|
Region Matters
|
July 16th, 2013 Vol. 3. Issue 38
|
|
|
Dear Friends,
Welcome! Thank you for joining us for this week's Region Matters! We value growing our Region Matters family and encourage everyone to share the work of the CRC with your partners and colleagues.
  |
|
|
|
|
CRC Spotlight
|
How to Sustain Prosperity? Regional Equity, According to New Study
 Last week, Policy Link highlighted a new study on regional equity by CRC Executive Committee member Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor, USC. More equitable regions sustain economic growth over the long haul. That's the conclusion of their new research examining the economies of the 184 largest metropolitan regions from 1990 to 2011. Although a strong body of research shows that equity is associated with the pace of growth, this is the first study in the United States to show that greater income equality and social inclusion can also mean longer growth spells in U.S. regions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reported similar findings internationally, looking at national economies. Benner, an associate professor of Community and Regional Development at the University of California, Davis, explains the research and its implications.
To read the full article in Policy Link's newsletter click here.
|
|
CRC Impact
|
Central California Environmental Justice Network (CCEJN) Organizes around the Kettleman Hills Waste Facility Public Hearings
 On Tuesday, July 2nd 2013, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced the approval of a draft permit requested by Chemical Waste Management Inc. to expand and redesign the Kettleman Hills Facility. As described by Central California Environmental Justice Network, this marks a dark day for activists and residents of Kettleman City and the San Joaquin Valley that have spent years fighting the expansion of this polluter in Kings County. The CCEJN states they will stand with the residents of Kettleman City, Greenaction, Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, El Pueblo and others to fight the implementation of this permit, and believes that this landfill is a pollutant and a hazard to everyone in the valley and more importantly to the over-burdened residents of Kettleman City. To learn more details about Kettleman Hills, visit the CCEJN website by clicking here.
|
|
Regional Change in the News
|
PandoDaily: Silicon Valley's Ugly Rich-Poor Gap: What's the tech world gonna do about it?
Last week's PandoDaily article citing CRC Executive Committee member Chris Benner is an insightful read about the growing disparity of wealth in the Bay Area. The article describes the Valley ..." where the gap between the rich and the poor is growing. The median household income hit an 11-year low in 2011, according to the 2013 Silicon Valley Index, at about $85,000 a year (although that was 45 percent above state levels). The share of households bringing in less than $35,000 a year increased two percent compared to three years earlier, hitting 20 percent. The nonprofit Insight Center for Community Economic Development has estimated that a family of four needs to make $74,000 a year just to cover basic needs. And while most Silicon Valley residents saw their incomes increase in 2011, African Americans and Hispanics saw their incomes drop by 18 percent and 5 percent respectively."
For a link to the full PandoDaily article, click here.
|
|
Regional Change Impacts
|
New Comic Book Reaches New Audiences With an Environmental Justice Message
 Read the newest contribution to the Environmental Justice in Action Blog about Mayah's Lot, a new beautifully illustrated comic book depicting a young heroine who galvanizes her community into action to protect the public health of her community and fight a hazardous waste facility from opening in her neighborhood. The comic book has been heralded as a powerful learning tool for young students in urban areas, teaching them that the environment is something that exists everywhere, not just in rural places far from their homes. Produced by Rebecca Bratspies with the CUNY Center for Urban Environmental Reform. Click here to read the comic book.
|
|
Upcoming Events
|
August 2, Statewide Conference on Farmland Preservation in Napa, CA
Are current efforts to conserve farmland in California working? What strategies can communities use  to protect their irreplaceable agricultural resources? Learn the answers to these questions and more on August 2, 2013 in Napa, California at a statewide conference: Reality or Wishful Thinking? This conference will highlight successes, define obstacles, and explore new directions for conserving California agricultural land. Co-sponsored by American Farmland Trust and Napa County Farm Bureau, the Farmland Conservation conference will welcome leaders from around the state, including from: California Farm Bureau Federation, California Department of Conservation, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, California Rangeland Trust, and UC Berkeley, California Climate & Agriculture Network.
Click here for the conference program and list of speakers and here for registration details.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
