Business News

A publication of the Turlock Chamber of Commerce 

winter 2014 issue 17 

New Year, 

New Chair 

MedicAlert CEO brings 

business expertise to Chamber

The SMITh chevroleT cadIllac TeaM 

29632_1

115 S. Golden State Blvd. 

Turlock, CA 95380 

209-632-2221 

Fax 209- 632-5289 

Hours: Mon. - Fri. • 10am - 4pm 

President / CEO 

Sharon Silva 

sharonsilva@turlockchamber.com 

director communications/ 

development 

Tasha Van Santen 

Ext. 104 

tasha@turlockchamber.com 

Administrative Assistant 

Sharon Berry 

Ext. 100 

sharonberry@turlockchamber.com 

Contents 

W.A.C.E. Award Winning Publication of 

the Turlock Chamber of Commerce 

7 New Board Chair Andrew Wigglesworth 

8 Sdlg Comes To Town 

9 2013 Elections Recap 

10 Local Real Estate Market Update 

11 City Council Voting Record 

12 Dr. Mike Romeo Reflects On Year As Chair/ 

New Members 

13 Economic Trends Breakfast 

14 Community Faces Water Crisis 

15 Holiday Retail Sales Joyful 

16 Tgm Cleans Up Downtown 

17 Alliance Welcomes New Ceo 

18 Mixers/ Ribbon Cuttings 

19 Emc Cardiac Operating Suites 

21 Quantitive Easing 

22 Common Core Standards 

membership / cvb assistant 

Kassi Fortado 

Ext. 101 

kassi@turlockchamber.com 

Turlock Convention 

and Visitors Bureau 

director 

Desa Cammack 

115 S. Golden State Blvd. 

209-632-2221 Ext. 104 

desa@visitturlock.org 

Published by The Turlock Journal 

138 S. Center St., 


209-634-9141 

business news 4 winter 2014

president & CEO of the board 

chamber 

SHaron Silva 

president & CEO 

When looking back on the year 2013, it is hard to believe 

the challenges that our country had — starting 

with a budget shut down. Fortunately, before the 

year ended, we did see the two sides of the legislature 

come together with a two-year operations budget. 

There were also changes locally. Stanislaus County had a change in 

leadership starting with the CEO of the county moving to Stockton, 

and the CEO of the Alliance Workforce moving to another state. California 

State University, Stanislaus announced that Dr. Joseph Sheley, 

the Interim President, would be the permanent president of the university. 

The City of Turlock made progress with having economic development 

as one of its priorities; and Turlock Chamber of Commerce 

was recognized for the fifth year with the CalChamber’s Presidents 

Award. 

This year, I read a book called “The Coming Jobs War” by Jim Clifton, 

chairman of Gallup. The information this book brings to light is the 

importance of business and government leaders focusing on job creation, 

which is the fate of our nation. According to Gallup, we do not 

have enough full time jobs. Gallup says almost all new jobs are created 

by new businesses, small and medium-sized organizations, but at this 

time it is moving too slow. We need to step-up job creation starting at 

the local level. 

Instead of local leaders looking to Washington for stimulus packages 

and money to solve the problems, we need to develop programs for 

entrepreneurs and enterprise energy. According to Gallup, it is not the 

elected leaders, but the city leaders, CEOs, university, hospital, and foundation 

presidents, who will create the energy to develop and bring job 

creation in their cities. It is the mentors of these organizations who help 

encourage, guide, train and advise the small business entrepreneur. 

The Chamber has set four major goals for 2014: Economic Development, 

Political Action, (having a voice in political matters that effect 

Business, from elected officials to measures and ballots), continued 

Education and Membership Development. 

The Turlock Chamber has been fortunate to have outstanding leadership 

with the Board and Chairs over the past years, and this year was 

no exception. Chairman Dr. Mike Romeo was always there for support 

or whatever was needed by the Chamber staff. It is an honor to work 

with a Board of Directors who have vision and commitment for economic 

development and to the businesses of Turlock. 

I look forward to working with the 2014 Board of Directors and 

Board Chair Andrew Wigglesworth, CEO of MedicAlert. It is a privilege 

to work with a team who wants to insure that the Chamber of Commerce 

becomes better at providing services to assist Turlock businesses 

and to work with our partners, the City of Turlock, the university 

and the Alliance Workforce. 

I thank our partners, sponsors, members, and staff for their continued 

support and hard work in making the Turlock Chamber of Commerce 

the number one business resource for our community. The 

board has made a commitment to continue our growth and development 

in 2014. 


2014 chamber board of directors 

Andrew wigglesworth 

Chair 

MedicAlert Foundation 

Jeff Segars 

chair elect 

Foster Farms 

Mike romeo 

past chair 

Romeo Medical Clinic 

Steve GEmperle 

Treasurer 

Gamperle Enteprises 

Mike Allen 

Allen Mortuary 

Ashour badal 

CSU Stanislaus 

diana bettencourt 

Oak Valley 

Community Bank 

Fred brenda 

Valley Tool & 

Manufacturing 

James Brenda 

JKB Energy 

Dean Doerksen 

Central Ag Products 

Kyle kirkes 

Kirkes Electric 

Mike Lynch 

Mike Lynch Consulting 

linda nowak 


Steven padilla 

Sunopta 

Lazar Piro 

Piro Trading International 

susan quigley 

Rabobank 

mike rose 

B&B Fluid Power 

2014 turlock chamber of commerce staff 

Marty Jakosa 

Ex-Officio Member 

Foster Farms 

paul porter 

Winton-Ireland, 

Strom & Green 

Sharon Silva 

President/CEO 

IOM, Institute 

for Organization 

Management, University 

of Arizona, Bachelor 

Arts Organizational 

Communication 

tasha van santen 

director 

communications/ 

development 

Bachelor Science - 

Business 


Sharon berry 

administrative assistant 

Bachelor Science - 

Education Science 

Pacific University 

kassi fortado 

membership/ 

cvb assistant 

Merced College 

Desa cammack 

director turlock 

convention and 

visitors bureau 

Wester Association of 

Chamber Executives 

Graduate 

2014 chamber champions upcoming events 

Allen Mortuary 

Emanuel Medical Center 

Garton Tractor, Inc. 

Gemperle Enterprises 

JKB Energy / Living 

Kirkes Electric 

MedicAlert Foundation 

Tower Health and Wellness 

Turlock Journal 

Turlock Scavenger Company / Turlock Recycling 

Winton-Ireland, Strom & Green 

Oak Valley Community Bank 

Mixer - Carnegie Arts Center 

January 15 

Best of Turlock 

January 24 

Mixer - Pet Avenue 

February 19 

Annual Membership Breakfast 

February 26 

Ag Scholarship Luncheon 

March 10 

Mixer - Brenda Athletic Clubs 

March 19 

Golf Tournament 

March 28 


New Chamber Board Chair 

Andrew 

Wigglesworth 

BY CARA HALLAM 

MedicAlert CEO brings 20 years of 

international business experience 

With over 20 years of experience 

in the healthcare field in the 

nonprofit, for-profit and public 

sectors, Andrew Wigglesworth, president 

and CEO of the MedicAlert Foundation, 

has been appointed as Chairman of 

the Turlock Chamber of Commerce. 

