State and local leaders gathered at San Jose State today to announce a recruitment drive aiming to add 10,000 new members to the California Service Corps, organizers said.

The announcement highlighted service roles supporting public schools, disaster response and efforts to address food insecurity. "Service Corps members support students and teachers in public schools. They help respond to disasters like the LA wildfires and also help tackle food insecurity," Speaker 1, a staff member, said.

The campaign was presented as a paid service opportunity and framed as a large-scale mobilization. "If you wanna stand with 10,000 other Californians making a difference every day and getting paid to do it, if you wanna be part of a movement that's gonna serve over 5,000,000 hours of service this year alone, and if you wanna be part of a force that is now bigger than the Peace Corps, then join the California Service Corps," Speaker 2, a staff member, said.

Organizers encouraged potential applicants to visit the program website for more information. The announcement included a web address for the California Volunteers site: californiavolunteers.ca.gov.

The event did not include details in the transcript on funding sources, eligibility criteria, start dates, or which specific state offices will manage recruitment and placement; those items were not specified in the remarks captured in the transcript. The speakers described the Service Corps generally as supporting education and disaster relief while helping address food insecurity, and they emphasized the scale goal of 10,000 recruits and an estimated 5,000,000 hours of service.