That’s the estimated deficit Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers will confront when crafting a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal advisor announced Wednesday.
The projection marks a stunning reversal from back-to-back years of unprecedented prosperity: The budget for California’s current fiscal year clocked in at a whopping $308 billion, fueled by a record $97 billion surplus that was by itself enough to treat every state resident to a $7,500 vacation. The year before, Newsom and lawmakers approved what was at the time a record-busting $263 billion budget that included a $76 billion surplus.
Although the outlook is sobering — not since the Great Recession have California’s revenue estimates been so weak, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office — it could be worse, in ways both good and bad
That uncertainty has put the financial viability of some colleges at risk. But the crush of pandemic-fueled changes has also pushed the system to a point that may force the colleges to re-imagine themselves in ways that jibe with students’ priorities and needs. A survey of former California community college students found that one-third haven’t re-enrolled because they’ve prioritized work. At the same time, 22% said they have prioritized taking care of family or other dependents. Another 29% said they struggled to keep up with their classes. The survey was conducted by the RP Group, a nonprofit research center.
According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, working from home for some portion of the week has become the new normal for a large segment of Californians. The data shows high-income employees with college degrees are more likely to have access to this hybrid work model, while lower-income employees stay the course with on-site responsibilities and daily commutes. The U.S. Census Bureau interviewed roughly 260,000 Americans from June through October, including about 20,000 Californians, as part of a wide-ranging questionnaire called the Household Pulse Survey. Surveyors asked dozens of questions about pandemic-era lifestyle changes, including some about working from home.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/A-work-from-home-culture-is-taking-root-in-17611360.php
Chico, CA: The Governor’s Office of Business (Go-BIZ) California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) has announced grant awards to recipients of the California Small Business Technical Assistance Program (SB TAP, formerly named SB Technical Assistance Expansion Program). Chicostart is pleased to announce that we are 1 of 100+ Technical Assistance Centers in California awarded for “support of our business consulting and training services in the area of underserved business groups, including women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses and businesses in low-wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted communities”. This funding granted to Chicostart will make an impact in the local area by supplying more tools and resources to help entrepreneurs start, grow and thrive in those local underserved business groups.
Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director, Chicostart says, “We are humbled and thrilled that Chicostart was awarded this grant to expand our existing efforts throughout our region. We already offer one-on-one counseling to entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses. However, this funding will enable our organization to further expand education and training services for those underserved in our area.”
For media inquiries about the Technical Assistance Program (TAP) grant or to learn more about Chicostart services, please contact Eva Shepherd-Nicoll, Executive Director of Chicostart at eva@chicostart.com.
Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) District announces an exciting professional opportunity to manage California’s growing need for firefighters, forestry professionals, and other first responders as the new Director of Forestry, Fire and Public Safety. This position will support LTCC in increasing the number of students and certificates and degrees earned served in forestry, fire and public safety training programs and ensuring graduates obtain jobs in high-demand fields in the Tahoe Basin, California and across the country.
The Director of Forestry, Fire and Public Safety position is categorically-funded pursuant to Education Code 87470 and will collaborate with the Dean of Workforce Development and Instruction to identify and secure highly-qualified Public Safety program faculty and instructional aides, and coordinate Forestry Education programming. Additionally, the Director will be responsible for the coordination of all administrative aspects of Fire Science, Fire Academy, Allied Health/Emergency Medical Services, Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Officer training, and assist with Wilderness Education/Search and Rescue programs – including securing and managing equipment and training spaces, and managing grant funds related to programs.
https://www.cccregistry.org/jobs/viewPosting.aspx?postingID=122426
Putting Students first for California’s Future
California Community Colleges looks forward to working with our new legislators in promoting California students’ needs.
On this exciting day for new California legislators being sworn in today, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office extends its congratulations for this momentous milestone and the start of a successful legislative year.
As new lawmakers embark on an expedition for a meaningful legislative legacy, the Chancellor’s Office urges policymakers to keep the California Community Colleges top of mind. As the state’s largest higher education system, serving 1.8 million students at 116 colleges, California Community Colleges are critical to being a solution to the most pressing issues facing Californians today, including:
- Improving the quality of life, social and economic mobility for students and their families.
