News Release: Oakland to Implement Golden State Works Grant

A Cleaner Oakland and a Fresh Start: 

Oakland Implementing $12.4M in Funding to Support Employment for Residents on Parole to Clean & Beautify Oakland 

The City of Oakland announced today it is proceeding into a contract to deliver a three-year, $12.4 million program to support members of our community on parole to find employment and continue rebuilding their lives while beautifying their communities. 

Oakland has worked with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since 2011 to provide transitional employment services to Oakland residents who are on parole through the Golden State Works Program. The Golden State Works Program awards Caltrans funding to cities that can employ individuals on parole to perform litter abatement and beautification activities on freeways, highways, and expressways as part of Caltrans work crews. This award builds on previous investments in this program: from 2011 to 2025, Caltrans invested a total of $43,647,112 in Oakland  through the program. 

“In Oakland we are always proud to support community members who are trying to get on their feet and give back,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said. “This program receives vital support from our partners at CDCR and helps us clean and beautify our major corridors with Caltrans. I am grateful  for everyone involved - from the funders and program administrators who make the work possible, to the program participants who are putting their  dedication into this  important effort with us.” 

“We value our partnership with the City of Oakland and the opportunity it provides supervised individuals to successfully integrate into the community,” said Amy Casias, director of CDCR’s Division of Rehabilitative Programs. “This is an important investment in developing employability skills and decreasing recidivism.” 

The program will be administered within the City by the Oakland Workforce Development Board (OWDB). Past efforts have seen participants provide cleaning and beautification throughout Oakland’s Caltrans transportation corridors. The implementation will be coordinated by the Center for Employment Opportunities, Inc., or CEO. 

The City of Oakland has partnered with (CEO) to implement Golden State Works Program services since 2014. CEO is uniquely positioned to provide the required services given their established partnership with Caltrans to staff highway work crews and their exclusive service of individuals on probation or parole. The Golden State Works Program was originally modeled after CEO’s national program model, which provides daily employment and pay to individuals on probation or parole through transitional work crews that perform maintenance and beautification activities. 

CEO’s accomplishments implementing this program with the City shows a consistent track record of meeting or exceeding all required deliverables and reporting requirements, and the organization maintains strong, positive relationships with Caltrans field supervisors. The program tracks number of individuals enrolled, their work in transitional jobs, their placement into permanent jobs, and their retention at those jobs throughout the first year of employment.