August 26, 2025
Library and Community Services
DATE: August 26, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Deputy City Manager of Community
Services
Tamara Walker, Deputy Director of
Community Services, Employment and Training Division
SUBJECT:
Accept and Appropriate $1,223,783 in Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Formula Funds
for Program Year 2025–2026
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Acceptance of these funds will increase the City of Richmond’s Employment and Training Division budget by
$1,223,783. This allocation supports workforce
development activities, including job training, career
services, youth employment initiatives, and business
engagement. There is no impact on the City’s General
Fund, as the funds are 100 percent federally sourced
through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(WIOA).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
The program year funds were approved as part of the
City of Richmond’s FY 2024–2025 budget adoption,
which included authorization to accept federal and state workforce development funding.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City of Richmond has been awarded $1,223,783 in
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
Formula Funds for Program Year 2025–2026. These
funds are distributed by the California Employment
Development Department on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Labor and support workforce development
services in the local area.
AGENDA
REPORT
August 26, 2025
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ACCEPT and APPROPRIATE $1,223,783 in Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Formula Funds
for Program Year 2025–2026 to support workforce
development activities, including job training, career
services, youth employment initiatives, and business
engagement – Community Services (Tamara Walker
510-307-8006/LaShonda White 510-620-6828).
DISCUSSION:
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is a federal program designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services. As the designated provider of workforce development services in Richmond, the Employment and Training Division within the Community Services Department administers WIOA funds to deliver services to adults, dislocated workers, and youth, as well as to support local employers with recruitment and training needs.
For Program Year 2025–2026, the City of Richmond has been allocated $1,223,783, which will be distributed across the following program streams (Attachments 1 and 2):
Adult Services – providing career services, job readiness, and training for eligible adults
Dislocated Worker Services – assisting individuals who have lost employment due to layoffs or business closures
Youth Services – offering education, training, and employment pathways for youth ages 16–24
Rapid Response & Layoff Aversion – delivering early intervention strategies and employer engagement to mitigate the impact of layoffs. This includes coordinating with businesses facing downsizing to connect affected workers with reemployment services and working with employers to identify solutions to prevent layoffs, such as incumbent worker training and operational support strategies.
Accepting and appropriating these funds enables the Employment and Training Division to maintain high-quality workforce development services for residents and employers, while also supporting regional workforce initiatives and state objectives and priorities.
SYNERGISTIC POLICIES:
This action aligns with the City Council’s Strategic Goal #2 - Increase Revenue and Improve Economic Development. This agenda item supports priorities to:
Create new opportunities for workforce development in Richmond Expand vocational training and employment pathways for underserved communities
Support economic mobility and equitable access to high-quality jobs
August 26, 2025
Strengthen partnerships with local businesses to retain and grow employment opportunities
It also supports the City’s ongoing collaboration with the East Bay Works regional workforce network and aligns with the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnership framework.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – FY 25-26 WIOA Formula Funds (Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth) Attachment 2 – FY 25-26 WIOA Formula Funds (Rapid Response and Layoff Aversion)