January 27, 2012
MANTECA
DFV Wines declared top winery at convention
By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
January 27, 2012 12:00 AMDFV Wines, a company founded in Manteca as Delicato Family Vineyards and where it maintains a major winery facility just off Highway 99, was named Winery of the Year this week during the annual Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento.
The choice was announced Wednesday by Jon Fredrikson, a well-regarded wine industry consultant based in Woodside.
DFV has found great success building wine brands with labels with a straightforward appeal to consumers, such as the popular Gnarly Head line of vintage-dated varietals and its Bota Box boxed wines.
Compared to traditional wine labels, these more simple, approachable brands have "a tremendous impact," Fredrikson said.
Chris Indelicato, chief executive of Napa-headquartered DFV Wines, welcomed the pronouncement.
"Being awarded Winery of the Year by Jon Fredrikson is an honor, because Jon has one of the best perspectives of anyone in the wine business," he said by telephone from Atlanta.
The company's approach to brand building is really based on the product, Indelicato said.
"We first start with a really good bottle of wine, and then we develop a brand and personality around that," he said.
For example, Gnarly Head is a literal description of the twisted knobby, decades-old zinfandel vines from which the original wine was made.
It was "inspired by head-trained vines and really rich flavor you get from old vine zinfandel," Indelicato said.
Other DFV brands include Brazin, Domino Wines, Fog Head, HandCraft, Loredona, Massimo, Stone Barn and Twisted.
"This is a company that came out and created all these brands and is now doing very well," Fredrikson said.
DFV's branded case sales were up by 1.3 million cases, or 39 percent, in 2011. Including private-label production, it had more than more than 12 million cases in total sales.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com
The San Joaquin Partnership is a non-profit, private-public economic development corporation assisting business & industry to locate into San Joaquin County, California, including the Cities of Escalon, Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Ripon, Stockton and Tracy. Location and expansion services are provided directly to the company and/or indirectly to their site consultant or real estate brokerage
Friday, January 27, 2012
Peripheral canal proposal, loss of home rule prompts SSJID to join battle/Manteca Bulletin
By Jason Campbell
Reporter jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3544
POSTED January 27, 2012 12:13 a.m.
A coalition of cities, counties and other organizations worried about the perceived far-reaching political power of the Delta Stewardship Council are banding together to fight for preservation of home rule.
And they now have the South San Joaquin Irrigation District on board.
The SSJID board unanimously approved a resolution this week to join the Delta Initiative of Cities and Agencies of San Joaquin County to fight for the overall protection of both land use and water rights.
General Manager Jeff Shields, though, wanted to make sure that the interests of the district were adequately addressed before the board gave their final approval.
While portions of the resolution hinted at prohibiting a peripheral canal – which would divert water from the Sacramento River around the Delta and into the California Aqueduct, Shields wanted to make sure that SSJID’s senior water rights were adequately addressed.
SSJID’s historic water rights on the Stanislaus River have been eyed in recent years by agencies dealing with water quality and fish populations. Shields worked with Steve Emrick – the district’s general counsel – to come up with language that was inserted at the end of the resolution that would passed on.
Part of what that is making local agencies nervous is the drafting of the stewardship council’s governance document. Language excludes farming practices in the Delta and the secondary zone from their oversight. The question that is attracting all of the attention is whether the state agency will have oversight over other land uses within the secondary zone – which includes half of Stockton, Lathrop, parts of southwest Manteca and nearly half of San Joaquin County.
Determining whether the land uses in those zones will have an effect on the tributaries that feed the Delta is another factor at play.
Shields said that the agency could end up having oversight on everything from “Mt. Shasta to Bakersfield” – anything that falls into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed.
And while maintaining “home rule” is a big part of how SSJID has operated in its 103-year history, going outside of the box and teaming up with other communities to prevent micromanaging is something the directors favored.
“It’s very apparent to everybody that if we don’t protect each other at this point it’ll become a moot point,” said director John Holbrook. “Water will go south, the Delta will be restored, and everything will change.”
Reporter jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3544
POSTED January 27, 2012 12:13 a.m.
A coalition of cities, counties and other organizations worried about the perceived far-reaching political power of the Delta Stewardship Council are banding together to fight for preservation of home rule.
And they now have the South San Joaquin Irrigation District on board.
The SSJID board unanimously approved a resolution this week to join the Delta Initiative of Cities and Agencies of San Joaquin County to fight for the overall protection of both land use and water rights.
General Manager Jeff Shields, though, wanted to make sure that the interests of the district were adequately addressed before the board gave their final approval.
While portions of the resolution hinted at prohibiting a peripheral canal – which would divert water from the Sacramento River around the Delta and into the California Aqueduct, Shields wanted to make sure that SSJID’s senior water rights were adequately addressed.
SSJID’s historic water rights on the Stanislaus River have been eyed in recent years by agencies dealing with water quality and fish populations. Shields worked with Steve Emrick – the district’s general counsel – to come up with language that was inserted at the end of the resolution that would passed on.
Part of what that is making local agencies nervous is the drafting of the stewardship council’s governance document. Language excludes farming practices in the Delta and the secondary zone from their oversight. The question that is attracting all of the attention is whether the state agency will have oversight over other land uses within the secondary zone – which includes half of Stockton, Lathrop, parts of southwest Manteca and nearly half of San Joaquin County.
Determining whether the land uses in those zones will have an effect on the tributaries that feed the Delta is another factor at play.
Shields said that the agency could end up having oversight on everything from “Mt. Shasta to Bakersfield” – anything that falls into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta watershed.
And while maintaining “home rule” is a big part of how SSJID has operated in its 103-year history, going outside of the box and teaming up with other communities to prevent micromanaging is something the directors favored.
“It’s very apparent to everybody that if we don’t protect each other at this point it’ll become a moot point,” said director John Holbrook. “Water will go south, the Delta will be restored, and everything will change.”
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Lodi Wines are Big Winners at 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Hello LoCA Fans!
We have lots of exciting things to share with you. For starters, our Lodi vintners took home a slew of awards at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Congratulations to all of the winners! Secondly, we have two outstanding upcoming events you might want to check out. Without further ado, here's the LoCA low down...
________________________________________
Lodi Wines are Big Winners at 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The medal winners at the ultra-prestigious 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition were announced on January 6th. Duplicating results of recent years, wines grown in the Lodi AVA took home an impressive share of top honors.
This year’s SFCWC set a new American wine competition record with a palate boggling 5,500 entries, surpassing its previous record of 5,050 last year; laying claiming to its boast of being the “Largest Competition of American Wines in the World.”
65 of the most descriminating judges in the world blind tasted wines by producers from all over the U.S. Although entries were dominated by West Coast wineries, organizers were proud of the fact that the three “Sweepstake” (i.e. overall) winners were represented by three different states: a Gewürztraminer from New York, a Sangiovese Rosé from Washington, and a sparkler, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a sweet Late Harvest Gewürztraminer from California.
While noting in the Chronicle’s Inside Scoop that it was a “big feather in hat” for a Livermore Valley winery to take a “sweeps” in the “enormous” red wine category, Wine Editor Jon Bonné singled out the fact that the previous vintage of “Best of Class” winner 2009 Bokisch Garnacha also made the publication’s list of Top 100 Wines (in the world!) in 2011.
Out of the 80 varietal/style/price categories of wines that were judged, no less than six wines bearing the Lodi appellation earned "Best of Class" distinctions. Then there were five Lodi “Double Golds” (signifying a judging panel’s unaminous selection), and numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners.
http://www.lodiwine.com/blog/lodi-grown-wines-are-big-winners-at-the-2012-san-francisco-chronicle-wine-competition?utm_content=jklevan%40sjpnet.org&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=To%20read%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20story%20and%20to%20see%20the%20full%20list%20of%20winners%2C%20click%20here%2E&utm_campaign=We%20Shine%20Again%20at%20SF%20Chronicle%20Wine%20Competitioncontent
We have lots of exciting things to share with you. For starters, our Lodi vintners took home a slew of awards at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition. Congratulations to all of the winners! Secondly, we have two outstanding upcoming events you might want to check out. Without further ado, here's the LoCA low down...
________________________________________
Lodi Wines are Big Winners at 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
The medal winners at the ultra-prestigious 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition were announced on January 6th. Duplicating results of recent years, wines grown in the Lodi AVA took home an impressive share of top honors.
This year’s SFCWC set a new American wine competition record with a palate boggling 5,500 entries, surpassing its previous record of 5,050 last year; laying claiming to its boast of being the “Largest Competition of American Wines in the World.”
65 of the most descriminating judges in the world blind tasted wines by producers from all over the U.S. Although entries were dominated by West Coast wineries, organizers were proud of the fact that the three “Sweepstake” (i.e. overall) winners were represented by three different states: a Gewürztraminer from New York, a Sangiovese Rosé from Washington, and a sparkler, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a sweet Late Harvest Gewürztraminer from California.
While noting in the Chronicle’s Inside Scoop that it was a “big feather in hat” for a Livermore Valley winery to take a “sweeps” in the “enormous” red wine category, Wine Editor Jon Bonné singled out the fact that the previous vintage of “Best of Class” winner 2009 Bokisch Garnacha also made the publication’s list of Top 100 Wines (in the world!) in 2011.
Out of the 80 varietal/style/price categories of wines that were judged, no less than six wines bearing the Lodi appellation earned "Best of Class" distinctions. Then there were five Lodi “Double Golds” (signifying a judging panel’s unaminous selection), and numerous Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners.
http://www.lodiwine.com/blog/lodi-grown-wines-are-big-winners-at-the-2012-san-francisco-chronicle-wine-competition?utm_content=jklevan%40sjpnet.org&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=To%20read%20the%20rest%20of%20the%20story%20and%20to%20see%20the%20full%20list%20of%20winners%2C%20click%20here%2E&utm_campaign=We%20Shine%20Again%20at%20SF%20Chronicle%20Wine%20Competitioncontent
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Profile of New Maneca CM/Manteca Bulletin
McLaughlin manages city operations, $124.5M budget
By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3519
POSTED January 25, 2012 12:47 a.m.
Karen McLaughlin works for almost 70,000 people, oversees a workforce of 340, and is the CEO of a Manteca concern with an annual combined budget of $124.5 million.
“I was talking to the Sierra High leadership class and I realized most people have a good idea of what a police chief does, what a fire chief does or what a finance director does, but not what I do,” McLaughlin noted. “(Being city manager) is kind of like being CEO as I oversee all of the departments.”
McLaughlin - who was elevated to the position of city manager in mid-2011 after 25 years on the job, sees herself as just part of a team of 340 workers dedicated to providing municipal to Manteca’s nearly 70,000 residents.
McLaughlin is one of 10 people being recognized as Women of Distinction during the upcoming Feb. 17 Women’s Conference hosted by the Manteca Convention & Visitors Bureau. The others are Dorothy Indelicato, Evelyn Prouty, Rose Albano Risso, Lucille Harris, Toni Raymus, Bea Bowlsby, Linda Abeldt, Patty Reece, and Sister Ann Venita Britto.
“The local level in government is the closest to the people and it is the one the public knows the least about,” McLaughlin noted.
And it is because it touches everyone’s daily lives from being able to flush a toilet to providing streets and sidewalks for travel to drinking water, police and fire protection, and more is why local government intrigues McLaughlin.
McLaughlin didn’t start out in life with the goal of becoming a city manager.
Government service wasn’t even on her radar when McLaughlin started her post-secondary studies at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa after graduating high school in Newport Beach. At Orange Coast she got hooked on English while earning her associate of arts degree.
Upon completing community college, McLaughlin and a friend looked for the college campus farthest away from Newport Beach “without leaving California.” That is how she came up with Humboldt State College. Researching the catalogue she saw they offered journalism. And since that had something to do with writing, she delved in.
It was at Humboldt that she met her future husband Bob who was majoring in journalism but with an emphasis on marketing and the business side. After graduation she returned to Southern California for a year. She was working at a bank when she landed her first job as a reporter with the Oakdale Leader.
“I was working in a bank in Anaheim on Friday, packing on Saturday driving to Oakdale on Sunday, and started working as a reporter on Monday,” McLaughlin recalled.
Joins city staff as executive analyst
She remembers walking to the first assignment that Monday morning for a story on an auto parts store and crossing a seemingly deserted street that seemed like it was out of the Old West at the time and thinking how sharply it contrasted with Newport Beach.
McLaughlin said she liked working for newspapers as she “loved being the first to know about things.”
She spent two years working at the Leader from 1983 to 1985 before joining the Manteca Bulletin where she covered everything from schools, police, and the irrigation district to city hall. She started with the city on Jan. 16, 1987 as an executive analyst.
McLaughlin figured she’d apply given the fact it involved a lot of writing as well as research. It also helped the pay was $975 more a month than her $1,325 a month salary as a reporter.
“The joke was that (City Manager) Dave Jinkens hired me to get me to stop writing stories about the city,” McLaughlin said.
Over the years McLaughlin has served as assistant to the city manager, assistant city manager, and deputy city manager before becoming the first woman city manager in Manteca city history.
McLaughlin said she never thinks in terms of her gender and being city manager since she said opportunity was always there for her to pursue with a father who was a middle school teacher and a mother who was a nurse.
McLaughlin said she never takes any criticism personally noting it comes with the territory.
“I know I’m in the public eye,” she said. “But I worry about a lot of the front-line city employees who take the brunt of anti-government sentiment.”
Having said that, she hopes people understand that rank-and-file city employees are hard working who - just like many private sector employees - have taken pay cuts and are paying more for benefits while at the same time having their workload increased and new jobs assigned to them after the city pared down 90 jobs to balance the budget.
