California’s Central Coast: Who We Are and Who We Are Becoming continued
Geography of Diversity Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties comprise over 4,500 square miles and are home to nearly 1.3 million residents.6 The region, which includes mountain ranges to the north and east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, is known for its tourism and agriculture industries. A statewide report on travel spending shows that travel to both Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties had been steadily increasing between 2010 and 2019, with visitors in 2019 spending $2.1 and $1.8 billion, respectively.7 In 2019, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties both grossed over $1.5 billion in agricultural production, ranking them 11th and 13th statewide.8 Although the region features a number of organic farms, agricultural production is weighted toward large-scale industrialized production which, along with the hospitality and service industries, accounts for the bulk of the region’s low-wage employment. Much of the produce from industrialized agriculture is slated for worldwide export, situating the two counties among the largest export markets for agriculture in the nation. The Port of Hueneme is another marker of the way the region has positioned itself in the global marketplace. The only deep-water port between San Francisco and Los Angeles, it specializes in automobiles, commercial vehicles, agricultural products and a range of consumer goods. It also generates a considerable amount of pollutants from truck and rail traffic in Oxnard and surrounding areas, leading environmental justice advocates to call on Port officials to transition to zero-emission vehicles in the coming decade. The military also has a presence in the region; Oxnard has two naval bases, and Lompoc is home to Vandenberg Air Force Base. Naval Base Ventura County at Port Mugu is the largest employer in the county. Despite the visibility of an environmental movement that dates back to the massively destructive Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969, the region continues to account for a substantial proportion of California’s oil production, with drilling and production sites located in close proximity to working-class communities of color. Another notable feature of the regional economy is the presence of a number of post-secondary education institutions, including the University of California, Santa Barbara, a tier-one research university that is also officially recognized as a Hispanic-serving institution and is the largest employer in the county, as well as California State University Channel Islands, and a number of highly regarded community colleges and private colleges and universities. In recent decades, the region has become home to a now fast-growing high-tech sector, expanding from the longer-established presence of the aerospace industry. The region has also been known for its extensive nonprofit and small business sectors, although both experienced major setbacks during the pandemic, as was the case in the financial crisis and Great Recession of 2008.
14
TOWARDS A JUST AND EQUITABLE CENTRAL COAST
Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties comprise over 4,500 square miles and are home to nearly 1.3 million residents.
