Banta School District seeing big changes!/Tracy Press

Going forward: Small school district has big plans

by Joel Danoy / Tracy Press Tracy Press

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• Editor’s note: ‘Going forward’ is a look into changes in store for Tracy and its environs in 2012.

BANTA — The next 12 months are going to be a busy time for officials at the Banta Elementary School District.

In November, contractors broke ground on a 30-acre technology charter school — which includes both an elementary and a middle school — at River Islands in Lathrop. Since that time, constructions crews have graded the land and are allowing it to settle before beginning the building phase of work.

According to Albert Garibaldi, assistant superintendant of Banta, the 15-month first-phase build includes completing nearly 60 percent of construction on both schools by January 2013. Officials expect the doors to open in August 2013, with the elementary school serving 600 students and the middle school accepting 750 students. Kindergarten through eighth grades will be taught. Further in the future, school officials hope to have a high school and a four-year college on the site, as well.

Garibaldi said the student population will be drawn from the surrounding Central Valley; charters are not restricted by residential jurisdiction as traditional public schools are. The curriculum will center on creating a pool of applicants who will be able to fill future technology jobs expected to come to the Central Valley.

“It’s a new idea and a new way to approach schooling, so we’re excited,” Garibaldi said. “We want to get students in the classrooms as soon as we can to get started moving forward.”

Banta Superintendent Bill Draa said the district is waiting to find out if it meets all state guidelines for a charter, which would make it eligible for $375,000 in grant funding. That decision isn’t expected to be made for two to three months, he said.

Once the expected approval is received, Draa said, teachers and staff will be hired. The district will also continue its search for cutting-edge technological tools for educators to use in the classroom.

“We’ve been looking at electronic textbooks and other options similar to that,” he said. “The point is, we are a technology school. There is so much digital curriculum out there we can use. It’s a different way of looking at the format that we currently have at many public schools right now.”

The Banta School District signed an agreement with River Islands to purchase the school site — next to what eventually will be 11,000 homes and a $55 million business park. Discussions between the two parties began around 2000.

To make the land purchase possible, Banta officials obtained state funding — $1.1 million for the middle school and $830,000 for the elementary school — which was matched by a contribution from River Islands.

According to Garibaldi, one cafeteria will be built to serve both schools. There will be one central kitchen, and the cafeteria area is partitioned to separate the younger and older students. The same spaces will be used as multipurpose rooms for physical fitness activities and school events, he said.

“You’re able to build one building and serve both needs,” Garibaldi said. “There’s a lot of economic viability in that.”

During Phase 2 of the build, a gymnasium for use by both schools will be constructed. Garibaldi said crews will complete the final 30 percent of classroom space once a stable student population is in place and district officials can better gauge what’s needed to support a larger student body.

“Based on how many students we have, once we get to a 75 percent capacity in Phase 1, then we start going forward with working for the funding for Phase 2,” he said.

Draa will retire from the school district June 30 and take a consulting position with River Islands and project director Susan Dell’Osso. The project site is owned by the Dell’Osso family.

Read more: Tracy Press - Going forward Small school district has big plans

What impact will redevelopment ruling have in S.J.?/The Record

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By Keith Reid

Record Staff Writer

December 30, 2011 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - Wendy Saunders, Stockton's economic development director, said Thursday's court ruling likely won't have a major immediate impact on the city.

"For Stockton, it is sort of moot. We weren't going to be acting as a redevelopment agency anyway because we don't have the money for new projects," Saunders said.

The ruling means the state won't be able to collect all of the $1.7 billion it had hoped for in January or the $400 million a year thereafter. Even so, Saunders said, dissolving redevelopment agencies could help the state balance future budgets.

The property tax increments that are being collected by redevelopment agencies - more than $1 billion a year - will be collected along with all the other property taxes at the state level and distributed in the future for other services such as education.

Some leaders are worried about dissolving the redevelopment agency. Operators of the Children's Museum of Stockton are unsure where the court's decision leaves them.

Executive Director Yvetter Remlinger said the museum has been paying $1 a year to lease its building on Weber Avenue, a deal struck in 1994 that tied to it being within Stockton's redevelopment zone.

Remlinger said the nonprofit organization is unsure if that deal will still be valid if Stockton no longer has a redevelopment zone.

"It could have a serious impact on our operation," she said. "I'm not sure how the city is going to proceed."

Mayor Ann Johnston said the court's decision is a "can of worms."

"It's probably something that will undergo further judicial review," she said.

Lodi Deputy City Manager Jordan Ayers called the court ruling "disconcerting."

Lodi doesn't have a redevelopment agency, but the theory behind giving the state power to override local control of a municipal agency could be problematic, he said.

"It's not comforting to know the state can come in and wipe out a local agency," Ayers said.

Contact reporter Keith Reid at (209) 546-8257 or kreid@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/lodiblog.

