Made in California

Calling all Californians: #ShopSafeShopLocal – that’s what we’re talking about on this episode of Made in California! As an op-ed written by California’s Small Business Advocate Isabel Guzman and Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar reads, “Local has taken on a new meaning and California’s beloved small businesses need our help now more than ever.” Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 4.1 million small businesses operated in the state, employing 7.2 million people. Since COVID-19 many small businesses have faced financial hardship – contending with closures, decreased revenues and difficulty accessing capital. Yet we continue to hear inspirational stories of the indomitable spirit of California small business owners as they fight to survive and we remain committed to helping all of our diverse small businesses become more resilient and thrive. That’s what we’re talking about today! We are Calling ALL Californians to Shop Safe Shop Local a new campaign from the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery encouraging Californians to support small businesses in their communities as they make modifications to protect public health and help our state’s diverse neighborhoods thrive. Running through July, the campaign is a call to action to help all California small businesses operate safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their digital footprints. And joining me to talk about this campaign are co-chairs of the Task Force’s Small Business Subcommittee Isabel and Sarah, who are kicked this incredible effort off!

Safely Making California – that’s what we’re talking about in this episode of Made in California. During this virtual road trip we've visited small businesses across our state, learning what they're doing to keep not only their customers safe, but also their employees as they work to reopen. A main part of that conversation is an acronym that has come to mean so much to ALL Californians. PPE, or personal protective equipment, is a vital part of our reopening process and that’s why today’s episode is a conversation around a new initiative announced by Governor Newsom. A new partnership between the State of California, the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA), and Autodesk has created the "Safely Making California” Marketplace to help fill a critical gap for all sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will connect CMTA member manufacturers and other manufacturers to employers who have the need to purchase non-medical grade PPE.

It’s stop number four and we are headed to the North as our virtual road trip continues across the state. Californians have been staying home and saving lives since the a statewide stay-at-home order was issued by Governor Newsom on March 19. Because of these efforts, the state has been able to move forward on our roadmap for modifying the statewide order. As we move through the stages of reopening, the state has been issuing guidance to help workplaces reopen with the health of their customers and employees in mind. So far, we have talked with business owners – and those working to support them - in Sacramento, Calaveras County, and Fresno. Now we are in the far North and once again, Isabel is in the virtual driver’s seat. In this episode we zoom, first, with Kristin Johnson, director of the Northern California SBDC Lead Center, Bryan Anondson, co-owner of Headwaters Adventure Company, and we end with a fantastic conversation with Kathy and Charles Byerly, the couple who owns Mary's Pizza Shack. Take a listen and hop on in, the virtual roadways are clear and we are ready to go!

The road trip continues, and today we are in the Central Valley listening to and learning from California small business owners and leaders as they work to reopen – focused on the health of their employees and customers. As Isabel Guzman, our Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate, and host of these conversations frequently says: Main streets define our neighborhoods, small businesses are the touchstones of their communities, the fabric of our collective lives, and the men and women who run them are the soul of our innovative economy. As we continue our exploration, we are reminded once more that, as Governor Newsom says, we are many parts but one body and that means county variations, regional differences all within one California. While we work to reopen, we must do so in a collaborative and inclusive way. Our individual actions don’t just impact the future of our immediate community members, they impact neighboring communities as well. We won’t succeed unless all regions rise and recover together, we won’t succeed unless all business owners, regardless of race or gender or zip code are considered and included in the conversation.

"You show up raw emotion and just... 'How can I help, how can I support?'" It's round two of our virtual road trip across the state! We continue to "Zoom" around with California small business owners and business center representatives to find out how they're re-opening with safety in mind. In this episode, we're in Calaveras County -- gold country! -- hearing how small businesses there, which largely depend on tourism, are rolling up their sleeves, adhering to state and local guidance, and innovating their way through this pandemic. Join us!

As more California small businesses reopen around the state – focused on the safety of their employees and customers – we want to take a closer look… what’s working, what isn’t? To do this, we’re embarking on a virtual road trip. Isabel Guzman, the Director of our Office of the Small Business Advocate and State Government Lead of California’s Entrepreneurship Task Force, and I will "Zoom" our way around the state, speaking with small business owners and business support centers. But before we hit the virtual roadways it’s important to remember, as Governor Newsom says, we are many parts but one body and that means county variations, regional differences all within one California. As we reopen it’s important we do so with inclusion in mind, that regions affect one another and recover together. We hope you’ll join us as we travel across the state, learning from California’s indomitable small business owners, the core of our state’s innovative economy, as they adapt and pivot to this new marketplace.

