TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
FY 2011 APPROPRIATIONS REQUESTS


Department of Transportation Requests


Federal Aviation Administration


Project Title:  Palm Springs International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower, CA
Recipient: City of Palm Springs
Location:  3400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way Suite OFC, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Amount Requested: $3,000,000

The FAA is replacing the Palm Springs International air traffic control tower.  The tower does not have space for the number of controllers required for the recently-lengthened runways and taxiways.  The tower cab is also at an insufficient height to meet standards for the airport surfaces at or below controller eye level.  The estimated total cost is $25 million to construct the new facility and remove the old tower.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will improve airport effectiveness and safety, and allow for greater commercial growth in the region.



Federal Highway Administration


Project Title:  Autumn Street Parkway, San Jose, CA
Recipient:  City of San Jose
Location:  200 East Santa Clara Street, 18th Floor, San Jose, CA   95113-1905    
Amount Requested: $1,200,000

Autumn Street Parkway is a major arterial road that is part of the City’s plan for downtown San Jose development.  It will provide improved access between Interstate 880, the airport, and downtown, as well as primary access to the HP Pavilion and commuter rail station.  The plan also calls for bicycle and pedestrian access, which will connect the Guadalupe River Park trails to downtown.  Total cost is $30 million and this funding request is for final design and construction.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will improve downtown access from San Jose Mineta Airport, the new I-880 / Coleman Avenue Interchange, and the interchange at Route 87 and Taylor Street.


Project Title:  Capital Southeast Connector, CA
Recipient:  City of Elk Grove
Location:  8401 Laguna Palms Way, Elk Grove, CA 95758
Amount Requested: $2,000,000

The Capital Southeast Connector is a proposed 37-mile downtown Sacramento bypass, from I-5 in Elk Grove to U.S. 50 in El Dorado Hills.  The requested funding would support the construction of an initial phase in the City of Elk Grove at Highway 99, which will be completed in 2012.  The total cost of the Elk Grove segment is $36 million, towards which the City has secured $34 million.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funding because it will provide significant transportation improvements that will enhance mobility options and relieve congestion.


Project Title:  Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Construction, CA
Recipient:  Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
Location:  Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza, P.O. Box 9000, Presidio Station, San Francisco, CA 94129-0601
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

A seismic retrofit of the Golden Gate Bridge has been underway since 2001 to improve the bridge’s ability to withstand a 7.0 or higher earthquake.  Two phases have been completed and Phase 3A, the retrofit of the north anchorage and pylon is scheduled for completion in July 2011.  Funding is requested for Phase 3B – retrofitting the 4,200 foot-long main span, the two 746 foot-tall towers, and the south tower pier.  Phase 3B total cost is $260 million with design scheduled to be completed in September 2010 and construction completed by 2014.  This project is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the U.S. Geological Survey has estimated a 62 percent probability of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake striking the San Francisco Bay Area in the next 30 years, and the retrofit project will protect the safety of drivers and this important American landmark.


Project Title:  Hazel Avenue Improvement Project, CA
Recipient: County of Sacramento Department of Transportation
Location:  906 G Street, Suite 510, Sacramento, CA 95814
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

Hazel Avenue is an important transportation corridor serving eastern Sacramento, providing a north-south connection between Highway 50 and Placer County, and one of the few available crossings of the American River.  It currently carries 53,000 vehicles per day and operates at a high level of congestion for extended periods.  The project will widen Hazel Avenue to six lanes, construct intersection and traffic signal upgrades, new bicycle and pedestrian facilities, landscape/streetscape features and soundwalls.  The project is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan.  These proposed improvements are a valuable use of taxpayer funding as they will significantly enhance traffic flow and reduce congestion throughout the corridor, and improve safety for all modes of travel.


Project Title:  I-15 Corridor: Devore Interchange Improvements, CA
Recipient:  San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG)
Location:  1170 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92410
Amount Requested: $3,000,000

More than 160,000 vehicles per day use the I-15/I-215 Devore interchange, at the foot of the Cajon Pass, and traffic is expected to increase to 250,000 vehicles per day by 2030.  I-15 is one of the highest volume goods movement corridors in the country, with traffic congestion exacerbated by roadway design limitations and a lack of viable alternate routes.  The total project cost is $368.5 million to add truck bypass lanes around the interchange merge zones and to add additional lanes in each direction.  This funding will be used for environmental planning for the project, which is planned for completion in 2016.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will dramatically improve goods movement and allow for more efficient throughput and safety between these two key arteries.


