Stanislaus County leaders’ 2030 plan calls for new manufacturing industries, better jobs
A group of 200-plus residents and civic, political and business leaders have published a plan for Stanislaus County that they say will catalyze the economy and help more residents prosper financially.
The plan, known as the Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint, is no small matter. It’s the culmination of a year’s work and calls for a $75.8 million initial investment, most of which will go toward kick-starting a new kind of industrial economy in the region.
The proposed investments include $8.05 million for entrepreneurship and small businesses, $6.6 million for training and support services for workers, and $57.6 million – the lion’s share of the money – toward an “emerging sector” known as bioindustrial manufacturing.
Bioindustrial manufacturing focuses on turning feedstock including almond hulls, sugar beets, corn and soy into energy, alternative plastics, plant-based proteins and even raw materials like cement.
According to the 2030 plan, Stanislaus County is the perfect fit for this emerging industry that combines agriculture, manufacturing and technology.
“Stanislaus and Merced are the only two counties in the United States that offer the combination of extraordinarily large, diverse agricultural production and a high concentration of manufacturing activity within a close driving distance of a superstar tech city,” the plan explains.
The goal is that these investments in small businesses, job training and bioindustrial manufacturing will move the region’s workers into better, higher-paying jobs.
Currently, the plan notes, just 13% of Stanislaus County jobs, or 24,000 positions, are considered “good jobs,” which are defined as ones that offer a sufficient annual wage, employer-sponsored benefits and a long-term pathway to success. To reach the plan’s vision of economic growth and prosperity by 2030, the region will need to create “more than 40,000 ‘good jobs’ than currently exist.”
Now that the plan is published, civic, business and political leaders are turning more attention to the plan’s price tag.
“It happens to be that we would have started this effort with no money in the bank for it prior to COVID, but with COVID (relief money), we received large funding from the federal government,” Stanislaus County CEO Jody Hayes said in a meeting Wednesday with The Bee.
The county Board of Supervisors has set aside roughly $30 million of its federal COVID relief funds for Stanislaus 2030. That’s just under a third of the total $107 million allocated to Stanislaus County through the American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress last spring. The Board of Supervisors already has dedicated $50 million toward improving sidewalks, sewers, water and other infrastructure in unincorporated parts of the county including Bret Harte and Parklawn.
Hayes said the $30 million investment will be like a “catapult,” attracting other state, federal and philanthropic dollars to come to the table.
Marian Kaanon, CEO of the Stanislaus Community Foundation, sees the money as just one part of a broader goal. To her, the Stanislaus 2030 plan is about charting a shared vision for the region.
“It’s all about being proactive,” she said. “Instead of waiting for companies like Amazon to come to us, this is about us saying, ‘This is what our future industry is, and we’re gonna go out there and find those companies.’”
This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 1:07 PM.
