SB 1296 seeks to create and train a new green workforce
As California lawmakers seek to make smart investments to rebuild the state’s economy in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, they are increasingly looking to create new jobs in communities hit hardest by the crisis. Moveover, they see this as an opportunity to continue to build the state’s leading-edge green economy, one that addresses the challenge of climate change while ensuring a future for the state’s natural resources. Given these goals, legislators could hardly do better than support Senate Bill 1296, authored by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo.
Durazo’s bill––titled the Nature & Parks Career Pathway and Community Resiliency Act––seeks to build jobs in the natural resource field by focusing on job creation and training in working class communities and communities of color. In many instances, these are communities that have been particularly hard hit by job losses due to COVID-19, and suffer the most consequences of climate change. Men and women in these communities have faced exclusionary hiring and educational practices that have put them at a significant disadvantage in the workplace. With these workforce programs, these men and women can receive the necessary education, training, and certification that puts them at an equal footing to pursue a natural resources career. The bill requires state agencies that are likely to be tasked with spending economic recovery funds, such as the California Coastal Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board, to create programs that provide pathways for this green workforce. These programs will provide vital training for people to enter into these much-needed careers.
These jobs could range from agriculture to renewable energy to park rangers––even forestry.
Save the Redwoods League in April released new research showing that investments in redwood forest restoration can be a major part of the state’s fight against climate change. During the COVID-19 crisis, we saw millions descend on our parks for both recreation and mental health. Clearly, there is important work to be done on these landscapes, and SB 1296 is one critical step toward creating the green workforce that will guide our way out of the current economic crisis.
SB 1296 is currently awaiting a vote before the State Senate Appropriations Committee. If it passes out of Appropriations it will then be put to a vote before the full State Senate. We’re tracking this bill closely and will share important updates as they arise.