Community Project Funding Requests
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Project Name: New River, Imperial County, CA
Request Amount: $650,000
Intended Recipient: Army Corps of Engineers
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 915 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017
Request Explanation:
The New River is a heavily polluted, northern-flowing body of water that crosses the U.S.-Mexico border from Mexicali into Imperial County, California. Mexicali is a rapidly growing city, and its population growth has outpaced sewage system development, creating conditions for sewage spills into the river. Moreover, as the Desert Sun reported in 2018, the wastewater plant in Mexicali that is meant to clean wastewater prior to entering the New River does not remove chemicals from the water, or heavy metals. There are also reports that manufacturing warehouses across the border are discharging wastewater into the river. That water then moves into the majority-Latino border community of Calexico on the U.S. side, and up the riverbed past many high-need communities with high unemployment and poor health conditions, finally ending in the Salton Sea.
Funding that will allow the Army Corps and the County to gather information regarding the pollutants in the New River will be a key first step towards enhancing the environment in which our constituents live, and thus allow us to ensure their health and well-being. Moreover, this project could bring additional jobs to a region that frequently suffers from high unemployment, met special hardship due to the 2008 financial crisis, and whose economy continues to face hardship after the pandemic. Thus the project would be an opportunity to ensure that our community in Imperial Valley recovers along with the rest of the state and the country, and that following a public health crisis, we are protecting our people from potential detriment to their health brought in by the New River.
The $650,000 will be allocated towards the planning and design phases required to analyze pollutants in the New River, with the goal of establishing a much-needed wastewater infrastructure facility that entering from Mexico. The finalized project would allow the New River to meet environmental standards that the U.S. has historically put in place to protect our citizens’ health, as well as the environment in the region.
More specifically, the funding would be used to develop a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER), in coordination and consultation with the Army Corps of Engineers. Among other things, the report will include a hydrologic analysis, as well as comprehensive water quality sampling and analysis. A PER will also identify a recommended course of action and viable alternatives. Following the PER, funding will be allocated to project design and permitting.
This project has also received written support from the City of Brawley, the City of Calexico, the City of Imperial, Imperial County, and the Imperial County Division of the League of California Cities which—in addition to the cities listed above—includes Calipatria, El Centro, Holtville, and Westmorland, California.
Project Name: Salton Sea Restoration, CA
Request Amount: $300,000
Intended Recipient: Army Corps of Engineers
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 915 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017
Request Explanation:
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, desert terminal lake located in the southeastern corner of California in Riverside and Imperial counties. The sea spans roughly 370 square miles and receives the majority of its inflows from the Colorado River as agricultural drainage from area farmlands. Voluntary water sharing agreements from the early 2000s provided for the diversion of a significant amount of Colorado River water inflows from the Salton Sea to urban water users outside the Salton Sea watershed. Diminished inflows to the sea have resulted in the exposure of over 30,000 acres of Salton Sea playa, or lakebed, which research has suggested contains pesticides and hazardous substances.
Wind- blown contaminants from exposed playa have created a significant public health crisis for the disadvantaged communities surrounding the sea. As reported by The Intercept, asthma rates in the communities surrounding the Salton Sea are among the highest rates in California. Air quality in the area often does not meet federal and state standards. Even prior to the pandemic, USA Today reported in 2017 that Imperial County “had the highest rate of asthma-related emergency room visits for children in California”. According to University of Wisconsin’s 2020 County Health Rankings, Imperial County is the among the top ten counties with the worst air quality in California, with an average daily density of fine particulate matter at 13.5 micrograms per cubic meter.
A community already struggling with air quality, Imperial County was hit extremely hard during the pandemic. On December 1, 2020, Fortune reported that the cumulative death rate from COVID-19 was more than twice as high in Imperial County than it was recorded to be in any other county in California. Yet, the pandemic only further exposed immediate need to address the underlying public health crisis surrounding the Salton Sea.
The $300,000 requested will support the Army Corps’ estimated funding needed to begin the Salton Sea Perimeter Lake Feasibility Study. Diminished inflows to the sea have resulted in the exposure of over 30,000 acres of Salton Sea playa, or lakebed, which is comprised of pesticides and hazardous substances. This study will evaluate creating a Salton Sea Perimeter Lake through a berm system to divert inflows to shallow and deep-water habitat cells, anticipated to reduce exposure of playa, and ultimately provide habitat, air quality, and public health benefits in the region.
