Modeling the Impact of Decarbonization on Labor in California’s Central Coast

California is at the forefront of a clean energy transition. The transition away from fossil fuels will inevitably affect the labor landscape for many California residents, both directly through employment and indirectly through supply chain development. To better understand how these economic changes will influence the labor market, this project models the impacts of decarbonization in California’s Central Coast. Specifically, this work analyzes job creation associated with the development and deployment of floating offshore wind, rooftop and utility-scale solar, and land-based wind in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. Projections are based on state-level and county-level clean energy development goals. In addition, the study estimates job creation from capping all idle oil and gas wells in the region and quantifies expected job losses resulting from the phaseout of crude oil extraction. The findings are presented in an interactive dashboard, allowing users to input custom transition scenarios and view the corresponding labor impacts. Overall, this project highlights new job opportunities and potential losses from decarbonization on California’s Central Coast and informs policymakers and labor advocates to support energy workers to enable a just and equitable transition.