GO-Biz participated in multiple foreign investment attraction events in June, including leading a delegation of California economic developers to the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C.

Sacramento, CA – GO-Biz recently concluded two weeks of events focused on engaging with international businesses to highlight opportunities in California. The events showcased California as the ideal business destination:

• A biotech tour of San Diego with a delegation from Taiwan, coordinated by GO-Biz in partnership with the U.S. Commercial Service in Taiwan.
• The SelectLA Investment Summit in Los Angeles, at which Director Dee Dee Myers delivered a keynote address on why international businesses choose California.
• The SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C., to which GO-Biz led a delegation of local economic developers from across the state.
• The SelectSF Investment Summit in the Bay Area, at which GO-Biz staff spoke on a panel highlighting opportunities for biotech businesses.

These events provided opportunities to engage with expanding international companies with interest in establishing operations in California. The GO-Biz International team engaged with more than a hundred such businesses, sharing resources on incentives, services, industry clusters, and other resources to help businesses choose the Golden State.

These efforts were in alignment with Governor Newsom’s goal of promoting California as a top destination for business. As Director Myers noted in her keynote at SelectLA: “California, as the world’s fifth largest economy, plays an outsized role on the global stage – whether it’s our shared border with the country’s most significant trading partner or our strategic position on the Pacific Rim. We are the top state exporter in 26 industries and the #1 U.S. state for jobs supported by foreign businesses, and as such, global engagement is a top priority for my office. Foreign investment is a critically important part of our economy and something we want to continue to amplify.”

The anchor event for these efforts was the SelectUSA Investment Summit, hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. GO-Biz is a longstanding participant in the Summit, and this year California had a more significant footprint than ever before, as a Diamond-level sponsor with a large and welcoming booth that received attendees from around the world.

California’s Lt. Governor, Eleni Kounalakis, led the California delegation – the first time that a senior elected official participated in the event. “Of the 51 states and territories represented at the Summit, California had the largest delegation, and I was enormously proud to lead this team representing the fifth largest economy in the world. I assured Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimundo and her team that they can count on seeing us again at next year’s Summit in even greater numbers,” said Lt. Governor Kounalakis.

At the Summit, GO-Biz also hosted a ‘Meet California Breakfast’ that included a panel discussion on California’s talent base with the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and the Senior Global Director of Public Policy at Tesla.

The success of California’s participation at the SelectUSA Summit was thanks to close partnership with the California Employment Training Panel and the California delegation to SelectUSA, which included a diverse group of local economic development leaders from across the state:

• Lance Hastings, CA Manufacturers & Tech Assn.
• Stephen Baiter and Xian Ballesteros, East Bay EDA
• Connie Stopher, Economic Development Coalition
• Julian Ramos, Fresno EDC
• Soua Vang and Bradley Calvert, Glendale
• Debbie Adler, Global LA
• Darlene Chiu Bryant, GlobalSF
• Troels Adrian, GSEC,
• Scott Adair, Humboldt
• Chris Lynch, IBA
• Patrick Ellis, Impact SW Riverside
• Tim Kelley and Sean Willcock, IVEDC
• Alex Andrade, Milpitas
• Scott Agaganian, Murrieta
• Josh Boswell, REACH
• Tony Yung, Sac China Trade Office
• Jenny de la Mora, San Bernardino County
• Joi Eubanks, Small Business Majority
• Robin Reimold, TeamCA
• Ray Bowman, Ventura SBDC
• Stephen Cheung and Michael McClune, WTCLA
• Lucas Coleman and Javier de Leon, WTCSD

The California delegates reported positive feedback after the Summit. Lance Hastings, President and CEO of the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, noted that “participating in the SelectUSA Summit was a fantastic opportunity for CMTA. Driving foreign investment to our state and helping foreign companies take root in California means more high-quality jobs for Californians, homegrown innovation, and a greater competitive edge for California manufacturers. We were proud to be a sponsor this year and to represent the Golden State in Washington, D.C.”

Troels Adrian, Vice President of Business Development at the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC), which served as GO-Biz’s fiduciary for the Summit, said that “GSEC had a wonderful experience being part of the California delegation and we saw stellar results. We valued the opportunity to represent the state with delegates from communities across California and look forward to seeing the real impact this work will have on the ground in the Greater Sacramento region.”