The project has received written support from the Salton Sea Authority member agencies, which include Imperial Irrigation District, the Torres Martinez Tribe, Coachella Valley Water District, Imperial County and Riverside County.
Project Name: Salton Sea Research Project
Request Amount: $546,000
Intended Recipient: Bureau of Reclamation
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 500 Fir St, Boulder City, Nevada, 89005
Request Explanation:
This project will directly address the health impacts of the environmental crisis at the Salton Sea. The research will also provide important data on the sources of toxic dust in the region and assessment of benefits, if any, from ongoing and planned dust mitigation projects in the region.
The high incidence of asthma in the Salton Sea region is associated with proximity to the sea and exposure to the local dust as a potential factor in pulmonary disease. The project sponsor’s recent studies on the health effects of aerosol particulate exposure in animal models revealed that aerosols generated from Salton Sea water and dust collected near the sea have a significant impact on lung inflammation. These results provide evidence that aerosol dust plays a contributory role in asthma-like disease in residents near Salton Sea. In fact, extracts from aerosol dust collected near Salton Sea had more potent inflammatory effects than aerosols generated only from Salton Sea water. This contrast suggests that the dusts generated at the exposed playa surrounding the sea have enhanced inflammatory effects, possibly through selective enrichment of certain toxic components from the underlying sediments of sea water.
The project sponsors propose to directly assess the role of exposed playa on the enrichment of specific components in the transition from sea, to playa, to entrained dust. This study will test the hypothesis that as playa is exposed, it concentrates specific toxic components from underlying sediments and sea water into entrained aerosol particulates. The study’s results may have major implications for potential health impacts of any mitigation strategies aimed at modifying the mechanisms of dust emissions from exposed playa.
Funding in the amount of $496,000 will be used toward a study led by the University of California, Riverside in conjunction with the Bureau of Reclamation, that would collect Salton Sea water, lake sediments, playa surface and subsurface soil, and dust generated at areas with exposed playa, and further from the sea. After consultation with officials at the Bureau of Reclamation, I am requesting an additional $50,000 to support the Bureau’s processing of agreements for the study’s completion.
The proposed study will provide a clear scientific documentation of the composition of key environmental components in Salton Sea water and shoreline sediments at the shoreline versus surface playa, playa-generated aerosol dust, and dust collected further distant from the sea. The results will provide information on whether aerosol particles generated at the playa are selectively concentrating specific components that may be toxic, and whether ongoing dust mitigation strategies have an effect on possible toxin enrichment. The research will also provide important data on the sources of toxic dust in the region and assessment of benefits, if any, from ongoing and planned dust mitigation projects in the region.
The project has received written support from the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the UC Riverside Chancellor.
Project Name: Palomar Street Light Rail Grade Separation
Request Amount: $2,000,000
Intended Recipient: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 401 B Street, Suite 800. San Diego, CA 92101
Request Explanation:
The $2 million towards the Palomar Street Light Rail Grade Separation project would complete Final Design for this long-awaited traffic and safety improvement project. The combination of increased traffic and wait times is anticipated to result in major traffic delays and diminish corridor travel times along the Blue Line Light Rail transit system.
For years now, this light rail crossing has been considered a priority grade separation project for the region. As Chula Vista continues to develop, traffic delays will only become worse, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and delaying critical goods movement. The proposed grade separation is intended to: improve traffic circulation and reduce delays and congestion; increase mobility in the region for all users; and enhance safety and increase ridership with improvements in travel times at the Palomar Street Trolley Station.
Once this project is ultimately constructed, it will serve as a more efficient means of travel for passengers connecting them to jobs, school, and other social/economic activities in a timelier manner. With improvements in travel times, it is anticipated to increase productivity for both passengers and goods movement, alike. Finally, the reduction in vehicle idle time will correspondingly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help the region meet its state mandated goals.
This project has written support from the following local stakeholders: Nora Vargas, Vice Chair and First District Supervisor, San Diego County Board of Supervisors; Ben Hueso, California State Senator of the 40th Senate District; Sharon Cooney, Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Transit System; J. Stuyvesant, President/CEO of the Port of San Diego; Jerry Sanders, President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce; Danielle Berger, Director of Planning, Circulate San Diego; Lorena Gonzalez, California Assemblywoman of the eightieth district; and James O’Callaghan, President and CEO of the South County Economic Development Council.
