California Forward

We are excited to share a new location for this year's California Economic Summit: Sacramento! The Summit dates have not changed. This year's Summit will take place October 8-10, now in Sacramento, where we will re-engage our state partners and the broader Sacramento region. 2024 marks the 13th year that CA FWD, along with the California Stewardship Network, are hosting this gathering of leaders from across the state's diverse sectors and regions. With the Summit taking place in Sacramento, we look forward to learning more about all that the region has to offer, including precision manufacturing, agtech, biomedical innovation, and more! We are excited to convene with partners from industry, community, and the private, public, and nonprofit sectors—all of whom are committed to building an inclusive and sustainable economy where all Californians can prosper. Be on the lookout for Sacramento Summit registration opening this summer. To stay up-to-date on Summit news, subscribe to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gCJRuphC Finally, mark your calendars for Fall 2025, when we're thrilled to bring the Summit to Stockton and the Northern San Joaquin Valley region!

California youth stand ready to help the state navigate its most pressing challenges. CA FWD’s Young Leaders Advisory Council (YLAC) released a call to action which outlines a vision for the future in four policy areas of greatest importance to the state's youth: climate resilience, education equity, housing access, and digital equity. YLAC urges policymakers to engage youth stakeholders and advance policies aligned with the values laid out in its call to action. YLAC aims to advance these values in state policy through direct advocacy and supporting the work of youth-led organizations working to make California a more just, equitable place for all. Read the YLAC Call to Action here: https://lnkd.in/guVsKNwN

CA FWD recently sent a letter to Gov. Newsom and other state leaders, requesting that the administration retain the $150 million in funding for the implementation of the California Jobs First program that was recommended for elimination in the May revised budget. While we understand the difficulties with this year’s state budget, the California Jobs First program is the lead program statewide with the potential to unlock funding for credible and scalable solutions to equitable and climate forward economic development. On this basis, it should be considered a priority for funding in the 2024-25 state budget. CA FWD is honored to support our many regional partners—including all 13 regional conveners of the California Jobs First tables and several partners working with those regions to support the California Jobs First process—in their desire to see California Jobs First, the state's only regional economic development program that is truly regions-up, preserve its funding at this critical time.

CA FWD is excited to announce Kate Gordon as our new CEO! "CA FWD provides the essential interconnective tissue between the state’s diverse regions and policymakers in Sacramento, with a clear focus on building a more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economy," says Kate. "I'm excited to lead the organization into its new chapter, and to grow it into something even more exceptional." Kate brings to CA FWD a wealth of knowledge from the public and private sectors, including as Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and as Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the Department of Energy. With decades of experience as an organizer, lawyer, and policy analyst, Kate’s expertise focuses on finding practical, nonpartisan and locally focused solutions to drive broadly shared prosperity. “We are thrilled that Kate is joining CA FWD, to help grow and guide the organization in its next chapter,” say Catherine Baker and Gustavo Herrera, CA FWD board co-chairs. “California has an opportunity to be the model for achieving racial and geographic equity, environmental sustainability and economic growth and Kate’s experience and vast knowledge are the perfect fit to help us rise to this challenge.” CA FWD’s co-chairs recognize Interim CEO Ismael ”Ish” Hererra, saying, “Ish has provided essential stewardship of the organization during the past year, and we are very happy he’s agreed to stay on as Executive Director of the California Stewardship Network.” Kate is no stranger to CA FWD. As Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research during the beginning of Governor Newsom’s first term, Kate worked closely with the organization to design and implement Regions Rise Together, a program that built the foundation for what became the California Economic Resilience Fund (CERF), recently rebranded to California Jobs First. In recognition of this work, Kate was the recipient of the California Steward Leader Award at the Economic Summit in Bakersfield in 2022. After leaving state government in 2021, Kate continued her work on sustainable and equitable economic development as Senior Advisor to U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at the Department of Energy. In this role, she created and implemented the “Communities LEAP” program and co-created the agency’s “Community Benefits Plan” structure. Among Kate’s first priorities at CA FWD are guiding the planning of the 13th annual California Economic Summit and re-investing in the California Stewardship Network, which lifts up regional perspectives from across the state. Kate is also leaning in on identifying public and private investments to support several of the key policy areas identified in CA FWD’s annual Roadmap to Shared Prosperity, including clean energy manufacturing and supply chains, and pro-housing strategies that build community wealth while reducing climate risk.

Our Young Leaders Advisory Council (YLAC) is on a mission to support affordable, statewide broadband access for all. This quest includes amplifying and supporting digital-related legislation like AB 2239 (Bonta) and AB 2575 (Boerner), legislation that targets digital discrimination and establishes government entities like the Office of Broadband and Digital Equity. Ensuring broadband for all will minimize the digital divide and ensure equal access to technology for all Californians! Together, we can bridge the digital gap and create a more inclusive, connected California! Join us in our mission for #DigitalEquity and learn more about YLAC's work here: https://lnkd.in/g7mtFNCd

ICYMI, CA FWD’s Young Leaders Advisory Council recently led a roundtable discussion on the State’s broadband challenges, featuring regional leaders, digital equity advocates, and practitioners working to close the digital and economic divide. #broadbandforall

Did you hear? We just launched the 2024 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity–check it out to see our top priorities for the year in housing, workforce, climate resilience, manufacturing & more! https://lnkd.in/gHMGvj6f

Members of our Young Leaders Advisory Council met in Sacramento to advance their 2024 policy priorities and begin planning ahead of the California Economic Summit taking place in Stockton later this fall! Read about out YLAC's priorities in the 2024 Roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/gHMGvj6f

ICYMI: Our 2024 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity is here! This year’s Roadmap builds on the priorities and achievements of last year's California Economic Summit and the work of the California Stewardship Network and partners dedicated to an equitable future. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/gHMGvj6f

We are excited to share the 2024 Roadmap to Shared Prosperity, which outlines the important work we are helping advance along with regional partners in our California Stewardship Network (CSN). The Roadmap is our annual document that outlines the ways CA FWD is convening and collaborating to advance policies, programs, and practices that help create a more equitable future for California. This year's Roadmap outlines our priorities to advance inclusive economic development, accelerate infrastructure, boost the creative economy, foster a more equitable and climate resilient future, and more. These priorities were drafted over the last year by our work groups, further refined in the working sessions at the 2023 California Economic Summit, and will be moved forward through our collaborative approach that includes the advocacy of the CSN, the intergenerational voices of our Young Leaders Advisory Council, and partners across the state. We are excited for you to read the Roadmap and learn more about our priorities for this year https://lnkd.in/gHMGvj6f