BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair
AB 1910 (Gray) - California Workforce Investment Board: San
Joaquin Valley Regional Planning and Preparedness Act of 2014
Amended: May 5, 2014 Policy Vote: L&IR 5-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 4, 2014
Consultant: Robert Ingenito
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: AB 1910 would establish the San Joaquin Valley
Regional Economic Planning and Preparedness Council (SJVREPPC)
to develop an oil and natural gas workforce strategic initiative
that addresses region's energy sector workforce needs.
Fiscal Impact: Ongoing costs of $110,000 to the California
Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) to oversee the Council. CWIB
indicates a portion of the costs could be covered by federal
funds. Given the current federal budget climate, however,
General Fund dollars may be needed in the out-years.
Background: The San Joaquin Valley Partnership is a
public-private partnership, established in June 2005 through a
gubernatorial executive order, focused on improving the region's
economic vitality and quality of life for the 3.9 million
residents of the San Joaquin Valley. Although the San Joaquin
Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the
world, the economic well-being of its residents has trailed
behind state and national averages.
According to the Partnership web site, included in Executive
Order S-05-05 was a request by Governor Schwarzenegger for the
new Partnership to submit a Strategic Action Proposal that
provided recommendations to improve the economic condition of
the Valley. In October 2006, the group delivered its
recommendations in its Strategic Action Plan (SAP): "The San
Joaquin Valley, California's 21st Century Opportunity." The
partnership is addressing the challenges of the region by
implementing measurable actions on six major initiatives which
include, 1) build a 21st century transportation mobility system;
2) grow a diversified, globally competitive economy supported by
AB 1910 (Gray)
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a highly skilled workforce; 3) create a model K-12 public
education system; 4) develop high-quality health and human
services; 5) attain clean air standards; and 6) implement an
integrated framework for sustainable growth. The Partnership was
awarded $2.5 million in grant funding to implement its strategic
plan. These moneys served as a catalyst for advancing the
locally defined priority projects and helped secure additional
state funding for a variety of local needs.
Proposed Law: This bill would establish the SJVREPPC to perform
specified tasks related to addressing the workforce needs of the
San Joaquin Valley's expanding energy economy. Specifically,
this bill would do the following:
Specify that the membership of the SJVREPPC includes
representatives from the CWIB including, but not limited to
representatives from the following categories: K-12
education, the California Community College system, the
Employment Development Department, the Department of Food
and Agriculture, the Governor's Office of Business and
Economic Development, and the California Transportation
Commission.
Require the SJVREPPC to develop the framework, funding
strategies, and programs to address specified energy
workforce needs. Tasks of the Council include: encouraging
regional collaboration among local workforce investment
areas; developing public/private partnerships to build and
expand the state's workforce development programs;
providing policy guidance for job training programs; and
developing collecting, and distributing statewide and
regional labor market data on California's workforce needs,
trends, and job growth in the oil and gas industry.
Require the SJVREPPC to report annually on the status of
the council activities and its development of an oil and
natural gas workforce strategic initiative.
Related Legislation: AB 3 (V. Manuel Perez) of 2009. This bill
would have required the CWIB, in consultation with the GCJC, to
establish a Renewable Energy Workforce Readiness Initiative to
ensure green collar career placement and advancement
opportunities within California's renewable energy generation.
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Among other things, it would have required that the initiative
provide guidance to local WIB's on how to establish
comprehensive green collar job assessment, training, and
placement programs that reflect the local and regional
economies. This bill was vetoed by the Governor.
Staff Comments: The CWIB engages State and local workforce,
education, and economic development partners in this critical
work through its Special Committees, of which includes the Green
Collar Jobs Council (GCJC). In 2008, the Governor signed AB
3018 (Nunez) establishing the GCJC within the CWIB to perform
specified tasks related to the clean and green economy. The GCJC
makes recommendations and creates strategies for comprehensive
and effective workforce training opportunities to help prepare
California's current and future workforce to meet the skills
demand from businesses supporting the energy efficiency and
clean energy sectors. AB 1910 is molded after this council.
Federal discretionary funding that would be used for the
purposes of this bill is expected to be restored through 2016-
2020. To the extent that future federal budgets do not include
the restoration, however, funding for this bill would likely
come from the General Fund.