PG&E Continues Its Strong Support of Economic Vitality for Local Communities $400,000 in Grants Awarded to 75 Economic and Community Development Projects in Northern and Central California

Release Date: October 11, 2007
Contact: PG&E External Communications (415) 973-5930

SAN FRANCISCO – Continuing its long-standing commitment to support the economic vitality of the communities it serves, Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced the granting of $400,000 to 75 local governments and community-based organizations for local economic and community development projects throughout northern and central California. This marks the sixth year of funding for the company’s Economic Development Grants Program, which has provided over $1.7 million to 325 worthy projects during that time.

Governments and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations throughout PG&E’s service area were eligible to apply for grants up to $10,000. Applications were judged in two categories: economic development and community development.

“PG&E is committed to supporting the economic health of communities in which we live and work. It's clear that there is a great need for these types of grants – this year alone we have received over $2.4 million of requests from 243 organizations,” said Helen Burt, senior vice president and chief customer officer for PG&E. “We know our grants can really help supplement the budgets of economic development organizations, so choosing among the many worthwhile projects was challenging. We believe the selected projects will be the most effective in making a positive difference in dozens of communities throughout northern and central California for years to come.”

The grants are funding various types of projects, including business retention, business recruitment, downtown improvement, training, websites, marketing materials, and green business development.
In addition to the Economic Development Grant Program, PG&E has worked directly with over 100 local, state and regional economic development organizations to promote business development and job creation in northern and central California. Since 1996, PG&E's economic development team has provided vital assistance to successfully attract and/or retain 178 businesses totaling over 30,000 jobs in communities the utility serves.

PG&E’s support of economic development programs is part of the utility’s long history of making charitable grants tailored to the needs of the wide variety of communities it serves. The company's broader program of support to communities includes cash grants, in-kind contributions, and volunteers for community-based nonprofit organizations, and for schools and other governmental programs throughout northern and central California. This year, PG&E is increasing its support to charitable nonprofit organizations by 25 percent to $18.3 million – the largest charitable commitment in the company’s history. All charitable contributions are entirely funded by the company's shareholders and the level of charitable giving does not affect gas and electric rates.

Following is the list of the organizations receiving grants, the name of the project and the grant amount:

