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EDITORIAL: 'Action, Action, Action': Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Must Go Beyond Big Plans.

Posted on: Saturday, 8 April 2006, 12:00 CDT

By The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Apr. 8--Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley is a promising initiative aimed at improving the region's economy and the overall quality of life. But here's the real question: Will good intentions and hard work by the 31-member task force translate into results that make the Valley a better place to live?

Even with eight of the governor's Cabinet secretaries assigned to the partnership, the challenges are difficult, and the politics standing in the way are immense. Solutions also are costly, and the Valley must compete with the rest of California for the state's resources.

By now, any Valley resident can tick off the biggest problems: The Valley's air is polluted, its infrastructure is aging, its health-care system is in crisis and its education system can't meet the needs of children growing up in poverty.

But the enthusiasm of task force members is contagious. On Friday, state and regional leaders working on the partnership held a forum to discuss the issues and strategies aimed at getting results. We like what the governor said about what's needed in the Valley: "Action, action, action."

The state's involvement in the region is so significant that Victoria Bradshaw, state secretary of labor and workforce development, said Silicon Valley officials are complaining that "we're spending too much time in the San Joaquin Valley." It's about time. For too long, this region was ignored by state government, which is why so much of our public facilities and infrastructure are in disrepair.

Allocating state resources in California has seldom been about fairness. It's been a numbers game, and this Valley can't compete with the political clout of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego. They have more people and more legislators looking out for their interests. But Schwarzenegger has been willing to represent the Valley in ways that previous governors have not.

The partnership, with its cabinet secretaries and other heavy hitters, has a chance to make the Valley better, and an impressive agenda has already been laid out. By the fall, the partnership will submit an action plan on improving the eight-county region.

But this effort can't just be about holding meetings and developing plans. Schwarzenegger's comments when he created the partnership should be on the wall at every meeting: It's time for "action, action, action."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Fresno Bee

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