Press Releases

Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) joined officials from Grover Beach earlier this week to present the $543,000 federal grant secured through his work on the 2024 federal budget.

The funding included in the 2024 federal funding bill signed into law by President Biden last month will allow the Grover Beach Police Department to make key upgrades to its equipment, including new in-car video recorders, public safety cameras, license plate readers and multi-band radios — bolstering public safety across the community. 

“I’m proud to be bringing more than $13 million in direct funding for Central Coast projects back to our region – including this important investment in Grover Beach’s public safety. This federal funding will have a profound impact on Grover Beach’s neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for all its residents,” shared Rep. Carbajal. “I have been pushing to see this funding approved for the past year, and I’m proud to have helped break this year’s budget logjam last month to deliver this support for the Grover Beach Police Department. Every Central Coast resident deserves to feel safe in their community. This investment will help ensure residents feel safe.”

“On behalf of our entire Council, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Rep. Carbajal and his team for their efforts to champion our community in Congress. These federal funds are vital to helping the City modernize our public safety equipment, ensuring we have the best tools available to protect our residents,” said Grover Beach Mayor Karen Bright. 

“We are thrilled that Congressman Carbajal secured this funding for Grover Beach, and we thank him for his diligent advocacy for our City and region,” said Grover Beach Police Chief John Peters. “These funds will allow the City to bolster public safety technology across Grover Beach, enhancing our ability to protect the safety and security of our community.”

With the awarded funds, the Grover Beach Police Department will upgrade its in-car video recording systems with modernized systems. The Department is set to receive all new patrol cars this year, which will be equipped with the updated video recording systems. The City will also add and replace public safety cameras, positioned in strategic locations in the City, and purchase nine License Plate Reader cameras to ensure comprehensive coverage of entrance points into the City. Both the public safety cameras and License Plate Readers are used daily to help solve crimes of all types within the City. Both systems are outdated and in need of replacement.

The City will use the funds to purchase three multi-band radios for its Command Staff, which will enable seamless communication with partner agencies, such as Five Cities Fire Authority, California Highway Patrol and California State Parks. As each agency operates on distinct radio frequencies, these multi-band radios will enhance regional collaboration and ensure efficient coordination to safeguard the Grover Beach community.

Additional Background

The funding is part of $13,446,901 secured by Carbajal for 14 Central Coast projects which Rep. 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.

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.