As for the job she is doing, McLaughlin said she “likes to think I’m making a difference” in terms of helping make sure Manteca provides its citizens with essential services.
“We are a government serving the people,” McLaughlin said of municipal level government.
Her best advice to anyone - young or old - is “to try different things.”
“I never thought I’d be working in city government,” she said.
At the same time going from conservative Newport Beach to liberal Humboldt was going out of her comfort zone as was moving from Southern California to the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
McLaughlin and husband Bob have two children. They are Amy, 21, who is in her final year at Sonoma State and Ryan, 19, who is in his first year at Stanislaus state and lives on campus.
Jan. 25, 2012 12:47a.m. EST CEO OF MANTECA, INC. Dennis Wyatt Manteca Bulletin Karen McLaughlin works for almost 70,000 people, oversees a workforce of 340, and is the CEO of a Manteca concern with an annual combined budget of $124.5 million.
“I was talking to the Sierra High leadership class and I realized most people have a good idea of what a police chief does, what a fire chief does or what a finance director does, but not what I do,” McLaughlin noted. “(Being city manager) is kind of like being CEO as I oversee all of the departments.”
McLaughlin - who was elevated to the position of city manager in mid-2011 after 25 years on the job, sees herself as just part of a team of 340 workers dedicated to providing municipal to Manteca’s nearly 70,000 residents.
McLaughlin is one of 10 people being recognized as Women of Distinction during the upcoming Feb. 17 Women’s Conference hosted by the Manteca Convention & Visitors Bureau. The others are Dorothy Indelicato, Evelyn Prouty, Rose Albano Risso, Lucille Harris, Toni Raymus, Bea Bowlsby, Linda Abeldt, Patty Reece, and Sister Ann Venita Britto.
“The local level in government is the closest to the people and it is the one the public knows the least about,” McLaughlin noted.
And it is because it touches everyone’s daily lives from being able to flush a toilet to providing streets and sidewalks for travel to drinking water, police and fire protection, and more is why local government intrigues McLaughlin.
McLaughlin didn’t start out in life with the goal of becoming a city manager.
Government service wasn’t even on her radar when McLaughlin started her post-secondary studies at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa after graduating high school in Newport Beach. At Orange Coast she got hooked on English while earning her associate of arts degree.
Upon completing community college, McLaughlin and a friend looked for the college campus farthest away from Newport Beach “without leaving California.” That is how she came up with Humboldt State College. Researching the catalogue she saw they offered journalism. And since that had something to do with writing, she delved in.
It was at Humboldt that she met her future husband Bob who was majoring in journalism but with an emphasis on marketing and the business side. After graduation she returned to Southern California for a year. She was working at a bank when she landed her first job as a reporter with the Oakdale Leader.
“I was working in a bank in Anaheim on Friday, packing on Saturday driving to Oakdale on Sunday, and started working as a reporter on Monday,” McLaughlin recalled.
Joins city staff as executive analyst
She remembers walking to the first assignment that Monday morning for a story on an auto parts store and crossing a seemingly deserted street that seemed like it was out of the Old West at the time and thinking how sharply it contrasted with Newport Beach.
McLaughlin said she liked working for newspapers as she “loved being the first to know about things.”
She spent two years working at the Leader from 1983 to 1985 before joining the Manteca Bulletin where she covered everything from schools, police, and the irrigation district to city hall. She started with the city on Jan. 16, 1987 as an executive analyst.
McLaughlin figured she’d apply given the fact it involved a lot of writing as well as research. It also helped the pay was $975 more a month than her $1,325 a month salary as a reporter.
“The joke was that (City Manager) Dave Jinkens hired me to get me to stop writing stories about the city,” McLaughlin said.
Over the years McLaughlin has served as assistant to the city manager, assistant city manager, and deputy city manager before becoming the first woman city manager in Manteca city history.
McLaughlin said she never thinks in terms of her gender and being city manager since she said opportunity was always there for her to pursue with a father who was a middle school teacher and a mother who was a nurse.
McLaughlin said she never takes any criticism personally noting it comes with the territory.
“I know I’m in the public eye,” she said. “But I worry about a lot of the front-line city employees who take the brunt of anti-government sentiment.”
Having said that, she hopes people understand that rank-and-file city employees are hard working who - just like many private sector employees - have taken pay cuts and are paying more for benefits while at the same time having their workload increased and new jobs assigned to them after the city pared down 90 jobs to balance the budget.
As for the job she is doing, McLaughlin said she “likes to think I’m making a difference” in terms of helping make sure Manteca provides its citizens with essential services.
“We are a government serving the people,” McLaughlin said of municipal level government.
Her best advice to anyone - young or old - is “to try different things.”
“I never thought I’d be working in city government,” she said.
At the same time going from conservative Newport Beach to liberal Humboldt was going out of her comfort zone as was moving from Southern California to the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
McLaughlin and husband Bob have two children. They are Amy, 21, who is in her final year at Sonoma State and Ryan, 19, who is in his first year at Stanislaus state and lives on campus.
Copyright 2011 MorrisMultimedia . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3519
POSTED January 25, 2012 12:47 a.m.
Karen McLaughlin works for almost 70,000 people, oversees a workforce of 340, and is the CEO of a Manteca concern with an annual combined budget of $124.5 million.
“I was talking to the Sierra High leadership class and I realized most people have a good idea of what a police chief does, what a fire chief does or what a finance director does, but not what I do,” McLaughlin noted. “(Being city manager) is kind of like being CEO as I oversee all of the departments.”
McLaughlin - who was elevated to the position of city manager in mid-2011 after 25 years on the job, sees herself as just part of a team of 340 workers dedicated to providing municipal to Manteca’s nearly 70,000 residents.
McLaughlin is one of 10 people being recognized as Women of Distinction during the upcoming Feb. 17 Women’s Conference hosted by the Manteca Convention & Visitors Bureau. The others are Dorothy Indelicato, Evelyn Prouty, Rose Albano Risso, Lucille Harris, Toni Raymus, Bea Bowlsby, Linda Abeldt, Patty Reece, and Sister Ann Venita Britto.
“The local level in government is the closest to the people and it is the one the public knows the least about,” McLaughlin noted.
And it is because it touches everyone’s daily lives from being able to flush a toilet to providing streets and sidewalks for travel to drinking water, police and fire protection, and more is why local government intrigues McLaughlin.
McLaughlin didn’t start out in life with the goal of becoming a city manager.
Government service wasn’t even on her radar when McLaughlin started her post-secondary studies at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa after graduating high school in Newport Beach. At Orange Coast she got hooked on English while earning her associate of arts degree.
Upon completing community college, McLaughlin and a friend looked for the college campus farthest away from Newport Beach “without leaving California.” That is how she came up with Humboldt State College. Researching the catalogue she saw they offered journalism. And since that had something to do with writing, she delved in.
It was at Humboldt that she met her future husband Bob who was majoring in journalism but with an emphasis on marketing and the business side. After graduation she returned to Southern California for a year. She was working at a bank when she landed her first job as a reporter with the Oakdale Leader.
“I was working in a bank in Anaheim on Friday, packing on Saturday driving to Oakdale on Sunday, and started working as a reporter on Monday,” McLaughlin recalled.
Joins city staff as executive analyst
She remembers walking to the first assignment that Monday morning for a story on an auto parts store and crossing a seemingly deserted street that seemed like it was out of the Old West at the time and thinking how sharply it contrasted with Newport Beach.
McLaughlin said she liked working for newspapers as she “loved being the first to know about things.”
She spent two years working at the Leader from 1983 to 1985 before joining the Manteca Bulletin where she covered everything from schools, police, and the irrigation district to city hall. She started with the city on Jan. 16, 1987 as an executive analyst.
McLaughlin figured she’d apply given the fact it involved a lot of writing as well as research. It also helped the pay was $975 more a month than her $1,325 a month salary as a reporter.
“The joke was that (City Manager) Dave Jinkens hired me to get me to stop writing stories about the city,” McLaughlin said.
Over the years McLaughlin has served as assistant to the city manager, assistant city manager, and deputy city manager before becoming the first woman city manager in Manteca city history.
McLaughlin said she never thinks in terms of her gender and being city manager since she said opportunity was always there for her to pursue with a father who was a middle school teacher and a mother who was a nurse.
McLaughlin said she never takes any criticism personally noting it comes with the territory.
“I know I’m in the public eye,” she said. “But I worry about a lot of the front-line city employees who take the brunt of anti-government sentiment.”
Having said that, she hopes people understand that rank-and-file city employees are hard working who - just like many private sector employees - have taken pay cuts and are paying more for benefits while at the same time having their workload increased and new jobs assigned to them after the city pared down 90 jobs to balance the budget.
As for the job she is doing, McLaughlin said she “likes to think I’m making a difference” in terms of helping make sure Manteca provides its citizens with essential services.
“We are a government serving the people,” McLaughlin said of municipal level government.
Her best advice to anyone - young or old - is “to try different things.”
“I never thought I’d be working in city government,” she said.
At the same time going from conservative Newport Beach to liberal Humboldt was going out of her comfort zone as was moving from Southern California to the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
McLaughlin and husband Bob have two children. They are Amy, 21, who is in her final year at Sonoma State and Ryan, 19, who is in his first year at Stanislaus state and lives on campus.
Jan. 25, 2012 12:47a.m. EST CEO OF MANTECA, INC. Dennis Wyatt Manteca Bulletin Karen McLaughlin works for almost 70,000 people, oversees a workforce of 340, and is the CEO of a Manteca concern with an annual combined budget of $124.5 million.
“I was talking to the Sierra High leadership class and I realized most people have a good idea of what a police chief does, what a fire chief does or what a finance director does, but not what I do,” McLaughlin noted. “(Being city manager) is kind of like being CEO as I oversee all of the departments.”
McLaughlin - who was elevated to the position of city manager in mid-2011 after 25 years on the job, sees herself as just part of a team of 340 workers dedicated to providing municipal to Manteca’s nearly 70,000 residents.
McLaughlin is one of 10 people being recognized as Women of Distinction during the upcoming Feb. 17 Women’s Conference hosted by the Manteca Convention & Visitors Bureau. The others are Dorothy Indelicato, Evelyn Prouty, Rose Albano Risso, Lucille Harris, Toni Raymus, Bea Bowlsby, Linda Abeldt, Patty Reece, and Sister Ann Venita Britto.
“The local level in government is the closest to the people and it is the one the public knows the least about,” McLaughlin noted.
And it is because it touches everyone’s daily lives from being able to flush a toilet to providing streets and sidewalks for travel to drinking water, police and fire protection, and more is why local government intrigues McLaughlin.
McLaughlin didn’t start out in life with the goal of becoming a city manager.
Government service wasn’t even on her radar when McLaughlin started her post-secondary studies at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa after graduating high school in Newport Beach. At Orange Coast she got hooked on English while earning her associate of arts degree.
Upon completing community college, McLaughlin and a friend looked for the college campus farthest away from Newport Beach “without leaving California.” That is how she came up with Humboldt State College. Researching the catalogue she saw they offered journalism. And since that had something to do with writing, she delved in.
It was at Humboldt that she met her future husband Bob who was majoring in journalism but with an emphasis on marketing and the business side. After graduation she returned to Southern California for a year. She was working at a bank when she landed her first job as a reporter with the Oakdale Leader.
“I was working in a bank in Anaheim on Friday, packing on Saturday driving to Oakdale on Sunday, and started working as a reporter on Monday,” McLaughlin recalled.
Joins city staff as executive analyst
She remembers walking to the first assignment that Monday morning for a story on an auto parts store and crossing a seemingly deserted street that seemed like it was out of the Old West at the time and thinking how sharply it contrasted with Newport Beach.
McLaughlin said she liked working for newspapers as she “loved being the first to know about things.”
She spent two years working at the Leader from 1983 to 1985 before joining the Manteca Bulletin where she covered everything from schools, police, and the irrigation district to city hall. She started with the city on Jan. 16, 1987 as an executive analyst.
McLaughlin figured she’d apply given the fact it involved a lot of writing as well as research. It also helped the pay was $975 more a month than her $1,325 a month salary as a reporter.
“The joke was that (City Manager) Dave Jinkens hired me to get me to stop writing stories about the city,” McLaughlin said.
Over the years McLaughlin has served as assistant to the city manager, assistant city manager, and deputy city manager before becoming the first woman city manager in Manteca city history.
McLaughlin said she never thinks in terms of her gender and being city manager since she said opportunity was always there for her to pursue with a father who was a middle school teacher and a mother who was a nurse.
McLaughlin said she never takes any criticism personally noting it comes with the territory.
“I know I’m in the public eye,” she said. “But I worry about a lot of the front-line city employees who take the brunt of anti-government sentiment.”
Having said that, she hopes people understand that rank-and-file city employees are hard working who - just like many private sector employees - have taken pay cuts and are paying more for benefits while at the same time having their workload increased and new jobs assigned to them after the city pared down 90 jobs to balance the budget.
As for the job she is doing, McLaughlin said she “likes to think I’m making a difference” in terms of helping make sure Manteca provides its citizens with essential services.
“We are a government serving the people,” McLaughlin said of municipal level government.
Her best advice to anyone - young or old - is “to try different things.”
“I never thought I’d be working in city government,” she said.
At the same time going from conservative Newport Beach to liberal Humboldt was going out of her comfort zone as was moving from Southern California to the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
McLaughlin and husband Bob have two children. They are Amy, 21, who is in her final year at Sonoma State and Ryan, 19, who is in his first year at Stanislaus state and lives on campus.
Copyright 2011 MorrisMultimedia . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Crane installation progessing at Port of Stockton/The Record
By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
January 24, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - One of the Port of Stockton's new, 220-foot-tall harbor cranes has been assembled and is being used this week, along with other equipment, to assemble the second crane.
