Los Angeles Government Jobs in Public Safety Benefit from Broadband Network

Those with Los Angeles government jobs (Click here) in public safety will benefit from a new broadband network.

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently awarded a $154,640,000 grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Los Angeles County to build LA-SafetyNet, a wireless public safety network that will have the capability to serve every first responder in the county, as well as help protect every local resident.

"The communications revolution has provided us with tools to change the way we live and work," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said. "This large investment puts much-needed 21st century technology in the hands of the men and women we entrust our lives with every day.

"LA-SafetyNet - a high-speed, cutting edge, wireless data network - will become an invaluable asset in day to day operations and during emergency events, making the entire LA region safer and more prepared than ever before," he added.

The Los Angeles area is home to about 10 million people who are served by more than 80 public safety agencies and about 34,000 first-responders. The funding will allow multiple agencies to respond to the widest possible variety of emergencies.

LA-SafetyNet, which will be built by the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System Authority will allow for computer-aided dispatch, rapid law-enforcement queries, real-time video streaming, medical telemetry and patient tracking, and geographic information systems services for first responders.

The project will include the construction of 176 new wireless sites and will use 114 existing sites to provide broadband access, equipment, and service to community anchor institutions throughout the area. It also aims to serve as a demonstration project for national implementation.

If you're interested in applying for a public safety job in the Los Angeles area, make sure you're prepared to undergo a California public records check.

San Diego Government Jobs Benefit from Statewide IT Bill

Those with San Diego government jobs may benefit from a new bill that focuses on technology efficiency. Visit http://sandiego.jobing.com/cat/government to learn more.

State officials recently passed a bill that will improve the information technology infrastructure throughout California, increase government efficiency, and save costs. The bill will further help define targets and timelines for IT consolidation across the executive branch and create a permanent structure for IT governance.

"Since the beginning of my administration, I have been a strong advocate for rebuilding the state's technology systems to make them work better and more efficiently for the people of California," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said. "This legislation tops a list of strategic changes made to California's IT program to further improve the state's IT operations. This action will strengthen project oversight, increase transparency in spending, promote greater cost savings and define specific targets to reduce energy usage in our IT systems and further consolidate services."

Part of the bill was based on the Governor's Reorganization Plan 1, which realigned IT resources, including the Office of Technology Services, under the leadership of the Office of the State Chief Information Officer to enhance efficiency, which has now been renamed the California Technology Agency.

The goal of the reorganization was to create more accountability and provide a framework to enhance the IT workforce that supports computer systems. The effort is expected to save $1.5 billion during the next five years.

The bill requires state agencies to:

• Reduce the total amount of energy utilized by IT and telecommunications equipment by 20 percent by July 1, 2011 and by 30 percent by July 1, 2012.
•  Reduce data center square footage by 50 percent by July 2011.
•  Host all mission critical public facing applications and server refreshes in a Tier III data center and close all existing data centers and server rooms that house non-network equipment by June 2013.
•  Begin migrating from their existing network services to the California Government Network no later than July 2011.
•  Begin migrating to the state's shared e-mail solution no later than June 2011.
•  Develop and maintain enterprise architecture plans in compliance with the statewide enterprise architecture policies and standards as established by the OCIO.
•  Participate in activities coordinated by the Office of Information Security for response to security incidents and cyber security threats.

Keep in mind that anyone applying for a government job will most likely have to partake in a California criminal records (Click here) check.

Phoenix Engineering Jobs Created by Solar Company

One prospering solar power company is helping to create Phoenix engineering jobs (Click here).

Power-One Inc. - a California-based company that produces electrical components for rooftop solar power systems - recently announced its plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Phoenix and create about 350 jobs in engineering, logistics, and factory positions. Those positions will pay an average salary of about $50,000 per year.

"We are planning to hire most of the employees locally," Alex Levran, president of the Renewable Energy Solutions division at Power-One, told The Arizona Republic, adding that the company is planning to work with Arizona State University, which was a big draw for locating the manufacturing plant in Phoenix. 

According to the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Power-One plans to invest $6 million in converting the former Avnet Inc. headquarters into the company's first American manufacturing facility, which should reach full production by mid-2011.

Power-One will be eligible to receive some state incentives, including tax credits that are offered to renewable-energy-equipment factories, which are based on how much money the company invests in its factory.

"Arizona has a dynamic mix of resources, human capital and knowledge assets to optimize any company's performance," Gov. Jan Brewer said. "Power-One is one more significant milestone along Arizona's path toward strengthening our market position in the global solar industry."

Austin TX Jobs Sacrificed Under City Budget

Some Austin TX jobs have been sacrificed in exchange for passing the city's budget.

The Austin City Council recently passed the 2011 city budget, which came in at $2.8 billion. The council was able to overcome  a $28 million shortfall, but not without sacrificing some jobs and reducing various department budgets.

