Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation: Automation & AI in Agriculture and Manufacturing Advisory Report

Spring 2021 Agriculture and Manufacturing Advisory: Automation & AI

Health and Life Sciences: Gerontology, Geriatrics & Business Services Advisory Report

Hospitality, Culinary, and Tourism Regional Advisory Meeting

Getting Connected: A Broadband Resource Guide (2021)

The California Emerging Technology Fund partnered with Valley Vision to prepare the new “Getting Connected: A Broadband Deployment and Adoption Resource Guide for Local and Regional Government Leaders.” This is the first update since the original guide was prepared ten years ago and much has changed since then. While progress has been made to address the Digital Divide, Covid-19 Pandemic exposed the stark and growing gaps within and across our communities related to Digital Equity and Inclusion.

The Resource Guide provides detailed  information and resources on innovative policies and practices to accelerate broadband investment at the local and regional levels, highlighting  examples of best practices, toolkits and information resources from communities across the state and nationally. The Resource Guide will help us reach our goal of high speed Internet connectivity and Broadband for All. Click here to view the joint letter from Valley Vision and the California Emerging Technology Fund announcing the launch of the Resource Guide.

A launch event was held in partnership with California Forward on Friday, May 14th. Click here to view the recording. The event also featured a presentation of the results of a statewide survey on the digital divide, an overview of the Guide, and a three-person panel to spotlight some of the innovative models and best practices found in the Guide. You can view the slides covering these items below:

Webinar #1 – May 15, 2021 – Recording

Webinar #2 – June 15, 2021

Webinar #3 – August 26, 2021

Workforce Needs Assessment: Mental & Behavioral Health (2020)

This 2020 report presents findings on the need for training and education for mental and behavioral health (MBH) workers.

The North/Far North Center of Excellence (COE) conducted an analysis of the labor market, the quality of job opportunities, pathway opportunities, and education and training offerings to better understand the Sacramento region’s MBH workforce. The study examines five job categories: miscellaneous entry-level and paraprofessional MBH occupations; social workers; clinical counselors and psychologists; psychiatric technicians; and psychiatrists.

Valley Vision and partners are working across the region to address the key findings from this assessment as part of our Capital Region Workforce Action Plan activities.

Information and Communication Technologies: Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics

Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation: Beverage Creation, Production, Distribution, and Retail Regional Advisory

Hospitality, Culinary, and Tourism: The Beverage Industry Cross Sector Advisory Report

Fall 2020 Cross Sector Advisory: Beverage Creation, Production, Distribution & Retail

Policy Brief: How Much Broadband Speed Do You Need? (2020)

Valley Vision, as the managing organization for the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC), has prepared this policy brief. The CCABC is funded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and supports the counties of Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba to achieve improved internet connectivity across the region and reduce the Digital Divide.

This policy brief was prepared due to the critical need to expand connectivity, as the pandemic revealed the disparities across the region – connectivity essential for both recovery and an inclusive community. The brief ties together different aspects of internet use from household needs (i.e., speed, usage, multiple users’ needs, and technologies), to larger regional deployment and cost analysis (i.e., broadband coverage by technology and cost to bring internet to unserved households).

Broadband Coverage in the Delta (October 2020)

Beginning in 2014, the Delta Protection Commission (Commission) undertook the Delta Community Action Planning (CAP) project to increase civic vitality and preserve the values and character of historic Delta towns. Through the CAP process, broadband infrastructure was identified as an essential utility needed to serve residents, businesses (including agricultural operations), and visitors. In 2019, Valley Vision completed Connecting the Delta: Broadband Action Plan, a report prepared for the Commission to inform local governments and all those affected by the lack of high-speed internet service of recommended actions to improve broadband adoption and support.

According to the report, within the five legacy communities identified in the CAP project (Clarksburg, Courtland, Hood, Isleton, and Walnut Grove), approximately one-third of households did not have Internet subscriptions at the time of report preparation in 2019. Households and businesses within the legacy communities have very limited provider options. Additionally, 17% of households within Delta communities do not have access to a computing device (desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet). Access, quality, reliability, and cost all factor into this circumstance. The Delta is faced with many barriers and has several unserved and underserved areas lacking broadband service, compared to the surrounding greater metropolitan areas of Sacramento, Stockton-Tracy, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

At broadband workshops held in the Delta during 2018 and 2019, community members voiced broadband quality and access frustrations, equity discrepancies, and educational and safety concerns. Additionally, while not exclusive to broadband, it must be noted that each community also identified challenges with mobile wireless (i.e. cell phones) and lack of signal availability.

 The 2019 action plan offered three recommendations for achieving improved broadband: (1) organize for action; (2) leverage existing opportunities; and (3) pursue and secure funding. As a preliminary step to organizing for action, the Commission is partnering with Valley Vision and the Connected Capital Area Broadband Consortium (CCABC) to assess the broadband coverage in the five legacy communities and an expanded area including Bethel Island, the Delta Loop, Freeport, Rio Vista, and Terminous. 

The following report and maps will be used in three ways:

• To provide local governing bodies, committees, and councils the coverage profiles that broadband service providers have reported to the CPUC,
• To kick off a campaign to engage residents of these Delta communities to test and register their actual residential service download and upload speeds for comparison with the reported available speeds, and
• After reviewing testing results, identify areas where service most needs improvement, and work with the community leaders, appropriate broadband coalitions, Internet service providers and the CPUC to leverage existing opportunities for service improvement and seek funding support.