Having lived in Turlock for the past 

three and a half years, Wigglesworth 

brings a dedication to economic development 

and prosperity to the community. 

For the past three years, he has served 

on the board of the Turlock Chamber of 

Commerce and hopes to continue bringing 

a wealth of experience as he begins 

his term as Chair in 2014. 

“The Chamber has made a lot of progress 

in a whole bunch of different fronts,” 

said Wigglesworth. “2014 is shaping up to 

be a pivotal year for both Turlock and the 

Chamber as we will have city-wide elections 

with major issues related to water, a 

road tax — a whole series of public policy 

issues that the Chamber will be involved 

in while directly impacting the economic 

health and vitality of our region.” 

Under the guidance of Chamber President 

and CEO Sharon Silva, Wigglesworth 

says that he remains confident that the 

Chamber will continue to make strides in 

helping the Turlock community prosper. 

“We’re fortunate that Sharon Silva is 

our CEO, and for 15 years now she has 

done an outstanding job with the Chamber,” 

said Wigglesworth. “I’m very confident 

that the Chamber will continue to 

play an important role as we look forward 

to these important issues.” 

While continually seeking the best 

opportunities for the Turlock area, 

Wigglesworth believes that the community 

has proven to be one of the Valley’s 

primary locations. 

“I hope that Turlock will continue to be 

what I see as the place to live in the Central 

Valley,” said Wigglesworth. “Turlock 

is the place to live and work in the Central 

Valley, and our leaders in this community 

have made this a wonderful place to be. 

We’ve got all kinds of assets and things 

going for it. By far, Turlock has had the 

right mix of the resources of a nice sized 

city, yet continues to hold that wonderful 

small town feel. Land use and zoning issues 

have been handled much better than 

in many other places, and all in all I think 

we are a great community.” 

Currently serving as CEO and President, 

Wigglesworth says that he is proud 

to be associated with the MedicAlert 

Foundation — a non-profit, member 

based organization dedicated to the well 

being of others. 

“Unlike many other organizations, 

MedicAlert is one where we are privileged 

to go to work every day with the 

mission to help save people’s lives,” said 

Wigglesworth. “That is something that I 

get jazzed up about every day, and I am 

proud to be associated with MedicAlert.” 

When asked about the Turlock downtown 

revitalization, Wigglesworth said 

that while he agrees there has been significant 

improvements made to the area, 

he believes there is still more challenges 

facing the downtown. 

“I think the City, the Chamber and the 

Turlock Downtown Property Owners 

Association need to continue to work to 

build upon the revitalization,” said Wigglesworth. 

“It’s a very nice downtown, 

yet we need to do more to bring unique, 

interesting shops and economic activity 

while continuing to work to make it a 

very appealing destination area.” 

Additionally, Wigglesworth hopes to 

put an emphasis on California State University, 

Stanislaus while working alongside 

CSU Stanislaus President Joseph 

Sheley to make a stronger connection 

between the local university and the City. 

“I hope that we will do more to basically 

bring the college and city together,” said 

Wigglesworth. “We could bring them together 

in a synergistic way to make Turlock 

more of an effective college town. There are 

a lot of things that can be done on that front 

to help create some mutually beneficial 

partnerships that will end up benefitting 

our whole community.” 

About Wigglesworth: 

Prior to joining MedicAlert, Wigglesworth 

served as a partner at TRG Healthcare, 

LLC. where he worked with hospitals, 

health systems, and other healthcare 

organizations on issues related to strategic 

planning, governance, policy development, 

financial solutions, crisis 

communications, government relations, 

operational improvement and new business 

development. 

Furthermore, Wigglesworth served for 

12 years as the CEO of the Delaware Valley 

Healthcare Council, representing more 

than 150 hospitals and health systems in 

the tri-state greater Philadelphia area. He 

also helped create and led the Health Care 

Improvement Foundation as one of the top 

five large scale collaboratives in the nation. 


SDLG 

comes to town 

Chinese construction 

machinery company 

opens in Turlock 


Representatives from 

Shangdong Lingong 

Construction Machinery 

Co., in China and Volvo 

Construction Equipment 

and Services traveled 

to Turlock for the grand 

opening in October of 

SDLG, their first branch 

in North America. 

CARA HALLAM / 

The Journal 

One of China’s top construction equipment producers has 

opened their first North American branch in Turlock. 

The company, Shangdong Lingong Construction Machinery 

Co., Ltd. — more commonly known as SDLG — has 

long been the largest exporter of construction equipment within 

China since its founding in 1972. In a continued effort to 

expand their product globally, the company has partnered with 

Volvo Construction Equipment and Services to open seven dual 

outlets in North America. 

As a leading Chinese brand of construction machinery, SDLG 

specializes in wheel loaders, excavators, compactors and backhoe 

loaders. The company has entered the North American 

market by launching two models of wheel loaders, the LG938L 

— a loader with a rated load of 3 tons, and the LG959 — a loader 

with a rated load of 5 tons. 

In late October, representatives from the company visited 

Turlock from China, joining together with Volvo Group representatives 

and Turlock city officials for the official ribbon cutting 

ceremony of the new outlet. 

“This is the first dual store in North America — a real milestone 

for us,” said Alan Quinn, director of SDLG North America. 

“This is a reliable, sound machine that will be a great product 

for the agricultural industry here. It is great for local farmers 

who want an affordable price.” 

According to SDLG, the entry into North America is the latest 

phase of the company’s ambitious international expansion 

program. The company has also recently been introduced into 

other areas of the global market, including Latin America, Russia, 

the Middle East and much of Asia. 

With the first SDLG North American store opening in Turlock, 

Mayor John Lazar expressed gratitude. 

“This is a great moment for the City of Turlock,” said Lazar. 

“We are tickled that this is the first store for North America, and 

it is a great honor to have you here.” 

Turlock Chamber of Commerce President Sharon Silva said 

that the Chamber is looking forward to developing a long-term 

relationship with the company. 

“This is an exciting time,” said Silva. “Having them here in Turlock 

is such a wonderful thing for our community, and we’re looking 

forward to a long, long relationship. It is through business that 

we are successful, and we will work hard to make you successful. 

Welcome not only to Turlock, but to the United States.” 

Representatives from both the Volvo Group and SDLG said 

that it had been a positive experience working with Turlock. 

“It couldn’t have been a better fit,” said Mike Matthews, president 

of Volvo Construction Equipment and Services. “Our experience 

with Turlock has been nothing but fantastic…This is 

the beginning of something special.” 

The dual outlet located at 1275 Venture Lane features SDLG 

products and a Volvo Construction Equipment and Services 

branch, providing retail sales, long-term rentals, large rentals 

and various parts and services. 


Elections Recap 

lthough it was not a presidential 

election year, many Stanislaus 

County residents took to the 

polls this November to vote on 

matters affecting the 

local community directly. 

