(FOX40.COM) — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced nearly $1.6 billion in statewide investments made through the “California Jobs First initiative” in 2025.
Newsom stated that the effort helped train more than 142,000 workers and create more than 61,000 jobs across the state’s 13 economic regions.
Newsom said in a press release that while continuing his California Jobs First tour in Orange County, state officials also celebrated the region’s newly implemented Jobs First economic plan. The plan focuses on expanding life sciences, high-tech, advanced and precision manufacturing, and travel and tourism — key drivers of the local economy.
“This first-of-its-kind initiative is accelerating economic momentum across the state by empowering regional strategies, investing in high-growth sectors and expanding access to good-paying jobs,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
Launched in 2023 following a statewide economic planning process that began in 2021, California Jobs First is designed to promote locally driven, data-informed economic growth, Newsom said. Each of the state’s 13 regions developed its own economic blueprint through collaboratives that include representatives from labor, business, local governments, tribal nations, education and community organizations.
“California is proving once again that when we invest in people and innovation, we build an economy that works for everyone,” Newsom said. “Jobs First is driving historic progress in every region of the state by backing regional priorities and creating opportunities for Californians where they live and work.”
Since the rollout of the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint in early 2025, Newsom reported that the funding has flowed into communities statewide. He said that the notable investments last year included $80 million awarded to 11 regional projects focused on sectors such as aerospace, defense, life sciences and agriculture technology, along with $15 million granted to 14 California Native American tribes to support economic development and job training.
Newsom stated that the additional funding available went to supporting wildfire recovery efforts in Los Angeles County, tax credits for businesses expanding or relocating to California, and incentives for film and television production.
State officials said those efforts spurred billions of dollars in private investment and tens of thousands of jobs.
According to Newsom, with the workforce-focused programs, the state invested more than $80 million to train over 70,000 workers, awarded more than $91 million to expand apprenticeship opportunities benefiting more than 69,000 participants, and funded High Road Training Partnerships focused on connecting underserved populations to stable and high-paying careers.
“This year showed what California can accomplish when state agencies, regional collaboratives and local partners rally around shared priorities,” said Dee Dee Myers, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.
Myers added that “[t]he progress made in 2025 is only the beginning.”
Orange County’s Jobs First plan was highlighted during an event hosted at Medtronic, reflecting the region’s strong medical device and life sciences sector. The medtech industry employs more than 21,000 workers locally, while California as a whole accounts for more than 30% of the U.S. medical device industry revenue, according to the governor’s office.
State officials also shared broader efforts to align workforce training with regional economic needs, including the release of a Master Plan for Career Education and legislation that was signed last year to facilitate construction and economic development projects.
Looking ahead, the administration stated that the Jobs First initiative will continue this summer with an additional $45 million in regional implementation funding and a second investment summit planned for April 2026 to attract private and philanthropic support.
California remains the world’s fourth-largest economy, state officials stated in a press release, leading the nation in new business starts, venture capital access, manufacturing, high-tech industries and agriculture.
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