California AgTech Alliance (California Jobs First award)

California AgTech Alliance (California Jobs First award) is sponsored by Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and California Jobs First. This award is for UC ANR Innovate to launch the state's first coordinated agricultural innovation network, connecting California's diverse food-producing regions to accelerate technology, support entrepreneurs, and prepare the workforce of the future.

California awards $80 million to drive economic growth and spur job creation across the state | California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development California awards $80 million to drive economic growth and spur job creation across the state Aug 29, 2025 | GO-Biz , Press Release What you need to know: As part of California Jobs First , the state is awarding $80 million through the Regional Investment Initiative to fund ready-to-go projects that will support more than 23,000 jobs and drive sustainable economic growth 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.

” 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.

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.

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 . The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts.

GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website .

Deputy Director of Communications Cannabis Equity Grants for Local Jurisdictions California Civic Media Program California Community Reinvestment Grants California Competes Tax Credit California Film and TV Tax Credit California State Trade Expansion Program Regional Investment Initiative Statewide Disaster Response Tool President of the Latino Media Collaborative Arturo Carmona serves as the Managing Partner of Tzunu Strategies and heads the Latino Media Collaborative.

He has appeared in in media outlets such as MSNBC, ABC, CNN, Time Magazine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Univision, Telemundo, USA Today, NPR, La Opinion, and many others. Hispanic Magazine honored him with the Hispanic Achievement Award.

He is the current Sr. Strategy Advisor to ImpreMedia and served as a Digital Media and Strategic Communications Advisor to the Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for President campaign (Mexico) and the Deputy Political Director for the Bernie Sanders for President campaign. He was the Executive Director of Presente. org and as the founding Executive Director of the Council of Mexican Federations.

This will close in 0 seconds Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy at LION Publishers Chuck Corra designs and leads advocacy efforts on behalf of local independent online news businesses at LION Publishers, helping drive policy outcomes at the state and national levels across the United States. Chuck’s professional background spans public affairs, issue advocacy, strategic research, and legal fields.

Most recently, he advised renewable energy developers on navigating community support for deploying wind and solar energy in rural communities. Chuck graduated with honors from Michigan State University College of Law, and currently lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

This will close in 0 seconds Publisher of the San Fernando Valley Sun & El Sol Newspapers Martha Diaz Aszkenazy was born in the San Fernando Valley and raised in the city of San Fernando where she headquartered the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol newspaper after purchasing it over 24 years ago.

She grew up in San Fernando attending local schools before enrolling at Loyola Marymount University where she received her bachelor’s in business administration.

Volunteering and giving back to her community is very important to Martha and throughout the years she has served on numerous boards and commissions, including as Treasurer for the California News Publishers Association, Chair of the National Newspapers Association, and a member of the Latino Media Collaborative.

This will close in 0 seconds Co-Director of American Community Media Julian Travis Do is the Co-director of American Community Media, California’s largest coalition of 300+ ethnic media outlets, where he leads initiatives focused on long-term sustainability of local journalism, including editorial and digital media capacity development.

With extensive experience in cross-sector coalition building, Julian coordinates efforts among more than 130 community-based organizations to address media equity and the systemic challenges facing local news.

He has played a pivotal role in major legislative and industry milestones, including advocacy for multiple media sustainability legislative bills and the coordination of historic multi-year agreements to support the local news ecosystem. His work also includes managing infrastructure upgrades for ethnic and community media markets to ensure state resources effectively reach prioritized populations.

Julian currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Local News Fellowship program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

This will close in 0 seconds Sean Emery, President of the Media Guild of the West & Journalist at SCNG Sean Emery is president of Media Guild of the West, a local of The NewsGuild-CWA that represents hundreds of journalists and media workers at the Los Angeles Times, the Desert Sun, the Southern California News Group, and other news outlets across California, Arizona and Texas.

Sean is also a working journalist who has written for the Orange County Register since 2006 and currently covers courts, crime and public safety for the Register and other papers in the Southern California News Group.