With two seats open for the Stanislaus 

County Board of Education in Areas 2 

and 5, the race came close as four hopeful 

candidates took on the campaign trail. 

Following Election Day, Turlock resident 

Alice Pollard was voted in to serve 

Joe Alamo 

New faces on school 

board; incumbents 

prevail in TID race 


as a governing board member for Area 

2, while Bob Vizzolini of Newman was 

elected to serve for Area 5. 

Pollard, who has served on the Turlock 

Planning Commission since 2011, 

recently retired from the Turlock Unified 

School District after serving 28 years in 

numerous positions, including as a government 

and economics teacher, secondary 

assistant principal, and principal of 

the Turlock Adult School. 

As a businessman and retired educator, 

Vizzolini has spent time 

with students as a business 

teacher and administrator 

at Orestimba High School 

in Newman and Patterson 

High School prior to taking 

a position with the Stanislaus 

County Office of Education 

overseeing charter 

schools. 

Turlock Unified School 

District also had two seats available during the 

November election, with two new faces joining 

the Board of Trustees. For Area 2, Deborah 

J. Martin took the seat of Tami Muniz, who was 

seeking re-election as her term expired. In Area 

Bob Vizzolini 

6, candidates Jennifer Carter 

and Joe Lewis campaigned for 

the seat left vacant by former 

trustee Josh Bernard, who did 

not seek re-election. After the 

votes had been counted, Carter 

came out victorious. 

As a retired public utility director, Martin had applied 

to fill the seat left vacant mid-term by Grady 

Welch, who resigned from his position in early July. 

While the Board of Trustees opted to appoint Turlock 

Education Foundation President Barney 

Gordon to fill Welch’s position, it did 

not keep Martin from running in the November 

election. Having lived in Turlock 

for the past three years, Martin is married 

to Stanislaus County Fair CEO Christ 

Borovansky and has said that her top priority 

is implementing Common Core Standards 

in the District. 

Carter, who serves as a human resources 

director for the Merced Irrigation 

District, grew up in Turlock completing 

her education at TUSD 

elementary schools and Turlock 

High School. Carter also received 

her bachelor’s degree in Turlock, 

having attended California State 

University, Stanislaus. During 

her campaign, Carter stressed 

the importance of implementing 

Common Core Standards and 

improving graduation rates and 

test scores within the District. 

Aside from education, the 

Nov. 5 election also brought a 

heated race for the Turlock Irrigation 

District as the seats of incumbents 

Ron Macedo and Joe 

Alamo were up for re-election. 

While both Macedo and Alamo 

were challenged by opponents 

Darrel Monroe and Daniel Agundez, respectively, 

the incumbents were re-elected to keep their seats 

for another four years. In late November, Macedo 

was appointed as President of the District while 

Alamo was appointed Vice President. 

Deborah Martin 

Jennifer Carter 

Alice Pollard 

Ron Macedo 


Turlock Real Estate Market 

Beginning to Stabilize 

BY JIM THEIS 

PMZ Real Estate 

As the book closes on 2013, 

it appears that the market is 

becoming more balanced. 

From January to May the 

average price per square 

foot rose 30.3% and in the past six months 

values have actually declined 2.8% from 

the May peak of $142 per square foot. As 

price increases accelerated, buyers began 

to delay purchases, which is reflected in 

the available number of listings increasing 

from the April low of 50 available 

homes (0.9 months supply) to the current 

103 (2.3 months supply). The most 

significant change has been the reduction 

in the numbers of distressed properties. 

In 2012, 63.0% of all properties sold were 

either short sales or bank owned as compared 

to 31.7% this year and it appears 

that this downward trend will continue 

into 2014. 

The California Association of Realtors 

recently released its 2014 California 

Housing Market Forecast. CAR is forecasting 

2014 sales to be up 3.2% with 

median home price increasing 6.0% to 

$432,800, following a projected 28% increase 

in 2014. The numbers of distressed 

sales are expected to continue to decline 

to 20% from 33% in 2014. The average 

30-year fixed mortgage interest rates will 

rise to 5.3% next year, but will still remain 

at historically low levels. 

“The wildcards for 2014 include federal, 

fiscal, monetary and housing policies 

— such as the mortgage interest deduction 

and mortgage finance reform — as 

well as housing supply and the actions of 

the Federal Reserve, which will ensure a 

higher rate environment,” according to 

the CAR forecast. 

Finally, a bit of good news for California 

families who have lost their home in 

a short sale in 2014 — they are not subject 

to state income tax liability on the 

debt forgiveness of “phantom income” 

they never received in a short sale. The 

IRS recognized that the debt written off 

in a short sale does not constitute recourse 

debt under California law, and 

thus does not create so-called “cancellation 

of debt” income to the underwater 

home seller for federal income tax. Now 

with the California Franchise Tax Board 

clarification, California homeowners 

that completed short sales in 2014 are 

assured that they are not subject to both 

federal and state income tax liability for 

debt written off by lenders. If you are in 

this situation, be sure to check with your 

legal or tax professional for specifics on 

your individual circumstances. 

Best wishes for a prosperous New Year! 

Turlock Average Home Prices Per Square Foot 

150 

100 

108 

105 

102 

109 

112 

119 

125 

121 

142 

136 141 141 

146 

140 138 

50 

0 

9/12 10/12 11/12 12/12 1/13 2/13 3/13 4/13 5/13 6/13 7/13 8/13 9/13 10/13 11/13 


Council votes for groundwater moratorium support, 

water rates study 

BY cara hallam 

In the final quarter of 2013, water was brought before the Turlock 

City Council on two occasions — in the form of a letter 

to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors in support of a 

moratorium on new agricultural production wells, and in regards 

to increasing water rates for city users. 

The council also appointed members to the new Mayor’s Economic 

Development Task Force. 

Meeting 

council agenda item 

amy bublak 

bill dehart 

john lazar 

steven nascimento 

forrest white 

1. 8/27/2013 One-year building lease agreement between City of Turlock 

and Turlock Gospel Mission 

2. 9/10/2013 Council appoints members to the Mayor’s Economic 

Development Task Force 

3. 10/22/2013 City Manager to write a letter to Stanislaus County 

Board of Supervisors requesting a moratorium on new 

agricultural production wells ( 

4. 11/12/13 Capital Facilities Fees Program amended ) 

5. 11/12/13 mOratorium prohibiting permits for mobile food facilities 

in downtown 

6. 11/12/13 pavement Management Program Update ) 

7. 12/10/13 agreement with outside labor negotiator 

8. 12/10/13 renaming Centennial Park to “Centennial-Swanson Park” 

9. 12/10/13 fOrmalizing a City/County Liaison Committee 

10. 12/10/13 Consideration of increasing water rate 

Y y y y y 

Y y y y y 

Y y y y y 

Y y y y y 

Y y y y y 

Y y y y y 

N y y y y 

Y y y y y 

N y y y y 

Y y y y y 

City Council Voting Record Item Explanation 

1. One- year building lease agreement 

between City of Turlock and Turlock 

Gospel Mission — Turlock Gospel Mission 

representative Chris Kiriakou spoke 

in favor of the agreement while providing 

the Council with information regarding 

the organization’s steps toward 

the construction of their new homeless 

shelter facility set for 2014. Council discussed 

neighborhood concerns, loitering 

concerns, and requested updates from 

TGM every six months. The agreement 

was originally set for two years, however, 

Councilmember Bublak motioned for a 

one-year lease agreement for the Cityowned 

area and building located at 1030 

East Avenue (the Turlock Youth Center). 

