California: Governor Newsom awards $48.5 million to drive economic growth and advance innovation across the state, supporting the creation of 20,000 new jobs

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Aug 26, 2026

Governor Newsom awards $48.5 million to drive economic growth and advance innovation across the state, supporting the creation of 20,000 new jobs

What you need to know: California is investing $48.5 million through the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative to support 18 projects across eight economic regions. The investments are expected to support the creation of 20,000 jobs while advancing regional economic priorities in key sectors across the state.

VALLEJO – Governor Gavin Newsom today joined leaders from Solano County, Cal Poly Maritime Academy and the California Jobs First Bay Area Region on Mare Island to announce $48.5 million in funding to support 18 projects spanning eight economic regions and 33 counties. These awards, which are expected to support the creation of 20,000 direct and indirect jobs, build on more than four years of regional planning, project development and investment through the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative.

California's economy remains a global powerhouse thanks to the strength of the state's diverse regions — each boasting unique local assets, specialized talent pipelines, and tailored industry sectors that help our state compete globally. Today's investments support the growth of industries defining the next generation of our economy, creating good-paying jobs, strengthening innovation and ensuring the Golden State continues to lead the world in the sectors shaping the future.

Governor Gavin Newsom

This latest round of awards represents the final tranche of implementation funding through the Regional Investment Initiative and spans seven project clusters, focused on advancing the aerospace & defense, advanced manufacturing, high-tech, shipbuilding and quantum sectors.
  • Aerospace & Defense: $3,950,000 was awarded to establish research and innovation infrastructure, strengthening the Southern Border Region's defense ecosystem and workforce development.
  • Advanced Manufacturing: $17,750,000 was awarded to two project clusters, working to strengthen advanced manufacturing innovation and supply chains in the Central San Joaquin Region and support biomanufacturing innovation and workforce development in the Capital Region.
  • High-tech: $1,940,000 was awarded to expand infrastructure and workforce training and establish business funding opportunities to boost the sector in the Inland SoCal Region.
  • Shipbuilding: $8,236,000 was awarded to strengthen innovation, expand workforce development and curriculum, and improve coordination across the Bay Area Region's shipbuilding network.
  • Space, Defense & Satellites: $6,846,000 was awarded to support business attraction and expansion efforts, as well as to accelerate the region's overall industry ecosystem in Kern County.
  • Quantum: $9,742,000 was awarded to strengthen workforce development and regional coordination between the Southern Border, Orange County and Los Angeles County Regions, bolstering the sector's future promise across and within Southern California.

"Through years of planning and collaboration, California Jobs First has turned investments into real opportunities, positioning regions for long-term economic growth," said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development. "Today's awards show what's possible when we invest in the unique strengths of the state's communities and bring together the private sector, educational institutions and community leaders to build an economy that works for all Californians."

"California Jobs First continues to demonstrate the value of collaboration between the state, our regions, and our community partners," said Stewart Knox, Secretary of the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency. "Together, we're building a durable foundation for economic resilience while expanding pathways to quality jobs in the industries that are shaping California's future."

Building a foundation for sustainable growth

Governor Newsom launched what is now known as the Regional Investment Initiative in 2021, originally known as the Community Economic Resilience Fund,  to create good-paying, accessible jobs and sustainable economic growth by building statewide collaboratives and identifying regional strengths and opportunities.

Mapping the future, region by region

To support this process, Governor Newsom invested $5 million in each of the 13 California Jobs First regions to develop regional roadmaps.

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These roadmaps identified the industry sectors that will shape each region's future economy, along with strategies for success and opportunities for investment, all driven by extensive community input. Together, the 13 regional plans ultimately laid the foundation for the Economic Blueprint, a statewide economic vision informed by the regional plans and anchored by the strategic sectors vital for driving California's future growth and innovation.

The plans also achieved a significant milestone in California's economic development effort when all 13 were formally designated as Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) by the United States Economic Development Administration (EDA) in April 2025. This accomplishment marked the first time in California's history that all 482 cities, 58 counties and every community have a federally recognized strategy, creating new opportunities to attract and leverage investments in the implementation of these plans.

Putting regional strategies to work

With regional plans in place, California moved from planning to action.

In May 2023, California awarded nearly $40 million to launch eight pilot projects aligned with Regional Investment Initiative objectives.

