Great Valley Center August 2010 Media Advisory

Great Valley Center Monthly Media Advisory, August 2010
What’s going on in the Central Valley? 

 

Regional Story Ideas:

• The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley will discuss the Valley’s application for federal Sustainable Communities grant funding in a conference call Aug. 6 at 8 a.m. The Partnership is helping to reconcile differences between Valley COGS and a compact of nine large cities in the valley, which both intended to apply for funding. For more information, click here.
  

• Universities and community colleges are experiencing a dire situation. During a time of decreased resources and funding, enrollment is increasing due to high unemployment. How is your local university, college or community college coping?

• Two groups of regional leaders in the Central Valley head for the Sierra this month in an experience which can be life changing. The Mountain Valley and Great Valley chapters of the American Leadership Forum are taking their new classes to the Sierra Buttes for five day wilderness experiences, part of a year-long effort to build stronger networks of leaders in the Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin Valleys and improve quality of life for their regions. Contact Bonnie Ferreira of Mountain Valley at (916) 920-5669 or mail@alf-mvc.org and Manuel Alvarado of Great Valley at (209) 522-5103 or malvarado3@ucmerced.edu.
  
  
• San Joaquin Valley Blueprint award nominations. The Blueprint Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in quality development while celebrating projects that reflect the Blueprint principles. The program is open to all San Joaquin Valley jurisdictions in the counties of Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus & San Joaquin. Nomination deadline is Aug. 27. For more info, visit http://www.valleyblueprint.org/feature/2010/06/2010-blueprint-awards.html.
  
  
• The California Exposition and State Fair wraps up Aug. 1. How did the new timing of the fair affect your local fair? This year, the state fair was held at the end of July instead of the usual time at the end of August. The change was made to accommodate school districts that moved their first day of class to the last week of August. Some local fairs changed their dates to occur before the State Fair.
  

New at the Great Valley Center

• The Great Valley Center will hold its Great Valley Leadership Institute Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 in Modesto. The Institute is an intensive, 4 ½-day experience that provides key insights to help newly elected officials reach their full leadership potential. GVLI provides an unmatched opportunity to access world-renowned faculty from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Considered for participation are bright, motivated elected officials, serving on boards of supervisors, city councils, and school boards, who have been in office at least one year.  For more information on participating in this program, contact Angelina Ceja (209) 522-5103 or email angelina@greatvalley.org.
  

Upcoming Events:

• Valley Futures Forum, Innovations in Designing for Pedestrians: Revitalizing Communities Through Increased Walkability, with Paul Zykofsky, associate director at the Local Government Commission in charge of community design, climate change and health programs. From 5:00 to 6:45 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 19 at the Great Valley Center, 201 Needham St., Modesto. Communities in California and the rest of the nation are recognizing that creating walkable communities is a great way to revitalize downtowns and neighborhoods while achieving broader community goals of reducing vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions, and improving health by supporting routine physical activity. This presentation will look at some of the innovative techniques and strategies that communities are using to create complete streets and design safer and more enticing environments for pedestrians.
  

Interviews:

The staff at the Great Valley Center has many areas of expertise; take a look at our staff page here: www.greatvalley.org/about_us/ staff.aspx. GVC staff members are available for interviews about any of the topics listed in this advisory or other regional trends and happenings in the Central Valley. GVC staff members are also available for live interviews and presentations. If you are interested in speaking with or scheduling GVC staff to come to your television or radio studio, give us a call.

About Us:

The Great Valley Center is a nonprofit organization working in partnership with the University of California, Merced to improve the social, economic and environmental well-being of California’s Great Central Valley.


Don’t forget the Great Valley Center’s website www.greatvalley.org and blog greatvalley.blogspot.com for story ideas, sound bites, and more.



Watch GVC President David Hosley on Comcast Newsmakers

Great Valley Center President David Hosley talks about the work of the center with Comcast's Jack Hanson.



Visit the Great Valley Center YouTube Channel for more videos →

GVC Monthly Media Advisory, July 2010

The Great Valley Center's July 2010 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.

July'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 July 2010 media advisory →

Great Valley News: Summer 2010

Get your Summer update on all things GVC with the new edition of our quarterly newsletter.  In this issue: Highlights from our Annual Conference, our new book release, an update on leadership programs, and more.

Download Great Valley News: Summer 2010 →

Telemedicine Struggles in Central Valley Amid Hope, Hardship

California Healthline
Monday, June 07, 2010
by Diana Marcum

KERMAN – Just getting to a clinic in the San Joaquin Valley is difficult for patients who come from surrounding far-flung farm towns.  There are no city buses where there are no cities. Agricultural fields stretch far, poverty runs deep and extended families often share one unreliable car.

"So many of our patients struggle with transportation. We send a van out twice a week, but when it comes to getting them to a specialist we're at a complete loss," said Jenny Mendez, clinic manager of  United Health Center in Kerman which serves many people who live 40 or 50 miles away.