The motion carried unanimously. 

2. Council appoints members to the 

Mayor’s Economic Development Task 

Force — City Council appointed 25 local 

community members to serve on the 

Mayor’s Economic Task Force, including: 

Sharon Silva as Chair, Mike Brem as Vice- 

Chair, Rich Borba, Michael Camara, Jeff 

Chapman, Matthew Davoodian, Jaskaran 

Dhesi, Eric Gonsalves, Julio Hallack, 

Benjamin Hector, Jennifer Helzer, Diana 

Lynn Kaysen, Yates McCallum, Richard 

Mowery, Jessie Orosco, Gil Perez, Jim 

Reape, Ram Saini, Jim Shade, Jan Tucker, 

Anokeen Varani, Chris Borovanski, Kris 

Klair, Lawrence Smith, and Ed Yonan. 

3. City Manager to write a letter to 

Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors 

requesting a moratorium on new agricultural 

production wells – City of Turlock 

requests the Stanislaus County Board of 

Supervisors to halt any new agricultural 

production wells while a stakeholder 

group is formed to consider developing 

groundwater pumping regulations as 

groundwater continues to be a diminishing 

resource. Over time, a significant 

“cone of depression” has developed 

east of Turlock where water levels have 

dropped approximately 100 feet in the 

past 40 years. Nitrate contamination is 

also increasing in northeast Turlock, with 

the quality of groundwater worsening. In 

continued on PAGE 23 


Mike Romeo 

reflects on 

his year as 

Chamber 

Chairman 


aving served as the Chairman of the Turlock Chamber of 

Commerce for the past year, Dr. Mike Romeo of Romeo 

Medical Clinic, hopes to see the Chamber continue a 

strong emphasis on health-related issues affecting the 

community. 

Although Dr. Romeo has been involved with the 

Chamber of Commerce for the past 13 years, he began 

his time serving on the board nearly five years ago. In 2013, Dr. 

Romeo was appointed as Chairman of the Chamber, bringing 

his expertise as a physician to help bring attention to health. 

“This past year we accomplished a lot,” said Dr. Romeo. “We 

brought healthcare to the forefront of our discussions, creating a 

wellness program called Healthy Turlock that would bring wellness 

programs on site to local businesses.” 

The program, which is expected to unroll in 2014, helps teach 

employees to live a healthy lifestyle while making the best medical 

and healthcare options. 

With MedicalAlert CEO and President Andrew Wigglesworth 

taking over as Chairman for 2014, Dr. Romeo says the transition 

is expected to go smoothly. 

“We’ve been working alongside MedicAlert with the Healthy 

Turlock program, so it is a perfect transition to have Andrew 

Wigglesworth serving as Chairman,” said Dr. Romeo. 

After moving to Turlock with his wife Diane and their children, 

Dr. Romeo established Romeo Medical Clinic where he 

has fulfilled his desire to run a medical practice that is dedicated 

to quality patient care, while working alongside his family. His 

brother, Dr. Joe Romeo, is the local head and neck surgeon while 

his sister, Dr. Lisa Romeo, works part-time at the practice. 

“I really believe that Turlock is a hidden gem in the Central Valley,” 

said Dr. Romeo. “There are great people here with a great 

foundation. We have wonderful leadership, with a council and 

mayor who have done a great job leading our City. We have Sharon 

Silva, who has done an amazing job with the Chamber of 

Commerce. Turlock just has layers of awesome.” 

With the success of landing the new Blue Diamond facility in 

2012, Dr. Romeo says that he hopes to see more economic development 

in Turlock’s near future. 

“I hope to see more business development,” said Dr. Romeo. 

“Blue Diamond was great, and so I’d like to see more jobs come 

to Turlock and boost the local economy.” 

While Dr. Romeo will not serve as Chair in 2014, he hopes to 

continue serving the board while offering his expertise to help 

benefit the Turlock community. 

“I’m proud to serve on the Chamber board,” said Dr. Romeo. “It 

is a great service board for a wonderful community.” 

New Members 

Ag Link, Inc 

Bay Area Coating Consultant Services, Inc. 

CTC American Express 

Digs 

Direct Security & Sounds, Inc. 

Gallery Finesse 

Liberty Private Security, Inc. 

Pageo Lavender Farm 

Richardson Allstate Insurance Company 

Seniors Helping Seniors 

Taste of Life Deli and Cafe 

Turlock Smiles Dentistry and Orthodontics 

UPS Store 

Volvo Construction Equipment & Services 

Wardens Office Products CTR 

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Chamber 

holds 

Photo contributed 

Greenlaw “Fritz” 

Grupe, Jr., of The 

Grupe Company, was 

the keynote speaker 

at the Chamber’s 

economic trends 

breakfast. 

economic 

trends 

breakfast 

Recovery on its way; 

skilled workforce 

needed 


In the first ever Economic Trends Breakfast, the Turlock 

Chamber of Commerce joined together with business leaders 

and local officials to address the state of the regional 

economy and issues affecting local businesses. 

“Turlock is having a renaissance,” said Turlock Mayor John 

Lazar at the October event. “We’ve been able to recover a little 

differently than neighboring cities to the north and the south. I 

know I always say this, but Turlock really continues to be a gem 

in the Central Valley.” 

County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, who serves District 2 on the 

Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, 

said that despite the previous downfall 

of the national economy, he believes 

things are beginning to turn around for 

the better. 

While a main topic throughout the 

event remained how to bring new businesses 

to the area, Chiesa stressed the 

importance of ensuring the region has a 

quality, trained workforce to attract new 

industries. 

“We have to make sure that we have a trained workforce,” 

said Chiesa. “We need to make sure that our folks are ready for 

the jobs that are available for them — that is important for government. 

We have a literacy program, as simple as that sounds, 

in our library system where we’re teaching people the basics of 

reading and writing. That is important because not all people 

are going to be college graduates, but they still need to be productive 

in the workforce.” 

The keynote speaker for the inaugural event, Greenlaw 

“Fritz” Grupe, Jr., brought a wealth of knowledge to the table 

as his company, The Grupe Company, has created 50 communities 

in six states over the past 45 years. 

During this time, the company has spearheaded development 

with over 50,000 for sale and rental housing units, 10,000 lots for 

other builders in master-planned communities, and over two million 

square feet of office, commercial and storage space. The company 

is currently buying foreclosed, single-family homes and retrofitting 

homes to help make them more energy efficient. 

Addressing topics such as housing, the United States GDP, 

unemployment rates, water policy, the growing middle class, 

and education, Grupe shared with the audience how he perceives 

the local economy and the Central Valley as continuing 

to improve. 

“There’s a growing middle class in the world,” said Grupe. 

