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Local businesses, major employers, retail development and the regional economy.

Business Forecast Points to Continued Economic Improvement in 2021

in Weather/Business & Economy

Though the official report won’t be out for a couple more weeks, Dr. Gökçe Soydemir recently presented 2021-2023 San Joaquin Valley Business Forecast’s mid-year update to the Turlock Chamber of Commerce, painting an optimistic picture of recovery for the region as COVID restrictions continue to lift. 

In June 2020, Stanislaus State’s first of two forecasts authored by Foster Farms Endowed Professor of Business Economics Gökçe Soydemir correctly predicted that economic recovery would begin during the second half of 2020 — so long as everyone adhered to COVID-19 precautions and protocols. In his May presentation to the Chamber, Soydemir said that while the recovery did begin in late 2020, it was slowed due to the region’s hesitancy to wear masks as well as the development of new, mutated forms of the virus.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

Business Gives Back Through Quarantine Craft

in Business & Economy

When 22-year-old Sammie Wilkinson was sent home from school at the University of California, Irvine, due to the coronavirus pandemic, she took up a hobby that has now become a small business with a purpose.

The Turlock native is now the founder and owner of Resin with Reason — an internet shop offering handmade coasters, jewelry boxes, keychains and more, all made with resin. Resin has become a popular craft option during the pandemic, allowing users to pour the resin into molds which then form a hardened, final product. 

With two parents who are graphic designers and a school career which started out with the visual and performing arts magnet at Walnut Elementary School years ago, it’s no wonder the psychology major eventually found a way to let her artistic side show.

“I was just bored in quarantine and decided to try it out. It’s really fun and something relaxing to distract myself from all the craziness going on,” Wilkinson said. “When family members started asking me if they could buy stuff from me, I thought maybe this could be something and it’s been growing ever since.”

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

California Could Re-Open by June 15

in Business & Economy

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that the entire state would be able to re-open without many of the COVID-19 restrictions by mid-June, as long as the vaccine supply is sufficient and the hospital rate remains low.

A statewide mask mandate would likely remain, but other restrictions detailed in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy would likely come to an end by June 15.

“We can confidently say by June 15 that we can start to open up as business as usual, subject to ongoing mask-wearing and ongoing vigilance,” Newsom said. “So, this is a big day.”

The announcement came as the California Department of Public Health announced that a total of 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Californians in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities, increasing immunity where the state’s transmission rates and disease burden have been the highest during the pandemic.

“California is making great progress in administering COVID-19 vaccine doses,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency. “We must continue to do our best to vaccinate Californians as safely and quickly as possible. Our vaccine equity focus remains the right thing to do and ensures we are having the greatest impact in reducing transmission, protecting our health care delivery system and saving lives.”

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

Portable Picnic Company Offers Luxurious Lunches

in Business & Economy

Influencers and entertainers in search of an Instagram worthy get-together need look no further than a Turlock business that’s putting a luxurious spin on the age-old picnic. 

Perez Picnics & Platters can turn any setting from drab to fab, whether it’s a park in town or your own backyard. Turlock resident and Pitman High School graduate Viviana Padilla recently launched her new business endeavor at the beginning of March, offering sophisticated ground-level parties for up to 20 people.

“I had been wanting to start this for a little over a year after I threw my first girls night picnic for friends in December of 2019 and had such a blast,” Padilla said. “Then, I noticed picnics were starting to become popular in big cities, so I thought it would be nice to have something similar in the Central Valley.”

Themed picnics are available for any occasion, from birthday parties and baby showers to anniversaries and bridal celebrations. Padilla has even seen customers throw a picnic just for fun. Picnic participants are always welcome to bring any additional food or drink they’d like to add to the already-provided options, and Perez Picnics & Platters prides itself on affordable prices.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

Newsom Asked for a Fracking Ban. He May Get More Than He Bargained for with Ambitious Plan

in Business & Economy

SACRAMENTO —  When Gov. Gavin Newsom voiced his support last year for a ban on hydraulic fracturing by oil and gas companies, an effort long fought by the industry and trade unions alike, he gave Democrats a green light to send him legislation to achieve that goal as they saw fit.

But the crackdown on oil and gas production under consideration by the California Legislature is much wider in scope than the plan requested by the governor, who may get more than he bargained for as he shoulders the pressures of carrying out the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response while battling a looming recall election.

