California's rural areas offer some of the most picturesque scenery in the world with an array of geography found no where else. The USDA Rural Development Photo Gallery offers images depicting the considerable work to transform rural economies, and some of the key people working to make positive change for rural California.

USDA Rural Development California Staff

State Director Dr. Glenda Humiston

Chuck Clendenin, Business and Cooperative Programs Director

Bob Anderson, Single Family Housing Program Director

Janice Waddell, Community Programs Director

Stephen Nnodim, Multi-Family Housing Program Director

Business and Cooperative Programs

 

April 8, 2010
Tuolumne Rancheria Fuels & Fire Crew Graduates First Class With Help From Grant

USDA Rural Development Specialist Jose Guardado congratulated the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk and the 36 students graduating from the new Fuels & Fire Crew Academy.  The Academy was funded through a $95,586 Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG).

Tribal Vice Chairman Fern Geisdorff welcomed everyone to the first graduation ceremony for the Tuolumne Rancheria Fuels & Fire Crew Academy.

Fire Chief Tom Spence presented USDA Rural Development Specialist Jose Guardado with a certificate of appreciation for the RBEG.  The grant funds were used to develop the Academy.

April 6, 2010
USDA Rural Development Joins Rep. Cardoza in Celebrating the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act's  Impact in Merced County

Through USDA Rural Development's Business & Industry Guaranteed Loan Program Golden By Products and Ag Link, Inc. received over $2 million in Recovery Act funds.  The loans were both originated with Premier Valley Bank.  Both companies are located in Ballico, and the funding is expected to save 85 jobs and add 10 additional positions. Employees with these companies earn an average of $12.83 per hour.

Pictured Left-Right - Rep. Dennis Cardoza, USDA Rural Development State Director Dr. Glenda Humiston, Jana Nairn of Golden By-Products and Ag Link.

October 28, 2009
Co-op Month Celebrated

USDA Rural Development joined the California Center for Cooperative Development at the Farmers Market in Davis to share information on co-ops around the state and highlight the many contributions co-ops make to the economy.
 

Kim Coontz (left) and Karen Firestein (center) provide information on co-ops to one of the market's attendees.

March 1-2, 2009
California Small Farm Conference in Sacramento, CA
The California Small Farm Conference is the state's premier gathering of small farmers and those who support them. The three day educational conference included on-farm tours, focused workshops, general educational sessions and opportunities for peer networking.  For more information on the conference and pictures click here.

Scholarship recipients for the 22nd California Small Farm Conference.  Scholarships are made possible through the financial support of USDA through Rural Development, Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency.

January 12, 2009
City of Watsonville Ribbon Cutting Celebration
USDA Rural Development joined the City of Watsonville to celebrate the completion of streetscape improvements funded through Rural Business Enterprise Grant funds.

Rural Development Business & Coops Program Director Chuck Clendenin.

Pictured L-R: Business & Coops Program Director Chuck Clendenin, Watsonville Mayor Antonio Rivas, Watsonville Mayor Pro Tem Dale Skillicorn, Rural Development Specialists Violet Gomes and Karen Firestein.

Community Programs

 

February 23, 2010

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Gets to Work In Gridley
USDA Rural Development State Director Dr. Glenda Humiston joined Mayor Jerry Ann Fichter to kick off a $5 million expansion to the city's wastewater treatment system at a groundbreaking ceremony.  Funding for this project came through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  ARRA funds will be used to convert the wastewater plant to a high rate aerated pond system that will increase their capacity to 1.7 million gallons per day.  In addition, the project will replace one mile of sewer main, which consists of some of the oldest pipe in the city, and reroute the collection line to better utilize gravity flow. 

Pictuerd L-R: City of Gridley Vice Mayor, Bruce Johnson; USDA Rural Development Area Director, Ron Tackett; City of Gridley Mayor, Jerry Ann Fichter; USDA Rural Development State Director, Dr. Glenda Humiston.

November 19, 2009

Pine Hills Mutual Water Company Receives $1.4 Million
USDA Rural Development Area Director John Jebian and Area Specialist Daniel Cardona presented the Pine Hills Mutual Water Company (PHMWC) with a $1.4 million check for improvements to the potable water system.

