Padilla announces funding for SoCal infrastructure, housing

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, announced Friday that he secured millions of dollars in federal funding for 12 infrastructure and housing projects and 14 education and employment projects across California in several Senate appropriations bills, including many projects in the Southland.

The bills were released by the Senate Appropriations Committee and will now be reconciled with their House counterparts before final passage.

“I am proud to support funding to tackle the affordable housing crisis and to improve our state’s transportation infrastructure,” Padilla said in a statement. “Building modern transportation infrastructure and expanding transit connections will grow our economy and improve the quality of life for millions of commuters. This funding will also support projects that connect people with innovative and supportive services to combat homelessness.”

Projects included in the Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill include:

— $5 million for the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Project

This project will help provide a key regional connection between the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys by linking key job and activity centers and providing an east-west transit service to better connect the communities of North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Eagle Rock and Pasadena.

— $3 million for the North Corridor Merced Avenue Greenway Project in the city of El Monte  

This project will expand the Merced Avenue Greenway to combat rising temperatures, increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and improve local water quality. It will also help better connect residents to job opportunities and recreational spaces.

— $2 million for the Vermont Transit Corridor Project in Los Angeles

This project will improve north-south transit service along the Vermont Avenue corridor through enhanced connectivity to local and regional transit services, increased capacity, and improved on-time performance. This project would also enhance connections to the Metro B, C, D, and E Lines between Hollywood Boulevard and 120th Street.

— $1 million for the YWCA Harbor Area & South Bay’s Julia Morgan Center for Women and Children Escaping Domestic and Sexual Violence  

This funding will support restoration and renovation of the historic Julia Morgan- designed YWCA in San Pedro, and the construction of a new two-story building for transitional housing for women and children escaping domestic and sexual violence, with program space for supportive legal, job development, human trafficking, and health care services, as well as expanded pre-school and child care services.

— $1 million for the Returning Citizens Housing Stability Pilot Project in Los Angeles

This funding will support the Returning Citizens Housing Stability Pilot Project by the LA Economic and Workforce Development Department, which aims to reduce recidivism by linking formerly incarcerated individuals with stable housing and supportive services.

— $500,000 for the city of Los Angeles Eviction Filing System for Community Outreach and Support

This funding will support a citywide Eviction Filing System to track vital data on evictions, so that the Los Angeles Housing Department can implement and adjust policies, identify the most vulnerable tenants, and better allocate resources to hard-to-reach people facing evictions in order to prevent homelessness.

The education and employment projects include:

— $2 million for the San Gabriel Valley Workforce Development Program

This funding will support implementation of a workforce development program to provide those experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness with a path to economic security by connecting them to stable careers.

— $2 million for Community Pavilion and Gardens at Discovery Cube LA

This funding will support Discovery Cube LA’s project to create a Community Pavilion and Gardens to expand STEM and environmental programming opportunities. The Community Pavilion and Gardens will provide a flexible educational space to host exhibits, guests, and community events.

— $1.5 million for the LA Optimized Small Business Assistance Project

This funding will support a program connecting small business owners in Los Angeles to technical assistance so that they have the tools to modernize their business and expand their outreach to attract potential customers.

— $1.323 million to establish the Climate Change Education Center at West Los Angeles College

This funding will support establishment of the Climate Change Education Center at West Los Angeles College, which aims to help both unemployed and underemployed individuals in procuring jobs in the green economy.

— $1 million for the South LA Vision Lab

This funding will support the South LA Vision Lab, which will help bridge the digital divide in South Los Angeles. The programming at the Vision Lab will provide essential tech skills to guide youth to apprenticeships so that they have opportunities to earn a paycheck and gain work experience.

— $750,000 for Los Angeles Community College District’s STEMM Academy for Girls, Women, and Underrepresented Students

This funding will help the Los Angeles Community College District bolster the academic pipeline of historically underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) fields and connect dislocated workers to short term credentials in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine.

— $382,000 for Irvine Valley College’s Access and Persistence Through Basic Need Support Program

This funding will help provide coordinated basic needs support directly to students at Irvine Valley College. The program aims to help to eliminate barriers to students’ success, such as food insecurity and homelessness.

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