May

10

“At The Tipping Point” - Day 1

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Today was the 1st day of the Great Valley Center’s Conference “At the Tipping Point” in Sacramento.

I arrived at the hotel around 9:15am; I was originally supposed to be at the hotel at 8:00am.

Staying awake until 4:00am in the morning to complete the CORE 100 final report, I didn’t get more than 1 hour of sleep. I left Merced at 5:30am.

On my drive up, I got sleepy and pulled over in a Denny’s parking lot in Stockton and rested for an hour.

Volunteering for the Conference, I served as the host for the following 3 breakout sessions:

Parks and open space in the Central Valley

Policy makers have a strategy for preserving and planning recreation and park land as the Valley population grows.

  • Robert K. Foster, Department of Parks & Recreation
  • Nina Gordon, Department of Parks & Recreation
  • Larry Orman, GreenInfo Network

What every planner should know about air quality

Air Quality remains a top Valley issue. Planners can provide guidance.

  • Norman Allinder, RRM Design Group
  • Mike Hendrix, Michael Brandman Associates
  • Tom Jordan, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

Strategies for engaging rural community leaders

Unincorporated and rural areas without structured leadership must create other systems to foster community well-being.

  • Sergio Cuellar, Youth in Focus
  • Dejeune Shelton
  • Jennifer Wood, South Valley Neighborhood Partnership

Also, I heard Tim Quinn, Vice President of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, speak about water economics.

After his speech I spoke with him and he recommended that I visit the Water Resources Center Archives’ website (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/WRCA/) for more information about water.

Overall, it was an amazing day. I mentally noted early in the day and someone reinforced this point later in the day by mentioning it: more students should attend the conference.

I will work to ensure that more students attend next year’s conference.

Feb

26

Day 3 and 4: Riverdale, Lemoore, a Tractor, Hanford

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It has been about 8 hours since I returned to Merced from Hanford. I am near information overload and I love it!

On Saturday, I started the day with biscuit and gravy and the Comfort Inn in Hanford and carpooled to Errotabere Ranches in Riverdale. At the ranch, we met with Daniel Errotabere, Owner of the Ranches, and talked with him about almonds, agriculture, and water. It was about 46 degrees outside next to the almond orchard, but the engaging conversation kept me warm.

From the ranch, we drove to Lemoore and met with Craig Perderson, Managing Partner of Perderson Farms. We spoke with him in an old barn. After watching a video, we were able to ask him questions about agriculture, his decision to donate land to West Hills College and the future of agriculture in the Valley. During our interview, he remarked that housing is “the final crop” and I immediately wrote it down on my arm because I didn’t have paper with me. We ate lunch after the interview and I got to drive a tractor! That’s right, a huge green John Deere tractor! After I decided that my first major purchase in life will be a tractor (rather than a home or car), we returned to the Comfort Inn in Hanford and I took a nap.

After the break, the class met and we discussed our Independent Projects at the Veterans’ Building in Downtown Hanford. My IP is to establish Students for the Central Valley. Visit www.studentsforthecentralvalley.org for more information. It was a beautiful afternoon: the colors, the air, the people roaming through downtown were appealing and somewhat intoxicating. Then, we barked, meowed and hooted about what it means to be a citizen of the Central Valley. The barks, meows and hoots were great! ;-) But even greater was the intense, in-depth conversation we had: we talked about agriculture, water, land use, globalization, politics and history. The conversation served to sparked discussion later in the night.

For dinner, we went to the Hanford Chinese Kitchen and I do believe it is one of the best Chinese food places I have been to. I had a great roundtable conversation and fortune cookies always revealed something interesting about the world and the future. You got to love fortune cookies!

Instead of bowling, we got to together in a hotel room and talked for hours about the current and future state of global affairs with a local perspective. Sitting there, I imagined this is exactly the type of conversations that need to happen across the state, the nation and the world. Topics were explored to a depth that is seldom reached alone. I need to engage in such discussions more often.

