The Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) was created to promote a sustainable and equitable recovery by supporting new plans and strategies to diversify local economies and develop sustainable industries that create good paying jobs, broadly accessible jobs for all Californians.
COMMUNITY ECONOMIC RESILIENCE FUND (CERF)
To achieve this goal, the state has designated thirteen regions to receive planning grants to develop region-specific economic development strategies that build an equitable and sustainable economy across California’s diverse regions and foster long-term economic resilience in the overall transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
To achieve this goal, the state has designated thirteen regions to receive planning grants to develop region-specific economic development strategies that build an equitable and sustainable economy across California’s diverse regions and foster long-term economic resilience in the overall transition to a carbon-neutral economy.
Following this planning grant, the state has allocated a $450 million competitive grant for the thirteen regions to execute projects they laid out during the planning phase.
Following this planning grant, the state has allocated a $450 million competitive grant for the thirteen regions to execute the strategies they laid out during the planning phase.
Orange County has been designated as its own region.
For more information about the CERF program, the full Solicitation for Proposals for Phase 1 can be found here:
A summary of the proposal can be found here:
For general updates on CERF, subscribe to OCBC’s newsletter
High Road Transition Collaborative
A major objective of the CERF planning phase is the creation of a High Road Transition Collaborative or HRTC. The HRTC is an inclusive planning group that consists of balanced and meaningful representation from regional stakeholders.
Orange County’s HRTC consists of the following organizations
Business
Bloom Energy
CEO Leadership Alliance OC
Cox Business
Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce
Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Orange County Business Council
OC Black Chamber of Commerce
Southern California Gas Company
California Native American Tribes
American Indian Chamber of Commerce of CA
Cogstone Resource Management/Member of Gabrielino Tongva Community
Payomkawichum Kaamalam (Acjachemen)
Community Members
Apolonio Cortes
Donia Kayali
Johnice Williams
Karen Sarabia
Kevin Phung
Maria Aguilar
Sarah Riggs
Sokollin Tes
Economic Development Agencies
City of Garden Grove Economic Development Department
City of Santa Ana Economic Development Department
Cooperacion Santa Ana
Cielo
CSUF Center for Entrepreneurship
Octane
Sustain SoCal
Education And Training Providers
California State University, Fullerton
Chapman University
Concordia University Irvine
Irvine Valley College
North Orange County Community College District
Orange County Department of Education
UMASS Global
University of California, Irvine
Environmental Justice
Banning Ranch Conservancy
Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Climate Action Campaign
Orange County Coastkeeper
Sunrise Movement Orange County
Grassroots and Community-Based Organizations
Community Action Partnership of Orange County
Family Assistance Ministries
Jamboree Housing
Latino Health Access
Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA)
Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD)
Orange County United Way
THRIVE Santa Ana
The Kennedy Commission
The Cambodian Family
Government Agencies
First 5 Orange County
League of CA Cities: OC Division
Orange Workforce Association
Southern California Association of Governments
Labor Organizations
Boilermakers Local 92
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 947
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 441
Iron Workers Local 416
Iron Workers Local 433
LA/OC Building and Construction Trades
OC Labor Federation
Plumbers & Steamfitters, Local 582
Sheet Metal Worker Local 105
UA Local Union 250
UNITE HERE Local 11
Philanthropy
Charitable Ventures
Orange County Community Foundation
Orange County Grantmakers
Workforce
Chrysalis
Goodwill Orange County
Hope Builders
Hospitality Training Academy
Orange County Conservation Corps
Vital Link
HRTC Meetings
The HRTC will meet regularly to meet the objectives of CERF.
All meetings are open to the public.
Meetings have a translated closed caption function to support non-English speakers. Click here to view the instructions on how to turn on this feature.
Stakeholder Meetings
The Stakeholder Meetings allow organizations and individuals to provide input into the CERF deliverables.
All meetings are open to the public.
Regional Plan Part 1
The first part of the regional plan presents the region’s stakeholders, assesses the factors affecting the region’s economic, environmental, and health conditions, and conducts detailed economic and workforce analyses. The intention is to ensure that the plans take a full account of the factors shaping economic development in the region before developing strategies for recovery and transition.
The draft Regional Plan for Part 1 can be found here.
