Bringing Jobs to the Inland Empire

There’s no question that our region was hit hard by the recession and the housing crisis. Now, as the national economy continues to improve, we have to make sure the Inland Empire does not get left behind.  This is why creating jobs and growing our local economy are my biggest priorities in Congress.

Job Creation Listening Tour

At the start of my term in Congress, I launched a Job Creation Listening Tour to learn straight from the community what we needed to do put the Inland Empire back to work.  I met with over 200 local economic leaders, education professionals, employees, and owners of businesses large and small. The findings, recommendations, and ideas that came out of the tour were published in report titled “A Roadmap to Economic Resilience in the Inland Empire” which you can find here.

Jobs Plan - One Year Later

On May 1, 2016 I released a one-year update to “A Roadmap to Economic Resilience in the Inland Empire” where I detailed the progress we've made on the recommendations outlined in the original report.  From getting parts of my infrastructure funding bill signed into law to working with federal officials to make sure the local transfer of Ontario Airport goes smoothly, we accomplished a lot over the past year.  You can read the full update here.

Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Act

Investing in our region’s infrastructure was the top recommendation in my Jobs Report.  Not only is my district home to Ontario International Airport, but the Inland Empire also serves as an inland port through which goods that arrive at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are processed in or moved through before being transported all over the country.  Our economy relies on safe, dependable roads and highways and on investment on rail and more efficient transit.  However, experts estimate we need to invest $3.6 trillion over the next five years alone to adequately fund the country’s infrastructure needs.  I introduced the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Act to help pay for sorely needed improvements to our nation's roads, bridges, and water infrastructure.  It will connect finance and infrastructure professionals with local and state governments to provide them with the technical expertise and pre-development capital needed to attract private investment.

JOBS Act

If we want to keep high tech manufacturing jobs in the US, we need to make sure we’re training jobseekers in the skills employers demand. The Job Opportunities between Our Shores (JOBS) Act will connect educational institutions with manufacturers to give workers the training and skills they need to find jobs in growing industries. Right here in the Inland Empire, we’ve seen the success of the partnership between California Steel Industries and Chaffey College.  This is a model we should grow and build upon as manufacturing jobs in the Inland Empire and across the country are bouncing back.  Now is the time to keep the momentum moving forward by making sure American workers are able to stay ahead of the curve.  If the recession has taught us anything it is that in order to build a resilient economy that can withstand future economic challenges, we need a dynamic, educated workforce and a diverse local economy.  Comprehensive, demand-driven training programs like those proposed in the JOBS Act will help us do just that.