About Valley Air District
What is the Valley Air District?
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District — the Valley Air District — is the public health agency responsible for improving air quality across eight counties of California's Central Valley: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern. Formed in 1992 by unifying the valley's county-level districts, it regulates stationary pollution sources across one of the most agriculturally productive — and most air-challenged — basins in America, runs incentive programs that have put hundreds of millions of dollars into cleaner engines and equipment, and operates the valley's air monitoring network.
Where will I work?
The District's central office is at 1990 E. Gettysburg Avenue, Fresno, with regional offices in Modesto and Bakersfield — on a 9/80. Its own job bulletins state it plainly: "Alternate Schedule – The District works a 9/80 work schedule with offices closed every other Friday."
What is the Valley Air District team like?
Around 300 employees, largely white-collar: air quality specialists, engineers, planners, analysts, inspectors and IT professionals. Hiring runs in recruitment cycles — the board can sit empty between them, so treat this profile as one to follow; new roles flow through when the District recruits. The District also administers one of the largest clean-air incentive portfolios in the country, moving hundreds of millions of dollars into cleaner trucks, tractors and equipment across the valley — grants work that needs analysts and program specialists, not just engineers.
Work-Life Balance
Every other Friday the entire district is closed — a nine-day fortnight by the building's own schedule, in a region where the Sierra Nevada is an hour's drive.
Perks and Benefits
- 9/80 schedule — "offices closed every other Friday", district-wide
- "Cafeteria Plan - The District contributes $938 per month toward the purchase of medical, dental, vision, life insurance and long-term disability insurance... Any funds not spent will be returned to the employee in cash"
- "Holidays – 10 paid holidays/year, 1 floating day, and 1 Birthday holiday"
- Kern County Employees' Retirement Association pension ("The District is a member of the Kern County Retirement System")
- Vacation accrual rising with service (to a 295 hours/year maximum accrual rate)
- Long-term disability and life insurance purchasable through the cafeteria allowance