Please send any comments or feedback on the draft regional plan to [email protected]
Stakeholder Group Meetings
Each stakeholder group (labor, community-based organizations, California Native American Tribes, etc.) will meet regularly with organizations similar to them to get broader input on how this grant could be most helpful for the region.
All meetings are open to the public.
Outreach and Engagement
A critical part of the CERF planning process is engaging and hearing from Orange County’s disinvested communities. Orange County’s disinvested communities will be the target for strategies and programs that come from this planning process. Community-based organizations and regional stakeholders will work together to reach Orange County’s disinvested communities and do a community needs assessment.
Complete the following survey to provide your thoughts on how Orange County can support an economy that has good paying and accessible jobs, in industries that are resilient and environmentally sustainable.
Stakeholder Mapping
A requirement of the CERF planning grant is to complete a snapshot of the historically active stakeholders in Orange County that can be part of creating a High Road Economy and/or benefit from it. A High Road Economy is one that achieves economic growth, economic equity, shared prosperity and a clean environment. If you or an organization you know contributes or could benefit from a High Road Economy, please complete the following survey here or email [email protected] with the subject line “STAKEHOLDER MAPPING.”
Outreach and Engagement
A critical part of the CERF planning process is engaging and hearing from Orange County’s disinvested communities. Orange County’s disinvested communities will be the target for strategies and programs that come from this planning process. Community-based organizations and regional stakeholders will work together to reach Orange County’s disinvested communities and do a community needs assessment.
Complete the following survey to provide your thoughts on how Orange County can support an economy that has good paying and accessible jobs, in industries that are resilient and environmentally sustainable.
Disinvested Communities
Investments that benefit disinvested communities will be a priority for proposed projects in the Implementation Phase. CERF defines ‘disinvested communities’ as any of the following:
- Census tracts identified as ‘disadvantaged’ by the California Environmental Protection Agency.
- Census tracts with median household incomes at or below 80 percent of the statewide median income or with the median household incomes at or below the threshold designated as low income by the Department of Housing and Community Development’s list of state income limits adopted pursuant to Section 50093 of the California Health and Safety Code.
- ‘High poverty area’ and ‘High unemployment area’ as designated by the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development California Competes Tax Credit Program.
- California Native American Tribes as defined by the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) Tribal Consultation Policy.
To see which Orange County census tracts that are defined as disinvested, utilize the map below and access a full data portal with our ArcGIS Hub.
Past Meeting Presentations and Recaps
California Native American Tribes
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
Economic Development Agencies
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
Education And Training Providers
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
North Orange County Community College District and Irvine Valley College.
Recording of Meeting
Environmental Justice Organizations
Agenda
Climate Action Campaign
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
Grassroots And Community-Based Organizations, Community Organizers, And Disinvested Community Members
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
Government Agencies
AgendaDate
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
HRTC Meetings
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
A calendar of tentatively scheduled HRTC meetings can be found here.All meetings are open to the public.
Labor Organizations
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
Philanthropic Organizations
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
Stakeholder Meetings
Each stakeholder group (labor, community-based organizations, California Native American Tribes, etc.) will meet regularly with organizations similar to them to get broader input on how this grant could be most helpful for the region.
A calendar of Stakeholder Group meetings can be found here. All meetings are open to the public.
Workforce Entities
Agenda
Date
Meeting Transcription
Notes and Outcomes
Recording of Meeting
For further questions or comments about the CERF process in Orange County, please contact [email protected]
Past Meeting Presentations and Recaps
HRTC Meetings
September 8, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
July 28, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
June 30, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
May 26, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
May 12, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
April 28, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
April 14, 2023
Agenda
Meeting Notes – English
Meeting Notes – Spanish
Meeting Notes – Vietnamese
Recording of Meeting
Stakeholder Meetings
California Native American Tribes
Date
Meeting Transcription
Recording of Meeting
Meeting Transcription
Recording of Meeting
Education and Training Providers
Date
Meeting Transcription
Recording of Meeting
Meeting Transcription
Recording of Meeting
Grassroots And Community-Based Organizations, Community Organizers, And Disinvested Community Members
July 10, 2023
Meeting Notes
Meeting Notes
Labor Organizations
Date
Meeting Transcription
Recording of Meeting
Meeting Transcription
Recording of Meeting
For further questions or comments about the CERF process in Orange County, please contact [email protected]