CA Supreme Court Upholds Abolishment of Redevelopment /CALED

---

The CA Supreme Court upheld AB 1X26 which dissolves redevelopment agencies. The court disagreed with the notion that redevelopment agencies have a protected right to exist in the face of statutory dissolution. In regard to AB 1X27, the court ruled that redevelopment agencies have a right to not make payments as a condition of continued operation, thus upholding Prop 22, which prevents the state from raiding local government funds. This frees $1.7 billion in the budget but will likely lead to more negotiations between the state and RDA.

Green never out of season at Stockton's year-round farmers market | Recordnet.com

Green never out of season at Stockton's year-round farmers market | Recordnet.com

Green never out of season at Stockton's year-round farmers market

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Mary Yang, left, arranges greens as Sukha Kaur, center, and Connie Ralmilay shop Saturday at the farmers market underneath the Crosstown Freeway in downtown Stockton.CRAIG SANDERS/The Record

You might be surprised what you can find at a mid-winter farmers market.

There are loads of winter greens: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, as well as Asian greens, such as bok choi and napa cabbage.

Linn Groom, manager of the Stockton Certified Farmers' Market, said the event held year-round Saturdays under the Crosstown Freeway features all sorts of citrus fruits this time of year: oranges, tangerines, sweet limes, manderins.

There are also organic mushrooms, fresh eggs, honey, apples, onions, yams, sweet potatoes and persimmons.

And the market that caters to many Asian customers also has fresh tofu, soy milk, rice noodles, as well as rice, dried beans and an aisle of seafood vendors.

"There's a lot more growing than people think during the winter," Groom said.

That may be one reason for a boom in wintertime farmers markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture counts 1,225 such events operating sometime between November and March this year, a gain of nearly 40 percent in just the past year.

New York leads the nation with 180 winter farmers markets, with California not far behind with 153, the USDA reported.

Stockton has two. The downtown Saturday market is the oldest, begun in 1979. There is also a market each Sunday morning at Yokuts and Claremont avenues east of Weberstown Mall, which is separately operated by the San Joaquin Certified Farmers' Market.

In explaining the growth of such events, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said, "Consumers are looking for more ways to buy locally grown food throughout the year.

Through winter markets, American farmers are able to meet this need and bring in additional income to support their families and businesses."

Robert Groom, president of the Stockton Certified market association, agreed that consumer interest is on the rise.

"They start getting that stuff and they find out how good it is, they kind of get hooked on it," he said. Freshness is the key.

"It's really a 180-degree difference in eating it the day it was picked versus a week old," he said.

Linn Groom, his granddaughter, reported that market vendors say they are getting more business this year than last.

"We've even seen a huge increase in the amount of food stamps being used at our market as well," she noted. "You can find a lot of things that are cheaper than you can find at the grocery store, than even at Walmart."

And as consumers increasingly seek bargains in the continued weak economy, market vendors are seeking more year-round opportunities, Linn Groom said.

Some may have lost nonfarm employment in the weak economy and want to boost earnings from farming.

"They'd like to have a source of income during the winter. That's what I'm hearing from our vendors," she said.

The Sunday market at Weberstown runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine, and the Saturday market also runs year-round.

But it is an early bird's event, opening at 5:30 a.m. and many vendors begin packing up by 10 a.m., although the official closing time is 11 a.m.

The downtown market also caters to many ethnic customers, with fruits and vegetables not often found in major supermarket chains.

"Get a taste of Asia without a passport," Robert Groom said is how he likes to describe it.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.

Market must stop poultry sales

Live chickens and other livestock, popular with the customers at the Saturday morning farmers market in downtown Stockton, will be gone Jan. 1.

A new state law, intended to curb unregulated sales of cats, dogs and other pets on public streets and highways, in parking lots and at carnivals, is written so broadly it will shut down live poultry sales at the Stockton Certified Farmers' Market, said Robert Groom, president of the market association.

"It's going to be a detriment to the market," he said. "About 20 percent of our customers buy that stuff."

Groom said the market's many Asian customers regard live animals as the freshest, most wholesome food available.

The new law, Senate Bill 917, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in July and takes effect in the New Year.

"We're going to try and get this law changed," Groom said. He just wants to serve his consumers, Groom said.

"They should be able to get what they want from the farmers market," Groom said. "We're forcing people more and more to go to the store."

City of Tracy Plans for Growth/The Record

City  expects nearly 150,000 residents in 2041

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By Zachary K. Johnson

Record Staff Writer

December 27, 2011 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - Planners don't expect Tracy's future growth to match the population explosion the once-small south county city experienced over the past two decades.

But they do expect to grow.

The city has planned for the future, and those plans were rolled out last week at a meeting of the San Joaquin County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), an appointed panel that overseas the ordered growth of municipalities in San Joaquin County.

When LAFCO in 1994 last approved the city's potential boundary, Tracy's outside "sphere of influence" was 27 square miles. This proposal shrinks that footprint to 20 square miles.

"They're looking at more compact, more sustainable development," said James Glaser, the agency's executive officer.

