California Valley (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Valle de California'') is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

located in the eastern part of

San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo County (), officially the County of San Luis Obispo, is a county on the Central Coast of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 282,424. The county seat is San Luis Obispo. Junípero Serra fou ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, in the northern portion of the

Carrizo Plain The Carrizo Plain ( Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, about northwest of Lo ...

Geography

California Wildflowers off Bitterwater Rd 23Mar2010

The zoned area of the valley is 24,083 acres (97.5 square kilometers) and it is approximately 1,970 feet (600 m) above sea level. The valley is very nearly flat, bordered to the west by mountains (part of the

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in Southern California, southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast ...

) and to the east by a major fault, the

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...

(part of the

Temblor Range The Temblor Range is a mountain range within the California Coast Ranges, at the southwestern extremity of the San Joaquin Valley in California in the United States. It runs in a northwest-southeasterly direction along the borders of Kern County a ...

). Immediately south of California Valley is

Soda Lake A soda lake or alkaline lake is a lake on the strongly base (chemistry), basic side of neutrality, typically with a pH, pH value between 9 and 12. They are characterized by high concentrations of carbonate salts, typically sodium carbonate (and ...

, which is part of the

Carrizo Plain National Monument The Carrizo Plain (Obispeño language, Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, abo ...

Demographics

As of the 2020 Census, 2,414 people lived in California Valley with 1,206 total households. The racial makeup of was 2,293 (95%) White, 101 (4.2%) African American, 89 (3.7%) Native American, 89 (3.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 172 persons (7.1%). Households had a median income of $50,893 and 12.3% of households were below the poverty level.

History

California Valley is believed to have been visited by Native Americans passing through to the sacred site at Painted Rock, but no permanent Indian settlement existed due to a lack of easily accessible water. California Valley was a Spanish

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

, the El Chicote Ranch, that was used for seasonal

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

raising. Local newspaper archives suggest that

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

s hid in California Valley from time to time up until the 1930s. The Spanish land grant was parceled out in 1960 into over 7,200 2.5 acre (10,000 m²) sections by optimistic

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

s. According to their own advertising fliers, these 1960 developers believed that the

California State Water Project The California State Water Project, commonly known as the SWP, is a state water management project in the U.S. state of California under the supervision of the California Department of Water Resources. The SWP is one of the largest public wat ...

might bring water to the area. After a more northerly route (closer to Highway 41/ 46) for the State Water Project was selected, many buyers lost heart, many properties were abandoned and the developers went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

. Several ranches and other developments built dirt or gravel airstrips and at least one paved

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

was built and was at one time listed on

aeronautical charts An aeronautical chart is a map designed to assist in the navigation of aircraft, much as nautical charts do for watercraft, or a map, roadmap does for drivers. Using these charts and other tools, aviator, pilots are able to determine their positio ...

. A few hundred people have built homes in this isolated area since, but the mass growth once promised never materialized. A Community Services District (CSD) was formed to deliver services to these residents, which includes trash collection, improvement of roads and the upkeep of a

Community Center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

with a small public

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. Between 1960 and 2000, refuse and a number of old cars were dumped in the California Valley area, much of it by local residents, posing serious

environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...

. In 2006, a combined effort by the

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

California Department of Motor Vehicles The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the state agency that registers motor vehicles and boats and issues driver licenses in the U.S. state of California. It regulates new car dealers (through the New Motor Vehicle Board), c ...

Code Enforcement, and local businesses worked together to remove abandoned vehicles and accumulated trash.

Infrastructure

California Valley is located on Soda Lake Road about two miles (3 km) south of State Route 58. A small general store is closed, as well as the previously popular small restaurant. The community is served by a

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

and

community center A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

with

, open only on Wednesdays. Other than State Route 58 and Bitterwater Road, access is mainly through the

via Soda Lake Road, which is a seasonal improved dirt road south of Soda Lake to State Route 33/ State Route 166; or via smaller seasonal dirt roads to the east and south. No scheduled bus routes serve the community, and there are no rail lines.

Private airport

The private and restricted California Valley Airport Class II-C paved runway extends south from the community center but is not marked on current aeronautical charts and is painted at the south end with a white "X" indicating that it is closed although it can be used with advance permission.

Services

Community services are provided by the California Valley Community Service District (CSD). This includes road maintenance and limited trash service. The Community Center includes a fire station, small library, and community assembly hall. The address is 13084 Soda Lake Road, on the south side of Soda Lake Road, approximately south of Highway 58, in the village of California Valley. Water, a porta-potty and a pay phone are available at the Community Center. The quality of the water is in dispute. Many California Valley residents consider the water potable, but signage to the contrary has been posted in the past.

Electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

is available in parts of California Valley.

Telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

service is available through SBC. The local prefix is (

805 __NOTOC__ Year 805 ( DCCCV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 805th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 805th year of the 1st millennium, the 5th year of the 9th century, and the ...

) 475-XXXX. There is strong analog

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

coverage and limited ("

backscatter In physics, backscatter (or backscattering) is the reflection of waves, particles, or signals back to the direction from which they came. It is usually a diffuse reflection due to scattering, as opposed to specular reflection as from a mirror, ...

GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and Mobile broadband modem, mobile broadba ...

mobile phone coverage, as well as limited Nextel coverage. Verizon Wireless does have a sole tower which overlooks and covers a good portion of the valley. The local zip code is 93453. Mail is delivered to drop boxes at the

. Main roads (Belmont Trail, Soda Lake Road, Seven Mile Road) are paved to an extent. Others are packed dirt or decomposed granite. Other than the main roads, the only maintained roads are those with homes on them. Roads are frequently maintained only up to residential driveways. Blue "No Services" signs are posted at major intersections leading into the California Valley area. No gas stations exist in the California Valley area. The nearest gasoline stations are in Taft/Maricopa, Atascadero/Santa Margarita, and on the outskirts of Paso Robles. This has led to stranded travelers on a number of occasions.

Tow truck A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck, recovery vehicle or a breakdown lorry) is a truck used to move disabled, improperly parked, Vehicle impoundment, impounded, or otherwise indisposed motor vehicles. This may involve recoverin ...

service is available but may be delayed for several hours. Law enforcement is provided by the County

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

, but there is no local office or assigned unit. The

infrequently patrols Highway 58. No

medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

services (doctors, clinics, hospitals) are available in the California Valley area. Fire and rescue services are provided by San Luis Obispo County Fire Station #42 located at the Community Center. The Station is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long.

Helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

service from Santa Maria and

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

is available, weather permitting.

Schools

The local school is Carrisa Plains

Elementary School A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, built in 1953, with about 46 students in attendance. The few high school students are bused to

Atascadero, California Atascadero ( Spanish for "Mire") is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, located on U.S. Route 101. Atascadero is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses the extents of t ...

, which had one of the last high school dormitories in California until the 1990s for their use. The nearest community college is in Taft. The nearest four-year university is

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo or Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, - Cites the location of the university and shows that the university ...

Nearby communities and services

The even smaller community of Simmler is about northeast along Highway 58. The

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

operates the

Guy L. Goodwin Education Center about south on Soda Lake Road during limited hours for several months of the year.

Natural resources and climate

California Valley is on the

, which is an arid grassland. Only limited drinkable

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

is available. Nearby

is an alkali lake and undrinkable. "The future development of California Valley is anticipated to be limited by water availability"—San Luis Obispo County General Plan. Alkaline soils hinder attempts at agricultural development. The

, administered by the

United States Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one-eighth of the ...

, was established to protect elements of native history and the undeveloped ecology of the southern part of the valley.

Industry and uses

Most residents are retirees or have other outside incomes. Neighboring

ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...

es raise

. Some of the empty residential-zoned lands are used for illegal sheep

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

under contract with the Community Service District. Litigation brought upon the CSD by several residents resulted in the CSD banning grazing agreements and an undisclosed settlement amount. Other activities of interest in California Valley include an Indian

sweat lodge A sweat lodge is a low profile hut, typically dome-shaped or oblong, and made with natural materials. The structure is the ''lodge'', and the ceremony performed within the structure may be called by some cultures a purification ceremony or simply ...

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

ing,

bird-watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

, and

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

, due to clear skies and no

light pollution Light pollution is the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting sources, during the ...

. In particular, Highway 58 is a popular route for

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

and

motorcycle touring Motorcycle touring is a format of tourism that involves a motorcycle. It has been a subject of note since at least 1915. Motorcycle touring involves special equipment and techniques. A touring motorcycle optimized for long range travel and luggage ...

enthusiasts due to very low traffic and winding roads. With the recent surge (and equally sudden decline) in oil prices, along with state emphasis on development of renewable energy sources, solar energy firms have studied California Valley and adjacent areas for siting possible solar power generating facilities. As the area is one of the sunniest in the United States, and competition from other economically self-sustaining land uses has been minimal, several such facilities are already under consideration. Two solar plants, California Valley Solar Ranch 250MW (

SunPower SunPower Corporation is an American provider of photovoltaic solar energy generation systems and battery energy storage products, primarily for residential customers. The company, headquartered in San Jose, California, was founded in 1985 b ...

) and

Topaz Solar Farm Topaz Solar Farms is a 550 megawatt ( MWAC) photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Construction on the project began in November 2011 and ended in November 2014. It is one of the world's largest s ...

550MW (

First Solar First Solar, Inc. is a publicly traded American manufacturer of solar panels, and provider of utility-scale PV power plants, supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling. First Solar uses ...

/ MidAmerican) are under construction and already providing power to the state grid; another smaller plant, by Ausra, was purchased by First Solar and incorporated into Topaz Solar Farm. The combined Ausra and OptiSolar projects make Topaz Solar Farm one of the largest photovoltaic power plants in the world. The two projects, about 10 miles apart, also represent two of the largest solar power contracts for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, which is under state mandate to increase its supply of renewable electricity to 33 percent by 2020.

References

External links

Carrisa Plains School

Shandon/Carrizo Area Plan, Land Use and Circulation Element, General Plan, County of San Luis Obispo

SLO County Grand Jury investigation into California Valley CSD

California Valley Community Services District

Atascadero Chamber of Commerce page

Airport Details
mentioned in 2/08 letter to California Energy Commission regarding

solar farm A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building ...

plan.
California Valley Weather by Weather Underground

Carrizo Plain Weather by MesoWest, University of Utah

gMaps: MesoWest WX sensor site, about 20mi.SE of CA Valley

TopoZone USGS Map excerpt
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in San Luis Obispo County, California Unincorporated communities in California