Project Title:  I-280 Mission Bay Off-Ramp and Improvements, CA
Recipient: City and County of San Francisco
Location:  1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, City Hall, Room 348, San Francisco, CA 94102
Amount Requested: $2,000,000

San Francisco is redeveloping the former railyards in Mission Bay to include 6,000 housing units, 4.4 million square feet of biotech office space, a 43-acre University of California San Francisco campus, and a new UC San Francisco hospital.  Successful redevelopment is contingent on improvements to the I-280 freeway off-ramp and adjacent surface streets.  Federal funding will complete final design of the project.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will help further the process of urban renewal and revitalization and a formerly blighted, industrial area, and will improve the connection between significant hubs of employment, education and residency.


Project Title:  I-5 Santa Clarita-Los Angeles Gateway Improvement Project, CA
Recipient:  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:  One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount Requested: $2,000,000

The Santa Clarita-Los Angeles Gateway Improvement Project will add northbound and southbound truck lanes and extend carpool lanes on Interstate 5 in order to relieve traffic congestion in the Santa Clarita Valley.  This project will extend the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and incorporate truck climbing lanes around the interchange with State Route 14.  Adding these carpool and truck lanes is estimated to increase roadway capacity by 50 percent.  State, local and private funding will cover more than 30 percent of the $465 million total cost of this project.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide improved goods movement along this nationally strategic artery and will improve air quality and safety.


Project Title:  I-580/S.R. 84 Triangle Corridor Improvements, CA
Recipient: Alameda County Congestion Management Agency
Location:  1333 Broadway Street, Suite 220, Oakland, CA 94612
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

This project will reduce congestion and improve the movement of freight on the Interstate 580 corridor between the Bay Area and Central Valley.  Federal funds will complete engineering for HOV and HOT lanes, ramp metering, right-of-way acquisition, and roadway widening.  In addition, SR 84, which serves as an alternate route to bypass the 580/680 interchange, will be widened.  Total cost is $640 million with local entities providing an 89 percent match.  The project is under construction with expected completion in 2013, and is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will improve traffic safety, reduce congestion, and enhance goods movement throughout the region, on what is currently the second worst congested corridor in the Bay Area.


Project Title:  I-710 Corridor/Gerald Desmond Bridge Gateway Project, CA
Recipient:  City of Long Beach Harbor Department (Port of Long Beach)
Location:  925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach, CA 90802
Amount Requested: $2,000,000

The Gerald Desmond Bridge is the principal road entry to the Port of Long Beach and trucks using the bridge carry 10 percent of all U.S. waterborne container volume.  The bridge has only four lanes and is typically gridlocked on a daily basis.  The project entails demolition of the existing bridge and replacement with a six-lane cable-stayed bridge.  The total cost is $1.125 billion, of which the Port has secured $699 million to date.  The project is in the environmental review phase with expected completion in 2017, and is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will help alleviate traffic congestion and ensure the movement of goods from the port to the rest of the country.


Project Title:  Interchange at I-5 and French Camp Road and Arch-Sperry Road Construction, CA
Recipient:  City of Stockton
Location:  425 North El Dorado, 2nd Floor, Stockton, CA 95202
Amount Requested: $800,000

This project will complete a surface road connection between I-5 and SR 99 to provide a local thoroughfare between these two Central Valley goods movement arteries.  This project is necessary to mitigate existing and forecasted truck traffic congestion for Stockton Metropolitan Airport, the Port of Stockton, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Intermodal Facility.  The requested funding will be used for final design and right-of-way-acquisition. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will significantly improve regional mobility and relieve congestion between I-5 and SR-99.


Project Title:  Napa Valley Vine Trail, CA
Recipient:  Napa County Regional Park and Open Space District
Location:  1195 Third Street, Room 210, Napa, CA 94559
Amount Requested:  $250,000

The Napa Valley Vine Trail is a proposed 44-mile bicycle/pedestrian path connecting Calistoga in the north with the Vallejo Ferry Terminal in the south.  The Trail will link existing trails to Sonoma, Solano, and Lake Counties, and the San Francisco Bay Trail.  Approximately 7.5 miles have been completed or are funded and under construction.   Federal funding would complete construction of approximately three miles of the trail system.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the trail system will provide a safe alternative mode of transportation for both residents and visitors.


