(The Center Square) – Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a $245 million plan to add jobs throughout California and help Los Angeles County recover from the recent wildfires.
Newsom went over the details during a news conference Wednesday in Monterey Park, a city in the county’s San Gabriel Valley.
“California’s economic dominance and success are grown locally, with the contributions of each diverse region of our state,” Newsom said. “From agriculture to clean energy to film to every industry in between, our Golden State owes its success to the people, communities and industries that make it work.”
Newsom emphasized worker training through apprenticeships as part of his plan to add jobs in California, the world’s fifth-largest economy.
The governor said he would like to create a half million new training slots by 2029. Since 2019, the state has had 201,000 registered apprentices.
Newsom’s “California Jobs First Economic Blueprint” features:
$125 million in grants to support new “ready-to-go” projects throughout the state.$15 million in grants for economic development for Native American tribes.$52 million for new apprenticeships in areas such as finance, advanced manufacturing and health care.$16 million for pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship funding for young people ages 16-24 through California Opportunity Apprenticeship grants.$24.1 million in High Road Training partnerships for 10 projects statewide to train people to meet California’s health care needs. There would be an emphasis on nursing and behavioral health. Los Angeles recipients of the money include the Center for Caregiver Advancement, which prepares home health workers for disasters such as the recent fires.
The economic plan divides the state into 13 regional collaboratives, one of which is devoted to Los Angeles County.
Under Newsom’s blueprint, $13 million would go to helping economic recovery and small businesses in the county, which was devastated in January by the Palisades and Eaton fires. Of that $13 million, $10 million would go to the LA Region Small Business Relief Fund, a grant program run by the city and county of Los Angeles. The remaining $3 million is designated for the Los Angeles Jobs First Collaborative’s recovery efforts.
Newsom’s economic blueprint identifies what he called key employment sectors and strategies to create and attract good-paying jobs.
The plan calls for improving growth and wages in successful economic sectors such as tourism, outdoor recreation, movies, television and the arts. Other productive areas include financial and professional services, transportation, manufacturing, farming and food processing.
The blueprint identifies sectors that Newsom said are ready for expansion, such as aerospace and defense, life sciences including the pharmaceutical industry, high-tech areas, farm equipment and “clean economy,” which includes solar and wind power.
The governor also called attention to emerging sectors such as carbon management, artificial intelligence, robotics and bioeconomy.
Newsom’s plan lists sectors that he said are critical for supporting industry activities. They include childcare, health care, infrastructure, housing and education.
