If county officials are to ever stop the daily commute of county residents to the Bay Area for high-paying jobs, they'll have to start by bringing higher education to the county, former state senator Patrick Johnston said.

The lack of a University of California or California State University campus is hurting the county in bringing in high-tech jobs, he said.

Other county officials agree with Johnston's remarks.

In fact, county officials have been aware of the lack of good, quality education, but are at a loss as to what to do.

Fran Aguilera, economic development director with the county's Economic Development Association, said he's met with high-tech business leaders, but after they look at what the local colleges have to offer, they close the book on relocating here.

"We can't meet their demand," he said. "There really aren't any high-tech universities here."

A high-tech business that wants to relocate here might need 200 to 300 technicians, Aguilera said. But those technicians are not going to be found in the county, he said.

The lack of a university in the county is a block to better-paying jobs, Aguilera said.

"If we had a high-tech university, the chances of a homegrown success story would be pretty good," he said. "It's a chicken-and-egg thing. Would you go to school to train for a job that isn't available?"

While the county is worried about building a strong workforce, he said, the focus should be on infrastructure. Only then will those desired companies relocate to the county.

County Administrator Manuel Lopez said the county needs to bring higher education here.

Though the University of the Pacific and San Joaquin Delta College are located in the county, he said there needs to be more -- and incentives to bring them. That will be part of changing the county's economy from an agriculture base to more diverse jobs, he said.

It's a change already happening in Tracy and Manteca.

The county is already home to programs like the University of Phoenix. And some Bay Area universities, like St. Mary's College, have explored putting small programs or even campuses here.

Still, he said, the county does have a few aspects, such as growth, going for it to attract either colleges and universities or high-tech businesses.

"We are growing much more rapidly than other counties," he said. "And growth is what makes things happen."

According to the government's Bureau of Economic Analysis figures, workers in the county make less compared to Bay Area counties and Sacramento County.

Where the county's personal average income for 2001 was $13.7 million, over the hill in Alameda County, the average was $56.9 million.

Even in Sacramento, San Joaquin County's neighbor to the north, personal income for 2001 was $37.4 million.

San Joaquin County also has a higher rate of students who don't complete high school.

According to Census 2000 figures, the percentage of students who completed school in San Joaquin County was 71.2 percent, which was lower than the state's average of 76.8.

And the percentage of county residents who at least have a college education was 14.5 percent. Statewide, the percentage was 26.6 percent.

Aguilera said the county's agricultural background was part of the problem. That's compounded, he said, by the number of families who don't speak English.

"If you don't have people who are educated, they aspire to a trade of some kind," he said.

But he also said there's a change going on, with more young people learning English, even if their parents haven't. From there, it's only a short jump to higher education, he said.

Still, Supervisor Leroy Ornellas said the lack of a college or university does hinder the county.

"When you look at the size of our county, it's disheartening," he said. "We don't have anything here."

Like Lopez, he said UOP and Delta help, but they might not be enough.

Another problem is the space needed. Ornellas said a full university would need at least 1,000 acres.

While the University of California's new Merced campus was built with land donated from a trust, he said, he didn't see something similar happening here.

Then there's still the cost aspect, and with the state in a financial mess, he said, the odds are against a new college campus in the county anytime soon.

While the county is getting a good share of warehousing jobs that pay about $18 per hour, he said, he wonders when the county will move to the next rung on the ladder.

"Sure, we've heard that they'll move where their employees are, or they'll locate here when they need to," he said. "But high-tech research and development needs to be around higher education."