A Plan to Create 21st Century Jobs in California

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In the Democratic weekly radio address, Assemblymember Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) presents the Assembly Democratic plan to proactively invest in high-quality sustainable jobs to help grow California’s economy while respecting our environmental legacy.

You may listen in English or Spanish. The transcript is below.

Hello, this is Assemblymember Juan Arambula, Chair of the California Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy.

As too many Californians are well aware, recent years have seen a slowdown in job growth throughout the country.

And California’s unemployment rate just hit 6.2%.

What we need now is bold leadership that will connect Californians with the jobs of the 21st century.

If we do nothing, California stands to lose its pivotal global role in the design and manufacture of technologies.

So I, along with my fellow Assembly Democrats, have introduced Assembly Bill 2711 which would implement a proactive, aggressive, and comprehensive strategy for supporting technology-based industries.

That includes computers, biotech, cleantech, nanotech and other areas.

We have to position ourselves to compete globally for the high-paid, highly specialized jobs in these new fields.

Germany and Japan have already usurped California's once leading position in solar and wind energy through targeted policies and initiatives.

And Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania all have proactive economic policies.

AB 2711 would develop a comprehensive state technology and innovation strategy to guide future state expenditures and activities for workforce development, infrastructure, technology transfer, and access to capital.