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The CMC’s board expertise, diversity and representation continue to widen and deepen in strategic ways
Sacramento, CA – December 15, 2021: The California Mobility Center (CMC) has appointed Eric Guerra as an independent member of the CMC’s board of directors. Guerra represents Sacramento City Council District 6 and is a board member with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.
Guerra will bring his passions and interests around environmental protection, workforce development, education, upward mobility and an inclusive economy to the role. “What makes Eric’s board appointment particularly significant is his ambition to leverage the CMC’s reach globally for the benefit of people locally,” said CMC board chair Arlen Orchard. “He possesses a unique combination of policy and community influence at a hyper-local level, making him exceptionally positioned to bring resources to bear that can translate to big and meaningful opportunities for local communities.”
Guerra has been an ardent champion of the CMC since it was a mere idea. “He was there when the first seeds of the CMC concept were laid.” Orchard said.
Representing the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, Guerra was central to a reconnaissance mission in 2018 for exploratory talks with business leaders at PEM Motion, a technology consulting and engineering firm headquartered in Aachen, Germany that is accelerating future technology solutions to market. Formation of the CMC business model soon followed. PEM Motion signed on as a founding partner.
Guerra secured $1.4 Million in early investments as part of the city’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) for workforce development initiatives at the CMC in partnership with Sacramento State, focusing on training prospective employees from disadvantaged communities for opportunities in future mobility and advanced manufacturing. His efforts were driven in part by his belief that Sacramento holds all the ingredients and capabilities to pioneer clean mobility technologies, create sustainable jobs in this burgeoning industry, and grow successful mobility related companies here at home.
“An alliance of this kind between an academic anchor institution like Sac State and an innovation, manufacturing and commercialization facility like the CMC only stands to be an invaluable asset to the entire community, especially for the skilled jobs it creates in a district where there’s a lot of manufacturing potential,” said Guerra. “By positioning Sacramento as a global leader in clean energy and future mobility solutions, we’re creating a situation to move the needle in a significant way.”
In 2018, Guerra spearheaded a rezoning ordinance of 240 acres of land adjacent to Sacramento State to prohibit cannabis related uses and preserve the area for R&D uses. This paved the way for the CMC’s permanent ramp-up factory (RUF) to be developed. The RUF will be part of the 25-acre Sacramento State Research Park, situated about a half mile south of the campus on Romana Avenue. It is expected to be developed within five to seven years.
Guerra believes that the CMC’s work has incredible potential for global impact, but that its local impact is equally important. “Opportunity is a big thing,” Guerra said. “Giving people access to opportunities for jobs, housing and education—or better—removing the barriers that limit peoples’ advancement, is crucial to our future.”
The CMC is governed by a board of directors comprised of some of the most highly successful leaders in the future mobility space who provide support, guidance, and specialized expertise to accelerate the CMC’s global reach and impact.
“This is personal for him,” Orchard said. “His personal experiences have shaped his stance in how he approaches policy priorities, and the work we do from here will benefit because of it.”
About the California Mobility Center (CMC): The CMC is a nonprofit, public-private entity providing future mobility innovators and industry incumbents access to programs and resources that accelerate the pace of commercialization worldwide and aspires to be the leading innovation center for global mobility success. The CMC was founded by industry thought leaders in clean technology including California State University, Sacramento, EnerTech Capital, PEM Motion, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC). The CMC is strategically located in Sacramento, CA. Its location puts the CMC in close proximity to California government, which leads the United States and the world in producing policies around green mobility and technology. For more information, visit californiamobilitycenter.org.
Media Contact:
Christine Ault
916-803-1413
christine@christineault.com