Central Valley

The Central Valley Was Ride-Sharing Long Before Uber

On the Bus, My Hometown Is Hours Away From Schools, Hospitals, and Good Jobs. Carpooling Is a Way of Life Here.

Public transportation is a huge challenge in Huron, the city of about 7,000 people in California’s Central Valley where I grew up. If you need to make the 110-mile round trip bus trip to Fresno to go to the doctor’s office, courthouse, pharmacy, or grocery store, prepare for a long and time-consuming journey. The rural bus system is slow, infrequent, and all but useless.

My cousin, a farmworker, was in a car accident when I was a kid. To visit him on his deathbed at the nearest hospital, my mother and …

by Rey León |

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How Does the City Keep the Show Going On?

In Modesto, Music Is By the People and For the People

by Sarah Rothbard |

How do you engage a community in the arts—especially when resources, attention spans, and time are all limited? A panel of local musicians addressed this question and others at a …

All California’s Problems Lead to the San Joaquin Valley

From Water Shortages to High-Speed Rail, the State’s Most Overlooked Region Is at the Center of Its Most Important Debates

by Joe Mathews |

It’s not clear if Governor Jerry Brown and his challenger Neel Kashkari will debate each other this fall. But if they do, there should be no doubt about the proper …

Arts Organizations Walk the Tightrope

You’re on a Budget. You Can Be Excellent. Or You Can Welcome Everyone. But Can You Do Both?

California spends about 18.5 cents on the arts for each of its 38 million residents. That’s not much—in fact, last year marked the first time in a decade the …

Merced’s Kids Are Not All Right

In California’s Capital of Youth Poverty, We’re Fighting For Everything From Summer Jobs to Swimming Pools

by Alyssa Castro |

Have you heard of “disconnected youth?” It’s a term for young people age 16-19 who are neither employed nor in school. My county, Merced, has won the disconnected youth prize …

Bring the George Lucas Museum to Modesto

Forget San Francisco and Chicago. The Legendary Filmmaker’s Collection Belongs in the California Region Where He Was Born and Raised.

by Joe Moore |

In California, we have high standards, especially when it comes to development. Whether it’s a new warehouse or an apartment building, the bigger the project, the lengthier and more complicated …


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