“Right now, there are 1.8 billion people in the world considered 

middle class. Now, of course the ‘middle class’ varies from region 

to region. But when people leave the poverty level and into 

the middle class, they start eating better foods than they did 

before. And that bodes really well for the Central Valley. Not 

many other places in the world can produce what we can produce 

here. If that trend continues, and there are 5 billion middle 

class people in the world by 2030, can 

you imagine what that is going to mean 

for the Central Valley? It’s going to be 

‘Turlock is having 

a renaissance.’ 

phenomenal. I think we’re in for some 

great times ahead.” 

Much like Chiesa, Grupe also stressed 

the importance of having a skilled workforce 

for job growth. Noting that 1 in 4 

public school students in the nation will 

drop out before finishing high school, 

Grupe adamantly pushed the value of 

education and its effects on business and the local economy. 

Grupe continues to work alongside his wife, educators and 

local community members to help improve literacy rates and 

school readiness for young students, and has helped reduce 

the dropout rate in his community in San Joaquin County by 

70 percent. 

“Just because you’re not an elected official, doesn’t mean you 

can’t help out,” said Grupe. “We can all help out. We have to deal 

with the failure to educate our workforce.” 

In addition to being a previous president of the Urban 

Land Institute, Grupe is the chairman and founder of the 

San Joaquin County Business Council, the Golden Gate and 

Northern California Chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization, 

the Stockton Chamber of Commerce, the Stockton 

Board of Realtors and the Builders Hall of Fame. 

— Turlock Mayor John Lazar. 


Drip, 

A14_CHAMBER 

Drip, 

Drip 

BY MICHAEL LYNCH 

Residents of Turlock have made exceptional progress 

in conserving water. Since the introduction 

of watering days and the use of water meters, 

Turlock residents have lowered their use of 

this resource. Unfortunately, however, the 

conservation, and the increased water costs undertaken 

by Turlock residents, does little to address 

the water crises facing our community. 

Turlock’s water comes from the Turlock 

groundwater sub basin consisting of most of 

the land between the Tuolumne River on 

the north, the San Joaquin on the west, the 

Merced river on the south and the Sierra 

Nevada’s to the east. This is the aquifer that 

supplies Turlock, the cities of Ceres, Hughson, 

and urban communities like Keyes, 

south Modesto, Denair and smaller domestic 

uses along with agricultural users with 

in TID, the Eastside water district and other 

agricultural users who are not in any irrigation 

district. 

And that’s the problem. Turlock city residents, 

and the residents of ALL the urban areas within the Turlock 

groundwater basin, account for just 10% of all the water 

that is pumped out of the basin. But the pumping is increasing 

at an alarming rate, and the water in the aquifer is declining 

precipitously. 

Turlock residents also receive none of the surface water made 

available by TID and Don Pedro, even though a substantial portion 

of the cost of that irrigation service is born by Turlock and 

Turlock’s 

conservation 

efforts are not 

nearly enough to 

stop the dangerous 

decrease in the 

aquifer water level. 

other urban area power users. Residents of the city of Modesto 

also provide revenue to offset the cost of irrigation services 

through MID, but MID makes surface water available for 

Modesto city use at the same low irrigator rates. 

Stanislaus County has established a groundwater advisory 

committee to develop a sustainability plan for 

the Turlock groundwater basin. Only the county 

has the authority to stop approval of even more 

pump permits, but some county leaders insist 

that even imposing a moratorium, which 

would stop the bleeding until we get a better 

handle on the issue, would not be prudent 

or fair. 

Unfortunately, the number of permits 

requested is growing daily. The demand 

on the groundwater is fueled not just by 

drought, but by the massive conversion of 

range land to heavy water uses like orchards. 

People are rushing to get permits for groundwater 

pumping in the hopes that any regulatory 

action taken by the county will be too late to apply 

to their particular case. Unfortunately, this delay 

in taking action only adds to the difficulty, and cost, of any 

eventual solution. 

Turlock’s conservation efforts are not nearly enough to stop 

the dangerous decrease in the aquifer water level. Other jurisdictions 

must act. Most importantly, the Turlock Irrigation District 

and the cities within the district must conclude the 25-year 

negotiation process and make Tuolumne River surface water 

available for our use as MID does for Modesto. 


‘Twas a 

good season 

for holiday 

shopping 


CARA HALLAM / The Journal 

The Silk Garden owner Terry Newcomb compared the 2013 

holiday shopping season with pre-recession year sales. 

Non-medical in-home 

Non-medical in-home for Seniors services by Se 

We provide dependable, Non-medical in-home friendly services seniors to h 

We provide dependable, for friendly Seniors seniors by Seniors. to help with services 

like light like housekeeping, light We provide dependable, transportation, friendly transportation, seniors shopping to help with personal services shoppi care, 

like light housekeeping, transportation, and shopping more. personal care, 

companionship and more. 

Non-medical in-home services 

Like getting 

for Seniors 

a little 

by 

help 

Seniors. 

from your fri 

Like getting a little help from your friends ® . 

As the holidays near each season, business owners 

five or six. Both Black Friday and Small Business Saturday 

were huge days for us. We had a line wrapped 

both of mom-and-pop shops and million dollar 

companies begin preparing for the rush of shoppers 

around the corner of the sidewalk outside on Black 

looking to cross off their Christmas lists. 

Friday with people just waiting to get in to shop. We 

According to national statistics and many local business 

owners, this most recent holiday season was one to be 

really great this season.” 

thought we’d be hurting this year, but things have been 

proud of. 

Even though the average U.S. shopper spent 3.9 percent 

less on Black Friday than in 2012, the number of 

“It was really a fabulous season, I’m just over-the-top happy,” 

said The Silk Garden owner Terry Newcomb. “We had 

shoppers at stores and online rose 1.4 percent to 141 

happy customers and product flying out the door. The last 

million for a total spending of $57.4 billion, according 

three years have been excellent, with this year being the best. 

to a survey of more than 4,400 people by Prosper Insights 

and Analytics. 

I would say that our sales were on-par with, if not better, 

than prior 2008 levels, when things turned bad for retail.” 

According to the National Retail Federation, holiday 

sales saw a 3.9 percent increase in 2013. On Thanksgiving 

Day, approximately 45 million Americans took to 

their favorite stores for holiday shopping, up 10 million 

from the year prior. 

Although the average American shopper spent $407 over 

Thanksgiving weekend in 2013, nearly half — 49.9 percent 

— of holiday shoppers indicated in mid-December that 

Non-medical in-home services 

they would complete the remainder of their shopping online 

— the highest percentage over the past 11 years, accord- 

for Seniors by for Seniors. 

by Seniors. 

ing to Prosper Insights and Analytics. 

“It We comes as provide no surprise that dependable, Americans are eager to shop friendly seniors to help with services 

online in the coming weeks as busy schedules and a shift in 

the like calendar light have made housekeeping, the convenience offered by transportation, retailers’ 

mobile apps and websites even more attractive this year,” Like 

shopping companionship and more. personal care, 

Like 

getting 

getting 

a 

a 

little 

little 

help 

help from 

from 

your 

your 

friends 

friends ® 

. 