Pictured L-R: John Jebian, Dave Southcott, Dick Hobson, Bob Law, Marv Beyer, Eddie Silbernagel, and Daniel Cardona.

July 16, 2009

Lake County Tribal Health Consortium, Inc. Groundbreaking Ceremony for Clinic Expansion
USDA Rural Development joined the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium to help break ground for an expansion of the Lakeport Clinic.  USDA Rural Development guaranteed an $11.2 million loan originated by Butte Community Bank.
 

Area Director Ron Tackett explains USDA Rural Development's role in financing the project, and acknowledges our funding partner Butte Community Bank.

Pictured L-R: Ron Tackett, Area Director for USDA Rural Development; Rob Ottone, Executive Director for Lake County Tribal Health Consortium; and Glenn Rilinger, Administrative Vice President for Butte Community Bank pictured at the groundbreaking ceremony in Lakeport.

Multi-Family Housing Programs
 

March 26, 2010

Quail Trail Apartments Grand Opening on Chemehuevi Reservation
USDA Rural Development State Director Dr. Glenda Humiston joined tribal members from the Chemehuevi Reservation and Housing Authority to celebrate the completion of Quail Trail Apartments, a 10-unit multi-family housing complex on tribal land.  USDA Rural Development provided a total of $1.57 million in Section 515 loans as well as Rental Assistance.  This project marks the first multi-family housing project USDA Rural Development has funded on California tribal land.

Two new tenants receive the key to their newly constructed apartment.   The Chemehuevi Housing Authority presented each tenant with a welcome package complete with cleaning essentials.

Housing Authority staff hang a "now open" sign outside the gates of the new Quail Trail Apartments.

August 5, 2009

Montgomery Crossing Apartments Grand Opening
USDA Rural Development staff joined in the grand opening celebration for the 57-unit Montgomery Crossing Apartments in Lemoore.  USDA Rural Development provided a total of $2.6 million in funds to assist in the construction of the multi-family housing complex.  The new units are all energy efficient and also feature solar panels.

USDA Rural Development provided $2.6 million in funds to assist in the construction of the new apartments.

Pictured USDA Rural Development staff Bret Helgren and Fred Smith joined others to help cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Montgomery Crossing Apartments in Lemoore.

Single Family Housing Programs

June 9, 2010
USDA and Self-Help Enterprises Present 11 Families Keys to New Homes
USDA Rural Development State Director Glenda Humiston joined Self-Help Enterprises at Orchard Estates subdivision in Reedley today to celebrate National Homeownership Month with eleven families that just completed building each other’s homes.  Click here for the news release.

Officials present new homeowners with certificates of completion and keys to their new home.  L-R: Peter Carey, CEO Self-Help Enterprises; Glenda Humiston, State Director USDA Rural Development; Mary Fast, Mayor of Reedley; new homeowners

Kids looking at the keys to their brand new home which their parents, and 10 other families built together.

All 11 families hold up the keys to their new homes.  Families worked together for 9 months building each others homes with help from Self-Help Enterprises and USDA Rural Development.

USDA Celebrates Recovery Act and Homeownership in McFarland
This month, 22 families will get the keys to their new homes in the Colores Del Sol subdivision in McFarland thanks to loans from USDA Rural Development.  In all, USDA Rural Development provided over $8.5 million in home loans, 75% of which came through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Click here for the news release.

State Director Dr. Glenda Humiston thanked staff for their hard work in helping to provide home loans to 47 families in the new Colores del Sol subdivision in McFarland and congratulated the new homeowners.

The Garibay family stands outside their brand new home in McFarland which was purchased with help from a USDA Rural Development Section 502 direct loan.

Celebrating National Homeownership Month

June 19, 2009

Homeownership Month Celebrations in Orland with Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP)
USDA Rural Development joined the self-help housing nonprofit CHIP and 44 new homeowners to celebrate the completion of homes in two Orland subdivisions.  Homeowners spent 30 hours per week building their homes for over six months before receiving their final certificate of completion and moving in to their new homes.  Click here to read the news release.

Single Family Housing Program Director Bob Anderson commends CHIP and the new homeowners for all their hard work and efforts in building their new homes.  All homes were built through the mutual self-help housing process.

