Inside Adelanto

While economists ponder the depth of the U.S. downturn, Adelanto residents and businesses are weathering its effects.

Recent flurries have kept the storm brewing.

Adelanto manufacturing plant Cabo Yachts eliminated 100 more workers earlier this month in the third wave of layoffs since May, bringing the total number of job cuts in the past five months to about 240. The cuts had to be made to cope with “one of the most challenging times in the (leisure marine) industry’s history,” triggered by staggeringly low consumer confidence, spokesman Dan Kubera said.

Last week, I reported that an Adelanto trucking yard is shutting down. Company spokesmen say the decision is based on a new service model that centralizes all operations in New Jersey for Gemini Trucking Sales Inc., which transports foods and pharmaceutical products coast to coast.

Only the four-person administrative staff will officially be laid off, but as many as 90 drivers and owner operators face an ultimatum: work five-week shifts away from home or find another job. I spoke to driver Fred Beavers, who turned his keys in to Gemini Trucking on Oct. 22 and said many other drivers would probably do the same.

Statewide, California unemployment has reached 7.3 percent — the highest in 12 years and the third highest rate in the nation. Meanwhile, some experts say the current national downturn is shaping up to be worse than the recessions of 1990-1 and 2001.

Laying off hundreds of Adelanto workers may also have a trickle-down effect, pinching the buying power of Adelanto residents who will probably be spending less in the local economy, said Adelanto City Manager Jim Hart.

Adelanto City Council candidates offered some of their solutions to bolster the local economy in their “Rapid Fire with Ryan Orr” interviews. Their ideas ranged from creating better incentives for new businesses to more aggressively recruiting commercial big boxes.

But I want to hear from you.

How has the financial downturn affected your lifestyle? Have you changed your shopping habits?

Are you or do you know one of the hundreds of local employees recently laid off?

What are some realistic solutions to help local residents cope with grim financial conditions?

Welcome to my blog, “Inside Adelanto.”

My name is Natasha Lindstrom, and I joined the Daily Press just seven weeks ago. Though I have been here a short time, I’ve already been able to cover several compelling stories about the fastest growing city in the Victor Valley.

Adelanto grew by nearly 50 percent from 2000 to 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and some projects currently in the works seem ready to accommodate the rapid population increase. The upcoming Adelanto Gateway Logistics Center, or Gateway Project, expects to build an industrial center across the street from the Southern California Logistics Airport that will provide up to 4,000 jobs for local residents. The Victor Valley Union High School District is committed to building Adelanto’s first high school over the next three years, which will provide a local school to the more than 2,000 students currently enrolled outside their city.

But I’ve also had to cover some less positive news.

Cabo Yachts, one the area’s largest manufacturing companies, had to lay off 45 more workers in mid August to cope with a slumping industry economy, shrinking the boat manufacturing company from nearly 350 to 220 positions since May, according to spokesman Dan Kubera.

In a story I suspect is not unique to Adelanto, Ernest and Debra Jones are waist-deep in the middle of a lawsuit against the Adelanto School District asking for a combined $1.075 million, claiming the district failed to provide the appropriate services for their special-needs son. Stay tuned to the follow-up articles on this story and perhaps a series about the obstacles and challenges that complicate interactions among special needs students, parents and schools.

I am new to the area, without any family or friends within 100 miles, other than the ones I’ve made in the last few weeks. Born and raised in Phoenix, Ariz. — an even hotter desert — I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past four years studying at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit college nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley. I graduated in June with a bachelor of arts in communication and a bachelor of science in political science. After perusing the somewhat grim print journalism job market, I was thrilled to land the staff writer position here at the Daily Press.

I hope to update this blog frequently to provide you, the readers, with extra insights on the stories I’m covering and perhaps extended versions that don’t make it to the print edition. Most importantly, I want to provide a space for concerned residents or observers to open fruitful dialogues on any topic that interests them.

Ask me questions, pose questions to one another, tell me what you think I’ve missed or what upcoming relevant and compelling news you think should be covered.

Use the blog comments to suggest new topics or e-mail me with “blog” in the subject at nlindstrom@vvdailypress.com.

See you soon.