Federal Community Project Funding Requests
In 2022, the County submitted 15 projects to its congressional delegation for possible inclusion in a federal appropriations bill or the transportation reauthorization bill. While the federal infrastructure bill signed by the President, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; H.R. 3684), represents a major victory for California's counties and provides significant new investment for local transportation, broadband, aviation, resiliency, and water and power infrastructure priorities, it eliminated the individual community project funding requests. Nevertheless, the projects submitted for inclusion in the appropriations bills may yet be funded when Congress passes its Omnibus federal budget bill as expected in the near future.
The following projects may be included for funding in the Omnibus bill for FFY 2022:
1. Contra Costa Crisis Services Hub $1,000,000 (Rep. DeSaulnier)
2. Mobile Crisis Response Team Expansion $1,061,552 (Rep. DeSaulnier)
3. Collaborative Care Implementation $900,000 (Rep. DeSaulnier)
4. Just Transition Economic Revitalization Plan $750,000 (Rep. DeSaulnier)
5. Veterans Memorial Building Improvements $700,000 (Rep. DeSaulnier); $300,000 (Rep. McNerney) (Sen. Padilla- $1M)
6. Market Avenue Complete Street $2,200,000 (Sen. Padilla)
According to our federal lobbyists at Thorn Run Partners, the following is the latest status on negotiations surrounding the 2022 federal budget:
Congressional appropriators announced yesterday (Feb. 9) that they have reached an agreement on an omnibus "framework" for fiscal year (FY) 2022 government funding. While the agreement will allow appropriators to begin writing each of the 12 appropriations bills, yesterday's announcement lacked specific details on the scope of the deal — notably, the 302(b) subcommittee funding allocations. According to reports out of Capitol Hill, parity for defense and nondefense spending increases is one of the remaining sticking points in broader funding talks that will need to be addressed before the topline figures are unveiled.
- Meanwhile...A Senate vote on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) (text; summary) is set to slip into next week due to a hold placed on the measure by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Specifically, Sen. Blackburn has been critical over language contained in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration's (SAMHSA) Harm Reduction Grant program that could be perceived as directly funding certain drug paraphernalia. While Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta issued a statement trying to quell these concerns, it is possible that the vote on final passage could slip closer to the February 18 deadline.
With the assumption that a 2022 federal government funding deal will be reached in the next several weeks, staff and the County's federal lobbyist, Paul Schlesinger, have been considering possible 2023 congressionally directed funding projects.
The following projects have been submitted to the CAO staff to date:
- Phase II of a Just Transition Economic Revitalization Plan, from the Department of Conservation and Development (estimated $500,000)
- Building Electrification Retrofit Project, from the Department of Conservation and Development (Attachment A)
- Human Trafficking Unit Support, from the District Attorney (Attachment B)
- Transition Aged Youth Diversion Program, from the District Attorney (Attachment C)
- Policing the Teen Brain Training Program, from the Probation Department's Office of Reentry & Justice (Attachment D)
When the call for projects from our congressional delegation is officially underway, other projects may be submitted by staff for consideration. At this time, input from the Legislation Committee on the projects proposed to date would be helpful to staff and the County's federal lobbyist.
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State Budget Requests for 2022-23
Although there is no existing, established state budget earmark process (as there has been in prior years for federal community project funding requests), given the projected surplus in the FY 2022-23 budget and the experience of FY 2021-22 wherein legislators sought and secured project/program specific budget allocations, our state advocates have urged the identification of possible Contra Costa County-specific earmarks for FY 22-23. The following state budget earmark requests have been identified.
Staff seeks Legislation Committee input on the prioritization of these requests:
- "Seed money" for a Regional Responders Complex at the Concord Naval Weapons Station site: $3 million. (Senator Glazer)
Since 2007 the Fire District and Office of the Sheriff have been working towards a plan to reuse approximately 75 acres of former Concord Naval Weapons Station land for a combined administrative, training, and logistics center. The County and the Fire District expect to take physical possession of the land in late 2022 or 2023. There is a need to refresh a business plan and conceptual design that was originally authored in 2007. The Fire District envisions a unique all-risk training facility with props and facilities not found anywhere else in the region. This could include swift water rescue, rail, BART cars, electric vehicles, confined space, indoor and outdoor tactical ranges, a skid pan driving course, a training village to simulate residential and commercial settings and modern classrooms. Space planning, conceptual design and civil work such as utility planning are all needed design elements. Additionally, once the land is transferred a temporary access will need to be constructed. This temporary access has already been tentatively identified as Evora Road. One time $3 million in funding will help the team advance the planning concepts required to define what the facility needs are on the site, provide temporary access, and begin some of the civil design work required for the site.
- Choice in Aging's "Aging in Place Campus:" $20 million. (Senator Dodd)
Choice in Aging, a non-profit organization serving some of Contra Costa County's frailest and most vulnerable residents since 1949, is in the process of building a new and innovative model for how we age in our community – the Aging in Place on Campus – which will provide elder and fragile adults with independent housing and co-located services that will allow them to age with dignity in their homes. The campus will include intergenerational services that will allow multiple generations to learn and grow together in a single location. The housing construction funding will be made available from other sources, but the full range of services can only be realized with the help of the state.
- Funding to implement the proposed Menstruation Equity stipends: $8.5 million.
- Funding to provide individual or group psychotherapy, psychotropic medication, and discharge planning services to behavioral health patient inmates within County detention facilities, including those committed incompetent to stand trial: $5 million (approximately)
- Funding to support the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy: Attachment E
- Conservation Grazing Infrastructure: $1,000,000 (scaleable)
- Mount Diablo: Pine tree and Manzanita Die-off Investigation: $500,000
- Land Acquisition funding for the local regional Natural Community Conservation Plan (East CCC HCP/NCCP): $6,000,000 (scaleable proposal)
- Habitat Restoration funding for the local regional Natural Community Conservation Plan (East CCC HCP/NCCP): $6,000,000 (scaleable proposal)
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