Small Business support during the COVID-19 pandemic… that’s what we’re talking about on this episode of Made in California. Hey everybody, California is home to nearly 4 million small businesses. As our Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate, Isabel Guzman says, these businesses are the backbone of our state's economy, they are the main streets that define our communities. Now, more than ever, our small businesses and entrepreneurs need our support. And that support comes in many forms, including the essential sharing of resources so that they can pivot and adapt to the marketplace. Most importantly, as we share these resources we must ensure that we do it in an inclusive way. In this episode you’ll hear more from Isabel – starting with details about why she’s passionate about helping small businesses and what she learned while working for the Obama Administration. Then Isabel is joined by Nely Galan, a member of our Entrepreneurship Task Force and Tara Lynn Gray, president and CEO of the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce.

It happens every 10 years, but for the first time it's digital! The California Census... that's what we're talking about on this episode of Made in California. We are on the road again! Invitations for the census started to go out on March 12. All Californians will be able to respond online or by phone, with limited households initially receiving the paper form. You will hear more about why the Census is important and what it means for California from two women: Ditas Katague, Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office, the outreach and communications campaign to ensure a complete count of the hardest-to-count Californians; and Rachel Rios, the Executive Director of La Familia Counseling Center.

California Capitalism -- that's on this episode of Made in California Hey, everyone! California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, is leading the way. The state is developing its own distinctive political economy, “California Capitalism,” through fiscal responsibility, innovation, and cross-sector partnerships to foster inclusive, sustainable, long-term growth. But “California Capitalism” is not just about economic growth. To talk more about this, Lenny will take over the mic to interview Dr. Laura Tyson, who he has written extensively with and who recently was announced as co-chair of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors along with Fernando Lozano, Professor of Economics at Pomona College. Dr. Tyson is a Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School and Faculty Director of the Institute for Business & Social Impact at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. She chairs the Blum Center for Developing Economies Board of Trustees at UC Berkeley. She served in the Clinton Administration as the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and as Director of the National Economic Council.

We're hitting the road to talk transportation and high-speed rail! This episode, we start in Aneesh's car, which is where he spends most of his time nowadays. Joining Aneesh is Egon Terplan, a senior advisor to Governor Newsom. Listen up as Aneesh and Egon break down the biggest transportation project that we have right now: the high-speed rail. After a bit of history, you'll dive into the present as Lenny Mendonca, Brian Kelly, the CEO of the high-speed rail, and Melissa Figueroa, the chief of external affairs for the high-speed rail, talk about the project's newly released business plan. Finally, we will hear from Lorenzo Mata, an incredible young man who is helping to actually build the high-speed rail. You won't want to miss his story. All aboard!!

Last week you heard from the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Ann O’Leary, about our proposed budget and, with it, our priorities for the year. At the top of that list is the housing crisis and the most urgent face of that crisis, the stark and tragic rise in homelessness. Today, we’re going to start there, by taking a closer look at the housing and homeless situation. First up, a conversation I had the Governor’s Chief Economic and Business Advisor, Lenny Mendonca, and the Governor’s Senior Advisor on Social Innovation, Kathleen Kelly Janus who have been leading our efforts to partner with the business community. And then we’ll hear from Rebecca Foster, who – I promise you – will give you the best if not one of the best, data-driven, impact-oriented explanations of the housing crisis that you have ever heard. This issue is an everything issue, meaning it involves a lot of things at once. We need more housing supply, with more zoning for density. We need a lower cost way to build housing, with quicker permit times, so that we can make the housing we’re building more affordable. We need the average worker to earn better wages so they can more easily afford the housing that’s on the market. Ultimately, each of us, in each of our communities across the state, as you’ll hear at the end of this episode from Rebecca, needs to do some soul-searching to understand what we’re willing to give up in order to help this state we love deal with its most urgent crisis.

