Asm. Autumn Burke Advances the Aerospace Jobs Act

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood), advanced AB 3197 today through the Assembly Revenue & Taxation committee which extends existing state law to support investments in our state's aerospace industry. The existing state law was enacted in 2014 with overwhelming bipartisan support. As a result, California has been the beneficiary of exponential growth in the aerospace industry.

"Space exploration, until very recently, was an entirely government-run industry.  However, in recent years, California has seen the emergence of private space companies that put our state at the forefront of innovation and exploration," said Burke.  "I want to make sure that more good paying jobs are created in California and local communities in my district receive the substantial economic benefits from the growth of the Aerospace industry," continued Burke.  California's aerospace business has become increasingly diverse with large programs including space launch providers, satellite makers and unmanned aircraft systems producers expanding in the state.

In Southern California alone, the private aerospace industry represents 90,100 jobs – a number that rises to more than 100,000 jobs when Southern California's public employees at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA and others are included. SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, has continued to grow its operations both in Hawthorne and at its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base. In 2014, SpaceX had 2,900 California based employees – and today their workforce has grown to more than 6,000, with the majority of those employees based in California. According to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, aerospace industry workers are among the highest paid in the Southern California regional economy. Average wages are $106,200 per year – nearly double the average paid for other industries.

AB 3197 provides certainty to a rapidly evolving industry while ensuring that California's space innovators expand and prosper in the state. The bill is supported by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, and the South Bay Workforce Investment Board among others.

SOURCE California State Assemblymember, Autumn Burke

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www.asm.ca.gov