March 2014
www.cvbizjournal.com
MARCH
2014 VOL 9 • NUMBER 7
Business Journal Central Valley
www.cvbizjournal.com
StOCKtOn • traCy • lODI • ManteCa • latHrOP • lInDen • rIPOn
MODeStO • CereS • tUrlOCK • OaKDale • rIVerBanK
State’s drought debate Courting Millennials How credit unions are attracting the next generation.
Entrepreneurial Pharmacists Pacific pharmacy students learn that health and business can mix.
Page 27
ELIZABETH STEVENS/CVBJ
Linden rancher Kenny Watkins says the drought forced him to send calves to market early to reduce the number of cattle he had to feed.
Many in ag believe state should focus on water storage solutions
Stanislaus County’s big push to boost the graduation rate.
By CRAIG W. ANDERSON Business Journal writer
Page 40
WHAT’S INSIDE Publisher’s Notes............Page 2 Briefs.....................Pages 46, 47 Insight and Analysis......Page 40 Legals....................Pages 48-51
St. Mary’s students tackle Internet bullying in new video By MARIE SARDALLA-DAVIS Business Journal writer
Page 19
Destination Graduation
1
LINDEN – Cattle rancher Kenny Watkins walked one of his pastures, checking his cattle one Sunday in late February. To the casual observer, the field still appeared green a couple weeks after the biggest storm to hit the state in more than a year. But a closer look showed how thin and dry the grass was.
“What we need is more rain,” said Watkins, who has been coping with yet another year of dry conditions by reducing his herd and feeding what’s left with expensive hay. Last year was California’s driest year on record and while the February rain wasn’t enough to turn things around, it was “better than nothing,” said Stanislaus County Assistant Commissioner Dan Ber-
naciak. “It was most beneficial for the addition to the snowpack which will provide some runoff. The rain helped orchards and alfalfa but did little to mitigate the overall drought effects.” The drought is a threat to the Central Valley’s $6 billion agriculture industry, but there is some help on the way. The U.S. Department of Agriculture designated 27 of California’s 58 counties as natural disaster areas meaning agricultural operators may qualify for low-interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Please see DROUGHT Page 6
STOCKTON – Kathy Smith, dean of students at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, remembers her lightbulb moment when she believed bullying needed to be tackled head-on. She was listening intently to a child, who was describing the experience of being bullied. Smith was seated next to parent Tori Verber-Salazar, San Joaquin County deputy district attorney. “Tori and I looked at each other and said at the same time, ‘We have to do something,’,” Smith recalled. That “something” grew into the Empowering Young Women student organization at St. Mary’s High School. Now in its third year, Empowering Young Women has produced videos and invited speakers to on-campus events to spark discussion on cyber bullying, bullying, sexting, and social issues such as teen dating violence, friendship, betrayal and forgiveness. “The videos and speakers have also addressed human trafficking, eating disorders, incarcerated parents, addiction, discrimination and sexual identification,” said Verber-Salazar. “This year’s video is about the power of social media, both positive and negative, and how we might harness it for good,” said Barbara Daly, who collaborates with the students and brings the project to life through her video production company Daly Video Services in Stockton. The students involved in Empowering Young Women are the first to feel its influence. Two of them, Yasmine Barkett and Sydney Seligman, both 17, noted a rise in their own Please see EMPOWERING Page 10
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