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CA Fwd and California Stewardship Network integrating to power prosperity across state’s regions

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SACRAMENTO, CA. JUNE 11, 2019—California Forward (CA Fwd) announced today its integration with the California Stewardship Network (CSN), forming a single organization with the power to advocate for shared prosperity across all regions and improve government performance and accountability. This integration will be supported by two philanthropic organizations – the Morgan Family Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation – which have been bastions of California’s civic life and were instrumental in the creation and flourishing of CA Fwd and CSN.

“This dramatically strengthens the organization as the private sector voice in the state to support, promote and energize a regions-up economic policy that makes the California Dream accessible and affordable to Californians in every region of the state,” said CA Fwd Co-chair Pete Weber.

California’s high cost of living and dynamic economy are exacerbating economic hardship for many of our residents. Nearly half of California residents live in or near the poverty level.

“We believe in a California for all. The state’s extraordinary prosperity and opportunity must be available to everyone,” said Lenny Mendonca, chief economic and business advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). “This newly strengthened organization and its work on sustainable regional economic development can accelerate adoption of needed state policy and increase funding for projects that are working to increase economic mobility in our state.”

Making California work for everyone means having every part of the state thrive, from the coast to the inland areas. For over a decade, CSN has brought together regional steward leaders from organizations across the state. Through this integration and the combined effort of these partner organizations, the newly strengthened organization will have a deeper footprint in every corner of California.

“As regional leaders committed to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of our regions and our state we are very excited about this integration,” said Oscar Chavez, CSN co-chair. “This enhances our ability to recruit new steward leaders across California.”

CA Fwd and CSN have worked closely together since 2011, when CSN founder, former Senator Becky Morgan, proposed the two organizations co-host an annual California Economic Summit. The California Economic Summit is now the state’s largest bipartisan network of public, private and civic sector organizations. Since its launch in 2012, the Summit has attracted thousands of Californians interested in building an economy that can compete in the 21st century for the benefit all of state residents.

The Summit champions solutions that meet the triple bottom line—simultaneously growing the economy, improving environmental quality and increasing opportunity for all.

“Representing western Riverside County, I know well how many of the state’s economic regions have not fully participated in the economic recovery,” said Sabrina Cervantes, chair of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy. “To have a robust statewide organization fueled by regional thinking and making the case for what state policy needs to be adopted can only be a plus for the Governor and legislators committed to lifting more Californians into the middle class.”

Governor Newsom has chosen the 2019 Summit as the venue where he’ll announce plans for revitalizing inland California’s economy. In partnership with CA Fwd, his Regions Rise Together initiative will bring together diverse leaders in every region over the next year and present a progress report at the Summit in Fresno held on November 7-8, 2019.

“We look forward to Governor Newsom – and many of his senior staff – attending the economic summit in Fresno,” said Mendonca.

The newly strengthened CA Fwd will work on many issues including attracting more quality jobs; improving Californians’ workforce preparation; building more housing; and, addressing the state’s infrastructure needs.

“We view this new organization as civic infrastructure that will carry forward our policy activity to ensure the California Dream for everyone in all of the state’s regions, and to improve our state government’s performance and accountability to its people,” said Micah Weinberg, CA Fwd CEO.

To learn more about the California Economic Summit, please visit: www.caeconomy.org.

ABOUT CA FWD

California Forward (CA Fwd) is a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization devoted to championing policies that will result in shared prosperity for all Californians and improving the performance of government at all levels. CA Fwd believes that every region in the state must have a voice to ensure their economic prosperity. In addition, we believe that increased emphasis on accountability and transparency will create a government that Californians deserve and expect.

ABOUT CA STEWARDSHIP NETWORK

The California Stewardship Network is an alliance of regional leaders committed to the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of our regions and our state. Our ongoing commitment is to grow our circle of steward leaders across California by documenting and sharing Promising Practices and by supporting the development of new regional stewardship teams. Currently, fifteen diverse regions across California have come together to make up the body of the Network, developing innovative regional solutions to the state’s most challenges. These solutions require “breakthrough innovation” driven by a “new generation” of civic entrepreneurs— composed of both established and emerging leaders.

The Inland Empire Business Journal (IEBJ) is the official business news publication of Southern California’s Inland Empire region - covering San Bernardino & Riverside Counties.

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Fire Helmet Manufacturer Helps Disabled Community find Employment

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Riverside’s Phenix Technology Leads with Inclusion, Empowering the Disabled Community Through Workforce Training and Employer Education

Written by Logan Rosselli, IEBJ Content Contributor

In the heart of Riverside, off of Chicago Avenue, a small, but mighty team has been quietly manufacturing life-saving equipment for firefighters across the world for over 50 years. Phenix Technology Inc. is an internationally recognized fire helmet manufacturer who builds their products from start to finish right here in the Inland Empire. For their great products, they’ve received numerous awards such as the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Innovator of the Year, a 2016 “E” for Exports award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, a finalist position in the “Coolest Thing Made in California” competition and more. However, their most recent accolade doesn’t involve their products at all.

In 2024, Phenix founded the ground breaking “Opportunity for All” program to provide disabled community members with the opportunity to access career education, hands-on experience and employment opportunities through an 11 week training cohort. In this program, neurodivergent individuals wanting to find stable employment learn about standard hiring practices, writing a resume, effective interviewing and professional attire while getting on-the-job training with a partnered employer in the community. It has helped dozens of disabled community members to find a new sense of independence and achieve their full potential while helping local employers find dependable employees who bring a unique perspective to the workplace.

