Bay Area

California Chief Service Officer, Marin County Fire Officials Highlight Youth Workforce Investment

The #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps is a partnership between the State of California and local government to help underserved youth find employment. Through the program, young people in cities across California will gain critical job skills while making a positive, lasting impact in their communities.

Published

4 years ago

August 27, 2022

Oakland Post

Juan Armando Jimenez, a participant in the Marin County Fire Department’s FIRE Foundry program, speaks about his experience as California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday looks on during a press conference Aug. 23, 2022, at College of Marin’s Indian Valley Campus in Novato.

$2.7 million #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps investment in Marin’s FIRE Foundry program to diversify the firefighting response workforce

Courtesy of Marin County

On Aug. 23, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and Marin County officials highlighted a $2.7 million investment to recruit young leaders for the #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps program in Marin County.

The innovative new partnership provides #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps funding for Marin County Fire Foundry to recruit, train, and hire local youth for the Fire Innovation, Recruitment & Education (FIRE) Foundry program. The FIRE Foundry program is a collaboration between Marin fire agencies, Conservation Corps North Bay, the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, the Marin County Office of Equity, the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, and College of Marin.

“The #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps is a win for our young people, Marin County, and the State of California,” said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday. “This impressive group of young people are also joining a larger team of tens of thousands of California service members participating in California Volunteers programs.”

The objective of the FIRE Foundry program is to use emerging fire science technology to provide job training and skills development for local underserved, underrepresented, and underfunded communities. The program provides innovative, project-based learning opportunities for youth to gain skills-based certificates and empower them as they explore pathways to becoming full-time firefighters or a different career.

Marin’s FIRE Foundry program was launched in October 2021, with job training underway by January 2022. The current cohort will run through the end of the year. Marin County Fire is using an ‘earn and learn’ approach as recruits earn a wage and are supported with wrap-around services and mentorship to ensure their retention.

Should firefighting become the goal, opportunities will open for the cohort graduates — even locally. Mark Brown, the Executive Officer for the Marin Wildfire Protection Agency, has said he is eager to put the cohort participants to work upon completion of the program.

“This is already having a great impact as we encourage and inspire these young people to pursue firefighting,” said Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber. “We’re getting clear indications that many of them will adopt this as a career path, and we’re excited about that. The program is helping us ensure a workplace and culture that emphasizes equity and inclusion.”

Included in the California 2021- 2022 budget, the #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps program provides $150 million for youth workforce development in the 13 largest cities in California and $35 million for counties and other cities around the state.

“The #CaliforniansForAll Youth Job Corps Program is a major investment in our youth,” said Assemblymember Marc Levine. “This opportunity will give underserved youth valuable job experience and life skills while making positive impacts in their community. It may even inspire a new generation of public servants and leaders in the North Bay.”

Recruitment is open for people ages 16-30 who are interested in service opportunities in the areas of climate action, food insecurity, education, and disaster management.

Learn more about the program at CAYouthJobscorps.com.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.