By Jim Beall Jr.

California's unemployment rate topped 12 percent in September and economists predict it will stay above 10 percent for the next two years.

How can we get more Californians back to work when the job recovery relies on so many factors we can’t control? We can’t force people to increase investments in our businesses. We can’t force the world to step up their consumption of California-produced products.

But the good news is there are thousands of public works and green collar jobs on the horizon; jobs jumped started by the state; jobs that have a high public benefit such as reducing our carbon footprint, fixing our aging levees, and building a high-speed rail system.

In early 2008, I co-authored Assembly Bill 811 to address a major hurdle faced by many property owners eager to add solar power to their homes: how to overcome the initial costs of installing the energy-saving equipment.

Months later, AB 811 was signed by the Governor and has become a “green’’ stimulus plan, helping California grab its share of an estimated 2.5 million new green collar jobs expected to be created in the next nine to 10 years.

The bill allows local governments to create special assessment districts to help homeowners finance the installation of solar panels, dual pane windows and high efficiency heating and air conditioning units.

The districts would sell bonds and lend money to property owners to buy and install energy-saving improvements. A district would recoup the money over time through a small assessment on the property tax bill.

AB 811 has spread like wildfire with local governments that see it as a way to create businesses and jobs while generating more competition for the consumer’s dollar.

Last year, Sonoma County and Palm Desert created their own AB 811 programs. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is now implementing an AB 811 program. San Jose and Santa Clara County are now developing their own programs, too. The Association of Bay Area Governments has discussed the possibility of creating a nine-county special assessment district.

Like AB 811, Assembly Bill 303 is a job creator but with a mission to make California safer and healthier. I introduced the bill in February and it was signed into law by the Governor last month.

AB 303 frees designated hospitals to substitute local funding in place of state funding to attract federal money to pay for construction work to meet state seismic safety deadlines. The original statute – passed in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge quake – envisioned a pot of state money being made available to hospitals. However, no money was placed in that state fund. Meanwhile, cash-strapped hospitals faced missing the deadline and possible closure.

The approval of AB 303 not only ensures our emergency rooms can remain open during a catastrophe it also creates thousands of construction jobs.

There are thousands of more jobs contained in $14.5 billion, voter-approved state bond projects that will have a direct affect on Silicon Valley. One of those projects focuses on repairing of our fragile levee system.

The state's 1,600 miles of levees protect areas from flooding and channel water to 35 million people and 750,000 acres of agricultural land. Half of Santa Clara Valley's water supply would be lost if the levees crumbled during a 6.5 magnitude quake.

The second bond project is the construction of a high-speed rail system to connect California’s metropolitan areas. Once the system is completed, a passenger could buy a $55 ticket, board a train in San Francisco, hurtle down the state at 180 mph in safety and comfort, and arrive in Los Angeles in two-and-half hours.

Projections say the system can transport more than 88 million passengers annually by 2030 and eliminate 12 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions a year. About 160,000 jobs would be linked to the system’s construction.

But there are more benefits to the high-speed rail. For cities, such as San Jose, which are stops on the system, high-speed rail will bring tourism and businesses, revitalizing districts around depots.

High-speed rail, fixing the levees, and legislation such as AB 811 and AB 303 not only create jobs but benefit all of California.

Jim Beall, Jr. is elected representative for the 24th Assembly District. The district includes the cities of Saratoga, Campbell, and portions of Los Gatos, Santa Clara, and portions of San Jose.