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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. | Photo courtesy of Mayor of LA/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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Los Angeles-area projects will receive nearly $9.5 million in federal appropriations during fiscal 2022, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday.
The funding was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, that President Joe Biden signed on Tuesday to fund the rest of the fiscal year.
The funding includes $1.5 million, through Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Los Angeles, and Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, both D-Calif., for Los Angeles’ pilot program to have unarmed outreach teams respond to nonviolent 911 calls involving people experiencing homelessness.
“Dispatching trained specialists in substance abuse, mental health and other non-emergency medical fields is often the best way to de-escalate situations, and I’m hopeful this program can be replicated in cities throughout California and the nation,” Feinstein said in a statement Wednesday.
Lieu also helped the city receive $1 million for a Fairfax District neighborhood cooling project. Another $1 million was included in the bill, through Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, for a Boyle Heights neighborhood cooling project, according to Garcetti’s office.
Gomez also helped the city receive $1.7 million to restore more than 700 acres of habitat along an 11-mile stretch of the Los Angeles River and $1 million for improvements to the Highland Park Youth Arts Center, Garcetti’s office said.
“With over $9 million in federal funding for vital community projects, we have taken another step in furtherance of that mission,” Gomez said.
“These investments will directly provide benefits to my constituents across the district, including tackling urban heat in Boyle Heights, refurbishing the Highland Park Youth Arts Center, and increasing access to the Los Angeles River while restoring its ecosystems.”
Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Los Angeles, helped the city receive $3 million for a new community space at the Sepulveda Basin Complex, according to Garcetti’s office.
“The Sepulveda Basin is a wonderful park used by people from all over the valley. I’m pleased to have obtained federal funds to improve the Basin in prior years, and again today,” Sherman said. “I’m pleased that the House of Representatives advanced these priorities which will now allow us to support the efforts of dedicated leaders like Mayor Garcetti as we fight to enhance the lives of our residents and the future of our communities.”
Sherman also secured $250,000 for new community cooling capabilities at the Warner Center Park, according to Garcetti’s office.
“Thanks to their tireless advocacy, Angelenos will directly benefit from federal investments that will inject new opportunity, prosperity, and resilience into our communities — creating safe places to empower young people, expanding programs that reimagine how we deliver public safety, and laying the foundation for a more sustainable future,” Garcetti said.
