Outlook 2016

|

February 21, 2016

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

Special Section

STRATEGY

PROCESS SUCCESS LEADERSHIP

INNOVATION GROWTH

Water issues to watch

Technological transformation

A taste for success

While 2016 has been wetter than recent years, it hasn’t been wet enough to end the drought. And even though the drought is one of California’s most pressing concerns, there are other important water issues to watch.

Some San Joaquin County farms are adopting technology from drone and digital cameras to automated pickers to improve harvests, cut costs and deliver higher quality products to consumers.

Farm-to-fork-style dining is a big trend in the restaurant industry and with the region's abundance of farms, San Joaquin County diners are sure to benefit. Pair that with the rapidly growing interest in Lodi's wine scene and it's a sure recipe for success.

Page 16

Page 5

Page 7

S1

S2

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

EDUCATION

Efforts afoot to address teacher shortage

Joel Munoz, a second-year intern teaching an introduction to art course at Lincoln High School, didn’t think about becoming a teacher until after-school programs at Franklin High School sparked a “calling.” He graduates this spring from the Teachers College of San Joaquin. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD

By Nicholas Filipas Record Staff Writer

Cherish Ignacio had a hunch she wanted to become an educator as a little girl at Colonial Heights Elementary School in Stockton.

Now halfway through her first year to earn a preliminary teaching credential from the Teachers College of San Joaquin, Ignacio, 26, and many others like her are a welcome sight to a state thirsty not only for water, but for fully credentialed teachers.

“I’m not afraid,” Ignacio said about the current job market in education. “I always try to do my best and, hopefully, it plays through.”

California is slowly but surely gaining ground in a shortage of teachers.

School districts big, such as Los Angeles, and small, such as Lodi, have felt the sting of not having enough qualified instructors in the classroom.

As they receive an increase in budgeting to K-12 education, districts are attempting to lower the student-teacher ratios and reinstate classes and programs that were reduced or simply eliminated during the recession that struck in 2008.

Stockton Unified School District assistant superintendent of human resources Craig Wells said the district is gearing up for the upcoming hiring season in the spring, with

plans to hit numerous job fairs throughout the state.

With the 2015-16 school year past the halfway point, Wells said SUSD, the largest school district in San Joaquin County with 40,000 students, is in pretty good shape and has filled almost every position it had open at the start of the year in August.

“I would say we’re conservatively optimistic,” Wells said.

In a report titled “Addressing California’s Emerging Teacher Shortage,” by the Learning Policy Institute, the shortage began a few years ago, when thousands of experienced teachers were laid off.

At the same time, fewer younger teachers wanted to wait for job openings to return, and enrollment in educator preparation programs dropped more than 70 percent over the past decade.

Ignacio, the only person in her family to go into a career in education, said she wants to teach third grade but also likes the idea of teaching English as a second language.

She spent a year in Korea teaching English and wants to stay in Stockton.

“I love Stockton,” she said.

“I want to stay here and see the city grow.”

The same rings true for second-year intern Joel Munoz, who has been teaching an introduction to art course at Lincoln High School.

While he’s set to graduate from the teachers college this spring, Munoz said he didn’t think about becoming a teacher until participating in after-school programs at Franklin High School sparked a “calling.”

“I didn’t know it, but my experience was gearing to prepare to be in classroom,” Munoz, 27, said. “That being around people who love of kids, being with kids in those environments, I developed a heart for children and for our youth in the city.”

Other factors for the teacher shortage include an unforeseen number of retirements; teachers’ salaries not as high as those in some professions that require comparable education, training and skills; and many new recruits being uncertain about job security.

These factors meant a new generation may see teaching as more of a “gig,” and will decide to leave for a new profession within just a few years, creating a vicious cycle of openings, some have predicted.

Katie Turner, College and Community Liaison of the Teachers College of SJ, said the college currently has approximately 150 intern teachers employed in San Joaquin County, ranging in age from 20 to 62 and averaging 35.

Interns in the program to be hired as teachers experience a two-year course to

earn a preliminary teaching credential.

Individuals complete preservice coursework, called CBEST, becoming eligible to be intern teachers and complete all the necessary steps in order to become a credentialed teacher.

The state Commission on Teacher Credentialing reported nearly 8,000 teachers with substandard credentials or provisional permits were in California classrooms in the 2014-15 school year, a 63 percent increase from two years ago.

EdJoin.org, a national education job posting website, lists 13,442 educational openings in California. It shows Stockton Unified with 18 openings for certified instructors as of Feb. 1. Lincoln Unified lists 16 postings; Manteca Unified has 14.

“San Joaquin County is middle of the road as far as numbers compared to some counties like San Francisco, who have seen little to no increase (in openings),” Josh Micheals , system lead for EdJoin said.

The number of vacancies by county on EdJoin.org found San Joaquin County saw a 60 percent increase in just two years (from 616 in 2013 to 987 in 2015) and Calaveras County witnessed a 94 percent increase (from 36 in 2013 to 70 in 2015).

The most sought-out

subjects are special education, science and mathematics.

SUSD will seek more multiple subject K-8 instructors.

In addition, Wells stressed the district needs more nontraditional positions such as speech-language pathologist ($41,943 starting salary), school psychologist ($45,756) and school nurses ($44,993).

This also comes at a time of major changes to the California education system.

A $122.6 billion state spending plan was unveiled by Gov. Jerry Brown that includes plans for a significant funding boost of school spending per K-12 student to $10,591 in 2016-17, nearly $3,600 more than in the 2011-12 school year.

President Barack Obama also had signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law, giving districts more flexibility to use federal funding for programs and services they believe would best improve academic achievement.

New proposed legislation to address the crisis, SB 915 introduced by Sen. Carol Liu, D-La Cañada-Flintridge, would boost recruiting efforts on college campuses to encourage students to consider a teaching career, provide a financial incentive to go into the profession by forgiving student loans for those who teach four years in schools and subject areas with the greatest demand for qualified teachers,

and strengthen professional mentoring to help new teachers navigate the challenging demands of their new career.

The shortage is not likely to alleviate soon, said Mike McKilligan, assistant superintendent of personnel in Lodi Unified.

He said while some days the district, which services 29,800 students, will experience a greater number than normal of regular teachers calling in sick and have to dip deep into their substitute pool, most days they are able to maintain their reliable substitute teachers and keep them in the district.

“Overall, Lodi is doing reasonably well,” McKilligan said in an email.

While both Ignacio and Munoz have heard the negatives of becoming teachers, they won’t let those deter them.

What really drives them is seeing the light bulb go off in their students and share that with their classmates.

“Sometimes you don’t see the fruit of your labor,” Munoz said, “but then you see (students) apply what you’re showing them — or better yet — when they help somebody else get it, that’s the most rewarding to me.”

— Contact reporter Nicholas Filipas at (209) 546-8257 or nfilipas@recordnet.com.

Follow him on Twitter @nicholasfilipas.

Looking for a Job? Look here first.

ValleyMarketPlace.com

|

Outlook

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S3

PORT OF STOCKTON

Following up record-setting years

By Wes Bowers Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON — Despite suspending its Marine Highway project in 2014 because of a lack of shipping volume, officials at the Port of Stockton still are looking forward to a future of increased traffic and usage.

Port Director Richard Aschieris said several projects underway at and around Rough and Ready Island will make one of the area’s largest employers more attractive to private industry shipping companies from around the world.

SCB International, a materials supplier serving the cement manufacturing industry based in Newtown, Connecticut, already is setting up shop on a four-acre site at the port, and Aschieris said he is hoping similar companies will follow suit once a handful of infrastructure projects are completed this year.

“The focus is in our infrastructure, not only to accommodate changes in traffic patterns, but to also attract the private sector to the port,” he said. “Anything we can do to make it easier to locate here, we will do.”

Aschieris noted that in 2015, the port welcomed a record 247 ships carrying more than 3.8 million metric tons of cargo, an increase from 2014’s record of 230 incoming vessels.

