Susan Walsh / AP
President Joe Biden speaks during a reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, celebrating Greek Independence Day.
Sunday, April 9, 2023 | 2 a.m.
A member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet was in Southern Nevada this week, touring two local spots that have gained from spending bills he signed into law.
Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration began her trip with a visit to the College of Southern Nevada’s manufacturing initiative in North Las Vegas as a part of Biden’s “Invest in America” tour to highlight the more than $435 billion in private investment commitments the administration has secured since taking office. She was joined by Democratic Nevada U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, whose district includes the CSN campus.
In Nevada alone, companies have committed to invest more than $8 billion, nearly double the national average. Most of that can be tied to the $3.6 billion expansion to Tesla’s gigafactory campus in Storey County as well as a $3.5 billion investment by Redwood Materials for a proposed lithium battery recycling and manufacturing facility east of Reno-Sparks. The latter, once completed, will be one of the country’s first major battery recycling and manufacturing plants, and will greatly bolster component availability in the EV supply chain.
“They’re going to be focused on advanced manufacturing and workforce development, too, so it was great to visit the College of Southern Nevada,” Casillas Guzman said of the campus. “And I think it was a great conversation to hear from those focused on trying to train the workforce for the future, as well as the entrepreneurs who are the ones creating the jobs.”
Casillas Guzman noted the economic outlook for Nevada looks good, especially given the state’s near-30% unemployment rate in the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevada, however, has added more than 239,000 jobs since the start of 2021, and currently has an unemployment rate of 5.5%.
Nevada has also been allocated about $1.7 billion in federal funding for 103 infrastructure projects since Biden has taken office, according to the White House. That includes $1.4 billion in funds for roads, bridges and roadway safety, as well as $129 million for access to clean water.
“I think all of those projects really are yielding small business opportunities as well as good paying jobs,” Casillas Guzman said. “Manufacturing is a growing sector, and healthcare technology is a growing sector in Nevada, (so) we wanted to make sure that we track those and help support small businesses with workforce as well.”
Rosen seeks comment
U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., unveiled a working draft Friday of the Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act, which seeks to expand economic and housing development opportunities in Washoe County.
The bill also contains provisions designed to support local tribes, promote conservation and improve public lands for Washoe, the Senator said in a release. Rosen’s team is asking Nevadans wishing to provide input for the bill to submit comments to landsbill.org by June 6.
“This legislative working draft is the first step towards finding common ground on how to manage our public lands in Washoe County, and striking a balance between Nevada’s conservation needs and our growing communities,” Rosen said in a statement. “The goal of this legislation will be to protect our wilderness and outdoor spaces, increase the availability of affordable housing, and open the door to local infrastructure improvements while addressing key Tribal and local community priorities..”
The bill would designate hundreds of thousands of acres of wilderness and hundreds of thousands of acres of national conservation areas. It would also expand land held for the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Washoe Tribe.
Increase in active voters
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar’s office reported an increase of 14,915 active registered voters to the state’s rolls in March, a 0.8% increase in the overall number of active voters in Nevada.
Democrats netted 1,889 of those new voters, while Republicans gained 1,571. The Independent American Party increased by 696, and nonpartisans saw the biggest increase with 10,654
That brings the total number of active registered voters in Nevada to 1,878,275. Of that, Democrats remain the largest sect of voters in-state with 601,211, followed by nonpartisans with 581,108. Approximately 555,169 Nevada voters are registered Republican.
