For more information, visit www.valleyair.org.
October 4
Annual Summit for the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley
Noon to 5 p.m.
Visalia Convention Center
303 E. Acequia Ave.
Visalia
For more information, visit www.sjvpartnership.org/summit
October 5
BizTalk 07, The Business Conference with Connections
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visalia Convention Center
303 E. Acequia Ave.
Visalia
For more information, visit www.biztalkconnections.com.
November 9
California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Board of Directors meeting
Wine & Roses
2505 W. Turner Road
Lodi, CA 95242
Phone: (209) 334-6988
For more information, visit www.sjvpartnership.org/meetings.html