California lawmakers talk about economic development in San Joaquin Valley

(The Center Square) – Assemblymembers and leaders from Central California’s San Joaquin Valley talked about opportunities to further develop the highly agricultural region’s economy Wednesday, pinpointing artificial intelligence and technology as industries that could provide more jobs for more than 4.3 million people.

The hearing comes four years after a coalition of state agencies launched the Community Economic Resilience Fund, a $600 million effort meant to make the state’s economy more resilient to climate change and other challenges, according to a 2024 report from research organization The Urban Institute. It is not clear how much of that total went to the eight counties that compri...