California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Created!

On Friday, June 24th, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger established the California Partnership for San Joaquin Valley through Executive Order S-5-05.

I believe the Public Policy Institute of California’s reports on the San Joaquin Valley and the future of California contributed to the creation of this Partnership because its a significant step towards thinking and operating regionally.

The Partnership has been assigned the following duties:

Identify projects and programs that will best utilize public dollars and most quickly improve the economic vitality of the Valley, especially those that leverage federal, state, local and private sector resources in a coordinated effort to address critical needs in the Valley.

Work with members of the state’s Congressional delegation and federal officials, including the federal Task Force for the Economic Recovery of the San Joaquin Valley, to gain federal support for projects identified by the Partnership as critical to the region.

Partner with the University of California, California State University, community colleges, and the state’s other research and educational institutions, as well as private foundations, to provide guidance, advice and encouragement in support of studies of particular interest and importance to the Valley.

Review state policies and regulations to ensure they are fair and appropriate for the state’s diverse geographic regions, including the San Joaquin Valley, and determine whether alternative approaches can accomplish goals in less costly ways.

Recommend to the Governor changes that would improve the economic well-being of the Valley and the quality of life of its residents.
Develop by October 31, 2006, a San Joaquin Valley Strategic Action Proposal that provides recommendations to improve the economic conditions of the San Joaquin Valley. The proposal shall be in the form of a report to the Governor, to the Board of Supervisors of the counties identified in section 1, and to the City Council of each city within those counties. The Partnership shall also send progress reports after each meeting. The reports shall focus on recommended strategies at each level of state government for sustainable economic growth that will create jobs and improve environmental quality in the region, while empowering local communities and encouraging entrepreneurialism.

Overall, the message Executive Order S-5-05 sends is great! The ability for the San Joaquin Valley to “think regionally” is essential to its future vitality and the Partnership brings people from across the Valley to do just that. I continue to look forward to the future of the San Joaquin Valley and seeing how I and UC Merced can contribute.

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One Response to “California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Created!”

Josh Franco » Blog Archive » The Notion of Region on October 28th, 2007 11:02 am

[...] some time now, since June 24, 2005 (my 20th birthday and also the day the Partnership was created), I have contemplated the notion of region: what is a region; why has the notion of region emerged; [...]

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