As an economic powerhouse, California charges forward. The benefits, though, are distributed and felt unequally, especially in places like the Central Valley. Here, thousands of farmworkers feed the nation while facing food insecurity themselves, rural communities struggle to access adequate health care, the housing market is in an affordability crisis, and neighborhood inequality persists. But the region is changing: with steady population growth, reformed labor union legislation, the promise of California High-Speed Rail, and burgeoning arts and culture scenes. And it’s shifting California power dynamics with it, away from the coastal cities and into the Valley’s major cities like Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced, and Stockton.

How are leaders in Fresno harnessing these changes to transform their region for the better? And what does it mean for the Central Valley and for California?

Featured guests:
Danielle Bergstrom (Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Fresnoland)
Betsy McGovern-Garcia (Vice President, Self-Help Enterprises)
Joe Prado (Director, Fresno County Department of Public Health)
Gurdeep Shergill (Radio Host, “Shaan Punjab Di” and City of Fresno Planning Commissioner)

This program is co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, Fresnoland, and Arte Américas, with generous support from The James B. McClatchy Foundation, Central Valley Community Foundation, and The James Irvine Foundation, with media partner KVPR.

This program is part of Zócalo's series “What Connects California?,” marking the 175th anniversary of California’s statehood.