Assemblymember Corey Jackson, D-Moreno Valley, has reintroduced legislation to lay the groundwork for EV manufacturing and job training in the Inland Empire.

In a phone interview, Jackson said there’s going to be strong demand in the coming years for EVs in California. A 2020 executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom requires zero-emission vehicles to make up 100% of in-state sales of passenger cars by 2035.

“These are still jobs where you don’t need a college degree and you can receive training to be able to either help be a part of the building of electric vehicles, electric batteries and all of the things that go into it,” Jackson said.

Unlike California’s coastal counties, many Inland residents lack college educations. Diversifying the Inland economy is a top priority for many elected leaders in a region dominated by logistics — an industry expected to lose jobs to automation in the years ahead.

AB 72 would create an Electric Vehicle Economic Opportunity Zone in Riverside County “for the purpose of creating programs to make electric vehicle manufacturing jobs and education more accessible to lower income communities,” the bill’s text states.

California’s Labor & Workforce Development Agency would work with schools, EV makers and banks  “to develop … education, training and investment programs” in the zone, the bill read.

Riverside County would work with the state to map the zone’s boundaries, according to the bill. AB 72 would cost the state $5.8 million to start and $1.2 million a year going forward, according to a state analysis of the bill.

AB 72 is similar to AB 2448, which passed the legislature in 2024. Citing “cost pressures” to the state budget, Newsom vetoed the 2024 bill.

Jackson, whose district includes Perris, Moreno Valley, and parts of Riverside, San Jacinto and Hemet, hopes it’s different this time around.

“I know what it’s going to take, and I’m going to have to work on it to get the money necessary into the budget,” Jackson said.

Newsom, the assemblymember said, “only vetoed (the 2024 bill) because the money wasn’t already approved in the budget for it, and as a member of the budget committee and a leader in the budget committee, I’m going to work my butt off to try to get that done.”

Jackson sees parallels between his bill and how Hollywood and Silicon Valley, respectively, became dominant in the entertainment and technology sectors.

“Silicon Valley didn’t become Silicon Valley on its own. Hollywood did not become Hollywood on its own,” he said. “The state purposely invested dollars and incentives for those industries to take root and thrive.”

“The Inland Empire, it’s our turn to get those targeted investments. And our friends, families and neighbors need higher-paying jobs closer to where they live.”

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Between January and February, the Inland Empire lost 6,200 nonfarm jobs—a 0.4% decline in total employment. This is a notable reversal from the region’s typical trajectory: over the last five years, the Inland Empire has added more than 10,500 jobs on average during the same period. Sectors that traditionally show modest growth this time of year, such as construction, accommodation and food services, and transportation and warehousing, instead posted net losses.

The warehousing and storage subsector—long a dominant force in the region’s employment landscape—was the primary contributor to this contraction. It lost 6,400 jobs in February alone, a 5% month-over-month decrease. This downturn significantly exceeds the five-year historical average, where job losses in the sector have hovered closer to 1,800. The data points to a deeper shift in the regional logistics economy, which may be grappling with changes in global supply chains, rising automation, and shifts in consumer behavior post-pandemic.

Retail trade and construction also reported notable job losses, falling by 1,700 and 600 positions respectively. In contrast, sectors such as private educational services and health care and social assistance continued to expand, adding 1,100 and 1,200 jobs, respectively—underscoring persistent demand in these essential service industries.

According to Inland Empire Growth and Opportunity (IEGO), these trends highlight the need to align workforce development with evolving industry demand. While the Inland Empire has become a national model for apprenticeship and skills-based training programs, the latest data underscores the importance of accelerating those efforts. IEGO notes that the region’s ability to remain competitive will depend on expanding access to quality employment pathways in health care, clean logistics, and advanced manufacturing—sectors positioned for long-term growth.

“Employers continue to add jobs. The number of people starting to look for work continues to increase. We know the apprenticeship model works—for both employers and workers,” said Matt Mena, Executive Director of IEGO. “While the Inland Empire is a leader in apprenticeship innovation and expansion, we can do more to increase the quality, access, and impact of our region’s apprenticeship programs.”

Also noteworthy is the labor force contraction of 2,100 individuals in February—people who either moved out of the region or stopped actively seeking work. This decrease brings the total civilian labor force in Riverside and San Bernardino counties to 2.231 million, and may explain why the unemployment rate remained flat despite widespread job losses. In short, fewer people looking for work offsets the losses in payroll jobs.

While February’s employment report deviates from historic norms, it also provides a timely reminder of the structural changes shaping the Inland Empire’s economy. Regional leaders have an opportunity to respond with targeted investment in workforce retraining, sectoral partnerships, and job quality initiatives that meet the moment. The numbers reflect more than just a temporary setback—they represent a broader transition and call for strategic action.

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As a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a pledge to create 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office, part of his broader strategy to boost the state’s job programs. 

He’s on track to reach that goal — with about 200,000 apprenticeships so far — according to a press release last month from the governor’s office. 

But a few weeks after that, he cited a new and much larger number. “On the trajectory we’re currently on — this is an actual number — and if you want to have us back into this number, I’m happy to provide that information later: 624,895 apprenticeships, 624,895 that we are currently on track to achieve well beyond the 500,000 by 2029,” he said.

What changed? Nothing, actually. 

The 200,000 figure represents the number of the state’s “registered apprenticeships.” To get registered, the state has certain requirements: most importantly, employers must treat their apprentices as employees, provide them with training, and pay them for the entirety of that training. Most registered apprenticeships are union-led and require years of prior education or work experience. Firefighters, for example, represent the largest apprenticeship program in the state, though the program is hyper selective.

Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for the governor, said the 624,895 estimate includes many other jobs programs, none of which are actually apprenticeships, according to the state’s definition. Along with the roughly 200,000 “registered apprenticeships,” the governor’s office counted people who participated in various internships and training programs from the state’s labor and health agencies, such as one grant that taught farmworkers how to increase recycling and composting. Those farmworkers received little, if any, direct compensation as a result of their training. 

Many adults lack the work experience or education to qualify for an apprenticeship, said Stewart Knox, secretary of the California Labor and Workforce and Development Agency. He defended the governor’s recent estimates, saying that these programs, while not “registered apprenticeships,” still offer similar benefits and have fewer barriers to entry. “For me, it’s less about the goal, it’s more about the people we serve.”

Knox said the state is still on track to meet the campaign goal of 500,000 registered apprenticeships.

Billions in public money for job training 

After Newsom’s election in 2018, Brent Parton was part of a team of researchers at New America, a left-leaning think tank, that devised a strategy on how to add 500,000 new apprentices by 2029. In his 2020 report — and in the state’s action plan, which he helped create soon thereafter — the definition was clear: only state-approved or “registered” apprenticeships counted. 

“Are there unregistered apprenticeships? Sure. How many are there? We don’t know because they’re not registered,” he said. “That goal is about growing the registered apprenticeship system.”

In a state-registered apprenticeship, the apprentice is an employee both during and after their training. An official apprenticeship program also agrees to provide participants with a standardized credential at the end of their training, akin to a college degree, that’s transferable for similar kinds of jobs. Yet many of the programs that Newsom cited provide only pieces of that model, such as an internship that doesn’t guarantee a job. 

“The governor is doing the right thing by setting a vision for where he wants to get to. I think the state is going to have to make choices about what’s the universe of programs that it’s including in that,” Parton said. 

Nonetheless, he noted that California has made unprecedented investments in job training over the last few years — a total of $5.7 billion, according to Newsom’s remarks at a recent press conference. Parton said California is one of the few states that gives apprenticeship programs public funds to offset training costs.

“Regardless of what goal was set or where the governor is saying it is, I think what California’s done puts it on a really strong track to get there. Whether it’s 500,000 or 650,000 (apprenticeships), the conditions are really right.”

Trump, Newsom agree: more apprenticeships

Both Democrats and Republicans support expanding apprenticeships, but they disagree about how apprenticeship should be defined. A year before Newsom announced his goal in 2018, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, calling for more apprenticeships across the country as a way to “promote affordable education and rewarding jobs.”

Trump’s order gave employers more discretion to create their own apprenticeships, effectively wresting control away from certain unions and government agencies. Biden rescinded Trump’s order in 2021, while releasing a statement saying that he was expanding apprenticeships too.

While some of the programs that Newsom most recently mentioned aren’t registered apprenticeships, Knox said they were included in the tally because they offer a pathway to access those apprenticeships. He said the governor’s language doesn’t reflect any change in policy. 

One such program, run by the nonprofit Public Works Alliance, used about $11 million in philanthropic and county funds to train roughly 600 youth to become emergency medical technicians and paramedics. The organization received an additional $21 million from the state’s 2022-23 budget to expand the training across the state. 

Unlike an apprenticeship program, the students receive a stipend to attend class and because they’re not employees, graduates must find a job on their own. Alex Briscoe, a principal with the organization, said the employment rate for graduates is about 90% but that the wages for emergency medical technicians are low, about $18 to $24 an hour.

One of the most lucrative options for graduates is to become a firefighter apprentice, where the starting wage is often more than $40 an hour. Certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics get admission priority but that program is so competitive that even qualified candidates often wait years to secure a spot. 

“Many of these young people face barriers to employment,” Briscoe said. Some are current or former foster youth while others have been through the juvenile justice system. The long-term plan, he said, is to partner with the fire department and create new apprenticeships, giving more youth a pathway into a better job. 

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HEMET, CA — Riverside County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved the allocation of $796,680 in federal relief funds to support a Hemet youth program aimed at encouraging participants to pursue fire service or related careers.

“I applaud (county Housing & Workforce Solutions) for making this happen,” Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said. “A community fire cadet program is something we don’t have much of in the county for young men and women looking for a public safety career. I thank everybody for making this happen.”

Housing & Workforce Solutions sought the allotment of American Rescue Plan Act funds for expansion and further development of the existing Hemet Community Fire Cadet Program.

Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez, whose Fifth District encompasses Hemet and San Jacinto, is a major supporter of the program, which he described as an effort to encourage high schoolers and college-age residents to “explore opportunities in public safety.”

“The program will impact the county as a whole, as the youth (who) complete it will have the opportunity to … become viable candidates to fill vacant public safety positions throughout the county,” according to an HWS statement.

The county will enter into a roughly 30-month contract with the Hemet Fire Department to expand its Community Fire Cadet Program, offering up to 60 participants paid internship training opportunities, in courses that run about eight weeks long.

The contract will expire in December 2026.

“The partnership with the (fire department) will provide vocational training assistance and direct connection to established vocational training programs that offer further training and preparation to become an emergency medical technician, firefighter or paramedic,” HWS said.

The amounts slated to be paid to those who qualify for the program were not specified.

The board appropriated $6.2 million in ARPA funds to HWS for a range of uses.

In 2021, the county received $480 million in ARPA money and almost $500 million in 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act allocations.

The funds have been used for homeless and rental assistance programs, along with other social welfare efforts, but they’ve also been appropriated for capital improvement projects.

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