Deputy Director for International Affairs and Trade Emily Desai, who leads the State’s foreign investment attraction work, noted that international businesses bring significant benefits. “Foreign investment contributes more than capital and jobs to our state – innovation is a key component to our economy, and it’s something international businesses are bringing in spades. New research, new ideas, and new perspectives keep California’s economy so dynamic.”

You can follow the GO-Biz International team’s efforts by subscribing to their newsletter, following @CAGoBiz on Twitter and searching for #GoBizInternational across social media platforms.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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Sacramento, CA – Today, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced 78 grants totaling $35.5 million awarded to organizations across the state. The funds come from cannabis tax revenue generated by The Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64, 2016), and are allocated through the California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG) program.

These grants serve communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs. Harsh federal and state drug policies enacted during that period led to the mass incarceration of people of color, decreased access to social services, loss of educational attainment due to diminished federal financial aid eligibility, prohibitions on the use of public housing and other public assistance, and the separation of families.

“Now in its fourth year, the California Community Reinvestments Grants program continues to be an important tool for communities that still face systemic restrictions and barriers to opportunity and equity,” said Dee Dee Myers, Director of GO-Biz and Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom. “This latest round of awards will support the economic justice and well-being of communities across our state that have been disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs.”

Through this program, GO-Biz may award grants to local health departments and qualified community-based nonprofit organizations to support the following activities:

• Job placement
• Mental health treatment
• Substance use disorder treatment
• System navigation services
• Legal services to address barriers to reentry
• Linkages to medical care

To learn more about the program, click here.​

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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Application Period Opens for Community Economic Resilience Fund Planning Grants to Create Sustainable, Climate-Resilient Jobs in California

SACRAMENTO – As California continues to recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation, State leaders today announced $65 million in grants through the Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) to support communities in planning for an equitable economic recovery. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2021-22 Budget included $600 million in General Fund for CERF to ensure that California’s economic recovery creates high-quality, accessible jobs and helps build resilience to the effects of climate change and other global disruptions impacting the state’s diverse regional economies.

“As we address the central challenges of our time – a warming planet, significant wealth and health inequality, and racial injustice, we must work towards equitable and multi-benefit strategies,” said Samuel Assefa, Director of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, “a critical strategy for California is building a zero-carbon economy that provides family-supporting jobs and healthy communities. The initial planning phase we’re kicking off today ensures that this strategy is created in partnership with impacted workers and communities.”

In the initial planning phase, CERF will fund 13 regional High Road Transition Collaboratives (HRTC) that bring together partners representing community, labor, industry, business, philanthropy, and more. Each HRTC will be awarded $5 million to develop a regional economic plan prioritizing the creation of sustainable businesses and industries, family-supporting jobs, and other resilience outcomes.

“Innovation is foundational to California’s economy, and it is what has kept us strong,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). “This $65 million investment is a first-of-its kind opportunity for 13 regions to create their own processes, born out of their respective regional economic development plans, that meet their own vision and their own needs — all of which will further accelerate innovation and help us collectively build a more equitable economy.”

“Through CERF, California is listening to communities—especially to those that have been excluded from decision making for generations—and empowering regions to create their future economies,” said California Labor Secretary Natalie Palugyai. “The State’s role in this economic transformation will be to support that self-determination to the extent that it is developed, designed, and implemented in a manner that is inclusive, equitable, and environmentally sustainable.”

The Community Economic Resilience Fund is part of the State’s overall approach to building resilient communities in the transition to a zero-carbon economy, with this year’s proposed budget including $450 million for the Local Government Budget Sustainability Fund to help communities sustain revenues as they transition their economies. As regions work to implement the Community Economic Resilience Fund, Governor Newsom has proposed funding to complement these efforts. His proposed budget investments include $200 million to plug idle and orphan oil and gas wells, and $15 million for a pilot project aimed at training displaced oil and gas workers. His proposals also include $60 million in investments to support high road training partnerships in low-carbon industries, $83 million to support energy innovation in Kern County through CSU Bakersfield, and $80 million to expand the San Diego State University, Brawley Center in Imperial Valley to support a local workforce pipeline to aid the state’s goals for development of the Lithium Valley vision. Following the Planning Phase of the Community Economic Resilience Fund, $500 million will become available as part of the program’s Implementation Phase beginning in 2023, which will fund projects and infrastructure identified by the High Road Transition Collaboratives.

