California is rightly proud to be the fifth largest economy in the world that continues to produce massive and influential new companies especially in the technology space. But for too long, this has allowed us to ignore the weakness of our economy outside of a few urban centers as well as the erosion of the state’s manufacturing sector and other industries that produce high quality jobs. Building on the creation of the California Jobs First Program and Interagency Council, the state should track the contributions of the state’s major employers and the barriers to their growth as well as all of the rest of the data needed to support the creation of good, high wage jobs throughout the state. And it should reorganize all state departments that engage in economic development activities into a single agency. The New California Coalition will work to hold the state accountable as it develops a statewide economic resilience plan and will fiercely advocate for policies – such the restoration of a robust manufacturing tax credit and a better aligned workforce development system – that will translate these plans into better jobs and economies throughout the state.

‍