Politics & Government

County Partnership Could Create More Than 800 Jobs

A partnership between Alameda County, the Contra Costa Economic Partnership, and Joint Venture Silicon Valley is gaining traction.

Written by Vanessa Castañeda 

Alameda County announced that it is creating jobs in the renewable energy sector and answering President Obama’s call to shift away from dirty energy sources. 

The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions emanating from community center, libraries, fire stations, and other areas of civic importance in the Bay Area, according to an Alameda County spokesperson. 

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Supervisor Keith Carson is pleased with what has been dubbed the “Renewable Energy Procurement Project.” 

“Under Alameda County’s leadership, this collaboration will save participating agencies administrative costs and the large-scale purchase will lower pricing for those agencies,” Carson said.  “We are also excited that this project is expected to create hundreds of well-paying jobs for workers in Alameda County and neighboring counties.”

Alameda County is working with Joint Venture Silicon Valley and the Contra Costa Economic Partnership to bring renewable energy to communities. This initiative echoes a growing concern throughout the United States about the “clean” energy industry. In January 2010 President Obama encouraged Americans to start using be more thoughtful about their energy consumption and use more from solar, wine, and geothermal sources. 

Alameda County and its partners have identified about 187 community spaces that could be powered by renewable energy.  County officials say that if all the sites are developed they could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the amount that is normally emitted from about 6,300 homes in a year. 

Susan S. Muranishi, Alameda County Administrator, lauded the initiative, saying that it would be a good use of tax payers’ money.

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“This outstanding collaboration highlights several of our priorities here in Alameda County, including sustainability and green energy production, as well as productive partnerships that enable us to maximize the return on the tax dollars we invest,’’ Muranishi said. 

An analysis of the projects declared that this initiative could create 839 jobs in the Bay Area, which could be a boon for the local labor market.

This could create 672 jobs in Alameda County, according to Aki Nakao, Director of General Services Agency for Alameda County.  

Alameda County, the lead agency on this project, released Requests for Proposals on Friday, which describe the projects, as well as what kinds of contractors will get hired to complete them. County officials say the bids must contain a pledge to hire 40 percent of employees from the local labor force. 

To discover the contracting opportunities, visit this web page.  


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