Schools and colleges have stepped up to provide skilled manufacturing training
Fresno County offers employee training through the New Employment Opportunity program, which reimburses companies that hire through the program
Economic leaders/local government: bringing in diverse occupations and companies to the valley, including a medical complex in Clovis, which will house the first medical school in the valley
Industry: not enough highly skilled workers
Schools: not enough students going into high-paying jobs
Increasing jobs in Central Valley from large corporate warehouses, but those don't always come with high wages, can be dangerous
45% of Fresno Unified School District students take part in career and technical programs - better graduation rate, offers students work experience and skills
I bring visual and graphic expertise, good organization skills, focus on pedagogical issues;
We need social media skills, organizational skills, community organizing skills, expertise on environmental research; teaching;
WHAT (& WHAT FOR): Lead is a metal often found in pipes, and in old paint (before it was banned in paint in the late 1970s). Before 1996, lead also found in vehicle fuel resulting in soil contamination in many communities from both paint dust and vehicle pollution.
HEALTH IMPACT: Lead is a neurotoxin and is known to have no safe blood lead level in children.
Has been linked to:
Brain swelling, anemia, seizures, renal failure, reduced IQ, and ADHD
Damages brain development in children
Connected to behavioral problems like aggression and bullying, and internalizing problems such as depression and anxiety
LOCAL IMPACT: Recent research in Santa Ana has shown that there is a disproportionately impact of solid lead contamination crisis on lower income, people of color communities.
POSSIBLE RESPONSES: There are many ways to respond to lead contamination:
Providing special health care for children with high blood lead levels, and investigating possible sources of lead exposure in homes, daycares and school, playground, etc.
Implement strict housing policies where landlord and city housing officials are required to have lead inspections of homes for lead paint hazards (especially in low income, people of color communities)
Requiring a minimum reduction standard for lead paint in older homes
Requiring blood lead level test as part of the routine check up for children (extremely important for children in low-income housing)