EL CENTRO — Following the April announcement of the closure of Spreckels Sugar Company, there have been various attempts to soften the economic blow to Imperial County, including the Imperial County Board of Supervisors’ (BOS) Declaration of a State of Economic Emergency on Tuesday, September 9, where local and state representatives voiced concern and discussed potential next steps.

Board Chairman John Hawk indicated the loss of Spreckels Sugar equates to a loss of more than 430 direct jobs. With more than 700 total jobs tied to farming, irrigation, trucking, and processing, he stated there is an expected impact of a loss in wages to local residents of about $35 million and an annual local economic impact of $242 million. He said the board’s specific call to action is for state and federa

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