AB 338: 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 Californias workforce investment system and the alignment of education and workforce investment systems to the needs of the 21st century economy and workforce. The act requires the establishment of a local workforce development board in each local workforce development area of the state to, among other things, plan and oversee the workforce investment system.

This bill would appropriate the sum of $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the California Workforce Development Board to allocate to the South Bay Workforce Investment Board and the Economic Development Collaborative to train, upskill, and retrain underemployed and unemployed low- to moderate-income individuals to support the rebuilding and recovery of areas in the Counties of Los Angeles and Ventura impacted by the 2025 wildfires. The bill would require those local workforce development boards to demonstrate quality standards and practices, as specified, and to focus on employment in jobs in certain professions and industries, including construction, firefighting, and health care, and other areas essential to emergency response, disaster relief recovery and mitigation, and rebuilding. The bill would require individuals participating in programs funded by the bill to have access to expedited licensing and certification.

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.