Workforce development: the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura: 2025 wildfires.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on expedited licensing and certification for participants, so this claim was removed.

Workforce Development for Wildfire Recovery in Los Angeles and Ventura

This law provides $5 million to help people find jobs and get training after the wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

What This Bill Does

• Allocates $5,000,000 from the Budget Act of 2025 to the California Workforce Development Board for workforce development in areas affected by wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
• Requires the board to allocate funds to the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity for education and support services like stipends for low-income individuals who are underemployed or unemployed due to the wildfires.
• Specifies that $600,000 must be reallocated by the department to the Economic Development Collaborative.
• Allows the department to subcontract with other entities to fulfill the bill's provisions.
• Requires focus on employment in construction, firefighting, health care, and other essential areas for disaster recovery and regional economic development.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who lost their jobs or are underemployed due to the wildfires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
• The California Workforce Development Board and the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity.

Terms To Know

Workforce development

Programs that help people get better jobs or start new careers through training and education.

Subcontracting

Hiring another company to do part of a job for you.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact quality standards and practices required by the board.
• It is unclear how the remaining $4,400,000 will be used after allocating $600,000 to the Economic Development Collaborative.

Official Summary Text

AB 338, Solache.
Workforce development: the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura: 2025 wildfires.
Existing law, the California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, establishes the California Workforce Development Board as the body responsible for assisting the Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce investment system and the alignment of education and workforce investment systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and workforce. The Budget Act of 2025 appropriated $5,000,000 to the board to support workforce development in areas of the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura impacted by wildfires.
This bill would require the board to allocate the funds from that appropriation to the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity for, among other things, workforce development strategies, such as education or supportive services, including stipends for underemployed and
unemployed low- to moderate-income individuals to ensure a skilled and sufficient workforce for the scale of rebuilding and recovery of areas in the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura impacted by the 2025 wildfires and to support underemployed and unemployed low- to moderate-income workers affected by the fires. The bill would require the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity to reallocate $600,000 to the Economic Development Collaborative for those purposes. The bill would require the board to allow the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity to subcontract with other entities to fulfill the provisions and intent of the bill and would
require the board to require quality standards and practices, as specified. The bill would require the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity to focus on employment in jobs in certain professions and industries, including construction, firefighting, and health care, or other areas essential to emergency response, disaster relief, recovery, rebuilding, and regional economic development and resilience. The bill would require individuals participating in programs funded by the bill to have access to expedited licensing and certification, if feasible.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of
Los Angeles and Ventura.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF