Assemblymember Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) today announced the publication of San Joaquin Valley: Land, People, and Economy, a report prepared at his request by the California Research Bureau (CRB), an arm of the State Library.

The report provides data on educational attainment, health and medical indicators, employment and the economy, population growth, and environmental challenges for the San Joaquin Valley as a whole and for each of the Valley's eight counties. The report, authored by the CRB's Dr. Kenneth Umbach, documents the Valley's recent employment growth in a variety of sectors despite the lingering challenges of poverty and undereducation.

"This CRB report gives terrific firepower to any government agency or nonprofit organization in the San Joaquin Valley that applies for grants based on the needs of our region and our people," said Assemblymember Arambula in announcing this report. "The report lays out our Valley's educational, economic, and environmental needs in a clear and precise manner. It also shows how we've begun to make headway on some of the challenges that we face as a region."

The report is available online at http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/05/07/05-007.pdf, or in hard copy by contacting Assemblymember Arambula's district office at (559) 445 5532. This report is the first of two being prepared at Arambula's request. The second report, due for publication in early 2006, will focus on state spending for programs in the Valley compared with other areas of the state.

The CRB provides nonpartisan research services to the Governor and his staff, to both houses of the Legislature, and to other state elected officials. The Bureau regularly publishes Studies in the News, an electronic notification service of new studies and reports about matters of current legislative or administration interest, accessible at http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/sitn.cfm.