On Friday, September 1, CSAC visited Merced and Stanislaus
Counties for a tour hosted by Supervisors Daron McDaniels, Scott
Silveira, and Vito Chiesa to learn about regional projects making
an impact in their community. The tour was attended by CSAC
leadership and staff as well as Agriculture, Environment,
and Natural Resources Chair Chris Howard and Vice Chair Heidi
Hall, CSAC First Vice President Bruce Gibson and CSAC Second Vice
President Jeff Griffiths.
Supervisor McDaniels kicked off the day at the Merced County
Office of Emergency Services with an overview of the Castle
Inland Port. Merced County was recently granted funding to build
an inland port to move freight across the state, serve as an
economic driver for the local economy, and ease semi-truck
traffic on Highway 99. Attendees then learned about how the
Castle Air Force Base, closed in 1995, now serves as a testing
facility for autonomous vehicle companies from across the
country.
In Stanislaus County, Supervisor Chiesa welcomed the group to the
Turlock Irrigation District (TID), a community-owned, water and
electricity utility. TID staff led the group to the “brain room”
where CSAC learned about their existing power generation
portfolio and witnessed staff working in real time on their
dynamic electric distribution system.
The tour concluded with a presentation from TID General Manager,
Michelle Reimer, on the current forward-thinking projects and
innovative approaches the district is undertaking to meet state
goals around water and the challenges they face.
