California awards $80 million to drive economic growth and spur job creation across the state

SACRAMENTO — Today, Governor Newsom and the California Jobs First Council announced $80 million in funding to support eleven projects across California. Projects are aligned with the state’s strategic sectors and located in seven economic regions and eighteen counties. The funding continues the Governor’s work to create more family-supporting jobs and prioritize industry sectors for future growth

“We’re not just talking about creating jobs and growing our economy – we’re putting real dollars to work right now in communities across California. These investments will build momentum and deliver measurable progress in the months and years ahead, providing regions in every corner of the state with new tools to create good-paying jobs and strengthen local industries from the ground up.”

— Governor Gavin Newsom

 

Today’s awards are part of a two-phased approach to distribute a total of $125 million in implementation funding to projects that advance the “Accelerate” or “Bet” sectors, as outlined in the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint.

“Today marks a major milestone for California Jobs First – the moment when years of planning and collaboration turn into real projects, real jobs, and real impact. These awards reflect our shared commitment to a bottom-up, community-driven approach that builds on local strengths, drives innovation, and ensures every region across California has the opportunity to thrive.” – Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to the Governor and Director of GO-Biz, and Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency

Round one of this funding is being awarded to four project clusters as part of the Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative, each focused on a different sector. In total, these projects are expected to support more than 23,000 jobs across California.

• Aerospace & Defense: $16,951,467 was awarded to two projects designed to provide ecosystem support and uplift the aerospace & defense sector’s infrastructure and workforce in the Central Coast.
• Agtech & Farm Equipment: $28,632,344 was awarded to four projects intended to strengthen the agtech & farm equipment sector, targeting workforce development, ecosystem support, and infrastructure for the North State, Redwood Coast, North San Joaquin Valley, Central San Joaquin Valley and Southern Border Regions.
• Bioeconomy: $10,367,000 was awarded to provide ecosystem support and bolster the bioeconomy sector’s infrastructure in the North San Joaquin Valley Region.
• Life Sciences: $23,920,000 was awarded to four life sciences projects in Los Angeles County, aimed at providing infrastructure and ecosystem support.

See full award details here

 

California Jobs First: A bold plan, realized locally

In February, Governor Newsom released the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint – a new economic vision for California’s future. The Blueprint, which is being implemented by the nine state agencies on the California Jobs First Council, outlines key initiatives to support regional growth, invest in 21st century job training, create an attractive environment for job creators and strengthen California’s innovation economy – all to help increase access to good-paying jobs for Californians.

Today’s implementation investments build on the $182 million already distributed to the 13 Jobs First regions in recent years to design and pilot projects tailored to the unique needs of their local communities. This grassroots funding approach has proven to be a powerful tool in driving economic growth and fostering innovation at the community level by empowering regions to prioritize what impacts them most.

 

What comes next

Given the momentum gained by many regions and industry-focused coalitions across the state, the California Jobs First Council is expediting the timeline for the second round of implementation funding, which will kick off in October 2025 rather than January 2026.

Updates on timing and the RFP can be found here, and you can follow California Jobs First here to stay updated on the latest developments.

 

Creating jobs statewide

Through the Master Plan for Career Education, Governor Newsom aims to create additional pathways to good paying jobs by serving 500,000 apprentices by 2029. To reach this goal, the Department of Industrial Relations and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) is awarding over $94 million this year to boost access to apprenticeships, and this funding aims to serve 52,000 apprentices and pre-apprentices.

• In August, DAS awarded $26 million in Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeship grants to 25 construction apprenticeship programs to increase access to construction careers for women and disadvantaged communities. The first rounds of the ERiCA Grant served 1,087 apprentices and 222 pre-apprentices.
• In July, DAS announced $20 million in new California Apprenticeship Council Training Funds, which will help to support the training of over 36,000 building trades apprentices.
• In June, DAS awarded $15.4 million in California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) grants to 29 youth apprenticeship programs. The funds will align youth who are often out of school or unemployed with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that can lead to employment in high-demand fields, such as healthcare and education, setting them on a path to upward mobility and higher earning power.

 

Maintaining California’s economic dominance

California remains the fourth-largest economy in the world. With an increasing state population and record-high tourism spending, California is the nation’s top state for new business starts, access to venture capital funding, and manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.