For Fiscal Year 2022, Rep. Salud Carbajal submitted funding requests for ten important community projects in CA-24 to the House Appropriations Committee.
Nine of them were funded in the omnibus funding bill approved in March 2022:
• $5,600,000 for the County of San Luis Obispo Public Safety Communication System
• $3,000,000 for the Goleta Valley Community Center
• $2,500,000 for the Escalante Meadows Community Center in the City of Guadalupe
• $2,000,000 for the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo’s Anderson Hotel
• $1,700,000 for LeRoy Park in the City of Guadalupe
• $1,300,000 for Seismic Upgrades to the Santa Barbara Veterans’ Memorial Building
• $900,000 for the Lompoc Health Clinic
• $375,000 for Cambria Community Services District Water Tanks
• $112,340 for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Waste Water Treatment Plant
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative was permitted to request funding for up to 10 projects in their community for fiscal year 2022. Projects were restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding.
In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Rep. Salud Carbajal certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested. The projects are listed in alphabetical order, based on the Appropriations Committee subcommittee jurisdiction.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration
City of Guadalupe LeRoy Park
Amount of Request: $1,700,000
Intended Recipient and Address: LeRoy Park, 4689 11th St Guadalupe, CA 93434
Breakdown: This project would restore the park to be able to provide the community facility that the LeRoy family intended the park to be in 1871. LeRoy Park and the community center was the community unofficial town square where community events and family activities have occurred for generations. LeRoy Park and its community center have long served as the town’s nucleus, hosting events ranging from quinceañeras, barbecues, outdoor concerts and car shows to the Comité Cívico Mexicano de Guadalupe’s annual “Fiestas Patrias” celebrating Mexican Independence Day each September. The park has been a popular site for family gatherings, cultural/national holidays, or other community events like easter egg hunts and boy scout campouts for decades. This park is rooted in the community and has decades of history providing a community focused gathering spot and public benefits to the constituents of Congressional District 24. In recent years, the community center was used exclusively by the Boy & Girls Club, until it was closed due to mold in 2017. The current funding is being used to complete the community center component of the project, but additional funding is needed to complete the park upgrades. This funding will be used to provide further park enhancements such as additional barbeque areas and picnic areas, an exercise area, and an amphitheater.
Justification: This project will invest taxpayer dollars back into the local community to provide an essential community facility that can and will be used by each of those individual taxpayers and their families. This project has a direct benefit to the community by completing a highly supported and critical community project to bring back LeRoy park to serve as a community gathering and event spot for the City of Guadalupe.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Commerce, Justice, Science
County of San Luis Obispo Public Safety Communications System
Amount of Request: $5,600,000
Intended Recipient and Address: San Luis Obispo county – various locations
Breakdown: The County of San Luis Obispo Public Safety Communications System Upgrade Project includes six interrelated infrastructure initiatives that will greatly enhance the radio communications system used by public safety, fire, and emergency medical first responders throughout the county. The project will accomplish several goals: fund the replacement of end-of-life communications tower infrastructure that has been in service for over fifty years; establish new communication sites that will expand public safety radio signal coverage area in rural areas that currently have poor/no reception; and expand the existing radio channels used countywide with a new channel for use by law enforcement and emergency medical first responders.
Justification: This project benefits the entire county and aligns with the County Board of Supervisors vision statement of a safe community where the County will strive to create a community where all people – adults and children alike – have a sense of security and wellbeing, crime is controlled, fire and rescue response is timely and roads are safe. A robust, reliable, and available public safety communications system provides emergency first responders with the necessary tools to deliver necessary and essential services to visitors and residents of San Luis Obispo County. The project is in line with federal priorities, including but not limited to the priorities and objectives of programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management agency (FEMA) and the Department of Justice.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Labor, Health, Human Services, Education
County of Santa Barbara Lompoc Health Clinic
Amount of Request: $900,000
Intended Recipient and Address: County of Santa Barbara Lompoc Health Clinic, 301 N. R Street, Lompoc, CA 93436
Breakdown: The project includes the connections of two separate structures of the Lompoc Health Clinic campus (the Wellness Center and Primary Care) to create additional capacity for the clinic, improve patient flow and overall experience. In addition, a generator for the primary care facility needed to support the information technology infrastructure and facility resilience in the event of power outages will be procured. $750,000 will be dedicated to renovations and the linking of two building on the clinic campus to expand patient and program capacity and $200,000 will provide for the generator purchase.