To extend the success of two consecutive record-breaking years, several roadways into the commerce center will be remodeled.

The major project underway is the extension of the Crosstown Freeway, which involves elevating the Fresno Avenue dead-end by 35 feet and laying nearly a mile in new roadway over the Boggs Tract residential to the west and carry traffic onto Navy Drive.

While the extension is a project headed up by Caltrans, the port has been busy with its own roadway projects, including the widening of Navy Drive from two lanes to four.

The Port of Stockton has several projects underway at and around Rough and Ready Island, from a four-acre facility for materials supplier SCB International to roadway expansion and remodeling.

The work comes after the port received a record 247 ships carrying more than 3.8 million metric tons of cargo in 2015. MIKE KLOCKE/THE RECORD

The $8.5 million project involves widening the road from the Crosstown Freeway to the port to accommodate the increase in traffic because of Caltrans’ freeway extension.

In addition, the project would widen the Navy Drive underpass from 26 feet to 145 feet, as well as lower the road bed to provide a height clearance of at least 16 feet, 9 inches instead of the 14-foot, 4-inch clearance that currently

exists.

Aschieris said the port will bid out publicly its long-awaited replacement of the Navy Drive Bridge this year.

Replacing the narrow, World War II-era structure that connects Rough And Ready Island to Stockton has been on the port’s to-do list since it acquired the former naval base in 2000.

Plans include building a fourlane bridge parallel to the original

one across the San Joaquin River.

Ascheiris said with a projected increase in vehicle traffic, a wider and stronger bridge will be needed to handle the volume of vehicles coming and going into the port.

The replacement project will cost about $10.5 million to complete, he said.

Another expansion underway, and which Aschieris said should be completed this year, is the increased railway capacity project

that will add another 24,000 feet of rail within the port.

The additional track will allow the port to double its ability to handle unit trains, which typically are mile-long chains of rail cars handling one single type of cargo.

The port currently handles six unit trains, and the expansion will increase capacity to 12 trains, he said.

Much of the funding for these projects will be through federal

grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as a local grant from the San Joaquin Council of Governments.

The Economic Development Department awarded the port $1.9 million, the Department of Homeland Security provided SEE PORT, PAGE 18

S4

Sunday, February 21, 2016

|

Outlook

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S5

AGRICULTURE

Digital tech transforms farming

By Reed Fujii Record Staff Writer

In a processing plant east of Stockton, a cascade of cherries is funneled into a series of cups that zip individual fruit though a photographic barrage, capturing 24 shots of each fruit in color, infrared and other aspects.

With that information, a computer directs air jets that sort the cherries into various categories of color, size and defect and, in the process, replaces dozen of people who might do the work by hand.

Outside Lodi, more than 80 people tramp through a cool and muddy springtime vineyard to visit a mysterious machine — shrouded in blue tarps — that promises to accurately and expertly prune the row of grapevines it straddles without human intervention.

Over the San Joaquin Delta west of Stockton, a “flying wing” aerial drone soars over a tomato field, making a series of surveys to gauge varying development of the plants and fruit, moisture and nutrient soil conditions, and more.

“It’s a very interesting time for high technology agriculture,” said Stavros Vougioukas, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis.

He recently received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of the National Robotics Initiative.

Ever more powerful and less costly computer and graphics chips, better and cheaper digital cameras, steady advances in artificial intelligence and machine vision are helping bring more high technology into orchards and croplands, he said.

“We are seeing a lot of

progress and we will see more and more applications related to robotics in agriculture and specialty crops.

For Vougioukas, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, that means using technology to improve mechanical orchard harvesters, essentially motorized platforms that carry four or more pickers down the rows of trees.

Such machines clearly are not more cost effective than the traditional approach of pickers toting and climbing to reach the fruit.

Vougioukas hopes to improve them by adding a Carnegie Mellon vision system to gauge the amount of fruit to be picked and the speed of individual pickers, and incorporate automated lifts that would position workers so they could gather the fruit most efficiently.

The robotic grape pruner largely would replace vineyard workers, said Claude Brown, co-founder of Ag Industrial Manufacturing Inc. (AIM) in Lodi.

His company is contributing to the design of the machine being developed by Vision Robotics Corp. of San Diego.

“The pruning machine that’s being worked with has artificial intelligence,” he said. “It’s visually looking and scanning and making the decisions.”

The machine and its software can identify and count individual branch spurs and buds on grapevines and, while still a project in development, promises to prune more uniformly and consistently than hand labor.

Even more successful, Brown said, is a lettuce thinner used on long rows of small spouts.

It is another Vision Robotics project with contributions from AIM.

A robotic grape pruner being developed by Vision Robotics Corp. of San Diego with the assistance of Lodi’s Ag Industrial Manufacturing Inc., would replace most vineyard workers, but promises to prune more uniformly and consistently than hand labor. REED FUJII/THE RECORD

“It looks at all the plants in the row and weeds out those that are malformed, undersized or is a weed, and does this at 7 mph,” he said. “It replaces 150 hand hoers.”

What such automation does create, Brown suggested, is a more highly paid job for a skilled operator, who also might run a harvester, fertilizer rig and is a year-round employee, while replacing a number of temporary, migrant farm workers.

“The more and more we mechanize, the cheaper your food product is going to be,” he said. “By the advance of technology, we are ensuring

our posterity will be able to have safe quality food for generations.”

Paul Verdegaal, viticulture adviser with University of California Cooperative Extension in Stockton, said the scarcity of labor and its increasing cost are pushing the adoption of new digital technology.

“It’s definitely part of the future of most any industry that’s using a fair amount of labor,” he said. “There’s going to be a rise in the use of artificial intelligence to do a lot of the dirty work that takes a lot of time and is costly now.”

Scott Brown, production

manager at Morada Produce Co., said the cherry packer’s large optical sorter not only cuts labor costs, but also does a better job in detecting and culling out soft fruit than human sorters.

It also improves sorting by size, doing in one pass what used to take several.

And for the first time, it allows cherries to be sorted by fine color distinctions, say cherry red vs. deep maroon.

As a result, he said, “We’re producing a better quality product for the end consumer.”

In addition, Brown said, “Yes, we do see some labor savings. Yes, we do use it as

an aid in the way we pack fruit in general.”

Results are so good, Morada Produce is installing a new optical sorter, having put in one large machine in 2013.

Looking forward, Brown said, the company’s cherry growing operation is planting trees to be trained to a trellis to form tall “fruiting walls” to allow harvest mechanization.

Said Brown: “It’s this brave new world when it comes to feeding the masses.”

— Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@ recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @ReedBiznews.

S6

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

DOWNTOWN STOCKTON

Momentum continues for city’s inner core

Raymond Cavazos, left, and Samuel Mora put up fencing as work begins for construction and renovation at the site of what will be the Cal Weber 40 affordable housing development at California Street and Weber Avenue. It’s one part of the sustainable restoration of downtown Stockton into an urban core. ROGER PHILLIPS/THE RECORD

By Roger Phillips Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON — The path a pioneer travels always is a bumpy one, a lesson attorney Jacob Loyal Benguerel was learning roughly one year ago at this time as he struggled to fully establish his law practice on the frontier of Stockton’s downtown.

Benguerel, 36, had bought the old Stockton Morris Plan Company building and had spruced it up both outside and in.

But that’s when the problems began, as the neighborhood’s persistent issues of crime and trash and the graffiti of a tagger named Earl hamstrung Benguerel’s best efforts to reclaim and restore his small slice of downtown Stockton.

One year later, however, Benguerel says he has seen dramatic improvement.

“There’s a whole lot more energy,” Benguerel said recently. “You’re hearing about more and more people coming downtown. As far as my own block (crime) has almost stopped. Earl is long gone. We haven’t heard from Earl.”

Benguerel’s observations about the potential for a sustainable restoration of downtown Stockton are reflected in the progress he expects to see in the year ahead.