Welcome to 2020! As all of you know, there is probably no clearer signal that a new year is underway in Sacramento than the release of the Governor’s budget, which, in ways few other acts by the Governor can do, lays out his vision for the state and, most importantly, his priorities for the year. When we first launched this podcast, you joined us as we began building a playbook to address an economy that is not working for working Californians. A playbook that dealt with staggering geographic and demographic inequality in the state, a playbook that leveraged our greatest strength – innovation – to address the big changes of our time coming from technology and climate change, a playbook that ultimately leads to the creation of quality jobs, that revive mobility and the California Dream, in partnership across sectors. Later in the year, we’ve launched key initiatives to address all those issues, like Regions Rise Together and the Future of Work Commission. We’ve seen progress on addressing climate change and creating a new big industry in electric vehicles, which are now our top export as a state. And now, with the budget, we’re set to begin 2020 with a focus on one thing above all else – execution. For our first podcast of 2020, what better way to start than talking about the budget and what better person to talk to than the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Ann O’Leary.

For those of you who have been following along from the start, you know this is a podcast focused on reviving the California and American Dream so that everyone has a shot to work hard and get ahead. We've looked at the issue from a national level, at a statewide level, and today we're going to take it to the city level -- to Fresno, CA. As we think about how best to support regions up planning, Fresno has become a key place to watch. They are doing some incredible things on the ground to spur inclusive and sustainable growth for all of their citizens including this summer bringing together over 200 community leaders to build a 10 year investment plan for the area. So join us for this episode as we speak with local leaders on what they are working toward, hoping for, and looking forward to as they continue to build a California for all.

What’s it like being an entrepreneur these days, especially one breaking new ground – that’s on this episode of Made in California. We launched this podcast talking about the challenges we face as we try to get our economy working for everyone. Last episode we started to look at solutions with the opportunity zone program which hopes to bring investments into low income areas. Today, we’re going to look at a group always looking for investments – entrepreneurs. We’re known for our startups in this state. And when it comes to small businesses, it’s worth knowing that they are responsible for nearly half of all private employment and generate two thirds of net new jobs. So how are things going for them? Later in the show Kaitlin is going to tell you about an Entrpreneurship Task Force that we recently launched out of our office. But first, I sat down recently, in Fresno, with Irma Olguin Jr. the CEO and co-founder of Bitwise.

Opportunity Zones; heard of them? We’re talking about them on this episode of Made in California We spent our first two episodes talking about inequality so that we’re all grounded in the fact that our economy, right now, isn’t working for everyone. This episode, we’re going to start looking at some of the ways we can deal with that. One idea that’s gotten a lot of attention recently is the opportunity zone program, which is a new tax incentive designed to re-invest private sector capital into low-income communities, communities which are too often neglected when it comes to investment and development. There’s a lot of promise to opportunity zones but also a lot of concern, especially in California, given the history we’ve had around Enterprise Zones. For example, will this program support economic development for current residents in these low-income communities or lead to their displacement? Will it lead to new investments or just give a tax break to investors who were going to invest anyway? We’re going to talk about Opportunity Zones at the national and state level and then later at the local level today. First up, a conversation with Steve Glickman, Greg Nelson and Dave Smith. Steve and Greg both worked on economic policy in the Obama Administration. Steve is one of the architects of the opportunity zone program. Greg currently leads strategy and operations for Parker Media and the Parker Foundation. Dave is the co-founder of Cal OZ, which is a non profit focused on opportunity zones in California.

Welcome to Turlock! We are thrilled to be in Lenny Mendonca's hometown for this episode as we dive a bit deeper into our Regions Rise Together initiative. Egon Terplan is our guest host and he leads us in a two-part conversation, sitting down with Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak, Supervisor Vito Chiesa, and Marian Kaanon the CEO of Stanislaus County Community Foundation. Mayor Bublak shares a very personal story, describing her time living in her car before finding her California Dream in Turlock. And Marian offers some interesting insight on how we can and should all work together to address the challenges we are facing.