The two massive machines, each costing nearly $5 million and weighing 400 tons, will open the door to a whole new business for the port: handling cargo containers.
Containers from dock-side trucks and trains will be lifted by the cranes onto specially fitted barges that will shuttle between Stockton and the Port of Oakland, Northern California's main container port.
This so-called marine highway, which will include container movement between West Sacramento and Oakland as well, is a federally funded project aimed at boosting the regional economy and helping ease highway congestion and air pollution by supplanting truck traffic.
"We're looking at this as a big economic opportunity for the port," said Victor Mow, a Stockton port commissioner. "These are key components to moving the port forward."
Ron Coale, another port commissioner helping lead a group of visitors Monday to the crane assembly site on Rough and Ready Island, said the project is being closely followed by U.S. Maritime Administration officials who helped develop the marine highway, sometimes also called short sea shipping.
"This is a poster child for the short sea shipping," he said.
Winter weather along the West Coast has slowed progress on the project, port officials said.
Assembly of the cranes has been delayed a few days because of the recent storm, Deputy Port Director Mark Tollini said.
Also, the two barges that would shuttle containers between Stockton and Oakland are being held in Longview, Wash., waiting for favorable sea conditions for the long tow to Stockton.
"We're not going to be up and running by the end of February like we had hoped," Tollini said.
The cranes, once assembled, need to be load-tested and certified for operation. Crane operators must be trained. And the barges have to be delivered and modified to handle shipping containers.
That could take until sometime in April.
The port is offering Internet users a round-the-clock look at project progress though a "crane cam." Visit the port's home page at portofstockton.com and click on the Live Video link.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
Record Staff Writer
January 24, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - One of the Port of Stockton's new, 220-foot-tall harbor cranes has been assembled and is being used this week, along with other equipment, to assemble the second crane.
The two massive machines, each costing nearly $5 million and weighing 400 tons, will open the door to a whole new business for the port: handling cargo containers.
Containers from dock-side trucks and trains will be lifted by the cranes onto specially fitted barges that will shuttle between Stockton and the Port of Oakland, Northern California's main container port.
This so-called marine highway, which will include container movement between West Sacramento and Oakland as well, is a federally funded project aimed at boosting the regional economy and helping ease highway congestion and air pollution by supplanting truck traffic.
"We're looking at this as a big economic opportunity for the port," said Victor Mow, a Stockton port commissioner. "These are key components to moving the port forward."
Ron Coale, another port commissioner helping lead a group of visitors Monday to the crane assembly site on Rough and Ready Island, said the project is being closely followed by U.S. Maritime Administration officials who helped develop the marine highway, sometimes also called short sea shipping.
"This is a poster child for the short sea shipping," he said.
Winter weather along the West Coast has slowed progress on the project, port officials said.
Assembly of the cranes has been delayed a few days because of the recent storm, Deputy Port Director Mark Tollini said.
Also, the two barges that would shuttle containers between Stockton and Oakland are being held in Longview, Wash., waiting for favorable sea conditions for the long tow to Stockton.
"We're not going to be up and running by the end of February like we had hoped," Tollini said.
The cranes, once assembled, need to be load-tested and certified for operation. Crane operators must be trained. And the barges have to be delivered and modified to handle shipping containers.
That could take until sometime in April.
The port is offering Internet users a round-the-clock look at project progress though a "crane cam." Visit the port's home page at portofstockton.com and click on the Live Video link.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Experts Say San Joaquin County Economy is Improving/The Record
+
Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific, issues his forecast for the San Joaquin Valley economy to pick up this year in a forum Thursday at the San Joaquin County Robert J. Cabral Agriculture Center in Stockton.
MICHAEL MCCOLLUM/The Record
By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
January 20, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - After five years of dwindling payrolls and soaring unemployment, 2012 will see the Central Valley join the national economic recovery with job growth of 2 percent, a University of the Pacific economist said Thursday.
"This is the first year of recovery for the Valley," said Jeff Michael, director of Pacific's Business Forecasting Center, which also released its quarterly forecast Thursday. He cited the prison medical center being built in Stockton, the Port of Stockton's marine highway project and a rumored major distribution facility proposed in the Patterson or Tracy areas as reasons for optimism.
But Michael, addressing more than 300 people at an economic forecast conference, also took strong exception to Gov. Jerry Brown's tax and infrastructure proposals.
"He set up education to be a hostage to a tax increase," Michael said. "I think it is really ugly politics."
Brown, in his State of the State address Wednesday, said his tax initiative, which would be decided by voters in November, would not only balance California's budget but also provide massive investments in renewable energy, high-speed rail, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and other major projects.
If that initiative fails, however, public schools and colleges would absorb 90 percent of the budget cuts, even though education spending accounts for about 40 percent of state spending, Michael noted.
While he has young children in school himself, Michael said, "I will not pay ransom."
Brown, in defending his big-project plans, referred to criticism of the 1930s-era Central Valley Water Project and 1960s BART train projects.
Michael said the state is no longer growing by leaps and bounds, as it had in that earlier era.
"California is a little bit different state now in our need and ability to take on this infrastructure debt," he said.
There's little in the national or international realm that could derail the ongoing U.S. recovery, said Michael Stead, executive vice president of Bank of the West and another keynote speaker at Thursday's conference, which was presented by the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
"The world economy will continue to expand," he predicted.
Even if Europe goes into recession because of the debt crisis facing several EU members, Stead said, "It will not stop the slow, steady progress we're seeing in the United States of America. We are leaving this horrid past behind us."
His one concern about the continuing recovery is if the federal government suddenly slashes spending. Last year's failure of the so-called supercommittee to offer some sort of budgetary reforms sets up an automatic, $1.2 trillion of across-the-board spending cuts to take effect Oct. 1.
"If you start to see things like this, we will have a problem," Stead said.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
HOME
Jeff Michael, director of the Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific, issues his forecast for the San Joaquin Valley economy to pick up this year in a forum Thursday at the San Joaquin County Robert J. Cabral Agriculture Center in Stockton.
MICHAEL MCCOLLUM/The Record
By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
January 20, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - After five years of dwindling payrolls and soaring unemployment, 2012 will see the Central Valley join the national economic recovery with job growth of 2 percent, a University of the Pacific economist said Thursday.
"This is the first year of recovery for the Valley," said Jeff Michael, director of Pacific's Business Forecasting Center, which also released its quarterly forecast Thursday. He cited the prison medical center being built in Stockton, the Port of Stockton's marine highway project and a rumored major distribution facility proposed in the Patterson or Tracy areas as reasons for optimism.
But Michael, addressing more than 300 people at an economic forecast conference, also took strong exception to Gov. Jerry Brown's tax and infrastructure proposals.
"He set up education to be a hostage to a tax increase," Michael said. "I think it is really ugly politics."
Brown, in his State of the State address Wednesday, said his tax initiative, which would be decided by voters in November, would not only balance California's budget but also provide massive investments in renewable energy, high-speed rail, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and other major projects.
If that initiative fails, however, public schools and colleges would absorb 90 percent of the budget cuts, even though education spending accounts for about 40 percent of state spending, Michael noted.
While he has young children in school himself, Michael said, "I will not pay ransom."
Brown, in defending his big-project plans, referred to criticism of the 1930s-era Central Valley Water Project and 1960s BART train projects.
Michael said the state is no longer growing by leaps and bounds, as it had in that earlier era.
"California is a little bit different state now in our need and ability to take on this infrastructure debt," he said.
There's little in the national or international realm that could derail the ongoing U.S. recovery, said Michael Stead, executive vice president of Bank of the West and another keynote speaker at Thursday's conference, which was presented by the San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
"The world economy will continue to expand," he predicted.
Even if Europe goes into recession because of the debt crisis facing several EU members, Stead said, "It will not stop the slow, steady progress we're seeing in the United States of America. We are leaving this horrid past behind us."
His one concern about the continuing recovery is if the federal government suddenly slashes spending. Last year's failure of the so-called supercommittee to offer some sort of budgetary reforms sets up an automatic, $1.2 trillion of across-the-board spending cuts to take effect Oct. 1.
"If you start to see things like this, we will have a problem," Stead said.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
HOME
U of P CALIFORNIA AND METRO FORECAST: January 2012
Contact: Director Jeff Michael, Ph.D.
O: 209.946.7385
C: 209.662.5247
jmichael@pacific.edu
January 19, 2012
CALIFORNIA AND METRO FORECAST: January 2012
(Stockton, Calif.) January 19, 2012 – More positive economic data at the end of 2011 has raised hopes for the economy, but continued weakness in the housing market, weaker demand for exports, and contracting government spending will prevent the recovery from gathering further momentum according to the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific. The forecast projects real gross state product will grow at an average 2% rate for both 2012 and 2013, similar to the first two years of the recovery. In 2014 and beyond, growth will increase above 3% as housing and construction finally begin making a positive contribution to the recovery.
While California’s unemployment rate has dropped rapidly to 11.3% in the fall, it is projected to remain in double digits for two more years through the end of 2013. Housing starts are projected to grow modestly to 56,000 in 2012 with most growth in coastal multi-family construction while single-family homebuilding remains near historic lows.
The regional outlook predicts that 2012 will be the first year of economic recovery in the hard hit Central Valley. “After a flat 2011, we should finally see modest, positive job growth from Sacramento to Fresno in 2012,” said Jeff Michael, Director of the Business Forecasting Center.
The rapid economic expansion in San Jose will continue, and the recovery has now spread up the peninsula to the San Francisco area, while the East Bay has continued to lag. Much like the Central Valley, the Oakland MSA experienced 10% job loss through the recession, and will experience modest job growth for the first time in 5 years in 2012.
The Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific was founded in 2004. Housed in the Eberhardt School of Business, the Center produces quarterly economic forecasts of California and 10 metropolitan areas in Northern and Central California. The Eberhardt School of Business is one of a handful of Business schools producing comprehensive quarterly forecasts of the California economy, and includes several regions not covered by other forecasts. In addition to the Quarterly Forecasts, the Center produces in depth studies of regional issues, and offers custom economic research services to public and private sector clients. For more information, visit http://forecast.pacific.edu/.
###
California Annual Forecast Summary
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Real Gross State Product (% change) 1.8 1.8 2.2 3.4 3.6 3.1
Non-Farm Payroll Employment (% change) 1.3 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2 1.8
Unemployment Rate (%) 11.9 11.2 10.4 9.3 8.3 7.7
Housing Starts (thousands) 42.8 55.8 90.6 134.5 167.2 187.1
Central Valley Metro Forecast Summary
Metro Area Nonfarm Payroll Employment Unemployment Rate (%)
(% change)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Sacramento -0.7 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.7 12.0 11.3 10.6 9.5 8.1
Stockton -0.2 2.0 1.8 2.2 2.6 16.8 15.9 15.3 14.1 12.5
Modesto -0.7 0.1 1.7 2.2 2.4 16.8 16.1 15.4 14.0 12.6
Merced 0.5 0.2 1.2 1.7 2.1 18.6 18.0 16.9 15.5 14.3
Fresno 0.0 1.0 1.5 1.8 2.2 16.7 16.3 15.8 14.3 12.8
California 1.3 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2 11.9 11.2 10.4 9.3 8.3
Sacramento MSA includes Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, and Yolo counties. Stockton, Merced, Fresno and Modesto MSAs correspond to San Joaquin, Merced, Fresno and Stanislaus counties.
Bay Area Metro Forecast Summary
Metro Area Nonfarm Payroll Employment Unemployment Rate (%)
(% change)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
San Francisco 0.7 1.5 1.6 1.9 1.9 8.3 7.7 7.1 6.3 5.6
San Jose 2.5 1.9 1.9 2.4 2.6 10.0 9.1 7.9 6.6 5.4
Oakland -0.2 1.1 1.9 2.3 2.5 10.4 9.8 9.2 8.0 6.9
Santa Cruz 3.3 1.1 0.5 1.1 1.4 12.1 11.2 10.6 9.2 8.2
Vallejo -1.3 1.2 0.8 1.4 1.9 11.6 10.9 10.3 9.6 8.7
California 1.3 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2 11.9 11.2 10.4 9.3 8.3
San Francisco MSA includes San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. Oakland MSA includes Contra Costa and Alameda counties. San Jose MSA includes Santa Clara and San Benito counties. Vallejo and Santa Cruz MSAs correspond to Solano and Santa Cruz counties
Highlights of the January 2012 California Forecast
• California is two years into a slow five-year recovery.
• California unemployment will decrease slowly over the next few years, dropping to 11.4% in the first quarter of 2012, and remaining above 10% until 2014.
• Since Payroll jobs bottomed out in winter 2010, California has recovered 329,000 jobs; one of every four jobs lost since summer 2007. Non-farm employment will recover its pre-recession peak in the first quarter of 2016.
• Despite sluggish job creation, real personal income is expected to approach and exceed its 2007 peak in the first quarter of 2012 due to stronger recovery in non-wage income and higher wage jobs.
• After 8 years of zero net job growth from 2007 through 2015, the state’s population will have grown by more than 3.3 million people, keeping unemployment near 8% at the end of 2015.
• Growth in real gross state product is expected to increase steadily from 1.8% in 2011 to 3.6% in 2015.
• 244,000 new Construction jobs are expected to be created over the next five years, about 22.3% of California’s total non-farm job growth. It is also anticipated to be the fastest growing sector in 2013, growing 4.9% or by 27,800 jobs.
• 2011 brought the first annual increase in Manufacturing jobs in California in a decade. The trend of gradual growth in Manufacturing employment is anticipated to continue.
