California Workforce Development Board

The High Road Training Partnerships Program granted nearly half a million dollars through the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) to engage farmworkers and produce industry employers in the documentation and categorization of foundational, crop-specific, and technical skills. This work will support improved job quality for workers, a more professionalized workforce for employers, and the recognition of skills needed in environmentally sound agricultural production.

With support from California Climate Investments, the California Conservation Corps (CCC) is reducing wildfire risks by removing hazardous fuels in Paradise, Lake Tahoe, and Arcadia as part of the Training and Workforce Development Program. Through fuels reduction projects, Corpsmembers have treated over 90 acres of fire-prone land, creating defensible space and improving community safety. These efforts not only protect residents but also provide young adults with hands-on experience in forestry and wildfire mitigation, preparing them for careers in fire management and conservation. 

Through the Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, Accessible, and Local (IDEAL) ZEV Workforce Pilot Project administered by the California Energy Commission and co‑funded by CARB, Fresno City College has offered three high schools in Fresno County the opportunity to introduce their automotive students to ZEV technology. Training was provided in December 2023 for high school teachers at each of the three schools, and they were provided with tools and equipment to offer the new ZEV curriculum starting in spring 2024.

California Workforce Development Board

The High Road to Tribal Forest Restoration and Stewardship project provides foundational training and skill building tied directly to work experience in forest health and landscape restoration. Through a partnership between Tribes, nonprofits, and regional employers, the project is working to increase employment opportunities and build capacity for Tribal Forest restoration crews. The project has formally engaged with fourteen Tribes, with training participants from over twenty Tribes.  

Kompogas SLO Inc. received $3 million through the Organics Grants program to build a high-solids anaerobic digester, to be known as the Lancaster Organic Waste Facility, at the existing Lancaster Landfill and Recycling Center in Antelope Valley. With this new anaerobic digester, Kompogas SLO Inc. will be able to process residential food and green waste collected by Waste Management Inc. throughout Antelope Valley, including in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, and turn it into renewable natural gas and high-grade compost.

Using $1.25 million from the Low-Carbon Economy Workforce program, the Expanding Energy Storage and Microgrid Training and Certification project is increasing the number of participating Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Centers from six to 21 centers located across the State. These training centers will help electricians and apprentices earn a certification demonstrating they have the skills to safely handle and diagnose modern energy storage systems and battery technologies.

The California Alliance for Community Composting (Alliance)is helping community groups develop or expand 50 community composting sites in disadvantaged and low-income communities across California using funds from the Community Composting for Green Spaces Grant Program. Altogether, these sites are expected to prevent nearly 11,000 tons of organic waste from going to landfills by creating compost, which prevents the release of greenhouse gases during its decomposition. The Alliance’s work will also provide communities with additional benefits, including free compost, job training, and more.

Funded in part by a nearly $1,000,000 grant from California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, the Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB) is implementing an urban wood recovery apprenticeship program that has the potential to be a model for other programs across California. This program is teaching Corpsmembers how to remove hazardous trees throughout the city, control insects and diseases, and divert woody biomass from landfills to help keep greenhouse gases sequestered in the wood. Additionally, trees will be replaced to mitigate poor air quality, a lack of urban green space, and improve storm water retention in disadvantaged communities. Ultimately, this program will provide a foundation for Corpsmembers interested pursuing jobs in urban forestry.

Thanks to $50,000 from the California Air Resources Board’s Fluorinated Gas Reduction Incentive Program, Stater Bros. Markets installed a climate-friendly refrigeration system at a new supermarket in Whittier that will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that is the equivalent to taking more than 1,000 vehicles off the road for one year. Since refrigerants are among the fastest growing climate pollutants worldwide it is important to have projects like this one to demonstrate that transitioning the grocery sector toward cleaner refrigerants is an effective strategy for mitigating climate change.

This program will deploy 38 electric yard trucks, 9 electric gantry cranes, 18 electric heavy lift forklifts, and 15 zero-emission Class 8 trucks. The program is also including a workforce development component with curriculum being developed to support the deployment of this technology with local school districts near the three port locations, community colleges and Long Beach State University.

