SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – Today, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced that he has been endorsed by United Association Local 114, the trades union representing Santa Barbara County’s plumbers and pipefitters.
“Throughout his time in the Legislature, Jordan has worked hard to get more students access to Career Technical Education (CTE),” said Michael Lopez, Business Manager UA Local 114. “By increasing investment in our CTE programs, we’re getting more kids interested in working in the trades and on the pathway to a strong middle-class career. UA Local 114 believes in technical education and apprenticeship programs, and believes that Jordan Cunningham is the right candidate for Assembly.”
Cunningham has received unprecedented support from local trades unions. UA Local 114 joins IBEW 1245, UWUA Local 132 AFL-CIO and the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters in support of Cunningham’s reelection campaign.
Other unions in support of Cunningham’s campaign include the California Teachers Association, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations, California Association of Highway Patrolmen, California Professional Firefighters, Cal Fire Local 2881 and California State Firefighters’ Association.
Since spending time on the Templeton Unified School Board, Cunningham has led the charge to fully fund CTE programs throughout K-14 schools. In 2018, Cunningham worked across the aisle to get hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding for the Career Technical Education Incentive Grant (CTEIG), a matching grant that incentivizes local investment in K-14 trades programs.
Expanding Career Technical Education in our state’s K-14 system will allow high school and community college graduates to find high-paying jobs in some of the country’s most in-demand jobs. Over the next few years, it is projected that more than 30 million jobs in the trades will be open as a result of baby boomers retiring. According to an Associated General Contractors survey, 74% of contractor firms predict a shortage of qualified workers.
After graduating from Atascadero High School, Cunningham graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a degree in physics. He then obtained his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Prior to serving in the Assembly, Cunningham served as a deputy district attorney in SLO County, and on the Templeton Unified School Board. He owns a small business with his wife Shauna, and enjoys coaching youth sports and raising their four kids.
To learn more about Jordan, visit www.JordanCunningham.org.