Some of it, he will be able to see from his business’ own doorstep.

In 2016, City Hall will continue its move into nearby 400 East Main Street; an eatery and a coffeehouse may open right down the block from Benguerel’s building, which sits on the east side of California Street between Weber Avenue and Main Street; and developers of the Cal Weber 40 affordablehousing project are expected to hand the keys over to the first of their tenants in July.

“Young families that are just getting started … we see as our target market,” Cal Weber developer Chris Flaherty said.

“It’s a generational shift now

into an urban core with walkability. The city of Stockton has that urban-core feel and people are beginning to feel it.

It’s going to take time, like all good things do.”

When fully leased, 40 families will move into Cal Weber in scantly occupied downtown.

Though that number is modest in proportion to what downtown boosters ultimately aspire to, it is a small step toward creating a built-in demand for goods and services beyond the regular business hours when workers fill the city’s center.

Some of the early impetus for downtown progress came from the initiation last year by two local entrepreneurs of the regular Stockmarket artisan and food events.

The positive activity on Benguerel’s street is not all that is expected for downtown in 2016.

Slated to open within months are a new restaurant and a new craft brewery that are to fill long-vacant storefront space in the Belding Building on the northeast corner of Weber Avenue and San Joaquin Street.

“You’re starting to see some real organic growth,” Micah Runner, Stockton’s director of economic development, said of downtown.

“You’re starting to see some new investment. You’ve seen some pop-up type events like Stockmarket really start to take off.

“You’re going to see a lot more of that in 2016, that kind of organic growth and kind of the entrepreneurial, creative artist class that I think a lot of times is the driver for downtown.”

Efforts also continue to secure complete funding for a 100-unit affordable-housing project with a ground-floor grocery store at Miner Avenue and San Joaquin Street.

And from the government sector, a new courthouse is set to open late this year to replace the widely unloved current facility.

Additionally, the most

Anthony Barkett, center, shows work to F&M Bank executives Ken Smith, left, and Tom Lowe before the official groundbreaking for the Cal Weber 40 development. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD

ambitious of all efforts — the Open Windows Project of Ten Space, Inc. — continues to inch forward. If it eventually is fully realized over the course of years, Open Windows will fill a 15-square-block section of downtown with 1,400 residential units (most of them market-rate rentals), as well as locally owned shops, restaurants, businesses and offices.

“It sounds kind of corny, but you’re seeing kind of a coolness factor come back to downtown,” Runner said. “That’s what really is going to drive

the additional investment. It’s going to start organically. It’ll be cool, it’ll be exciting.”

When that day arrives in full force, Benguerel will have proven to be a prescient pioneer.

Benguerel, who purchased his building in 2013, says his investment in the two-story, 3,500-square-foot edifice has cost him the very reasonable price of less than $250,000, including refurbishment.

But by early last year he had become so exasperated by neighborhood woes that

he wondered if he had made a mistake in moving his practice downtown, and he went public with his issues.

Making his complaints known proved effective. Benguerel says the Stockton Police Department and the Downtown Stockton Alliance were responsive to his grievances and the neighborhood climate has improved so dramatically he now is considering expansion.

“I was extremely frustrated with the citizens of Stockton and their apparent

unwillingness to help with bringing downtown back to life,” Benguerel said. “It continues to still be something we need to work on. (But) there seems to be a youth movement, a younger crowd stepping up that says we’re not go to put up with this anymore. There seems to be some hope.”

— Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or rphillips@recordnet.com.

Follow him at recordnet.com/ phillipsblog and on Twitter @rphillipsblog.

|

Outlook

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S7

WINE & DINE

Seasonal menus offer local products

By Almendra Carpizo Record Staff Writer

A hyperlocal approach to food and a more global look at wine is forecast to highlight and spotlight the dining and wine scene in San Joaquin County.

Acquired taste for locally sourced food grows With dozens of farms within a spatula’s throw away, chefs at some of the most popular restaurants in San Joaquin County are experimenting more with rotating menus and in-season, locally grown produce.

There’s a lot of seasonality in menus nowadays, said Wes Rhea, chief executive officer of Visit Stockton.

“Creative menus, menus that change seasonally are not just fads,” he said. “They’re here to stay.”

People are focusing more in locally grown, fresh ingredients, said Nancy Beckman, who has been president and CEO of Visit Lodi for 15 years. Farm-to-forkstyle eateries are a big trend in the restaurant industry.

This spring, Cast Iron Trading Co. is expected to open a café in downtown Stockton, Rhea said.

The owners are about “cool funky food that’s locally sourced.

The menu changes a lot.”

Cast Iron Trading Co., formerly Cast Iron Cheese, gained fans this past year after offering decadent eats during the quarterly Stockmarket, a maker’s market in Stockton.

“It’s a concept that is much more familiar to people in the San Franciscos and Los Angeleses and Portlands of the world,” coowner Eric Lee previously told The Record. “A scratch-made, seasonal, semi-farm-to-fork sort of café.”

With the popularity of cooking shows, people now are more interested in fun, creative and interesting food, Rhea said.

Papa Urb’s Grill, which opened in August at 331 E. Weber Ave. in Stockton, has found success in a

Kevin Phillips and Michael David Winery concluded a banner year for local wines by being honored as the 2015 winery of the year during the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium, the nation’s largest wine and grape trade show. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD 2013

location where no other restaurant had been established, Rhea said.

The eatery boasts about its Filipino with a twist menu that includes items such as sisig fries, which has French fries topped with charbroiled pork shoulder and other fixings.

Lodi is expected to get two new restaurants this year: Fenix and McGuire’s.

Fenix, which is slated to open this month, will feature an upscale seafood and contemporary American menu, and McGuire’s will be a pub and restaurant.

Dining alfresco also is seeing its day in the sun in Lodi, where places such as The Dancing Fox Winery and Smack Pie Pizza offer

plenty of tables to enjoy a meal in the fresh air.

Beckman said it’s wonderful to see more outdoor dining because it gives people the opportunity to enjoy the area and experience its ambiance. Pet-friendly dining also is increasing in popularity, according to Visit Lodi.

Thriving on the vine San Joaquin County’s grape growers and wineries are seeing the fruits of their labor pay off recently.

Two of the most exciting things to happen are Wine Enthusiast magazine naming Lodi its Wine Region of the Year for 2015 and Lodi’s Michael David Winery being honored as 2015 winery of the year during the Unified

Wine & Grape Symposium, the nation’s largest wine and grape trade show, said Stuart Spencer, program manager for the Lodi Winegrape Commission for the last 16 years.

“The combo has catapulted Lodi into the worldwide map,” he said. “People are starting to pay attention and take notice.”

This is recognition for the work that growers have done in the past 20 years — it didn’t happen overnight, Spencer said.

The region, which was once thought to be good for making red wine, has much more diversity, which will continue to grow, he said. More than 100 varieties of grapes are grown locally. Lodi is being recognized for being experimental

and diverse, he added.

Diversifying is beneficial to growers and wineries, since a wave of new wine consumers is more open to experimenting and trying different wines, Spencer said. By becoming a leader in this area, Lodi can appeal to younger generations.

In August, Lodi will host the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference, which is expected to attract 300400 bloggers to the city.

“Lodi is now also emerging as a well-known and regarded wine producing region,” the Wine Bloggers Conference website reads. “In the last 20 years Lodi has seen a rapid increase in the number of wineries making great wines from the region, now boasting over 85 wineries. The

region is also seeing increased interest from winemakers throughout California and the country to make their wines from Lodi grapes.”

As the area matures, the industry will see a greater push out to national markets, Spencer said, adding that Camron King, executive director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, has toured five Asian countries, Colombia and Mexico.

Said Spencer: “It’s hard to see progress, but it’s remarkable the transformation that’s happened over 15 years.”

— Contact reporter Almendra Carpizo at (209) 546-8264 or acarpizo@recordnet.com.

