Congressman Robert Garcia Announces Community Project Funding Submissions for FY2024

Washington D.C. - Congressman Robert Garcia (CA-42) today announced his submission of  Community Project Funding (CPF) requests to the House Committee on Appropriations for funding consideration in the FY2024 cycle. These projects aim to serve communities throughout the district by providing federal funding for everything from parks to educational facilities and affordable housing developments for seniors. 
 
“Having served as Mayor of Long Beach, I have seen first hand the vital role that federal funding plays in sustaining a thriving community. From a child development center to affordable housing developments for seniors, these community projects aim to improve the lives of everyone in our district. ” said Congressman Garcia. “As we continue to work hand in hand with local partners it is my priority to advocate for funding that will serve folks from every corner of our district.” 
 
Full list of community projects submitted for funding approval:

• Child Development Center Capital Improvements - Associated Students Inc, California State University Long Beach
  • Since 1975, The Isabel Patterson Child Development Center has offered affordable childcare for students who are also parents of young children, on the campus of California State University, Long Beach. A roughly $3.5 million investment will support long overdue renovations given the current facility has elements that are unsafe for children and are highly energy inefficient. 

• 2. Space Beach Research and Innovation Equipment - Long Beach Community College 
  • Long Beach is a critical hub of the commercial space industry. The $2 million in community project funding, from NASA, will buy the necessary cutting-edge manufacturing equipment that will train the next generation of highly skilled workers in Long Beach.

• Studebaker Road Corridor - City of Long Beach
  • Studebaker Road is a key corridor for the City of Long Beach. The $5 million in federal funds will pay for pedestrian safety investments, bike lanes, and will ensure the corridor project is a complete street.

• Bixby Park Improvements - City of Long Beach
  • Bixby Park is a shovel-ready redevelopment project which, backed by $2 million in community project funding, this will rebuild the community center.

• Heartwell Park Improvements - City of Long Beach
  • Heartwell Park is a heavily trafficked and essential park between the cities of Long Beach and Lakewood, the park serves as a magnet for the broader region. $3 million in community project funding will build a new turf soccer and ensure  ADA access.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Park - City of Long Beach
  • The $3 million in MLK Park investments would replace park infrastructure and begin implementing a community master plan.

• Cudahy Seniors Affordable Housing Development - City of Cudahy 
  • Our district faces a serious housing shortage. The $1.5 million in community project funding will be used to build affordable housing for low-income and homeless seniors. Over 140 families with senior family members would see their lives directly improved through this project.

• Pritchard Field Park Renovations - City of Bell 
  • Renovating Pritchard Field in the City of Bell will create a key community gathering area that will catalyze community engagement and provide a well- suited open space for the people of Bell. In a currently unused and undesirable urban space, $2 million in community project funding will support the complete refurbishment of vacant but well-situated open space to become a safe green space for Bell and the adjacent highly dense communities.

• Palms Park Community Center Improvement Project - City of Lakewood
  • Lakewood Palms Park is a critical park and community center which serves as a hub for Lakewood and the surrounding cities but urgently needs infrastructure improvements. $3 million will promote development and growth in the local working-class community.

• Bell Gardens Veterans Park Refurbishment -  City of Bell Gardens 
  • $700,000 will be used to renovate damaged, worn and deteriorating park facilities, including restrooms. Modernized park irrigation can reduce water waste and reduce blight.  The project will improve the usability and value of scarce public, open space in a badly underserved community.

• Public Safety Updates - City of Bellflower  
  • Public safety is a priority, and everyone deserves to live in a secure community without fear. $870,000 in federal funding will install security cameras at facilities throughout the City of Bellflower with an emphasis on the city’s parks.

• City of Maywood Sewer Project - City of Maywood
  • Previously supported by longtime community champion Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, this critical project, authorized by the 2022 Water Resources Development Act for $10 million, will prevent sanitary sewer overflows and other problems such as: blockages, equipment failures, broken pipes, and vandalism.

• Catalina Island Ferry Landing Project- Catalina Island 
  • Though a small and rural community, the City of Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, hosts over 1 million visitors per year. Exposed to the elements in a harsh environment, the Cabrillo Mole Ferry Terminal needs redevelopment so that it can continue to function as a key intermodal hub for the community and its many guests. $2 million will replace a damaged and deficient structure with a facility which is ADA compliant and better suited to supporting modern vessels which visit the Island.

• Bus Operations, Maintenance, and Administration Facility - City of Commerce 
  • The City of Commerce’s transit facility, which services the Los Angeles County South-East Region, is unable to meet the growing operational needs of the city’s transit fleet. $6 million will support a project to provide the city with critical infrastructure needed to meet those demands through a sustainable and community-conscious approach which will stimulate the regional economy.

• Downey YMCA Renovations – City of Downey 
  • Shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the existing facility was deemed unsafe to reopen without a massive infrastructure refurbishment. $3 million towards the new facility would host desperately needed amenities, with an array of programs to support broader community needs, hosting food distribution centers, childcare and teen scholarships. 

Earlier this year,  the House Committee on Appropriations announced that they would begin accepting programmatic and Community Project Funding requests from Members of Congress to meet the needs of communities across the country. Congressman Garcia and his staff have reached out and met with numerous stakeholders from each corner of the district to discuss projects throughout each of the communities the Congressman represents. A list of these projects and map can be found here.
 
Under Congressman Garcia’s leadership as Mayor, Long Beach passed measures to support community safety and rebuild infrastructure, legalize and tax cannabis while promoting social equity, and create ethics and redistricting commissions. His signature ballot initiative, Measure A, launched the largest infrastructure repair program in a generation, promoting good-paying union jobs for Southern Californians. 

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