Bill would extend California retraining aid for oil workers

California’s oil and gas workers can be left in a brutal in-between when refinery shutdowns or layoffs wipe out steady work. AB 2157, introduced by Assemblymembers Damon Connolly and Isaac Bryan, would keep the state’s Displaced Oil and Gas Worker Pilot Program alive by removing its July 1, 2027, sunset date.

The program is run by the Employment Development Department and uses grant money to help people from oil, gas and related industries find a way into new careers. The bill is built for workers who are unemployed, underemployed or scrambling after a shutdown, not just for one plant or one round of layoffs.

A bridge out of the old economy

Right now, the program is meant to address employment dislocations tied to fossil-fuel industries. AB 2157 would turn that temporary setup into something lasting, so the state does not have to decide from scratch whether to renew it every time the issue comes back.

Recorded votes show the bill cleared a floor vote.

What the review would have to show

The bill would also require the department, if lawmakers appropriate money for it, to contract within 120 days with the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education to assess how the program is working. That review would look at the program’s success and help shape a permanent version.

The point is not just to keep money flowing. It is to test whether the state is actually helping displaced workers move into careers that fit the clean-energy transition, with support that can include career navigation, wage replacement, retirement assistance, wraparound services, training and certifications.