® . 

said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay 

companionship 

just weeks be- 

Contact and more. us us today. 1-000-000-0000 

fore Christmas. “Recognizing the importance of providing 

stellar customer experiences for their shoppers, retailers will 

use every opportunity to promote their products through 

all their channels at very competitive prices, including exclusive 

shipping offers and in-store events.” 

While millions of Americans turned to shopping online 

for their holiday gift needs, local brick-and-mortar 

stores still reported an increase ©2010 in customers Each office this past is independently owned and operated. 

holiday season. 

All trademarks are registered trademarks of Corporate Mutual Resources Inc. 

©2010 ©2010 Each Each office is is independently owned and and operated. operated. 

All trademarks All trademarks are are registered trademarks of of Corporate Mutual Mutual Resources Resources Inc. 

Contact us today. 1-000-000 

Inc. 

We provide dependable, friendly seniors to help with services 

like light housekeeping, transportation, shopping personal care, 

©2010 

companionship 

Each office is independently owned and opera 

Contact us and today more. 

All trademarks are registered trademarks of Corporate Mutual Re 

Like getting a little help from your friends 

(209) 542-4483 

® 

. 

Contact us today. 1-000-000-0000 

Contact us today. 1-000-000-0000 

“The increase has just been crazy this year,” said Maria 

Nash of Envy Fine Clothing. “In the past we only needed 

two employees to run the store, but now we’ve been up to 

©2010 Each office is independently owned and operated. 

All trademarks are registered trademarks of Corporate Mutual Resources Inc. 

29993_1 


Turlock Gospel Mission 

Cleans Up, 

Downtown That Is!BY CHRIS KIRIAKOU 

If you are in downtown Turlock and you see a three or four person crew 

in yellow or orange vests, it could be a Turlock Gospel Mission volunteer 

crew working on cleaning up the trash from the downtown area. 

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning volunteer supervisor Roger 

Dooley organizes and transports a crew made up of TGM guests to the 

downtown area to help clean up trash and other debris. 

Dooley started volunteering at the Turlock Gospel Mission’s East Avenue 

day center about three months ago. A suggestion came in to start a community 

outreach project involving giving back to Turlock by helping clean 

up the downtown area. Dooley took on the task and organized a three to 

five person crew to cover Main Street from Palm to Lander, including the 

alleys. Several guests quickly volunteered to be on the crew. That started 

the community outreach, and from that point on Dooley has been supervising 

the three times a week cleanup. 

Guests are participating in the program for many reasons. One that 

stands out is their need to demonstrate that they care for the community. 

Many comment that they receive a sense of accomplishment and feel good 

about performing the service. A small lunch card at Jack in the Box is provided 

to each of the volunteers for their effort. 

Dooley said he appreciates the opportunity for fellowship with the guests 

and to help make Turlock a better place. 

“Interacting with TGM’s guests has been a real blessing to me and it has 

been a good experience,” he said. 

TGM’s vision is to provide opportunities to combine spiritual, personal 

and community resources to enable them to become productive members 

of society. The Turlock Gospel Mission receives no grants from local, state 

or federal agencies and is solely supported by the volunteers and donations 

from our community. Donations to TGM can be made online at www.turlockgospelmission.org 

or by mail or in person at the Turlock Gospel Mission, 

located at 1030 East Ave., P.O. Box 1231. For more information call 

TGM at 656-1033. 

Turlock Gospel 

Mission volunteer 

crews have been 

working to clean 

up Turlock’s 

downtown area. 

Photo contributed 


Alliance 

names new CEO 


The Stanislaus Economic 

Development and Workforce 

Alliance has named 

David L. White as the new CEO 

for the regional business development 

organization. 

Following a nationwide search, 

the Alliance Board of Directors 

voted to officially welcome White to 

Stanislaus County. 

“One of the reasons we really liked 

Dave for this position was due to the 

incredible level of collaboration and 

communication we noticed at the 

Colorado Springs Regional Business 

Alliance,” said Jeff Grover, chairman 

of the Board of Directors. “Seeing 

how the Business Alliance has created 

a cluster of industry strategy 

and engaged volunteers from those 

industries into the day to day business 

of economic development was 

one of the main reasons we wanted 

to hire Dave.” 

With over 25 years of experience 

in economic development, White is 

excited to start his new position as 

CEO with the Stanislaus Alliance. 

“Perception does not equal reality. 

I have visited several communities 

in the County so far, and I have 

been very impressed with what this 

area has to offer,” said White. “There 

is a sense of an All-American, down 

to earth feel here.” 

Since 2006, White has served as 

the Chief Business Development 

Officer for the Colorado Springs Regional 

Business Alliance. Although 

White has been recently serving in 

Colorado, his background comes 

from California, as he worked for 

the City of Riverside/Smart Riverside, 

offering his expertise in marketing 

and business attraction. 

Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in International 

Relations from Brigham 

Young University and a Masters 

Degree in Urban and Regional 

Planning from the University of 

Pittsburg, White has a vast amount 

of knowledge in areas affecting the 

Stanislaus region. He is also a husband 

and father of five children. 

Jaime Suarez 

Account Manager 

BloodSource proudly offers many ways 

for you to give back to the Community 

Donate or Schedule a Blood Drive Today 

Call 209.564.0217 

1040 W Monte Vista Ave, Turlock CA, 95382 • 382 East Yosemite Ave, Merced CA, 95340 


M I X E R S 

Geiger’s 

Fine 

Jewelry 

November 19 

G 

Turlock 

Memorial 

Park 

October 15 

T 

Turlock Golf 

and Country Club 

December 5 

T 

ribbon c u t t i n g s 

Liberty Private Security 

November 6 

Seniors Helping Seniors 

November 21 

Volvo Construction Equipment 

and Services, October 24 

Volvo Rents 

November 6 


New state-of-the-art 

cardiac operating suites 

come to Emanuel Medical Center 

Submitted by Emanuel Medical Center 

With two new state-of-the-art cardiac 

operating suites soon to open, 

Emanuel Medical Center has fulfilled 

a journey began in 2010 to 

bring comprehensive cardiac care to Turlock. 

The latest additions to the cardiac facilities 

at Emanuel are a dedicated cardiac operating 

suite with the latest lighting, sterilization and 

patient-monitoring equipment, and a hybrid 

suite that combines a cauterization and interventional 

lab and operating room. The latter 

is one of only a handful of similar hybrid operating 

suites in the region. The hybrid suite 

provides new treatment options for patients 

and doubles the hospital’s ability to treat emergency 

cardiac cases. 

The price tag for building and equipping the 

new operating suites topped $7.1 million. 

“Cancer care and cardiovascular services 

were for decades the two biggest unmet medical 

needs in Turlock, and I’m very proud to 

say that Emanuel Medical Center now has 

top-quality programs in both,” said Emanuel 

President and CEO John Sigsbury. “These new 

cardiac operating suites give patients in our 

community access to the very best technology 

available, and life-saving treatments right here 

in Turlock.” 