- Helping meet the state’s workforce demands by supporting 1.5 million jobs. For perspective, the activities of the colleges and their students support one out of every 16 jobs in California.
- Offering a high-quality education in every corner of our state, offering flexible and state-of-the-art education to our state’s most diverse student population.
It is an exciting time for the California Community Colleges as the system is closely aligned with the state’s efforts. The Governor’s Roadmap for the Future in collaboration with the state legislature, works in lockstep with the California Community College’s Vision for Success goals, helping to further efforts to uplift our students, close equity gaps and meet our bold and audacious goals.
The growth and success of our student’s educational trajectories cannot happen without the partnership and investments from our state leaders.
The California Community Colleges looks forward to working alongside the new class of freshmen to continue to champion policies that champion equity and propel our state’s economic footing. Welcome!
Interested in learning more about the California Community College experience? Listen to Chancellor Dr. Daisy Gonzales latest podcast.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office is pleased to announce the release of the EEO Innovative Best Practices Grant RFA.
Background:
The 2021 Budget Postsecondary Education Trailer Bill (AB 132) appropriated $20 million in one-time funding “for allocation to community college districts to support the implementation of best practices for success in promoting equal employment opportunity and faculty and staff diversity at California community colleges, using the Multiple-Methods model identified by the Chancellor of the California Community College’s EEO and Diversity Advisory Committee.” These funds were designated for the “EEO Best Practices Fund” of which approximately $15,500,000 was apportioned to eligible districts during the 2021-2022 academic year through the First Principal Apportionment (P1). The RFA has been reviewed by, and incorporates input from, the EEO and Diversity Advisory Committee.
Request for Application-Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Innovative Best Practices Grants
Research for the December 2022 economic update indicates that the North/Far North region has experienced robust growth in key sectors. Unemployment rates are still below pre-pandemic levels, and they show no sign of impending mass layoffs. Key findings are as follows:
Unemployment— In September, the Greater Sacramento (North) region had an average unemployment rate of 3.4%. In the Far North, the average rate climbed slightly to 3.8%. The rate in California was 3.9%.
Labor Force— In September, the labor force for the North was 3.9% larger than in January 2018. The Far North’s labor force has mostly recovered since August 2022 but remains 2% smaller than in January 2018.The North/Far North Center of Excellence is sharing a quarterly report on job postings, unemployment, industry measures, and other real-time data. The COE sends out a condensed version of the economic update in the COE North/Far North newsletter and a separate COE North/Far North newsletter.
Download the December 2022 COE economic update here.
Sign up here to receive the economic update and COE newsletter in your email inbox.
SUMMARY
Industry Trends— Most sectors in the North/Far North continued to grow through the summer of 2022. Retail and health care’s employment remained at pre-pandemic levels. Hospitality continued to recover from pandemic-related job losses–the figures are dramatically higher than at the same time in 2021, especially in the North. Construction and transportation and logistics remained the fastest-growing sectors in the region. Manufacturing continues robust growth in the Far North.
Jobs Postings— A quarterly analysis of jobs postings volumes shows that in many sectors these volumes continue to increase beyond pre-pandemic levels, though a few sectors are experiencing downturns, notably the construction sector. The downturn was likely caused by the downturn in the housing market.
Report Spotlights—The COE released a multi-region report on the construction industry based on a major employer survey. The report and a webinar contain key findings on skill needs and reveal significant challenges recruiting qualified workers. The Greater Sacramento (North) region COE released a report on the early childhood education industry, and found that wages, job quality, and equity pose concerns for workforce development. The industry operates with chronic workforce shortages that worsened during the pandemic.
To review these reports and other recent reports please visit the Greater Sacramento and Far North sections of the COE website:
https://coeccc.net/region/greater-sacramento/
https://coeccc.net/region/far-north/
Submitted by: Aaron Wilcher, Director, North/Far North Center of Excellence, WilcheA@losrios.edu
