California’s Central Valley will be left behind no more, its leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom promised as the region became the first in the state to meet with the governor to submit its 20-year economic development plan, which aims to boost its agricultural industry and prepare for a key role in the green economy.

The event last week in Fresno builds on the governor’s initiative, which he introduced in March, to invest in economic and workforce development with a focus on 13 regions as the state tries to help create more opportunities outside of its traditional jobs centers, such as the Bay Area and Los Angeles. 

“A thriving Sierra-San Joaquin region is essential to California’s future,” said Ashley Swearengin, chief executive of the Central Valley Community Foundation, which helped bring together the counties in the region to create the 502-page plan, which was funded by the state. She handed a binder with the plan to Newsom during the news conference on Thursday.

Among other things, the counties of Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare are asking for $58 billion in public and private investments in the region over the next couple of decades, according to a draft of the plan from August. The region, which produces 25% of the nation’s food supply, has an annual output of $70 billion, the plan says.

Despite its agricultural contributions and the major role it’s expected to play in helping generate the state’s renewable energy, 1 in 5 people in the region live below the poverty line, said Swearengin, a former Fresno mayor. “The challenges that confront this region’s families must always be present in our minds.” 

The governor said he expects to take the other regions’ plans and release a statewide blueprint in January. The state has set aside $182 million so far in grants to follow through on the plans.

There’s optimism around the state’s focus on regions. Kate Gordon, CEO of California Forward, ​​a nonprofit organization that focuses on the California economy and a former director of the governor’s Office of Planning and Research under Newsom, said, “Across California, stakeholders are getting together on a thoughtful approach” to creating high-quality jobs. 

Gordon added that some people “don’t feel themselves as part of the economy right now,” and that the regions working on their own strategies was “an incredibly inclusive process.” 

Newsom acknowledged what he called economic uneasiness among the state’s residents despite fairly low unemployment.

“This is about people feeling on edge,” the governor said, adding that he is “excited” to support grant applications from the region. “It’s not talking about macro conditions, but about micro lived reality.”

A common takeaway from this year’s elections is that voters made their decisions partly because of their economic concerns, at least according to exit polls. 

Newsom, who is heading into his final two years as governor, says he’s responding to those concerns. Republicans continually criticize him for being out of touch with the daily struggles of many Californians. Even as his national stature has grown, the state’s voters are split on his performance as governor. 

The governor made the announcement in Fresno County, where 51% voted for Donald Trump and 46% voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, with all but 7,100 votes counted. In 2020, Trump lost the county to Democrat Joe Biden 53% to 45%.

Fresno County, which has a per-capita income of about $50,000 a year, among the lowest in California, also has consistently had among the highest unemployment claims in the state, according to data from the Employment Development Department. 

California’s unemployment rate inched up in October, to 5.4% from 5.3% the previous month. That’s the second-highest jobless rate in the nation, behind Nevada, while the U.S. unemployment rate is 4.1%. 

This week, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s office noted in its fiscal outlook for the next year: “Outside of government and health care, the state has added no jobs in a year and a half.”

Sumagaysay covers the California economy for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

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