Partnership annual summit a success; annual report available online

More than 200 people attended the annual summit of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley in Stockton on Dec. 11 to hear its report to the community at large on the work, progress, and accomplishments of this unprecedented regional collaborative effort.

The summit featured the release of the Partnership’s Annual Report, which details activities since the board was renewed by Governor Schwarzenegger’s Executive Order in November 2006.

“During these difficult times, it is more critical than ever that the public and private sectors use their limited resources as wisely as possible to address the challenges we all face,” the report notes. “That’s why the work of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley is so important to our region and state.”

In presenting the secretariat’s annual report, Partnership Lead Executive and Fresno Mayor-elect Ashley Swearengin pointed to a number of Partnership successes as a result of the collaborative efforts taking place on a wide range of issues throughout the eight-county region. Download Secretariat Report 2008 located on the Partnership Web site.

The annual report provides comprehensive information on the progress of the Partnership. It includes information on the history of the Partnership, progress reports from 10 work groups and 14 seed grant projects that will result in significant immediate impact or will lay a solid foundation for long-term priority strategies and investments.

The report also includes information on indicators that are being used to measure the Partnership’s progress toward its six major goals:
Grow a diversified, globally competitive economy supported by a highly skilled workforce;
- Create a model K-12 public education system;
- Develop high-quality health and human services;
- Attain clean air standards;
- Implement an integrated framework for sustainable growth; and
- Build a 21st century transportation mobility system.

Download Partnership Annual Report 2008 located on the Partnership Web site.

Veteran economic development expert named to head office for secretariat

Mike Dozier, Clovis Director of Community and Economic Development, will leave his position with the City on Jan. 15, 2009, to assume new duties with California State University, Fresno, as interim director of the Office of Community and Economic Development.

Dozier will succeed Ashley Swearengin, who leaves the position after her election last month as Mayor of Fresno. His initial appointment is two years. Although Fresno State has implemented a hiring freeze because of state budget reductions, California State University, Fresno, President John D. Welty said filling the position is necessary because Dozier will be lead executive for the secretariat of the Governor’s California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and chief operating officer for the Regional Jobs Initiative.

“We are delighted that we have attracted an experienced professional who has excellent experience for this critical position,” said President Welty.

Dozier has provided executive leadership to foster economic development of the City of Clovis and the region for more than 17 years. He has worked closely with the local business community to drive investment in facilities and jobs to the City. Two important initiatives he has directed in Clovis are the formation of a public-private partnership for development of the Research and Technology Business Park which is now home to Cargo Bay, Portal Sierra, Precision Plastics, and APPL Laboratories.

Partnership board eyes potential economic stimulus

Anticipating the approval of a federal economic stimulus package early next year, the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Board of Directors is reaching out to county officials throughout the region to identify “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects that would be able to be underway quickly.

Most Valley transportation agencies already have identified transportation projects that would be ready to get move quickly if a stimulus package were approved. The Partnership Board also expressed an interest in identifying other infrastructure-related projects such as water treatment and waste handling facilities. .

“We believe that dollars are going to be spent in that direction,” said board member Peter Weber.

President-elect Barack Obama has indicated that he will support an economic stimulus package that will include a massive infusion of funds for roads, bridges, and water systems.

For additional information or to add to the list of Valley infrastructure projects, please contact Katie Stevens at kstevens@csufresno.edu or (559) 347-3918.

Meet the Board: Alan Autry
rooted in the Valley

Alan Autry is well-known. Probably most people recognized him as Bubba from “In the Heat of the Night.” That is, until he became mayor of Fresno, the sixth largest city in California, on Jan. 2, 2001. He was elected for a second term which began in January 2005.

Mayor Autry comes by his accent naturally. He was born in Shreveport, La., the same place as Terry Bradshaw of Pittsburgh Steelers fame. When he was a child, his family moved to the central San Joaquin Valley where they settled in the farming community of Riverdale. Here is where his roots took hold.

