Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

Funding will improve water quality, upgrade transit infrastructure, provide social support services, and expand educational programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured over $63 million in federal funding for 22 projects across the San Diego region in the bipartisan FY 2023 appropriations package. The bill now heads to both chambers of Congress for final passage and then on to the President to be signed into law.

“I am proud to have secured funding for projects in San Diego to provide critical health services, tools to fight and prevent wildfires, and modernize infrastructure,” Senator Padilla said. “This funding will support local governments and community organizations that work to directly benefit our neighborhoods. Federal dollars will also be used to research ocean pollution and ensure the health of the region’s waterways, which is essential for Southern California’s economy.”

Padilla also helped secure language to eliminate red tape and allow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deliver $300 million previously secured in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to the International Boundary and Water Commission for water infrastructure projects. This funding is critical for reducing transboundary water pollution in the San Diego/Tijuana region

Projects in the San Diego region that will receive federal funding through the FY 2023 Appropriations Omnibus include:

• $7 million for Lomas Santa Fe Drive in the City of Solana Beach
  This project will improve multi-modal access around the city and increase safety for pedestrians and bicycles along Lomas Santa Fe Drive by constructing a multi-use trail, widening sidewalks, extending curbs, improving ADA compliance, improving signal timing to increase pedestrian and driver awareness, and reducing congestion.

• $6 million for an Ocean Pollution Research Project by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  This funding supports a project by UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography focusing on seafloor research to forecast pollution impacts on fisheries.

• $4.48 million for San Diego County’s Mobile Crisis Response Team
  This funding will enhance the Mobile Crisis Response Team program by adding overnight coverage for two teams, seven days per week, to assist those experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. The Mobile Crisis Response team will consist of a clinician, case manager, peer support specialist, and administrative support. 

• $4 million for the Brandt Road Bridge Replacement Project in Imperial County
  This project will replace the 72-year-old Brandt Road Bridge over the Alamo River in Imperial County with a new single-span bridge.

• $4 million for Leucadia Streetscape Drainage Improvements in the City of Encinitas
  This project will improve accessibility, provide community gathering spaces, restore the historic tree canopy, and revitalize the Leucadia business district. 

• $4 million for Ocean Beach Library Expansion in the City of San Diego
  This funding will support the expansion of the Ocean Beach Library to include more community spaces. 

• $3.75 million for a Twin-Engine Firefighting Helicopter in San Diego County
  This funding will help purchase a new twin-engine firefighting helicopter to serve San Diego County and neighboring counties.

• $3.45 million for the City of Oceanside’s Loma Alta Creek Sewer Relocation
  This project will relocate a sewer main from a location within a creek bed to a roadway in order to minimize the chance of environmental damage in the event of a sanitary sewer overflow. 

• $3.45 million for the Smuggler’s Gulch Dredging Project in San Diego County
  This project will dredge Smuggler’s Gulch channel to clear trash and sediment and protect downstream properties, habitats, and communities as well as human and environmental health in the Tijuana River Watershed and coastal waters. 

• $3.39 million for Borrego Water District’s Borrego Spring Transmission Main
  This project will update the water distribution system and reduce water pipeline breaks for a severely disadvantaged community.

• $3.3 million to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority for Airport Ground Support Equipment Charging Stations Installation
  This funding will support the purchase and installation of electric charging stations for the use of electrical Ground Support Equipment at San Diego International Airport.

• $3.14 million for the City of San Diego’s Downtown Mobility Project
  This project will implement bikeways within Downtown San Diego to provide linkages within and to surrounding neighborhoods.

• $3.06 million for Valley Center Municipal Water District’s Lilac Road Pipeline Replacement
  This project will reduce water loss and improve water conservation, pressure and flows, and water reliability by replacing a sixty-year-old pipeline.

• $2 million for the City of San Diego’s Light Up San Diego Streetlight Improvement Program — Beach Communities
  This project will upgrade obsolete streetlights to improve reliability and lower the need for maintenance. 

• $1.5 million for a Cohesive Pre-fire Strategy in San Diego County
  This funding will support a cohesive strategy to prevent fires in San Diego County, including decreasing hazardous vegetation around homes and structures, and expanding and maintaining strategic fuel breaks.

• $1.4 million for the City of Escondido’s South Escondido Access Improvement Project
  This project will build traffic signals to relieve congestion and improve safety and accessibility to local businesses, planned developments, and an elementary school.

• $1.2 million for the Imperial Community Kitchen Incubator Project
  This project will leverage public/private partnerships to help provide low-cost entry into the market for micro-business owners wishing to produce high-quality, safe, and marketable products

• $1.13 million for Summer Math Academies at UC San Diego
  This funding will support the Summer Math Academies at UC San Diego, which aim to train teachers and successfully transition Black, Latino, low-income, and military-connected students from middle to high school to post-secondary mathematics.

• $1.1 million for the UC San Diego Health Community Mobile Unit
  This funding will implement a scalable healthcare mobile unit to add capacity to existing local community-based organizations to provide preventative healthcare in underserved communities in the San Diego region.

• $752,000 to El Cajon Behavioral Health Center in San Diego for Healthcare Access Initiative
  This funding will support an initiative to improve access to primary healthcare and specialty care–including behavioral health services and substance use disorder services–for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured immigrant and refugee populations.

• $750,000 for Mobile Solar Powered Electric Vehicle Chargers in the City of San Diego
  This funding will help purchase off-grid solar electric vehicle chargers.

• $524,972 to San Diego State University for School-Based Behavioral and Mental Health Training
  This funding will support a pilot project to expand San Diego State University’s Bridge Program, which trains teachers and school personnel to support children with behavioral and mental health challenges and support to ensure families and children access the services to meet their basic needs. The pilot project will target 80 Preschool-Third Grade classrooms in high poverty areas within San Diego Unified School District.

A full summary of the FY 2023 Appropriations Omnibus package is available here. ###