California awards $48.5 million to 18 projects expected to support about 20,000 jobs
Sacramento, California – California’s next wave of job growth is being built region by region, from shipyards in the Bay Area to quantum research hubs in Southern California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $48.5 million for 18 projects across eight economic regions and 33 counties, with the state estimating the investments will support about 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The awards mark the final round of implementation funding through the California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative, a program launched in 2021 under its former name, the Community Economic Resilience Fund. The latest money is aimed at seven project clusters tied to industries California sees as central to its future economy.
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Advanced manufacturing receives the largest share, with $17.75 million going to projects in the Central San Joaquin and Capital regions. The funding will support manufacturing innovation, supply chains, biomanufacturing and workforce development.
Quantum projects will receive $9.742 million to strengthen training and coordination across the Southern Border, Orange County and Los Angeles County regions. Another $8.236 million will go to the Bay Area’s shipbuilding network to expand workforce development, curriculum and industry coordination.
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Kern County will receive $6.846 million for space, defense and satellite industry growth, while $3.95 million will support defense research, innovation and workforce infrastructure in the Southern Border Region. Inland Southern California will receive $1.94 million for high-tech infrastructure, workforce training and business funding opportunities.
“Today’s investments support the growth of industries defining the next generation of our economy,” Newsom said, pointing to job creation, innovation and California’s competitive position.
The announcement builds on years of planning under California Jobs First. The state previously invested $5 million in each of its 13 Jobs First regions to create economic roadmaps, which later helped shape the statewide Economic Blueprint. In April 2025, all 13 regional plans were designated Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
Earlier rounds have already moved projects from planning toward operation. Nearly $40 million was awarded for eight pilot projects in 2023, followed by $14 million in Catalyst funding for each regional collaborative in 2024. In August 2025, another $80 million went to 11 projects expected to support more than 23,000 jobs.
The latest awards continue that shift from strategy to training, infrastructure and business expansion. They also place California’s economic bet squarely on specialized regional strengths — and on turning those strengths into jobs that can last.
