COMMUNITY ECONOMIC RESILIENCE FUND (CERF)

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.

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:

VIEW THE PROPOSAL
A summary of the proposal can be found here:
VIEW THE SUMMARY IN ENGLISHVIEW THE SUMMARY IN SPANISHVIEW THE SUMMARY IN VIETNAMESEVIEW THE SUMMARY IN ARABICVIEW THE SUMMARY IN CHINESEVIEW THE SUMMARY IN KOREAN

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.

Next HRTC Meeting:

Date: October 6, 2023
Time: 8:30 am
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Stakeholder Meetings

The Stakeholder Meetings allow organizations and individuals to provide input into the CERF deliverables.

All meetings are open to the public.

Calendar of Events
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]

View Executive Summary in EnglishView Executive Summary in SpanishView Executive Summary in VietnameseView Research Highlights in EnglishView Research Highlights in SpanishView Research Highlights in Vietnamese
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.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - COMING SOON
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.

Take Survey
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.”

TAKE SURVEY in englishTAKE SURVEY in SpanishTAKE SURVEY in Vietnamese
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.

Take Survey
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

Stakeholder Meetings

For further questions or comments about the CERF process in Orange County, please contact [email protected]