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Our Valley’s economy is endangered, says commentary

Posted by: Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:29 am

From the Fresno Bee, this commentary by Case Lawrence, a venture capitalist and longtime Fresno resident:

“Like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, our Valley economy is an especially fragile ecosystem and investment capital has long been our most endangered species. Although we have aspired to economic diversity, the truth is that most of our Valley’s capital is still quietly tucked away in farms, orchards, F-150′s and processing plants.

The real value of that capital is vaporizing with every drop of water that doesn’t reach our land and every day that passes without a predictable picture of what those flows will look like in the future.

This is not just an ag problem. Like a living system, the various segments of our economy are connected organically. As our capital base shrinks, so does financing, jobs, population, innovation and philanthropy.

Start-ups don’t get funded, homes don’t get built, city budgets are decimated. Unlike Delta water, the negative fall-out from our capital devaluation will trickle down to every segment of our economy. … “


Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.

March 14, 2010 · Filed Under San Joaquin Valley

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