In September 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 162, which established the Community Economic Resilience Fund to support regionally centered plans to respond to the diverse needs across California and to build sustainable and resilient regional economies. CERF is administered by an Interagency leadership team which includes the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz), and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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Sacramento, CA – Building from a foundation of nation-leading policies and new hydrogen system market development, Governor Newsom’s administration is announcing California’s intention to leverage federal investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to establish an environmentally and economically sustainable and expanding renewable hydrogen hub. Administration officials, led by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), will continue working with public and private stakeholders, including California’s legislature and leading municipalities such as Los Angeles, to submit one state co-funded application.

In the May Revise budget, Governor Newsom proposed direct investment in green hydrogen production, in addition to numerous pots of funding that can be leveraged to accelerate hydrogen market development, including zero-emission vehicle market acceleration, industrial decarbonization, and long duration energy storage. Additionally, the administration is committed to collaborating with neighboring states and initiatives to create a resilient supply and delivery chain, helping to facilitate success and learnings across multiple markets.

“California has the market experience, workforce talent, public and private investment base, and renewable resources to partner with the federal government to create an economically resilient, expanding hydrogen hub that helps accelerate national success,” said Dee Dee Myers, Director of GO-Biz and Senior Economic Advisor to Governor Newsom. “GO-Biz is leaning in on our deep experience with the hydrogen industry and working with multiple stakeholders to organize a statewide application aimed at one fundamental concept: getting to scale in California and beyond.”

“Our recently published draft Scoping Plan Update makes it clear that renewable hydrogen has an important role to play in reaching our economy wide climate and air quality targets,” said California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph. “We are committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to continually improve our robust policy framework to enable rapid renewable hydrogen market development.”

“The need for renewable hydrogen is clear, especially as we develop systems to store and use renewable electricity,” California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild stated. “We need federal, state, and private investment to accelerate market development to ensure we meet our carbon neutrality goals—and we are excited to work with stakeholders to build a world class hydrogen hub and believe that federal investments in green hydrogen in California will benefit the state and the nation.”

“The California Public Utilities Commission is committed to working with stakeholders to help define the role of investor-owned utilities in the hydrogen market ecosystem,” said Commissioner Clifford Rechtschaffen. “Renewable hydrogen can play a variety of important roles in a decarbonized economy.” 

“From public transit to long-haul trucking, low-cost, renewable hydrogen is one of the key components in our efforts to rapidly reduce pollution from the transportation sector,” said California State Transportation Agency Secretary Toks Omishakin. “Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles of all types – including cars, heavy-duty trucks, buses, rail and watercraft – are an ideal complement to battery-powered vehicles as part of a diversified and sustainable transportation system. The hydrogen hub will help lower costs and accelerate California’s transition to a zero-emission future.”

A federally co-funded hydrogen hub in California would accelerate our collective transition to a carbon-neutral economy, creating the scale needed to drive down cost for businesses and consumers alike, all while creating high paying jobs. Near term hub activities will center on deep investments in electrifying port operations, goods movement, transportation, and energy system resilience. Parties interested in submitting project ideas for consideration can add their information in this form. 

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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Sacramento, CA – Today, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced $120 million in California Competes (CalCompetes) grant awards that are projected to create more than 7,615 new, full-time jobs in California and bring over $3.3 billion in new investments to the state over the next 5 years.

In addition, GO-Biz announced $66.4 million in tax credits that are projected to create more than 3,992 new, full-time jobs in California. These awards will bring more than $645 million in new investments to the state over the next 5 years.

Together, the two programs account for the most jobs ever committed to California during one CalCompetes application period.

CalCompetes plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining startups and established companies alike, who in turn create good-paying jobs and increased economic opportunity for California workers.

“This was the first time we were able to offer grants as part of the CalCompetes program, and it was a huge success, resulting in the highest job commitment total for any single CalCompetes application period in the program’s history,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of GO-Biz. “This one-time, $120 million grant program received more than $3.4 billion in requests, showing beyond a doubt that companies want to invest, grow and create jobs in California. And the incentives that CalCompetes provides are a great deal for taxpayers, bringing family-supporting jobs and investment to our state that would otherwise go someplace else.”