Project Title:  Riverside Freeway (State Route 91) Congestion Relief Project in Orange County, CA
Recipient:  Orange County Transportation Authority
Location:  550 South Main Street, Orange, CA 92868
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

The Riverside Freeway (State Route 91) is the only significant roadway connecting Orange County and Riverside County, and handles more than 300,000 vehicles per day.  This project will add two new lanes at the interchange with the 241 Toll Road to improve traffic flow from the Toll Road to the tolled congestion management lanes on SR-91.  The requested funding is for design of the $400 million project.  The project is expected to be completed in 2015, and is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will reduce severe congestion between Riverside and Orange Counties, minimizing delays for goods movement and lessening travel times for commuters.


Project Title:  Schuyler Heim Bridge Replacement and SR-47 Expressway, CA
Recipient:  Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
Location:  One Civic Plaza, Suite 350, Carson, CA 90745
Amount Requested: $2,000,000

This project will replace the existing, seismically deficient Schuyler Heim lift bridge over the Cerritos Channel, which provides the northern access to the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles-Terminal Island, with a fixed span, four-lane elevated roadway.  These improvements will allow truck traffic to flow to the warehouse districts and rail loading facilities north of Terminal Island without stopping for ships under the bridge, bypassing three major intersections and five at-grade rail crossings.  State and local funding identified for this $687 million project to date is $671 million.  This project, which is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan, is in final design with expected completion in 2014.  This is a beneficial use of federal funding because it will greatly enhance goods movement at the Nation's busiest ports.


Project Title:  State Route 152 Los Banos Bypass, CA
Recipient: Merced County Association of Governments
Location: 369 West 18th Street, Merced, CA 95340
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

A proposed 7-mile bypass will remove through traffic from within the city of Los Banos, which currently sees thru-traffic of 40,000 vehicles per day.  State Route 152 carries Central Valley farm products to the Port of Oakland and serves as a major commerce and commute route from the Central Valley to the Bay Area and Monterey Coast. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funding because the bypass will relieve traffic congestion, safety, and air quality problems within the city, and improve the movement of goods and agriculture to the Bay Area and the Port of Oakland for national and international commerce.


Project Title:  US-101 San Juan Road Interchange Project, CA
Recipient:  Transportation Agency for Monterey County
Location:  55-B Plaza Circle, Salinas, CA 93901
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The San Juan Road area is a choke point for inter-regional travel along U.S. 101 for goods movement, commuters, and visitors.  In the area of this proposed interchange, Highway 101 has a speed limit of 60 mph, a high crash history and very high traffic volumes - 63,000 vehicles per day with 12,600 trucks.  The project would replace three at-grade intersections with one interchange.  The State has contributed $62.2 million.  This project is in final design and is expected to be completed by 2015. This project is a beneficial use of federal funding because constructing an interchange at this location will support agricultural goods movement from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties and improve safety for travelers.


Project Title:  Watts Street Storm Drain Improvements
Recipient:  City of Los Angeles
Location:  200 North Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The City of Los Angeles is rehabilitating the street and drainage system in the under-served area around the Watts Tower State Historic Park to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety.  Pedestrian-related improvements will include sidewalk repairs and new curb cuts, walk signals and crosswalks at intersections and additional street lighting.  The City will also fix an undersized storm drain system that typically backs up during storms, flooding the streets.  The rehab is a major component in the community’s work to enhance commercial activity in the business areas on Willowbrook and Wilmington Avenues, near the Watts Towers.  The total cost is $5 million.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will help revitalize this residential and commercial sector of the City while enhancing public safety.



Federal Railroad Administration


Project Title:  Metrolink - Grade Crossing Improvements, CA
Recipient:  Southern California Regional Rail Authority – Metrolink
Location:  700 South Flower Street Suite 2600, Los Angeles, CA, 90017
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The Metrolink “Sealed Corridor” program will improve 63 road and rail grade crossings to prevent accidents involving automobiles on the tracks, such as the 2005 Glendale wreck.  15 projects are currently underway and two have been completed.  Improvements include quad gates and median islands at crossings, swing gates and other barriers to limit access to rail right-of-ways.  The requested funding will be used for design and construction.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it enhances safety for train passengers, motorists, and pedestrians.