Much has occurred since 1994. Tracy updated a General Plan in 2006 that picked a 29-square-mile sphere of influence, but LAFCO changed its policies in 2007. Tracy underwent a comprehensive planning process that included amending its General Plan and ultimately paring back the size of the area of growth, officials said.

In general, the change focuses growth in areas of existing infrastructure to the west of the city and away from eastern farmland, said Bill Dean, Tracy's assistant director of development and engineering.

"It's representative of a contemporary way to approach city planning today," he said.

It outlines a plan of growth for a city that has been one of the fastest growing in the region. The city grew from a population of about 33,500 in 1990 to more than 82,000 in 2010. In the sphere of influence laid out on Friday, Tracy has room to grow to a population of 147,645 by 2041.

It's a slower pace than the past population explosion, in part because of the city's slow-growth ordinance, which limits the number of building permits issued per year. It sets a maximum of 600 permits a year through 2041.

The city's review of its growth boundary includes evaluating existing and future ability to provide the services that make a city tick - from fire protection to law enforcement to providing water and handling storm water and sewage.

It's not the last word on growth in the city, since each annexation must go before LAFCO for approval.

But not before the commission approves the boundaries and the service review. Friday's meeting was the first step.

The next one will be a public hearing at LAFCO's next meeting on Jan. 20.

For more information, and to take a look at the review of Tracy, go to co.san-joaquin.ca.us/lafco

Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/johnsonblog.

New Social Security office open for business in Lodi | Recordnet.com

New Social Security office open for business in Lodi | Recordnet.com

New Social Security office open for business in Lodi
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The Social Security Administration office is in the Bella Terra Plaza shopping center on Kettleman Lane in Lodi.
CLIFFORD OTO/The Record

By Keith Reid
Record Staff Writer
December 20, 2011 12:00 AM
LODI - Customers walked casually in and out of the new Social Security Administration Office on Monday. As they received help to get new cards or benefits, a small group of local dignitaries stood outside to celebrate the federal agency's new location.

Lodi Vice Mayor Alan Nakanishi cut the ceremonial ribbon, and Social Security district director Chy Vang raved about how the space inside of the Bella Terra Plaza on Kettleman and Ham lanes will offer better parking than the old location 10 blocks away.

"The big thing is parking. In the old space, people would sometimes have to drive around to find a space to park," Vang said.

The U.S. General Services Agency signed a 10-year lease on the 8,500-square-foot space, contracting officer Cyrus Sanandaji said.

The agreement is not just one that will add value to the Social Security office - which serves Galt, Lodi and Woodbridge residents who receive benefits - but it brings about 30,000 people to the center that has made a multimillion dollar effort to create an upscale image in west Lodi.

"This is a very nice tenant. We spent around $700,000 to build the office, so we've made a substantial investment to make this happen," Bella Terra property director Shawn Nejad said.

He beams with pride regarding the plaza. His company, Levy Affiliated Holdings in Santa Monica, poured $1.5 million into remodeling the two-story complex in 2009.

The result has been a beautified, Tuscan-themed center with restaurants, salons, a gym and shopping. The Social Security office brings an anchor tenant that can be a boon to the other businesses because of the customers it brings and the 22 employees that will work there, he said.

"It's a good place," Nakanishi said. "Anytime a federal or state agency wants to be in Lodi, I support it. They have local employees there. It's good for Lodi."

Contact reporter Keith Reid at (209) 546-8257 or kreid@recordnet.com.

Visit his blog at recordnet.com/lodiblog.

Congratulations to our Investor - Kjeldsen, Sinnock & Neudeck, Inc.

The Stockton civil engineering and surveying firm of Kjeldsen, Sinnock & Neudeck Inc. has been selected as one of the top 20 civil engineering firms in the country to work for in Civil Engineering News magazine's 2011 Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For contest, the company said.

Kjeldsen, Sinnock & Neudeck, which has been in business for 55 years, placed 15th overall in the nationwide competition.

S.J. employment picture brightens | Recordnet.com

S.J. employment picture brightens | Recordnet.com

S.J. employment picture brightens
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By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
December 17, 2011 12:00 AM
San Joaquin County's job market showed unusual strength in November, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 15.5 percent, the same as the revised October estimate, and well below the 17.8 percent jobless rate of November 2010, state officials said Friday.

A survey of San Joaquin County payrolls found nearly 206,000 jobs in the county, a gain of 4,900 or 2.5 percent over the year.

The state report was something of an early Christmas present for Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific.

"I haven't been completely downbeat on the local economy, but this has certainly surprised me on the upside," he said. "It's generally a positive report."

Michael noted that San Joaquin County's unemployment usually rises in November, as fall harvest and food-processing activities come to an end. In 2010 for example, the jobless rate rose to 17.8 percent from 16.6 in October.

"We're not seeing the usual seasonal spike in the unemployment rate," he said. "It somewhat parallels the California unemployment data. The 11.3 percent rate in California is somewhat surprising as well."

Statewide unemployment was down from 11.7 percent in October.