Justification: The Lompoc Health Clinic is the flagship Federally Qualified Heath Care Clinic within the County of Santa Barbara Health Care System serving 7,410 individuals in 2020 with over 34,000 patient visits annually. The clients of the Lompoc FQHC are the under resourced and underserved populations. Further, this clinic is within an HEM area in the City of Lompoc. Truly a community clinic, many of the LHCC patients live within a 2 – 4 mile radius of the clinic campus. Those served include children and adults from the following populations: Medicare, Medi-Cal, Medi-Medi, uninsured, underinsured, unserved, underserved and vulnerable population within the County of Santa Barbara – Lompoc region. The total number of patients served at the Lompoc Health Care Center represents nearly one-fifth of the city’s total population. Of the 7,410 patients served in 2020, 4,428 live below the poverty line with 1,982 living barely above poverty at 101-200% above the poverty line. Put another way, 87% of patients served live at 200% of poverty or below. 3,341 patients are best served in a language other than English. 160 patients are experiencing homelessness. 2,384 patients are dealing with issues related to addiction and/or mental illness.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Interior, EPA, Related Agencies
Cambria Community Services District Water Tanks
Amount of Request: $375,000
Intended Recipient and Address: Cambria Community Services District - 1975 Stuart St, Cambria, CA 93428
Breakdown: These existing water tanks have surpassed their operational life expectancy. This project includes refurbishment of existing 125,000- and 212,000-gallon tanks, representing approximately 20% of the storage available within the potable water distribution system. Reliable system storage is critical to ensure adequate flows for fire suppression, sanitation, and human consumption.
Justification: This project would improve water infrastructure and would directly benefit the community’s health, safety and quality of life by providing adequate water for fire protection, water quality and pressure.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Waste Water Treatment Plant
Amount of Request: $112,340
Intended Recipient and Address: Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, 3400 CA-246, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
Breakdown: This project will support the initial engineering analysis required to implement the preferred alternative. Once complete, the project is expected to be funded through a partnership between the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Santa Ynez Community Services District (which provides wastewater services to the town of Santa Ynez today).
Justification: This project promotes responsible water policy in a portion of Central California that is experiencing a prolonged period of drought. Further, it promotes inter-jurisdictional cooperation between the indigenous community and the neighboring residents of the town of Santa Ynez.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Transportation, Housing, Urban Development
Goleta Valley Community Center
Amount of Request: $6,000,000
Intended Recipient and Address: Goleta Valley Community Center Seismic/ADA - 5679 Hollister Ave. Goleta, CA 93117
Breakdown: This project will help the City reopen a key community asset that has been partially closed since January 2021 due to a critical need for seismic upgrades. An ADA evaluation of the GVCC and Building D (Boys and Girls Club) approved in August 2012 found that the Main Building had some Priority 1 items (pose the greatest risk to life-safety because they can generally contribute to local areas of collapse) and Priority 2 items (pose less risk to life-safety as they are typically associated with structural and non-structural damage but are not usually linked to local area collapse). No deficiencies were found in the other adjacent buildings. These required improvements include but are not limited to accessible entrances, accessible routes to the improved areas, accessible restrooms, telephones and drinking fountains. The 2013 ADA evaluation found several areas of needed improvements. The City will work to complete these improvements, which include but are not limited to making all areas of the building ADA compliant, including the restrooms and all the access points to the building, and finally all paths of travel in, out and through the building will be improved.
Justification for Project: The GCC has between 90,000-120,000 visitors each year including an average of 250 seniors participating in programs at the Goleta Valley Senior Center. Over 90 non-profits and over 50 commercial establishments use the facility on a monthly basis. By providing a venue and rental equipment for meetings, classes and activities the GCC serves all facets and age groups of the Goleta community, from child-care to senior services, with a special commitment toward other non-profits. With its playing field, outdoor play equipment and pickleball courts, tech and senior centers and other facilities the Community Center provides critical services and resources to the community such as the arts, recreation, literacy, environmentalism/conservation, technology, scientific and educational resources and opportunities. It also serves as an American Red Cross shelter site that has been used during recent fires in the Santa Barbara South Coast area.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
City of Santa Maria Intersectional Signalization Project
Amount of Request: $1,200,000
Intended Recipient and Address: City of Santa Maria Intersectional Signalization - 601 Black Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93458
Breakdown: Santa Maria's Intersection Signalization Project will signalize four locations identified in the City of Santa Maria Growth Mitigation Capital Improvement Program. These intersection improvements are necessary due to a higher-than-average broadside collision rate, proximity to schools, and to reduce driver delay. The project will design and install four signalized intersections in the City. The project is in the conceptual design phase and the City is seeking funding for the completion of Project Approval & Environmental Document (PA&ED), Project Specification and Estimate (PS&E), Right-of-Way (ROW), and Construction phases.
