Our View: President needs to tend to valley needs

President Barack Obama finally came to the San Joaquin Valley on Monday to dedicate the César Chávez National Monument, honoring the founder of the United Farm Workers of America. The trip to UFW headquarters in Keene in Kern County rightfully acknowledged the important contributions of Chávez.

However, we continue to be critical of the president's lack of engagement with the San Joaquin Valley. Even though the valley has seen some of the worst unemployment and highest home foreclosure rates in the nation while Obama has been in office, the president has ignored our region.

Supporters say the president is in a close election race with Republican Mitt Romney and must spend his time in the swing states. To that argument, we can only say he has had three other years of his presidency to visit the valley and meet residents who have deeply felt the economic downturn.

His visits to California have been to Los Angeles and San Francisco to raise money and meet with Hollywood celebrities and Bay Area entrepreneurs. The Chávez dedication, for example, was sandwiched between fund-raising gigs in Southern California and San Francisco.

The establishment of the Chávez monument was tied in with the 50th anniversary of the UFW. Our criticism of the president on this issue in no way lessens our enthusiasm for honoring Chávez. We agree with the president when he said on Monday, "Our world is a better place because César Chávez decided to change it."

But the next president -- whether it's Obama or Romney -- needs to spend time in the valley and get to understand our problems and contributions.