California’s Central Valley became the first region in the state of California to meet with Governor Gavin Newsom to submit its 20-year economic plan. According to the area leaders and the governor, it will no longer be left behind. The submitted plan aims to boost the agricultural industry and prepare Central Valley for an important role in the green economy.
Introduced in March, the governor’s initiative to invest in economic and workforce development will focus on 13 regions in the state. The goal is to produce more opportunities beyond the Bay Area and Los Angeles, California’s traditional job centers.
Central Valley’s Plan and Hopes
The Central Valley Community Foundation helped bring together the region’s counties to prepare the 502-page plan. Ashley Swearengin, chief executive of the Central Valley Community Foundation, personally handed the governor the binder with the plan at the news conference in Fresno.
Swearengin says, “A thriving Sierra San Joaquin region is essential to California’s future.”
According to a draft of the plan from August, the counties of Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare are requesting $58 billion in public and private investments. These investments over the next two decades would benefit the 1 in 5 people who live below the poverty line despite the region’s contributions to the food supply and its major role in supporting the state’s renewable energy goals. The region has an annual output of $70 billion and produces 25% of the nation’s food.
A former Fresno mayor, Swearengin says, “The challenges that confront this region’s families must always be present in our minds.”
A Statewide Blueprint in 2025
In January of 2025, Newsom plans to release a statewide blueprint. He is expected to review the other regions’ plans before then. The state of California has allocated $182 million in grants to follow through on the plans.
The state’s focus on regions has been met with optimism.
Kate Gordon is the CEO of California Forward, a nonprofit organization, and former director of the governor’s Office of Planning and Research under Newsom. She says “Across California, stakeholders are getting together on a thoughtful approach” to creating jobs. California Forward is an organization that focuses on California’s economy. She added that some people “don’t feel themselves as part of the economy right now.” Additionally, the fact that regions are working on their own strategies is “an incredibly inclusive process.”
Despite fairly low unemployment, Newsom acknowledged “economic uneasiness” among the residents of the state he leads.
“This is about people feeling on edge,” Newsom said. “It’s not talking about macro conditions, but about micro lived reality.”
The governor also added that he is “excited” to support grant applications from the region.
Responding to Voter Concerns
According to exit polls, voters in this year’s elections made their choices partly because they were concerned about the economy. This common takeaway from the election results is something Newsom is aware of and says he is responding to as he is about to enter his final two years as governor. He has been criticized continually by Republicans for being out of touch with the daily struggles of many Californians. The state’s voters are split on his performance as governor even as his national profile has increased.
The announcement by the governor was in Fresno County, an area that has a per-capita income of about $50,000 a year, one of the lowest in California. According to data from the Employment Development Department, it also has some of the highest unemployment claims in the state.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office said in its fiscal outlook for the next year, “Outside of government and health care, the state has added no jobs in a year and a half.”