• The Health Services sector was the only private sector to experience consistent job growth throughout the recession, adding 75,600 jobs between 2008 and 2011. It is expected to add another 139,300 jobs over the next five years, 12.7% of California’s total non-farm job growth.
• Professional Science & Technology employment is projected to increase by 35,800 over the next year after adding 11,000 jobs in 2011.
• State and local government employment, including public schools, shrank by 11,200 jobs in 2011 and will shrink by another 1,400 in 2012.
• Multi-family housing starts are expected to rebound strongly in 2012, surpassing single-family housing starts for the first time. Single-family housing starts are expected to once again overtake multi-family housing starts in 2013 with nearly 50,000 annual housing starts. Housing starts are expected to exceed 150,000 annual units in 2015, 40% of which will be multi-family housing starts.
###
Andrew J. Padovani
Research Associate, Business Forecasting Center
Eberhardt School of Business, University of the Pacific
3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton, CA 95211
209.946.2623 | apadovani@pacific.edu
forecast.pacific.edu
www1.pacific.edu/~apadovan/
O: 209.946.7385
C: 209.662.5247
jmichael@pacific.edu
January 19, 2012
CALIFORNIA AND METRO FORECAST: January 2012
(Stockton, Calif.) January 19, 2012 – More positive economic data at the end of 2011 has raised hopes for the economy, but continued weakness in the housing market, weaker demand for exports, and contracting government spending will prevent the recovery from gathering further momentum according to the Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific. The forecast projects real gross state product will grow at an average 2% rate for both 2012 and 2013, similar to the first two years of the recovery. In 2014 and beyond, growth will increase above 3% as housing and construction finally begin making a positive contribution to the recovery.
While California’s unemployment rate has dropped rapidly to 11.3% in the fall, it is projected to remain in double digits for two more years through the end of 2013. Housing starts are projected to grow modestly to 56,000 in 2012 with most growth in coastal multi-family construction while single-family homebuilding remains near historic lows.
The regional outlook predicts that 2012 will be the first year of economic recovery in the hard hit Central Valley. “After a flat 2011, we should finally see modest, positive job growth from Sacramento to Fresno in 2012,” said Jeff Michael, Director of the Business Forecasting Center.
The rapid economic expansion in San Jose will continue, and the recovery has now spread up the peninsula to the San Francisco area, while the East Bay has continued to lag. Much like the Central Valley, the Oakland MSA experienced 10% job loss through the recession, and will experience modest job growth for the first time in 5 years in 2012.
The Business Forecasting Center at the University of the Pacific was founded in 2004. Housed in the Eberhardt School of Business, the Center produces quarterly economic forecasts of California and 10 metropolitan areas in Northern and Central California. The Eberhardt School of Business is one of a handful of Business schools producing comprehensive quarterly forecasts of the California economy, and includes several regions not covered by other forecasts. In addition to the Quarterly Forecasts, the Center produces in depth studies of regional issues, and offers custom economic research services to public and private sector clients. For more information, visit http://forecast.pacific.edu/.
###
California Annual Forecast Summary
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Real Gross State Product (% change) 1.8 1.8 2.2 3.4 3.6 3.1
Non-Farm Payroll Employment (% change) 1.3 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2 1.8
Unemployment Rate (%) 11.9 11.2 10.4 9.3 8.3 7.7
Housing Starts (thousands) 42.8 55.8 90.6 134.5 167.2 187.1
Central Valley Metro Forecast Summary
Metro Area Nonfarm Payroll Employment Unemployment Rate (%)
(% change)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Sacramento -0.7 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.7 12.0 11.3 10.6 9.5 8.1
Stockton -0.2 2.0 1.8 2.2 2.6 16.8 15.9 15.3 14.1 12.5
Modesto -0.7 0.1 1.7 2.2 2.4 16.8 16.1 15.4 14.0 12.6
Merced 0.5 0.2 1.2 1.7 2.1 18.6 18.0 16.9 15.5 14.3
Fresno 0.0 1.0 1.5 1.8 2.2 16.7 16.3 15.8 14.3 12.8
California 1.3 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2 11.9 11.2 10.4 9.3 8.3
Sacramento MSA includes Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, and Yolo counties. Stockton, Merced, Fresno and Modesto MSAs correspond to San Joaquin, Merced, Fresno and Stanislaus counties.
Bay Area Metro Forecast Summary
Metro Area Nonfarm Payroll Employment Unemployment Rate (%)
(% change)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
San Francisco 0.7 1.5 1.6 1.9 1.9 8.3 7.7 7.1 6.3 5.6
San Jose 2.5 1.9 1.9 2.4 2.6 10.0 9.1 7.9 6.6 5.4
Oakland -0.2 1.1 1.9 2.3 2.5 10.4 9.8 9.2 8.0 6.9
Santa Cruz 3.3 1.1 0.5 1.1 1.4 12.1 11.2 10.6 9.2 8.2
Vallejo -1.3 1.2 0.8 1.4 1.9 11.6 10.9 10.3 9.6 8.7
California 1.3 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.2 11.9 11.2 10.4 9.3 8.3
San Francisco MSA includes San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties. Oakland MSA includes Contra Costa and Alameda counties. San Jose MSA includes Santa Clara and San Benito counties. Vallejo and Santa Cruz MSAs correspond to Solano and Santa Cruz counties
Highlights of the January 2012 California Forecast
• California is two years into a slow five-year recovery.
• California unemployment will decrease slowly over the next few years, dropping to 11.4% in the first quarter of 2012, and remaining above 10% until 2014.
• Since Payroll jobs bottomed out in winter 2010, California has recovered 329,000 jobs; one of every four jobs lost since summer 2007. Non-farm employment will recover its pre-recession peak in the first quarter of 2016.
• Despite sluggish job creation, real personal income is expected to approach and exceed its 2007 peak in the first quarter of 2012 due to stronger recovery in non-wage income and higher wage jobs.
• After 8 years of zero net job growth from 2007 through 2015, the state’s population will have grown by more than 3.3 million people, keeping unemployment near 8% at the end of 2015.
• Growth in real gross state product is expected to increase steadily from 1.8% in 2011 to 3.6% in 2015.
• 244,000 new Construction jobs are expected to be created over the next five years, about 22.3% of California’s total non-farm job growth. It is also anticipated to be the fastest growing sector in 2013, growing 4.9% or by 27,800 jobs.
• 2011 brought the first annual increase in Manufacturing jobs in California in a decade. The trend of gradual growth in Manufacturing employment is anticipated to continue.
• The Health Services sector was the only private sector to experience consistent job growth throughout the recession, adding 75,600 jobs between 2008 and 2011. It is expected to add another 139,300 jobs over the next five years, 12.7% of California’s total non-farm job growth.
• Professional Science & Technology employment is projected to increase by 35,800 over the next year after adding 11,000 jobs in 2011.
• State and local government employment, including public schools, shrank by 11,200 jobs in 2011 and will shrink by another 1,400 in 2012.
• Multi-family housing starts are expected to rebound strongly in 2012, surpassing single-family housing starts for the first time. Single-family housing starts are expected to once again overtake multi-family housing starts in 2013 with nearly 50,000 annual housing starts. Housing starts are expected to exceed 150,000 annual units in 2015, 40% of which will be multi-family housing starts.
###
Andrew J. Padovani
Research Associate, Business Forecasting Center
Eberhardt School of Business, University of the Pacific
3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton, CA 95211
209.946.2623 | apadovani@pacific.edu
forecast.pacific.edu
www1.pacific.edu/~apadovan/
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Delta solar farm could get green light under new law/The Record
By Alex Breitler
Record Staff Writer
January 19, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - A Delta farmer's plan to build a 120-acre solar array might yet bear fruit, if growing actual crops on his land is as hopeless as he claims.
San Joaquin County supervisors this week declined to take the unusual step of canceling Michael J. Robinson's contract under the Williamson Act, a state program that preserves farmland.
But they did decide that the 20-megawatt solar farm - said to be the first of its kind for San Joaquin - is compatible with the county's General Plan.
That allows Robinson to seek an easement for his solar panels, thanks to a new state law written last year by state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis.
The case pits two California priorities against each other: preserving farmland versus building a supply of clean renewable energy. Farm advocates warn that the second goal will pave over the first.
"There's a statewide trend in many counties in which developers are looking to basically put some permanent hurt on prime farmland because it's the path of least resistance," Chris Scheuring, an attorney with the California Farm Bureau Federation, told supervisors Tuesday.
"There really is a solar 'land rush' on in the state of California," he said.
Wolk's law is an attempt at compromise, by encouraging the development of solar farms on "marginally productive or physically impaired land," and preserving better lands for crops.
Under her law, Williamson Act contracts are rescinded and landowners pay a fee equaling more than 6 percent of the value of their land, while agreeing to restore lands once the easements have expired.
It'll be up to the state Department of Conservation to decide if Robinson's land is lousy enough to qualify under the law, which took effect Jan. 1. The project could become the first in the state to be approved in this manner.
Stockton attorney Michael Hakeem, who represents Robinson and the developer of the project, Walnut Creek-based D.G. Power, praised the county board's decision to give the farmer a chance.
"I couldn't have asked for any more than they provided," Hakeem said. "This is terrible land."
Robinson bought the Roberts Island property in 2006 but has never, he said, been successful at farming it because of heavy salt loads in the soil - unusually poor soil for the fertile Delta.
A solar farm seemed a profitable alternative.
Robinson wants to lease his land to D.G. Power, which would erect the solar panels near existing power lines.
The land, however, is protected under the Williamson Act, in which landowners agree to keep their properties undeveloped in exchange for tax breaks.
Robinson could file for nonrenewal status, but that process takes a decade.
Nor can the contract be canceled outright. That would require supervisors to agree that concerns about renewable energy "substantially outweigh" the goals of farmland preservation, a finding which county officials said is impossible to make.
Wolk's law provides a new, third alternative.
As for fulfilling the requirements of the county General Plan, Robinson says he will graze the land to maintain some kind of agriculture operation on site - a requirement for many projects proposed within the Delta.
Representatives of the state and local farm bureaus are not satisfied.
"To suggest this is anything less than an industrial facility is not exactly accurate," Bruce Blodgett, head of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, told supervisors.
A spokesman for the Department of Conservation said no applications for easements have yet been received under Wolk's law, Senate Bill 618. But many inquiries have been made.
The conflict isn't unique to San Joaquin County. In October, the state Farm Bureau sued the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, claiming it overstepped its authority when it allowed development of a solar power project on what the bureau described as prime farmland.
Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/breitlerblog.
Record Staff Writer
January 19, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - A Delta farmer's plan to build a 120-acre solar array might yet bear fruit, if growing actual crops on his land is as hopeless as he claims.
San Joaquin County supervisors this week declined to take the unusual step of canceling Michael J. Robinson's contract under the Williamson Act, a state program that preserves farmland.
But they did decide that the 20-megawatt solar farm - said to be the first of its kind for San Joaquin - is compatible with the county's General Plan.
That allows Robinson to seek an easement for his solar panels, thanks to a new state law written last year by state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis.
The case pits two California priorities against each other: preserving farmland versus building a supply of clean renewable energy. Farm advocates warn that the second goal will pave over the first.
"There's a statewide trend in many counties in which developers are looking to basically put some permanent hurt on prime farmland because it's the path of least resistance," Chris Scheuring, an attorney with the California Farm Bureau Federation, told supervisors Tuesday.
"There really is a solar 'land rush' on in the state of California," he said.
Wolk's law is an attempt at compromise, by encouraging the development of solar farms on "marginally productive or physically impaired land," and preserving better lands for crops.
Under her law, Williamson Act contracts are rescinded and landowners pay a fee equaling more than 6 percent of the value of their land, while agreeing to restore lands once the easements have expired.
It'll be up to the state Department of Conservation to decide if Robinson's land is lousy enough to qualify under the law, which took effect Jan. 1. The project could become the first in the state to be approved in this manner.
Stockton attorney Michael Hakeem, who represents Robinson and the developer of the project, Walnut Creek-based D.G. Power, praised the county board's decision to give the farmer a chance.
"I couldn't have asked for any more than they provided," Hakeem said. "This is terrible land."
Robinson bought the Roberts Island property in 2006 but has never, he said, been successful at farming it because of heavy salt loads in the soil - unusually poor soil for the fertile Delta.
A solar farm seemed a profitable alternative.
Robinson wants to lease his land to D.G. Power, which would erect the solar panels near existing power lines.
The land, however, is protected under the Williamson Act, in which landowners agree to keep their properties undeveloped in exchange for tax breaks.
Robinson could file for nonrenewal status, but that process takes a decade.
Nor can the contract be canceled outright. That would require supervisors to agree that concerns about renewable energy "substantially outweigh" the goals of farmland preservation, a finding which county officials said is impossible to make.
Wolk's law provides a new, third alternative.
As for fulfilling the requirements of the county General Plan, Robinson says he will graze the land to maintain some kind of agriculture operation on site - a requirement for many projects proposed within the Delta.
Representatives of the state and local farm bureaus are not satisfied.
"To suggest this is anything less than an industrial facility is not exactly accurate," Bruce Blodgett, head of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, told supervisors.
A spokesman for the Department of Conservation said no applications for easements have yet been received under Wolk's law, Senate Bill 618. But many inquiries have been made.
The conflict isn't unique to San Joaquin County. In October, the state Farm Bureau sued the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, claiming it overstepped its authority when it allowed development of a solar power project on what the bureau described as prime farmland.
Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/breitlerblog.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Manteca ready for new Transit station/Manteca Bulletin
DOWNTOWN GOING UPTOWN
Transit station expected to serve as central city focal point
By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3519
POSTED January 18, 2012 12:50 a.m.
