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GO‑Biz outlines 'Jobs First' strategy, pitches California Brand and civic media program
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Summary
GO‑Biz Director DeeDee Myers told the Senate subcommittee that the administration’s 'Jobs First' economic blueprint directs major regional investments, a $20M brand campaign, and a new California Civic Media Fund to support local newsrooms. Myers detailed program outcomes, staff requests and timelines for grant rollout.
DeeDee Myers, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, told the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 4 that GO‑Biz is implementing a 'Jobs First' statewide economic strategy intended to grow jobs across 13 regions.
Myers said GO‑Biz and partners have directed $400,000,000 to a regional investment initiative and that the administration has aligned roughly $1.6 billion in state investments under the Jobs First framework in 2025. 'We spent $400,000,000 to the regional investment initiative to support regional planning, project redevelopment, shovel‑ready projects from health care and childcare to workforce training,' Myers said.
The director described the plan’s 'placemat' framework — three industry life‑cycle phases labeled strengthen, accelerate and bet — and identified four pilot sectors for focused work: ag‑tech and farm equipment; space, defense and satellites; life sciences; and semiconductors and microelectronics. Myers said the strategy is designed to coordinate state agencies through a Jobs First Council of nine cabinet‑level agencies.
Myers also described two near‑term communications and program efforts: a $20 million California Brand campaign and a newly established California Civic Media Fund. On the Civic Media Fund, Myers said the program has named an advisory board, held two board meetings and selected the James B. McClatchy Foundation as third‑party grant administrator. 'We have named members to the advisory board,' Myers said. 'Wehave held 2 board meetings and wehave secured the James B. McClatchy Foundation as our third party grant administrator.'
Senator Smallwood‑Cuevas pressed the director on outreach to ethnic and small community newsrooms, noting that many local outlets 'are hanging on by a thread.' Myers said advisory‑council seats are statutorily reserved for Black and Latino news organizations and described planned grant ceilings and floors and technical assistance so smaller outlets can apply. She gave a timeline: program guidelines planned for the May advisory meeting, an anticipated July grant portal opening, technical assistance in summer and awards by early fall.
The presentation also listed GO‑Biz program metrics: Myers said Cal Export has helped nearly 400 businesses generate more than $142,000,000 in export sales and create or retain over 650 jobs, and that the film and TV tax credit program has generated more than $1.9 billion in economic activity since 2019. She described a competitive procurement to select an external partner to implement the California Brand campaign and said staffing requests for the California Film Commission will help manage a larger pipeline of applications.
Why it matters: the Jobs First strategy bundles capital, incentives and workforce efforts in an attempt to make California more competitive for targeted industries while directing investment into under‑served regions. Questions from subcommittee members focused on measures of program impact, outreach and whether communications efforts will change the incentives environment or mute scrutiny of regulatory burdens.
What’s next: GO‑Biz will brief the advisory board in May on the Civic Media Fund guidelines; the office expects to open the grant portal in July and to award grants by early fall. The subcommittee held the item open for later consideration and follow‑up questions.
