SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - On August 31, 2022, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced a new Space Industry Task Force, to be led by GO-Biz Director and Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom, Dee Dee Myers.  

The announcement first came from Governor Gavin Newsom at the August 29-30 All California Defense Leadership Summit, hosted by the Association of Defense Communities with the California Defense Communities Alliance and California Governor’s Military Council in Sacramento. There, more than 200 military, defense and community leaders and stakeholders throughout California gathered to share challenges and solutions to national security issues throughout the state. Key leaders at the event targeted opportunities to grow the space industrial sector in the state and discussed initiatives to enhance existing defense capabilities.

As a global leader in aerospace and advanced manufacturing, California will pursue opportunities to improve its position and harness future growth in the space industry, both commercial and military, with the formation of this new Task Force. Partnering with GO-Biz in this work will be leaders from the Governor’s Military Council, the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

“California is truly a star when it comes to aerospace. We have a long list of unique assets that make us the perfect home for this critical and exciting industry, and we are committed to taking the nation’s space program to the next frontier,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

California is already home to nearly one-third of all American space tech companies, and more than one in ten of those globally. In the last 11 years, California has attracted nearly half of the nation’s space tech investment capital. This year alone, California has brought in more than 85% of the total capital invested in United States, space-related companies.

“America’s best-trained and most-experienced aerospace and technology workforce lives and works here. In total, we are home to the nation’s largest concentration of military personnel. I know this task force will create amazing opportunities for all Californians,” said GO-Biz Director and Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom, Dee Dee Myers. “This industry provides more than 500,000 high-paying jobs and generates more than $66 billion in annual economic activity. That’s more than the agricultural and entertainment industries combined – and it generates more than $7 billion in state and local taxes.”

Director Myers, as the daughter of a Naval aviator, has experienced firsthand the sector’s deep roots in California and what it means for the state’s families and economy.

In partnering with the space industry, the Task Force will work to bring incredible opportunities to California, including:

Attracting and catalyzing new businesses, including international businesses; Expanding existing aerospace and space businesses; Growing California’s workforce and providing more well-paying jobs; Expanding research and development in aerospace and advanced manufacturing; Building more testing and launch capability; Working with California’s higher education system to create potential new career paths and fill the expanded need for skills such as quantum physics and AI; and, Creating new models for public/private cooperation, such as allowing private investments in Department of Defense infrastructure.

Additionally, California is proud to offer significant financial incentives to industry leaders. GO-Biz's signature investment program, CalCompetes, has awarded close to $200 million in tax credits and grants to aerospace companies since 2019.

With the state’s support, Relativity Space leased a former Boeing manufacturing facility in Long Beach and committed to creating over a thousand new jobs there and at their second launch site at Vandenberg. Their massive 1 million square foot Long Beach facility has the largest 3D printers in the world, which will produce the full-scale space technologies necessary to make a Mars mission possible. CalCompetes also provided Astra with the capital needed to expand both manufacturing and research-and-development capabilities at their facility in Alameda. 

The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts.  GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more.  For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.