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Partnership with public and private sectors to generate jobs
Feb 5, 03:35 PM

OAKLAND – During an annual business luncheon presented by the six Chambers of Commerce of Oakland and the Clorox Company, Mayor Ron Dellums unveiled the City of Oakland’s “Putting Oaklanders to Work” strategies, which will help generate more than 5,000 jobs over the next three years.

Mayor Dellums then issued a call to action to the business community to take full advantage of available resources to hire Oakland residents.

“The City of Oakland and all our partners on stimulus planning efforts have been working hard to create and retain immediate jobs for Oakland residents and solve problems in the areas of public safety, community and public infrastructure, economic development, social services, and the environment. These projects alone will generate over 5,000 jobs in the next three years,” said Mayor Dellums.

As part of the federal stimulus efforts, the City of Oakland has been working with other public agencies, including: the Oakland Unified School District, Oakland Housing Authority, Port of Oakland, Bay Area Rapid Transit; private employers, labor groups, and job training groups like Cypress Mandela, Oakland PIC, Laney College and others who have committed to facilitating employment opportunities for Oakland residents. The city’s collaborative stimulus efforts, including the partnership with the aforementioned agencies, have resulted in approximately $190 million in federal stimulus funds and created opportunities for significant job generation.

“In a time of unprecedented economic downturn, we must continue to work collaboratively to ensure that the rebuilding of our local and regional economic base benefits all Oakland residents,” said Dellums. “We are asking employers to step up, hire Oakland residents and invest in a sustainable economic and workforce development future.”

Key resources are available for employers to hire new employees, including tax credit programs, as well as new opportunities created by federal stimulus funds. Through a “Stimulus Wage Subsidy for Employers,” operated by Alameda County called “AC Hires”, employers can be reimbursed 80 percent of the eligible employee’s wages. The program is currently available until September 30, 2010.
The city is partnering with Alameda County, the Oakland PIC and other partners to create a streamlined process for employers including access to other employer incentives.

These efforts build on the prior efforts of the Oakland Partnership, which led a sector-based approach to both economic and workforce development. Recent employment data shows that while the Bay Area and the East Bay lost jobs from 2007 to 2009, Oakland experienced a 2.8 percent job growth, predominately in the Oakland Partnership’s supported sectors of green technology, trade and logistics, arts and culture, and healthcare.

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