Press Releases

On Friday evening, President Joe Biden signed into law $3,100,000 in funding for Ventura County community projects secured by Congressman Salud Carbajal in the 2024 government spending deal approved by Congress last week.

The funding is part of $13,446,901 included for 14 Central Coast projects that Carbajal championed over the course of the past year’s federal budget negotiations. The projects range from supporting the development of new affordable housing projects to water system upgrades.

“I’m proud to be bringing more than $13 million in direct funding for Central Coast projects back to our region – including more than $3 million for Ventura County. This funding will have a profound impact on our communities and improve the quality of life for our residents,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I have been pushing to see this funding approved for the past year, and although our federal appropriations process has become even more tied up in political games and brinksmanship in recent months, I’m proud to help break this logjam and deliver this key funding for my constituents. These projects will improve access to affordable housing, clean water, and critical services for Ventura residents.”

Details for the 3 Ventura County projects funded can be found below:

$1,666,279 for the Ventura County Family Justice Center to provide 17 additional rooms for domestic violence and sexual assault victims who are fleeing abusive households and relationships. The Ventura County District Attorney requested the funding to expand the program, which began in March 2019 and now serves over 2,000 Ventura County residents a year.

“Congressman Carbajal has long been a champion for crime victims and domestic violence survivors,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “His success in securing funding for this project means Ventura County’s most vulnerable victims will have safe spaces and shelter access to help them break the cycle of domestic violence.”

$1,000,000 to complete a new child development center and community spaces in the City of Ventura’s redeveloped Westview Village housing project. The Westview Village, which has been supported by federal funding backed by Rep. Carbajal in previous phases, is in its second stage of constructing an expected 320 units. The new community spaces supported by this funding will deliver vital resources to Westview residents, including a state-of-the-art community center, a commercial kitchen, an accessible community playground, and an early childhood development center.

“The heart of our Westview II affordable housing development is our community room with commercial kitchen and two childcare rooms and associated outdoor playground.  We are so grateful to receive these critical funds to ensure we can deliver these critical family supportive services to our residents and the entire Westview Villages community,” said Jeffrey Lambert, CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura.

$500,000 for the City of Ventura’s portion of the State Water Interconnection Project. The State Water Interconnection Project consists of a seven-mile pipeline that will be used to transport water between Calleguas Municipal Water District and the City of Ventura’s distribution systems to reach its 113,000 residents. The funding will go towards the construction of the City’s 4-mile section of the pipeline and related infrastructure, allowing the delivery of State Water Project water that Ventura has had rights to since 1971 but has lacked the infrastructure to access.

“The City of Ventura is honored and grateful to hear the news of receiving $500,000 in federal funding for Ventura's State Water Interconnect Project. This significant boost is a game-changer for our city and the stability of our locally sourced water supply. It's a step forward in securing a sustainable and resilient future for our community," said Ventura Mayor Joe Schroeder.

Other Central Coast projects funded in the deal signed by President Biden on Friday are:

• $2,000,000 to help fund the replacement of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s radio dispatch system
• $1,000,000 for the Oceano Community Services District Water Resources Reliability Program
• $1,000,000 to fund the County of Santa Barbara and Sanctuary Center’s construction of 34 new studio apartments and a neighborhood clinic 
• $963,000 for the installation of new infrastructure for the City of Santa Barbara’s radio communications system
• $963,000 to expand the SciTrek program at U.C. Santa Barbara
• $959,752 for construction of storm drainage improvements in Santa Maria
• $850,000 to complete a 1.2 mile bike and pedestrian path adjacent to State Route 227 in San Luis Obispo County
• $773,870 to support the purchase a new digester for the Goleta Sanitary District
• $728,000 for public safety upgrades at the Lompoc Police Department and the City of Lompoc
• $543,000 for public safety upgrades for the City of Grover Beach
• $500,000 to help replace the Charles Street reservoir in Pismo Beach

Additional Background:

In the spring of 2023, Rep. Carbajal began to push for funding for these projects through formal requests to the House Appropriations Committee for Fiscal Year 2024.

Rep. Carbajal has previously secured funding for 23 different community projects, totaling nearly $40 million over the past two years. 

The funding was secured through the Community Project Funding (CPF) initiative first launched in 2022. Projects must be in the public interest, be good uses of taxpayer dollars, and be certified to not conflict with the representative’s personal financial interests. More information on the rules governing what projects could be requested, can be found here.