San Francisco Bay Area Stimulus Projects

The East Bay has worked with a number of groups and programs to respond to the recession and the ARRA funding opportunities, beginning with the Bay Area Recovery Plan that was designed to identify and prioritize a wide variety of  projects in the East Bay and Bay Area that was submitted to the State in 2009.

Stimulus Bond Financing

More recently, the East Bay EDA has provided support to East Bay counties and cities that received ARRA Stimulus Recovery Zone Facility Bond information.  This page provides more information on the tax-exempt bonds (structured much like Industrial Development Bonds, but with very little restriction on users or use  of).  

Trade Adjustment Act Grants - the NUMMI Plant Closure

The March 2010 closure of the 370-acre, 5.5 million square foot NUMMI plant in Fremont will deliver another blow to the East Bay’s struggling economy when 4,700 people (2,600 that live in the East Bay) lose their jobs - jobs that will be almost impossible to replace with the same number, wages and benefits.  The NUMMI job loss alone will reduce East Bay’s 89,900 manufacturing by 5.2%, and the multiplier impact on East Bay employment will likely reduce it by another 1.1%.  An estimated 24,600 people in the Bay Area and 13,216 people in the East Bay will lose their jobs - based on a Direct Employment Multiplier of automobile and light truck manufacturing in the East Bay of 5.2358.  (click here for more information on the closure & responses)

 The best chance and perhaps only real chance there is to replace those jobs is to get another large (probably automobile) manufacturer into that facility, but for that to have any chance of happening, the State of California will need to enact substantial changes in their business and provide some specific incentives to the automotive and/or green/alternative energy industries.

However, the East Bay EDA and its members cities, every department of the State of California and the primary resource departments of the Federal government are meeting to try and make reuse by a similar manufacturer possible.

Downsized Businesses/Employees Resources

The people who lose their jobs will require a significant increase in unemployment services, counseling, workforce training and many will require retraining, going back to college. Resources and assistance teams are already being put in place, and the best place to start for those who live in Alameda County is the One Stop Center/a>, - another resource is the East Bay Works who along with the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board's program or the Contra Costa County at their WIB have teams and/or are members of the CA Rapid Response teams that any business that is downsizing - or any employee that is also getting smaller (pocket books anyway) - should contact.  

Some downsized people will consider starting their own business and they should be sure to check out the programs and resources available, particularly from the Contra Costa or the Alameda County Small Business Development Centers for absolutely essential information.  Losing your job at this time is bad enough, losing all your savings - and those of s sympathetic family or friends - would be even worse.

Business Needs and Resources Assessment, Evaluation, Development and Delivery Strategy

Addressing these issues requires a re-evaluation and assessment of what the NUMMI businesses/suppliers and perhaps even more importantly, what our best potential job creators need; a reassessment/realignment of every resource and delivery program throughout the region; the development of a new, comprehensive, well coordinated, business development program; with the involvement and guidance of businesses, private sector business service providers and every type of non-profit and public resource program available.  Existing programs will need to be expanded, under-utilized ones re-targeted, new ones developed and a comprehensive service delivery system designed, coordinated and enhanced.

The first step is the identification business "groups" that are in the best position to create good-paying jobs needed.  To create a large numbers of jobs as quickly as possible, we need a number of businesses that share needs and/or opportunities. And the resource organizations (which have almost all undergone budget cuts themselves), need to deliver to groups as well, to be cost effective and reach more business.

Included in the groups will of course be NUMMI suppliers, and Manex - a non-profit consulting service (with funding assistance from the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board) is already working with them to assess alternate markets, cost cutting strategies, increasing productivity and accessing the resources needed to help the business and its employees to meet this incredible challenge.

But other groups have yet to be identified that might include fast-growing Gazelles; businesses in high-growth industries; those that are have a new product/technology that they are trying to manufacture in the US; others need assistance in moving from equity (credit cards, savings, family, angel investors or Venture Capital to SBA or bank financing; some still need equity - and lots of it provided by those Angel Investors or VC firms; or maybe they need help solving a technical/R&D problem, setting up a website, developing a better marketing strategy, operating more efficiently, etc.

Once the groups are identified, an assessment of what those businesses need and the groups and needs will have to be prioritized. Then we will review existing resources for a match, expanding some, enhancing or tweaking others, identifying new resources and funding sources that are needed, then improving the delivery and coordination of resources and the matching of targeted businesses and East Bay resources - the East Bay Virtual Incubator.

If this is a process that you are interested in and can contribute to, please contact Keith Sutton at the East Bay EDA - 510-272-3885 or email to Keith at eastbayeda.org

Stimulus Grants

If you are a business or organization helping them grow, the following is the best shot at funding for programs that will make a difference.  We want to take advantage of this opportunity and need to try and put together a coordinated grant application that addresses the wide variety of projects services and resource that are needed - and the funding thereof.  So if you are planning on submitting a grant application, please work with EDA staff to see if we can't incorporate it into a complementary, coordinated proposal instead of competing proposals.  

The United State Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) is the lead agency for Stimulus Package grant funds targeted to economic development projects under its $150 million American Recovery Act Program.

All other information and requirements for the EDA American Recovery Act Program may be found in the March 10, 2009 Federal Register notice (74 FR 10232) and the companion federal funding opportunity announcement on EDA's website at

 www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/FFON.xml . 

Federal Stimulus Informational Website Link

Department of Commerce 

Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

A BREAKDOWN OF THE FINAL STIMULUS BILL ALLOCATION  PDF