California allocates over $20 million for Central Coast projects

July 4, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

Millions of dollars have been approved for disaster recovery efforts, services for underserved populations and more on the Central Coast, California Sen. John Laird announced June 30. Both houses of the Legislature have approved the budget which now awaits the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom for final approval.

“While California faces another difficult budget year, it is heartening to be able to secure funding for numerous important projects that will assist in securing and improving our quality of life,” Laird said. “Senior assistance, homeless services, disaster recovery, and climate change planning and mitigation are a few of the areas we are able to tackle throughout the Central Coast.”

Budget allocations secured by Laird include funds that will benefit farmworkers who were severely impacted by the storms in January and March, support the repair of vital infrastructure such as our dams, levees, wharfs, and creeks to ensure future accessibility and flood resilience, as well as, support wildfire prevention through the removal of invasive species, and introduction of native species to our natural landscape.

Projects approved for San Luis Obispo County include:

· ECHO Permanent Dining Facility– $150,000 appropriated to El Camino Homeless Organization for the creation of a permanent dining structure for the unhoused that will serve dinner to 80 to 100 individuals a night.

· Arroyo Grande Creek Levee – $1.236 million appropriated to help offset the repair costs of the levee system, including a breach on the south side. In turn, this will help protect the disadvantaged community of Oceano from losing its critical infrastructure such as the wastewater treatment plant and regional airport.

· Wildlife Baseline Assessment for Morro Bay Wind Energy – $150,000 appropriated to the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences to conduct an initial baseline assessment of the ecosystem conditions in the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area to inform decision making on offshore wind development.

· City of Morro Bay Storm Drain Replacement – $300,000 appropriated to repair 150 linear feet of failed corrugated metal pipe to enhance flood control in this storm-damaged region.

· Salinas Dam Feasibility Study – $500,000 appropriated to help conduct feasibility analysis regarding ownership, retrofit, and possible expansion of the Salinas Dam, to secure future water supplies.

· Offshore Wind Development Support – $750,000 appropriated to SLO County for staffing resources to fully support offshore wind development.

In addition, the state approved funding for projects in Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.