Follow her on Twitter @AlmendraCarpizo.

S8

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

NONPROFITS

Groups come together to promote literacy

By Lori Gilbert Record Staff Writer

The report card was grim.

University of the Pacific’s assessment of San Joaquin County literacy showed only 27 percent of the region’s third-graders have grade-level proficiency, an achievement experts insist is the key to future educational success.

“Children learn to read until third grade and read to learn after,” is the theory.

But if the number is disappointing, those working to improve the county’s literacy concerns see plenty of reason to be optimistic.

In 2015, Read to Me Stockton!, which provides free books monthly to children from birth to age 5, added children in the 95215 zip code, bringing the total number of zip codes to five.

San Joaquin Regional Transit District started Books on the Bus, providing books for children to read while riding and to take home with them like a library book.

A sign of its success? A Delta College student posted video on Twitter of a stranger reading to children during a bus ride in October.

And, pushed by then-Stockton City Councilman Moses Zapien, Little Public Libraries began popping up in neighborhoods throughout the city, providing books for readers of all ages.

Also, San Joaquin-Stockton Public Library continues to hold weekly story time for youngsters, has a summer book buddies program in which volunteer high school tutors work with children with reading struggles and those whose parents don’t want them to lose their reading skills during their summer break.

The library also linked into a national on-line tutoring program that students with a library card can use to connect one-on-one with a tutor, conducts conversation English classes for adults and makes the Rosetta Stone program available for English learners.

Pacific’s Beyond Our Gates held summer enrichment programs with college students as tutors for children at community centers at Sierra Vista and Conway Homes.

The Rotary Read-In, which invites members of the public to take 30 minutes out of one day in February, will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Thursday and the number of schools involved and the number of readers grows annually.

Most importantly, there is a greater movement on the part of nonprofit organizations and churches to improve Stockton’s literacy rates.

“I think the thing I’m most proud of when it comes to Beyond our Gates, is the many individuals and organizations that have come together to support early literacy, and not necessarily the ones you think,” said Jennifer Torres

Siders, communications director for Pacific’s Beyond Our Gates program.

It launched in 2011 after a series of community meetings looked at issues facing Stockton.

After much discussion, members of the group’s board determined that improving early childhood literacy rates — preparing children before they start school and helping them achieve grade-level proficiency by the end of third grade — was the area that would have the greatest overall impact.

The program kicked off not long after Read to Me Stockton!, which began for the same reason.

Spearheaded by thenmayor/Rotary member Ann Johnston, Read to Me, Stockton! connected with the Dolly Parton Foundation to secure free books every month for children where books in the home are rare or nonexistent.

It began in one Stockton zip code and gradually has added more households.

“My goal always was to have every child in the City of Stockton, in any zip code, who want to, be enrolled in Read to Me, Stockton!,” Johnston said. “But, it would cost a half-million dollars.”

The budget for that isn’t there yet, but the program has continued to exist through major sponsors, including Kaiser, Rotary and PG&E. Johnston is proud that 80,000 books have been distributed to local children in four years.

Beyond Our Gates didn’t introduce new programs, but it brought together 50 organizations committed to literacy.

“What we’re seeing now is a sharing of resources, and collaboration going on,” said Suzy Daveluy, deputy community services director for the library.

“Solid partnerships are developing among safe-based organizations and schools and non-profits and libraries. It’s been wonderful to see them come together and work together.”

Among them is RTD, which started putting books on some of its buses in August.

“We started working with Beyond Our Gates, and as we were getting involved in the community as an agency, we thought, ‘what is it that makes us unique?’ ” RTD spokesperson Max Vargas said.

“A lot of our ridership is not affluent or upwardly mobile.

We were trying to figure out how to take an innovative, direct hands-on approach.”

With donations, RTD has put about 1,000 books on buses and will be conducting more book drives in the future.

One big initiative for 2016 is the First 5 California’s promotion of Talk. Sing. Read., which encourages parents to engage children from birth. Babies’ brains start developing on Day

Christina Walker of Stockton, her 5-year-old son Christopher, and 7-year-old daughter Aiyana look at books at the Friends of the Library used book sale at Family Day in the Park at University Park. Family Day in the Park is just one of the nonprofit events to help encourage children to read. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

Andy Xiong with the Chavez High School Interact Club reads “The Book With No Pictures” by B.J. Novak to a class of third graders for the Rotary Read-In at Bush Elementary School. The annual event will be held Thursday for the 25th year.

CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

1, and talking to them, playing with them, reading to them, singing to them helps develop verbal and literacy skills.

It’s yet another important step in long-term battle for literacy, yet most involved remain upbeat.

“I’m a born optimist,” Johnston said. “I always believe things are going to get better.

I see what the community is doing. It’s engaged.”

“I’m continually hopeful, because the issue of illiteracy continues to garner such incredible community support,” Daveluy said.

“So many organizations are recognizing the need for literacy support and are stepping up in big ways. This is a community effort. We are reaching more and more people, collaborating in new ways, and we will be successful.”

— Contact reporter Lori Gilbert at (209) 546-8284 or lgilbert@recordnet.com.

Follow her on Twitter @lorigrecord.

|

Outlook

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S9

PUBLIC SAFETY

Most law enforcement embracing social media

By Jason Anderson Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON — Crime rates rise and fall in communities throughout San Joaquin and Calaveras counties, but technology and the potential for community involvement in law enforcement never have been greater.

A number of local law enforcement agencies have turned to social media platforms to connect with the communities they serve. Several have placed an increased emphasis on social media in recent years as a 21st-century addendum to longstanding programs such as Neighborhood Watch, which still is viewed as an important tool by law enforcement officials.

“This is the future,” Lt. Luis Mejia of the Tracy Police Department said. “I think it’s going to be rare that you don’t find government agencies using some type of social media outreach.”

The Angels Camp, Escalon, Lodi, Ripon, Stockton and Tracy police departments and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office are among the local law enforcement agencies that have established strong social media strategies. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office and Manteca Police Department have done little to embrace social media.

Those that are utilizing social media have used it to post reports on criminal activity and to disseminate descriptions of suspects. Some have limited their social media use to Facebook.

The Stockton Police Department, which has surpassed all other local law enforcement agencies in its use of social media, also utilizes other platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Periscope, YouTube and a mobile application for smartphones.

“We believe social media is a valuable tool because it is another avenue for the Police Department to hear directly from the community, and with the push of a button we can disseminate information quickly,” said Officer Joe Silva, a spokesman for

the Stockton Police Department.

“Our department has seen major benefits with social media in our community. Not only do we provide crime prevention tips, Watch Commander’s reports and photos and videos of wanted persons on social media, but also our followers are constantly engaging us by reporting crime and submitting tips, which has led to numerous arrests.”

Tracy police have used their Facebook page in recent weeks to distribute information about bank robberies, armed robberies, residential burglaries and the arrest of an attempted murder suspect. Mejia said the department’s efforts have been well received by Tracy residents.

“We’ve put a bigger emphasis on social media over the past two years, engaging the community primarily through our Facebook page,” Mejia said. “That has worked out for us because we’re able to post press releases and advisories to residents, and keep them updated on road closures if something major is happening.

We’ve been getting some good feedback from residents who like what we’re doing.”

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office increased its use of Facebook and Twitter about a year ago, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the department.

Investigators have used social media to ask for the public’s help in identifying suspects and locating stolen property.

“In today’s law enforcement climate, I think social media is a must,” Garcia said. “You have to connect with your citizens.

Everybody is on the go, but nowadays pretty much everybody has access to the Internet or cellphones, but we have an opportunity to connect with our communities in a way where information is instantaneous, and it’s a two-way street. Social media has helped us solve some The Stockton Police Department has found another tool for fighting crime — social media. New technology, such as Instagram, allows the department to get information to and from the public and other law enforcement agencies more quickly than before. INSTAGRAM pretty serious crimes.”