This will close in 0 seconds General Counsel at the Los Angeles Times This will close in 0 seconds President and CEO of the Stanislaus Community Foundation Marian Kaanon is the President & CEO of Stanislaus Community Foundation. A first-generation Assyrian American, Marian was born in Iraq. She immigrated with her family to Canada at age 7, and then the U.S. as a high school student.

After graduating from UC Davis, Marian began a career that spanned broadcast journalism, public affairs and nonprofit management. Marian joined Stanislaus Community Foundation as CEO in late 2012. Stanislaus Community Foundation is a place-based funder that provides grants and scholarships to community organizations in Stanislaus County.

To date, the organization has invested over $63 million in local nonprofits. During Marian’s tenure, Stanislaus Community Foundation has quadrupled its assets under management and tripled its grantmaking, supporting programs in education, economic opportunity and civic engagement.

Coming out of the pandemic, Stanislaus Community Foundation launched Stanislaus 2030, an inclusive economic development sprint focused on creating quality jobs, which secured over $20M in state and federal funds in the local region. She currently chairs the Board of Directors for the League of California Community Foundations.

This will close in 0 seconds Head of Journalism, California State University, Los Angeles Julie Patel Liss is the head of journalism and an associate professor at California State University, Los Angeles.

She conducts investigative reporting projects with students for local news outlets and established the university's community news outlet, which reports on under-covered neighborhoods in East and South Los Angeles where Cal State LA students come from. Julie worked as an investigative reporter at nonprofit news outlets such as the Center for Public Integrity and D. C.

’s National Public Radio affiliate, and as a reporter at the South Florida Sun Sentinel and San Jose Mercury News. Her beats over the years have included education, race and demographics, utilities, insurance and federal politics. Her coverage has earned over 15 awards and honors.

Julie is a proud alumna of the University of Chicago, Stanford University and AmeriCorps' City Year program. She volunteers on several local and statewide boards, including the California College Media Association and the Asian American Journalists Association, Los Angeles. Julie was born in India, raised in Chicago and lives with her husband, also a journalist, and their two children in Long Beach.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, running, dancing and spending time outdoors with her family. This will close in 0 seconds Executive Director of California Black Media Regina Brown Wilson is a media entrepreneur and leading advocate for African American–owned news outlets in California.

Since 2012, she has served as Executive Director of California Black Media, leading a statewide network of more than 30 print, digital, radio, and streaming platforms serving Black communities and advancing their participation in California’s media economy.

Under her leadership, Wilson has led major public information campaigns on COVID-19 response, voter engagement, and emergency preparedness, partnering with state agencies to strengthen the role of ethnic, rural, and independent media in public outreach. She served on California’s 2020 Census Complete Count Committee and is a member of the African American Empowerment Council of California and the Sacramento NAACP.

She serves as co-chair of the Minority-Owned Small Business Task Force, chair of the Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Council, and on the UC Berkeley School of Journalism Local News Fellowship advisory board. This will close in 0 seconds Publisher of Monterey County Weekly Erik Cushman is the publisher of Monterey County Weekly and Monterey County Now (the company’s digital platforms) and has been on staff since 1999.

During Cushman’s tenure, the Weekly’s staff has earned hundreds of local, regional, and national awards for editorial content, design, newsletters and photography. Cushman was previously the General Manager at the Colorado Springs Independent (Sep 1997 - Mar 1999) and Publisher of the Missoula Independent (Feb 1991 - Mar 1997).

He has served on the Advisory Committee of the Marina Technology Cluster, the Boards of Directors of First Night Monterey and the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. Since 2015 he has been the Chair of the Monterey County Workforce Development Board. Cushman has also been a board member of the California News Publishers Association since 2016.

He is a graduate of the University of Montana and is married to Kristin Cushman. They have two adult daughters; he and Kristin live in Pacific Grove. This will close in 0 seconds