Press Releases

Today, Congressman Salud Carbajal joined San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson to highlight the improvements to public safety in the Central Coast that will be made with a $5,600,000 investment secured by Carbajal in the 2022 federal funding bill signed into law earlier this year.

The new investment will help the County upgrade its communications systems used in public safety, crime response, fire, and emergency medical first response throughout the County.

“Our first responders work around the clock to keep our communities safe and to help Central Coast families in emergencies. Since they have our backs every single day, it's my job as their Representative and a member of our Central Coast community to have theirs,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I am proud to have secured this $5.6 million investment for San Luis Obispo County to help upgrade our first responders' ability to react to all manner of emergencies–from medical and law enforcement to the ever-present threat of wildfires. These communications upgrades will also improve response to emergencies in our harder-to-reach rural areas, where untreated threats could threaten our entire region. I don’t just promise to support our first responders; I work to give them the resources they need to succeed, and I’m proud to have done so here.”

"We are most grateful that Rep. Carbajal went to bat for public safety in SLO County,” said Supervisor Gibson. “These communication improvements will provide crucial coverage in remote areas of our county and make a big difference for our law enforcement and fire protection agencies and our residents."

The funds will allow the County to replace a 50-year-old communications tower, establish new coverage in rural areas with little to no reception, and expand existing radio channels used by the County for emergency response, including a new channel for dedicated use by law enforcement and emergency first responders.

In March, President Biden signed nearly $18 million in direct funding for nine Central Coast projects into law after more than a year of advocacy by Congressman Carbajal.

Projects that were funded in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties were:

• $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

Congressman Carbajal has highlighted securing these investments with stops on his Central Coast Community Project Victory Tour in Goleta, San Luis Obispo, Lompoc, Cambria, Santa Barbara, and Guadalupe’s newly renovated LeRoy Park and site of the future Escalante Meadows Community Center.