One day after the Solano County Board of Supervisors voted to delay any endorsement of proposed legislation aimed at streamlining California Forever’s plans to bring maritime industry to the Collinsville area, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Assemblymember Lori Wilson were in the county touting a different piece of the region’s maritime future.
Newsom joined local leaders and representatives of Cal Poly Maritime Academy on Wednesday at Mare Island to announce $8.2 million in state funding which they say will strengthen the Bay Area’s shipbuilding industry, including workforce development, innovation, curriculum improvements and coordination among businesses and other partners.
The funding is part of a larger $48.5 million California Jobs First investment announced by Newsom to support 18 projects across eight economic regions. The state said the investments are expected to support the creation of 20,000 direct and indirect jobs.
“Today we celebrate an investment that represents more than dollars and cents. It’s an investment in jobs, innovation, education, workforce development and the future of California’s maritime economy,” Wilson said. Noting Mare Island’s storied history of shipbuilding, she said the investment is “not just to honor legacy but to build on it.”
The $8.236 million awarded to the Bay Area Region is specifically targeted at the region’s shipbuilding network, the Governor’s office said in a press release. According to the state, the funding will support innovation, expand workforce development and curriculum, and improve coordination across the industry.
“Vallejo’s Mare Island built the U.S. Pacific Fleet and provided generations of middle-class jobs for the Solano community,” said state Sen. Christopher Cabaldon in a media statement. “Today’s announcement will position Mare Island to do it again. This investment doesn’t just honor the past. It puts real resources to work for Mare Island’s future and the future prosperity of Solano County. I thank the governor for providing resources to bring shipbuilding back to a proud and patriotic city where it all began.”
The announcement on Mare Island came as the future of maritime development in Solano County remains a subject of debate.
On Tuesday, supervisors put off taking a position on proposed legislation related to California Forever’s plans for a new community and economic development in the Collinsville area. The legislation is intended to streamline efforts to establish maritime-related industry in the area.
Wednesday’s announcement placed Mare Island at the center of the state’s broader effort to expand shipbuilding and related industries. The California Jobs First Regional Investment Initiative has spent more than four years developing regional plans focused on local economic strengths, workforce needs and opportunities for investment.
For Solano County, the timing puts two separate efforts involving the region’s maritime potential in sharp relief: the state’s investment in the established Mare Island shipbuilding network and the ongoing debate over plans for maritime development farther east in the county.