San Joaquin County did see a drop in agricultural employment month to month, as farmers let go of 2,900 workers, but that's a normal seasonal trend, said Nati Martinez, a labor market analyst for EDD.

It was also somewhat offset by a one-month gain of 900 jobs in retail trade, linked to temporary staffing for the holiday shopping season, and the addition of 700 jobs among public schools.

"That's definitely a normal seasonal increase," Martinez said of the retail hiring.

The gain in school employment is a bit harder to read, but it's not unusual; that sector has seen an average gain of 400 jobs from October to November in the past 10 years, she said.

Since November 2010, many areas of the San Joaquin economy recorded gains, Martinez noted.

The trade, transportation and utilities sector added 900 jobs, with retail trade and transportation activities splitting the pie. Manufacturing showed a gain of 800 employees, mostly in nondurable goods, and local governments added 600 jobs, according to the report. Smaller gains were recorded by area restaurants and hotels, and in construction.

"You're certainly looking at a lot of positive changes when you look at the year over," Martinez said.

The one significant downside among county employers was the apparent loss of 800 jobs in private education services.

Noting that 2011 turned in a disappointing performance after some similar signs last winter of a jobs recovery, Michael sounded a cautiously optimistic note about the coming year.

"We've been skidding across the bottom for almost two years," he noted. "At what point are you high enough off the bottom to feel you're not going to hit it again? I think we're getting close to it."

San Joaquin County's unemployment rate is not adjusted for seasonal hiring swings. It compares with California's unadjusted jobless rate of 10.9 percent for California and 8.2 percent for the nation during November.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.

Port an exporting king | Recordnet.com

Port an exporting king | Recordnet.com

Port an exporting king
Stockton facility puts a dent in U.S. trade deficit
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A large pile of sulfur grows at the Port of Stockton on Thursday morning. It is a major export commodity at the port.
MICHAEL MCCOLLUM/The Record

By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
December 18, 2011 12:00 AM
STOCKTON - While the United States runs a perennial trade deficit, the cause of much hand-wringing among economic experts, the Port of Stockton looks to put a small dent in that with a trade surplus for 2011.

Due largely to the emergence this year of a significant cargo - iron ore mined in Utah and destined for smelters in China - the port reports handling 1.36 million metric tons of export products vs. 1.29 million metric tons of imports through the first 11 months of the year.

It's already a record year for export shipments out of the past 20 years, Port Director Richard Aschieris said.

"I believe we're the only (West Coast) port that is now exporting more than we're importing, and the trends look to continue well into the future," he said.

Iron ore leads

"Iron ore right now is the dominant export," Aschieris said. "We've had a nice year in some of the other commodities, but iron ore by far is more than triple No. 2."

Through Nov. 30, iron ore shipments that began in January totaled more than 777,000 metric tons, while sulfur and rice, the port's second- and third-largest commodities, respectively, were tallied at 216,000 and nearly 207,000 metric tons.

A metric ton is a little more than 2,200 pounds.

Aside from iron ore, the port did a strong business in exports. Other commodities totaled nearly 587,000 metric tons through Nov. 30, more than any full year in the previous five years.

"It's another bit of good news for us," said Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific.

"It's certainly unusual ... in the U.S. to be exporting more than it's importing," he said.

"To some extent, it reflects trends in the global economy," Michael said. "Exports have grown more rapidly than imports."

A changing world

The switch also reflects global construction trends, he noted.

Before the U.S. housing bubble burst, the Port of Stockton in 2006 recorded a record year for shipping volume, including nearly 2.2 million metric tons of cement imports.

Now, even as America's construction industry remains stagnant, China continues to build and import ore to feed its need for nails, screws and reinforcing steel.

"If these materials are going to be going to China from the U.S., let's ship them from the Port of Stockton. It's great," Michael said.

One factor contributing to the port's export boom has been railroad improvements, particularly since the acquisition of the former Rough and Ready Island naval base in 2000, Aschieris said.

The port has the capacity to handle up to three so-called unit trains - mile-long trains usually carrying a single commodity such as coal, iron ore or wheat.

And the port is investing in additional capacity.

"We have one under construction right now," Aschieris said. "The overall project is valued at $1.4 million. The port is investing about $600,000 of bond money, and then the railroads are contributing the other half."

When completed, the port's rail capacity should rise to five unit trains per week.

And Aschieris expects another boost when a planned barge service begins to shuttle cargo containers - which account for the greatest volume of maritime shipping - between Stockton and the Port of Oakland.

Giant cranes to handle the cargo containers are due to arrive at the port early next month, and what's been called the marine highway project should go into operation in February.

"I think we'll do very well in the export side of the barge trips that will go on initially," Aschieris said. "In the first phase of the marine highway, we'll be handling products that are developed in the San Joaquin Valley. Then those products will come here and be exported via barge to the Port of Oakland.

"We already have a couple of tenants that have located to the port that export commodities that are intent on using the marine highway," he said.

"Over time, you'll probably see the barges come back from Oakland with import containers."

