“WELL BEING INDEX” DOESN’T APPLAUD CENTRAL VALLEY. Are you happy and healthy? If you live in Modesto, that answer is no! If you believe a recent “well-being” poll published in the USA Today, people living in Modesto are second to last when it comes to feeling good about their city and their healthy lifestyle.

Modesto is certainly already debunking the poll. But few Central Valley cities were in the top 100. Sacramento finished somewhere in the middle. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, based on interviews with more than 353,000 Americans during 2009, asked individuals to assess their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities. Boulder, Colo., finished first with Santa Rosa, Santa Barbara and San Jose ranking No. 5 through No. 7. These polls probably don’t mean much, except to sink the morale in a community that ranks low; but they surely should make leaders think about what is important in a community and what changes could be made to make it better. Since Modesto and our area have been hammered by housing foreclosures and unemployment, it’s no wonder residents are feeling down these days; so it’s time we lift them up with some good thoughts about Central Valley living…….

FARM JOBS COMING BACK, With spring approaching and some sun shining through our agricultural community is beginning to rock. Cultivating, planting, planning and processing are beginning to take shape on the West Side and throughout the Central Valley. We’re still hoping for more wet weather before April so that our irrigation season is brighter than last year, but men and women are showing up for work, and I expect to see our towns full of agricultural workers in the coming months. This is good for our small town merchants and it’s good for our schools and our cities. One reason why you usually don’t see the sharp upswings or downswings in our rural economy is because agriculture is a pretty steady influence around here, whether it is diversified row crops, livestock or nuts and fruits. There is a lot going on around here, and it’s important to recognize it.

CAN’T WAIT TO GET TO THE FRENCH QUARTER.  New Orleans is rocking these days following the Super Bowl, where the Saints won big and brought home the trophy to that “Katrina” city. People there are upbeat and positive these days, and the Mardi Gras season is rocking this week like never before. All eyes are on New Orleans, and visitors are flocking to the area now to take advantage of the positive vibrations everywhere in that “foodie” city. I love New Orleans. The food and fun (and the beignets) are to die for! I haven’t seen my cousin in more than a year, and it’s time I get there to enjoy Bourbon Street and celebrate!

However, I’m mostly interested in seeing what a relatively young entrepreneur has done to keep the French Quarter as clean and as appealing as Disneyland. His name is Sydney Torres IV, 34, who now owns the area’s biggest and most popular trash company. His story is amazing. Torres once toured with musician Lenny Kravitz as his personal assistant, and today he is bringing glamour to garbage. When Hurricane Katrina, hit many of the garbage companies fled the city. This opened the door for Torres, who started with one dumpster just after Katrina hit in 2005. He offered reasonable rates, competing with some companies who were gouging businesses. Today Torres’s company owns 150 trucks, services 1,700 households and businesses in 15 parishes and generates about $3.5 million a month in revenue. I read a story this week where one resident says the streets are as clean as Disneyland, and the morning after the all night parties, the French Quarter smells great! Now that will be something to see.