Central Valley Economy

Residents of the fast-growing Central Valley are largely content with life in California's agricultural heartland, but voice sharply different views over how to manage a development boom poised to continue for decades, according to a poll released Tuesday. Three out of four residents said they are happy with life in the sprawling region from Redding to Bakersfield, but they can't agree whether it will remain a desirable place to live.

When California Sen. Dianne Feinstein drafted legislation that would weaken endangered species protections to deliver more water to San Joaquin Valley farms, her rationale was jobs. "People in California's breadbasket face complete economic ruin," the Democrat said in a recent statement. She was joining a chorus of Central Valley politicians and farm groups that during the last year have painted the region as a dust bowl, beset by drought and environmental protections that are cutting vital water deliveries and the jobs that depend on them.

When California Sen. Dianne Feinstein drafted legislation that would weaken endangered species protections to deliver more water to San Joaquin Valley farms, her rationale was jobs. "People in California's breadbasket face complete economic ruin," the Democrat said in a recent statement. She was joining a chorus of Central Valley politicians and farm groups that during the last year have painted the region as a dust bowl, beset by drought and environmental protections that are cutting vital water deliveries and the jobs that depend on them.

Residents of the fast-growing Central Valley are largely content with life in California's agricultural heartland, but voice sharply different views over how to manage a development boom poised to continue for decades, according to a poll released Tuesday. Three out of four residents said they are happy with life in the sprawling region from Redding to Bakersfield, but they can't agree whether it will remain a desirable place to live.

These weren't exactly dream jobs the vending machine manufacturer was offering in its "help wanted" ad. This was tedious assembly line work, affixing decals and buttons to Coke machines for maybe seven bucks an hour. On the swing shift, no less. So when 835 would-be workers showed up at a Ramada Inn a few months ago to apply, the recruiters at Vendo were nothing short of amazed. The line stretched so long that the firm eventually quit taking applications.

Up and down the Golden State, these are fat and happy times. In Southern and Northern California and along the Central Coast, cities crow about falling unemployment rates and residents watch in wonder as their home values jump to the moon. Growth is a good thing. Here in California's big middle, stretching 400 miles long and 50 miles wide, it's a far different tale. The problem isn't a lack of growth.

The December freeze that destroyed most of California's citrus crop has had immediate consequences for the economy of the Central Valley, where farm workers in some hard-hit towns are lining up by the hundreds for food and other necessities during what should be the peak of their season. In a region already defined by poverty and high unemployment, the arctic blast threw about 13,000 pickers and packers out of work.

TULARE, Calif. -- The annual World Ag Expo held in Tulare opened its gates to thousands of visitors Tuesday and organizers expect the three-day event to draw about 100,000 visitors, pumping millions of dollars into the Central Valley county's economy. Billed as the largest agricultural exposition of its kind in the world, the event is part county fair and part trade show. The massive event draws farmers and others interested in the latest cost-saving technologies or new agricultural practices.  Vendors brought massive tractors, work trucks, tomato harvesters and all sorts of gadgets to the sprawling 2.6 million square feet of exhibiting space.  "Not only do buyers and sellers come together at World Ag Expo to do business, but agricultural producers also attend the show to expand their knowledge of agricultural issues, production methods and international trade," said Jerry Sinift, the International Agri-Center's chief executive officer.   One thing, however, was clear at the expo: Dairy is king.

BAKERSFIELD - This mid-size city has become the surprise star of the Central Valley. The state's economic recovery has largely been concentrated on the coast, leaving behind much of the hard-hit San Joaquin Valley. But Bakersfield, perhaps best known for oil, agriculture and country music, has reclaimed an old title: boomtown. Bakersfield has been adding population and jobs at a brisk pace and is a few thousand jobs from matching its peak employment level of five years ago. A price-fueled energy bonanza, low corporate operating costs and an advantageous location are contributing to the area's good fortune.

Air quality officials in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the smoggiest places in the nation, voted Monday to ask federal regulators for 11 additional years to meet ozone standards, saying the problem could not be solved with current technology. The sprawling farm region faces a 2013 deadline for reducing ozone smog to meet federal standards.

Up and down the Golden State, these are fat and happy times. In Southern and Northern California and along the Central Coast, cities crow about falling unemployment rates and residents watch in wonder as their home values jump to the moon. Growth is a good thing. Here in California's big middle, stretching 400 miles long and 50 miles wide, it's a far different tale. The problem isn't a lack of growth.

The December freeze that destroyed most of California's citrus crop has had immediate consequences for the economy of the Central Valley, where farm workers in some hard-hit towns are lining up by the hundreds for food and other necessities during what should be the peak of their season. In a region already defined by poverty and high unemployment, the arctic blast threw about 13,000 pickers and packers out of work.

These weren't exactly dream jobs the vending machine manufacturer was offering in its "help wanted" ad. This was tedious assembly line work, affixing decals and buttons to Coke machines for maybe seven bucks an hour. On the swing shift, no less. So when 835 would-be workers showed up at a Ramada Inn a few months ago to apply, the recruiters at Vendo were nothing short of amazed. The line stretched so long that the firm eventually quit taking applications.

The nation's largest business organization launched a multimillion-dollar advertising attack in California on Wednesday night on U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, part of a nationwide effort targeting vulnerable Democrats. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce began running ads in San Diego, Bakersfield, Fresno and Sacramento, where Boxer's Republican rival Carly Fiorina has shown strength. The first round of ads castigates Boxer's record on jobs and the environment. The Chamber would not say exactly how much it plans to spend on the race.

Are we experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Depression? In most California cities, it looks that way. In most Texas cities, probably not. That's one story emerging from a new Brookings Institution analysis examining the performance of the nation's largest metropolitan areas over the course of the current recession. Notwithstanding the attention lavished on the national economic figures emanating from Washington each week, we're not undergoing one uniform recession nationwide.