Congresswoman Barbara Lee Holds Roundtable with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Local Civic Leaders and Community Leaders
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2009
Contact: Ricci Graham
(510) 763-0370
OAKLAND – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) convened a roundtable meeting on Saturday, October 3, 2009 with U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis and a small group of local civic, community, education, labor and business leaders to discuss green job creation, the emerging green economy, workforce, education and healthcare reform in the Ninth Congressional District.
The hour-long roundtable was held at the Oakland Airport Hilton Hotel, located at 1 Hegenberger Road, Oakland, California and was attended by a cross-section of civic and community leaders.
During the roundtable, Congresswoman Lee and Secretary Solis were briefed on how funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is helping to bolster the local economy, the impact it is having in underserved communities and the effect the funding is having on green job development and the educational system.
Congresswoman Lee believes the Ninth Congressional District serves as a model for green job development and the implementation of ARRA funding in our nation’s shared mission to jump-start the economy. Congresswoman Lee helped to steer over $400 million in ARRA funding into her district and wanted to illustrate to Secretary Solis the work that is being done as a result of the funding.
“I have long considered my district to be on the cutting-edge in the development of green jobs, which I believe will lead to a pathway out of poverty for many living in underserved communities,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I thought it was important that Secretary Solis got a first-hand look at the fine work being done here in my district.”
“Through the Recovery Act, we have provided more than $500 million in grants to support projects—such as those in California’s ninth Congressional District—which open opportunities to workers and help them become an integral part of the nation’s 21st century clean energy economy,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “I was very pleased to join Congresswoman Lee and local leaders, to discuss how these funds are being leveraged and how green jobs can provide economic security for middle-class families and underserved communities.”
# # #