Justification: The Intersection Signalization Project will improve pedestrian and vehicular safety through the signalization of intersections that have high incidences of broadside collisions. The signals will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing idling time at all-way stops and high-volume commercial driveways along a secondary arterial roadway. Residents of Santa Maria in disadvantaged neighborhoods will benefit from these improvements as two of the four intersections to be improved are located within those communities. These improvements are also located on or adjacent to Safe Routes to School, which will increase the signalized and controlled crossing locations for pedestrians in our community. These improvements are a priority over other locations as a determination of greatest benefit for the cost of improvements within Santa Maria.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
County of Santa Barbara Veterans Building Seismic Upgrade
Amount of Request: $1,300,000
Intended Recipient and Address: County of Santa Barbara, 112 W Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Breakdown: The requested funding is for necessary health and safety improvements and the proposed project is scalable for whatever federal funding is approved.
Seismic Safety: This includes seismic retrofitting, foundation stabilization, and deteriorated wood framing components. Total cost estimated for this work is $390,000.
Electrical Systems: This includes main panel, subpanel upgrades, internal wiring systems, and aging light fixtures. Total cost estimated for this work is $520,000.
Energy: This includes water distribution systems, HVAC, utility regulation equipment, and window upgrades. Total cost estimated for this work is $390,000.
Justification: The Santa Barbara Veterans Memorial Building is owned by the County of Santa Barbara and serves as an important community resource for the area’s veterans, non-profit groups, and other residents. Veterans of foreign wars are often overlooked, forgotten, and misunderstood. Giving them a place to interact with other veterans is an important way to recognize their service and support them.
The project constructs seismic retrofitting and electrical and energy system upgrades to a deteriorating Veterans Memorial Building in order to keep the facility open for veterans and the local community.
The project will serve a population meeting the HUD definition of “Presumed Benefit.”
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara - Escalante Meadows - Guadalupe
Amount of Request: $2,500,000
Intended Recipient and Address: Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, 1090 and 1093 Escalante Street, Guadalupe 93434
Breakdown: The requested $2,500,000 will be spent on the construction costs of the Escalante Meadows Community Center.
Justification: The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara (HACSB) is the largest property management organization for affordable housing in Santa Barbara County and a leader in supporting low-income families to improve their lives. For nearly 80 years, the HACSB has functioned primarily to build, acquire, manage, and maintain rental units for persons of extremely low income (less than 30% of the area median income), very low income (less than 50% of the area median income) and to obtain rental payment assistance for similar households in the private real estate market.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo Anderson Hotel
Amount of Request: $2,000,000
Intended Recipient and Address: Anderson Hotel Affordable Housing Preservation - 955 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, 93401
Breakdown: The Anderson Hotel is a 5-story 1920’s era building in downtown San Luis Obispo that has provided deeply affordable housing to the extremely low income, frail seniors, and disabled for the past 40-50 years. There are a total of 68 apartments and 6 ground floor commercial spaces in the building. The average age of residents is approximately 70 years old, and the average monthly income is around $1,000. This project would allow the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo to control and operate the property through a lease with the owners, 955 Partnership, with subsidies provided under a Housing and Urban Development multifamily subsidy contract.
The project will also allow HASLO to provide 68 Project Based Vouchers at the Anderson Hotel, so that permanent affordability is guaranteed for current and future residents. A new 55-year Regulatory Agreement/Deed Restriction would be placed on the property and rents would be set so that each resident only pays 30% of their actual income for their rent, with the balance provided by HASLO/HUD over the 55 year period.
Justification: The project provides 68 permanently affordable housing units for extremely poor, frail elderly and disabled, because these families will become homeless otherwise.
Click here for signed certification letter stating the Member has no financial interest in the project.