A total of about 22 vacant city positions were eliminated in an effort to help save money. In addition, the Planning and Development Review Department only received funding to fill 11 of the department's 25 open jobs.

Funding for those 11 jobs became necessary as local businesses have been calling for a way to increase the speed of the development approval process, which has become strained by city ordinances that regulate construction, according to an article by the Austin Business Journal.

Aside from the job eliminations, the council approved most requests by the Planning and Development Review Department and Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office. It did not, however, approve a $385,000 request to establish a global commerce program.

In addition to the annual budget, the Council proposed a property tax rate of 45.71 cents per $100 of assessed property value, which will be voted on at the end of this month. The budget also includes electric, garbage, and water rate increases.

Dallas Teaching Jobs in Business

If you're knowledgeable about business and are looking for Dallas teaching jobs, you may want to consider a position as a post-secondary business teacher.

Post-secondary business teachers work in schools to teach students about business administration and management. They may teach classes in accounting, finance, human resources, labor relations, marketing, or operations research.

The amount of education you need to obtain in order to become a post-secondary teacher depends on where you want to work. Most four-year colleges and universities require applicants to have a doctoral degree, while research universities require employees to have a Ph.D. Employers also may conduct a criminal check (Click here) on you.

During 2008, there were about 1.7 million post-secondary teachers throughout the nation, and about 85,400 of those taught business courses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment of post-secondary teachers should grow by 15 percent by 2018.

Employment in Dallas is expected to increase from 450 workers during 2006 to 600 workers by 2016, resulting in 150 additional jobs and an overall growth rate of 33.3 percent, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Throughout Texas, employment is anticipated to grow from 4,700 workers during 2006 to 6,350 workers by 2016, accounting for 1,650 additional jobs and an overall increase of 35.1 percent.

The top three industries that employ post-secondary business teachers in Dallas include:

• Colleges, universities, and professional schools - 65.42 percent
• Junior colleges - 31.07 percent
• Business schools and computer and management training - 2.95 percent

During 2009, post-secondary business teachers throughout Texas earned an average of $46.96 per hour, while, the median salary for all post-secondary teachers throughout America during 2008 was $58,830.

The middle 50 percent of post-secondary teachers across the country earn between $41,600 per year and $83,960 per year, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $28,870 per year and the highest 10 percent earning more than $121,850 per year.

Houston Jobs Created by Stimulus

Despite plenty of criticism, another report is backing the fact that the federal stimulus plan has helped create Houston jobs (Click here).

A recent report from the Houston Chronicle found that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has cost taxpayers $4.6 billion and created or saved 47,704 jobs in Texas as of July. That means each job has cost taxpayers about $96,727.

Austin has received $2 billion in stimulus funding, which is the highest amount of money given to any Texas city. That's closely followed by Houston, which has received $1.69 billion and created about 1,953 jobs under the ARRA.

Other front-runners for benefiting from the stimulus throughout Texas include San Antonio, which received $721.4 million and created 759 jobs, and Dallas, which received $615 million and created 544 jobs.

President Barack Obama's administration estimates that the ARRA has created or preserved 750,000 jobs. The administration has set a goal of creating or saving 3.5 million project-based jobs by the end of the year.

In Houston specifically, 960 contracts, grants, and loans have been awarded to state, city, county, and private entities thanks to the federal stimulus.

Some notable projects in the Houston area include:

• $20 million for highway repairs on 50 miles of roads and bridges.
• $87 million for public transportation, including the purchase of 19 light-rail vehicles, installation of 40 bus shelters, and the conversion of some HOV lanes to toll lanes.
• $200 million for CenterPoint Energy to install 2.2 million "smart meters" and smart grid equipment.
• $99 million for the Port of Houston Authority to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the channel.
• $30 million for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to start using electronic health records.
• $13 million for the Texas Department of Transportation to contract one flyover in Baytown.
• $56 million for TDOT to contract one flyover at Highway 29.

San Antonio Retail Jobs Get Public Input

City officials and members of the public are getting a chance to support San Antonio retail jobs at one of the area's most popular tourist destinations.

The City of San Antonio recently completed the La Villita Retail Management Study in an effort to determine the best way to manage the retail shopping complex. The study analyzed existing retail programs and made recommendations for management structure.

Following the release of the study, an ad hoc committee was appointed in order to review the recommendations of the study, develop a mission and vision statement, and develop guiding principles and a proposal for future management of the facility.

The La Villita Retail Management Study Ad Hoc Committee is planning to host a public meeting at 6 p.m. tonight at the Central Library Auditorium to gather community input on a mission and vision statement for La Villita.

During the meeting, the public will be given the opportunity to provide input on a mission and vision statement for La Villita before final recommendations are submitted to the Economic and Community Development Committee later this month.

The overall goal is to create a mission statement that will clearly describe La Villita and what it will become in the future. The ad hoc committee also plans to review the management structures of other public markets throughout the country to see how they may fit with La Villita.