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Central Sierra Economic Development District updates board on Jobs First projects, CASF mapping and $57 million Amador broadband award
Summary
Central Sierra Economic Development District and Motherlode Job Training staff told the Amador County Board of Supervisors that regional Jobs First planning and a CASF speed‑testing program have prepared the county to receive broadband investments, including a reported federal/state award of more than $57 million for Amador County to expand fiber into unserved areas.
Representatives from the Central Sierra Economic Development District (CSED) and Motherlode Job Training told the Board of Supervisors that a multi-year California Jobs First effort has produced dozens of regional projects and that federal and state broadband awards will bring substantial infrastructure investment to parts of Amador County.
Alex Bloom, economic development manager for CSED and Motherlode Job Training, and project coordinator Sofia Kaufman said the statewide California Jobs First initiative divided the state into regions and allocated funds to develop regional strategic plans and activation projects. Bloom said the Central Sierra region has identified priority sectors including natural and working lands, sustainable agriculture, community health care, sustainable recreation and tourism, and clean energy.
Bloom and Kaufman highlighted two locally run projects: the Sierra Founders Academy (a youth entrepreneurship program) and the Sierra Soarscribe marketing initiative for small businesses. They said the Jobs First process created working groups and “sector navigation” efforts to convene employers, workforce boards and education partners and to reduce duplicative efforts across counties.
On broadband, Bloom described CSED’s stewardship of a California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) infrastructure grant and a speed-testing effort to better map unserved and underserved areas. He said the Golden State Connect Authority and partner providers will steward multiple build projects and that one award for Amador County was “over $57,000,000” to expand broadband into currently unserved areas. Bloom said the RCRC/Golden State Connect Authority open-access model builds fiber infrastructure that multiple Internet providers can lease, which CSED and the county hope will increase competition and lower consumer prices.
Board members asked about local hiring and training during construction. Bloom said Motherlode Job Training runs construction cohorts and workforce programs and is planning to connect local businesses with contractors such as Sierra Nevada Communications and the Golden State Connect Authority to increase local hiring and to create pre-apprenticeship and training pathways. Bloom cited a construction cohort and Columbia College’s forestry and Greater Sierra Forestry Corps programs as examples of workforce pipelines for forest management and infrastructure work.
CSED also described its organizational funding status — currently grant dependent — and current fundraising and sustainability plans. Bloom said CSED’s FY budget has grown from about $600,000 to roughly $1.3 million in 18 months, and that he is pursuing Prop 1/4-style conservancy grants in the $1–$2 million range to support natural-and-working-lands projects and workforce alignment.
Ending: Bloom and Kaufman said they will return for periodic updates and that they plan ongoing county outreach; supervisors encouraged coordination with local providers and asked staff to ensure communications with incumbent carriers during mapping and build planning to avoid duplication and service conflicts.
