Sen. Padilla Secures Over $20M for Central Coast in Federal Funding

Source: Office of U.S. Senator Padilla

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $20 million in federal funding for 11 projects across the Central Coast. These projects were included in the bipartisan FY 2022 appropriations package that passed the Senate [last week]. The bill is now headed to President Biden to be signed into law.

“I am proud to have secured funding for projects up and down the Central Coast to improve our water infrastructure, support health care services, and make our communities safer,” Senator Padilla said. “This funding will go to the local governments and community organizations that are directly serving our neighborhoods. We are also supporting projects that will increase California’s capacity to treat patients.”

Projects in and around the Central Coast that will receive federal funding include:

• $5.6 million to improve Public Safety Communications in San Luis Obispo County
  This project will enhance the radio communications system used by public safety, fire, and emergency medical first responders throughout the county.

• $5.5 million for dredging of Ventura Harbor
  This funding will support the US Army Corps of Engineers’ maintenance dredging, which is required annually to ensure adequate navigational depths for safety, commerce, and operations at Ventura Harbor.

• $2 million for a Homeless Youth Housing Campus in Monterey County
  This project will fund a homeless youth housing campus that would include emergency shelter and transitional housing for youth between 18 and 24 years old.

• $1.5 million for a Water Reuse Project in the City of Thousand Oaks
  This funding will support the design and construction of a treatment system to supply drinking water to public facilities and City water customers.

• $1.3 million for Seismic and Safety Upgrades to the Santa Barbara Veterans Building
  This funding will support seismic retrofitting and electrical and energy system upgrades to a deteriorating Veterans Memorial Building in order to keep the facility safe and open for veterans and the local community in Santa Barbara.

• $1 million for Smart Water Meters in Santa Cruz
  This funding to replace 27,000 aging water meters in the City of Santa Cruz service area with smart meters.

• $950,000 for Ventura County Cold Case and Sexual Assault Investigation Unit
  This funding will aid the Ventura County Sheriff and Ventura County District Attorney’s joint specialized unit that is dedicated to the investigation, laboratory analysis, and prosecution of backlogged violent and sexual assault cases that hold the promise of being solved through DNA technology.

• $900,000 for Lompoc Health Clinic in Santa Barbara County
  This funding will expand the Lompoc Health Clinic to increase capacity, patient flow, and the overall patient experience. In addition, a generator for the primary care facility will be procured to support information technology infrastructure and facility resilience in the event of power outages.

• $525,000 for Dredging of Santa Cruz Harbor
  This funding will support the US Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging efforts, which are critical to maintaining safe and navigable depths at Santa Cruz Harbor.

• $500,000 for Los Banos Creek Water Recharge and Recovery Project
  This funding will support an expansion of water storage and recovery efforts at Los Banos Creek in Santa Cruz County. The project will convert two rock quarry pits into temporary storage/recharge basins; construct one additional recharge pond; construct two storage recovery sump pumps; four shallow groundwater recovery wells; two weirs, and a turnout structure in Los Banos Creek.

• $375,000 for the Cambria Community Services District
  This funding will refurbish water tanks to ensure adequate flows for drinking water, fire suppression, and sanitation.

A full summary of the FY 2022 Appropriations Omnibus package is available here.