Empowering EPA Youth Through the Trades
The trades built my life, and I believe they can build strong futures for young people in East Palo Alto too.
I'm a blue-collar worker through and through. I know what it means to show up early, get your hands dirty, learn on the job, and take pride in honest work. There's nothing like fixing something with your own hands and knowing you earned every dollar of it.
Not every kid needs a four-year college degree to make it. What they need is a real shot. We should be pushing more pathways into plumbing, electrical, HVAC, construction, welding, automotive work—real skills that put food on the table, keep the lights on, and open the door to owning your own business one day.
East Palo Alto should be investing in the trades. That means stronger connections between schools, local contractors, unions, apprenticeship programs, and businesses that are ready to train the next generation. Kids should be graduating with options they can actually use.
Our young people don't need more empty advice. They need tools in their hands, mentors who've done the work, and a clear path to a good-paying job they can be proud of.
College is one path. The trades are another. Both are real. Both matter. And every kid deserves a chance to choose.
The Work
— The money is already out there.
East Palo Alto is part of a workforce system that has access to federal and state dollars specifically intended for job training, career education, apprenticeships, and workforce development. We should be aggressively going after those resources and bringing more of that investment home.
The regional workforce development system serving all of San Mateo County, connecting residents with training, career services, employers, and workforce funding.
Already operating right here in EPA. JobTrain is also San Mateo County's WIOA youth provider, helping eligible young people access training, paid work experience, and employment services.
State funding specifically designed to expand career and technical education and prepare Californians for high-demand, good-paying careers.
A California workforce program specifically focused on preparing people for construction careers and registered apprenticeships. California made $8 million available in its first 2026 round, with another competitive round planned for the 2026–27 fiscal year.
California's apprenticeship system, which works with employers and training programs to create career pathways and registered apprenticeships.
Federal resources and funding supporting Registered Apprenticeship programs across the country.
This is what I mean when I talk about working smarter with our tax dollars.
We don't necessarily need another expensive city-run program. We need leadership that knows how to build partnerships, pursue grants, bring employers to the table, and make sure East Palo Alto gets its share of the state and federal dollars that are already being spent.
The funding exists. The training programs exist. The employers need skilled workers. Our job is to connect the pieces and bring those opportunities home to EPA.
That's common-sense government.
PAID FOR BY SAM JIMENEZ FOR EAST PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL FPPC # 1495760.