Governor Unveils California Jobs First Blueprint

Groundbreaking economic development initiative takes a bottom-up approach to growing priority sectors

MARINA, CA, UNITED STATES, March 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced a major statewide economic initiative designed to spur growth, innovation, and access to good-paying jobs. The California Jobs First Economic Blueprint is a first-of-its-kind investment into bottom-up, regional economic planning. Recognizing the unique diversity of regions across the state, the California Jobs First Blueprint incorporates 13 regional strategies to guide the state’s investments in key sectors to drive sustainable economic growth, innovation, and access to good-paying jobs over the next decade. The tri-county Monterey Bay region is part of the Central Coast region; Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) serves as a regional convenor.

The Blueprint is paired with $125 million in funding to support new, ready-to-go projects, $15 million for economic development projects for California’s Native American tribes, $13 million to support the economic recovery and small businesses in the Los Angeles region, and $92 million in funding for new apprenticeship and jobs programs.

The California Jobs First Economic Blueprint guides the state’s investments in key sectors to drive sustainable economic growth, innovation, and access to good-paying jobs over the next decade. Made up of 10 strategic industry sectors, this framework will help streamline the state’s economic, business, and workforce development programs to create more jobs, faster.

“California’s economic dominance and success is grown locally, with the contributions of each diverse region of our state. 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. I am proud of the collaborative work of Californians from every region who developed this statewide Economic Blueprint,” said Newsom.

For the past three years, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) has been deeply invested in the development of a community-led and regionally-specific economic strategy for the region as a regional co-convenor and partner in Uplift Central Coast, a six-county California Jobs First coalition working to attract investment and expand opportunities for Central Coast residents with partners EDC and REACH. As one of the 13 regions identified in the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint, Uplift’s comprehensive Regional Plan Part II report outlines a strategic framework to inspire actions to create quality jobs, with an emphasis on uplifting those from disinvested communities. Strategies outlined in the Regional Plan Part II fall into four main categories: target sector, economic mobility, climate resilience through economic and workforce, and community development strategies to increase the presence of quality of jobs and enhance the quality of life for current and future residents of the Central Coast.

The Uplift Central Coast plan outlines significant opportunities for quality job creation in precision manufacturing and advanced business services and enhancing job quality in the region's prominent hospitality and tourism, agriculture and healthcare sectors.

“The California Jobs First Economic Blueprint is an important step towards a more resilient economy, one that truly embraces and uplifts the unique strengths and opportunities of the Central Coast,” said Monterey Bay Economic Partnership President & CEO Tahra Goraya. “The strategies outlined in our regional plan for the Central Coast specifically highlight the opportunities within our dominant sectors of agriculture, hospitality/tourism, and healthcare as well as promising sectors in precision manufacturing and advanced business services. The tri-county Monterey Bay region is especially poised in leading AgTech and Advanced Air Mobility through the Monterey Bay Tech Hub. MBEP is proud to be one of the co-founders and co-convenors of these economic development initiatives that we hope will transform our communities by strengthening our employers and our workforce for future-facing jobs. This process has truly been a labor of love that involved countless community residents, government, and industry leaders with the goal of creating, attracting, and increasing good-paying jobs for shared prosperity.”

MBEP has been working for 10 years at the intersection of government, industry, and community to build shared economic prosperity. Monterey Bay Economic Partnership recently secured the Economic Development District (EDD) designation for the tri-county area of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties, the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s first new EDD designation in the state of California in 15 years. An EDD will allow the tri-county region to advance its economic development goals and enhance regional coordination and funding opportunities.

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and Uplift Central Coast will continue to advance job creation and workforce preparedness strategies as part of inclusive, sustainable economic development strategies , in partnership with our regional, state and federal leaders, community members and local stakeholders, to help our communities not only survive, but thrive. We invite you to learn more about the funded projects, and strategies outlined in Uplift's Regional Plan Part II in the Executive Summary and the full document, and reach out to us to get involved.

About Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP): Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) is a regional member-supported nonprofit organization consisting of public, private, and civic entities located throughout the counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz. Founded in 2015, our mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life in the region.

Marie Vasari Hislop
Monterey Bay Economic Partnership
+1 831-224-2132
media@mbep.biz
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