Port officials have been considering such a container shuttle service - receiving containers carried by truck and then shifting them to rail or barge for the final trip to Oakland - for nearly a decade.

The 2009 federal recovery act, which provided a $13 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant, and $750,000 from state clean-air officials are turning that long-held dream into a reality, Aschieris said.

"We were never able to afford the investment up front. But with the TIGER grant and with the grant from the air board and with the ... cooperation between the Port of Stockton and Port of Oakland, ... that service is going to be able to happen," he said.

Pacific's Michael said he expects the marine highway project to help boost the region's economy.

"It has a lot of potential, ... not transformative of the economy, but it certainly adds a new capability to the region," he said. "It could become a more diverse group of products moving both in and out of the port."

The barge shipping could also supplant trucking to the Port of Oakland, helping ease highway congestion and air pollution, which helped attract the clean-air funds.

"It's an investment that could yield a whole lot of benefits, both economically and environmentally, and otherwise," Michael said.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.

EPA OKs ozone plans for San Joaquin Valley - Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times


EPA OKs ozone plans for San Joaquin Valley
Air pollution control officials in the San Joaquin Valley can breathe a little easier following approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of the so-called “8-hour ozone air quality plan” for the eight-county region.

Approval is expected to lead to achieving the Clean Air Act’s 1997 8-hour ozone standard of 0.08 parts per million by 2024, the EPA says.

It notes that there have been improvements in air quality over the previous decades with the worst air quality locations in the Valley improving for ozone by 6 percent and with other locations having even greater air quality improvements.

“But much work remains in order to protect the millions of people who live and work in these areas,” says Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “These plans will spur development of new technologies and will cut NOx emissions by almost 700 tons per day over the next twelve years and help reduce the number of cases of asthma and other respiratory ailments.”

The Valley’s air clean-up plan relies on development and deployment of new and improved technologies to achieve clean air.

Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times

VIDEO: Has the jobs picture brightened for the Valley for 2012?

STOCKTON
December 16, 2011 8:53am

• Veteran recruiter says more employers are planning to hire
• Valley may finally be emerging from the Great Recession

Once the video window loads, please click on the “play” arrow to watch.

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Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times

State to spend $214 Million on Central Valley highway improvements

SACRAMENTO
December 16, 2011 5:55am

• Most goes to widen Highway 99
• Part of a $401 Million package of improvements statewide

The California Transportation Commission has divvied up $401 million in new funding to 39 projects highway and rail projects. More than half of the total -- $214 million – will be spent on projects in the Central Valley.
“The benefits these projects bring to California are a huge boon to the economy today,” says Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.
Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, will supply $327 million in funds to 10 projects, including $42 million toward the purchase of 42 new passenger rail cars. They will be put into service on all three state-supported Amtrak California routes – the Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin and Pacific Surfliner. This supplements $168 million from other sources, including $68 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
To date, the state has allocated more than $11 billion in Proposition 1B funds for transportation purposes statewide.
The Central Valley projects include:
Highway 99 projects
• $139,000,000 for widening Highway 99 to six lanes and converting it to a freeway from Buchanan Hollow Road to Miles Creek
• $50,000,000 for widening 8.3 miles of Highway 99 from four to six lanes in Manteca from south of Route 120 to south of Arch Road in Stockton
• $500,000 for landscaping, Goshen to Kingsburg
Other highway projects
• $23,760,000 to widen State Route 219 to four lanes from near Salida from Morrow Road to Route 108.
• $750,000 to widen 12th Avenue in Hanford from two to four lanes.
• $251,000 for bike lanes in the city of Selma on West Front Street and Golden State Boulevard.
• $34,000 for pedestrian and bicycle improvements on Hillard Street in Taft

California unemployment rate drops to 11.3 percent | Recordnet.com

California unemployment rate drops to 11.3 percent | Recordnet.com

California unemployment rate drops to 11.3 percent
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December 16, 2011 11:03 AM
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's unemployment rate fell to 11.3 percent in November, the lowest it has been since May 2009, state officials said Friday.

The new numbers released by the Employment Development Department are good news for a state that has been mired in a dismal economy and a faltering housing market for more than two years.

However, the state added only 6,600 new jobs in November, a key barometer.

About 18,000 jobs in trade, transportation and utilities were added during the month, but they were offset by 28,000 lost jobs in construction, manufacturing and professional and business services.

That followed an overall gain of 37,600 California jobs in October — a rosy figure that was revised upward from the previous month's release.

"We're certainly on the right path," said Michael Bernick, a former director of EDD who is now a fellow at the Milken Institute.

He noted that the job gain in November was not nearly as large as that in October, but added, "you're not going to see that each month."

California has gained more than 211,000 jobs since the start of 2011, but the number of adults considered to be in the labor force has fallen. More than 2 million people remain out of work in California, and unemployment is above 20 percent in some areas.

November's unemployment rate was down from 11.7 percent the previous month. Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6 percent in November.