He graduated from Riverdale High School and received a scholarship to attend the University of the Pacific as a student athlete. After graduating, he spent three years with the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers.

Mayor Autry’s career took him from the football field to 22 years in film and television. He continues his interests in the industry with Autry Entertainment Group, a successful film and TV production and management company. Mayor Autry is chief executive officer; his wife, Kimberlee, oversees the company’s daily operations.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2005 appointed Mayor Autry to the board of directors of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.

Mayor Autry is an activist for the community and has championed causes from crime prevention to education reform. Whether playing football, acting or pursuing business interests, he says, “Success is built on teamwork and steadfast leadership.”

He has set an example with his enactment of the “No Neighborhood Left Behind” infrastructure plan and his participation in the formation of both Operation Clean Air and the Regional Jobs Initiative.

“United under the direction of a mayor whose vision is one of inclusion and action,” Mayor Autry says, “Fresno will take its place as the nation’s leader in innovation, resourcefulness and creativity.”

His roots are here, in the Valley, with Kimberlee and their children Lauren, Heather and Austin.

Summit speaker stresses importance of collaboration

Public and private sector leaders throughout the San Joaquin Valley must continue to stress collaboration and build coalitions to successfully address the challenges the region faces, the president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group told participants at the Partnership’s annual summit.

Carl Guardino said coalition-building was a key component in two successful projects that he has participated in–passing a sales tax measure to extend BART through Santa Clara County and starting an affordable housing coalition. He stressed the importance of asking business leaders in the Silicon Valley what they needed to be successful and then working with them to provide those elements.

Guardino pointed to four overall points as part of a collaborative approach:
- If you are working on an outcome, build that product together with all of the stakeholders. He talked about mapping the spokes on a wheel with all interested parties listed and then inviting them to the table to build the strategy.
- Look for the points of agreement first. The 95-5% principal he uses shows that agreement can be found on the great majority of elements in a challenge and that you can decide to keep score or keep perspective. He favors reminding everyone how much they are in agreement as they work on the 5% that is the toughest.
- Trust is critical. Getting people to know each other personally and building a track record of working together on problems will build trust. If you disagree, disagree respectfully.
- Do you want to be a headliner or make headway? Efforts that succeed often involve those who don’t care who receive credit.

Guardino’s presentation will be posted on www.sjvpartnership.org. Check back soon.

Blueprint Summit scheduled for Jan. 26

A milestone in planning for the future of the San Joaquin Valley will come when a Valleywide Blueprint Summit will be held in Fresno on Jan. 26. Two years of efforts have led up to the advisory vote that will occur at this public event.

The Blueprint process is one of the ways the Land Use, Agriculture and Housing Work Group has been promoting regional consensuses for future land use in the San Joaquin Valley. The process has provided the eight counties of the San Joaquin Valley an opportunity to work together to develop better land use and transportation patterns by developing a regional guide for the next four decades.

Councils of Government (COGs) in each of the counties have developed local scenarios with a range in levels of residential housing density, modes of travel, and other variables in how we work and live. The housing density targets, selected by six of the counties, range from Fresno County selecting a "highly connected city centers" scenario to Madera County selecting a "low change" scenario. San Joaquin County’s council did not vote on a scenario, but transportation planners submitted an "incremental" growth target for housing density. Stanislaus County is the only county COG that selected a "status quo" scenario based on current densities of the general plans of the individual cities and the county.

UC Davis' Information Center for the Environment (ICE) used input from the eight counties to build regional scenarios for the entire Valley. In November, the Blueprint Regional Advisory Committee (BRAC), which includes individuals from all eight Valley counties as well as representatives from organizations essential to implementation of policies, recommended the selection of the “hybrid” scenario, which is viewed by some as the scenario with the greatest potential to produce outcomes that will meet the new state global warming laws. At the Blueprint Summit in January, the public will have the opportunity to evaluate the regional scenarios and make their scenario recommendation as well.