It's this kind of need that makes telemedicine a tantalizing hope to the challenged region. But, despite grants, partnerships, and federal and state mandates, the San Joaquin Valley is lagging behind the rest of the state in linking patients to doctors in other locales. In many cases the equipment and the broadband is there, but the nitty-gritty details are foiling healthcare providers.

Read the full article →

Reporting back: 2010 Blueprint Executive Forum

Eighty local elected officials and managers of transportation planning organizations in the San Joaquin Valley gathered in Fresno on June 25, 2010 to be briefed on the implementation of the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint adopted in 2009 as a framework for growth in the Valley as its population doubles over the next 40 years.

The growth principles and housing density and transportation mix targets adopted in the blueprint are now guiding cities and counties in the Valley as general plans are updated. Attendees from Kern County to San Joaquin County heard details about a "toolkit" being developed to help local planners access more than two dozen resources, including model ordinances and other examples of ways in which communities can grow while improving quality of life for residents. Plans are also being made to raise the profile of the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint to those whose work will be impacted by implementation, including developers and agribusiness.

The new chair of the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council, Mayor Bill Spriggs of Merced, was introduced along with the new chair of the San Joaquin Valley COG Directors, Tony Boren, executive director of the Council of Fresno County Governments.

Martin Tuttle, Deputy Director of Planning and Modal Programs for the California Department of Transportation, reported that 17 of the 18 regional transportation planning organizations in the state have completed blueprint planning projects, and suggested that a new era is being entered that will integrate the regional plans into a blueprint for all of California. Tuttle expects the California Interregional Blueprint to be in draft form by September.

Robert Grow, chair of Envision Utah, drew comparisons between the San Joaquin Valley transportation and land use planning and other regional planning efforts across the country, including the one he led more than a decade ago in Utah. He pointed out that the San Joaquin Valley will continue to grow rapidly because it is a good place to live, and sits between the "NorCal" region and the "SoCal" region in discussions about the United States becoming a collection of "mega regions." One trend he presented is the observation that transportation, land use, energy and water planning are now inseparable in America, and further integration of planning will challenge regions and organizations that have focused narrowly to this point.

Forum participants formed round table discussion groups based on city size, and identified challenges to implementation of the blueprint along with resources needed to realize the benefits of a regional approach to growth. Feedback from the groups will be incorporated over the next few months in the implementation strategy that is being coordinated by the Mintier Harnish firm under the direction of the San Joaquin Valley Councils of Government.

San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Roadmap Summary
(Public Review Draft Report - June 2010)

For more information please contact: Dejeuné Shelton at the Great Valley Center by phone at 209-522-5103 or email dejeune@greatvalley.org.

About the Event:
The Blueprint Executive Forum is an opportunity for local elected officials, Public Department Heads, and Valley Planners to come together and discuss how the Blueprint will be implemented at the local level.

This event is sponsored by the Council of Fresno County Governments, Kern Council of Governments, Kings County Association of Governments, Madera County Transportation Commission, Merced County Association of Governments, San Joaquin Council of Governments, Stanislaus Council of Governments, and the Tulare County Association of Governments.

2010 Blueprint Executive Forum: June 25 in Fresno, CA

The 2010 Blueprint Executive Forum is an opportunity for local elected officials, Public Department Heads, and Valley Planners to come together and discuss how the Blueprint will be implemented at the local level.

EVENT DETAILS 

Friday, June 25, 2010
11:00 am to 3:00 pm

Grand Occasions
4584 West Jacquelyn Avenue
Fresno, CA 93722
(559) 277-3663
Map & Directions

 → Download Event Agenda

REGISTER NOW

Download the Registration Form and return to Dejeune Shelton by email to dejeune@greatvalley.org, by fax to (209) 522-5116, OR by mail to 201 Needham Street, Modesto, CA 95354

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Robert J. Grow, Envision Utah

Robert J. Grow holds degrees in engineering and law and is the founding chair of emeritus of Envision Utah, a private/public quality growth partnership founded in 1997. Envision Utah is widely recognized as one of the country’s most successful public involvement efforts for the development of a broad-based, long-term growth strategy for a major metropolitan area.

JOIN US TO

• Lend you voice and vision to the process as we work together to integrate the Valley Blueprint principles into your local planning process with the goal of achieving the necessary outcomes for an improved quality of life for all who live here
• Learn about possible funding sources for implementation
• See new implementation tools for planners

For more information please contact: Dejeuné Shelton at the Great Valley Center by phone at 209-522-5103 or email dejeune@greatvalley.org.

Additional details, event agenda, directions, and registration are available at www.valleyblueprint.org 

About the Event:
This event is sponsored by the Council of Fresno County Governments, Kern Council of Governments, Kings County Association of Governments, Madera County Transportation Commission, Merced County Association of Governments, San Joaquin Council of Governments, Stanislaus Council of Governments, and the Tulare County Association of Governments.