Programs that are targeted for Richmond or could directly benefit Richmond are highlighted in yellow.

NEWS

Congressman George Miller, California’s 7^th District

For Immediate Release: February 25, 2009

Press Office:  202-225-2095

Miller Announces Millions in Federal Funding for Area projects

Washington, DC – The House of Representatives today approved $14.5 million in funding for critical projects in the congressional district represented by Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) as part of a larger bill that funds the federal government for the rest of the year, Miller announced.  The bill is expected to be passed by the Senate next week and signed into law by President Obama soon. 

This bill is separate from the Economic Recovery Act signed into law last week by President Obama that will also send needed funds into the Bay Area and the state in response to the recession.

“With this bill,” Miller said, “Congress is investing in key priorities for the Bay Area and California, in education, environmental restoration, transportation and other programs that will create jobs at home and continue services vital to our community.  I am proud to have been able to secure funding in the overall bill for critical services that will directly help my constituents in cities throughout Contra Costa and Solano counties.”

Miller highlighted three items in the bill in particular that won important funding for local services:  $1.6 million for after-school programs for middle and high school students, giving them new opportunities and important skills; $1.8 million for new environmentally friendly busses and park and ride lots; and, over $8 million for Bay Area Water Recycling projects to provide the region a reliable water supply for years to come as drought and climate change make California's water supply increasingly unpredictable.

Below is a complete list of funding Miller helped to secure in the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009:

$600,000 for Shotspotter in the City of Richmond

The Richmond Police Department will receive funding for the Shotspotter Gunshot Location System. Richmond Police believe the system provides significant help in the fight against illegal firearms use.
 
$250,000 for the Richmond Black Firefighters' Association's Richmond Youth Academy

The Richmond Fire Department Youth Academy serves at-risk youth. The Academy enrolls cadets ages14-18 in a ten-month program to participate in training and preparation for a career in fire-fighting. Classes focus on tutoring, computer literacy, safety training, emergency preparation and life skills.   

$400,000 for the Richmond Police Activities League's One-Stop Youth Center
The Richmond Police Activities League One-Stop Youth Center provides a safe environment for youth to congregate after school. The Center successfully focuses on meeting the developmental needs of young people through academic and employment services, mentoring programs, and recreational activities. 

$150,000 for work on Shipyard 3 Historic District, part of Rosie the Riveter Historic Park in Richmond

This project would rehabilitate one of the five surviving original buildings of Shipyard 3, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which is located within the Rosie the Riveter World War II/Home Front National Historical Park. Funding will be used to rehabilitate the Rigger’s Loft/Paint Shop/Sheet Metal Shop/Electrical Shop.

$500,000 for Mare Island Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drain  

The current Mare Island sanitary sewer and storm drain system evolved from a system built in the 1800’s and is in a severely degraded condition. Federal funding is needed to help replace the existing sanitary sewer pipes and expand the storm water drainage system to improve the overall water quality of the region.

$670,000 for the cleanup efforts at the Mount Diablo Mercury Mine

Reps. Miller, Tauscher (D-Alamo) and McNerney (D-Tracy) sought this funding together.  The money would allow Contra Costa County to complete the preliminary design and planning studies for a project that will dramatically reduce levels of mercury washed into the San Francisco Bay and should help improve health and safety throughout the watershed.

$1,000,000 for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion

Reps. Miller, Tauscher (D-Alamo) and McNerney (D-Tracy)  also secured $1 million for the further study of the expansion of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir. The reservoir expansion is currently being evaluated to develop water supplies for environmental water management. Expanding the reservoir would immediately begin addressing some of the environmental, water supply, and water quality challenges central to the ongoing Delta crisis.

$333,000 for the Fighting Back Partnership, Vallejo

Funding will go toward an intervention program that targets elementary and high school students who are at risk for substance abuse and misuse, and who attend eight of Vallejo’s most socially and economically impoverished schools (four elementary and four high schools). Vallejo FAST is designed to increase protective factors such as increased family functioning and attachment to school.

$119,000 for the Solano County Mommy Coach

Solano County’s Mommy Coach Project is designed to support women with pre-natal, pregnancy, and post-partum issues through the building of relationships with other experienced women from similar backgrounds. The program’s goal is to help families avoid costly healthcare problems for mothers and infants, emotional problems for overwhelmed mothers, and child welfare issues for entire families.

$143,000 For the YMCA’s Building Blocks for Kids

The YMCA’s program conducts outreach, workshops, parent-student training, after-school activities and other interventions proven effective in combating early alcohol and drug use among adolescents.

$428,000 for the CCC’s Children of Domestic Violence Program

Sen. Boxer and Reps Miller, Tauscher (D-Alamo) and McNerney (D-Tracy) requested funds for the implementation of a plan to diminish the damaging effects of domestic violence on children and adolescents and to stop the cycle of intentional injury and abuse.  

$760,000 for Solano County, Alternative Fuel Buses Program

Reps. Miller and Tauscher requested funds for the Solano Transportation Authority to replace current diesel buses with alternative fuel buses. This will be a key step toward replacing the remaining diesel fleet.  The new busses will produce lower amounts of air emissions, including both CO2 and soot, and the transit services provided will reduce the number of cars on the road, further reducing air emissions.

$470,000 for the Intermodal Station, Vacaville

The Vacaville Intermodal Station will streamline express bus service along the I-80 corridor, provide efficient connections to local bus service, and help to expand ridership along the I-80 corridor toward the Bay Area and the Sacramento regions.

$641,000 TriDelta Transit Park and Ride Lots

Funds for the project will allow the Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority to develop two 1.5 acre park and ride lots in the areas of Pittsburg and Antioch.  The project will reduce Highway 4 traffic congestion by providing commuters with a base to use mass transit. 

$8,000,000 for Bay Area Water Recycling Projects, Pittsburg and other cities

Reps. Miller, Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) and Tauscher (D-Alamo) requested funding for the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program that will allow the region's water agencies to reuse treated water, helping to preserve drinking water supplies and to protect the Bay-Delta ecosystem. Under a law authored by Rep. Miller in 2008, cities like Pittsburg can receive federal funding to use recycled water – rather than fresh water from the Delta – at city parks, golf courses, and other green spaces.