After the big get-together, I spoke with a few of my IDEAL Fellows about education, the impact of No Child Left Behind and the need for more professional teachers. The night ended late.

Sunday morning, we were doing the Electric Slide, Hokey Pokey, and Macarena at the UC Extension, Kings County Cooperative. There we met with Steve Froberg of Ashwood Construction, Inc. He is incredibly smart and humble. To conclude the seminar, we conducted a Land Use simulation where we got in small groups, were assigned and played out particular roles. The simulation highlighted what’s going on the in the real world with regards to the negotiations about the future of the Central Valley.

At noon, the seminar was complete and I was back in Merced around 2pm. After returning to Merced, I realized that I lost my jump drive! If someone find it and reads this post, then please comment.

Like I mentioned before, I am near information overload. It’s great. I need to just sit, relax, digest the information and figure out what my next steps are with regards to utilizing the information I have learned.

Feb

24

Day 1 and 2: Merced, Reedley, Huron, Hanford

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Agriculture, Land Use and Water are the topics for the 2nd IDEAL seminar this weekend.

It started yesterday; however, last night the Edgewater Inn in Reedley did not have broadband internet access so I couldn’t access the internet. Tonight is a different story. I am at the Comfort Inn in Hanford and the internet connection couldn’t be better. It is super fast!

Thursday was somewhat hectic. The night before I took a nap at 9pm and woke up at 10pm to organize myself for the seminar. Also, I need to write and turn in my essay for History 150. I woke up at 7am on Thursday and finished the paper around 11:30am. Then, I walked up the Chancellor’s Office and turn in my UC Student Regent application. At about 12:30pm I headed to downtown Merced and met with my interview team. We interviewed Steve Madison, Executive Officer of the Merced County Building Industry Association, and James (Jim) Marshall, City Manager of Merced. Both interviews went extremely well and I learned so much. In particular, I learned that I need to arm myself with the facts and about just how fulfilling public service is.

After the interviews, the entire IDEAL class met on campus at UC Merced. We met in Kolligian Library Room 460. I selected the room because it affords an awesome few of the area south of the campus, facing the quad and Science and Engineering Building. Everyone talked about their interviews and how they went. Moreover, we learned about the “top 5” growth and development issues of the Valley. To think in the next few decades, the entire region, and in particular the area south of the campus, will transform into something completely different is astonishing.

That night, we ate at the El Rincon de America restaurant in Reedley. Before the main course arrived, I ate a lot of chips and drank a lot of soda. So, when my cocido (beef stew) finally arrived, I couldn’t eat it all.

As I mentioned before, we stayed in the Edgewater Inn. Nice place but no high-speed internet access. Nonetheless, the next morning we went to the Reedley Opera House. It is a nice, intimate building; very snug. There we played the Newly Wed game, learned about Farm Labor Contractors and spoke with Holly King, Director of Agricultural Programs at the Great Valley Center.

After, we headed down the road and few of us got lost on our way to B&C Packing to meet Blake Carlson, a small/medium size farmer. At the packing plant, we got to interview Blake and tour the packing plant. It was awesome; but the place wasn’t in action so the machinery was not moving and peaches, plums and nectarines were not being packed. I was amazing at the apparent complexity of the packing operation. Cool stuff. Before we left, I learned about the “web of life” and realized that even though we (humans) cause a lot of problems, we can also fix them and we will.

Next we headed to Huron to meet with Stuart Woolf of Harris/Woolf Almonds, a large, corporate farmer. After asking him questions, we tour the massive facility. This place was huge and I mean huge! Giant wooden boxes filled with almonds, mountains of almond shells and large machines. I was taken by the sheer size and scope of the operation.

From Huron to Hanford, we checked into the Comfort Inn and went to eat the Purple Potato. I ate shrimp and steak and it was excellent.

