Read CMTA’s round-up of manufacturing news from March 2026. The articles below don’t reflect the views of the manufacturing industry or CMTA. They are a collection of the latest industry news from this past month.
Latest Industry News
Siemens Invests $95M in Expanded Pomona Facility, Boosting U.S. Electrical Infrastructure
CMTA member Siemens celebrated the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art manufacturing hub in Pomona, CA. The manufacturing building and upgraded California facility will create a combined 146,000-square-foot manufacturing site, expecting to add 123 jobs to the Southern California economy.
A solar canopy system will provide 1,638 MWh of electricity, powering 32% of the building’s operations.
Varda Space Moves into Former Mattel Facility in El Segundo
Varda Space Industries, an El Segundo-based space pharmaceutical manufacturer, is leasing a new facility once occupied by Mattel Inc.
Mattel designed toys and dolls in the 205,443-square-foot space; now, Varda Space will use the site to manufacture its spacecraft capsules, which launch pharmaceutical ingredients into the ether and back.
Read more from Los Angeles Business Journal
Oil Operations Restart off California Coast
The Trump administration invoked emergency powers to restart oil operations off the coast of Santa Barbara on March 13. The Energy Department cited U.S. military dependence on foreign oil.
California then sued the administration, arguing that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright overstepped his authority under the Defense Production Act. Operations continue as of April 7, 2026.
Sacramento Area Manufacturer Expands Locally
Electrical switchgear manufacturer Butcher Power Products, a CMTA member, has expanded into a new 26,000-square-foot headquarters office in Rancho Cordova.
The company has a separate 60,000-square-foot manufacturing site in Rancho Cordova and a 40,000-square-foot assembly operation in Sacramento. The fast-growing manufacturer has over 120 employees, up from 60 in May 2025.
Read more from Sacramento Business Journal
Joby Aviation Makes Bay Area Flight in FAA Commercial Approval Push
Joby Aviation held a demonstration for its electric air taxi technology with a flight over San Francisco. This follows the Federal Aviation Administration’s announcement that Joby was selected for its new Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program.
The Northern California-based company is headquartered in Marina and has offices in Santa Cruz and San Carlos.
Manufacturing Policy News
California Lawmakers Revisit CEQA Exemptions for Advanced Manufacturing
A flurry of last-minute reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) at the end of last year’s legislative session exempted a broad, poorly defined category of industrial facilities from environmental review.
Now, lawmakers are trying to figure out what they actually meant when they approved those exemptions.
California Manufacturers Struggle with Uncertainty from Tariffs
The past year, filled with uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s tariffs, was destabilizing for manufacturers across the state.
In an interview on California Politics 360, Lance Hastings, the President & CEO of CMTA, noted the industry is an important part of the global economy that relies on certainty in order to make decisions.
Op-ed: As Gas Prices Soar, California’s New Carbon Emission Rules Prompt a War of Words
As the U.S. and Iran conflict continued and gas prices soared due to disruption in the global oil trade, a political war erupted in California over proposed air pollution rules that could increase prices even more.
The California Air Resources Board’s new crackdown on greenhouse gas emissions, “risks driving production, and the associated emissions, out of state, ultimately undermining both California’s economic base and global climate objectives,” according to CMTA.
CMTA Raises Critical Concerns About Proposed Cap-and-Invest Regulations
CMTA sounded the alarm over proposed regulations to California’s Cap-and-Invest program (formerly known as Cap-and-Trade), warning that the proposal will significantly increase energy costs and further strain affordability.
These new regulations come after manufacturers have already spent billions innovating and complying with the current program.