The Long Beach Climate Action and Environmental Committee will be tasked with creating a $5 million Long Beach Youth Climate Corps program after unanimous approval by the city council Tuesday.
As part of this year’s State budget, $150 million was set aside to support youth workforce job programs in California’s 13 largest cities (Long Beach is the seventh largest by population).
The City of Long Beach is expected to receive $6.3 million, most of which will go towards the proposed Youth Climate Corps. The additional $1.3 million will be spent on administration and strengthening existing workforce programs, Mayor Robert Garcia said.
The Coalition of Big City Mayors, which advocated for the funding, has decided to spend the workforce funds on climate-focused job programs, Garcia said.
“As mayors, we came together and made the decision that we wanted to fund […] Youth Climate Corps up and down the State of California,” he said. “These would be workforce development programs for youth employment, youth careers in climate service.”
The Climate Action and Environmental Committee, which gives recommendations to the council, is tasked with soliciting public input on the program. Their proposal will come back to the council at a later date.
“The climate crisis can be tackled by the leadership of our future generations of our young people, so this funding is just tremendous and transformative for our entire community,” said Councilmember Cindy Allen, who chairs the Climate Action and Environmental Committee.
Many council members expressed interest in integrating the Conservation Corps of Long Beach (CCLB) into the plan. The CCLB provides job training to at-risk youth and is geared towards climate, conservation and environmental stewardship.
“We want to engage as many young folks as we can within Long Beach,” said Daniel Knapp, executive director of the CCLB. He suggested creating numerous corps teams in Long Beach to work on district-specific climate projects.
The Youth Climate Corps may mesh with potential funding from a Senate item, Revive the CCC Act, which proposes a “revitalization” of the 1930’s-era Civilian Conservation Corps—a work relief program that employed millions on environmental projects during the Great Depression. The item is currently in the Senate Committee on Finance and has not yet been approved.
“Having a longer term plan for the work ahead will better position us to receive major funding from the federal government,” said Kenny Allen, a member of the climate advocacy group Sunrise Movement. “My generation is ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work building a world beyond fossil fuel.”
