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State, county and unions push for local hire, apprenticeships and enforcement as rebuild funds flow
Summary
State and local workforce leaders and building‑trades representatives told the joint hearing that recovery funding offers an opportunity to create local, trained jobs but urged stronger compliance, apprenticeships and community workforce agreements to ensure impacted residents benefit.
Labor leaders, local workforce agencies and state officials told a joint California Senate and Assembly hearing that the post‑wildfire cleanup and rebuilding period presents an opportunity to create career pathways for residents of impacted communities — but they said that will require enforceable local‑hire and apprenticeship commitments and better coordination of federal, state and local funds.
Eddie Escoto Alvarez, a council representative for the Los Angeles and Orange County Building Trades, said the region has the trained workforce to rebuild, and urged that public subsidies and expedited permits be tied to community workforce agreements so projects include local hires, apprentices and veterans. "If there's any type of public subsidy, may it be time or money to fast track these projects, make sure there's a community workforce agreement attached to it," Alvarez said.
Chris Hannon, of the State Building Trades, noted existing California law the Legislature passed in 2022 that allows the…
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