The ambitious proposal would outlaw hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and a series of other oil extraction methods reviled by environmental activists. It would also prohibit wells from operating within 2,500 feet of homes, schools, healthcare facilities and other populated areas. Newsom’s proposal was limited to a ban only on fracking and the consideration of a buffer zone.

Proponents of the bill have said from the outset that Newsom must take an active role in pushing the legislation through and have expressed concern that the governor’s attention will be focused on his own political survival with a recall election in the fall all but certain.

Continue Reading on The San Diego Union Tribune

Local Turlock Podcast March 26, 2021

in Business & Economy/Podcast Archive

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Hey everyone! Welcome to another episode of Local Turlock Podcast for the week of March 26th, giving you some of Turlock’s latest scoops, news & stories, with 2 business highlights for the week. Let’s start with our first story, Stanislaus County was finally given the green light on Tuesday to move into red tier. Moving on, most Stanislaus County libraries will open for browsing and checking on Monday with limited capacities, in keeping with California’s current guidance for opening. Next on our list, new downtown shop makes edible art accessible as Turlock resident Amy Navarra celebrates grand opening of Savor’s on March 27th! For sports update, the Turlock High School Bulldogs bulldozed Downey High School’s Knights in season opener with a dominant 56-24 victory. Give some love and show our support to our local businesses especially during this pandemic as I give the spotlight two 2 businesses this week. Also sharing the latest updates bout COVID 19 in Stanislaus County. All that and more today in this week’s Local Turlock podcast.

Stanislaus County finally moves into red tier

Stanislaus County was finally given the green light on Tuesday to move into the less restrictive red tier as part of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Stanislaus County’s daily case rate average was still higher than the metric for the red tier, but the continued low test positivity rate allowed for the move. The California Department of Public Health allows for a county to move down when the testing positivity rate meets the metrics of two tiers down, which in this case would be the orange tier. Moving into the red tier allows for:

  • Restaurants, movie theaters, zoos, museums, higher education indoor lectures can resume at 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is less.
  • Retail stores and shopping centers can operate at 50% capacity. Grocery stores can operate at full capacity.
  • Gym and fitness center indoor capacity is limited to 10%.

Public Health asks community members to continue following safety guidelines such as getting tested because it remains a vital surveillance tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and helps advance to the next tier and wearing a mask when in public or around those who are not a part of your household to help stop the spread. Let’s keep the entire community safe and protected from COVID-19.

Libraries to open for browsing, checkout at limited capacities

Most Stanislaus County libraries will open for browsing and checkout of materials starting Monday. Capacities will be limited, in keeping with California’s current guidance for opening. Masks and social distancing will be required. In order to maintain capacity limits, libraries are not equipped for group or extended visits at this time. Libraries in Modesto and Salida will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. These two branches will be closed on Fridays and Sundays. Book returns, which have remained closed in Modesto and Salida, will also reopen on Monday. Library branches in Ceres, Denair, Empire, Hughson, Keyes, Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, Riverbank and Waterford will be open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. These branches will be closed Saturday and Sunday. Libraries in Denair and Keyes will continue to offer no-contact pick-up of materials only. The Turlock Library remains closed for expansion and renovation, which is expected to be completed sometime this spring. Library programs such as Story Time and book discussions will continue to be offered in a virtual format at this time. For more information, please see the library website, www.stanislauslibrary.org or call your library branch.

New downtown shop makes edible art accessible

Name of business: Savor

Type of business: Gourmet grazing shop

Location: 138 S. Center St. in Turlock

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

Contact information: 209-638-2763, savor@savorcharcuterie.com

Specialty: Charcuterie boards and boxes, grocery items, pantry staples and home goods

When Turlock resident Amy Navarra hosted a backyard charcuterie party in 2018, it was to simply gauge the community’s interest in the artistically-arranged appetizer. She couldn’t have imagined that just three years later, her business endeavor would grow from the confines of a small, commercial kitchen to a one-stop grazing shop in the heart of her home’s downtown.  Navarra celebrated the soft opening of Savor’s brand-new brick-and-mortar storefront last March 16, and with its doors opened a world of opportunity for Turlockers to either assemble their own grazing boards or order one from the experts behind the counter.  When the pandemic hit, Navarra was forced to pivot her business model and scale down the operation. She began offering to-go charcuterie boxes in different sizes for individuals and families, and even got creative by offering handheld charcuterie “cones.” Rather than experiencing great loss due to COVID, as has been the case with so many kitchen-based businesses, Savor was met with an outpouring of support and Navarra decided to expand the business last May. It’s Navarra’s goal to cultivate “togetherness” through charcuterie and her new storefront will give customers a tasty, simple way to do so. As Navarra prepares to celebrate Savor’s grand opening on March 27, she’s overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to operate a business in historic downtown Turlock.