Manteca’s civic buildings for years could best be described politely as utilitarian.
Functional - for the most part - but bland in design.
That ended with the opening of the eye-catching modernistic design of the animal shelter that opened last year.
Now the city is stepping up its game even more.
The City Council on Tuesday gave the final blessing to what has been described as the future “icon” for downtown Manteca - the $6.9 million transit station that has been more than 15 years in the making.
The 7,000-quare-foot building breaking ground this year is more than just a transit station.
It includes:
• a large community room that can be divided in two for use for dinners, receptions, and other events complete with a kitchen facility.
• an expansive outdoor plaza designed to accommodate events such as an outdoors farmers market.
• a large clock tower visible in all directions.
Architect Eric Wohle of LDA Partners described the station’s design with its extensive use of brick, varied elevations of cast stone, window arches, and a steel canopy entrance for the plaza as embracing a “grand central” theme. The design is carried on inside throughout the lobby and the community rooms with a high ceiling complete with arch trusses in the lobby to provide the building with the appearance of looking taller than it really is.
The design is about more than just pleasing the eye.
• The higher pitched ceiling in the community room has been designed with dropped “clouds” consisting of acoustical panels to soften noise.
• The materials used - such as wainscoting on the walls in the lobby and the community room - are designed to reduce maintenance costs.
• The design has been modified so if one person is on staff in the building at the ticket window that they have a clear visual line to the community room entrances.
The restrooms accessible to the public and the community room address a common complaint women have - not enough toilets. The women’s bathroom has eight toilets while the men’s side has two toilets and a pair of urinals.
The Tidewater Bikeway will be straightened out and will run almost to South Main Street where it will turn to the north and parallel the sidewalk until it reaches the intersection cross on South Main at Moffat. The bike path alignment will go in first and will remain open during the construction.
The site includes 100 parking spaces on the 3.1-acre site, bus drop off zones with shelters and safety fence to keep passengers away from Moffat traffic. A vehicle drop-off zone would be in place on Moffat as well as on site complete with a turn-around. Dedicated left turns would be added to Moffat for entering the transit station parking lot. A pedestrian crosswalk would also be added on Moffat.
The final design may also include Manteca’s first charging station for electric vehicles.
The project will also include putting in place a fiber optic line between the Civic Center and the transit station. It wil be the backbone of a city system to provide security cameras at selected bus stops as well as parks throughout Manteca.
Diede Construction - the same firm that built the animal shelter - is constructing the transit station. Wohle and LDA Partners also designed the animal shelter as well as the renovation of the just completed HOPE Family Shelter makeover in the 600 block of West Yosemite Avenue.
Funding for the project is from county, state, and federal sources that are restricted to transit-related projects. It includes $2.6 million from the federal Transit Administration, $1.8 million from Proposition 1B, $1.5 million from the Regional Surface Transportation Program, $256,000 from the Local Transportation Fund, and $700,000 from Measure K countywide transit sales tax receipts.
No general fund money is being used to build the facility. In addition, state and federal pass through funds for transit uses will be employed to maintain and operate the station.
Construction will take 300 calendar days once the final design is completed. The targeted completion date is April 4, 2013. That means a dedication ceremony could take place during the 17th annual Crossroads Street Fair.
Jan. 18, 2012 12:50a.m. EST DOWNTOWN GOING UPTOWN Dennis Wyatt Manteca Bulletin Manteca’s civic buildings for years could best be described politely as utilitarian.
Functional - for the most part - but bland in design.
That ended with the opening of the eye-catching modernistic design of the animal shelter that opened last year.
Now the city is stepping up its game even more.
The City Council on Tuesday gave the final blessing to what has been described as the future “icon” for downtown Manteca - the $6.9 million transit station that has been more than 15 years in the making.
The 7,000-quare-foot building breaking ground this year is more than just a transit station.
It includes:
• a large community room that can be divided in two for use for dinners, receptions, and other events complete with a kitchen facility.
• an expansive outdoor plaza designed to accommodate events such as an outdoors farmers market.
• a large clock tower visible in all directions.
Architect Eric Wohle of LDA Partners described the station’s design with its extensive use of brick, varied elevations of cast stone, window arches, and a steel canopy entrance for the plaza as embracing a “grand central” theme. The design is carried on inside throughout the lobby and the community rooms with a high ceiling complete with arch trusses in the lobby to provide the building with the appearance of looking taller than it really is.
The design is about more than just pleasing the eye.
• The higher pitched ceiling in the community room has been designed with dropped “clouds” consisting of acoustical panels to soften noise.
• The materials used - such as wainscoting on the walls in the lobby and the community room - are designed to reduce maintenance costs.
• The design has been modified so if one person is on staff in the building at the ticket window that they have a clear visual line to the community room entrances.
The restrooms accessible to the public and the community room address a common complaint women have - not enough toilets. The women’s bathroom has eight toilets while the men’s side has two toilets and a pair of urinals.
The Tidewater Bikeway will be straightened out and will run almost to South Main Street where it will turn to the north and parallel the sidewalk until it reaches the intersection cross on South Main at Moffat. The bike path alignment will go in first and will remain open during the construction.
The site includes 100 parking spaces on the 3.1-acre site, bus drop off zones with shelters and safety fence to keep passengers away from Moffat traffic. A vehicle drop-off zone would be in place on Moffat as well as on site complete with a turn-around. Dedicated left turns would be added to Moffat for entering the transit station parking lot. A pedestrian crosswalk would also be added on Moffat.
The final design may also include Manteca’s first charging station for electric vehicles.
The project will also include putting in place a fiber optic line between the Civic Center and the transit station. It wil be the backbone of a city system to provide security cameras at selected bus stops as well as parks throughout Manteca.
Diede Construction - the same firm that built the animal shelter - is constructing the transit station. Wohle and LDA Partners also designed the animal shelter as well as the renovation of the just completed HOPE Family Shelter makeover in the 600 block of West Yosemite Avenue.
Funding for the project is from county, state, and federal sources that are restricted to transit-related projects. It includes $2.6 million from the federal Transit Administration, $1.8 million from Proposition 1B, $1.5 million from the Regional Surface Transportation Program, $256,000 from the Local Transportation Fund, and $700,000 from Measure K countywide transit sales tax receipts.
No general fund money is being used to build the facility. In addition, state and federal pass through funds for transit uses will be employed to maintain and operate the station.
Construction will take 300 calendar days once the final design is completed. The targeted completion date is April 4, 2013. That means a dedication ceremony could take place during the 17th annual Crossroads Street Fair.
Copyright 2011 MorrisMultimedia . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Transit station expected to serve as central city focal point
By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3519
POSTED January 18, 2012 12:50 a.m.
Manteca’s civic buildings for years could best be described politely as utilitarian.
Functional - for the most part - but bland in design.
That ended with the opening of the eye-catching modernistic design of the animal shelter that opened last year.
Now the city is stepping up its game even more.
The City Council on Tuesday gave the final blessing to what has been described as the future “icon” for downtown Manteca - the $6.9 million transit station that has been more than 15 years in the making.
The 7,000-quare-foot building breaking ground this year is more than just a transit station.
It includes:
• a large community room that can be divided in two for use for dinners, receptions, and other events complete with a kitchen facility.
• an expansive outdoor plaza designed to accommodate events such as an outdoors farmers market.
• a large clock tower visible in all directions.
Architect Eric Wohle of LDA Partners described the station’s design with its extensive use of brick, varied elevations of cast stone, window arches, and a steel canopy entrance for the plaza as embracing a “grand central” theme. The design is carried on inside throughout the lobby and the community rooms with a high ceiling complete with arch trusses in the lobby to provide the building with the appearance of looking taller than it really is.
The design is about more than just pleasing the eye.
• The higher pitched ceiling in the community room has been designed with dropped “clouds” consisting of acoustical panels to soften noise.
• The materials used - such as wainscoting on the walls in the lobby and the community room - are designed to reduce maintenance costs.
• The design has been modified so if one person is on staff in the building at the ticket window that they have a clear visual line to the community room entrances.
The restrooms accessible to the public and the community room address a common complaint women have - not enough toilets. The women’s bathroom has eight toilets while the men’s side has two toilets and a pair of urinals.
The Tidewater Bikeway will be straightened out and will run almost to South Main Street where it will turn to the north and parallel the sidewalk until it reaches the intersection cross on South Main at Moffat. The bike path alignment will go in first and will remain open during the construction.
The site includes 100 parking spaces on the 3.1-acre site, bus drop off zones with shelters and safety fence to keep passengers away from Moffat traffic. A vehicle drop-off zone would be in place on Moffat as well as on site complete with a turn-around. Dedicated left turns would be added to Moffat for entering the transit station parking lot. A pedestrian crosswalk would also be added on Moffat.
The final design may also include Manteca’s first charging station for electric vehicles.
The project will also include putting in place a fiber optic line between the Civic Center and the transit station. It wil be the backbone of a city system to provide security cameras at selected bus stops as well as parks throughout Manteca.
Diede Construction - the same firm that built the animal shelter - is constructing the transit station. Wohle and LDA Partners also designed the animal shelter as well as the renovation of the just completed HOPE Family Shelter makeover in the 600 block of West Yosemite Avenue.
Funding for the project is from county, state, and federal sources that are restricted to transit-related projects. It includes $2.6 million from the federal Transit Administration, $1.8 million from Proposition 1B, $1.5 million from the Regional Surface Transportation Program, $256,000 from the Local Transportation Fund, and $700,000 from Measure K countywide transit sales tax receipts.
No general fund money is being used to build the facility. In addition, state and federal pass through funds for transit uses will be employed to maintain and operate the station.
Construction will take 300 calendar days once the final design is completed. The targeted completion date is April 4, 2013. That means a dedication ceremony could take place during the 17th annual Crossroads Street Fair.
Jan. 18, 2012 12:50a.m. EST DOWNTOWN GOING UPTOWN Dennis Wyatt Manteca Bulletin Manteca’s civic buildings for years could best be described politely as utilitarian.
Functional - for the most part - but bland in design.
That ended with the opening of the eye-catching modernistic design of the animal shelter that opened last year.
Now the city is stepping up its game even more.
The City Council on Tuesday gave the final blessing to what has been described as the future “icon” for downtown Manteca - the $6.9 million transit station that has been more than 15 years in the making.
The 7,000-quare-foot building breaking ground this year is more than just a transit station.
It includes:
• a large community room that can be divided in two for use for dinners, receptions, and other events complete with a kitchen facility.
• an expansive outdoor plaza designed to accommodate events such as an outdoors farmers market.
• a large clock tower visible in all directions.
Architect Eric Wohle of LDA Partners described the station’s design with its extensive use of brick, varied elevations of cast stone, window arches, and a steel canopy entrance for the plaza as embracing a “grand central” theme. The design is carried on inside throughout the lobby and the community rooms with a high ceiling complete with arch trusses in the lobby to provide the building with the appearance of looking taller than it really is.
The design is about more than just pleasing the eye.
• The higher pitched ceiling in the community room has been designed with dropped “clouds” consisting of acoustical panels to soften noise.
• The materials used - such as wainscoting on the walls in the lobby and the community room - are designed to reduce maintenance costs.
• The design has been modified so if one person is on staff in the building at the ticket window that they have a clear visual line to the community room entrances.
The restrooms accessible to the public and the community room address a common complaint women have - not enough toilets. The women’s bathroom has eight toilets while the men’s side has two toilets and a pair of urinals.
The Tidewater Bikeway will be straightened out and will run almost to South Main Street where it will turn to the north and parallel the sidewalk until it reaches the intersection cross on South Main at Moffat. The bike path alignment will go in first and will remain open during the construction.
The site includes 100 parking spaces on the 3.1-acre site, bus drop off zones with shelters and safety fence to keep passengers away from Moffat traffic. A vehicle drop-off zone would be in place on Moffat as well as on site complete with a turn-around. Dedicated left turns would be added to Moffat for entering the transit station parking lot. A pedestrian crosswalk would also be added on Moffat.
The final design may also include Manteca’s first charging station for electric vehicles.
The project will also include putting in place a fiber optic line between the Civic Center and the transit station. It wil be the backbone of a city system to provide security cameras at selected bus stops as well as parks throughout Manteca.
Diede Construction - the same firm that built the animal shelter - is constructing the transit station. Wohle and LDA Partners also designed the animal shelter as well as the renovation of the just completed HOPE Family Shelter makeover in the 600 block of West Yosemite Avenue.
Funding for the project is from county, state, and federal sources that are restricted to transit-related projects. It includes $2.6 million from the federal Transit Administration, $1.8 million from Proposition 1B, $1.5 million from the Regional Surface Transportation Program, $256,000 from the Local Transportation Fund, and $700,000 from Measure K countywide transit sales tax receipts.
No general fund money is being used to build the facility. In addition, state and federal pass through funds for transit uses will be employed to maintain and operate the station.
Construction will take 300 calendar days once the final design is completed. The targeted completion date is April 4, 2013. That means a dedication ceremony could take place during the 17th annual Crossroads Street Fair.
Copyright 2011 MorrisMultimedia . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Lodi wineries are setting their sites on Asia. - Central Valley Business Times
Central Valley Business Times
In this report, The Wine Institute reveals the latest export numbers while Frank Gayaldo, a Lodi winegrape grower and expert in exporting wines, talks about what’s been accomplished and the poterntial for growth.
See the video at this link
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=20187
In this report, The Wine Institute reveals the latest export numbers while Frank Gayaldo, a Lodi winegrape grower and expert in exporting wines, talks about what’s been accomplished and the poterntial for growth.
