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The Modesto Chamber is a member of the Central
California Chamber Alliance, a coalition of
five local chambers of commerce in this region
who
are working collectively to make a difference
in Sacramento. The Chamber Alliance, with the
support of a grant from Pacific Gas & Electric,
employs The Apex Group, a full service legislative
consulting firm in Sacramento.
Currently, five local chambers of commerce
are members of the Chamber Alliance, including
Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Hughson and Ripon.
Officers of the Chamber Alliance board of directors
are:
Chairman - Steve Boyd, Turlock Irrigation
District
Chair-Elect - Marie Assali, California
Grown Nut (Hughson)
Vice Chair - Mike Carpenter, Leap/Carpenter/Kemps
Insurance (Merced)
Treasurer - Dave Harvey, Oak Valley Community Bank (Modesto)
Program Priorities
The Central California Chamber Alliance provides
a mechanism for area chambers to work collectively
for the betterment of the business community
they represent. As part of their mission, they
partner with the California Chamber of Commerce
and others to lobby for business friendly legislation.
As a reflection of their dedication to their
local communities, The Alliance also strives
for regional economic health, fair-share allocation
of state and local funding, and a quality of
life necessary for a thriving business environment.
Understanding that all regions of the State are
unique, and for purposes of partnering with local,
state and federal government officials, The Alliance
has chosen to focus in on the following issues
of critical importance to the area and area businesses.
Air Quality
Air quality is a serious issue threatening our
quality of life and future development opportunities.
With two major highway corridors cutting through
our valley (Interstate 5 and Highway 99), state
and federal assistance is sorely needed to
help mitigate the effects of the current situation.
We support action to enact Smog Check II for
the Bay Area and other corrective measures
to reduce the impact that other areas have
on air quality in the valley. Failure to enlist
proper state and federal support for a clean
air strategy will force business expansion,
both new and existing, to occur elsewhere,
which will have a serious economic impact on
state and local government.
Water
As local governments and water agencies attempt
to meet the ever-increasing regulations for
drinking water and wastewater standards, costs
for improvements are passed onto the consumer.
Disparate application of regulations, as well
as, a failure to weigh real benefits against
economic cost and loss, compounds the issues.
Additionally, increasing demands and a shortage
of new water, add to the supply challenges.
These issues are especially crucial to the
region because of anticipated levels of growth,
the nature of the food processing industry,
and requirements of agricultural portion of
the local economy.
Agriculture
Stanislaus County is consistently among the top
15 counties in the United States for agricultural
production value. In addition to farm production,
food processing and other agribusiness concerns
represent a major segment of the employment
base in the county. The Alliance will partner
with agricultural organizations, commodity
groups and agribusiness leaders on legislative
and regulatory issues affecting agriculture
in the valley. In addition, they will encourage
the location of state and federal research
and development programs addressing the growing
concern for food safety.
Transportation
The future economic development and quality of
life in the Central Valley is largely dependent
on the ability of local government to maximize
available resources to improve the area’s
transportation network. The Alliance will work
towards acquiring this area’s fair share
of state and federal funding for transportation
improvements and beautification programs along
major highway corridors.
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