Governor Gavin Newsom swore in over 10,000 California Service Corps members for the 2026-2027 service year, bringing the total to more than 50,000 volunteers since he established the program in 2019.
The corps members will serve across the state in roles addressing disaster preparedness, hunger relief, student mentorship, and climate action. Members receive stipends while gaining work experience. Since 2019, the program has mobilized more than 50,000 volunteers serving nearly 26 million total hours, making it the largest state-level service force in the nation, larger than the federal Peace Corps.
The California Service Corps operates three paid programs. College Corps allows students to earn up to $10,000 by completing 450 hours of community service. The California Climate Action Corps, created in 2020 as the nation's first state-level climate corps, focuses on wildfire resilience, urban greening, and food recovery. Youth Service Corps provides paid service and workforce development opportunities for young people.
From 2018-19 through 2024-25, the corps reported significant impact: over 608,000 students tutored or mentored, over 313 million pounds of food distributed, disaster preparedness and recovery services for over 318,000 people, and diversion of over 86.6 million pounds of food and organic waste.
Newsom said that "the solution to so many of our challenges comes from service, which can bring people together, give people a sense of purpose, and remind us of our common humanity."
The Governor also announced creation of the California Service Corps Alumni Network to connect the more than 50,000 former service members and provide career development and networking opportunities.