See the video at this link
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=20187
Saturday, January 14, 2012
S.J. wins $1M job-training grant | Recordnet.com
S.J. wins $1M job-training grant | Recordnet.com
S.J. wins $1M job-training grant
S.J. wins $1M job-training grant
Funds will help 800 laid-off workers in county
Print this Article Email this Article Text Size: A | A | A
By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
January 14, 2012 12:00 AM
San Joaquin County employment officials will receive nearly $1 million from the state to provide employment and training services to more than 800 workers displaced by plant closures and other mass layoffs in recent months.
"Business layoffs and plant closures within the San Joaquin County were only part of the overall grim economic situation with an unemployment rate that peaked at 18.4 percent last January," said Pam Harris, chief deputy director of the state Economic Development Department.
In announcing the grant, an EDD statement said an estimated 100,000 San Joaquin residents working outside the county before the recession hit have also been severely affected by business downsizing and plant closures in neighboring counties. One example is the recent shut down of the Solyndra solar panel plant in Alameda County.
County residents also may be affected by threatened layoffs from the state Department of Corrections because of the prison realignment plan shifting prisoners from state to county custody.
The EDD grant, totaling $986,211, is mostly intended to assist nearly 500 call center workers affected by layoffs at Kaiser Permanente, West Asset Management and Mike Campbell & Associates; about 100 former local and state government employees; logistics and transportation workers laid off by Storer Transportation and Iron Mountain; and manufacturing sector cuts at Solyndra and the former Central Spring Inc. plant in Stockton.
San Joaquin County WorkNet expects to apply the funds to train those displaced workers for new jobs in manufacturing, supply chain management and logistics, health care, agribusiness and renewable-energy industries.
John Solis, WorkNet's director, said the grant will help shore up an employment agency that's been hit by funding reductions and forced to cut its staff in recent years.
"There are employers who are hiring, but what you have to do is facilitate that process," he said.
"The funding will allow us to provide additional training to these individuals and to eliminate additional barriers to employment," Solis said.
That could involve helping provide needed tools or uniforms or help with child care and transportation to and from work. It also might be reimbursement for employers who provide on-the-job training.
WorkNet can work with employers to secure other benefits, such as tax credits through an enterprise zone or a number of other programs.
"The funding is going to leverage the available resources that we have," Solis said.
And the grant will allow WorkNet to bring on additional staffing itself.
"It will at least allow us to retain the staff that we do have," he said. "This money will carry us over for about 18 months."
San Joaquin is among a number of counties that will receive funding from Gov. Jerry Brown's portion of the federal Workforce Investment Act and administered by the EDD.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
S.J. wins $1M job-training grant
S.J. wins $1M job-training grant
Funds will help 800 laid-off workers in county
Print this Article Email this Article Text Size: A | A | A
By Reed Fujii
Record Staff Writer
January 14, 2012 12:00 AM
San Joaquin County employment officials will receive nearly $1 million from the state to provide employment and training services to more than 800 workers displaced by plant closures and other mass layoffs in recent months.
"Business layoffs and plant closures within the San Joaquin County were only part of the overall grim economic situation with an unemployment rate that peaked at 18.4 percent last January," said Pam Harris, chief deputy director of the state Economic Development Department.
In announcing the grant, an EDD statement said an estimated 100,000 San Joaquin residents working outside the county before the recession hit have also been severely affected by business downsizing and plant closures in neighboring counties. One example is the recent shut down of the Solyndra solar panel plant in Alameda County.
County residents also may be affected by threatened layoffs from the state Department of Corrections because of the prison realignment plan shifting prisoners from state to county custody.
The EDD grant, totaling $986,211, is mostly intended to assist nearly 500 call center workers affected by layoffs at Kaiser Permanente, West Asset Management and Mike Campbell & Associates; about 100 former local and state government employees; logistics and transportation workers laid off by Storer Transportation and Iron Mountain; and manufacturing sector cuts at Solyndra and the former Central Spring Inc. plant in Stockton.
San Joaquin County WorkNet expects to apply the funds to train those displaced workers for new jobs in manufacturing, supply chain management and logistics, health care, agribusiness and renewable-energy industries.
John Solis, WorkNet's director, said the grant will help shore up an employment agency that's been hit by funding reductions and forced to cut its staff in recent years.
"There are employers who are hiring, but what you have to do is facilitate that process," he said.
"The funding will allow us to provide additional training to these individuals and to eliminate additional barriers to employment," Solis said.
That could involve helping provide needed tools or uniforms or help with child care and transportation to and from work. It also might be reimbursement for employers who provide on-the-job training.
WorkNet can work with employers to secure other benefits, such as tax credits through an enterprise zone or a number of other programs.
"The funding is going to leverage the available resources that we have," Solis said.
And the grant will allow WorkNet to bring on additional staffing itself.
"It will at least allow us to retain the staff that we do have," he said. "This money will carry us over for about 18 months."
San Joaquin is among a number of counties that will receive funding from Gov. Jerry Brown's portion of the federal Workforce Investment Act and administered by the EDD.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
San Joaquin Film Festival Opens Today!/The Record
S.J. festival back with bigger films
Print this Article Email this Article Text Size: A | A | A
Buy This Photo
Photo 1 of 2 | Zoom Photo +
“The Sandman” was funded by Switzerland's arts council and has earned three nominations for Swiss Film Awards.
Courtesy photo
By Lori Gilbert
Record Staff Writer
January 12, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - This year's San Joaquin International Film Festival offers a little something old and something new.
The event opens today, the first time in five years it's been held in January, timed to coincide with the opening of film awards season.
At the same time, the festival marks the homecoming of sorts for 26-year-old Sophoan Sorn.
Fifth San Joaquin International Film Festival
When: today through Sunday
Where: Stockton Empire Theatre, 1825 Pacific Ave.; Janet Leigh Theatre, University of the Pacific campus, 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton
Admission: $7-$14; festival passes, $50-$100
Information: (209) 227-0210
Film schedule
Today at the Empire: 7 p.m., "The Sandman"
Friday at the Empire:
4 p.m., "Winter's Daughter";
6 p.m., "My Wedding and Other Secrets"; 8:15 p.m., "Amigo"
Saturday at the Empire: 12:30 p.m., "Winter's Daughter"; 2:30 p.m., "Rice Field of Dreams"; 5 p.m., "Restoration"; 7:15 p.m., Le Havre"; 9:30 p.m., "Chico & Rita"
Sunday at Janet Leigh Theatre: 1 p.m., Short Selections 2012; 3 p.m., "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey";
5:15 p.m., "Remembrance";
7:30 p.m., "Carol Channing — Larger than Life"
Committed to the San Francisco-based Berlin & Beyond Film Festival of the Goethe-Institut last year, Sorn was unable to be in Stockton for the 2011 event.
When he left for his San francisco-based job in 2010, Sorn and the film festival's board separated under a cloud of misunderstanding.
"There was a thought, when he took the Berlin & Beyond position, that he was not going to come back," said Shane Williamson, this year's film festival chairman.
Sorn always intended to maintain ties with the film festival he founded, and while his job kept him away from last year's screenings, he'd been a part of organizaing it, just as he's alwasy been.
His love of film began when he was 6 and he and his Cambodian parents saw Disney's "The Little Mermaid" during their flight from a Thailand refugee camp to the promise of a better life in America.
When he returns to what he considers his hometown for today's festival opener, Sorn brings with him a better understanding, not only of the area's foreign-film audience, but also of the right mix for a successful festival.
"We're focusing on two things: the work of master directors and the work of emerging talent," Sorn said. "The first San Joaquin Film Festival featured a lot of short films. The first one, we had 50 or 60 films. The third one, there were feature-length films and full-length documentaries. Now we're concentrating on a smaller program with bigger films."
To kick off the festival, Sorn is bringing with him Swiss director Peter Luisi and his film, "The Sandman," about a man who discovers he's leaking sand and must turn to a woman he hates the most to save him.
"It's a fantasy, drama, comedy, love story," said Luisi, whose film earned three nominations for Swiss Film Awards and was the audience award winner at the film festival in Saarbrucken, Germany.
His film was funded by Switzerland's arts council, which finances film and television productions.
"If you make a movie in German, you don't make your money back," Luisi said. "Film's an expensive medium, but this is good in a way, because I can make films I love making. There's less pressure because you don't have to make money. If it's all in German, they know it won't make money."
It will, though, tell the kind of thoughtful, character-centered story he's wanted to tell since he was 12 and decided he wanted to be a filmmaker.
His mother is American, and Luisi attended film school in the United States at University of North Carolina at Wilmington, North Carolina Institute for Film and Video Production and University of California, Santa Cruz, before settling in Zurich to work professionally.
"Stories are important," Luisi said. "It's inspirational to hear a good story, and film is a great medium. You can combine text and pictures and music and tell a powerful story.
"It's hard. Once in a while people succeed. I love good movies. My goal is to make good movies."
Sorn, who selected "The Sandman" for the Berlin & Beyond festival last October, believes Luisi does just that.
"We were walking back from getting coffee to the theater on Castro Street (during the Berlin & Beyond Festival) and we could hear people laughing," Sorn said.
"We went to the balcony and were watching the audience watching the film. What I loved most was when they asked Peter why he decided to make this film. He said, 'I wanted to make a film I wanted to see, that I wanted to experience.' "
"It's a whimsical, charming film. It's a great, refreshing experience, and I thought, 'Why not start the festival with a good laugh?' "
Luisi, whose trip to California includes screening his movie for the employees of Pixar and at the film festival in Palm Springs, said he looks forward to being part of the Fifth San Joaquin International Film Festival.
"I want that my movies get seen," Luisi said. "You do movies for an audience, and it's really nice to interact and see the people who see your film.
"You talk to them and know if they're affected by it, if they enjoyed it. You work so long, so hard, alone in a dark room trying to make a story work. This is the reward. I suck it up when I can.
"It's really nice when you realize a story you've been working on is reaching people."
He reports film festival viewers, who tend to be open to unusual, interesting films, have responded positively to his movie.
It also gained distribution in three German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and in Canada, Sorn said.
"He makes films that are very much character driven," Sorn said.
"He makes films that follow a person and pay attention to the nuances and expressions.
"It's a very real experience. The amazing thing is to be able to make films with such potential commercial power that have the feel of independent films."
Turning a small-budget film into a commercial success is a dream for any filmmaker, and some of the films in this year's San Joaquin International Film Festival have that potential, Sorn said.
In addition to "The Sandman," the other centerpiece films are "Le Havre," "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" and "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life."
" 'Le Havre' is Finland's entry into the 2012 Academy Awards and is about a young African refugee and his friendship with a local in the French seaport town of Le Havre who helps him dodge deportation" Sorn said.
" 'Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey' is a documentary about Kevin Clash, the man behind one of 'Sesame Street's' most popular residents, and 'Carol Channing: Larger than Life' is a valentine to the beloved star of stage and screen.
"One of the things that stands out this year are the love stories," Sorn said.
" 'The Sandman' is a love story; so are 'Carol Channing,' 'Chico & Rita,' an animated film for adults; 'My Wedding and Other Secrets'; 'Remembrance,' about a woman who lost her lover fleeing from the Holocaust and thinks he's dead. She sees him on TV and goes to search for him years later."
"Rice Field of Dreams" represents Sorn's love of his culture and the homeland of his parents.
Screened in Stockton in 2011, it's the story of a man who took baseball to Cambodia.
"I was impressed by the film and I wanted to show it," Sorn said. "I'm Cambodian, and I love to see the progression of the nation that's linked to my heritage."
It's a nation that has undergone change, much like the boy who was born of parents who fled its dark past has changed.
He has seen thousands of films since he sat on an airplane dazzled by "The Little Mermaid."
Bringing some of those he considers the best back to his hometown is his way of saying "thank you" to the community that helped raise him.
Contact reporter Lori Gilbert at (209) 546-8284 or lgilbert@recordnet.com.
HOME
Print this Article Email this Article Text Size: A | A | A
Buy This Photo
Photo 1 of 2 | Zoom Photo +
“The Sandman” was funded by Switzerland's arts council and has earned three nominations for Swiss Film Awards.
Courtesy photo
By Lori Gilbert
Record Staff Writer
January 12, 2012 12:00 AMSTOCKTON - This year's San Joaquin International Film Festival offers a little something old and something new.
The event opens today, the first time in five years it's been held in January, timed to coincide with the opening of film awards season.
At the same time, the festival marks the homecoming of sorts for 26-year-old Sophoan Sorn.
Fifth San Joaquin International Film Festival
When: today through Sunday
Where: Stockton Empire Theatre, 1825 Pacific Ave.; Janet Leigh Theatre, University of the Pacific campus, 3601 Pacific Ave., Stockton
Admission: $7-$14; festival passes, $50-$100
Information: (209) 227-0210
Film schedule
Today at the Empire: 7 p.m., "The Sandman"
Friday at the Empire:
4 p.m., "Winter's Daughter";
6 p.m., "My Wedding and Other Secrets"; 8:15 p.m., "Amigo"
Saturday at the Empire: 12:30 p.m., "Winter's Daughter"; 2:30 p.m., "Rice Field of Dreams"; 5 p.m., "Restoration"; 7:15 p.m., Le Havre"; 9:30 p.m., "Chico & Rita"
Sunday at Janet Leigh Theatre: 1 p.m., Short Selections 2012; 3 p.m., "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey";
5:15 p.m., "Remembrance";
7:30 p.m., "Carol Channing — Larger than Life"
Committed to the San Francisco-based Berlin & Beyond Film Festival of the Goethe-Institut last year, Sorn was unable to be in Stockton for the 2011 event.
When he left for his San francisco-based job in 2010, Sorn and the film festival's board separated under a cloud of misunderstanding.
"There was a thought, when he took the Berlin & Beyond position, that he was not going to come back," said Shane Williamson, this year's film festival chairman.
