The City of Lodi, California ("Lodi" or the "City") was incorporated as a General Law city on December 6, 1906. The City is located in the San Joaquin Valley between Stockton, 6 miles to the south, and Sacramento, 35 miles to the north, and adjacent to U.S. Highway 99. The City is located on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad and is within five miles of Interstate 5. The City population is approximately 58,950 (as of January 1, 2001) and is contained in an area of 12 square miles. The City has grown steadily since incorporation in 1906 and is projected to grow to 70,500 people by the year 2007. The City's growth is provided for in both the general plan and the City's growth control ordinance that allows an increase in population of 2% per year until the growth limits are reached. The City provides a wide range of municipal services, including public safety (police, fire and graffiti abatement), public utilities services (electric, water and sewer), transportation services (streets, flood control and transit), leisure, cultural and social services (parks and recreation, library, and community center), and general government services (management, human resources administration, financial administration, building maintenance and equipment maintenance). Lodi is built on a strong and broad based agricultural industry with national and industrial markets for its commodities and products. Wines, processed foods, nuts, fruit and milk are major commodities of the Lodi area and provide the basic material for food processing and packaging. These commodities support the operations of General Mills, and Pacific Coast Producers, three companies in the business of processing local agricultural commodities