Project Title:  Metrolink Positive Train Control, CA
Recipient:  Southern California Regional Rail Authority – Metrolink
Location:  700 South Flower Street Suite 2600, Los Angeles, CA, 90017
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

The Rail Safety Improvement Act requires implementation of Positive Train Control on railroads nationwide by 2015; Metrolink wants to be finished by 2012.  Installation of Positive Train Control on the 216 miles of Metrolink rail is estimated at $201 million, of which Metrolink agencies have been able to secure $94 million in state and local dollars.  Metrolink operates seven routes carrying nearly one million passengers each month. This is a beneficial use of federal funding because it will drastically improve safety on a rail system in which passengers and freight trains traveling in opposite directions share a single track.


Project Title:  Riverside Grade Separations, CA
Recipient:  City of Riverside
Location:  3900 Main Street, Riverside, CA 9252
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The City of Riverside is addressing improvements for 24 at-grade rail crossings within city limits by grade separating highway and rail traffic along the Alameda Corridor East, which carries the bulk of imported cargo from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.  Non-federal funding will cover 60 percent of the $139.4 million total cost.  Federal funding is being sought for engineering, right of way purchases and construction.  This is a beneficial use of taxpayer funds because these grade separations will curb gridlock, improve safety and emergency vehicle access at crossings, and reduce carbon emissions from idling vehicles.


Project Title:  San Diego Positive Train Control, CA
Recipient: North County Transit District
Location: 810 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92054-2825
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

North County Transit District owns 90 miles of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Corridor, the second most heavily traveled rail corridor in the nation, supporting shared operation of Amtrak intercity trains, two local commuter rail systems, and BNSF freight trains. Fifty percent of the corridor is single-track.  The total cost of PTC implementation on these lines is $60 million.  This is a beneficial use of federal funding because it will drastically improve safety on a rail system in which passengers and freight trains traveling in opposite directions share a single track.


Project Title:  San Gabriel Trench Project - Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority, CA
Recipient: Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority
Location:  4900 Rivergrade Road, Irwindale, CA 91706
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach import 40 percent of the nation’s containerized cargo.  Much of these goods are transported via the Alameda Corridor East through the San Gabriel Valley, home to 2 million residents.  In order to allow for local traffic and curb long lines at grade crossings, the San Gabriel cities are improving 39 railroad grade crossings and constructing 20 underpasses.  State, local and private funding will cover 80 percent of the $1.5 billion total cost of this project.  Federal funding will be used for final design and construction.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because these improvements will increase mobility, enhance safety and encourage economic vitality in connection with the movement of goods from the Ports to the rest of the country.



Federal Transit Administration


Project Title:  Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Project, CA
Recipient: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Location:  3331 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95134
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

The BART to Silicon Valley project is already moving forward with design and environmental clearance, and has obtained voter-approved local sales tax funding for both construction and operations.  The total project is 16.1 miles from the Alameda County line through Milpitas, downtown San Jose, and ending at the Santa Clara Caltrain Rail Station.  Federal funding is being sought for the 9.9-mile first phase, which is above ground in existing rail right-of-way.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide an efficient mass transit option to an expected ridership of 100,000, relieve severe traffic congestion along key corridors in the San Francisco Bay Area, and connect the 1.8 million residents of Santa Clara County to the existing 104-mile BART regional rail system.


Project Title:  Crenshaw / LAX Transit Corridor, CA
Recipient: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:  One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

The Crenshaw / Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Light Rail Project is an 8.5-mile extension between the Expo Line (under construction) and the existing Metro Green Line. The extension will serve the cities of Los Angeles and Inglewood and will include at least six new stations.  This connection would enable transit riders to access both downtown Los Angeles and the Westside, relieving congestion and improving mobility.  This project connects to an Automated People Mover planned to be constructed at LAX.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will extend public transportation to key hubs of employment, residency, and throughout greater Los Angeles, while also providing convenient access to and from the country’s third busiest airport.


Project Title:  Downtown Connector/Westside Subway Extension, CA
Recipient:  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:  One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount Requested: $10,000,000

The Downtown Regional Connector is a 2-mile light rail connecting three existing lines at their downtown stations, providing a final link of 50 miles of light rail service throughout Los Angeles.  The Metro Board has paired this project with the Metro Westside Extension, which will extend the existing subway system over nine miles into Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood.  The Westside is one of the major job centers of Southern California, with more than 150,000 jobs in the areas to be served by this new subway.  Ridership forecasts anticipate up to 116,000 new systemwide boardings daily by the year 2030.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will extend public transportation to several key hubs of employment, residency, and education throughout greater Los Angeles, promoting the use of mass transit, taking cars off of the road, mitigating congestion and improving air quality. 