Sorn always intended to maintain ties with the film festival he founded, and while his job kept him away from last year's screenings, he'd been a part of organizaing it, just as he's alwasy been.
His love of film began when he was 6 and he and his Cambodian parents saw Disney's "The Little Mermaid" during their flight from a Thailand refugee camp to the promise of a better life in America.
When he returns to what he considers his hometown for today's festival opener, Sorn brings with him a better understanding, not only of the area's foreign-film audience, but also of the right mix for a successful festival.
"We're focusing on two things: the work of master directors and the work of emerging talent," Sorn said. "The first San Joaquin Film Festival featured a lot of short films. The first one, we had 50 or 60 films. The third one, there were feature-length films and full-length documentaries. Now we're concentrating on a smaller program with bigger films."
To kick off the festival, Sorn is bringing with him Swiss director Peter Luisi and his film, "The Sandman," about a man who discovers he's leaking sand and must turn to a woman he hates the most to save him.
"It's a fantasy, drama, comedy, love story," said Luisi, whose film earned three nominations for Swiss Film Awards and was the audience award winner at the film festival in Saarbrucken, Germany.
His film was funded by Switzerland's arts council, which finances film and television productions.
"If you make a movie in German, you don't make your money back," Luisi said. "Film's an expensive medium, but this is good in a way, because I can make films I love making. There's less pressure because you don't have to make money. If it's all in German, they know it won't make money."
It will, though, tell the kind of thoughtful, character-centered story he's wanted to tell since he was 12 and decided he wanted to be a filmmaker.
His mother is American, and Luisi attended film school in the United States at University of North Carolina at Wilmington, North Carolina Institute for Film and Video Production and University of California, Santa Cruz, before settling in Zurich to work professionally.
"Stories are important," Luisi said. "It's inspirational to hear a good story, and film is a great medium. You can combine text and pictures and music and tell a powerful story.
"It's hard. Once in a while people succeed. I love good movies. My goal is to make good movies."
Sorn, who selected "The Sandman" for the Berlin & Beyond festival last October, believes Luisi does just that.
"We were walking back from getting coffee to the theater on Castro Street (during the Berlin & Beyond Festival) and we could hear people laughing," Sorn said.
"We went to the balcony and were watching the audience watching the film. What I loved most was when they asked Peter why he decided to make this film. He said, 'I wanted to make a film I wanted to see, that I wanted to experience.' "
"It's a whimsical, charming film. It's a great, refreshing experience, and I thought, 'Why not start the festival with a good laugh?' "
Luisi, whose trip to California includes screening his movie for the employees of Pixar and at the film festival in Palm Springs, said he looks forward to being part of the Fifth San Joaquin International Film Festival.
"I want that my movies get seen," Luisi said. "You do movies for an audience, and it's really nice to interact and see the people who see your film.
"You talk to them and know if they're affected by it, if they enjoyed it. You work so long, so hard, alone in a dark room trying to make a story work. This is the reward. I suck it up when I can.
"It's really nice when you realize a story you've been working on is reaching people."
He reports film festival viewers, who tend to be open to unusual, interesting films, have responded positively to his movie.
It also gained distribution in three German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and in Canada, Sorn said.
"He makes films that are very much character driven," Sorn said.
"He makes films that follow a person and pay attention to the nuances and expressions.
"It's a very real experience. The amazing thing is to be able to make films with such potential commercial power that have the feel of independent films."
Turning a small-budget film into a commercial success is a dream for any filmmaker, and some of the films in this year's San Joaquin International Film Festival have that potential, Sorn said.
In addition to "The Sandman," the other centerpiece films are "Le Havre," "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" and "Carol Channing: Larger Than Life."
" 'Le Havre' is Finland's entry into the 2012 Academy Awards and is about a young African refugee and his friendship with a local in the French seaport town of Le Havre who helps him dodge deportation" Sorn said.
" 'Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey' is a documentary about Kevin Clash, the man behind one of 'Sesame Street's' most popular residents, and 'Carol Channing: Larger than Life' is a valentine to the beloved star of stage and screen.
"One of the things that stands out this year are the love stories," Sorn said.
" 'The Sandman' is a love story; so are 'Carol Channing,' 'Chico & Rita,' an animated film for adults; 'My Wedding and Other Secrets'; 'Remembrance,' about a woman who lost her lover fleeing from the Holocaust and thinks he's dead. She sees him on TV and goes to search for him years later."
"Rice Field of Dreams" represents Sorn's love of his culture and the homeland of his parents.
Screened in Stockton in 2011, it's the story of a man who took baseball to Cambodia.
"I was impressed by the film and I wanted to show it," Sorn said. "I'm Cambodian, and I love to see the progression of the nation that's linked to my heritage."
It's a nation that has undergone change, much like the boy who was born of parents who fled its dark past has changed.
He has seen thousands of films since he sat on an airplane dazzled by "The Little Mermaid."
Bringing some of those he considers the best back to his hometown is his way of saying "thank you" to the community that helped raise him.
Contact reporter Lori Gilbert at (209) 546-8284 or lgilbert@recordnet.com.
HOME
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Woodbridge Irrigation District to Issue $40 in refund checks/Lodi News Sentinel
Woodbridge Irrigation District to issue $40,000 in refund checks
StoryComments (1)ShareShare Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size .
California water conservation
The California Farm Water Coalition recently released a report on agricultural water use for 2011. Some of their top findings follow:
■Growers use over 62 million acre-feet of water per year.
■Potential new water from agricultural water use efficiency is only 1.3 percent of the current water use by farmers, about 330,000 acre-feet.
■Groundwater overdraft is still a problem, totaling about 2 million acre-feet per year.
■Changes in irrigation practices, like changing from flood to drip irrigation, can help reroute flows within a region or basin, but do not usually create new water outside of the basin.
— Source: California Farm Water Coalition
.Posted: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:04 am, Wed Jan 11, 2012.
Woodbridge Irrigation District to issue $40,000 in refund checks By Sara Jane Pohlman/News-Sentinel Staff Writer Lodinews.com | 1 comment
Local growers will receive $40,000 in refund checks from the Woodbridge Irrigation District for conserving water. The district issued the checks as part of their 2011 flood and furrow metering program.
District manager Andy Christensen said between 40 and 50 customers can expect checks in their mailboxes within a few days. Some will receive as little as $50, while one large grower can look forward to a return of about $9,000. But most checks were between $500 and $600.
"It rewards growers for conserving," he said. "It provides an opportunity for growers to make their own decisions."
The district has metered water use for grapes and row crops for eight years, but 2011 was the first year in which all district water use was metered. That means more than 400 customers are now able to watch their water use tick upward like the meter at the gas station.
Seeing the actual cost instead of paying a flat rate can inspire conservation, said Christensen.
The system works because it doesn't force growers to conserve or meet any quotas, said Christensen. Instead, it leaves the decision up to the individual, and rewards based on participation.
Some crops are better than others for surviving on little water. Grapes are a good example, as well as olives. The problem is that during a dry year, like 2012 is shaping up to be, growers can't simply switch to a new crop. If they've planted trees or vines, it's a major undertaking to start fresh.
Christensen was pleased to see such good cooperation.
"It's a winning result for everyone," he said. "They get money back and we are able to save some water."
Contact reporter Sara Jane Pohlman at sarap@lodinews.com.
StoryComments (1)ShareShare Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size .
California water conservation
The California Farm Water Coalition recently released a report on agricultural water use for 2011. Some of their top findings follow:
■Growers use over 62 million acre-feet of water per year.
■Potential new water from agricultural water use efficiency is only 1.3 percent of the current water use by farmers, about 330,000 acre-feet.
■Groundwater overdraft is still a problem, totaling about 2 million acre-feet per year.
■Changes in irrigation practices, like changing from flood to drip irrigation, can help reroute flows within a region or basin, but do not usually create new water outside of the basin.
— Source: California Farm Water Coalition
.Posted: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:04 am, Wed Jan 11, 2012.
Woodbridge Irrigation District to issue $40,000 in refund checks By Sara Jane Pohlman/News-Sentinel Staff Writer Lodinews.com | 1 comment
Local growers will receive $40,000 in refund checks from the Woodbridge Irrigation District for conserving water. The district issued the checks as part of their 2011 flood and furrow metering program.
District manager Andy Christensen said between 40 and 50 customers can expect checks in their mailboxes within a few days. Some will receive as little as $50, while one large grower can look forward to a return of about $9,000. But most checks were between $500 and $600.
"It rewards growers for conserving," he said. "It provides an opportunity for growers to make their own decisions."
The district has metered water use for grapes and row crops for eight years, but 2011 was the first year in which all district water use was metered. That means more than 400 customers are now able to watch their water use tick upward like the meter at the gas station.
Seeing the actual cost instead of paying a flat rate can inspire conservation, said Christensen.
The system works because it doesn't force growers to conserve or meet any quotas, said Christensen. Instead, it leaves the decision up to the individual, and rewards based on participation.
Some crops are better than others for surviving on little water. Grapes are a good example, as well as olives. The problem is that during a dry year, like 2012 is shaping up to be, growers can't simply switch to a new crop. If they've planted trees or vines, it's a major undertaking to start fresh.
Christensen was pleased to see such good cooperation.
"It's a winning result for everyone," he said. "They get money back and we are able to save some water."
Contact reporter Sara Jane Pohlman at sarap@lodinews.com.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Medicla prison takes shape/The Record
Nearly $1 billion project to employ more than 1,000 by summer
Buy This Photo 
A wall is raised and installed for one of the buildings under construction Thursday at the California Health Care Facility site in southeast Stockton. The facility, which will include 31 buildings, is due to be completed by the end of 2013MICHAEL MCCOLLUM/The Record
STOCKTON - Construction is well under way on the California Health Care Facility, a nearly $1 billion prison medical project in southeast Stockton, and the action is expected to only get hotter.
Clark/McCarthy, the general contractor assembling the facility's 31 main buildings, currently has about 120 employees and subcontractors on site.
Construction of the California Health Care Facility, to treat state prisoners who need long-term medical and mental-health care, is expected to generate 5,500 construction jobs over the next two years and employ 2,400 health-care professionals and correctional officers when completed in 2013.
For more information, call (209) 644-5049 or (209) 507-7800, or on the web visit granitehenselphelpschcf.com or clarkmccarthychcfstockton.com.
"We'll be almost 1,200 by the Fourth of July," predicted Mike Ricker, Clark/McCarthy vice president.
With 31 buildings - including prisoner housing, medical and mental treatment facilities, a central kitchen and administration building - to complete by the following summer, Ricker expects the project to move at a dizzying pace.
"There's about a million dollars (of work) per calendar day we have to put in place," he said Thursday as the state Department of Corrections and general contractors opened the work site for a media tour.
Most of the work to date has been grading and installing underground utilities in preparation for building construction, but the walls are starting to go up on the central utilities plant, which will provide the prison's water, heating and cooling, as well as electricity through an adjoining switch yard.
That central plant is a project keystone, said Shannon Gustine of Granite Hensel Phelps, the general contractor on the other major portion of the project, which includes grading, parking areas, armory, lethal electric fence and guard towers.
"That essentially has to be done before they can bring these other buildings on line," she said Thursday on the tour.
When completed by the end of 2013, the 1.2 million-square-foot facility will provide long-term medical and mental-health care to 1,722 state prisoners.
While the construction work is expected to generate as many as 5,500 temporary jobs over the next two years, the finished prison will employ 2,400 doctors, nurses and correctional staffers with an annual payroll of $220 million.
That will be a huge boost to a city and county where the unemployment rate, at 15.5 percent in November, is among the highest in the nation, Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston said.
"These are jobs with benefits, jobs with good wages," she said.
"This is a good thing that's happening in our community."
And, there is more to come.
Mike Meredith, who's overseeing the construction project for the corrections agency, said Clark/McCarthy has at least $200 million in subcontracts to award.
"There's still a lot of opportunities for the local community, local contractors," he said.
In addition, the city and the contractors are hosting a jobs information fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Stockton Civic Memorial Auditorium, 525 Center St., Stockton.
Doug Wilhoit, chief executive of the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, noted that he and other local leaders opposed the medical facility when initially proposed. The chamber, joined by the city of Stockton and San Joaquin County, sued the state over the steps to ease the huge impacts the project would have.
But after extracting agreements to provide local sales tax revenues on materials used in the prison, build a secure medical facility to treat prisoners at San Joaquin General Hospital, and to ensure a share of the work for local workers and contractors, the controversy is well past, Wilhoit said.
"The most important thing is the friendship that's developed between the CDCR, the general contractors and the community," he said.
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com.
Austin Road Business Park drawing interest for firms/Manteca Bulletin
POSTED January 6, 2012 12:53 a.m. | ||
Manteca Mayor Willie Weatherford noted that developers are starting to get inquiries from interested corporations.
“That’s going to happen just based on the size of the project,” the mayor said in reference to the adopted plan that can easily accommodate distribution centers in excess of a million square feet with quick freeway and rail access.
Once a nibble turns into the landing of an employment center, Weatherford anticipates Manteca will have a strong magnet to pull in additional jobs - especially in distribution - as the economy gains strength. It is projected that at build out the project could add almost 13,000 jobs to Manteca’s economy.
Economists have noted many corporations are looking for ways to consolidate distribution facilities and relocate to areas with enhanced transportation and more central to larger markets.
Developer Bill Filios of ANF has noted that Austin Road Business Park is now in a position similar to what Spreckels Park was in just over 13 years ago searching for a seed tenant. That would trigger investment in infrastructure which in turn would be used to lure more job centers.
