Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
New Fresno State Study Shows South Fresno Job Growth Down Despite Industrial Development
News
By News
Published 10 months ago on
June 30, 2024

A new Fresno State study shows job growth in south Fresno is down despite the area's boom in distribution hubs. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Once a quiet countryside neighborhood east of Highway 41, the area of Orange and Central avenues in south Fresno is now at the center of an industrial boom, home to both an Amazon fulfillment center and Ulta Beauty distribution center. While some say it means good business for the local economy, others who live in the area say it is affecting their health and quality of life.

Panfilo Cerillo, a resident of south Fresno, grew up in the small neighborhood that overlooks the two centers. As a young child, he has vivid memories of walking to Orange Center Elementary School down the block from his home. Today, he said it’s no longer safe for his grandkids to do the same.

“The heavy-duty trucks coming and going from these facilities not only threatens our safety, but the dirt and dust they kick up and the pollution they release into our air threatens our health,” Cerrillo said. “We take care of my grandchildren, and they’re not allowed to walk to school anymore because of all the traffic. My wife’s asthma gets worse every year, and now I have two grandchildren who are also impacted by the quality of air.”

Researchers with the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at Fresno State, along with the Leadership Counsel on Justice and Accountability, examined the economic, environmental, and health impacts of south Fresnans for their latest data brief, “Fresno Economy and the Environment.” They discovered that, even with developing businesses in south Fresno, job growth in the neighborhoods that surround the Amazon and Ulta hubs has not improved. In fact, it has gotten worse.

“What we found is that for people who live and work in this area of south Fresno, jobs have decreased, where one would expect they would go up if these centers are actually hiring people who live in this area,” said Dr. Emanuel Alcala, assistant director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute and lead investigator for the study. “It turns out, jobs are actually increasing for people who live outside of this community.”

Employment Stats Compared

Funded by the Kresge Foundation, the study compared the change in employment from two time frames, 2015 and 2020 – before the two centers were built and after.

In the study, a few key findings were revealed:

  • The proportion of those who are both living and employed in these communities decreased by 75% (for those near the Ulta Distribution Center) and 12.2% (for those near the Amazon Fulfillment Center) within the past five years, in spite of the new job centers.
  • Diesel particulate matter emissions, from large trucks and vehicles coming and going from these centers (65% and 35%, respectively), are at much higher levels compared to north Fresno (26%)
  • Those living near the Amazon fulfillment center, in particular, are at the 87th percentile in low life expectancy, which pales in comparison to more affluent areas like north Fresno, where life expectancy is considerably higher (15th percentile).
  • Those living in close proximity to both centers tend to have greater travel barriers than residents in other parts of the city, as it relates to average cost and time spent commuting.

Researchers said these economic job barriers, combined with already low life expectancy and high pollution rates in the area, highlight a growing issue in the community.

“Public health research has demonstrated a clear connection between economic opportunity and health,” Alcala said. “Where economic opportunity exists, the health of the community thrives. Unfortunately, in this community, the opposite is true. Where economic opportunity is lacking, the health of the community is negatively impacted. Southwest Fresno is a community inundated with negative social and environmental circumstances that puts the community at great risk for poor health. It is imperative to introduce strategic and effective economic opportunities within these communities.”

South Fresno’s Economic, Health Inequities

The Central Valley Health Policy Institute has been studying socioeconomic and health inequities in south Fresno for over 10 years. In its study, “The Place,” it was determined that ZIP code affects life expectancy, and, in order to have access to a healthy lifestyle, sustainable jobs and clean air were necessary. South Fresno has historically been among the most disadvantaged communities in the city.

Ivanka Saunders, regional policy manager for the Fresno division of the Leadership Counsel on Justice and Accountability, and her team have worked closely with the Central Valley Health Policy Institute on these issues for years. To create a better economy for Fresno, Saunders said, all communities need to be considered.

“For decades, south Fresno communities have been treated as a dumping ground for discriminatory patterns and practices of industrial pollution disguised as economic growth,” Saunders said. “Existing communities must have a voice in plans for their future and any plans that negatively impact their quality of life must have protections and benefits for residents built in. Future planning cannot continue to place heavy industrial uses up against homes, schools, and other community amenities.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Ending ‘Squaw Valley’ Fight After Latest Court Ruling

DON'T MISS

Exclusive: Tesla to Delay US Launch of Affordable EV, a Lower-Cost Model Y, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

DON'T MISS

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

DON'T MISS

Trump’s White House Launches COVID Website That Criticizes WHO, Fauci and Biden

DON'T MISS

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

DON'T MISS

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

DON'T MISS

Vendors Back at Fresno’s Art Hop? Survey Wants to Know What You Think

DON'T MISS

Russian Missile Attack Kills One, Wounds 112 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Officials Say

UP NEXT

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

UP NEXT

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

UP NEXT

Vendors Back at Fresno’s Art Hop? Survey Wants to Know What You Think

UP NEXT

Habit Burger & Grill Quietly Drops Impossible Burger From Menu

UP NEXT

What Happens After a Homeless Person Is Arrested for Camping? Often, Not Much

UP NEXT

Google to Appeal Against Part of US Court’s Decision in Monopoly Case

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Tien Hoang Nguyen

UP NEXT

Free Skateboard Event Brings Pro Legends, Family Fun to Fresno on Saturday

UP NEXT

Jane Fonda Packs the Saroyan Theatre, Delivers an Empowering Message

UP NEXT

Why Fresno Unified Tried to Keep Superintendent Search Secret

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

14 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

14 hours ago

Trump’s White House Launches COVID Website That Criticizes WHO, Fauci and Biden

15 hours ago

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

16 hours ago

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

16 hours ago

Vendors Back at Fresno’s Art Hop? Survey Wants to Know What You Think

16 hours ago

Russian Missile Attack Kills One, Wounds 112 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Officials Say

16 hours ago

Iran Says Nuclear Deal Is Possible if Washington Is Realistic

16 hours ago

49ers Look to Strengthen Depleted Defense in NFL Draft

17 hours ago

Habit Burger & Grill Quietly Drops Impossible Burger From Menu

17 hours ago

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

Pacific Gas & Electric customers are already paying some of the nation’s highest rates for electricity, and their bills could be g...

13 hours ago

13 hours ago

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

13 hours ago

Fresno County Ending ‘Squaw Valley’ Fight After Latest Court Ruling

Tesla Inc. vehicle facility is pictured in Costa Mesa, California, U.S., November 1, 2023. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)
13 hours ago

Exclusive: Tesla to Delay US Launch of Affordable EV, a Lower-Cost Model Y, Sources Say

14 hours ago

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Newsom vetoed a landmark bill aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial intelligence models Sunday, Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
14 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

The logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 28, 2025. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo)
15 hours ago

Trump’s White House Launches COVID Website That Criticizes WHO, Fauci and Biden

16 hours ago

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

16 hours ago

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend