Message from the Secretariat

As the secretariat for the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, the Office of Community and Economic Development at California State University, Fresno is pleased to announce several new developments that are promising initiatives for our Valley. The $4 million awarded to Smart Valley Places is a singularly unprecedented accomplishment. This program will impact our region for generations to come. We are greatly appreciative to all those who participated in concept development and those willing to collaborate. Another new development is the San Joaquin Valley iHub Designation. This is another example of collaborative and innovative movement for our region.

In addition to these new developments, the Partnership work groups continue to drive toward their 10-year strategic action plan, A New Valley. We are grateful for the continued support of the work group conveners and consultants; without their expertise, celebrating our successes would not be possible. We are pleased to announce that the Valley Legacy workforce program is well under way. A special report will be available in March 2011.

In a continuous effort to drive toward a united vision for the Valley, we encourage you to stay engaged and to participate. Frequent updates and pertinent information is disseminated through e-mail and social media. The Partnership strongly encourages you to join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Central San Joaquin Valley Receives iHub Designation

The Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) at California State University, Fresno is part of the new Central San Joaquin Valley iHub alliance. Designated by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the initiative is focused on agriculture, water and solar energy technologies.

The Central Valley Business Incubator (CVBI) and the Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation and Economic Development are lead agencies on the project. Major partners include OCED, the University of California, Merced and the UC Merced Small Business Development Center Regional Network.

“The iHub designation is another tool to provide cutting-edge economic development for the San Joaquin Valley that will pay long-term benefits with technology transfer and commercialization through entrepreneurship,” said Mike Dozier, OCED interim director. “The partnerships will provide a strong network of resources and tools creating a catalyst for job generation and economic development growth for our region.”

The Central San Joaquin Valley iHub is one of a dozen regional hubs designed to strengthen job creation and support technological developments.

The improvement of California’s national and global competitiveness is the goal of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GoED). This will be done by stimulating partnerships, economic development, and job creation around specific research clusters through state-designated iHubs.

GoED director Joel Ayala said the iHub program “provides an open forum for the sharing of knowledge and building of partnerships, which we hope will lead to the quick and efficient acceleration of the commercialization of technologies.”

“We have been impressed by the Central Valley’s ability to unite to confront issues the region faces with respect to water, energy and agricultural resources; and we believe inclusion of the region will be a tremendous asset to the greater statewide network,” Ayala said.

$4 million awarded to San Joaquin Valley for Smart Valley Places

The San Joaquin Valley was awarded a $4 million regional planning grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund its Smart Valley Places initiative.

This grant will provide our region with resources to create more transportation choices, equitable-affordable housing, economic competitiveness and healthier and safer neighborhoods. Ultimately, this initiative will shape future growth trends that will impact not only the health and prosperity of the region, but the entire state of California.

The driving force for Smart Valley Places is a compact of 14 Valley cities from throughout the eight-county region, in partnership with four regional nonprofit organizations, California State University, Fresno and the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council.

Nearly $100 million in new grants was awarded to 45 regional areas to support more livable and sustainable communities across the country. The San Joaquin Valley was one of only two regions awarded funding in California; the other is Sacramento with a $1.5 million award.

Valley educational collaborative launches
college degree completion initiative

Students across the Valley gained some long-needed assistance from a new Central Valley Higher Education Consortium initiative to successfully transfer and graduate from college.

Nearly 30 public and private colleges and universities gathered for a weekend working summit in October to launch the major college degree completion initiative that will positively impact students from Bakersfield to Stockton. Summit participants ranged from students to chancellors.

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) seeks to lead the way in implementing the recently signed historic transfer reform packages, SB 1440 (Padilla) and AB 2302 (Fong).

"Our Consortium members agree that we must pursue a regional initiative that would reduce the time for Valley students to reach their goal of a college degree,” said Dr. Benjamin Duran, CVHEC President. “We have committed to work together with faculty and students to develop a plan for implementing the clear transfer pathway established in SB 1440 and AB 2302. This approach underscores our focus on better serving students and our history in building cooperation and collaboration among our member institutions."

Dr. Frank Gornick, Chair of the Degree Completion Summit said, “We are not only working on implementing legislation but working to create urgency for student success in a region that is characterized by high unemployment, below-average college attainment, depressed wages and per capita incomes that are among the lowest in the country.”

Dr. Gornick stressed that improving degree completion will benefit students and promote economic recovery for the Valley through a better educated workforce.

"I was grateful to be able to participate in the summit,” said Sukhi Dhaliwal, a student from Merced College. “I hope to be a voice for those students taking excessive units to transfer, and I look forward to helping create a more student-centered transfer process so that students can complete their degrees in a timely manner.”