The projects are now delivering results in communities across the state, including:
  • Fort Bragg (Redwood Region), with a new ice facility and an Entrepreneurial Marine-Based Training Program & Community Fish Market. The project is helping stabilize and retain more than 300 deckhand, captain, processor and shipper jobs at the harbor while transitioning 100 positions to high-wage jobs.
  • Yreka (North State Region), with the grand opening of Yreka Carnegie, a once-shuttered historic building that has been transformed into a rural hub for business innovation, entrepreneurship and community connection. The project was supported by $3.65 million in state funding and provides a collaborative space for agriculture, outdoor recreation tourism and wood sectors to develop new products, create high-road jobs, cross-collaborate and develop climate resiliency practices.

Turning momentum into opportunity

Building on the momentum from the pilot projects, the state turned its focus to catalyzing promising regional ideas into investment-ready projects.

In March 2024, the state announced $14 million in Catalyst funding for each of the 13 Jobs First regional collaboratives.

Across California, that work is now opening new pathways to jobs and economic opportunity, including:
  • Ridgecrest (Sierra Region), with new career opportunities that connect students to hands-on climate and recreation work. Led by the Mammoth Lakes Trails & Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), the project is building a pipeline for the next generation of forest, recreation, climate and conservation professionals through a degree pathway program in partnership with Cerro Coso College. In May 2026, the inaugural class of students was celebrated for its achievements, with each student receiving job offers to continue careers protecting and stewarding public lands.
  • Santa Ana (Orange County Region), with funding that is helping address historical disinvestment while expanding economic opportunity. Led by THRIVE Santa Ana, La Colmena, the city's first community land trust project, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary and is working to create quality jobs while expanding access to affordable, culturally diverse food options.

Supporting tribal economies

California Jobs First has also expanded economic opportunity by investing directly in Tribal communities.

In June 2025, 14 California Native American tribes, tribal coalitions and tribally led organizations were awarded $15 million to advance projects that spur economic growth, expand workforce training, foster business development, steward the environment and support research and development.

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The funding enabled Tribes to design economic recovery and transition strategies that diversify Tribal economies and create good jobs, including:
  • Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Region), with the Native Development Network's Jobs "Pathways to Prosperity" Industry and Sector Analysis Report. This community-informed roadmap will help Native American workers, Tribal citizens, Urban Indians, and Native families access quality, living-wage jobs by identifying opportunities for Native workers to enter, advance and thrive in key sectors.

Scaling toward lasting impact

With regional plans established, pilot projects tested and promising initiatives underway, California Jobs First has continued to scale investments into projects ready to deliver economic impact.

In August 2025, $80 million in funding was distributed as round one of the Regional Investment Initiative's implementation phase, supporting 11 projects across seven economic regions and 18 counties. These projects focused on uplifting the Jobs First pilot sectors – aerospace & defense, agtech & farm equipment, bioeconomy and life sciences – and are expected to create more than 23,000 jobs across California.

These strategic investments are already translating into new opportunities for businesses and communities, including:
  • San Luis Obispo & Santa Barbara Counties (Central Coast Region), with Space Vandenberg, a coordinated effort to scale the Vandenberg spaceport ecosystem by connecting students and workers with career exposure, training and paid work-based learning in aerospace, engineering, advanced manufacturing and related fields. The inaugural internship cohort concluded earlier this month, with 18 students gaining paid, hands-on experience alongside aerospace professionals at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
  • Modesto (North San Joaquin Region), with BEAM Circular's California Bioeconomy Innovation Campus (https://www.beamcircular.org/campus), a first-of-its-kind facility designed to accelerate circular bioeconomy technologies and enable the growth of biomanufacturing across the Central Valley and beyond.At full operation, the project is expected to directly create up to 140 permanent jobs, along with significant construction employment opportunities.

Together, these investments demonstrate how California Jobs First is moving from strategy to implementation – translating regional priorities into projects that create good-paying jobs, strengthen critical industries and build long-term economic resilience in every community across the state.

California's economy is dominating

California continues to lead the nation economically, outpacing all states and every developed nation, according to a recent Bloomberg analysis (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/04/06/icymi-bloomberg-news-how-californias-economy-dominates-in-the-gavin-newsom-era/). In 2025, California continued a 16-year growth streak, growing faster than every other state in the country.

The state has more businesses than any other state, including Florida and Texas, supporting strong job creation and expanded economic opportunity for workers across the state. California is also home to more than 4.3 million small businesses (https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/California_2025-State-Profile.pdf), representing 99.8 percent of all businesses in the state and employing 7.6 million people.

Economy (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/content-types/economy/), Press releases (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/press-releases/), Recent news (https://www.gov.ca.gov/category/recent-news/)

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