Modesto Bee: Great Valley Center conference moving

Think tank tries hometown of Modesto for a change

Modesto Bee
Saturday, November 7, 2009
By Garth Stapley
gstapley@modbee.com

After 12 years in Sacramento, the Great Valley Center's annual conference is moving to Modesto. "The Gallo Arts Center is one of the jewels in the valley," said David Hosley, who succeeded Carol Whiteside as the center's president in early 2008. "And we thought it would be exciting for people to see our headquarter in Modesto."

→Read the entire article here

Save the Dates:
May 6 & 7, 2010
Great Valley Center's Annual Conference
Gallo Center for the Arts, Modesto

November Media Advisory Available Now

The Great Valley Center's November 2009 media advisory is now available. This monthly resource for members of the media and others in the community features information on what's happening with the Great Valley Center and throughout the Central Valley during the month.

November's advisory includes briefs on:

* Regional story ideas
* GVC and regional events during the month
* Programs that are new to the Great Valley Center
* Reports, Publications, and Resources Currently Available

→Download the November 2009 Media Advisory

CPR: Feature News Story | Senators Hear From Top Sac Region Transportation Official on Climate BIll

Capitol Public Radio featured a great story on how Sacramento's transportation planning may impact federal legislation:

"After a week of getting yelled at by Republicans, Senator Barbara Boxer was relieved to hear from an ally. As Chairwoman of the environment committee she’s incorporated some of what Sacramento has done in her federal climate bill..."

→ Listen to the entire story here: CPR: Feature News Story | Senators Hear From Top Sac Region Transportation Official on Climate BIll

Pictures From GVC's Sacramento Valley Forum

Hundreds of people gathered at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico on October 28th for the Great Valley Center's annual Sacramento Valley Forum. This year's topic Water: More Than a Peripheral Issue covered issues that are currently relevant to water use, conservation and economics.

"If we can bring people and interests from the Sacramento Valley together to start talking about the many complexities of this issues, we can establsih a dialogue for positive change," said David Hosley, President of the Great Valley Center.

Check out pictures from the day here:

GVC's Sacramento Valley Forum in the News

The Chico Enterprise-Record ran two stories on this week's Sacramento Valley Forum. The articles are a great briefing on the issues Tim Quinn and Robert Glennon spoke about during their keynote addresses. Check out the articles here:

→ Author: Water not as plentiful as many think

→ Water crisis called worst in state's history

Indicators Report 'The Economy' 3rd Edition -- In the News

On October 28, 2009 the Great Valley Center released its newest report: The State of the Great Central Valley: The Economy (Third Edition). The report is part of the State of the Great Central Valley Indicators Series, an ongoing regional initiative tracking conditions in one of California’s fastest growing regions: the 19-county Great Central Valley. The data presented in the report are a snapshot of information providing tools for measuring the community well-being of the Valley. The reports offer data, analysis, and structure which can be used as a benchmark for assessing the progress of the Central Valley, providing valuable comparative information at the county, subregional, regional, and state levels.

The report tracks economic indicators as they relate to population, income and housing; business vitality; agriculture; transportation; commerce and mobility; and federal and nonprofit spending. The report features a centerpiece essay written by Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and member of the State Board of Food and Agriculture, on the future of agriculture and the efforts of the California Ag Vision 2030 to plan for a vibrant agricultural future for the Central Valley and throughout California.

The report is currently available to be downloaded for free at www.greatvalley.org.

Check out coverage on the findings of the report:

→ Industry diversification, job training are keys to recover, Bakersfield Observer

→ Central Valley's slump within a slump, KQED's The California Report

→ New Report details Central Valley recession -- and recovery, Central Valley Business Times

→ Report: Central Valley still struggling, Hanford Sentinel

→ Valley faces unique set of challenges, Merced Sun-Star

→ Nonprofit recommends changes based on study of Central Valley economy, Modesto Bee

→ Report says Valley needs stimulus funds, Stockton Record

→ Report from Great Valley Center paints grim picture, Visalia Times-Delta

The State of the Great Central Valley: The Economy (Third Edition) Released

News Release
-For Immediate Release-

Media Contact
Amy Moffat
amy@greatvalley.org
(209) 522-5103

VALLEY CONTINUES TO LAG BEHIND STATE IN SIGNIFICANT INDICATORS OF ECONOMIC HEALTH

Findings: Nation and state remain reliant on the agricultural products of the Central Valley, but measurements of the region’s economic vitality fail to advance

Modesto, CA (October 28, 2009) – According to a new report released today, if the Central Valley itself were considered a state, its agricultural value would rank higher than all other states in the country, yet the region’s per capita income would rank a dismal 48th in the country.

These findings are part of the 21 indicators of regional economic vitality compiled by the Great Valley Center in its latest report The State of the Great Central Valley: The Economy (Third Edition).

In the report the Great Valley Center unveiled its recommendations for the Central Valley during the economic challenges that continue to disproportionately impact the 19-county Central Valley region stretching from Redding to Bakersfield. Among the five recommendations is the need to improve the quality of the Valley’s workforce through education, and the need to capitalize on the momentum surrounding the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"These challenging economic times have hit the state and nation hard, but regions like the Central Valley that were struggling prior to the economic downturn have been hit even harder by it,” said Amy Moffat, director of research and communications at the Great Valley Center. “What is unclear is how the region will rebound from these challenging times. We know that educational outcomes, as well as the region’s agricultural sector, are closely tied to our economy here in the Central Valley.”

The report also reveals that although the Valley’s unemployment is higher than other areas of the state, the labor force continues to grow, especially since the regions housing costs have remained low. However, job growth is not growing as fast as the labor force, meaning that as the state recovers unemployment could remain a significant problem for the Central Valley.

Positive findings of the report include a decline in traffic congestion; a decline in the percentage of semi-trucks traveling on highways; and a steady increase in air travel passengers. Despite some positive trends in the report, federal spending and nonprofit revenue in the Central Valley remain at a significantly lower rate than national averages.

The report tracks economic indicators as they relate to population, income and housing; business vitality; agriculture; transportation; commerce and mobility; and federal and nonprofit spending. The report features a centerpiece essay written by Karen Ross, president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers and member of the State Board of Food and Agriculture, on the future of agriculture and the efforts of the California Ag Vision 2030 to plan for a vibrant agricultural future for the Central Valley and throughout California.

The report is currently available to be downloaded for free at www.greatvalley.org.

The State of the Great Central Valley: The Economy (Third Edition) is sponsored by Citi and Kaiser Permanente, and is part of the State of the Great Central Valley Indicators Series, an ongoing regional initiative tracking conditions in one of California’s fastest growing regions: the 19-county Great Central Valley. The data presented in the report are a snapshot of information providing tools for measuring the community well-being of the Valley. The reports offer data, analysis, and structure which can be used as a benchmark for assessing the progress of the Central Valley, providing valuable comparative information at the county, subregional, regional, and state levels.

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About Great Valley Center: Founded in 1997, the Great Valley Center is a private, non-profit organization that supports organizations and activities working to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of California’s Central Valley, in partnership with the University of California, Merced. For more information visit www.greatvalley.org.

About Citi: Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.

About Kaiser Permanente: Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. They are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, their mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services to improve the health of their members and the communities they serve. For more information, go to: www.kp.org.