I cannot blog all that I have learned about the last two days. I am simply amazed. The Central Valley is much more complex that I first thought. I am being exposed to different aspects of the region. Talking with a housing developer, city manager, “small” and “corporate” farmer and listening to their responses to questions, I know that I am just scratching the surface.

Earlier this afternoon, I was in the middle of the Central Valley and it was an incredible, although hazy, sight and I thought to myself that I have never driven on this highway before, but I will drive again on it some day.

Also, next time I need my camera because I need to take pictures of all these places! ;-)

Jan

15

Day 3 and 4: Public Speaking 101, A Lesson on Life, and Wrap Up

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I did not have an opportunity to blog yesterday because I was Star Bucks, chatting with some IDEAL peers.

On Thursday, I was totally psyched about my “IDEAL Contribution: Public Speaking 101.” As always, when I speak in front of a group I get nervous; however, when it is time to shine, it is time to shine. ;-)

Based on the comments I received from the staff and my fellow IDEAL Fellows, it was a great presentation. As I expressed at the end of the presentation, I hope I was able to effectively describe and stress the power of public speaking and share what I knowledge I have on the subject. Linked below, in Microsoft Word format, is the outline of my presentation.

Returning to Thursday night, we learned about the “Valley Futures Project.” The project brings to life the ideas about the future and what we, as citizens concerned about the future, can do to move the valley towards a better future. For more information on this interesting subject, visit http://www.greatvalley.org/valley_futures/.

Later that night, I had the chance to converse with some of my peers about politics, leadership, religion, our independent projects, and relationships. I learned a lot. I was like a sponge, absorbing all that was said. I have a voracious appetite to learn, to know more about people and the world and last night was quite fulfilling.

On Friday, we wrapped up our first seminar with some individual and collective reflection on our experience. As the light from the sun shined through the great arched windows of the Community Room, the warmth of the sun was accentuated by the warmth of the people inside the room. It’s an experience I won’t forget. I look forward to next month in Hanford. :-)

Attachment: GVC - IDEAL 2006 - Josh Franco - Seminar 1 - Assignment 1 - Confidential Contribution - Public Speaking 101.doc

Jan

13

Day 2: The Fireside Chat

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Wow, today (Day 2 of the IDEAL Program) was just absolutely amazing!

It is late and I need some rest so I’ll make this quick. I want to remark and share with you my Fireside chat experience.

The Fireside Chat was awesome! Words cannot describe how I feel about it. It was one of the most enlightening, inspiring experiences in my life. As one fellow remarked, “I will never forget it.”

Having the opportunity to sit around and listen to others who are in a process of self-discovery and personal transformation truly leads to a combination of energy: synergy, it’s called and it has encouraged me even more to go out into the world and make a difference.

I learned tonight that is crucial for people to gather, sit around and talk, exchange information and share their life experiences because doing so only improves us as human beings. Try it some time. :-D

Jan

12

Tipping Point, Wow

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Tonight, I am sitting here in a Modesto hotel room, blogging from my old laptop, and thinking about my first day in the Great Valley Center (GVC)’s Institute for the Development of Emerging Area Leaders (IDEAL) program.

People and the Economy, the first of four seminars, is from Thursday, January 12th to Sunday, January 15th.

Reflecting on my first day, I have learned an incredible amount and I only expect to learn more in the next three days and throughout my time in the program.

Earlier tonight, the 2006 IDEAL Fellows, got to meet, greet and chat with IDEAL Alumni and GVC Staff. Moreover, Carol Whiteside, President of the GVC, spoke to all of us about the Central Valley. Her entire speech was very informative, very motivating and it momentarily left me absent of questions.

“The Central Valley is at the tipping point,” remarked Whiteside. Referring to the fact that the future of the Central Valley is going to be determined, to a considerable degree, on the decisions made now and in the near future. Her comment will not be lost on me and I after listening to hear speak, I said to myself “Wow.” Now, I am even more committed to learning about the Central Valley and seeing what I can do to help.

I am so energized! I can barely sleep even though I went to sleep late last night. ;-)