Project Name: Multimodal Connections to Otay Mesa East Port of Entry Feasibility Study
Request Amount: $1,000,000
Intended Recipient: California Department of Transportation
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 4050 Taylor Street, San Diego, CA 92110
Request Explanation:
The multimodal feasibility study will be a $1.2 million feasibility study to provide critical input into the appropriate multimodal connections (transit, bike, and pedestrian) to and from the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry. While the remaining $200,000 will be covered by local and state funds, $1,000,000 in federal funds will support the completion of the feasibility study for such connections. These multimodal connections are intended to help to reduce emissions in an area where border delays resulted in an average of 457 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted per day in 2016. Thus, the project aims to reduce emissions and improve quality of life in border communities.
The larger State Route 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry (POE) project has been highlighted as a key project by the State of California. The new border crossing on which the feasibility study is focused proposes to implement strategies identified in the National Freight Strategic Plan, 2021 California-Baja California Border Master Plan, California Freight Mobility Plan 2020, and California Sustainable Freight Action Plan.
Project Name: La Media Improv. Siempre Viva to Truck Rte, San Diego, CA
Request Amount: $400,000
Intended Recipient: The City of San Diego
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 202 C St., San Diego, CA 92101
Request Explanation:
The $400,000 will be allocated towards the design phase of the overall project intended to reconstruct and increase the curb-to-curb width of La Media Road, between Siempre Viva Road and the designated truck route to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The total cost for design is $1,120,000 and the City is committed to utilizing TransNet funding to make up the $720,000 nonfederal cost share for complete design, in addition to the $400,000 in federal funds, if allocated.
La Media Road is integral to the California 51st District’s transportation infrastructure and economy, as well as that of the wider state, as it feeds into the designated truck route for the most active border crossing in California, Otay Mesa Port of Entry. Despite the importance of this road, it is currently in extremely poor condition. Completion of the design phase and the ultimate widening and reconstruction of La Media Road will allow for an enhanced environment for truck commerce to and from Mexico, essential to our border community, the state and the country.
This project has also received written support from San Diego City Council Member Vivian Moreno, of District 8.
Project Name: Bayshore Bikeway, Barrio Logan Segment
Request Amount: $2,150,000
Intended Recipient: The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 401 B Street, Suite 800, San Diego, CA, 92101
Request Explanation:
The Barrio Logan Segment of the Bayshore Bikeway is a 2.4-mile, Class 1, shared-use path that will serve people walking, biking and using other non-motorized modes. Currently, 75 percent of the facility has been completed and this project will close a major gap in the Bayshore Bikeway with a connection to downtown San Diego and the Bayfront promenade to the convention center. It will also provide direct access to Naval Base San Diego and many working waterfront employment centers, businesses and activity centers. Finally, as an active transportation project, it can help meet regional, statewide and national goals of greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled reductions.
The $2.15 million request will be used to complete construction of the project. Specifically, the funds would be used to construct the bikeway and intersection improvements from Cesar E. Chavez Parkway to Sampson Street. The remaining costs will be covered by a combination of local and state funds, a state Active Transportation Program (federalized) grant, CRRSSA funds, and a grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy.
Construction work could include, but is not limited to the following items:
- Nearly a half-mile of Class 1 shared-use path
- Reconstruction of the adjacent roadway and medians to accommodate the ~17 feet used for the separated shared-use path
- Path and roadway striping/restriping, and new road signs and wayfinding signs
- Modification of the traffic signals at Harbor Drive and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway
- Modification of the traffic signals at Harbor Drive and Sampson Street
- Hazardous waste (aerially deposited lead) removal, hauling, and disposal
- Adjustment of utilities and utility appurtenances
- Construct 300 feet of new sidewalk and reconstruct 4 curb ramps to current ADA standards
- High-visibility crosswalks
Finally, this project is supported in writing by the following stakeholders: Marcus Bush, National City Councilmember; Sandy Naranjo, Commissioner, Port of San Diego; J. Stuyvesant, President/CEO, Port of San Diego; Lorena Gonzalez, California Assemblywoman of the eightieth district; Nora Vargas, Vice Chair and First District Supervisor, San Diego County Board of Supervisors; Ben Hueso, California State Senator of the 40th Senate District; Danielle Berger, Director of Planning, Circulate San Diego, Michael R. Donovan, Councilmember, City of Coronado; Matthew Leyba-Gonzalez, Councilmember, City of Imperial Beach; Andy Hanshaw, Executive Director, San Diego County Bike Coalition.