In early January, the suites were dedicated 

as the Justin Ferrari Cardiovascular Operating 

Suites in memory of Turlock native Justin 

Ferrari. Ferrari, a tireless advocate for the environment, 

was raised in Turlock. He played 

water polo at Turlock High School before beginning 

his career as a software engineer in 

Seattle. His parents, John and Jeani Ferrari of 

Turlock, were major donors to the campaign 

that helped make the new operating suites 

possible. 

Emanuel launched cardiac care in the spring of 2010 with the opening of 

its Cardiac Cath and Interventional Lab, a high-tech imaging and treatment 

facility where doctors perform complex catheterization procedures through 

a patient’s arteries to diagnose and treat heart conditions and other maladies. 

The technological heart of the cath lab is a large C-shaped fluoroscope that 

uses advanced imaging technology to allow doctors to see X-ray movies inside 

their patients and a multi-axis tilting table to help them guide the catheters 

that open blocked arteries, install stents in narrow arteries and perform 

a variety of other interventional procedures. 

The opening of the Cardiac Cath and Interventional Lab enabled Emanuel 

to become a heart-attack receiving center and accredited chest pain center, 

treating emergency patients with heart attack symptoms within minutes of 

their arrival in the emergency room. Also, in 2011, Emanuel renovated one 

of its existing operating rooms, adding the special medical gasses and equipment 

necessary to convert it to a cardiac operating room. The first openheart 

surgery in Turlock happened that spring, and surgeons have performed 

dozens of heart bypass operations and valve repairs since then. 

But there was still a need for more. 

“We’ve been planning the hybrid operating suite from the beginning because 

we knew that once you have one cath lab, you need a second,” Sigsbury 

said. “This community is big enough that we know we can’t count on heart attacks 

happening one at a time. You need a second option that doesn’t require 

diverting ambulances to other cities.” 

Diversion is necessary whenever the cath lab is occupied for time-consuming 

or complex procedures. According to Randy Jenks, Emanuel’s director of 

cardiovascular services, Emanuel goes on diversion an average of 19 times 

a month, but with the new hybrid operating suite the need to divert will be 

drastically decreased. 

“We also need the hybrid operating suite to be able to schedule a full slate 

of outpatient procedures and still have the Cardiac Cath and Interventional 

Lab available for inpatients,” Jenks said. “The biggest benefit to the new suite 

is treating high-risk patients.” continued on next page 


Best of Both 

Because the hybrid suite is a fully equipped cardiac operating 

room, albeit one with the fluoroscope and tilting table of a 

cath and interventional lab, it’s fully sterile and has anesthesia 

available. For patients with aortic aneurysms – weak spots in 

the main artery leaving the heart — treatment in an operating 

room is critical. 

“Those cases require surgical access to begin with, rather 

than just going through the artery in the groin,” Jenks said. 

“And if the aneurysm ruptures, it requires immediate surgical 

intervention.” 

The hybrid operating suite will also be a blessing for patients 

having spinal compression fractures treated with vertebroplasty 

– a procedure that injects bone cement into a patient’s 

damaged spinal disks. Because it’s a rather painful procedure, 

patients can now have it done under anesthesia in the hybrid 

operating suite. 

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The Justin Ferrari Cardiovascular Operating Suites come 

with the very latest in medical technology – right down to the 

floor itself, explained Ron Evangelista, Emanuel’s director of 

perioperative services. 

“The floors are poured-in-place,” he said. “There are no 

seams, so it’s more sterile and longer lasting.” 

Display monitors and other equipment is suspended from 

the ceilings on fully adjustable arms that make it easy to position 

everything to the surgical team’s liking, and easy to keep 

the floor sterile. 

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What Do You ay 

We Print ome Money, 

It Might Help! 

(or How Does Quantitative Easing Work?) 

BY CHRIS KIRIAKOU 

Recently the press and business leaders have been discussing 

the Federal Reserve’s use of “Quantitative Easing 

(QE)” to stimulate the economy. Ignoring whether 

or not QE actually stimulates the economy, just how is it supposed 

to work? Investopedia defines QE as: An unconventional 

monetary policy in which a central bank purchases government 

securities or other securities from the market in order to lower 

interest rates and increase the money supply. Quantitative easing 

increases the money supply by flooding financial institutions with 

capital in an effort to promote increased lending and liquidity. 

What is the Federal Reserve? 

First off this is a very simplified summary of how the Federal 

Reserve is structured and operates. The Federal Reserve was 

created in 1913 for the purpose of studying and implementing 

monetary policy. It is headed by a seven person, President 

appointed Board of Governors. There are 12 regional Federal 

Reserve Banks that perform the bulk of the operating requirements 

and are located in major Cities. They are referred to as 

the “banker’s bank” and ours is located in San Francisco. All 

national banks like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan 

Chase and Citi Group and some state chartered local banks 

(like Oak Valley Community Bank) are members of the Federal 

Reserve and are regulated by them. 

How does QE work? 

When the Board of Governors decides that they need to 

stimulate the economy they can do it by various means. The 

three that are used today have to do with interest rates, bank 

reserves — money that is held by the banks in the event of 

a major financial event — and through the purchase of US 

Government Treasury Bills and Mortgage Backed Securities. 

Mortgage Backed Securities are investments, somewhat similar 

to stocks, bonds or mutual funds. Their value is secured, 

or backed, by the value of an underlying bundle of mortgages. 

(http://useconomy.about.com) The Federal Reserve can make 

money available to member banks at low interest rates as part 

of their regular banking activities through the Federal Funds 

Rate. QE comes in the form of reducing the reserve cash level 

required of member banks by issuing them credit and thereby 

causing the bank to make freed up cash available for loans. 

Secondly, they can purchase US Treasuries, which the banks 

hold, and they can purchase MBSs also held by the banks, 

again freeing up more cash at the bank making more money 

available to loan. 

Elect. Credit 

Electronic 

Printing Press 

Federal Reserve 

Board of Governors 

Credit 

Ok, so where does the money for loans to banks, credit, purchasing 

Treasuries and MBSs come from? The Federal Reserve, 

in a sense creates it through its regulation and by electronically 

adding credit to its bank account. Although the Fed does not 

print bank notes, this is how the Federal Reserve is commonly 

said to be printing money. 

So is it working? 

It depends on what you’re looking at. If you’re focused on the 

stock market with the market averages at or near all time highs 

you would say that it is. If you’re unemployed with the October 

National unemployment rate at 7.2% and California unemployment 

rate at 8.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics) you might feel 

otherwise. If you’re looking at the amount of assets held by the 

Federal Reserve at $3.7 trillion with $1.4 Trillion in MBSs (Dec 

12, 2013 Federal Reserve Statistical Release) you might recall the 

2008 financial crisis stemming from toxic MBSs. If you’re looking 

at the amount of US debt at $17.2 trillion (Dec 15, 2013 US 

Debt Clock) and growing you might wonder who is holding all 

this debt and who is going to pay for it. 

One thing for sure it isn’t the good old days and only time will 

tell if “printing money” makes a difference in our economy. 

