Congressional report shows lack of federal investment in Central Valley

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Six Valleycongressmen today released a preliminary federal report that shows aneight-county area of the SanJoaquin Valleypersistently gets the short end of the federal funding stick.

In a joint press conference via satellitefrom Washington, D.C.,Reps. Devin Nunes, Dennis Cardoza, George Radanovich, and Jim Costa said the Central Valley region ranks below historicallyimpoverished regions around the nation, yet doesn't get the same level offederal investment. Reps. Bill Thomas and Richard Pombo were unable to attendthe press event but can be contacted at their offices (their comments can alsobe found below).

Some of the basic findings include:

Per capita federal direct expenditures and obligations to the San Joaquin Valleywere $4,736 for fiscal year 2002, compared to per capita federal directexpenditures and obligations to the United States were $6,814 forfiscal year 2002. That means that the San Joaquin Valleygot $2,000 less per capita compared to the national average.

The report also showed that the 2000 poverty rate for the San Joaquin Valley(20.5%) was significantly higher than the national rate (12.4%) and California (14.2%).

The final report, which will pool data from multiple sources and providerelevant analysis, will be released several weeks from now. The preliminaryresults, while not surprising, do begin to lay a foundation by which thelawmakers can begin to affect budget decisions as Congress enters itsappropriations season.

Rep. Bill Thomas

"The data included in the report reflect what many in the Valley suspected:That the Central Valley continues to have manyneeds, and that we need more federal funding," said Ways and Means CommitteeChairman Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield. "I will continue to work with mycolleagues to improve the Central Valley's, and California's, share of federal funding."

Rep. Dennis Cardoza

"The Central Valley is being shortchangedby the federal government," said Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced. "With anexploding population, it's time to pull people together to coordinate a plan ofaction and make the most of our resources in order to address our problems."

Rep. Richard Pombo

"This study gives us a good baseline assessment and solidifies the case formore funding," said Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Tracy. "Moreimportant, we must focus on projects already in the works that will better thelives of the people living in the Central Valley.We must create transportation solutions, which will lead to access to betterjobs and improve the overall economy."

Rep. Devin Nunes

"Considering the challenges we face herein the Central Valley with chronic, highunemployment and pervasive poverty, we have been overlooked for federalinvestment and assistance," said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. "I think it isunrealistic to ask for new money to level the playing field. What we need to dois make sure the San JoaquinValley is getting itsfair share of existing federal dollars that are already allocated."

But even as the report details ongoingproblems in the eight-county region, the lawmakers have already been involvedin efforts to reverse the federal funding trend. Last year, the lawmakersjoined forces to strengthen a Clinton-era Executive Order mandating increasedfederal attention to the Central Valley. Thechanges to the Executive Order were signed by President George Bush and arebeing implemented by a federal task force.

The bipartisan group of lawmakers saidthey will use the information found in the new report by the CongressionalResearch Service (CRS) to leverage even greater help through the task force inthe months and years to come.

The lawmakers also laid out an action planto address issues raised in the report:

Thecongressmen have requested a meeting with officials at the White House todiscuss the report and identify areas of priority.

Utilizethe report to advance a bill to include Hwy. 99 in the federal interstatesystem, which would make it eligible for increased funding.

Eachcongressman will hold events in their districts to help local governments andagencies improve their efforts to apply for and receive federal grants andcontracts.

Rep. Nunes

"Highway 99 is the economic umbilical cord for the Central Valley to thegreater commercial centers in northern and southern California," said Rep. Nunes, who introducedthe bill last month. "As a coalition of lawmakers, we can make the improvementsneeded to ensure the continued growth of industry and jobs here at home."

Rep. Cardoza

"The Central Valley is growing, but theresources for law enforcement are not," Rep. Cardoza said. "While we have beensuccessful in obtaining grants and other funding for programs that fightagainst meth and gangs, more must be done to obtain our fair share of thefederal resources available."

Background

The six lawmakers requested the study in 2004, hoping the informationuncovered in it would help leverage the efforts of the federal InteragencyTaskforce designated to lend federal assistance to the region.

The CRS report details the current socioeconomic and environmental concernsin the San JoaquinValley and assesses therole of federal assistance to the cities and counties of the Valley. The final report due out several weeks fromnow will explore in detail the extent to which the SanJoaquin Valley sharessimilarities with and differences from other economically depressed areas inthe United States. Of particular interest is the role of federalassistance in the San JoaquinValley relative to itsrole in other economically distinctive areas.

The study's major analytical focus will be the eight counties that largelycompromise the Valley (and that represent the six members' CongressionalDistricts): Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus,San Joaquin and Tulare. The report will also focus on the sixmetropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) of the valley: Fresno,Merced, Modesto, Stockton-Lodi,Bakersfield,and Visalia-Tulare-Porterville.