Project Name: 24th Street Trolley Pedestrian Bridge Feasibility Study
Request Amount: $294,700
Intended Recipient: The City of National City
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient:1243 National City Blvd, National City, CA 91950
Request Explanation:
The $294,700 requested will fund a feasibility study that will evaluate the potential for constructing a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 5. When Interstate 5 was constructed, it bisected this already economically disadvantaged community. Now is the time to invest in communities that were adversely affected by the construction of the interstate highway system.
The local National City government affirms that residents utilize non-motorized transportation alternatives at a much higher rate than other communities within San Diego County. The residential areas in National City lie to the east of Interstate 5, and there are several destinations on the west side of Interstate 5 that are difficult to reach for non-motorized mobility users. Thus, Interstate 5 acts as a barrier for National City residents to essential population centers and other pedestrian and biking paths. These include the Bayshore Bikeway, Naval Base San Diego, National City's Marina District, and industrial and maritime employment centers. Above all, the bridge could facilitate safe pedestrian access to the 24th Street Trolley—a key mode of transportation for this community. The feasibility study could be an essential step towards allowing the proposed project to overcome this existing challenge for National City residents.
The City of National City Homefront to Waterfront (HW) Plan, IntraConnect Plan, and the 24th Street Transit Oriented Development Overlay (TODO) Plan incorporated extensive community outreach efforts to develop community-identified transportation needs. As part of the HW effort, 56% of the community members stated that separated bike lanes that are protected from adjacent travel lane with a physical barrier would make them more likely to bike in the project area. As part of the IntraConnect Plan, over 50% of the residents are deterred from biking due to traffic safety, and nearly 33% stated the need to have less cars on the street and enhanced safety for bicycle facilities. And as part of the TODO effort, 50% of the respondents identified the need for improved walking and bicycling connections to the 24th Street Trolley Station, parks, the Bayshore Bikeway, and the Sweetwater Bikeway.
Moreover, the project is part of the City of National City’s proposed Health and Opportunity through Partnerships for Equity (HOPE) Improvements Projects. This is a collection of projects that have been vetted with public input and have been approved or accepted by National City’s City Council. As described by the City Council, these projects will provide safe and accessible active and alternative transportation facilities for users of all ages and abilities. The proposed improvements will promote clean mobility alternatives as a viable travel choice, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting a healthier, more active lifestyle, as well as enhance the quality of life for disadvantaged residents in National City. The projects also have written support from National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis.
This project has received written support from the following stakeholders: Danielle Berger, Director of Planning, Circulate San Diego; Ted A. Godshalk, Director of Paradise Creek; Danny Serrano, Campaign Director, the Environmental Health Coalition.
Project Name: Bayshore Bikeway - Segment 5
Request Amount: $300,000
Intended Recipient: City of National City
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 1243 National City Blvd, National City, CA 91950
Request Explanation:
The $300,000 in funding will be allocated towards the final design phase of this segment. Segment 5 has qualified for funding from multiple sources in the past, including the ATP Cycle 4 Grant Program, the Port of San Diego, and has been funded by National City as well.
The project will provide nearly 1.5 miles of protected bicycle facilities along McKinley Avenue and Marina Way in the City of National City. Segment 5 will complete the last leg of the Bayshore Bikeway within National City; and enhance bicycling connections to transit and other key destinations such as National City s Harbor District, Naval Base San Diego, Kimball Elementary School, and several parks. Additionally, the project will provide a connection to the Sweetwater River Trail, another regional bikeway. With the completion of Segment 5, National City residents will be able to access as far north as Downtown San Diego and as far south as the City of Chula Vista using only protected facilities.
This project is part of the City of National City’s proposed Health and Opportunity through Partnerships for Equity (HOPE) Improvements Projects. This is a collection of projects that have been vetted with public input and have been approved or accepted by National City’s City Council.