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29711_1 


New Common Core education standards 

will help future business leaders 


With the Turlock Unified School District joining many 

schools across the nation in adopting the Common 

Core Standards, many parents, teachers and school 

administrators have high hopes that the new curriculum will 

lead to more effective business leaders in the future. 

Providing a consistent, clear understanding of what students 

are expected to learn, the Common Core Standards 

were designed to be relevant to the real world — reflecting the 

knowledge and skills that students need for success in college 

and future careers. 

“The intent of the new Common Core State Standards is 

to prepare all students to be college and career ready upon 

graduating from high school,” said Dana Trevethan, assistant 

superintendent of educational services at TUSD. “TUSD’s 

transition to Common Core has been looked upon favorably 

because in essence, it will allow teachers to collaboratively 

develop rich, authentic lessons aligned to standards that are 

scaffold throughout the grade levels — recognizing that lessons 

are no longer ‘sprints’, aligned to pacing calendars, but 

rather ‘marathons’ designed to build stamina in students’ 

learning, discovery and application.” 

According to Trevethan, the skills and knowledge that students 

should acquire within their K-12 education include 

college and work expectations; clear, understandable, and 

consistent standards for each grade level; rigorous content 

and application of knowledge through high-order skills; and 

building upon strengths and lessons of current state standards, 

which are informed by other top performing countries so that 

all students are prepared to succeed in the global economy as 

all the standards are evidence and research based. 

As the school district begins its implementation of the 

Common Core Standards, the District is looking to create 

partnerships with local businesses to help build career skills 

for Turlock students. 

“TUSD will continue to build new partnerships with local 

business, as well as foster those that currently exist, in 

an effort to provide extended venues and opportunities for 

students to apply skills they are developing within their core 

and elective coursework,” said Trevethan. “The majority of current 

Career and Technical Education courses that fall under the 

Regional Occupational Program maintain advisory boards that 

create opportunities for TUSD students to engage in real-world 

application within a variety of businesses and industries in and 

surrounding Turlock.” 

According to the National Governors Association Center for 

Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, 

teachers, parents and community leaders from across the nation 

were utilized in helping create the Common Core State Standards 

and the goals for each grade level to help allow teachers to be better 

equipped in knowing exactly what they need to help students 

learn and establish individualized benchmarks for them. 

“The new standards are significantly more rigorous and spiral 

academic skills and expectations from the time students begin 

their education in kindergarten until they graduate from high 

school,” said TUSD Superintendent Dr. Sonny Da Marto. “Student 

mastery of the Common Core Standards will include the 

demonstration of knowledge, skill development and practical application 

and problem-solving, both independently and collaboratively 

with their peers.” 

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Unlike previous state standards — which were unique 

to each state in the nation — the Common Core State 

Standards enable collaboration between states on a range 

of tools and policies — helping ensure that students receive 

a quality education while meeting their individualized 

benchmarks whether they move to a different school 

or state. Each state throughout the nation have the option 

to voluntarily adopt the Common Core State Standards, 

which focus on the development and implementation of 

common comprehensive assessment systems to measure 

student performance annually while replacing existing 

state testing systems. 

“Like California, TUSD immediately recognized that 

Common Core would increase expectations and rigor for 

all students in Turlock as did the other 

45 states that jumped on board,” 

said Trevethan. “These new standards 

are more clear and concise and 

ensure all stakeholders have a ‘common’ 

understanding of the expectations 

of students in reading, writing, 

speaking and listening, language and 

mathematics. As stated in TUSD’s 

Strategic Plan, ‘Greater expectations 

yield greater results,’ and we predict 

increased achievement and performance 

of our stands and we prepare 

them to compete nationally.” 

“The new standards are significantly more rigorous and spiral academic 

skills and expectations from the time students begin their education in 

kindergarten until they graduate from high school.” 

City Council Voting Record Item Explanation 

Continued fROM PAGE 11 

late October, the County Board of Supervisors opted to set new 

groundwater pumping regulations, prohibiting the mining and 

exportation of groundwater with few exceptions. 

4. Capital Facilities Fees Program amended — The City’s 

Capital Facilities Fees Program, which had not been updated 

since 1996, was amended to help provide funding for capital 

improvements that are required to implement the new General 

Plan adopted in 2012. The updated development impact fees, 

collected citywide to help mitigate impacts of the City’s growth, 

is one of the primary sources for transportation funding. Other 

uses include general government facilities, general plan implementation 

studies and facilities and equipment for both police 

and fire services. 

5. Moratorium prohibiting permits for mobile food facilities 

in downtown — Following a request from the Turlock Downtown 

Property Owners Association, who do not wish to have 

food trucks in the downtown core on Main Street, the City issued 

a moratorium halting the issuance of mobile food facility 

permits for the downtown district until the City can properly 

amend the current city regulations on such permits in the area. 

The City is expected to make the final amendments, banning 

food trucks in the downtown core, by Spring 2014. 

6. Pavement Management Program Update — After a citywide 

pavement study was conducted by the Stanislaus County Council 

of Governments — the county’s regional transportation planning 

agency — the City Council found that Turlock’s roads are “atrisk” 

and deemed “second-worst in the county.” With the study 

giving Turlock’s roadways a rating of 67 out of 100, members of 

StanCOG and the Council shared that a half-cent sales tax could 

help the City’s road conditions drastically in the future. 

7. Agreement with Outside Labor Negotiator — With one 

vote of opposition from Councilmember Amy Bublak, the City 

opted to enter an agreement with outside labor negotiator Dave 

Young to reach contract agreements with employee groups, including 

the Turlock Fire Fighters Association, the Turlock Management 

Association Public Safety, the Turlock City Employees 

Association the Turlock Confidential Employees, the Turlock 

Management Employees and the Turlock Associated Police Officers. 

Due to current economic conditions, all employees have 

participated in budget reductions by giving concessions on 

salaries and benefits in the past fiscal years. Using an outside 

negotiator for Fiscal Year 2014/15, according to the City, will 

allow negotiations to continue to proceed more expeditiously 

and with minimal disruption between City Management and 

employee groups. 

8. Renaming Centennial Park to “Centennial-Swanson Park” 

— After receiving a generous donation of $35,000 from the 

Swanson family, owners of Pet Extreme and several other Turlock 

businesses, the City agreed to accept the donation to build 

a dog park at Centennial Park while renaming the City-owned 

facility to “Centennial-Swanson Park” to commemorate the 

family’s contributions to the City. 

9. Formalizing a City/County Liaison Committee — Comprised 

of two members of the City Council — Mayor John Lazar 

and Councilmember Forrest White — the newly formed 

City/County Liaison Committee will meet regularly with two 

members of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors, City 

Manager Roy Wasden and Stanislaus County CEO Stan Risen 

to focus on infrastructure needs, streets and roadways, water 

and sewer issues, economic development and other issues affecting 

both Turlock and the County. 

10. Consideration of Increasing Water Rates — Although an 

official decision has not been made by the Council yet, Council 

votes to hold a hearing date on March 25, 2014 to consider increasing 

City water rates that is said to include six rate increases 

over the span of five fiscal years.

Business News

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