I am also requesting the following language:



Project Title:  East Bay BRT, CA
Recipient:  Alameda - Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit)
Location:  1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Amount Requested: $15,000,000

The President’s Budget includes $15 million for this project.  The 17-mile East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Corridor will serve Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro.  This funding is for capital improvements, including utility relocation, sidewalk widening, and bus stop enhancements to increase the efficiency and use of the system.  The total project cost is $234.5 million, with $124.5 million in State and local funding already committed.  This project is in the State Transportation Improvement Plan, and will benefit taxpayers by increasing access to public transit, and enhancing the effectiveness of this mass transit corridor for the region’s commuters.


Project Title:  Perris Valley Line, Riverside, CA
Recipient:  Riverside County Transportation Commission
Location:  4080 Lemon St, 3rd Floor, Riverside, CA 92502
Amount Requested: $23,490,000

The President’s Budget includes $23.49 million for this project.  This project would benefit thousands of residents along the I-215 corridor by extending Metrolink service 22.7 miles south and east from downtown Riverside to the community of Perris, serving UC Riverside, March Air Reserve Base and the City of Moreno Valley.  The total project cost of $232 million is covered primarily with state and local funds.  This amount constitutes the remaining balance of the $75 million federal funding.  All safety requirements, including PTC and grade crossing improvements, must be installed before this project begins operation.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide a mass transit capability to this growing community.


Project Title:  Riverside Transit Authority Transit Centers, CA
Recipient: Riverside Transit Agency
Location:  1825 Third Street, Riverside, CA 92507
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

Riverside Transit Agency is building new transit centers in southwestern Riverside County, to keep pace with the growing mass transit needs.  Federal funding will help construct an $8 million multi-modal transit center in Temecula to serve as a central transfer point for both local and commuter bus services and for transportation to commuter rail, express bus, bus rapid transit, and local circulator services.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funding because it will enhance and expand public transportation alternatives for the region’s residents, promoting mass transit, reducing congestion, and improving air quality.


Project Title:  San Francisco Central Subway LRT, CA
Recipient: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Location: 1 South Van Ness, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
Amount Requested: $20,000,000

The President’s Budget includes $20 million for this project.  In January 2010, the Federal Transit Authority granted approval to Muni to proceed to final design on the Central Subway, which will extend the Third Street line 1.7 miles with a surface stop on 4th Street near Brannan Street and subway service with stations at the Moscone Center, Union Square and Chinatown.  Once complete, the line is projected to carry more than 78,000 riders per day.  The Third Street project will connect San Francisco’s civic, business and cultural centers with diverse communities along the corridor in the Southeast portion of the city.  This is a valuable use of federal funding because it will improve the City’s public transit service reliability, travel times and enhance transit connections and alternatives.  


Project Title:  San Joaquin County Metro Express - Hammer Lane Corridor BRT, CA
Recipient: San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Location:  421 East Weber Street, Stockton, CA 95202
Amount Requested: $2,000,000

San Joaquin Regional Transit District is working to implement a third bus rapid transit line in the city of Stockton.  The two existing routes run north-south and this third route will run east-west 6.3 miles between I-5 and Highway 99.  The line will connect to the north-south corridors, allowing greater access to employment centers in midtown and downtown.  Funding will be used for engineering and design of the project and for costs associated with anticipated construction, including: placement of shelters, changes to roads and sidewalks, and signal preemption.  The total cost is $29 million.  This is a beneficial use of taxpayer funding because it will increase access between residential areas, employment centers, educational campuses, and medical centers, as well as other modes of transportation, thus increasing access to public transit for residents, decreasing congestion in and around the city, and improving air quality by reducing vehicle emissions.


Project Title:  Santa Ana-Garden Grove Fixed Guideway, CA
Recipient: Orange County Transportation Authority
Location:  550 South Main Street, Orange, CA 92863
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The proposed Santa Ana-Garden Grove Streetcar will provide an extended mass transit option from the Metrolink commuter rail system into the Santa Ana Civic Center, including federal, state and county government offices and courthouses.  Santa Ana is the largest and most densely populated city in Orange County with an average population density of nearly 12,500 people per square mile. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide a mass transit alternative for the 100,000 daily vehicle trips into the area, improving mobility, access, and air quality.