California's unemployment rate was stuck near 12.5 percent for most of 2010, and the last time it fell below 11.3 percent was in May 2009. In November 2010, California's unemployment rate was 12.5 percent.

EDD estimates that about 16.1 million Californians had jobs in November, an increase of 116,000 from October, and up 246,000 from the employment total in November of last year.

Urban Land Institute returning to evaluate Stockton/The Record

Hoping for an encore

Group whose ideas helped spur city resurgence coming back

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The refurbished Cabral Rail Station on Weber Avenue in Stockton will be a major focus for members of the Urban Land Institute when they visit for five days to research how private developers can help revive downtown.MICHAEL McCOLLUM/The Record

By Scott Smith

Record Staff Writer

December 15, 2011 12:00 AM

STOCKTON - It's time for private developers - and not government - to breathe life back into Stockton's downtown, say city leaders looking for fresh ideas on how to make that happen.

While their approach has its critics, they believe they'll get some good ideas from the Urban Land Institute, an internationally recognized organization that researches and advocates for progressive development.

The organization left its mark on Stockton before. In 1997, a strike team assembled by the Institute parachuted into town. That whirlwind visit sparked ideas that turned into the arena, cinema and restaurants.

Those features and others today give residents reasons to come downtown, a place Mayor Ann Johnston said used to be a "disaster zone." She and the City Council this week agreed to bring back the Institute.

"This is the second phase of a much larger, grander plan," she said. "This is the logical extension."

This time, the focus will be on the downtown core with the Cabral Rail Station as an anchor to the east and an eye on one day attracting the high-speed rail to stop in Stockton.

The end goal is to have housing, entertainment and markets around the transit centers to create jobs and reduce car traffic.

The politics and economy today are much different from 1997, when the city paid for most of the projects borne of the Institute's report.

In this visit, scheduled for five days in February, the city will task the panel - a group of accomplished real estate, legal, financial and planning experts, who have yet to be assembled - with finding ways to attract private investors.

In this so-called new economy, cities such as Stockton can't rely on their redevelopment agencies, from which cities for years used to borrow money to spruce up blighted areas.

The state this year abolished those agencies in a move that has prompted a court challenge. That case awaits a California Supreme Court ruling. Stockton is moving ahead as if its redevelopment agency were gone.

In its visit, the panel will tour downtown and interview more than 100 community members.

They'll also come up with a vision and step-by-step plan to carry it out, said Deputy City Manager Mike Locke, who is overseeing the project.

"We're not looking for a broad discussion," Locke said. "We're looking for action sets."

Aside from city staff time, it will cost Stockton nothing.

The Institute's $120,000 fee will be paid for by Grupe Co., A.G. Spanos Corp. the San Joaquin Rail Commission, Stockton Downtown Alliance and the San Joaquin Council of Governments.

There will be an emphasis on filling vacant lots and using existing buildings, some of which pose challenges because they are old single-resident hotels with seismic problems, Locke said.

"Some properties would be best demolished," he said.

What makes the Institute's panels successful, said Locke, is that they are made up of professions at work in their various fields. They know how to tackle obstacles, he said.

Not everybody is convinced. Gary Malloy, a retired businessman and avid watcher of the city council, said he didn't want to dash the city's dreams, but he doubted private investors, the linchpin of this plan, would step up.

He noted that the large developers invested little in downtown in the best of times.

"Now we're in the worst of times," he said. "I hope six months from now this isn't going to end up on a shelf."

Mayor Johnston said that in the Institute's first visit to Stockton, they came up with ideas that seemed "far out" at the time. But today many of those proposals are built, Johnston said.

They also include Dean De Carli Waterfront Square and the marina.

The city needs to lay the foundation in anticipation of more prosperous days, Johnston added.

Gary Podesto agreed. He was Stockton's mayor in 1997, when the Institute first came. He said it took a decade for the city realize the panel's vision.

"There's nothing to lose by having them there," Podesto said. "Anything you do is long range."

Contact reporter Scott Smith at (209) 546-8296 or ssmith@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/smithblog.

Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times

Amtrak’s San Joaquin trains packed

OAKLAND
December 14, 2011 5:20am

• Amtrak says it help railroad set new record for passenger volume
• Jumps by 6 percent

With 724,051 passengers, more people rode Amtrak this Thanksgiving holiday than ever before, the company says. A surge in ridership on the “San Joaquin” trains -- Amtrak’s route through the Central Valley – helped in setting the record.
In addition, travel on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was the railroad’s single busiest day ever with 138,736 passengers and the Sunday after Thanksgiving was close behind with 130,093 riders, according to figures released this week.
“Strong ridership increases over the holiday were seen on routes across the country,” says Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman.
The previous Thanksgiving record was set in 2010 with 704,446 passengers. The 2011 Thanksgiving travel holiday week extended from Nov. 22 through Nov. 28.
In the West, ridership on San Joaquin trains (Oakland/Sacramento – Bakersfield) was up 6.4 percent. The Capitol Corridor service (Auburn/Sacramento – SF/Oakland – San Jose) was up 9.1 percent over the same period last year and the Pacific Surfliner service (San Luis Obispo – Santa Barbara – Los Angeles – San Diego) was up 3 percent.
In preparation for the anticipated heavy passenger volume during Thanksgiving, Amtrak says it operated every available passenger rail car in its fleet and scheduled extra trains to accommodate additional passengers in the Northeast and on the West Coast. The Amtrak equipment fleet was slightly larger this year due to rehabilitated and refurbished railcars and locomotive engines that were recently restored to service.
Amtrak says it expects continued strong ridership for December, following the busy November and the all-time record of 30.2 million set in its fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2011.

Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times

CSU Stanislaus to renovate original science building

TURLOCK
December 14, 2011 10:00am

• To benefit future nursing and social work students
• ‘More than 150 construction related jobs during the two-year project’

The original science building on the main Turlock campus of California State University, Stanislaus -- built in 1971 – is being renovated, the university says Wednesday.
The 51,000 gross square foot Science I building was taken offline when the Naraghi Hall of Science opened at the campus in 2007. Since then, the building has seen very limited use.
The two-year renovation project will return the facility to use as classrooms, laboratory space and faculty offices that will house the university’s nursing and social work programs. Construction is scheduled to begin Jan. 4, 2012.
The seismic retrofit and renovation project will update structural components in the two-story concrete building, and renovate the interior space to provide contemporary facilities for nursing and master of social work degree programs. The updated building will contain 70 offices, six laboratories and eight classrooms with support space, one open computer lab and three conference rooms.
In addition, the Science I building will be more energy efficient with updated power and sustainability components.
“We are fortunate to be able to modernize one of our older classroom facilities for future students, despite the economic downturn in California“ says CSU Stanislaus President Hamid Shirvani. “I am pleased that the community will also substantially benefit with the creation of more than 150 construction related jobs during the two-year project.”
The total project cost is $18,528,000. Funding is being provided by the state through the sale of lease-revenue bonds, a source separate and distinct from the general state appropriations that fund university operations.

Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times

Teachers College of San Joaquin gets $155,000 grant

STOCKTON
December 14, 2011 12:42pm

• Made by the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation
• Will be used for fellowships

The Teachers College of San Joaquin, a Stockton-based graduate school focused solely on training teachers in K-12 school reform, says the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation has awarded it a $155,000 grant.
The money will be used for fellowships for 60 Northern California educators, including delegations of up to five teachers at the same school.
The teachers will earn their master’s in education at the Teachers College of San Joaquin while simultaneously implementing reform programs in their schools. This grant follows an initial $55,000 grant by the Intrepid Foundation in 2010 to launch the Intrepid Fellowship Program at TCSJ.
Currently, 20 teachers from six schools, including traditional public and public charter schools, are Intrepid fellows, teaching students that are, on average, high-minority and low-income.
“We are proud that the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation is expanding their support of Teachers College of San Joaquin, validating our work to train educators to implement K-12 school reform specifically targeting career and college readiness” says Catherine Kearney, dean of TCSJ. “With this support, even more educators will be equipped with the tools necessary to implement real reforms in our schools.”

Where new jobs for San Joaquin will come from - Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times


VIDEO: Where new jobs for San Joaquin will come from

STOCKTON
December 13, 2011 9:00pm

• Renewables, recycling are keys, says Mike Ammann
• Taking stock after six months

In growing its way out of the Great Recession, California and San Joaquin County can look to industries such as recycling and reneweable energy to provide many of the new jobs, says Michael Ammann, president and chief executive officer of the San Joaquin Partnership in Stockton.
But when it comes to really going after these industries, including the “million solar roofs” touted by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, there seems to be a lack of coordination, he says.
Now at the mid-point of his first year with the Partnership, and just after trips to Chicago, Ill., and Austin, Texas, to promote the region, he sat down with CVBT and veteran Central Valley business journalist William West to assess what he’s seen and offer observations on what could be ahead for the region.
In this video, the third of five parts digested from the nearly 90-minute interview, he talks about the potential for new jobs from rapidly growing industries such as recycling.
Once the video window loads, please click on the play arrow to watch.

There will be further excerpts of our interview posted through the week. Thanks for watching!
Drilldown

» For more information:: www.sjpnet.org

China could be strong S.J. farm market | Recordnet.com

China could be strong S.J. farm market | Recordnet.com

By Reed Fujii

Record Staff Writer

December 07, 2011 12:00 AM

LODI - China's burgeoning economy and rapidly expanding middle class hold great potential for sales of premium San Joaquin County products - including wine, cherries, tree nuts and olive oil.

That was the focus Tuesday as Shanghai officials visited the Lodi Chamber of Commerce for an export summit.

Lu Rong Hua, director of the Wine Monopoly Bureau of Shanghai and leader of the Chinese delegation, said wine may be the principal factor in fostering trade between Lodi and China, but it goes beyond that.

"The first impression I have so far is you have such a wide spectrum of products, not just wine itself, but cherries, nuts, olive oil and more," he said through an interpreter.

