Existing law, the Economic Revitalization Act, establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as "GO-Biz," in state government within the Governor's office under the control of a director. The act requires GO-Biz to serve as the Governor's lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth.
This bill would establish the Regions Rise Grant Program within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development for the purpose of enabling regions to collaborate and create interdisciplinary and cross-sector regional strategies to address key regional barriers to prosperity for all. The bill would define "region" for these purposes as a group consisting of at least one government agency, one local business, one educational or workforce entity, and one nonprofit organization, that is comprised of a geographic area that experiences common community issues and challenges.
This bill would require the office to develop an application for regions to apply for competitive grants that can be spent over a period of 3 years. The bill would require the office, upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to issue grants to qualified regions as specified. The bill would require the office to act as an informal advisor to regions receiving grants under the program by providing best practices and informing regions of the state's initiatives. The bill would require each selected region to submit a final report to the office detailing the issues analyzed, priorities identified, strategies developed to address regional issues, and plans to implement priority efforts.