Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Open Board of Directors Meeting
San Bernardino Community College District
114 S. Del Rosa Drive San Bernardino, CA 92408
Minutes
Present: Pete Aguilar, Dimitrios Alexiou, Don Averill, Peter Barmack, Carole Beswick, Tom Brickley, Erin Brinker, Ann Bryan, Bill Easley, Richard Hart, Fran Inman, Mark Kaenel, Bill Lemann, Neil Macready, John Mirau, Lou Monville, Charlie Ng, Bev Powell, Ty Schuiling, Kristine Scott, Larry Sharp, Shelli Stockton, Robert Visconti, Steve von Rajcs, Phil Waller, Stan Weisser and AJ Wilson.
Guests: Robbie Broedow, LaRonda Fisher, Carrie Gilbreth, Paul Granillo, Pam Langford, John Mira, Mayor Pat Morris, Vicky Ostermann, and Kip Sturgeon
Announcements: 1) Appreciation was expressed to those members that have volunteered to sponsor the annual dinner in Washington, D.C. 2) The next two Inland Action meetings will be focused on the Washington, D.C. trip. All trip participants are requested to attend. 3) There will be a two-County Regional Economic Forum on March 21, 2012 from 8-1p.m. The Forum will be held at the University of Redlands. The information from this and other regional forums in the state will be presented to the legislature and the Governor at an Economic Summit to be held on May 11, 2012 in San Jose.
M/S/P: Minutes of the January 24, 2012 meeting
Bill Easley introduced Jamil Dada, Chairman of the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) in Washington, D.C. and member of the California Workforce Investment Board.
The Workforce Investment Board was established by Executive Order in response to the mandate of the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. They are funded through congress to local investment boards. There are 550 Investment Boards in the U.S. with a $4 billion budget.
Jamil is the Chairman of the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) in Washington, D.C. The NAWB is the voice of and advocates for our nation’s 550 local Workforce Investment Boards. Jamil also continues (since his appointment by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) to serve on the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) that advises the Governor on jobs and economic development issues.
The Workforce Investment Board goals are to help local businesses and residents by providing referrals to employment opportunities and training/education. They are by design led by local business so they can serve the employment needs of their respective areas. They have local One-Stop Career Centers that provide these referrals to thousands of residents. Statistics have proven that these centers have been successful. The comprehensive One-Stop Career Centers in our area are in Riverside and San Bernardino. They provide many services including employment representatives, phones, free internet & resume writer access with on-site computers, along with a full range of jobseeker and employer services. They have been an integral part of recruiting new business like Kohl’s to our area as they were are able to address and respond to their employment and training needs. Last year (assisted by federal stimulus funds) 2,000 kids in San Bernardino were placed in summer jobs and 15% of them remain working today.
The funding formula for the nation’s Workforce Investment Boards is based on population and unemployment. The Department of Labor then allocates 85% of the deemed funds to the Board and the remaining 15% to the Governor. Each of the 35-40 member Boards consist of business representatives (83%), organized labor (15%), community based representatives (1%) and educational representatives (1%). The program is overdue for renovation and reshaping to remove waste and to better address current needs but the Workforce Investment Board program is in jeopardy of severe cuts that could potentially eliminate their successful One-Stop Centers. There are three bills pending in Congress, with Congressman Buck McKeon having the most comprehensive bill that will keep local business in control and address the need for measurable outcomes and accountability.
Support for the Workforce Investment Board was requested of Inland Action.
Jamil expressed great concern over the potential planned move of the Air Force’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing from their current home at March AFB to Syracuse, N.Y. This unnecessary move would substantially reduce their practice and flying time, as the weather is far more favorable in southern California, in addition to jeopardizing the jobs of over 800 employees providing many services, including a school at the March ARB. Support for the 163rd to remain in California was requested.
A Q & A period followed
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.