Orange County Register |
March 6, 2026 |
California has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology. We are proudly the home of Apple, Google, Adobe, and HP, all founded right here in the Golden State. The Legislature has a responsibility to protect our tech legacy and provide opportunities to make sure California remains on the cutting edge of research and development.
While many move to California to work in tech, I am proud to work with the Coast Community College District and Coastline College to ensure that Californians have an opportunity to compete for high-paying jobs in the tech sector. At the same time, there are not enough four-year institutions offering specialized cybersecurity degrees to meet this demand, creating a bottleneck for students trying to enter the field.
I recently introduced Assembly Bill 2053 in coordination with the Coast Community College District to allow four-year bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity. This pilot program will expand access to affordable career and technical education to create a direct pathway from community college to one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
The need for this type of program is clear. As more of our personal and professional lives move online, protecting data is more important than ever. Cybersecurity is essential to protecting our economy, infrastructure, and even our national security. Cybersecurity is no longer limited to Silicon Valley. Every industry, from healthcare to small business, now depends on secure digital systems.
Allowing community colleges to enter this space means more Californians will have access to this high demand field at a fraction of the cost of a traditional four-year university. Place-bound students in our area could be geographically limited by time constraints due to traffic, childcare, or other personal situations that do not afford the option to drive great distances to the CSU which may be more than 20 miles away. By offering the bachelor’s degree at the local community college, these place‑bound students have greater access to four‑year programs that would otherwise be out of reach.
California is already facing a major workforce gap in this field, with more than 81,000 cybersecurity job openings across the public and private sectors. Demand is only expected to grow, with roles projected to increase by 15 percent over the next decade. Yet too many of these positions go unfilled because we are not producing enough qualified graduates.
The financial upside is hard to ignore. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for entry level cyber security work in California is $157,721 per year. With such high entry level salaries, this is the type of upward mobility that should be within reach to Californians seeking to build stable and successful careers.
Community colleges are a popular option for those who may not otherwise enroll in a four-year degree program. Many are working adults, parents with young children, or first-generation college students. For this diverse population, cost and accessibility is oftentimes a barrier to entering high-paying fields like cybersecurity. The model in this proposal removes these barriers to entry and provides for an inclusive and accessible pathway that leads to success.
AB 2053 ensures that community colleges can align education with cybersecurity workforce needs to meet high demand. As other places invest heavily in this space, this helps ensure California remains competitive.
California’s leadership in technology was not an accident. It was built through sustained investment in our higher education system and opportunity. AB 2053 continues that tradition by equipping the next generation of tech leaders with the tools they need to succeed at a cost they can afford.
At a time when California is facing affordability challenges and increased global competition, we cannot limit opportunity to only a select few. To continue to lead on technology, we must invest in our own workforce. AB 2053 does exactly that by opening doors to high-paying careers and ensuring that the next generation of innovation continues to be built right here in California.
Link to article: https://www.ocregister.com/2026/03/06/breaking-the-tech-bottleneck-why-ab-2053-is-key-to-californias-tech-future/