Disinvested Communities Unite to Create Economic Development Plan for a Green Economy

To encourage economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, the State of California created California Jobs First (CJF), originally known as the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF).

The program began by awarding $5 million each to 13 High Road Transition Collaboratives (HRTCs) across the state to plan for the creation of well-paid carbon-neutral jobs, with an emphasis on empowering under-resourced communities and training the workforce for the green economy. A total of $600 million more will be awarded over 18 months to these 13 HRTCs to further develop and implement these plans.

As the only awarded HRTC in San Diego and Imperial County, San Diego State University has teamed up with organizations across the region to form the Southern Border Coalition.

“Disinvested and marginalized communities often bear the brunt of carbon-intensive industries,” said John McMillan, director of Research Initiatives, Engineering & Physical Sciences and principal investigator for the Southern Border Coalition award. “The Coalition is intentionally designed around addressing that inequity, and ensuring that these communities not only benefit from the transition to a net-zero economy but are empowered to take an active role in the economic development planning and implementation process."

Along with the SDSU Research Foundation (SDSURF), which serves as the fiscal agent for administering CJF funds, these co-conveners are the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center, SBCS (formerly South Bay Community Services), San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, Universidad Popular, Imperial Valley Equity & Justice Coalition, Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation, and Comite Civico del Valle, Inc.

“The potential benefits of the CJF program to the regional economy are immense, and SDSU is honored to be a part of the Southern Border Coalition,” said Vice President for Research and Innovation Hala Madanat. “Bringing diverse communities and traditionally marginalized voices to the table to contribute to a thriving green economy with living-wage jobs will have an immeasurable impact on the future of not only our region’s residents but of the planet.”

The partner organizations will serve as co-conveners for the coalition, tasked with reaching out to and bringing together communities and stakeholders in both counties, giving marginalized communities who have been left out of traditional economic development and planning a voice — as well as conducting and supporting research to identify disparities and inequities in economic development in the region, McMillan said.

The co-conveners will facilitate two subregional economic planning “tables” — one in San Diego County and one in Imperial County — to direct the vision for the future of the region. The tables will be made up of diverse stakeholders from disinvested communities, Native American tribes, youth, farmworkers and the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as representatives from labor, business, education, community-based organizations, government agencies, philanthropic organizations, workforce development organizations and environmental justice groups. Members of each table will research, strategize and create an inclusive economic development road map.

“The scale of the CJF program is incredible,” said McMillan. “It's building networks of partners that have probably never sat at the table together while highlighting the voices of those who have never participated in a planning effort like this.”

This year, during the initial phase of the program, the coalition will develop a regional economic plan, mapping out stakeholder communities, analyzing the labor market and interconnected industry clusters, and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the regional economy.

To meet California's climate goals, the coalition will develop its regional plan for a more equitable net-zero economy in the region, which could include, for example: lithium extraction in the Salton Sea, expansion of renewable energy, energy storage technologies and leveraging the emerging “blue economy” — the sustainable use of ocean, sea and coastal resources.

The coalition will also develop strategies for attracting businesses to the region and diversifying the economy, making it more resilient to potential economic shocks. Workforce and professional development are essential components of the CERF program, as well as promoting good wages, safe working conditions, public health, and environmental sustainability in alignment with state and county economic development strategies.

The second phase of the program will start early next year, providing $14 million to each of the fiscal agents in the 13 regions for use by their HRTCs to support predevelopment and capacity-building projects and resources that have emerged from the initial planning process. SDSURF will administer these funds for the Southern Border Coalition.

During phase three of the program, proposals for economic development projects that align with each regional HRTC strategic plan will compete for an additional $262.5 million in state funds to start implementing the economic development plans.

The funds will seed investments in projects such as infrastructure, workforce training, and research studies. Once underway, they can be leveraged to obtain additional funding from state, federal and philanthropic sources.

“We are bringing people together in new ways, we are supporting them in new ways, and we are helping them go after and bring new dollars into the region and into communities where these investments are desperately needed,” said McMillan.