Summary
The report is intended to be used in combination with the Climate and Environmental Analysis completed by the Sierra Resource Conservation District and Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council, as well as with a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis completed by the local partners. All findings are intended to inform the Valley CERF coalition’s High Road Economy Transition Plan and Road Map, which will contain recommendations for strategic investments the region is prioritizing to advance climate-forward industries, diversify regional economies, and ensure equitable access to high-quality jobs.
Findings: Authors found that compared with the rest of the state, a majority of residents were Latinx, younger, with more adults who have less formal education, low incomes, higher rates of poverty, use public insurance and other public assistance at higher rates. They also found the amount of investment in the Valley CERF region's largest counties lags behind that of investments going into other regions of the country. Unemployment rates are higher than in the rest of the state. While residents are negatively impacted by environmental degradation and impacts from climate change are causing more public health and equity challenges in the area, they found a critical shortage of health care access. Fresno, Kings, Madera, and Tulare counties have higher rates of chronic conditions compared to other counties in the state.
This report uses 2019–2021 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data.
