California Association for Local Economic Development

California Association for Local Economic Development
Name	California Association for Local Economic Development
Abbreviation	CALED
Formation	1978
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	Sacramento, California
Region served	California

California Association for Local Economic Development is a statewide nonprofit association dedicated to local economic development in California. The organization engages with municipal, county, regional, and tribal authorities to support job creation, business retention, and community revitalization across metropolitan and rural areas. CALED collaborates with public agencies, private sector partners, and nonprofit institutions to advance policy, training, and technical assistance.

History

The association traces its roots to practitioner networks in the late 1970s that paralleled organizations such as National League of Cities, U.S. Conference of Mayors, International Economic Development Council, California State Assembly, and California State Senate. Early alliances included connections with California Association of Governments, League of California Cities, California Chamber of Commerce, Rural County Representatives of California, and Governor of California administrations. During the 1980s and 1990s the organization interacted with federal entities like Economic Development Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Small Business Administration, and state agencies such as California Department of Finance and California Housing Finance Agency. Engagements with philanthropy and academia involved institutions like The James Irvine Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, University of California, Berkeley, California State University, Sacramento, and Stanford University. In the 2000s the association worked on initiatives related to Redevelopment Agency dissolution, aligning with California Redevelopment Association debates and regulatory changes from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Recent decades saw collaborations addressing workforce programs alongside California Employment Development Department, California Workforce Development Board, U.S. Department of Labor, and regional boards such as San Diego Workforce Partnership and Los Angeles County Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services.

Mission and Activities

CALED's mission emphasizes support for local practitioners through capacity building and policy engagement with entities like California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, California Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, California Public Utilities Commission, and California Department of Transportation. Activities include convening stakeholders from jurisdictions such as City of Sacramento, City of Los Angeles, City of San Diego, City of San Jose, and City of San Francisco, and regional collaboratives like Bay Area Council, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Greater Sacramento Economic Council, and Inland Empire Economic Partnership. The association advances strategies compatible with federal programs from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Commerce, and workforce initiatives tied to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act implementation in coordination with CalJOBS and regional workforce boards.

Membership and Governance

Membership spans municipal economic development departments, county offices such as Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and tribal governments including Yurok Tribe and Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Institutional members include chambers like San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, academic affiliates such as University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles, and nonprofit partners like Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Enterprise Community Partners. Governance typically features a board of directors drawn from leaders in California Association of Counties, California Municipal Utilities Association, and economic development corporations including California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank and LAEDC. The organization has interfaced with state oversight bodies including Fair Political Practices Commission and Franchise Tax Board for nonprofit compliance.

Programs and Services

CALED offers capacity building, technical assistance, and training aligned with workforce and infrastructure funding from California Strategic Growth Council, California Climate Investments, and federal grant programs administered by Economic Development Administration. Programs include business retention and expansion models used by Greater Sacramento Economic Council and Bay Area Council Economic Institute, site selection tools similar to those employed by World Business Chicago and Choose New Jersey, and brownfield redevelopment guidance comparable to Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Program. Services cover small business support in coordination with California Small Business Development Center Network, entrepreneurship programs connected to SCORE, and workforce pipeline development alongside California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and Apprenticeship State Plan partners.

Partnerships and Advocacy

The association advocates for state policy reform through coalitions with California Forward, PolicyLink, California Calls, and fiscal advocates such as California Budget & Policy Center. It provides comment on legislation in the California Legislature and on rulemaking at agencies like California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Natural Resources Agency, and California State Transportation Agency. Partnerships extend to philanthropic organizations including The James Irvine Foundation and California Endowment, private investors like Goldman Sachs programs for municipal finance, and regional development entities such as Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles. CALED has joined multi-stakeholder initiatives with US Green Building Council, Rocky Mountain Institute, and ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability on resilience and climate adaptation.

Conferences and Events

Annual conferences convene practitioners, elected officials, and industry leaders from jurisdictions like Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and cities including Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, and Oxnard. Events feature panels with representatives from California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, California Public Employees' Retirement System, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and national organizations like International Council of Shopping Centers. Workshops address topics linked to federal funding rounds from Department of Energy and Economic Development Administration and regional initiatives such as Transforming Bay Area Transit. Special sessions have included partnerships with National Association of Development Organizations and American Planning Association.

Impact and Notable Projects

CALED-supported projects have included downtown revitalization efforts in cities such as Rialto, Stockton, Modesto, and Oakland; industrial land activation in regions like Central Valley and Inland Empire; and clean energy transitions involving California Energy Commission grants and partnerships with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Southern California Edison. The association contributed to workforce pipeline projects tied to Boeing supply chains, port modernization initiatives at Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles, and transit-oriented development near Los Angeles Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit stations. CALED involvement has intersected with housing-linked economic strategies connected to California Housing Finance Agency programs and homelessness response collaborations with Health and Human Services Agency partners.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in California Category:Economic development organizations