Newsom references B3K in context of California’s push for ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday gave the clearest indication yet that he sees public and private investment in Kern’s B3K Prosperity economic collaboration as the most appropriate way to help transition the county away from its economic dependence on oil and gas production.
Speaking during a midday chat at the California Economic Summit in Monterey, the governor highlighted California’s $600 million Community Economic Resilience Fund comprising 13 regional collaborations, one of which consists only of Kern. He referred to future grants from the fund as being key to the state’s shift away from carbon emissions toward a more climate-sustainable future.
He also called the CERF, as it’s known, important to bridging the urban-rural divide, and said it must integrate workforce development strategies without being built from the “top down.”
Newsom nearly named B3K during his comments, calling it the “Better Bakersfield” initiative — B3K stands for Better Bakersfield & Boundless Kern — and saying such public-private partnerships are now a big part of the state’s economic development approach.
“We want to fund strategies and plans, but we always want to fund leaders and we want to fund doers,” he said, adding, “We want folks that have a mindset of read, fire and let’s go.”
B3K, launched in early 2020 with contributions from city, county and state taxpayers plus money from philanthropy, has brought together a broad base of participants who assessed the county’s economic strengths and weaknesses. Then they came up with a five-part strategy focused on creating good jobs in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, business-support activities, entrepreneurship and renewable energy.
Still no money has been awarded from the CERF fund, but a spokeswoman from the governor’s office said that could happen early next year.
The president and CEO of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, Nick Ortiz, was present in Monterey for the governor’s remarks. He said Newsom’s reference to B3K shows how high-profile the initiative has become.
“I think it just shows how important this work is and how top of mind it is in terms of trying to get Kern County’s future economy and where we go, how we get that right,” he said, adding that the mention also illustrates how integral Kern has become to meeting California’s goals.
Marek Gootman, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution who has helped shepherd B3K’s progress, was present for the governor’s comments as well. He interpreted Newsom’s remarks as suggesting CERF was partly motivated by, and partly a response to, Kern’s economic challenges and B3K’s approach to finding solutions.
We want to fund strategies and plans, but we always want to fund leaders and we want to fund doers.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom