Bill Text: CA AB1457 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Regional business training center network: pilot project.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-1)

Status: (Vetoed) 2020-08-29 - Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4435.). [AB1457 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1457-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  June 29, 2020

Amended  IN  Assembly  May 24, 2019

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 11, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1457

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Introduced by Assembly Member Reyes Members Reyes and Cervantes

February 22, 2019

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An act to amend Section 22050 of, and to add Article 22 (commencing with Section 20360) to Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 2 of, the Public Contract Code, and to add Part 19 (commencing with Section 108000) to Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to transportation. add and repeal Section 12098.8 of the Government Code, relating to economic development.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1457, as amended, Reyes. Omnitrans Transit District. Regional business training center network: pilot project.

Existing law establishes the Office of Small Business Advocate within the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as GO-Biz, and prescribes the duties and functions of the Small Business Advocate, to include, among other duties, assisting in the state emergency recovery, response, and preparedness efforts related to small businesses.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program with the purpose of, among other things, using labor market information to advise the chancellor’s office and regional community college bodies on the workforce needs of the state’s competitive and emerging industry sectors, and collaborating and coordinating investment with other state, regional, or local agencies involved in education and workforce training in California. Existing law authorizes the governing board of any community college district to contract education programs by agreement with any public or private agency, corporation, association, or any other person or body, to provide specific educational programs or training to meet the specific needs of those bodies.

This bill would require GO-Biz to establish a pilot project to create a regional business training center network through a partnership with the California Community Colleges, the Employment Training Panel, and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency. The bill would state that the purpose of the pilot project is to support the establishment of a statewide network of regional business training centers, based on the existing California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program, as specified, and to support the upskilling of the regional workforce to meet the demand for jobs in essential industry sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the emerging and dominant industry sectors in the post COVID-19 economy. The bill would require community colleges participating in the pilot project to offer short-term training programs that assist displaced and incumbent workers in obtaining the skills necessary to work within essential, emerging, and dominant industry sectors, as specified. The bill would require GO-Biz to establish an advisory board of businesses, workforces, and economic development stakeholders to provide guidance to the pilot project.

Existing law creates various transit districts throughout the state, with specified powers and duties relative to providing public transit services.

This bill would create the Omnitrans Transit District in the County of San Bernardino. The bill would provide that the jurisdiction of the district would initially include the Cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino, Upland, and Yucaipa, and specified portions of the unincorporated areas of the County of San Bernardino. The bill would authorize other cities in the County of San Bernardino to subsequently join the district. The bill would require the district to succeed to the rights and obligations of the existing Omnitrans Joint Powers Authority and would dissolve that authority. The bill would require the transfer of assets from the authority to the district. The bill would provide for a governing board composed of representatives of governing bodies within the county and would specify voting procedures for the taking of certain actions by the board. The bill would specify the powers and duties of the board and the district to operate transit services, and would authorize the district to seek voter approval of retail transactions and use tax measures and to issue revenue bonds. The bill would enact other related provisions. By imposing requirements on the district and affected local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YESNO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 (a) California’s dominance in many economic areas is based, in part, on the significant role small businesses play in the state’s $2.9 trillion economy.

(b) Two separate studies, one by the United States Census Bureau and another by the Kaufman Foundation, found that net job growth was strongest among businesses with less than 20 employees. California firms represented 12.6 percent of all businesses in the United States in 2015, with 88.3 percent of firms having less than 20 employees.

(c) Supporting small business development has shown to be a successful inclusive economic growth strategy advantaging businesses throughout the state, including historically underserved business groups such as minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses, and hard to serve areas of the state such as low wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted communities.

(d) In order for the state to fully leverage the economic opportunities represented by supporting small businesses, it is the intent of the Legislature that a two-year pilot project be undertaken to facilitate a statewide network of workforce training centers that can be integrated within the existing network of small business technical and financial assistance centers.

SEC. 2.

 Section 12098.8 is added to the Government Code, to read:

12098.8.

 (a) The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) shall establish a pilot project to create a regional business training center network through a partnership with the California Community Colleges, the Employment Training Panel, and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

(b) GO-Biz shall develop the pilot project to achieve the following purposes:

(1) To support the establishment of a statewide network of regional business training centers, based on the existing California Community Colleges Economic and Workforce Development Program (Part 52.5 (commencing with Section 88600) of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code) that is funded to create regional business training centers and hold multiple employer contracts with the Employment Training Panel.

(2) To support the upskilling of the regional workforce to meet the demand for jobs in essential industry sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the emerging and dominant industry sectors in the post COVID-19 economy.

(c) (1) Activities under the pilot project shall be based on the development of a regional skills map that identifies and compares the occupations that experience the highest number of job losses in industries that are considered essential in the state’s response to the pandemic and those that will require additional workers as the state economy recovers.

(2) After the pilot project identifies gaps between two skill sets, community colleges participating in the pilot project shall offer short-term training programs that assist displaced and incumbent workers in obtaining the skills necessary to work within essential, emerging, and dominant industry sectors. Where possible, training shall include apprenticeships and other on-the-job-training methods, and result in stackable certificates that are industry recognized.

(d) GO-Biz shall establish an advisory board of businesses, workforces, and economic development stakeholders to provide guidance to the pilot project.

(e) GO-Biz shall report on the activities and pilot project in its 2024 annual report submitted pursuant to Section 12098.4.

(f) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2025, and as of that date is repealed.