LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced that an effort he co-led with USC has resulted in Southern California winning a federal designation that gives our region preference in accessing $1.3 billion in federal assistance for local aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

Southern California was designated by the U.S. Commerce Department as a "Manufacturing Community" as part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative. The initiative is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities by supporting the development of long-term regional economic development strategies that help communities attract and expand private investment in the manufacturing sector and increase international trade and exports.

"My top priority is to leave the recession in the rearview mirror by making sure Los Angeles is ready for the jobs and industries of tomorrow," said Mayor Garcetti. "We’ve been aggressive—today’s announcement is the result of us being loud and clear in Washington that we’re serious about investing in jobs here in California."

"Southern California’s designation as a national manufacturing community further underscores California’s place as the U.S. leader in manufacturing companies, jobs and output," said Kish Rajan, Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. "This designation demonstrates that Governor Brown’s efforts to strengthen the California manufacturing industry are gaining national attention and we look forward to working with Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti to continue to deliver resources to Southern California’s manufacturing companies."

The effort to compete for this designation was led by Mayor Garcetti and USC. The resulting partnership, the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership for Southern California (AMP SoCal), brought together aerospace businesses, JPL, community colleges and universities, and government entities from L.A., Ventura, Orange and San Diego counties.

To earn the designation, the partnership had to demonstrate the significance of manufacturing already present in their region and develop strategies to make investments in six areas: 1) workforce and training, 2) advanced research, 3) infrastructure and site development, 4) supply chain support, 5) trade and international investment, and 6) operational improvement and capital access.

Federal agencies that will provide assistance under this initiative include the Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

For more information on IMCP, please visit: http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp/index.htm.