Following the summit, the San Joaquin Valley Policy Council, which consists of two elected officials from the governing boards of the COGs from each of the eight counties, will decide whether to accept the recommendations from the summit and BRAC. Following the Policy Council’s action, each county’s supervisors and all of the city council members in the San Joaquin Valley will vote on ratification of the final regional blueprint. The outcome could be a framework for the future of the region; but the blueprint is not binding in itself, and local land use decisions will ultimately be up to local officials.

To register for the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Summit and view the scenarios go to www.valleyblueprint.org.

January conference to focus on exemplary education practices

Register today at www.csufresno.edu/cveli for an important conference that will focus on exemplary education practices throughout the eight-county San Joaquin Valley.

Valley leaders in PreK-12, higher education, business and communities are encouraged to attend the full-day conference “Exemplary Practices: Achievement Gains in the San Joaquin Valley,” which will be held on the California State University, Fresno, campus on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009.

General sessions will feature Dr. James Lanich, executive director of Just for the Kids–California and president for the California Business for Education Excellence; Larry Powell, Superintendent of Fresno County Office of Education; and Dr. Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, Superintendent of Pomona Unified School District and the state’s Superintendent of the Year.

Breakout sessions will feature schools, districts and programs in the region that have proven success with English learners, developing a college-going culture, career education, data systems, computer literacy, reading, teacher and administrator training initiatives, and community collaboratives and partnerships in education.

The Preschool Coordination and Alignment Project is also coordinating a complete strand (conference within a conference) on Preschool Planning facilitated by widely renowned expert Karen Hill-Scott.

Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute, in cooperation with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and County Offices of Education in the Valley, is sponsoring the conference.

Central Valley Educational Leadership Institute serves as consultant to the Partnership’s PreK-12 Education Work Group.

Report recommends next steps for addressing meth education, prevention, treatment, recovery

A study focusing on public concerns about methamphetamine in the San Joaquin Valley has resulted in a series of recommendations for next steps to address issues related to methamphetamine education, prevention, treatment, and recovery goals throughout the region.

“Local Solutions to Regional Issues: A Report from the Methamphetamine Recovery Project” is based on the outcomes of a series of public forums held throughout the San Joaquin Valley. The report highlights community-specific efforts already in place and describes what types of programs, legislation and policies are needed to support a comprehensive approach to methamphetamine addiction and other forms of substance abuse. A total of 758 residents from across the eight Valley counties participated in the public forums.

The priorities for next steps identified by Valley residents are:
- Expand public drug awareness and education activities, particularly early in life.
- Expand the availability of residential treatment, especially for vulnerable and at-risk populations.
- Initiate a system of consistent, comprehensive, publicly funded recovery services.
- Engage and mobilize Valley residents to address the threat of methamphetamine and other forms of substance abuse in their communities.

“This report represents evidence of a regional consensus of what works, what doesn’t work and what is needed if the Valley is to confront and reduce the effects of methamphetamine and other substances,” says Dr. Virginia Rondero Hernandez, faculty researcher for the Central California Social Welfare Evaluation, Research and Training Center (SWERT) at California State University, Fresno.

The report also describes the social and economic context of the region and the legacy of long-standing methamphetamine production and abuse in the Valley.

SWERT prepared the report with funding provided through a $150,000 seed grant from the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley and with support from the Central California Area Social Services Consortium.

The Meth Recovery Project report is now available. You may download the report, which is located on the Partnership's Health and Human Services Work Group page. You also may contact Juanita Fiorello by phone, 559.294.9772, or e-mail, jfiorello@csufresno.edu, to receive a copy.

Dates to know

January 13

Exemplary Practices in Education: Achievement Gains in our San Joaquin Valley
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Satellite Student Union (General Sessions)
Science Building (Breakout Sessions)
California State University, Fresno campus
Fresno
Information and registration: www.csufresno.edu/cveli

January 26

The San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Summit
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fresno Convention Center
Fresno
Information and registration: www.valleyblueprint.org

March 13

California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Board of Directors
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Harris Ranch
24505 W. Dorris Avenue
Coalinga, Fresno County