During stops in Fresno and Kern counties, California Governor Gavin Newsom promised to “not leave anybody else behind” in the new California Jobs First Economic Blueprint that outlines an expansion of “clean economy” sectors in historically agricultural regions.
The full blueprint will be presented by the governor early next year, combining 13 regionally produced plans that identify opportunities for job growth. The January announcement will be supplemented with $120 million “to support ‘ready-to-go’ job-creating projects statewide.”
But early drafts from three regions that encompass a large portion of California agriculture –– the Sierra San Joaquin Jobs Initiative (S2J2), the North San Joaquin Valley Strategic Plan and the Kern County Regional Plan — contain language highlighting an economic transition from agricultural reliance to more onshore wind, solar and carbon management infrastructure.
On Monday, Newsom visited the National Cement Co. site in Kern County to receive the second regional plan along his California Jobs First Tour. His office publicized the firm for leading on low emissions and sustainability, saying the facility is “on track to becoming one of the first fully decarbonized cement plants in the nation.”
Rudy Salas, former Bakersfield city councilor and state assemblymember, thanked the governor for highlighting jobs in manufacturing, biotech and agriculture in the community.
Newsom said the Kern plan isn’t based around Sacramento decisions or industry, but is centered around workers. He told reporters that Kern County is “poised to get the lion's share benefit” of the state’s future green energy jobs and that he’s looking forward to bringing more workers into decarbonized industries.
Earlier in Fresno, Newsom got defensive when reporters inquired how the recent CARB vote on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard could raise gas prices for consumers come January.
“Big Oil has been screwing you,” he said. “And if you think Big Oil has your back, you got another think coming. But there's not anything happening in 40 days. That's just all the BS these guys spew and you guys often report.”
He also said he cares about everyone, regardless of who they voted for president or what political pundits they’re listening to.
Newsom’s office has yet to respond to an Agri-Pulse request for comment on whether he’ll be visiting all 13 regions outlined by the initiative, or if he’ll just be stopping in counties that flipped red during the election. Other counties that flipped for Trump include Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Butte, Inyo, San Bernardino, Colusa and Riverside.
In September during the annual Rural County Representatives of California meeting, Shannon Eddy, executive director of the Large Scale Solar Association (LSSA), spoke candidly with members of the need to transition unused agricultural land to solar and wind energy.
To meet eventual demand, she said California will need to add 70,000 megawatts of utility scale solar and about 48,000 megawatts of battery storage to the grid in the next 20 years.
“This is unheard of,” Eddy said, adding that accommodating that much solar will require 600,000 to 700,000 acres of land, and most of that available land is or will be fallow farm land in the central valley.
Eddy brought up AB 2528, a bill that died in committee this year, which would have sped up the Williamson Act cancellation process for land owners willing to develop their land for energy infrastructure such as solar. Both Western Growers Association and LSSA supported the bill, but the California Farm Bureau opposed the bill since it could weaken the Williamson Act overall.
RCRC members in-person rejected Eddy’s argument that ag land remains the most viable option for clean energy infrastructure, especially since land use decisions remain in local authority. But the 13 regional plans were developed by local leaders, which could pave the way for overarching shifts in such land use decisions.
While in Kern, Newsom said the region already has $14 million “for ready to go projects” such as business planning, land use strategies or those held up by the California Environmental Quality Act.
The agricultural strategy outlined in Kern’s regional economic plan highlights opportunity for expanding agricultural employment to “value-additive processing” and ag tech to adapt to environmental and regulatory challenges. It also acknowledges that supply chain disruptions, transportation bottlenecks and workforce challenges pose major challenges to agriculture.
Fresno falls under the S2J2 plan, which was led by Ashley Swearengin, president and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation. The executive summary acknowledges the region’s role in contributing to national food supply – with 60% of fruits and nuts and 30% of vegetables – but adding that its now “positioned to be equally essential in achieving California’s clean energy and emission reduction targets” aiming at 25% of the state’s total renewable energy by 2040.
“I hope that the focus is on abundance, and it isn't just more of the same about what we've heard of contraction and fallowing and things like that,” said Peter Ansel, a policy advocate with California Farm Bureau, in response to the blueprint.
He reiterated that, as water scarcity continues to threaten rural parts of the state, it will be important for the state to invest in infrastructure that supports agricultural allocations.
A win for Ag Tech?
Despite WGA Vice President of Innovation Walt Duflock’s warning that ag tech funding has slowed the last two years, the S2J2 plan carves out space for innovation based in the valley.
The plan identifies a necessary cost of $16.8 million to $34.3 million to invest in an innovation hub to bring researchers, business owners, policymakers and farmers together to innovate based on real industry needs while also focusing on climate adoption.
The S2J2 plan seeks an investment in the Farms Food Futures (F3) Innovate nonprofit, which recently named a CEO and board of directors. They’re now seeking a space to establish their headquarters in the valley and an “innovation catalyst fund” for funding directed at new ag tech.
Also at FIRA, Danna Stroud, GoBiz Office of Regional Economic Development Initiatives associate deputy director, spoke alongside F3 board members about future collaboration with F3 to expand innovation around workforce and industry needs.
