[env-trinity] Employment figures for Fresno Co, and other rural counties in Calif.

[Byron Leydecker]

From: Felix Smith <febesmith at sbcglobal.net>

Date: June 23, 2009 6:52:24 PM PDT

 

Here are some interesting facts.

In 1978 the tax payer subsidy to the Federal San Luis Unit of the CVP was
estimated at $770 million or about $1,540.00 per acre (USBR figures. )
Today that values would be about $5,227 00 per acre using the  Cost of
Living Calculator for 2007.  Another interesting fact is that people in
Madera, Merced and Fresno Counties received about $132 million in farm
subsidies in 2006.  People in Trinity County received $585.00 (USDA
Environmental Working Group Website Feb 16, 2009.)  

Who is getting screwed here?  Of course it is the federal taxpayer and the
public trust. 

Felix   

 

From: summerhillfarmpv at aol.com

Date: June 23, 2009 6:10:24 PM PDT

 

This covers some info taken from the link below on unemployment figures in
the S.J. valley and around California.  Found it interesting to counter some
of Nunes/Costa/Cardoza/Radanovich and company on the regulatory drought
question.  This is the "people vs. fish" argument now going on.  Perhaps
some can share with media.

Mark Rockwell

ESC California'

NCCFFF

 

If you take the numbers as given for all counties in California for 2009
(May), and then look at the 9 previous years as well it is quite revealing. 

*	For Mendota (the town given as the worst, and where the governor has
been twice to rile against the ESA and regulation caused unemployment) it
shows 38.8% unemployment for May 2009. 
*	For Mendota the 9 year previous average is 28.1%.  Mendota always
leads Fresno County in unemployment for the past 10 years (all I looked at).

*	Fresno county, Nunes country (includes Mendota) shows a 15.4%
unemployment for May 2009, with a 9 year average of 10.5%.  
*	Of the 18 most agriculture driven counties in California the average
unemployment is 15.6% for May 2009.  Seven other counties have worse
unemployment than Fresno, with the highest in Imperial County in the So.
Calif. desert at 26.8%.  
*	Six of the seven with bigger unemployment are not affected by the
CVP water cutbacks, and four have 100% water deliveries from the CVP (above
Delta ag). 
*	Lastly, when looking at the 2008 unemployment figures and averages,
Fresno county has the seventh highest increase in unemployment (2008 to May
2009), meaning six other counties have worse unemployment change over last
year than Fresno.  Six of these are outside the CVP area for water delivery.

I think it is tough to say that it is water that is causing all the problem.
It appears to be a drought that is affecting all of the rural counties,
along with the recession.  As Lester 

Snow, DWR Director said in D.C. a month or so ago, "if we had no court
ordered cut back, S.J. Ag would still only receive 5% more water.  It is a
drought caused problem."

 

http://valleyecon.blogspot.com/2009/03/sacramento-bee-owes-delta-advocates.h
tml

 

Byron Leydecker, JcT

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 land

415 519 4810 cell

 <mailto:bwl3 at comcast.net> bwl3 at comcast.net

 <mailto:bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org> bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org
(secondary)

 <http://fotr.org/> http://www.fotr.org 

 

 

 

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