Highlight: U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $7.4 Million to Support Workforce Training and Emergency Management Efforts in Disaster-Impacted Areas of California

On January 6, Assistant Secretary Fleming announced two EDA grants totaling $7.4 million to the state of California. The grants, announced at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) in Sonoma County, will support disaster-related workforce training and emergency management efforts in wildfire stricken areas of the state. The EDA grants will be matched with $1.075 million in local investment.

SRJC President Frank Chong and U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA5) and Jared Huffman (D-CA2) attended and participated in the grant announcements.

The EDA grants announced:

• Sonoma County Community College District received $7.1 million to help construct the North Bay Regional Construction and Building Trades Employment Training Center on the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus. The EDA grant will be matched with $1 million in local investment.
  
  Sonoma County Community College District receives $7.1 million from EDA
• The town of Paradise received $300,000 to hire a Disaster Recovery Manager to lead recovery and emergency management planning. The EDA grant will be matched with $75,000 in local investment.

“Ensuring that communities have the trained workforce and adequate planning in place to support business growth and resilience is a major focus of the Trump administration,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The new trades and skills training center in Santa Rosa will help fill openings in local construction and trades positions affected by the Sonoma fires, and the Disaster Recovery Manager in Paradise will assist the region in coordinating disaster and emergency management.”

“EDA plays an important role in catalyzing local strategies to help areas prepare for and recover from natural disasters,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “There is a tremendous need for skilled construction and trade workers in wildfire-impacted Sonoma County, and increased economic resilience through preventative disaster planning will greatly benefit Butte County. Both investments create and maintain employment opportunities for California’s workforce.”

The day’s activities also included a roundtable discussion with wildfire-impacted business owners. The roundtable took place after the grant announcement event, and both Congressmen participated.