MODESTO — Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors chairman Buck Condit (District 1) delivered the annual State of the County address on Tuesday, describing a community that is shaped by its agrarian past, but ready to embrace the future.
At the core of Condit’s message was a nod to a mighty agriculture economy — ranked fifth among California’s 58 counties and in the top 10 nationally — that is dominated by almond and milk production, each crop accounting for about a quarter of the overall ag output here.
“As we invest in new sectors, we also double down on the ones that have anchored our economy,” said Condit. “Stanislaus County remains one of the most productive agricultural areas in the nation. And agriculture isn’t just part of our past, it’s key to our economic future.”
However, Condit pointed out that traditional crops and markets won’t sustain the industry moving forward.
“Our byproducts, often mislabeled as ‘ag waste,’ are becoming the raw materials of new industries,” said Condit. “Almond hulls, walnut shells and tree biomass have value as livestock feed, soil amendments, and even advanced materials.”
Condit also highlighted projects bolstered by the $107 million the county received as part of the American Rescue Plan Act: Stanislaus 2030, and its offshoot program, Nurture.
“Our board committed to using one-time federal funding to make long-term, community-driven investments with lasting impacts that truly matter,” said Condit.
Stanislaus 2030 is a collaboration between local businesses, educators, elected leaders, and labor-based organizations to devise an investment strategy for the county’s future. With 2030 in the driver’s seat, the county implemented the Nurture child-care program.
“The Nurture model caught our attention as a promising solution to address both the child-care gap and the need for entrepreneurial opportunities,” said Condit. “In just 18 months, the Nurture pilot helped launch 75 licensed and home-based child-care businesses, creating over 600 new child-care slots in Stanislaus County.”
According to Condit, new providers — half of whom are Spanish-speaking — will allow about 800 parents to enter the workforce over the next decade, injecting $20 million into the economy.
Condit’s address wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however. He talked in detail about the county’s homeless problem.
The recently released point-in-time count showed the county’s homeless population stands at 2,086, up slightly from last year (2,034), but well off the mark of 2,927 set at the height of the pandemic four years ago. He recalled working with the county’s Community Assessment Response Team to visit unhoused persons.
“What I have witnessed has been difficult — conditions that no-one should endure,” said Condit. “The first thing that strikes you is what you see and smell, and the desperate living conditions. And, yet, our dedicated teams walk straight into those environments without judgment — just compassion and the spirit of service.”
Condit extolled the virtues of the newly unveiled Dignity Village in Modesto, a 42-unit, interim-housing project for the homeless, with addiction and behavioral health services available.
Condit also touched briefly on the Stanislaus Regional 911 dispatch center. It had been the knot in the rope of a political tug ’o war between the Board of Supervisors and Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, who sought to break away and partner with software giant Oracle for dispatch, records- and jail-management services.
“Our countywide emergency response system relies on Stanislaus Regional 911 dispatch,” said Condit before naming a handful of agencies that utilize SR911. “Each spoke matters. If one weakens, the whole wheel wobbles. I’ve personally seen the power of this network in action, both as a firefighter and now as a supervisor.”
Condit began his address by thanking friends, colleagues, staff, and family — wife Kim, sons Ethan and Erik, brother Brock Condit (a lieutenant for the Sheriff’s Department who delivered the invocation), and in-laws Dan and Phyllis Reeves. He closed his 29-minute speech by saying that work in Stanislaus County may not always move quickly, but is always worth the effort.
“… (I)t is always worth it, because what we do here will outlast us,” said Condit. “Every bridge we build, literally and figuratively, brings us closer to a more connected community. Every person we serve with dignity and care reinforces our core value: that each person matters. That’s the heart of Stanislaus County. That’s how we build community. And that’s how, together, we become a community of choice, where people live, work, and thrive. A place worthy of calling ‘home.’”
