CJF Los Angeles Collaborative Transition 101: Understanding Our Path Forward

2025- 2026

Key Milestones & Wins

Planning Phase

• $5M awarded to develop LA County’s 10-year regional economic roadmap in partnership with the community.
• Bottom-up approach: $2.2M invested across 110 partner organizations to gather feedback, data, and lived experience.
• Seven priority industry sectors identified to drive inclusive growth and job creation.
• Regional Plans federally recognized as Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS).

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State Economic Blueprint

• 10-year state roadmap guiding investments and workforce strategies under California Jobs First.
• Built from 13 regional plans for a bottom-up approach.
• Focuses on key sectors: manufacturing, life sciences, clean economy, aerospace & defense, working lands, etc. .
• Categories: Strengthen, Accelerate, Bet, Anchor.

The Playbook

• Companion to the Blueprint that turns vision into action.
• Guides regions on project development, funding alignment, and investment readiness.
• Helps unlock public and private investment and build infrastructure for growth.

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Wildfire & Resilience Fund

$3 Million awarded to the California Jobs First – Los Angeles County Collaborative to support recovery and resilience efforts following the January 2025 Altadena/Pasadena and Pacific Palisades wildfires.

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Strengthens business recovery, community resilience, and regional preparedness through:

• Business resource center pop-ups
• Business recovery and technical support
• Grant writing assistance
• Outreach and engagement
• Impact analysis
• LA is Open for Business campaign�

Partners: LAEDC, CCF, LA County DEO, City of Los Angeles, GO-Biz, and multiple regional collaborators.

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Catalyst

$14 million awarded to catalyze a regional portfolio of projects that align with our priority industry sectors and identified regional strategies.

• $9 million dedicated to advancing 26 sector-specific pre-development projects
• Development of Five (5 year) Activation Plans in Priority Industry Sectors: A&D, Bioscience, Clean Energy, T&L, Video Production & Distribution (Healthcare and Construction)

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Implementation

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• Helped secure $24M for LA County Bioscience Industry Initiative in Round 1; Round 2 in progress
• Assisted two Tribal-serving organizations in securing $1.7M in Tribal Implementation funding

Where We Are Today

Key Challenges

• No additional funding or legislation currently exists to extend California Jobs First Regions beyond the grant period ending September 2026.
• The current structure under the Steering Committee has fulfilled its role in delivering the Planning Phase and Catalyst Awards; a new focus is now required.

State Guidance

• GO-Biz has requested that all 13 regions begin governance transitions
• State is working to institutionalize CJF at a state level, but there is ambiguity regarding the path forward
• Transitioning the Steering Committee to a new structure will ensure the LA Collaborative is ready to adapt incoming changes

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Institutionalizing California Jobs First at a Regional Level

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Developing a Transition Framework with the

Steering Committee

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• The Steering Committee has now completed its work for the Planning and Catalyst Phases. As we shift toward long-term sustainability and institutionalization, a new structure is needed to guide this next stage. Through leadership planning sessions and four full Steering Committee discussions, the Committee has provided clear direction for this transition.
• Surveys, written feedback, Mentimeter input, and iterative drafts to build consensus
• Aligned with state guidance while reflecting LA County’s scale and complexity
• SC directed a shift to a multi-tier structure, broader engagement, a fiscal sponsor, and a transition body to build CJF’s long-term institutional framework.

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How We Engaged the Steering Committee

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• Planning + Catalyst phases are ending; implementation and sustainability requires stability
• Ensures continuity as funding cycles evolve and the program sunsets
• Prevents gaps in leadership, governance, and institutional memory
• Provides clear structure for 800+ partners as we shift into long-term implementation
• Positions LA County to institutionalize CJF beyond 2026

Why We Need a Transition Framework

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New Structure

TIER 1

ISAC CORE GROUP

TIER 2

ISAC WORKING GROUPS

TIER 3

CJF COLLABORATIVE

Investment & Sustainability Advisory Committee

Intermediary Transition group | 15 members

Funding, Sustainability & Partnerships

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Policy & Advocacy

Building Regional Industry Momentum (BRIM)

(5 Industry Sector working groups:

1. Aerospace & Defense 2. Transportation & Logistics 3. Clean Energy 4. Bioscience 5. Video Production & Distribution)

Working Group 1

Working Group 2

Work Group 3

The Transition Plan :

A Tiered Participation Structure

TIER 1

ISAC CORE GROUP

Regional Integration Cluster (5 members)

1 rep per Supervisorial District

SD 1

SD 2

SD 3

SD 4

SD 5

Regional Prosperity

Workers & Labor

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Inclusive Growth

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Sustain-

ability

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Industry Seat

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K-16 CJF Partner

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Pillar Alignment Cluster (7 members)

Seats align with CJF pillars + one Cross-Sector - K-16 Seat

Innovation & Investment

Governance & Institutional Design

Comms & Engagement

Functional Operations Cluster (3 members)

Workforce Mobility

Cluster Model - 15 members

Working Group 3

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Primary Deliverables

Policy, Advocacy & Impact Playbook

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TIER 2: ISAC WORKING GROUPS

Funding, Sustainability & Partnerships

Policy & Advocacy

BRIM Industry Sectors

(5 working groups)

Working Group 1

Working Group 2

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Primary Deliverables Sustainability & Partnership Toolkit

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Primary Deliverables

Sector Implementation & Partnership Framework

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Primary Deliverables Informed by Working Group Outputs

Legacy Blueprint and Transition Report (Final Deliverable – August 2026)

• Governance Framework and Decision Matrix
• Regional Investment and Sustainability Blueprint
• Communications, Branding & Storytelling Strategy

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How are deliverables being achieved?