Project Title:  South Sacramento Corridor Phase 2 Light Rail Extension, Sacramento, CA
Recipient:  Sacramento Regional Transit District
Location:  1400 29th Street, Sacramento, CA 95812-2110
Amount Requested: $5,000,000

This project will extend light rail service 4.2 miles in a growing area of Sacramento, linking housing with jobs downtown.  The project will add four new light rail stations with 2,700 park-and-ride spaces, a major transit center, and transit oriented developments at two of the four stations.  Sacramento Regional Transit expects this project to generate 2,210 new transit trips per day, removing cars from the road and improving air quality.  This is the largest employment center in the region where over one-fifth of the trips are made by transit.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will extend public transit alternatives and remove vehicles from congested roads, helping the region meet air quality goals.


 
Department of Housing and Urban Development Requests


Economic Development Initiatives


Project Title:  California Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure, CA
Recipient:  California Rural Water Association
Location:  4125 Northgate Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95834
Amount Requested: $500,000

Many rural water and wastewater systems across California require small scale repairs, but the communities lack the financial resources to pay for the initial studies required to qualify for state or federal grants and loans.  This funding will capitalize a revolving loan fund that will finance these studies, operated by the California Rural Water Association, which provides technical assistance to California’s small rural communities to improve and maintain their drinking and wastewater infrastructure.  The loan program would be available to all low and moderate-income rural California communities.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer money because it will provide significant improvements in public health, by ensuring that small communities have access to safe drinking water.


Project Title:  City of Dinuba Vocational Center, CA
Recipient:  City of Dinuba
Location:  199 North L Street, Dinuba, CA 93618
Amount Requested: $1,000,000

The Dinuba Vocational Center, in conjunction with local community colleges, provides job skill training programs in an area with a 24 percent unemployment rate.  Funds would be used for construction of medical skills laboratories and classrooms for the Center’s nursing career training program, which is currently held in the facility’s automotive mechanics training garage.  The total cost is $3.85 million.  This funding, which will allow the City to better serve more than 900 residents who utilize the Center’s job training services, is a beneficial use of federal funding because it will help attend to the areas significant nursing shortage, and assist the area in addressing its significant unemployment rate.


Project Title:  Plummer Park Reconstruction Project, CA
Recipient:  City of West Hollywood
Location:  8300 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Amount Requested: $200,000

The City of West Hollywood is renovating its Plummer Park multipurpose auditorium and replacing its preschool center.  The 60-year-old auditorium has daily senior and afterschool programs, and hosts nonprofit groups and community events.  The facility needs to be updated to current building code requirements with ADA compliance and a new heating and ventilation system.  The current free-of charge preschool for low-income children operates in a modular building that has exceeded its useful life, and the City is seeking to build a new center to expand enrollment.  The total cost of the improvements is $13 million, of which the city has $12.25 million.  This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because activities at the park provide educational, public safety, and public health benefits to city residents.


HUD Language Request


Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles Tenant Commissioner Requirement Waiver, CA
Amount Requested:  Language Request

This language is included in the President’s budget and will continue a provision from Fiscal Year 2008, granting a waiver to the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s tenant commissioner requirement, which stipulates that a public housing authority include in its governing body at least one member that is directly assisted by the housing authority.  The County meets the intent of HUD’s tenant commissioner requirement through its nine-member Housing Advisory Commission, of which four are tenant commissioners who live in housing assisted by the Authority.  Los Angeles County would lose $5.8 million in housing capital funds if it does not receive a waiver for this requirement.  I request that the following language be extended:




HUD Technical Corrections


Project Title: California Citrus State Historic Park – Technical Correction
Recipient:  City of Riverside
Location:  3900 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92522
Amount Requested:  Technical Correction

In Fiscal Year 2006, Representative Ken Calvert secured $100,000 for the City of Riverside for the construction of a pedestrian bridge in the California State Citrus Historic Park.  However, it was determined that the bridge was not necessary.  In order for these funds to be utilized, I am requesting a technical correction to allow the funds to be used for ADA improvements in the Park.




Project Title: San Francisco Old Mint - Technical Correction
Recipient:  The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society
Location:  785 Market Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94103
Amount Requested:  Technical Correction

In Fiscal Year 2008, Senator Boxer and I secured $335,000 for the San Francisco city museum and visitors center, to be housed in the Old Mint.  While the project is on track, it is not yet ready for construction.   In order for these funds to be utilized, I am requesting a technical correction to allow the funds to be used for planning and design.