How Did New Deal Programs Affect The San Joaquin Valley

During the 1930’s, the San Joaquin Valley was built up by public works programs that brought it new dams and levees that many argued would prevent flooding and subsequent loss of life. However, they weren’t simply built for that reason alone; the valley had been suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, and were also built to stimulate the Valley’s economy. Other forms of stimulus included economic aid to families facing economic troubles, but the Valley’s residents were not happy about the sudden increase in spending because they believed the aid would also attract many Dust Bowlers to the Valley, which would tighten the job market from having to accommodate them. New Deal programs helped relieve the valley’s economic problems and

The programs such as the WPA, PWA, CWA, FSA and CCC created many jobs, which also helped reduce the tensions with the locals worried about job scarcity from migrants flooding the job market. The CCC paid 30 dollars a month and in Kern was praised for its efforts in fire protection for the maintenance done on Kern’s forests and grasslands. Additionally, government programs built up camps throughout the valley like the Resettlement Administration that built Weedpatch Camp in Arvin to house migrant families that worked as farm laborers, which provided a water supply and sanitary facilities. The conditions in the migrant camps were widely seen as much cleaner and better than camping on the often wet roadside. The federal government’s hand in these affairs helped make many of these projects possible through federal funds because the counties would have been reluctant to increase taxes and spending to accommodate the

Councilman Harry Smith from the seventh ward in Bakersfield campaigned for his third term in favor of the levees being built arguing for even bigger barriers against floods stating that, “All of course, will cost money, but adequate protection of lives and properties is cheap at any price.” Meanwhile, some prominent valley business owners in the CCA were against the increased spending, attacked the WPA and Farm Security Administration through publications arguing that it, “something like a quarter of a million migrants have come to California to add to our unemployment, our relief burden, and our disease and crime troubles.” Paul Mallon of the Bakersfield Californian claimed that certain policies were passed to hurt businesses that were not cooperating with the policies of the New Deal and mentioned how, “They kicked out their old directors early in the New Deal, brought in fresh young men with an open political slant.” Criticisms of the New Deal were often brought up by newspaper readers with one reader writing to the editor stating,” My opinion is that if in a country as capable of producing an abundance for all its people… people conducting the affairs cannot find a way for the people to survive except on borrowed money, they are just simply