We started this podcast back in June to bring you in to our work building an economy in California that works for everyone. Since then, we’ve talked about the state of our economy – how the macroeconomic indicators, which show record job growth and a historic expansion, belie the staggering levels of income and wealth inequality we have in our state and nation. We’ve talked about how that inequality has a demographic element, rising as you look at race and gender, as well as a geographic element, with an imbalance in growth between our coastal and inland communities. We’ve talked about ways we can address that – from supporting our small businesses and entrepreneurs to supporting better regions-based economic planning across the state, from upping our focus on international trade to upping our partnership with philanthropy, from examining the future of industries in California as well as the future of work, so that we are not just up-skilling workers but also upgrading the quality of jobs. And, of course, we’ve talked about our affordability crisis across healthcare, education, and most notably, housing. It’s been a busy year but it’s just the first for this Administration and before we let you go for the holidays, before we get ready to come back to a busy start to 2020, we want to take a look back with the Governor’s Chief Business and Economic Advisor, and the guy who is, more than anything else, the reason I took this job, Lenny Mendonca.

Shop local, California! Today, we are proud to dive a bit deeper into our new social media campaign, “#ShopLocalCA!” We celebrating our small businesses across the state this holiday season. The campaign proudly amplifies the voices of California's diverse and vital small businesses -- the backbone of our state economy. We are not only giving Californians an inside look into dozens of small businesses, but also asking Californians to participate in this celebration by sharing their favorite small businesses through the hashtag #ShopLocalCA on all social media platforms. Join us as we celebrate the men and women business owners who meet their community's needs today and every day! #ShopLocalCA

There's no other way to say it, the past couple of weeks have been a devastating time for state. Between the fires and the Public Safety Power Shutoffs, so many of our fellow Californians are facing some of the most challenging moments of their lives, and that includes our small businesses in the affected areas. They aren't just dealing with the immediate safety issues, but also grappling with how they will come back. On today's episode, we are going to take a look at what Governor Newsom has been saying over the last two weeks as he travels the state. Then Kaitlin will talk with three women, who, in their own ways, are helping our small businesses recover. As you listen, please keep our small businesses at the top of your mind, they need your support.

The state of philanthropy on this episode of Made in California! We've talked a lot about how, given the staggering levels of inequality in our state we need to build a strategy of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. While there are a lot of parts to that work the one we will unpack today is how we can partner with philanthropy. As you join us in this discussion, carry this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with you: "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause a philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice, which make philanthropy necessary." Kathleen Kelly Janus, Governor Newsom's Senior Advisor on Social Innovation joins us as the guest host of this episode.

California on the world stage! You've heard us say it more than a few times... California is the fifth largest economy in the world. We say that to show the scale of our challenges and opportunities in this state, but it also shows the level of impact we can have on the global economy and the level of impact the global economy can have on us. With that in mind, stay tuned as we unpack California on the international stage through a conversation with Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Lenny Mendonca, and Bud Colligan. We will also hear from a San Diego business owner whose business has been impacted by issues around trade.

The future of work! Welcome to Episode 6, everyone! Chances are if you have followed any news around technology and its growing impact on our economy, you've run into the phrase "the future of work." Well, here's the thing, when we talk about the future of work we often make two mistakes. Join us as we unpack those mistakes during a conversation with Lenny Mendonca, the Governor's Chief Economic and Business Advisor; Julie Su, the Labor Secretary; and Lande Ajose, the Governor's Senior Advisor on Higher Education. And don't miss the end! Kaitlin talks to May Lee, California's 99-year-old employee who has dedicated 76 years of her life to serving the State.

The California dream is not well. We may be the fifth-largest economy in the world. We may be leaders in almost every area you can imagine, from technology to agriculture to arts. We may be the place where new ideas most often turn into new industries, thanks to venture capital funding, innovative startups, world-class universities, state-of-the art labs and our diverse talent pool. We may be all those things. But we are also the state where too many Californians are working hard and still falling behind. We’re both the richest and poorest state in the nation with 8 million of our fellow Californians living below the poverty line. 1 in 5 kids lives in poverty in this state. We’ve got a cost crisis when it comes to housing, healthcare and education. Economic growth is mostly happening in our coastal communities and not enough inland. And, left unmanaged, the changes that technology is bringing to the nature of work is set to only exacerbate those challenges. So we’ve got some work to do to make sure our economy is working for everyone and so we have an economy that is built to last, for this generation and the next. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about on Made in California.