As described by the City Council, these projects will provide safe and accessible active and alternative transportation facilities for users of all ages and abilities. The proposed improvements will promote clean mobility alternatives as a viable travel choice, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting a healthier, more active lifestyle, as well as enhance the quality of life for disadvantaged residents in National City. This project also has written support from National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis.
Finally, this project is supported in writing by the following stakeholders in 2021: Mark West, Mayor Pro Temp, City of Imperial Beach; Councilmember Michael R. Donovan, City of Coronado; Colin Parent, Executive Director and General Counsel, Circulate San Diego; Zack Bartlett, General Manager, LimeBike; Mary Beth Moran, Manager of the Injury Prevention Programs, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego; Kim Kawada, Chief Deputy Executive Director, SANDAG; Andy Hanshaw, Executive Director, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition; Randa J. Coniglio, President/CEO, San Diego Unified Port District; Danielle Berger, Director of Planning, Circulate San Diego.
Project Name: 24th Street First and Last Mile Connections to Trolley Station
Request Amount: $3,332,781
Intended Recipient: City of National City
Full Street Address of Intended Recipient: 1243 National City Blvd, National City, CA 91950
Request Explanation:
The $3,332,781 requested in funding will cover the entirety of the funding needed for the 24th Street First and Last Mile Connections to Trolley Station project, which consists of cycle tracks along 22nd Street and Hoover Avenue. Along 22nd Street, the proposed project will convert parallel parking on the north side to angled and remove parking on the south side and the existing Class II bike lanes, and place a two-way Class IV cycle track from the 24th Street Trolley Station to Hoover Avenue. Along Hoover Avenue, the proposed project will remove one lane in each direction, add a new center left-turn lane, and implement one-way Class IV cycle tracks from 22nd Street to 30th Street. Finally, the project will provide safe comfortable bikeway connections between the 24th Street Trolley Station and residential and commercial land uses to the east and south.
The City of National City Homefront to Waterfront (HW) Plan, IntraConnect Plan, and the 24th Street Transit Oriented Development Overlay (TODO) Plan incorporated extensive community outreach efforts to develop community-identified transportation needs. As part of the HW effort, 56% of the community members stated that separated bike lanes that are protected from adjacent travel lane with a physical barrier would make them more likely to bike in the project area. As part of the IntraConnect Plan, over 50% of the residents are deterred from biking due to traffic safety, and nearly 33% stated the need to have less cars on the street and enhanced safety for bicycle facilities. And as part of the TODO effort, 50% of the respondents identified the need for improved walking and bicycling connections to the 24th Street Trolley Station, parks, the Bayshore Bikeway, and the Sweetwater Bikeway.
The 24th Street First and Last Mile Connections to the Trolley Station will address these needs by providing protected bicycle facilities on 22nd Street and Hoover Avenue. The 22nd Street two-way cycle track provides direct access to the 24th Street Trolley Station, and the recently completed Paradise Creek Park. A new traffic signal is proposed on 22nd Street at National City Boulevard that will help bicyclists and pedestrians cross the busy 4-lane arterial roadway and access these important community resources. The Hoover Avenue cycle tracks reduce cars on the road by removing one travel lane in each direction to dedicate space to bicyclists. This will greatly strengthen and improve safety of the bicycle network, connecting the 22nd Street cycle track to both the Bayshore Bikeway and Sweetwater Bikeway. Both cycle tracks will also make the walking experience safer and more comfortable by creating additional separation between pedestrians and vehicles.
In addition to the key destinations that residents will be able to access safely for their everyday needs, the proposed cycle track facilities will provide equitable access to the 24th Street Trolley Station. These connections cannot be understated, as it gives residents within the National City Community a clean transportation option to access the trolley and shared mobility routes, potentially traveling as far north as Downtown San Diego. With 74% of residents commuting outside of the city, this connection to the trolley station is even more critical, especially for the low-income residents who do not own a vehicle.
The project is part of the City of National City’s proposed Health and Opportunity through Partnerships for Equity (HOPE) Improvements Projects. This is a collection of projects that have been vetted with public input and have been approved or accepted by National City’s City Council. As described by the City Council, these projects will provide safe and accessible active and alternative transportation facilities for users of all ages and abilities. The proposed improvements will promote clean mobility alternatives as a viable travel choice, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting a healthier, more active lifestyle, as well as enhance the quality of life for disadvantaged residents in National City. The projects also have written support from National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis.