Solis discusses her "challenging" new job

How's the new job?

SOLIS: It's a challenge. I didn't expect that there would so many things I could be involved with.

A lot of them are challenges. A lot of them are hard problems to solve, working with people, figuring out what works ... we're taking a look at a set of issues that have been there for awhile and taking them very seriously on the front end, as opposed to waiting for somebody else to take care of something.

We've waited too long. Our community has suffered too long. Our communities have suffered over eight years. When there's a financial crisis, you see it harder here in these communities.

When will stimulus money hit the ground?

SOLIS: Monies have already begun to hit. In fact the city of L.A. and L.A. County received funding in March for summer youth employment programs.

In addition, infrastructure money has already been given to the states.

We're looking at career growth. So we can put people into jobs that will prepare them for after this stimulus money runs out.

We don't have a work force that's really up to speed to handle the demand that's going to be created because of this new change in this direction and changing of our manufacturing base to one that is more green.

It's going to be exciting.

You've been a big supporter of labor throughout your career. Do you still support the Employee Free Choice Act (which would amend the federal law to make it easier to organize in the workplace), despite backlash that unions contributed to the demise of GM and Chrysler?

SOLIS: Absolutely. We've all been used to backlashes.

No more nonsense. Let's get people back to work. Let's make sure we have a good health care system, renewable energy and good jobs.

It doesn't take an act of God, if we all help one another.

What's your perspective on the economy and jobs overall?

SOLIS: It's tough. It's very hard. Unemployment rates are not the highest, but one of the highest. We have to do everything we can to make sure we get recovery money out as as soon as possible.

We've seen a little uptick in people spending ... about 24,000 jobs were created in health care industry.

As soon as recovery money comes in for infrastructure, we're probably going to see more people who lost jobs in construction and those various types of jobs coming back. We're waiting for that to happen.