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Senator Wesley Chesbro State Capitol, Room 5035 Sacramento, California Assembly Member John Laird State Capitol, Room 6026 Sacramento, California Re: Reconsideration of Funding for the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Dear Senator Chesbro and Assemblymember Laird: I am writing to express my strong support for the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley (Partnership) and to request that the Conference Committee on the Budget reconsider its decision to remove its funding from the 2006-07 budget. The San Joaquin Valley is the eight-county region in the exact center of the state. It stretches from Kern County in the south to San Joaquin County in the north, includes over 60 cities and 3.7 million people, and is the fastest growing region in the state. Unfortunately, by any social or economic measure, the San Joaquin Valley is also the poorest region of the state. Consider this: - The San Joaquin Valley has the worst, chronic unemployment in the nation. - The San Joaquin Valley’s poverty rates are among the highest in the nation and are more than twice the national average. - The per capita income in the San Joaquin Valley is 32% less than the state average. - The San Joaquin Valley is one of the two dirtiest air basins in the United States. - The region’s education rates are among the lowest in the state. To attempt to address these long-term, systemic challenges in the region, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an executive order in June 2005 that created the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley (Partnership). The Partnership is a public-private collaborative charged with developing a strategic action proposal for improving the region. The Partnership will complete an action plan by October 31, 2006 that will include comprehensive strategies for realizing the region’s economic development opportunities, as well as addressing its major challenges in air quality, water, workforce development, education, land use, and housing. It is critical that funding for the implementation of the strategic action proposal be available in the 2006-07 budget. Without it, many of the critical projects and opportunities to improve the region will be missed once again. I urge your reconsideration of the $5 million appropriation identified by Governor Schwarzenegger and supported by the Assembly.