Candelaria Cerda, one of the new homeowners, thanks USDA Rural Development and CHIP for giving her the opportunity to own her home.  She explained what a dream come true the whole experience was for her and her family.

June 10, 2009

Homeownership Month Celebrations with Self-Help Housing Improvement Program (SHHIP)
Single Family Housing Program Director Bob Anderson toured six homes in Tehama and Shasta counties that received energy efficient repairs and renovations from SHHIP.  Homeowners assist with the repairs and this "sweat equity" helps reduce costs. 

One of the homes that received energy efficient repairs

Miscellaneous
 

February 9, 2010
California Report on Jobs, Economic Development and Sustainable Communities Is Now Available

The final report compiling all the ideas, concerns and suggestions from  California's 43 forums on Jobs and Economic Development is now available.  This report details the topics we heard most often in our forums and includes specific ideas and recommendations as shared from the ones who know it best – the people who live and work in California. To download a copy please click on the report picture below.  We encourage you to share these findings with any interested parties. 

January 28, 2010
USDA Rural Development Hosts Statewide Videoconference
At the conclusion of our forums on Jobs and Economic Development, input was analyzed during a statewide videoconference. This live roundtable networked 20 USDA offices throughout the state and gave local forum leaders an opportunity to share and discuss their individual findings with the USDA state leadership and several state partners. 

Leaders at the Rural Development State Office in Davis listen to Greg O’Sullivan from the Shasta County Economic Development Council shared the findings from the forum held in Anderson, during the live videoconference on Jan. 28.

January 21-27, 2010

USDA Rural Development Hosted 43 Forums on Jobs and Economic Development Throughout California
Rural Development in partnership with the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service as well as the University of California Cooperative Extension and the California Association for Local Economic Development hosted 43 forums across California on jobs and economic development.  Individual forums were organized and led by a vast group of local partners throughout California including Tribal Governments, Resource Conservation and Development Councils, local Economic Development Corporations, California State Universities, the Valley Health Network, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Farm Bureaus, Self-Help Housing Groups, Agricultural Commissioners, Resource Conservation Districts, County Supervisors, Community Colleges and many others. 
 

Calaveras County forum held as the county library in San Andreas on Jan. 27.  The event was organized by The Resource Connection.

Inyo County forum held at the Mount Whitney Hostel in Lone Pine on Jan. 26.  The event was coordinated by the Lone Pine EDC and Mojave Desert Mountain RC&D.

San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties joined together for a forum held in Santa Maria at the Los Adobes de Maria II community center.  The event was organized and led by Peoples' Self-Help Housing

Fresno County forum held at the Fresno Council of Government Conference Room on Jan. 25.  The event was organized by several local organizations including CSU Fresno.

August 26, 2009

Secretary Vilsack Brings Rural Tour to Modesto, CA

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan joined Congressman Dennis Cardoza and California Secretary of Agriculture AG Kawamura at a Rural Tour stop in Modesto on Wednesday, August 26.  For more information on his trip, visit the Rural Tour blog and to see additional photos on Flickr click here.

Secretary Vilsack speaks to farmers at the California Rural Tour stop in Modesto.  Seated L-R: Congressman Dennis Cardoza, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, and California Secretary of Agriculture AG Kawamura.

Secreatry Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Merrigan pose with USDA staff at the California Rural Tour stop in Modesto.

July 30, 2009

Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium
USDA Rural Development participated in the 4th Central Valley Hispanic Youth Symposium at Fresno State University.  Over 150 high school students from throughout the Central Valley participated in the event.  USDA Rural Development participated in the "College, Career and Community Fair" where students had an opportunity to receive advice from higher education and professional representatives.

Area Specialist Sally Tripp discusses employment opportunities with USDA Rural Development and explains the agencies role in rural America with one of the students attending the fair.

February 10-12, 2009

World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA

USDA Rural Development staff were on hand at the world's largest annual agriculture exposition held in Tulare, CA. 

USDA Rural Development Technician Diane Butler and Civil Engineer Robert Neilson discuss Rural Development programs with expo attendees.

State office of USDA Rural Development in Davis.

News editors: If you would like an image that is not featured in the gallery, contact us to handle your photo request by calling (530) 792-5801 or via e-mail to Sarah Pursley. 

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