Bulldogs bulldoze Knights in season opener

The Turlock High School Bulldogs made their highly-anticipated return to Joe Debely Stadium Friday night, kicking off the shortened COVID season with a dominant 56-24 victory over Downey High School.  The team came out strong with an eight-play scoring drive on their first possession, capped by a seven-yard touchdown from senior running back Josiah Gonzales to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 lead. Following a punt by the Knights and an ensuing interception by Turlock quarterback Cole Gilbert, Downey answered back with a touchdown of their own to tie the game 7-7. The referees called a tight game and Turlock’s lack of practice led to 10 penalties called on the Bulldogs in the first half.  The second half saw the Bulldogs come out firing, forcing a Knights punt to get the ball back in their hands and let Gonzales rush in for a 50-yard touchdown to make it 35-17. At the end of the third quarter and into the fourth, Turlock tacked on three more scores on three consecutive possessions — a six-yard pass from Cole Gilbert to wide receiver Logan Smith, a five-yard rushing touchdown by Foreman and a four-yard touchdown run by Gilbert.  While Downey was able to notch a touchdown with just two minutes left in the game, the Bulldogs had already pounded the nail into the coffin against the Central California Athletic League rival. Cole Gilbert finished the game with 217 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. His QB counterpart Evans also had two passing touchdowns on the night. Gonzales also dazzled on Friday, contributing on defense, special teams and offense with 98 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, including his exciting 50-yard touchdown run. For the entire team, the win was the cherry on top of the real prize: playing football again. Next week, they’ll be away against Modesto High School. Turlock will next travel to take on Modesto High at Gregori High on March 26.

State warns farmers to prepare for dry summer

Despite some recent rainfall, state officials issued bleak warnings to farmers this week which caution them to prepare for water shortages this summer. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 91% of California is currently experiencing moderate to exceptional drought. While some may have been hoping for a “March miracle” to bring some much-needed rainfall, there wasn’t nearly enough precipitation this month to make a difference. As of March 10, the state’s snowpack was only 58% of average. Reservoir and groundwater levels throughout California are significantly below average; Don Pedro Reservoir currently has about 250,000 fewer acre feet in storage than it did last year at this time.  Though a drought has not officially been announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom (former Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to the most recent drought in 2017), U.S. Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack designated 50 California counties, including Stanislaus, as primary natural disaster areas earlier this month due to the drought. This gives farmers the next eight months to apply for assistance through the Farm Service Agency, including emergency loans. Your early efforts can help minimize the potential impact of water management actions on businesses, homes, farms, and California’s public trust resources. Start planning now for potential water supply shortages later this year and identify practical actions you can take to increase drought resilience, such as increasing water conservation measures, reducing irrigated acreage, managing herd size, using innovative irrigation and monitoring technologies, or diversifying your water supply portfolio.” For more information on the current drought statistics, visit https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA. 

Business Highlights:

Hands On Spa & Salon

Location: 2857 Geer Rd Ste D Turlock

Phone Number: (209) 656-9916

Operational Hours:  Monday & Sunday (Closed) Tuesday – Saturday (10am-6pm)

Indulge and escape to an upscale, professional and friendly day spa and salon, discreetly nestled in the heart of Turlock. Established in 2003, Hands On Spa and Salon is a cozy elegant setting. The “Hands On” approach that blends casual elegance and style with refreshing warmth and sincerity is what they are known for. 

Cotta’s Kitchen

Location: 833 E Main St Turlock

Phone Number: (209) 664-2004

Operational Hours:  Monday, Saturday & Sunday (Closed) Tuesday – Friday (11am-3pm)

Cotta’s Kitchen is a restaurant focusing on homemade family recipes using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Get your fill of their salmon salads, salmon tacos (these pair great with an ice cold beer!) & salmon sandwiches, as well as our carved baked ham & cheese paninis, root beer floats, and lemony white chocolate delights…their limited time seasonal cookie! 

For COVID 19 Updates, contact the business for more information about recent service changes.