Lt. Sierra Brucia, a spokesman “That seems to be the way the way. We don’t have to wait to with us in a manner that they’re Anderson at (209) 546-8279 for the Lodi Police Department, younger generation, especially, hold press conferences or wait comfortable or familiar with. It’s or janderson@recordnet.com. said his department began to tends to communicate,” Brucia for stories to come out in the taking Neighborhood Watch into Follow him at recordnet.com/ increase its use of social media said. “We can connect with newspaper. It’s immediate, and the 21st century.” crimeblog and on Twitter about three years ago. them almost immediately that it allows them to communicate — Contact reporter Jason @Stockton911.

S10

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

BANKING

Douglass Eberhardt, left, the chief executive officer and chairman of the Bank of Stockton, and his son, Douglass Eberhardt II, the bank’s president, see a turnaround underway to recover what the area lost in real estate values during the Great Recession. “We were down at the bottom of the barrel. We had a huge issue with real estate,” the elder Eberhardt said. “That’s turning around.” CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

|

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S11

Steady hand helping in economic turnaround Local banks help spur Central Valley economy

By Scott Linesburgh Record Staff Writer

While the nationwide banking community took varied hits during the extended economic downturn, local banks remained steady.

Now that the economy in the Central Valley is showing sure signs of recovering, local bankers say their goals haven’t changed.

“I think that banks, next to government, play a major role in the economic well-being of a region,” said Kent Steinwert, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Farmers and Merchants Bank.

“Good times or bad, they can help with reinvesting in the economy, and can help to stimulate the economy.”

And after the Great Recession, there are sure signs of growth, but there also is not a quick fix, according to Jeff Michael, economic forecaster at University of Pacific’s

Eberhardt School of Business.

“The economy continues to recover in 2015 and 2016,” Michael said.

“We’re seeing employment growth, the housing market continues to recover, and unemployment is down.

So most of the indicators are definitely trending in a positive direction.

“We think 2016 is going to be a pretty good year for the county. But it’s a region that was beaten down more than average. So it’s a bigger hole to climb out of.”

Douglass Eberhardt, chief executive officer and chairman of the Bank of Stockton, said the area’s recent financial problems, especially in the real estate market, cannot be overestimated.

“We lost more value in real estate in this Great Recession than we did during the depression,” Eberhardt said.

“We were ground zero in the United States for a number of

quarters. We were down at the bottom of the barrel. We had a huge issue with real estate.

That’s turning around.”

And banking on a nationwide basis also took a serious hit. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 465 banks failed from 2008-2012.

In contrast, only 10 institutions failed in the five years prior to 2008.

But local banks avoided that fall.

“Local banks in this region were not the problem,” Michael said.

“Stockton may have been the foreclosure capital of the country, but it was not the bank fail capital. A lot of the local banks did not have high risk exposure.”

Eberhardt said the bankruptcies were, for the most part, “leadership issues.”

The difference with local banks is that the leadership is local and connected to the community, Steinwert said.

“The employees are friends and neighbors of the citizens

in the community. People are invested in their local banks, and can profit from them.”

Restoring confidence in consumers and local business also takes time.

And the local banking community is trying to modernize to keep up with the needs of customers “Our job is to provide the fuel to the industries that need money,” Eberhardt said.

“We’re there to help the community grow, that’s what the banks all about.

“And I think the business will be changing, keeping up with technology and trying to make things more convenient for our customers.

“That’s the future that will happen out there. And then there’s things a lot of things out there that I don’t know about, but they will happen.

There’s always changes.”

— Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh at (209) 546-8281 or slinesburgh@recordnet. com. Follow him at recordnet. com/sportsblog and on Twitter @ScottLinesburgh.

Jeff Michael, economic forecaster at University of Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business

S12

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

RETAIL SHOPPING

Economic uptick provides bright outlook

By Michael Fitzgerald Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON — Shoppers won’t break any spending records in 2016, but they’ll whip out the credit cards more than they did during the recession. That’s got retailers feeling upbeat.

The Great Recession’s hangover faded last year. Stockton’s retail sector can climb off the couch. Expect modest but steady growth, said Jeff Michael, a business forecaster.

“Overall, the economic outlook is the best we’ve seen in a decade in this region,” said Michael, of The Center for Business and Policy Research at University of the Pacific.

“That’s good news for retailers for sure.”

Unemployment is decreasing. Incomes are growing. So is the population of San Joaquin County, which for the past two years led the state with a 1.6 percent growth rate.

“That means more consumers,” Michael said.

The most interesting news is downtown. The city center has gone from a 50-year no-fly zone to a hotbed of property transactions, new leases, new businesses and big plans.

The Downtown Stockton Alliance recently inked a lease for the ground floor of the B&M Building on Janet Leigh Plaza.

The DSA is transforming the space into a “pop-up retail space.”

“What we’ll be doing is a common space for pop-up retail, gallery and an events venue,” the DSA’s Cindi Fargo said.

Fargo defined the pop-up concept: “Giving a small independent entrepreneur an opportunity to demonstrate their retail abilities, products (including food) and services for a short period of time in a space that is either shared or vacant.”

Because, Fargo said, “So many people want to do something downtown but can’t take a permanent space.” Now, “they’ll have another space to do it.”

People as much as businesses are a part of the recipe for downtown’s successful revival.

“Really important to us, especially, we want to continue to seek independent, small business owners who have the goods and services that are right for downtown,” Fargo said. “This means we are not seeking out major franchises in general, but who can really contribute to the downtown community. So we’re going to cultivate people.”

Over at Ten Space, the urban developers planning a major downtown project have leased out the century-old Belding Building to a restaurant and a brewpub opening soon.

Cast Iron Trading Co. and Channel Brewing Co. will open in the spring, offering daytime and after-work food and craft beer in a building dating to horse and buggy days.

“Really, the lifeblood of any strong neighborhood is going to be the independent businesses there,” said David Garcia, Ten Space’s Director of Community Development, echoing a familiar theme. “We all know family-owned businesses are going to give it that authenticity.”

Cut to the Miracle Mile

Looking for a pet?

Look here first.

ValleyMarketPlace.com

Sarah Drouin and her 8-year-old daughter, Shelby, shop at McCaulou’s, an independent East Bay department store, which moved into the Lincoln Center space vacated by Campbell’s in 2012. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

The Downtown Stockton Alliance has signed a lease on the ground floor of the B&M Building at Janet Leigh Plaza in downtown Stockton for use as a pop-up retail center. Independent entrepreneurs will use the space to sell goods, food and services. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

stretch of Pacific Avenue.

“2016 looks great. It looks promising for us,” said Mimi Nguyen, executive director of the Miracle Mile Improvement District.

The few shops now vacant are in line to be filled in 2016.

One of the long-empty grassy lots will see construction, said Nguyen.

“Our businesses have seen an increase in foot traffic and sales in the past six months,” she said, “and we expect that to continue in the coming year as well.”

Ditto Lincoln Center. Mangers finally plugged the biggest hole, the space formerly known as Campbell’s, which closed in 2012, with McCaulou’s, an East Bay independent department store.

“It’s one of the largest square footage stores that we have, so it’s a very vital piece of our center,” said Tara Rushing, a center publicist.

And restaurants such as Market Tavern, Papapavlo’s Bistro & Bar and Midgley’s Public House continue to attract swarms of customers,

many of whom peel off and shop while in Lincoln Center.

Things aren’t quite as bright for south Stockton. Although, said Mark Stebbins, President of the South Stockton Merchants Association, modest improvement over 2015 is expected.

“The economy overall — at least as regards to businesses south Stockton — is still struggling,” Stebbins said.

That said, the picture has improved. The opening of Financial Center Credit Union increases the flow of money in the district, Stebbins said.

The transplanting of the Asparagus Festival to the fairgrounds, the opening of a popular bingo parlor on the grounds and the revival of the county fair will bring thousands of people.

Said Stebbins: “They draw in people who then spend money in the immediate area.”

— Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 or michaelf@recordnet.com.

Follow him at recordnet.com/ Eddie Serrato with Fresno-based Sierra Installations was a part of a crew putting up holiday banners on light fitzgeraldblog and on Twitter standards at Lincoln Center, which benefited from customers attracted by popular restaurants Market Tavern, Papapavlo’s Bistro & Bar and Midgley’s Public House. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD @Stocktonopolis.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

S13

S14

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

ENTERTAINMENT

Local entertainment options abound

By Tony Sauro Record Staff Writer

Endless — maybe envious? — allusions to the Bay Area remain invalid.

There’s plenty of enjoyable profit possible — more regularly — for those who spend entertainment and arts dollars in the Stockton area.

With the recessive economic tide receding, financial prospects are steadying.

Attendance is improving.

“It’s a matter of making sure people know the quality of these organizations,” said Peter Jaffe, who has conducted the Stockton Symphony for 20 years. “There’s a little bit of a grass-is-greener effect: If it’s local, it’s not as good as San Francisco. There are performers of all kinds here who really are quite special.”

It’s the same for visiting entertainers, from chamber groups and jazz musicians to country singers and comedians.

Jerry Seinfeld performs for a third time at Stockton’s Bob Hope Theatre on March 9.

Carrie Underwood, nominated as 2015’s best female singer by the Academy of Country Music, has sold out Stockton Arena twice. She tries again on April 12.

Along with Jaffe’s organization — which stages a Halloween costume concert in October — most local groups and promoters are experiencing a slight “uptick” as the U.S. economy improves.

“Things are going very well,” said Chris Kay, director of marketing and sales at Stockton Arena. “We’ve found that great relations with promoters — and people in the community buying tickets — is a good combination. That helps bring in new promoters.”

Modesto’s Bill Barr, who has been booking shows at the Bob Hope Theatre since the early

1980s, continues successfully staging Stockton events and concerts.

“They go out of their way to give me a lot of incentives to use their venues,” Barr said about SMG staff members who operate the theater and arena.

“Much more than other operations have.”

In addition to successful country-music shows, that enabled him to stage “Dancing With the Stars Live” and “Peppa Pig Live” this month.

Food Channel chef Alton Brown is due on May 21. Barr also tentatively has booked a stage version of “The Price Is Right.”

“Like anything else, you don’t make money on every show,” Barr said. “We just try to do a variety of things. Basically just a cross-section.”

It’s a similar dynamic on Stockton’s “Miracle Mile,” where music is becoming a more consistent component.

“I do like how it’s progressing,” said Paul Marsh, whose Mile Wine Company includes free music — jazz to blues, acoustic folk and funk — by local entertainers. “It lets (them) get out, perform and shine. Getting that experience is monumental.

“I purely do it for the community. I love people just being able to walk a couple of blocks, see the bands and have some wine. We’re making people feel like they’re enjoying it on the couch at home. I feel like the skipper on the (SS) Minnow (from ‘Gilligan’s Island’).”

Marsh’s upbeat assessment includes the Valley Brewing Company (Take 5 Jazz at the Brew, “50 Shades of Funny,” Jeremy “Elvis” Pearce), Whirlow’s (pop music in many genres) and the Whisky Barrel Tavern (punk-pop bands).

Local musicians and dancers dominate, too, at the San Joaquin Asparagus Festival, SEE ENTERTAIN, PAGE 15

Stockton Civic Theatre has staged many big-time shows in the past, such as “Chicago,” and the remainder of its current season will be no different with upcoming performances of “Funny Money” and “1776.” CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD

|

Jerry Seinfeld will perform at the Bob Hope Theatre on March 9. LLOYD BISHOP/NBC

Carrie Underwood has sold out Stockton Arena twice. She tries again on April 12. CLIFFORD OTO/RECORD FILE 2013

Peter Jaffe has conducted the Stockton Symphony and other local musicians for 20 years and has become convinced that performers in the Stockton area are as special as those in entertainment capitals. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

ENTERTAIN From Page 14

being held for a second year (April 15-17) at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.

Take 5 Jazz at the Brew, where the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet is the “house band,” points north up Pacific Avenue to University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music.

Faculty members and students continue performing highly regarded jazz, classical, choral, band and chamber music during the school year.

Like Pacific, touring artists — as well as student concerts and choral productions — are scheduled regularly at San Joaquin Delta College.

That’s where Jaffe and the Symphony perform: “We’re actually looking optimistic.

Rosy. A recession hits all the arts really hard. We’re climbing slowly, though.”

Stockton Civic Theatre

is maintaining its tradition, staging “1776” (June 15-July 10). Pacific and Delta students produce an educational schedule of theater productions.

At Pacific, they’re integrating elements of social media. “That’s Show Biz,” producing musicals, improv and comedies, adds “increasing diversity” on the “mile” that Marsh appreciates.

That’s part of the plan, too, at The Haggin Museum. Current renovations will allow curators to display additional paintings in more flattering, historic manners. High-tech gadgetry will help. When that’s completed, music-themed exhibits open Oct. 6: “Dave Brubeck: Jazz Ambassador” and “Medieval to Metal: Art and Evolution of the Guitar.”

“I think we all agree,” said Susan Obert, The Haggin’s deputy director. “In 2015, attendance was steady and growing. We’re doing more programs and more outreach.

It’s one of the most exciting times here.”

The guys in Styx, a classicrock band, become the first to crank up electric guitars at the Bob Hope Theatre in 2016: on March 18. Country singer Clint Black plays the Hope on April 27.

“We’re always looking at some things,” said Billy Cohen, whose Richter Entertainment Group (REG) booked Styx and has signed Darius Rucker (July 14) for an expanded Ironstone Amphitheatre season in Murphys. “It’s the same old story.

We’re very selective about what we do. We don’t see the point of swinging away at shows that aren’t worth doing.

We want good shows that are competitive.”

Oh. Cohen, who learned the market during 20 years with Bill Graham Presents, lives and works in San Francisco.

— Contact Tony Sauro at (209) 546-8267 or tsauro@ recordnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsaurorecord.

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S15

S16

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

Outlook

|

WATER

No drought of news 2016 poised to be a big year

Low water levels at area reservoirs, such as New Hogan Lake near Valley Springs, exposed areas rarely seen. And even after the rains received in December and January, New Hogan, one of Stockton’s primary water sources, is at only 25 percent of capacity. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD

By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer

When it comes to water, 2016 has to be better than last year — right?

We’ll see.

El Niño storms have

reminded Californians what a normal or slightly wetterthan-normal winter feels like, but the rain and snow received so far is nowhere near enough to end the drought.

The reservoirs that supply Stockton with water still are

well below normal. State officials in early February agreed to extend emergency drought regulations through October, which means the rigorous water conservation rules that changed our way of life last year may continue.

Though the awfully dry summer of 2015 is just a memory, legal battles continue over the state’s efforts to cut off high-ranking water-right holders, and the outcome will be important to agriculturally rich areas like San Joaquin

County.

And, finally, drought or no, Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed twin tunnels remain the most controversial aspect of the state’s long-term water policy.

2016 could be a make-or-break year for the tunnels.

Here’s what to watch this year: • The weather forecast: Everyone’s paying attention these days.

By early February, Stockton SEE WATER, PAGE 17

|

Water conservation by homeowners created high demand for companies such as Greendeane ECO Landscaping, which sprayed green dye on dry, brown grass to give it a “normal” look. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD

The legal battle is still growing for senior water-right holders who were prohibited from diverting from the San Joaquin River. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

The rains that greeted Californians in December and January were more than welcome, but haven’t been enough to make up for four years of drought. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/THE RECORD

WATER From Page 16

had soaked up 116 percent of normal rainfall. And the statewide snowpack was about 105 percent of normal.

That’s good news, but it’s still not enough after four dry years. Stockton is so far behind that the city would need another 24 inches or so of rain this year to make up the deficit from previous years.