It’s for this program that the National Association of Workforce Development Boards (NAWB), a representative of over 570 workforce development boards across the United States, honored Phenix with the prestigious W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award in late March.

“While we take tremendous pride in the products we make, we also believe we have a mission to create a better world through developing opportunities,” said Angel Sanchez, CEO of Phenix Technology in a statement released in early April. “Opportunity for All has helped prove that individuals who have historically been excluded from the workforce don’t just contribute — they elevate organizations. We are honored to receive this national award and grateful to the partners who have helped us make this vision a reality.”

CEO Angel Sanchez Jr. accepts the NAWB Award

CEO Angel Sanchez Jr. accepts the NAWB Award

Though “Opportunity for All” is certainly the cornerstone program for the company, Phenix’s leadership team was not satisfied to leave their mission there. Thus, in 2024, the company founded its nonprofit arm, Phenix Gateway to offer more programs and advocacy to the community. Through Phenix Gateway, the company offers workforce development workshops for individuals who don’t need the full scale of the “Opportunity for All” program, but want to improve a specific skill like resume writing or workplace social skills.

However, Phenix knows that preparing disabled people for the workforce is only one end of the equation; the workforce also has to be prepared to accept the unique skills, perspectives and challenges of the disabled community. For this reason, Phenix Gateway offers employer training workshops as well as educational materials available to businesses and the community. Training programs cover a lot of ground, ranging from assistance with optimizing interviews for people with neurodevelopmental disorders to creating sensory-friendly environments in the workplace.

In Riverside, these programs have had a huge impact on the local community. As of March 2025, Phenix’s Opportunity for All program has had over two dozen participants and 44% found stable employment through or after the program. Their one-off workforce development workshops have seen over 200 participants learn new skills and help them find employment and the nonprofit currently partners with close to 90 businesses to assist them in their endeavor to create a more inclusive workforce.

Phenix Gateway staff helps a program participant with his skills

For businesses or community members interested in learning how they can support or participate in these programs, Phenix encourages them to reach out by email to info@phenixgateway.org and to attend their First Annual Gala: Rising Together, A Phenix Gateway Celebration, on Thursday, May 15th. Tickets for this event are available at phenixgateway.org.

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Supported by Local Leaders, CALED’s Annual Conference will be in Ontario this May

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Empowering Economic Growth: CALED Conference Set to Unite Industry Leaders in Ontario

CALED’s ‘Growing Local Economies from the Ground Up’ Conference is being held in Ontario at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport on May 7-9. This event is co-hosted by the City of Ontario and San Bernardino County, with Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, CALED’s Chair of the Board and Derek Armstrong respectively representing their city and county as Co-Chairs of the event.

With over 950 members and 45 years of empowering economic developers, CALED is the largest economic development association in the country and the annual conference is the number one place to meet and connect with the boots-on-the -ground, decision makers in our communities. 

The conference will include a pre-conference teaching tour, ‘Building & Paying for Development Projects’ on May 6th and then begin in full on May 7th, with a welcome session and breakouts. Overall, there will be four general assembly sessions and 18 breakout sessions, which will delve into local economic development practices and innovative tools.

In addition to compelling content, the conference will have numerous opportunities to connect with community leaders and valued peers through networking receptions, the culinary crawl, and new this year, the Tournament of Champions, where conference attendees will navigate a gauntlet of games to win the grand prize on the evening of Thursday, May 8th.

To learn more about the conference and register, visit the CALED website at www.caled.org.

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Strengthening Community Connections: Our Exciting New Partnership with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL

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Contributed Content | By Chris Venhoff, Senior Vice President and Inland Empire Market Leader for Consumer and Business Banking at U.S. Bank

As the Inland Empire market leader for U.S. Bank, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: we are proud to be the Official Bank Partner of Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center. This partnership represents a reflection of our deep commitment to the Inland Empire and our dedication to fostering a vibrant, thriving community.

At U.S. Bank, we believe that strong partnerships drive meaningful progress. Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center are at the heart of the region’s culture and economy, bringing people together for world-class entertainment, business conventions, and community events. By joining forces, we’re not only expanding our presence but also creating opportunities to engage with residents, businesses, and organizations in ways that make a lasting impact.

Through our sponsorship, we’ll support concerts, sporting events, and conventions that showcase the diversity and energy of the Inland Empire. But this is only the beginning. As our partnership evolves, we’ll work closely with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL to introduce community-focused programs, including financial literacy workshops and charitable giving initiatives.

This partnership is designed to bring added value to the people we serve. For our customers, we’re introducing the U.S. Bank Fast Pass Lanes, providing priority access at Toyota Arena events. Special offers, exclusive event experiences, and tailored financial solutions for businesses operating in the region are just a few of the many perks we’re excited to roll out.

Our employees are at the core of our success, and this partnership allows us to recognize their dedication. Through exclusive access to events, corporate hospitality opportunities, and community volunteer programs, our team will have new ways to engage with and celebrate the community they serve.

The Inland Empire is a dynamic, fast-growing region, and we’re committed to supporting its continued success. By investing in Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center, we’re helping to create and sustain jobs while driving local business growth. These venues bring in visitors, revenue, and visibility, strengthening the region’s economy.

This collaboration is about more than just sponsorship—it’s about making a difference. By working together, we can elevate not just these venues but the entire Inland Empire. At U.S. Bank, we’re committed to being a partner in progress, supporting our customers, businesses, and communities every step of the way.

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