CVHEC has scheduled a post-summit gathering on Friday, December 3, at Merced College

Legislative Update

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

The Partnership continues its ongoing effort to track the allocation of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) dollars within the San Joaquin Valley. According to the most recent data offered by the State of California’s Recovery website, nearly $1.7 billion of ARRA funds have been awarded within the San Joaquin Valley for 1,562 projects throughout the region. The update produced by the Partnership assessed the San Joaquin Valley region on a per capita basis compared to other regions of the state, as well as compared the eight Valley counties by total funding amount and number of projects.

To view ARRA funding totals for the San Joaquin Valley compared to other regions of the state on a per capita basis, please click here.

To view ARRA funding totals for each of the eight San Joaquin Valley counties, please click here.

Government Affairs

The Partnership has created an easily accessible and user friendly list of all elected officials representing the San Joaquin Valley to help Valley residents connect with their elected officials in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., on critical issues impacting quality of life in the region. San Joaquin Valley State & Federal Electeds is located on the Partnership website.

Small Business Jobs Act - HR 5297

On Sept. 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act, a $42 billion bill aimed at helping small businesses, entrepreneurs and job creation through establishing a $30 billion lending fund and providing $12 billion in tax relief. The lending fund will be managed by the Treasury Department which will deliver capital at an attractive rate to banks with less than $10 billion in assets. This bill also provides $1.5 billion in grants to state lending programs that in turn support loans to small businesses, as well as a wide range of tax breaks designed to encourage small businesses to purchase new equipment, to incentivize venture capital firms to invest in small businesses, and to motivate entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. To read the full bill, please click here.

The HOME Act - HR 6218

On Sept. 28, 2010, Congressman Dennis Cardoza (CA-18) introduced the Housing Opportunity and Mortgage Equity (HOME) Act – legislation for the purpose of stabilizing the foreclosure crisis through the federal government’s conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The HOME Act would use the federal government’s conservatorship and backing of Fannie and Freddie mortgages to secure the current low market rates for longer fixed terms. This legislation would not preclude underwater mortgages from the opportunity to refinance at lower rates and would be available to households of all income levels. Recognizing the HOME Act would have far-reaching impacts in the San Joaquin Valley, the Partnership provided a letter of support for the legislation.

Dates to know

November 17

Ag Awards Luncheon
Noon
Tornino Banquets
5080 N. Blackstone Avenue
Fresno
559.495.4800, info@fresnochamber.com
www.fresnochamber.com

November 18

Coffee Talk
7:30 a.m.
Brooks Ranch Restaurant
4131 S. Chestnut Avenue
Fresno
559.237.0263, info@fcfb.org
RSVP Required
www.fcfb.org

November 18

Business Connectors
5 p.m.
Costco Wholesale Warehouse
1445 R Street
Merced
209.384.7092
www.merced-chamber.com

November 18

Risk Takers Dream Makers luncheon
11:30 a.m.
The Golden Palace
2625 West Vassar (Clinton & Hwy 99)
Fresno
559.485.1273, info@fwced.org

November 18

Board of Directors and Transportation Planning Policy Committee
7 p.m.
Kern Council of Governments
1401 19th Street, Third Floor
Bakersfield
661.861.2191
www.kerncog.org

December 3

Ag Roundtable
7 a.m.
Marie Calendar’s - Shaw/Cedar
Fresno
559.237.0263, info@fcfb.org
www.fcfb.org

December 3

California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Quarterly Board Meeting
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Madera Municipal Golf Course
23200 Avenue 17
Madera
559.294.6021, jenpaul@csufresno.edu
www.sjvpartnership.org

December 7

Chamber of Commerce Tourism Alliance
8:30 a.m.
Location varies
Madera
559.673.3563, dbray@maderachamber.com
www.maderachamber.com

December 7

Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting
10 a.m.
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
1990 E. Gettysburg Avenue
Fresno

via teleconferencing
559.230.6000, web-boardmail@valleyair.org

Northern Region Office
4800 Enterprise Way
Modesto

Southern Region Office
34946 Flyover Court
Bakersfield

www.valleyair.org

December 28

Environmental Justice Advisory Group
5:30 p.m.
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
1990 E. Gettysburg Avenue
Fresno

via teleconferencing
559.230.6000, web-boardmail@valleyair.org

Northern Region Office
4800 Enterprise Way
Modesto

Southern Region Office
34946 Flyover Court
Bakersfield

www.valleyair.org