Lu noted that the Chinese middle class increasingly seeks premium imported products and that Lodi wines, such as the zinfandel and tempranillo he tasted at dinner Monday night, had flavor suited to the Chinese palate.

"These types of products can be quickly embraced by Chinese consumers," Lu said.

Bob Lauchland, chairman of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission representing its 750 grape growers and about 80 wineries, said China poses both a great opportunity and a challenge.

"It's interesting, the potential of this market," he said. "It's like being at the top of a mountain and looking out at the valley. ... There's a huge potential there. You're just not sure how to get there."

The growth potential is enormous.

Frank Gayaldo, who leads international business development efforts for the chamber, noted that China imported $1 billion of wine last year, compared with just $60 million in 2004.

Steve Coldani, whose family operates Coldani Olive Ranch, which had just made its first shipment of more than 100 cases of its premium Calivirgin olive oil to Shanghai, would love to see that type of growth.

"We're pretty sure this may have been the first shipment of California olive oil there," he said at the summit.

It was a one-time sale, perhaps, packed together with a large shipment of wine to a Chinese company planning to use the luxury products as corporate gifts.

So how do you turn that into regular sales to China?

"You just have to hit the road," Coldani said. "You can do things like this (summit event). You do a lot of this. ... You go to trade shows and try to develop a market."

Gayaldo knows opening the Chinese market takes a long-term effort.

He helped bring Chinese restaurant and hotel officials from Guangzhou - formerly Canton - to visit San Joaquin County in 2006. Then, two years later, it sparked a tour of Lodi by China's top diplomat in San Francisco, Consul General Gao Zyhansheng.

"Lodi received immediate results from that visit," Gayaldo said. "Ever since then, wineries in Lodi have been getting numerous inquiries from Chinese buyers, and what was an idea, which was us selling wine to China, is now a reality."

The visit this week can only enhance those sales, he said.

Contact reporter Reed Fujii at             (209) 546-8253       or rfujii@recordnet.com.

Freighter bound for the Port of Stockton stops to assist, pick up sailors during mid-ocean rescue | Recordnet.com

Freighter bound for the Port of Stockton stops to assist, pick up sailors during mid-ocean rescue | Recordnet.com

12/13/11 Freighter bound for the Port of Stockton stops to assist, pick up sailors

FREIGHTER BOUND FOR THE PORT OF STOCKTON STOPS TO ASSIST, PICK UP SAILORS DURING MIDOCEAN RESCUE

December 13, 2011

The Ocean Titan, a ship carr\ing giant cranes worth $10 million to the Port of Stockton, stopped briefly last week

to rescue sailors whose own ship sank between the coasts of Great Britain and Spain, officials reported.

"The ship that is bringing in the cranes ma\ be a couple of da\s late, because another ship at sea collided with a

ship and sank, and the ship coming to Stockton actuall\ stopped to picked up the crew that were rolling around in

life rafts somewhere in the North Atlantic," said Richard Aschieris, Stockton port director.

According to a BBC news report, the freighter Florece sank in the Ba\ of Bisca\ after colliding with a chemical

tanker, earl\ Frida\. The Florece's seven crew members abandoned ship in two life rafts.

The other ship, which sustained onl\ moderate damage, tried to deplo\ a rescue craft but was unable to because

of the sea swell.

The British coast guard issued a request for assistance from ships in the area and the American-flagged Ocean

Titan, enroute from Germany, responded.

Mike Ammann sees more international potential for San Joaquin County

VIDEO: Developing jobs for San Joaquin – Part 2 

STOCKTON 
December 12, 2011 9:00pm

    

•  Mike Ammann sees more international potential for San Joaquin County

•  Taking stock after six months

Michael Ammann knows well the economic potential of the Central Valley, from his time as head of the Kern Economic Development Corporation in Bakersfield through a similar post in Solano County to his current position as president and chief executive officer of the San Joaquin Partnership in Stockton.

Now at the mid-point of his first year with the Partnership, and just after prospecting trips to Chicago, Ill., and Austin, Texas, he sat down with CVBT and veteran Central Valley business journalist William West to assess what he’s seen and offer observations on what could be ahead for the region.

In this video, the second of several parts digested from the nearly 90-minute interview, he talks about the strengths that expansion of the Port of Stockton brings to the region.

Once the video window loads, please click on the play arrow to watch.

There will be further excerpts of our interview posted through the week. Thanks for watching!

Small farm stand provides revenue stream - Fruits of his labor

VIDEO: Fruits of his labor 

LODI 
December 4, 2011 9:00pm

    

•  Small farm stand provides revenue stream

•  ‘I’ve always worked on a ranch, my whole life’

If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. Avery McQueen personifies that old saying as you'll see in this report on one of the smallest fruit stands around and the octogenarian who runs it.

Once the video window loads, please click on the “play” arrow to watch our report.

Thanks for watching!

Drilldown

» For more about Lodi::  http://www.visitlodi.com/