More than $16 million in federal funding has been secured for community projects across Contra Costa and Alameda counties, supporting efforts related to public safety, transportation, community development, and environmental sustainability within California’s 10th Congressional District.
The funding comes through the annual congressional appropriations process, which allows House members to submit a limited number of community project requests for consideration by the Appropriations Committee.
- $1,970,010 for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA)Â to upgrade and develop a network of smart traffic signals between Antioch and Oakley to improve commute times, reduce delays, and ease congestion.
- $1,200,000 for the Contra Costa County Public Works Department to create a separate bike path to fill a gap in the County-wide bicycle network along Marsh Drive in unincorporated Pacheco, which will improve safety for all road users and access to local commercial centers, recreational centers, and additional connections to the local mass transit system.
- $1,000,000 for the Contra Costa County Public Works Department to construct bicycle and pedestrian facilities on Treat Boulevard in the Contra Costa Centre Transit Village in Walnut Creek to close a critical gap along the Iron Horse Regional Trail, which would improve safety for non-motorized road users and improve connectivity for first and last mile connections to public transit and local commercial establishments.
- $850,000 for the Town of Danville to install fiber optic cables and construct new conduit and junction boxes for 54 traffic signals in Danville to enable real-time traffic signal optimization to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety, and allow for future implementation of smart city technologies.
- $850,000 for the City of Dublin to improve safety and accessibility of Village Parkway by narrowing vehicle lanes, adding lighting, and constructing buffered bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and protected intersections.
- $850,000 for the East Bay Regional Park District to construct visitor facilities such as restrooms, drinking fountains, public parking areas, and a turnout lane on Bailey Road to allow for the Thurgood Marshall Regional Park to be opened up to the public.
Public Health and Safety Projects:
- $1,915,000 for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire) to replace and install equipment, including backup generators, shore power plugs, and automatic transfer switches, at radio towers across Contra Costa County that are used for communication between law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services to improve system reliability during emergencies and disasters that result in the loss of power.
- $1,145,144 for the Diablo Water District to provide structural and foundational reinforcements to water infrastructure to mitigate risks associated with major seismic events, safeguard water supply, and contribute to the region’s overall disaster preparedness strategy.
- $1,034,487 for the City of Concord to make improvements to the Emergency Operations Center in Concord to ensure its longevity, efficiency, and resilience as it serves as a critical hub for bolstering regional preparedness, response, and recovery efforts during emergencies and disasters.
- $1,000,000 for the City of Walnut Creek to purchase 120 body worn cameras, charging docks, and equipment to promote transparency, accountability, and public trust in the police department.
- $600,000 for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office to create an Organized Retail Theft (ORT) Prevention and Prosecution Unit with the goal of addressing increased levels of retail theft crimes, helping local law enforcement better confront these types of crimes, and improving public safety.
- $500,000 for the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office to enhance the identification and referral of survivors of labor trafficking and cases of labor trafficking occurring in the County, increase the capacity of the District Attorney’s Office to investigate cases of labor exploitation and trafficking, and improve the quality and scope of services provided to underserved and marginalized victims of human trafficking.
Environmental Protection and Sustainability Projects:
- $2,000,000 to the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection)Â to construct a battery system to allow the agency to charge its zero emission buses overnight, and provide a source of power to maintain operations during emergencies.
- $1,092,000 to the Central Conta Costa Sanitary District (Central San) to upgrade the water treatment facility’s ultraviolet (UV) technology to reduce the energy footprint of water treatment and protect public health and water quality in the region.
- $273,000 for the Marine Mammal Center to help build scientific literacy and environmental stewardship of the coastal zone for 2,700 students and their teachers in Contra Costa County and to develop a pipeline for the future STEM workforce.
Is this what’s called buying votes . . . . . .
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10)
Don’t Sugar Coat it, they are called BRIBES.
Just like giving money to NGO’s instead of doing it yourself.
No Accountability.
Fed Up,
.
Government needs to stop funding NPOs and NGOs!!!
$1.0M for CCC Public Works (#3) for bike and pedestrian changes on Treat near BART?? A complete waste – even the Mayor of WC voted against it! So even elected officials can’t stop the wasteful spending our our tax dollars! A “solution” for a non-problem! In general – how much of this $16M will actually go to work being done after pet project $$ is shaved off the top? What accountability measures are being put in place to ensure the funding is really spent on these projects? … or is the funding just going into everybody’s General Fund? I can guess the answer to that…….
Why are we going into further debt to fund these projects, which aren’t the responsibility of the federal government to fund?
That money will disappear like a puff of smoke.
Administrative fees are what it’s called.
Lining people’s pockets is what it is.
Do what now? I got an idea for the next $275: development a metric system for tracking the success of federal spending on vaguely worded grant requests.
$273,000 for the Marine Mammal Center to help build scientific literacy and environmental stewardship of the coastal zone for 2,700 students and their teachers in Contra Costa County and to develop a pipeline for the future STEM workforce.
Here’s tis works …All funds come with these demands and expectations: 1. 25% to hire our preferred consultants who regularly donate back to Democrat campaigns. 2. 15% for enviro studies and impact reports again done by preferred list of consultants and contractors (again with contributions to you know who. 3. 50 plus percent on agency admin costs (please let these employees know who to vote for and contribute to) … These leaves 10% for actual work which will not be enough so funds will sit until they reallocated to the respective entities general fund. – Thanks Mark