YREKA – Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Jobs First initiative continues to spur new business innovation throughout the Golden State with the grand opening of Yreka Carnegie, a once-shuttered historic building that has been transformed into a rural hub for business innovation, entrepreneurship and community connection serving Siskiyou County and California's North State. The project was backed by $3.65 million in state funding, comprised of $2.15 million from the Regional Investment Initiative, the state’s flagship Jobs First program that is driving a new approach to local economic development, and $1.5 million from the California Strategic Growth Council’s (SGC) Regional Climate Collaboratives Program.

The California Jobs First funding, which was a part of the Regional Investment Initiative's economic development pilot project phase, went toward final construction costs to rehabilitate the Carnegie building. The renovated building will be a space for agriculture, outdoor recreation tourism, and wood sectors to develop new products, create high-road jobs, cross-collaborate, and develop climate resiliency practices.(Photo source: Governor’s Press Office)