Weatherford in talking about the future of Manteca at the dawn of 2012 noted that Austin Road Business Park will play a role much like Spreckels Park did in jump starting the local economy in the last decade but on a larger scale. The Austin Road project is almost three times the size of Spreckels Park.
The mayor believes it represents one of Manteca’s best opportunities to lure employers to add local jobs. Build-out, once the first tenant is secured, is expected to be between 15 and 20 years. By contrast, Spreckels Park had a projected 20-year build out although it was almost 100 percent completed in 10 years.
The right “seed project” would start the development ball rolling at the Austin Road Business Park. It worked for Spreckels Park in 1999 when the AKF Development‘s commercial real estate broker was able to convince Frito-Lay that Manteca was ideal to consolidate their Stockton and Modesto operations into one location. This time around, the big draw is Manteca’s central location to 18 million consumers within 100 miles. That’s not all. Manteca also offers access to key north-south and east west freeways and the Austin Road site is within minutes by truck of two major intermodal trailers to freight operations - Union Pacific Railroad and Santa Fe Railroad. It also helps that Manteca has relatively inexpensive land and inexpensive labor.
Austin Road Business Park is a multi-use project with business parks, retail and housing.
The impact of the project generally south of Highway 99 saddling Austin Road is so big it will generate 10, 200 residents or about a seventh of the existing population of Manteca. By contrast, Spreckels Park added about 600 residents.
It also will:
• Convert 1,049 acres from farming and rural residential use to urban development. Spreckels Park consists of 362 acres.
• The potential to create up to 13,000 jobs - or close to 50 percent of the existing jobs in the city. Spreckels Park has generated just under 2,000 jobs so far.
• Add up to 3.5 million square feet of general commercial or about 26 times the square footage of the Manteca Costco store.
• Add 2,358 traditional single family homes and 1,840 multi-family dwelling units such as townhouses, apartments, and condos. Spreckels Park added 166 single family homes.
• Accommodate 8 million square feet of industrial/business park, and office use or space equal to 17 times the coverage area of the Ford Motor Parts distribution center on Spreckels Avenue.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Scientific Specialties ( A Partnership Investor) brings jobs to Lodi/Lodi News Sentinel
Making a difference Scientific Specialties brings innovation, jobs to Lodi
Company on Eastside creates plastic products for scientific research
Scientific Specialties brings innovation, jobs to Lodi
Robbie Hovatter, left, and K.R. Hovatter, owners of Scientific Specialties, at their company on Friday, Dec. 30, 2011. With a workforce of about 120 employees, Scientific Specialties has greatly increased the size of its business, expanding the facility by 70,000 square feet.Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 6:42 am, Thu Jan 5, 2012.
In a compound of buildings on Lodi's Eastside, K.R. Hovatter is masterminding a world of plastic to help change the world.
Hovatter designs and builds an array of products used around the world, from Korea to Germany. The company he founded with his wife Robbie, Scientific Specialties, creates thousands of products each day for medical research.
In 2011, as many Lodi firms retracted, Scientific Specialties expanded, and dramatically. An $8 million project added 70,000 square feet to the company's development and manufacturing center on Thurman Street in Lodi's industrial district. The company now employs 120 workers, including laborers, product testers, designers and managers.
The company started in 1990 with a 3,000-square-foot building and two employees — K.R. and Robbie. Their family-owned company is now a dynamo of productivity, creating products seven days a week, 24-hours a day.
The Hovatters met at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, then attended San Jose State University. K.R. studied chemistry while Robbie studied nursing and art. At the University of California, Los Angeles, K.R. earned a doctorate in chemistry. The couple has three children: Kyle, 25; Danielle, 22 and Peter, 20.
K.R. Hovatter's career has been a blend of science, art, and enterprise. He holds several patents and takes great pride in building products that are both elegant and functional.
"Essentially, we try to build a better mousetrap," he said. His company's growth is propelled in large measure by the stepped-up government funding of medical research in recent years.
The products are diverse and specialized. Among their primary products are compact tubes of various ilk and the racks to hold them.
Many of K.R. Hovatter's little pieces of plastic are used for a process called PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. It is a fast and relatively inexpensive way to make many copies of small segments of DNA for testing and research.
The products are sold through dealers to medical and research operations worldwide.
The business of building medical plastics is brutally competitive, with Asian and Indian companies offering similar products. But while the business is competitive, it is also selective. Technicians and researchers need products that are of supreme consistency and quality.
Hovatter, on a tour of his company, pointed out large plastic injection machines, each a marvel of mechanical and electronic integration.
"These come from Germany. We could have bought less expensive injectors, but they are not as good. We felt it was worth the investment."
Scientific Specialties focuses on quality, customer service, and flexibility. If a customer wants a customized product, or one that bears a special logo, that can happen with minimal fuss. With its array of injection machines and molds, the company can make more than 1,000 different products.
Last year, in fact, the company shipped more than one billion parts.
It is a balancing act, though, between maintaining strict standards of quality and meeting sometimes-aggressive production demands.
"We are innovative and customer-driven, but we are also honest, at times painfully so," said Paul Connelly, sales and marketing manager. "If the customer wants something that can't be done, we tell them that. You can't just wave a magic wand and make something happen if it doesn't align with our standards of quality."
Why did the Hovatters choose Lodi?
The couple knew of a moldmaker in Lodi that introduced them to the community.
They built the business here, in part, because of good electric rates and a large labor pool willing to work for reasonable wages.
When the decision was made to move to Lodi, Robbie Hovatter was eager but a bit curious, too.
"My thought was, 'What is Lodi?' Coming from the Bay Area, we didn't know quite what to expect," she said. "Now, we absolutely love it. It is home."
The expansion last year was ambitious, but several thousand square feet remain unfinished.
As even better mousetraps are built, that space will likely be filled, too.
"We've been blessed so far," said K.R. Hovatter. "We hope and pray we can continue to grow."
Contact Editor Rich Hanner at richardh@lodinews.com.
Hovatter designs and builds an array of products used around the world, from Korea to Germany. The company he founded with his wife Robbie, Scientific Specialties, creates thousands of products each day for medical research.
In 2011, as many Lodi firms retracted, Scientific Specialties expanded, and dramatically. An $8 million project added 70,000 square feet to the company's development and manufacturing center on Thurman Street in Lodi's industrial district. The company now employs 120 workers, including laborers, product testers, designers and managers.
The company started in 1990 with a 3,000-square-foot building and two employees — K.R. and Robbie. Their family-owned company is now a dynamo of productivity, creating products seven days a week, 24-hours a day.
The Hovatters met at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, then attended San Jose State University. K.R. studied chemistry while Robbie studied nursing and art. At the University of California, Los Angeles, K.R. earned a doctorate in chemistry. The couple has three children: Kyle, 25; Danielle, 22 and Peter, 20.
K.R. Hovatter's career has been a blend of science, art, and enterprise. He holds several patents and takes great pride in building products that are both elegant and functional.
"Essentially, we try to build a better mousetrap," he said. His company's growth is propelled in large measure by the stepped-up government funding of medical research in recent years.
The products are diverse and specialized. Among their primary products are compact tubes of various ilk and the racks to hold them.
Many of K.R. Hovatter's little pieces of plastic are used for a process called PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. It is a fast and relatively inexpensive way to make many copies of small segments of DNA for testing and research.
The products are sold through dealers to medical and research operations worldwide.
The business of building medical plastics is brutally competitive, with Asian and Indian companies offering similar products. But while the business is competitive, it is also selective. Technicians and researchers need products that are of supreme consistency and quality.
Hovatter, on a tour of his company, pointed out large plastic injection machines, each a marvel of mechanical and electronic integration.
"These come from Germany. We could have bought less expensive injectors, but they are not as good. We felt it was worth the investment."
Scientific Specialties focuses on quality, customer service, and flexibility. If a customer wants a customized product, or one that bears a special logo, that can happen with minimal fuss. With its array of injection machines and molds, the company can make more than 1,000 different products.
Last year, in fact, the company shipped more than one billion parts.
It is a balancing act, though, between maintaining strict standards of quality and meeting sometimes-aggressive production demands.
"We are innovative and customer-driven, but we are also honest, at times painfully so," said Paul Connelly, sales and marketing manager. "If the customer wants something that can't be done, we tell them that. You can't just wave a magic wand and make something happen if it doesn't align with our standards of quality."
Why did the Hovatters choose Lodi?
The couple knew of a moldmaker in Lodi that introduced them to the community.
They built the business here, in part, because of good electric rates and a large labor pool willing to work for reasonable wages.
When the decision was made to move to Lodi, Robbie Hovatter was eager but a bit curious, too.
"My thought was, 'What is Lodi?' Coming from the Bay Area, we didn't know quite what to expect," she said. "Now, we absolutely love it. It is home."
The expansion last year was ambitious, but several thousand square feet remain unfinished.
As even better mousetraps are built, that space will likely be filled, too.
"We've been blessed so far," said K.R. Hovatter. "We hope and pray we can continue to grow."
Contact Editor Rich Hanner at richardh@lodinews.com.
Workshop sponsored by the Stockton Chamber and City of Stockton
Americans with Disabilities Act
ADA
Compliance Workshop
Featured Speakers:
Jennifer Barrera, Policy Advocate, California Chamber of Commerce
Rex Hime, California Business Properties Association (CBPA)You will learn:
Current laws affecting your business
Current Federal & State Legislation
compliance
Services available to get your business inWhen
: January 20, 2012 @ 10:00a.m. to 12:00 noonWhere
150 Stockton, CA 95202 (there is a fee to park in Garage
on El Dorado entrance)
: Stewart Eberhardt Building 22 E. Weber Ave. SuiteRSVP
and for more information at: kgonzalez@stocktonchamber.org~The workshop is free, limited space.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
As I-205 shows, road projects are paved with cash | Recordnet.com
As I-205 shows, road projects are paved with cash | Recordnet.com
MEASURE K: PART ONE
As I-205 shows, road projects are paved with cash
Buy This Photo
Measure K helped widen Interstate 205 through Tracy from four lanes to six.Michael McCollum/The Record
MEASURE K: PART ONE
AS I-205 SHOWS, ROAD PROJECTS ARE PAVED WITH CASH
By
January 04, 2012
STOCKTON - In 2009, when work crews wrapped up a $93 million project to expand the oft-congested Interstate 205 from four lanes to six, it was reason to celebrate for the frustrated commuters, local businesses and public officials who had been clamoring for years that this vital connection to the Bay Area be widened.
Public pressure is one thing, but what finally pushed the project toward completion was cold, hard cash.
San Joaquin County transportation officials lent the state $66 million in 2005 to get the project rolling. They were able to make the loan because of money from the half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1990 with the passage of Measure K.
That program was set to expire in March 2011, but voters in 2006 chose to extend the tax into 2041.
The money made it possible for the I-205 project to start when it did, said Stockton's Ort Lofthus, transportation advocate and leader of the grass-roots push to widen I-205.
Throughout its 20-year history, the sales tax has helped fund other vital transportation projects important to the county.
"Measure K is the one thing that lit it all on fire," Lofthus said.
The tax's legacy and future is the ability pay for transportation priorities, both with the millions of dollars collected through Measure K and the millions more in state and federal dollars that follow the local investment, officials said. The projects have included both regional priorities - like the major freeways connecting cities in the county to each other and the rest of the state - to smaller projects within individual communities.
"I think it has been the absolutely best thing that has happened in San Joaquin County in the past 25 years," said Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston, who is also a member of the San Joaquin Council of Governments, the regional transportation authority that manages the fund.
Of California's 58 counties, only about a third have such tax measures for transportation.
Putting up local matching funds helps bring back taxpayer dollars sent out of the county to Sacramento and Washington D.C., said Chuck Winn, Ripon City Council member and chairman of the Council of Governments. He points to recent figures that show that the county has brought in more state dollars for projects in one year than the other seven counties in the transportation region combined.
Anybody driving a car south on Highway 99 out of the county can tell the difference by looking at the condition of the roadway after crossing into Stanislaus County, he said. The end result is a county more attractive to both current and future residents and businesses looking for a place to locate, he said.
"The better you can make your infrastructure - not just roads, but transit ... that makes the quality of life better," he said.
The original Measure K helped establish the Altamont Commuter Express passenger rail service. It also allocated money towards its operation and the operation of San Joaquin Regional Transit District bus service. Major road projects include:
» Building new interchanges on Highway 99, including the point where 99 meets Highway 120 in Manteca.
» Widening Highway 99 between the Crosstown Freeway and Hammer Lane in Stockton.
At one time, the transportation authority projected the sales tax would bring in $735 million over its original, 20-year lifetime.
But as the original Measure K began to wrap up, the country's economy started to crash. And the county - like the rest of the nation - had fewer funds from sales-tax revenue, and transportation officials scaled back projections to about $642 million, which worked out to about $667 million with investment earnings.
It had a minimal impact on the first round of Measure K projects, but recovery limped along as the renewed Measure K program began ramping up.
Projections that the next 30 years of Measure K would bring in nearly $5 billion had to be significantly revised.
Lowered expectations, notwithstanding, the money from the renewed sales tax is being used as a down payment on future transportation improvements. Along with funding through the California Department of Transportation, Measure K is building infrastructure for the next generation of county residents.
And the projects that broke ground in 2011 - such as the $122 million project to widen Interstate 5 in much of Stockton and help create the first carpool lane in San Joaquin County - are just the beginning.
Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at or zjohnson@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/johnsonblog.
Measure K 2.0
Measure K, passed by voters in 1990 to add a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects, expired in 2011. But voters chose to extend the program for another 30 years. Today, The Record looks at the legacy of Measure K's first 20 years. On Thursday, the two-part series will conclude with the outlook for the program's next phase: transportation projects underway and those yet to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)