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Workforce boards say local funding and multi‑year investments key to closing Central Valley job and wage gaps
Summary
Adam Peck of the California Workforce Association told the committee local workforce boards must be funded as systems (not single projects) and cited 2025 unemployment of 6.7%–10.8% across eight San Joaquin Valley counties. He urged state backing to scale regional plans.
Adam Peck, Executive Director of the California Workforce Association, told the Select Committee that local workforce development boards are the proper mechanism to match training to employer needs and that those boards are under‑resourced.
Peck framed the problem plainly: “Too many people are unemployed or in low wage jobs that don't sustain their families, while at the same time too many businesses have high quality jobs that go unfilled.” He cited 2025 unemployment rates across eight San Joaquin Valley counties—ranging from 6.7% to 10.8%—and said wages have lagged even as jobs returned.
Peck urged three policy priorities: fund regional implementation of California Jobs 1st pipelines, invest in systems rather than time‑limited projects, and monitor base funding for federal WIOA allocations that have declined in real terms. He said multi‑year funding paired with accountability would allow local boards, colleges and community organizations to sustain pipelines into apprenticeships and careers.