In exchange for a $30 million grant, Silicon Valley stalwart Applied Materials, Inc. will create at least 683 full-time jobs and invest $2 billion to develop and deliver next generation semiconductor manufacturing equipment. This grant will be vital to Applied Materials’ ability to secure federal CHIPS Act funding designed to bring semiconductor and microchip manufacturing back to the US.

“From our earliest days as a startup, Applied Materials has helped shape the future of Silicon Valley and secure American leadership in semiconductor technology,” said Joe Pon, Corporate Vice President of Applied Materials, Inc. “The CalCompetes grant will play a pivotal role in our ability to attract federal funding to California and strengthen the state’s role in the development of advanced chips in the U.S. We are grateful to GO-Biz and Governor Gavin Newsom for their commitment to ensure that California remains a global leader for technology innovation.”

SPARKZ, Inc. received a $5 million grant to establish a manufacturing facility in the Central Valley for cobalt-free, lithium-ion batteries and create over 800 new, full-time jobs. By removing cobalt from the formula, these batteries will be less expensive to manufacture, easier to recycle, and better for the environment.

“SPARKZ is re-engineering the battery supply chain by eliminating cobalt and setting our sights on making high-performing, sustainable EV batteries in America. The support of Governor Newsom through this GO-Biz California Competes grant will allow our company the ability to hire Californians, build our manufacturing facility and play a role in solving the climate crisis,” said founder and CEO Sanjiv Malhotra.  “America’s clean energy future will reach its potential when we innovate and manufacture the next generation of energy storage domestically and California is leading that effort.”

Additional awardees include Hawthorne-based electric aircraft manufacturer, Ampaire, Inc., and Universal Hydrogen Co., who is developing technology to replace standard aircraft fuel with hydrogen systems. Additionally, La Jolla’s Viridos, Inc. is using their award to open a pilot biofuel manufacturing facility in Imperial County’s Calipatria that will make environmentally friendly, low-emission fuel from algae.

“California has always been at the forefront of green technology development. We are thrilled that businesses like Ampaire, Universal Hydrogen, and Viridos have chosen California for these vital projects that will help California meet its carbon reduction goals and mitigate the extreme impacts of climate change,” said CalCompetes Deputy Director Scott Dosick. “We especially appreciate supporting companies like Viridos that choose to invest in areas such as Imperial County that have suffered too long from chronically high unemployment and poverty levels.”

“Viridos is committed to working with the heavy transportation sector to reduce its climate impact. We are honored to receive this grant from Governor Newsom and California Competes, which will enable Viridos to continue our mission of bringing low-carbon, algae-based sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel to the transportation marketplace,” said Viridos CEO Oliver Fetzer. “We are proud of our continued commitment to keeping California as our base and our continued legacy of bringing high-quality jobs to the Imperial Valley.”

The complete list of approved companies and award amounts is available online.

The California Competes Tax Credit was created in 2013 to focus on helping businesses grow and stay in California. GO-Biz evaluates the most competitive applications based on the factors required by statute, including total jobs created, total investment, average wage, economic impact, strategic importance and more. In 2018, the program was extended for an additional five years with at least $180 million in tax credits available for allocation to business each year through 2023.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

About Applied Materials
Applied Materials is the leader in materials engineering solutions used to produce virtually every new chip and advanced display in the world. Their expertise in modifying materials at atomic levels and on an industrial scale enables customers to transform possibilities into reality. At Applied Materials, their innovations make possible a better future.

About SPARKZ
Founded in 2019 by industry veteran and former U.S. Department of Energy executive Sanjiv Malhotra, SPARKZ will begin commercialization of a high energy-density Cobalt-free, American-made Lithium-ion battery, while continuing its groundbreaking research and development focused on re-engineering the rest of the battery supply chain. SPARKZ has completed the transfer of 6 patents from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which continues to be an R&D partner. In addition to being 100% cobalt-free, the patents also reduce production time significantly and enhance battery performance.

About Viridos
Viridos (formerly Synthetic Genomics, Inc) is a privately held biotechnology company harnessing the power of photosynthesis to create transformative solutions to mitigate climate change. Their unparalleled understanding of algal genetics and ability to translate innovation from lab to field underpins their initial deployment: a scalable platform to produce low-carbon intensity biofuels for aviation, commercial trucking, and maritime shipping. Building on a legacy of genomic firsts, their team of scientists and engineers are shaping new pathways toward a sustainable bioeconomy.

Heather Purcell
Deputy Director of Communications
Email Heather, HERE

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