Congressman Robert Garcia Announces Community Projects for Long Beach for 2024 budget.

Washington D.C. - Congressman Robert Garcia today announced his submissions of Community Project Funding requests to the House Committee on Appropriations for funding in the FY2024 cycle. These projects aim to serve communities throughout the district by providing federal funding for everything from parks to educational facilities to rebuilding the CSULB childcare center.. 
 
The Long Beach area projects total $20.5 million and includes 6 projects in Long Beach, 1 in Lakewood and 1 in Avalon.
 
“Having served as Mayor of Long Beach, I understand the vital role that federal funding plays in sustaining our cities. From critical park improvements to street redevelopments, to new educational programs, these neighborhood projects aim to improve the lives of everyone in our district. ” said Congressman Garcia. “I’m focused on serving the people of Long Beach and our surrounding communities every single day.” 
 
"The proposed appropriations for MLK Park, Bixby Park, Heartwell Park, and Studebaker Road will help ensure that every part of town benefits from critical infrastructure investment, from enhancing our parks, to making our streets safe,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We thank Congressman Garcia and look forward to working with his team to make these projects a reality.” said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.
 
“This is a significant investment in the safety and sustainability of the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center. The center serves primarily the children of our enrolled students, allowing students to work toward their degrees knowing their children are cared for in a high quality child care environment. These upgrades to the center will allow us to continue contributing to the social mobility of our students, the quality early care and education of young children, and the broader economic and workforce development goals for our region.” said Cal State Long Beach President Jane Conoley.
 
“We are extremely grateful for Congressman Garcia’s vision, leadership and support of our Space Beach Research and Innovation Equipment Project,” said Dr. Mike Muñoz, Superintendent-President of the Long Beach Community College District. “This generous appropriation request will directly support LBCC’s one of a kind efforts to develop the workforce of the future, training our students to enter the aerospace industry in a variety of jobs that do not require a four year degree, with entry level wages as high as $40 per hour.” said Dr. Mike Muñoz, President of Long Beach Community College.
 
Community projects submitted for funding:

• 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.

• 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. 

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. For a full list of projects, please visit Congressman Garcia’s website 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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