Even after all the rain in December and January, New Hogan Lake — one of Stockton’s primary water sources — was about one-quarter full in early February. Much larger New Melones was even more depleted.

All of which helps to explain why the State Water Resources Control Board decided to continue with emergency water conservation requirements.

“After four years of extreme drought, there is still a need for Californians to keep up their stellar conservation practices,” board chair Felicia Marcus said recently.

• Unintended consequence: Most communities in San Joaquin and Calaveras counties have met their water conservation goals, with Lodi and Ripon the biggest exceptions.

One consequence of all those savings, however, is that cities like Stockton have sold less water to their customers and are struggling to stay in the black financially. Stockton

officials said recently they are likely to propose a rate hike to take effect in July.

“We’ve done everything we could possibly do to not have to do this,” said Mel Lytle, director of the city’s Municipal Utilities Department. “We just don’t see it happening. In order to keep the utility solvent, we have to do this.”

It may be a bad time for the city to propose a rate increase, given recent concerns over adding a new chemical to disinfect the drinking water in north Stockton.

• Water rights fight: Drought means big trouble for farmers, too. Even in a fairly water-rich area like San Joaquin County, many growers faced unprecedented cutbacks last year.

Their harvest may be over, but their legal battle still is growing.

Senior water-right holders who were prohibited from diverting from the San Joaquin River, the Delta and other areas last year have sued the state.

The case, which has broad implications for agriculture in this region, is pending in Santa Clara County.

Meanwhile, the state also has taken administrative action against two Delta-area water districts, alleging illegal diversions last summer. In one of those cases, a $1.5 million fine has been proposed against the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District near Tracy.

Hearings are scheduled for

March and April.

• Tunnels talk: Perhaps no water issue, however, will receive more attention this year than the $15 billion twin tunnels.

Officials with the massive state and federal water projects have asked for permission to take at least some of their water directly from the Sacramento River near Hood, diverting the water into tunnels in order to bypass the Delta.

Months of hearings are expected, starting in April. But the change may be approved before the state has completed a long-overdue update of Delta water quality standards, which leads some critics to conclude that the cart is being put before the horse.

“Delta water quality policy should come before plumbing decisions,” Stockton-based Restore the Delta said in a letter recently.

This also could be the year in which the urban and agricultural water users who must pay for the tunnels decide whether they are worth the cost.

From the five-day rainfall forecast to the decade-long debate over tunnels, there will be a torrent of water news to follow in 2016.

— Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com.

Follow him at recordnet.com/ breitlerblog and on Twitter @alexbreitler.

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S17

S18

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

|

PORT From Page 3

$2 million, and SJCOG pledged $2 million.

In June 2013, the port launched its Marine Highway, and officials at the time projected annual revenues of $15 million, based on handling 900 shipping containers per week between Stockton and Oakland. Projected container volumes fell short, however, as shippers were reluctant to commit all their business to the new service.

A year later, operations were suspended after the port committed $8 million of its own funds into the project. Despite the project’s failure, shipping traffic continues to increase, and Aschieris said the port’s future remains bright.

“The Port of Stockton has made tremendous strides in the last few years with more ships arriving than ever before, in attracting more than $2 billion in private sector investment and providing 5,500 jobs to Stockton and San Joaquin County,” he said. “We are fortunate to have a great combination of dedicated citizens on the Port Commission and hardworking employees. That’s what makes it all possible.”

— Contact reporter Wes Bowers at (209) 546-8258 or wbowers@ recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/bowersblog and The California Sunset tour boat shows off the Port of Stockton as it cruises the Deep Water Channel. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD on Twitter @WBowersTSR.

|

Outlook

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S19

SPORTS

Minor league, college teams generate major league passion

San Joaquin Delta College’s Jalen Ward makes an acrobatic catch for a touchdown between College of the Sequoia’s Torry Clayton, left, and Brandon James during an October game at DiRicco Field. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

By Thomas Lawrence Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON — The city of Stockton has that major league feel when it comes to its sports teams.

After a decade of being the Stockton Thunder hockey team in the ECHL (NHL double-A), the Stockton Heat (NHL, triple-A) was born into the American Hockey League’s five-team Pacific Division during the past offseason.

The Heat already has a surplus of memories, from routing Rockford 7-0 on opening night at Stockton Arena, to playing a nationally televised outdoor game against Bakersfield at Raley Field in Sacramento, to setting franchise charitable records with the annual teddy bear toss.

Most importantly, however, Stockton burst out of the Pacific Division cellar, winning five consecutive games as of Feb. 4 and nine in a row at Stockton Arena.

“It’s certainly been a lot of work from the business side to the hockey operations side to the construction and renovations that took place in the offseason here,” Heat president Dave Piecuch said.

“There basically was no offseason at all this year. But so far the season’s been fantastic.

We had a great January — we were undefeated at home in January — and we’re starting to play really well.”

And while attendance hasn’t been considerably different from Stockton’s Thunder days, Piecuch, the former Thunder president, said the audience traditionally increases during the second half of the season.

“We’re excited to make a strong push into the playoffs,” he said. “Off the ice, we’ve got a lot of exciting things planned with promotions and giveaways and a real beefed-up fan experience.” Those nights include free photos, bobbleheads and trading cards.

While the Stockton Heat is trying to rally its way into the postseason, the next-door neighbor Stockton Ports are no stranger to the playoffs.

The Ports, 11-time California League champions, should have solid collegiate draft picks from 2015 coming, president Pat Filippone said.

The last time that infusion of collegiate talent happened?

As Filippone said, that was in 2008, when Stockton won its most recent Cal league banner.

“I would think we’re going to have a pretty solid team,” Filippone said, “college guys who played high-level Division I baseball for three years.”

Franklin Barreto, a Venezuelan shortstop and

the Oakland Athletics’ No. 1 prospect, and slugging third baseman Matt Chapman are good bets to leave Stockton and advance to the Double-A level, Filippone said.

Last season was Stockton’s first as the closest affiliate to the parent Athletics.

Sacramento switched to the San Francisco Giants organization, making Stockton Ballpark the easiest place for the A’s to send major league players for rehabilitation assignments.

The Ports received several, though they weren’t highprofile names, Filippone said.

Yet, established big leaguers such as Coco Crisp brought in new waves of fans from Oakland and Sacramento, including the raucous “Bleacher Creatures,” who usually inhabit the Oakland Coliseum outfield.

“They were visibly and actively engaged in our product,” Filippone said.

It’s been a difficult year for University of the Pacific athletics, and nobody knows it better than Ted Leland, the university’s athletic director.

Leland, who just signed a two-year contract extension with the school, said he knows the athletic programs still are transitioning to being as competitive in the West Coast Conference — which they joined starting in 2013-14 — as they were in the Big West Conference.

“We’ve had a lot of transition and not had as much success on the field as we like to have,” Leland said.

Most notably, the men’s basketball team is being investigated by the NCAA for allegations of academic misconduct.

Pacific head coach Ron Verlin and assistant Dwight Young are suspended indefinitely, and players Eric Thompson, Sami Eleraky and Alec Kobre were held out of games as a university decision earlier this season.

Leland said Pacific has an agreement with the NCAA to not speak publicly about the matter until further into the investigation.

Pacific’s investigation is saddening to longtime fans such as Dan Hibbard, 60, of Stockton.

In 1968, Hibbard was dealing with his parents’ divorce, but on a weekend stay with his father, watched the Pacific men’s basketball team take powerhouse UCLA to the limit on national TV. Hibbard was hooked. The Tigers played at Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium at the time, which Hibbard said, unlike the more up-and-down

The love of professional hockey was on display as Don Pagala of French Camp wore a helmet with a working goal light as he cheered on the Stockton Heat in the first AHL hockey game in October. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD

community support of today, was a madhouse.

“It was a real rabid fan base,” Hibbard said.