Coronavirus update, March 25: Stanislaus adds 3 deaths, 44 cases on 1st red tier day

Stanislaus County announced three deaths to COVID-19 and 44 new cases Wednesday, as a relaxed set of rules took effect. The death toll now stands at 985 residents since the first was reported on April 10, 2020, the Health Services Agency said. The new positive tests raised the total to 52,241. Stanislaus also has 495,932 negative tests results and 50,716 people who are presumed recovered. The county emerged Wednesday from the state’s purple tier, the most restrictive of the four for business and gatherings. It is now in red, with fewer limits but still concern about the state of the virus. According to the Los Angeles Times daily tracker showed, the county is 14th among the 58 counties when it comes to new cases over the past seven days. It ranks 26th in deaths over the past seven days. Geographically: Modesto has 19,428 positive cases, Turlock has 7,071, Ceres has 5,355.

Outro:

Thank you for tuning in to this week’s episode. Don’t forget to visit our website, localturlock.com, to stay up-to-date on our local news. You can always email me at turlock@localturlock.com and visit our Facebook at Facebook.com/localturlock and leave us some comments! Stay tuned for next week’s exciting episode! Have a great weekend and always stay safe!

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Stanislaus County Finally Moves into Red Tier

in Business & Economy

Stanislaus County was finally given the green light on Tuesday to move into the less restrictive red tier as part of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

Stanislaus County’s daily case rate average was still higher than the metric for the red tier, but the continued low test positivity rate allowed for the move. The California Department of Public Health allows for a county to move down when the testing positivity rate meets the metrics of two tiers down, which in this case would be the orange tier.

Stanislaus County had an adjusted case rate of 12.2% per 100,000 residents and a testing positivity rate of 5% with an equity quartile positivity rate of 4.5%. The equity quartile positivity rate adjusts for efforts being made to stop the spread of COVID-19 in neighborhoods and regions that have been the hardest hit. Because both testing positivity rates have fallen at or below 5 percent, for a couple of weeks Stanislaus County could move into the red tier.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

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New Downtown Shop Makes Edible Art Accessible

in Business & Economy

When Turlock resident Amy Navarra hosted a backyard charcuterie party in 2018, it was to simply gauge the community’s interest in the artistically-arranged appetizer. She couldn’t have imagined that just three years later, her business endeavor would grow from the confines of a small, commercial kitchen to a one-stop grazing shop in the heart of her home’s downtown. 

Navarra celebrated the soft opening of Savor’s brand-new brick-and-mortar storefront on Tuesday, and with its doors opened a world of opportunity for Turlockers to either assemble their own grazing boards or order one from the experts behind the counter.

“I had set the intention early on in life to have something that was mine…but I didn’t know what that would manifest into,” Navarra said. “We’ve had plenty of highs and lows, so seeing it today finally come to fruition is unreal for me.”

Navarra quit her corporate job in 2019 to operate Savor full time, catering weddings, parties and business events, curating custom, individual boards and even teaching workshops on how to create gorgeous arrangements which taste as good as they look.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

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Turlock Declares Homelessness Emergency

in Housing/Business & Economy

Interim Turlock City Manager Gary Hampton issued a proclamation of a local emergency in response to the increase of individuals experiencing homelessness in Turlock and the Turlock City Council ratified it Tuesday night, and in doing so approved funding for mitigation efforts.

The proclamation was passed 5-0 and the funding was passed 4-1 with Councilman Andrew Nosrati casting the lone no vote.

The City Council approved spending $498,417 to assist shelter providers with additional costs of operations and to accommodate the increase in people served. The funding also will pay for site clean-up, supplies, service agreements, materials, staffing costs, maintenance and upkeep, and miscellaneous expenses.

By declaring a local emergency, the City can obtain additional resources, establish an immediate plan and respond quickly to urgent situations.

The local emergency proclamation will last for four months and has an end goal of reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness and setting up encampments around Turlock.

Continue Reading on Turlock Journal

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Legislation to Reduce Financial Impact of Climate Change Gains Support

in Government & Elections/Business & Economy

Legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) earlier this month that seeks to mitigate risks from climate change within the financial system has gained support from a coalition of financial organizations.

The Addressing Climate Financial Risk Act, S. 588/H.R. 1549, would establish an advisory committee on climate financial risk within the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC). The committee would consist of experts in climate science, climate economics and climate financial risk.

The committee would advise FSOC on how to improve the ability of the U.S. financial regulatory system to identify and mitigate climate risk. In addition, it would require federal bank and credit union regulatory agencies to update their supervisory guidance to include climate risk and develop a strategy to identify and mitigate climate financial risk.

“Our bill draws broad support because it’s becoming increasingly clear that climate change poses a serious threat to our financial system,” Feinstein said. “Reducing our carbon emissions is the best way to reduce that threat, but as 

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