Working Groups produce the foundational materials and recommendations. These outputs feed into the ISAC Core Group, which synthesizes them into the final Legacy Blueprint & Transition Report.

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TIER 1: ISAC CORE GROUP

Deliverables (6-7 months)

Quarterly meetings (per sector).

Monthly 1-hour meetings

Monthly 1-hour meetings

Monthly 2-hour meetings

ISAC Elections

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• Countywide Focus & Reach�Demonstrates a regional perspective and history of advancing geographic equity across subregions.
• Partnerships & Collaboration�Maintains strong cross-sector partnerships and a track record of inclusive economic and workforce collaboration.
• Capacity & Commitment�Has the staff, resources, and readiness to actively support ISAC transition and working group efforts.

CRITERIA

ISAC Core Group Membership Criteria & Application

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Only the 15-member ISAC Core Group requires a formal election. All three Working Groups remain open and accessible through a simple sign-up form.

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• Open to onboarded CJF Collaborative members only. Each organization may submit one nominated applicant.
• Applicants complete a standard form responding to criteria-based questions and indicate:
• The cluster they wish to run for (Regional, Pillar, or Functional)
• The specific seat within that cluster (e.g., SD1, Workforce Mobility, Communications)
• Applicants may apply for one seat per cluster, with a maximum of two clusters (two seats total).

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APPLICATION

Participant Expectations

• Actively participate in scheduled ISAC Committee meetings and assigned cluster or working group sessions.
• Contribute expertise, regional knowledge, and collaborative input to guide investment priorities and governance design.
• Commit to the full term of service through August 2026, supporting the transition to a sustainable regional governance model.

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Per Diem

To recognize the time and effort of ISAC Committee members, a per diem of $100 per meeting will be provided, up to a maximum of $1,600 per ISAC Committee member for the full term. Per diem payments will be issued at the conclusion of service (August 2026) upon submission of participation logs and required documentation.

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ISAC Participant Expectations & Recognition

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To ensure broad representation, elections will occur in two phases:

• Phase 1: Regional Cluster (5 seats)�Ballot #1 lists all Regional candidates. Voters cast up to five votes (one per Supervisorial District). Top vote-getters fill each seat.
• Phase 2: Pillar & Functional Clusters (9 seats)�Ballot #2 includes all Pillar (6) and Functional (3) candidates. Voters cast up to ten votes (one per seat). Candidates from Phase 1 may also appear if they selected those seats on their application. The K–16 Cross-Sector Seat is not up for election; it is reserved for our CJF counterpart and regional convener, UNITE-LA.

ISAC Core Group: TWO-PHASE ELECTION

• Only onboarded CJF Collaborative members may vote (one vote per organization).
• Voting will be electronic via a secure ballots, with candidate applications available for review.
• Seats are filled by simple majority, and results will be posted publicly to the CJF LA Collaborative network.

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VOTING METHOD

Transition Timeline: Recruitment Phase

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Goal: Plan a smooth and transparent transition from the current CJF Steering Committee to the new Investment & Sustainability Advisory Committee (ISAC) and Working Groups, with full implementation beginning early 2026.

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NOVEMBER 19

EARLY DECEMBER

ISAC Core Group Application Period Opens

�Call for nominations opens for 14 seats of the ISAC Core Group for onboarded LA Collaborative members

Working Group Interest Form Opens

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Working Group sign-up process will open; no formal election/selection process will take place.

DECEMBER 19

ISAC Core Group Application Period

CLOSES

Nominations for all 14 seats of the ISAC Core Group closes

RECRUITMENT

Transition Timeline: Two-Phase Election Process

JANUARY 5

JANUARY 9

JANUARY 16

Election Phase 1: Voting Begins for ISAC Regional Integration Cluster

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LA Collaborative casts votes for 5 Regional Integration Cluster seats, each representing a Supervisorial District

Election Phase 1: Voting Ends for ISAC Regional Integration Cluster

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The voting period for the Regional Integration Cluster ends, and the winners of each seat are announced

JANUARY 12

Election Phase 2: Voting Begins for ISAC Pillar and Functional Clusters

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LA Collaborative casts votes for 6 Pillar Alignment Cluster seats and 3 Functional Operations seats, 9 total

Election Phase 2: Voting Ends for ISAC Pillar and Functional Clusters

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The voting period for the Pillar Alignment and Functional Operations Clusters ends, and the winners are announced

JANUARY 26-30

Orientation & Kickoff

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Onboarding session, role orientation, Chair selection and first ISAC Core convening takes place during this week.

Working Groups will begin convening in February.

ELECTION PHASE 1

ELECTION PHASE 2

KICK-OFF

Information Sessions

Information Sessions for the CJF Transition Plan

Purpose of the Webinars

• Overview of the new CJF ISAC
• Walkthrough of the transition process and opportunities
• Q&A on roles, timelines, expectations, and compensation
• Ensuring broad access to information while the application is live

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ISAC Information Sessions

📅 Tuesday, November 25, 2025 — 12:00 PM (PT)�📅 Tuesday, December 9, 2025 — 12:00 PM (PT)

Both sessions will cover the same material.

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How to Participate

• Join via Zoom using the registration links provided
• Submit questions in advance or ask live during the session
• Open to all CJF Collaborative partners�

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Submit before the deadline

Friday, December 19th�

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Apply Now!

https://tinyurl.com/CJFISAC

Q&A