With $4.1 million from California Natural Resources Agency’s Urban Greening program, this project is helping bring the community’s vision to fruition and will benefit thousands of community residents. The project will create a safe and green public space where neighbors can come together and a designated route for residents to bike and walk in a safe environment.

Urban Wood Rescue, a program administered by the Sacramento Tree Foundation, is transforming dead trees from around the Sacramento region into useful lumber.

The Allison Apartments, located in San Diego, were completely renovated and energy conserving refrigerators, LED lighting, and heat pump water heaters funded by LIWP were installed. Another CSD contracted partner, GRID Alternatives, installed an 87-kilowatt rooftop solar PV system and provided a workforce development opportunity to ten trainees, nine of whom subsequently found employment in the solar industry.

The High‑Speed Rail Authority is responsible for planning, designing, building and operating the first high‑speed rail in the nation. When complete, it will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours, providing a clean alternative to driving or flying. Funded in part by California Climate Investments, the project is already contributing to economic development and a cleaner environment, creating jobs, and preserving agricultural and protected lands.

Imperial Western Products, Inc. is demonstrating how clean energy technology can help food processing facilities advance California’s climate and energy goals.

Food Forward, which recovers produce and makes it available to hunger relief agencies in eight southern California counties, is expanding its Wholesale Produce Market Recovery Program. With the help of California Climate Investments, Food Forward will open a new “Produce Depot” near the wholesale produce market in downtown Los Angeles and double its food recovery capacity. In addition to fighting food insecurity in southern California, the project will benefit disadvantaged communities and the environment by supporting jobs and combating climate change.

Netafim Irrigation, Inc. received a total of $2,011,647 from California Climate Investment through the Recycled Fiber, Plastic, and Glass Grant Program. This money supports its operations as a closed‑loop recycling solution for used irrigation tubing that serves commercial farming operations in the Central Coast region of California. Netafim’s grant is expanding an established and successful recycling operation. As a result of this expansion in Netafim’s operations, the project is estimated to divert 83,059 tons of material from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 66,447 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Shark Solutions utilizes patented Shark Glass Separation technology, which processes flat laminated glass such as windshields, building glass, and safety glass.

Calgren Dairy Fuels (CDF) is the first California dairy digester pipeline cluster that upgrades dairy biogas to biomethane for utility pipeline injection. It is currently the only one of its kind in California, and with 20 digesters serving 22 dairies, it is the largest collective dairy biogas operation in the country.

The digester projects provide substantial environmental benefits by improving local air quality. Replacing the open-air lagoons of waste with a covered lagoon digester reduces manure-related emissions. Also, utilizing the methane in near-zero emissions natural gas vehicles replaces diesel vehicles and reduces NOX emissions by an estimated 90%.

Thanks to $9.8 million from California Climate Investments, El Monte Union High School District will be able to implement their Clean Mobility in Schools project, one of three projects awarded to school districts across California in 2020. These funds will help El Monte Union High School District purchase battery electric school buses and charging infrastructure, energy storage infrastructure, develop an active transportation plan, and much more, across six high schools and one bus garage.

Spreading the green has a whole new meaning in part of Southern California. That’s because the Incredible Edible Community Garden (IECG) and CAL FIRE are using a $615,000 grant to plant shade trees throughout communities in south San Bernardino County.

Eugene is looking forward to a career in the energy industry. He is one of several dozen members of the California Conservation Corps (CCC) making a difference in their community, improving the environment, and developing marketable job skills.

Nestled along Little Sandy Creek along the northern edge of Fresno County sits the Town of Auberry. To prevent catastrophe from hitting the communities on the western edge of the Sierra National Forest, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection partnered with the California Conservation Corps to reduce the flammable woody material in the area.

The Transform Fresno initiative, with $66.5 million in Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) investments, allowed a broad group of stakeholders to collaborate on an integrated suite of projects meant to reduce disparities in these neighborhoods.

In the fifth round of its Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation program, the California Strategic Growth Council approved a $1,550,000 grant from California Climate Investments to the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County to purchase an easement that will permanently protect the 999‑acre Jalama Cañon Ranch. This year, with support from the California Department of Conservation and in partnership with the White Buffalo Land Trust, the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County focused on laying the groundwork for the agricultural easement so it can protect these agricultural and natural lands from conversion to more greenhouse gas‑intensive uses.