ORGANIZATION	PROJECT	AMOUNT
TeamCalifornia Economic Development Corporation	TeamCalifornia Marketing Campaign – Trade Show Booth Re-design	$10,000
Glide Foundation	Glide YouthBuild	$10,000
Center for Young Women’s Development	Sisters Rising 9-Month Employment Training Program	$2,000
Jewish Vocational and Career Counseling Service	The Technology Access Center	$2,500
Mission Economic Development Association	Business Development Program	$2,500
South of Market Foundation in partnership with Urban Solutions	Greening San Francisco’s Small Businesses	$5,000
City of East Palo Alto	East Palo Alto Business Needs and Capacity Assessment Update	$5,000
Economic Vitality Research and Education Foundation	Economic Growth and Vitality through Start-up Business Opportunities in San Mateo County	$5,000
Human Investment Project in partnership with HIP Housing	Self-Sufficiency Program	$7,500
Sustainable San Mateo County	Sustainable Business Workshops	$7,800
City of San Leandro	City of San Leandro and San Leandro Chamber of Commerce Business Assistance Program	$5,000
Inner City Advisors	Business Growth Workshops	$2,500
Locally Wrapped Inc.	Sustainable Local Shopping in Oakland	$5,000
City of Pleasant Hill	Taking Care of Business	$1,500
City of Richmond Employment and Training Department, YouthWORKS Division	Richmond YouthWORKS Year-Round Youth Employment Program	$7,500
El Campanil Theatre Preservation Foundation	Family Programming, Marketing and Theatrical Lighting Upgrade	$10,000
City of Gonzales	Downtown Retail Sales Expansion Program	$2,500
City of King City	King City Economic Development and Business Recruitment	$4,000
City of Soledad	Business Marketing Plan	$2,000
Regional Analysis and Planning Services, Inc. in partnership with Central Coast Marketing Team	CD-Rom Promotion Project for Central Coast Regional Marketing Team	$2,500
Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County	New Industrial Marketing Tools	$2,000
City of Cupertino	Cupertino Economic Development Marketing Program	$2,500
City of Mountain View in partnership with Mountain View Chamber of Commerce	Mountain View – Your Success is Our Business	$3,500
Gilroy Economic Development Corporation	Moving Gilroy Forward	$2,500
Joint Venture Silicon Valley	Silicon Valley Prospector	$10,000
Movimiento De Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana De San Jose, Incorporated	William Street Business Directory	$7,500
San Jose Redevelopment Agency	Story Road Business Association Operating and Marketing	$3,500
City of Santa Cruz in partnership with Santa Cruz County Conference & Visitors Council	Energy Efficiency through Green Tourism Promotion and Education	$7,500
City of Watsonville	Government and Local Sponsors Team-Up to Assist Local Businesses in Saving Both Time and Money	$2,000
Madera County Economic Development Commission	Direct E-Mail—E-Communication Newsletter	$2,500
California Central Valley Economic Development Corporation	Central California Regional Investment Guide	$7,500
City of Fresno in partnership with Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department	Mayor’s Job Initiative Spring Job Fair	$5,000
City of Huron	Marketing for the Huron Industrial Business Park	$5,000
Fresno Regional Foundation	Fresno County Economic Profile Grant	$2,500
West Fresno Coalition for Economic Development	West Fresno Asset Map	$5,000
Kings County Economic Development Corporation	Website Overhaul	$10,000
Alliance Against Violence	General Education Development Program	$6,200
Arts Council of Kern	Dressing Up Chester	$7,500
Bakersfield Association for Retarded Citizens, Inc.	Industrial Training	$10,000
Bethany Services dba Bakersfield Homeless Center	Job Creation through Enhanced Preparation	$8,000
City of Wasco	Site Location Consultants’ Tour	$3,750
Kern Community Foundation in partnership with Kern Economic Development Corporation	Site Location Consultants’ Tour	$3,750
Goodwill Industries of South Central California	Project ME: Feasibility Study for Microenterprise Development Program for Low Income and Disabled Residents of Kern County	$2,500
County of San Luis Obispo	Shandon Cluster Strategy	$2,500
Economic Vitality Corporation of San Luis Obispo County	Economic Impact Study of the Tourism Industry in San Luis Obispo County	$10,000
San Miguel Resource Connection	Community Economic Development and Marketing Project	$2,500
California Space and Education and Workforce Institute, Inc.	California Space Center	$7,500
Santa Maria Valley Community Foundation in partnership with Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce	Economic Development	$2,500
Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club	Neighborhood Commercial District Sign Revitalization Program	$2,000
Mariposa County	Mariposa County Recreation Guide	$5,000
Growing Merced Foundation in partnership with Merced County Economic Development Corporation	Regional Advantage for Manufacturing Wealth	$10,000
City of Tracy – Economic Development Department	Marketing and Outreach Trade Show/Marketing Event Display	$4,000
City of Manteca in partnership with Manteca Chamber of Commerce	Manteca/San Joaquin DVD Showcase	$5,000
San Joaquin Foundation, Inc.	2008 Virtual Aerial DVD Tour of San Joaquin County	$10,000
California Academy for Economic Development in partnership with Tuolumne County, Amador County and Calaveras County Economic Development Corporations	Strengthening Central Sierra Business Assistance Programs	$1,500
Solano Economic Development Corporation	Team Solano Cooperative Branding Campaign	$5,000
City of Oroville	South Oroville Commercial Revitalization Study	$5,000
The CSU Chico Research Foundation in partnership with Center for Economic Development	2008 Economic Forecast Conference	$5,000
Tri-County Economic Development Corporation	Business Loan Marketing Campaign	$2,500
North Central Rural Training and Employment Private Industry Council in partnership with North Central Counties Consortium	Job Development and Business Recruitment Outreach	$9,800
Tehama Local Development Corporation	Tehama County Business Outreach Plan	$4,000
Upstate California Economic Development Council	Trade Shows and Booth Enhancement	$10,000
Camptonville Community Partnership	Camptonville Community Center and Economic Revitalization Planning Grant	$2,000
Nevada County Economic Resource Council Foundation, Inc.	2008 Nevada County Economic Forecast Conference	$5,000
Rocklin Historical Society	St. Mary’s Restoration: A Community Project Sponsored by the Rocklin Historical Society	$2,000
Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA)	Clean Energy Technology: Regional Development Barrier Identification and Economic Development Resource Matrix Development	$10,000
Valley Vision, Inc.	Addressing the Needs of Existing Clean Energy Technology Businesses in the Sacramento Region	$10,000
World Trade Center Sacramento in partnership with Northern California World Trade Center	Northern California International Business Leadership Certificate Program	$2,500
Capay Valley Vision, Inc.	Streetscape Design for Esparto	$5,000
Woodland Access Visual Enterprises in partnership with The Wave TV 21	Visit Woodland and Yolo County Attractions	$8,000
North Coast Small Business Resource Center	Low-income Green Business Development Project	$3,200
City of Santa Rosa	Neighborhood Revitalization Program Self-Sufficiency Project	$9,000
Sonoma County Economic Development Foundation	North Bay Business Development Conference	$7,000
Napa Valley Economic Development Corporation	Economic Impact of the Business Parks in South Napa County	$10,000
Benicia First Corporation in partnership with Benicia Main Street	First Street Business Improvement Seminar Series	$2,500

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