Dean Florez for California Lt. Governor 2010: Green Jobs & Education

“You can’t stand for your convictions if you always stand with the crowd.”
-Dean Florez

Green Jobs

Jobs in the next 20 years will transition from durable polluting support jobs to green sustainability-enhancing careers. Dean believes we should be ahead of this trend by converting the California Conservation Corps into a California Green Energy Corp to provide our youth with green energy focused jobs and skills.

Green Books

Our technical trade skills in California will need an overhaul in order to be prepared to take on the jobs needed for a green technology future. Dean will push for an energy- and green jobs-focused curriculum in our state technical schools and convert some of the state’s community colleges into premiere green energy training facilities.

Green Funding

Education should have stable funding. Our future depends on it. In addition to stable funding, we must ensure accountability. Parents, teachers, students and taxpayers should feel secure that funds are going to the classroom to help students -- all students.

As a father, Dean knows student success builds upon years of learning. In the Senate, he proudly voted to increase preschool access to our poorest children and enhance efforts to encourage literacy. (AB 172; 2006)

High school represents an important time in a child’s academic career. Unfortunately, California offered only 1 counselor for every 800 kids. In the Senate, Dean supported the law to provide an additional $200 million for more counseling services for middle and high school students (AB 1802, 2006).

Environmental jobs provide great paying career opportunities for our kids in a portion of the economy that will continue to grow. Dean voted for a new program to provide career technical training in our high schools for emerging green technologies (AB 519, 2008).

Kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe at school. Early in his legislative career, Dean authored AB 1113 (and supported AB 658), which provided safety personnel and coordination between our schools and law enforcement. The program provided $100 million to keep our schools safe.

There exists a great divide between our best schools and our struggling schools. In 2006, Dean supported a landmark program, the Quality Education Investment Act, to provide smaller classes and more experienced teachers in our struggling schools. Additionally, Dean voted to provide $100 million in federal funds to help our lowest performing schools and students (AB 519, 2008).