Hibbard said he’s sad for Pacific’s current players, in that they won’t compete in the WCC Tournament because of the NCAA investigation and a self-imposed postseason ban.

“I really feel sorry for the team, most importantly, because they’re good. And I wish that our community would get more involved. I know it doesn’t cost that much to go to the games,” Hibbard said.

“And the players have great character, and even if they’ve (dealt with) this adversity, they’re still winners.”

Transition also has come in baseball, where Ed Sprague Jr. resigned as coach after 12 seasons. Mike Neu, the former Cal pitching coach, has taken over.

In women’s basketball, assistant Bradley Davis took over for Lynne Roberts, who moved on to the Pacific-12 Conference’s Utah Utes after nine years guiding the Tigers.

At San Joaquin Delta College, the Mustangs football squad is coming off a bowl game win over American River, and the baseball team has been the NorCal champion and state runner-up the past two seasons.

On the high school level, San Joaquin County features two reigning CIF State champions — including one dynasty in

Ports infielder Franklin Barreto turns a double play after forcing out Lake Elsinor Storm’s Auston Bousfield during a California League game at the Stockton Ballpark in downtown Stockton. CLIFFORD OTO/RECORD FILE 2015

Stockton.

The St. Mary’s girls basketball team is an eighttime state champion and is the defending Open Division (bracket of the best) champion.

St. Mary’s was on a 49-game winning streak as of Feb. 5, and would tie Brea Olinda with nine state banners if it were to go all

the way again this March.

The Rams feature the No.1ranked sophomore in the nation in 6-foot-2 forward Aquira DeCosta. DeCosta, who can dunk a volleyball, dreams of becoming one of the few women to — publicly, at least — dunk in a game.

The Sierra football team is

the other San Joaquin County state-winner, after taking the CIF’s Division IV-A crown last December.

— Contact reporter Thomas Lawrence at (209) 546-8272 or tlawrence@recordnet.com.

Follow him at recordnet.com/ sportsblog and on Twitter @RecordPreps.

S20

Sunday, February 21, 2016

|

Outlook

Sunday, February 21, 2016 |

S21

HEALTHCARE

Partnerships, collaboration and innovation

In November 2015, Kaiser Permanente and Dignity Health announced an agreement to jointly own St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, the largest hospital in San Joaquin County. The merger, under which Dignity retains 80 percent ownership, will allow improved services to patients and aid in the expansion of the facility. RECORD FILE

By Joe Goldeen Record Staff Writer

STOCKTON — Over many years, collaboration has been the hallmark of San Joaquin County’s health care landscape, developed out of the collective desire to provide quality medical services to a diverse community without all the resources necessary to ensure the best outcomes.

Later this year, the county’s two largest health care players will hook up in a unique partnership that is sure to be watched closely by area residents and observers nationwide.

In November, Kaiser Permanente and Dignity Health announced an agreement to jointly own Dignity’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center of Stockton, the largest hospital in San Joaquin County.

The change in ownership is a first-of-its-kind arrangement for both Bay Area-based health care giants. The deal calls for Dignity to retain 80 percent ownership while Kaiser will purchase a 20 percent share in the 366-bed medical center at 1800 N. California St. and its associated operations, including St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center.

“We’ve done a lot of work on the transaction since the partnership announcement.

We continue to work on final documents and due diligence and expect to close on time by midyear,” St. Joseph’s President and CEO Don Wiley said.

“While we only expect about a 10 percent increase in patient volumes from Kaiser patients, we are working on expanding capacity in several areas of the hospital so that we can better serve all of the patients who come to us for care.

“Our first project, which we anticipate to complete by December, is an expansion of our emergency department that will double the square footage and increase ER beds by 60 percent. The other expansion projects include our maternity, NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and cardiac

catheterization.”

The hospital will retain its name and be governed by a joint board of directors. Its current executives — including Wiley — will maintain responsibility for day-to-day operations. Kaiser doctors who join St. Joseph’s medical staff will have the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as all other hospital physicians. And Kaiser’s more than 100,000 members in Stockton will have access to all the services offered by St. Joseph’s.

In the meantime, Stockton’s independent, 104-year-old Dameron Hospital will see its nearly 30-year contract to serve Kaiser patients disappear later this year.

“In anticipation of the midyear Kaiser transition, we are currently well underway with our planning activities and working through all of the details to ensure a very smooth transition with no disruption to our patient care and service,” President and CEO Lorraine Auerbach said. “In many ways, this change is going to help position Dameron Hospital for even greater success in the Radiology supervisor Richard Halligan shows an X-ray to students during a tour of San Joaquin General Hospital as part of the San Joaquin Medical Society’s Decision Medicine program. The program offers 24 of the county’s brightest high school students the opportunity to experience the world of medicine future.”

Auerbach said her hos- through physician mentors and hospital access in hopes of attracting new physicians. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/RECORD FILE 2013 pital would continue to The VA facility notwith- program for new doctors in Decision Medicine, the provide emergency services facility — costing an estimated for everyone regardless of their $368 million — still is awaiting standing, prospects have been family medicine, surgery and medical society’s decade-old looking up for San Joaquin internal medicine — based summertime program for 24 insurance coverage or mem- final congressional approval.

When it is up and operGeneral. Younnel singled out upon their pass rate on national of the county’s brightest high bership. It is moving forward with its ER Fast Track project a t i o n a l , t h e e x p a n d e d its designation as the coun- board exams — continues to school students, gives them to serve patients with greater Community-Based Outpatient ty’s only trauma center that provide a new crop of criti- the opportunity to experiClinic will offer audiology, “continues to be a beacon of cally needed physicians every ence the world of medicine efficiency.

In another nod to collabora- speech pathology, eye clinic hope for desperate emergency year, more than half of whom through physician mentors and stay on at the hospital while unparalleled hospital access. tion, officials with San Joaquin services, prosthetics, dental, services.”

“The community here is others remain to practice in Currently, seven graduates General Hospital are looking physical medicine, rehabilitaof the program are in medical ahead to the future construc- tion services and occupational very diverse, and we are very the community.

And while it continues to school and a handful now are tion of the planned Veterans medicine, with spaces for pleased with the progress we Affairs outpatient clinic and educational and telehealth are making in our ability to be a challenge to attract new physicians, said Richmond, the Community Living Center on programs. The Community serve the community,” Youn- physicians to the county, Lisa society’s executive director.

“It takes a long time to 52 acres immediately north of Living Center will consist of nel said. “We’re going on a Richmond with the San Joaits French Camp campus along 12 10-bed homes, each with stem-to-stern upgrade on the quin Medical Society says the measure your success in this private rooms and bathrooms, physical plant itself.” best way forward is to “grow program,” Richmond said.

Interstate 5.

T h e c o u n t y h o s p i t a l our own physicians here. We “We are really proud of it. It’s C r e i g h t o n Y o u n n e l , a a community kitchen and comspokesman for the county- munal living and dining areas. — with the help of a $40,000 know if we mentor those kids inspirational to see how many Having the county hospi- grant from Kaiser — will be (in the society’s Decision Medi- bright kids there are in this operated public hospital, called tal next door, Younnel said, expanding its outreach to the cine program), they are the ones county.” it “a bright opportunity going — Contact reporter Joe Golforward. With their plans to will provide the veterans with Spanish-speaking commu- most likely to come back here. build next door, we certainly convenient emergency, sur- nity, focusing on new moms We also have a loan program to deen at (209) 546-8278 or expect to be a major part of that gery, laboratory and dialysis and mothers-to-be about the offer to medical students. That’s jgoldeen@recordnet.com. services. Veterans now must benefits of breastfeeding and another way we support students Follow him at recordnet.com/ from a services standpoint.” from this area in their efforts to goldeenblog and on Twitter T h e p l a n n e d travel to Livermore or Palo Alto good nutrition. for many of those services.

The hospital’s residency get through medical school.” @JoeGoldeen.

158,000-square-foot VA

S22

| Sunday, February 21, 2016

|