CITY OF SAN PABLO
City Council
1000 Gateway Avenue ● San Pablo, CA 94806
Main: 510-215-3000 ● Fax: 510-215-3011
www.SanPabloCA.gov
March 1, 2024
PERSONAL COURIER / U.S. REGULAR MAIL
The Honorable Alex Padilla
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Laphonza Butler
United States Senate
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable John Garamendi
United States House of Representatives
2004 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
RE: SUPPORT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2024-25 CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED
SPENDING REQUESTS FROM THE CITY OF SAN PABLO
Dear Senator Padilla, Senator Butler, and Congressional Representative Garamendi:
On behalf of the San Pablo City Council, I am writing to express my sincere support for the City of San Pablo’s requests for community project funding in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Federal Appropriations process.
Federal funding is being requested to support the City’s five (5) community priority projects that will help support our socio and economically-disadvantaged community, its residents and provide the public with greater public safety, technology and transportation improvement opportunities. These projects will bring significant community benefit, both locally and regionally.
These five (5) commun ity priority projects are highlighted in the attachment to this correspondence, with some City projects being re-submitted for federal funding consideration due to unforeseen circumstances regarding the current US Congressional gridlock on federal spending during the 2023-24 period, as follows:
San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement and Intersection Realignment Project; Expansion of Municipal Public Fiber/Wireless Network (Phase II); and Honorable U.S. Senators Feinstein and Padilla and Congressional Representative Garamendi Re: Fiscal Year 2024-25 Federal Earmark Requests for 2024-25 from City of San Pablo, CA March 1, 2023
Development of Community-wide EV Charging Station for All EV Vehicles Public Safety Camera Infrastructure Replacement and Expansion Real-Time SPPD Information Center Infrastructure to Support Cyber Crime Investigations
We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to submit these federal funding requests for your formal consideration, and appreciate you championing these funding requests to benefit the San Pablo community, the local region, and State of California.
The City of San Pablo would welcome any opportunity to expand on the critical need for federal funding support for these City projects, when appropriate.
Please feel free to contact San Pablo City Manager Matt Rodriguez directly at (510) 215-3016, or via email at: [email protected] if you require any additional information on the City’s Federal Funding Requests for 2024-25 period.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Patricia Ponce, Mayor
City of San Pablo
Attachment: City of San Pablo 2024-25 Summary of Federal Funding Requests
cc: San Pablo City Council
City Manager
Assistant City Manager
City Attorney
Police Chief (Interim)
Public Works Director
Honorable U.S. Senators Feinstein and Padilla and Congressional Representative Garamendi Re: Fiscal Year 2024-25 Federal Earmark Requests for 2024-25 from City of San Pablo, CA March 1, 2023
CITY OF SAN PABLO
LOCAL/REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
NEEDING FEDERAL 2024-25 FUNDING CONSIDERATION
(REVISED 02/28/24)
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Project #1: San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement and Intersection Realignment Project Total Federal Funding Request: $9.5 Million
The City of San Pablo requests $8.0 million to complete the funding needed for a bridge replacement and “complete streets” approach to realigning the skewed, five-legged intersection on top of the bridge.
These requested funds will allow the City of San Pablo to take advantage of the economies of scale by funding the non-bridge aspects of this project. The City received $8.4 million in Federal Bridge Replacement funds, but those cannot be used to repair the creek below the bridge or to provide the necessary upgrades for safer bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular travel over the circa 1925 bridge. There have been 55 accidents at this intersection since 2018 – including two (2) pedestrian hit and run accidents, including one fatality this past year.
The City is primarily a residential community of 30,000 where roughly 17% of residents get to work by public transportation, walking, or bicycling. According to the recent Contra Costa Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, the City of San Pablo averaged 5.47 pedestrian injuries annually per 10,000 people—the second highest rate of pedestrian injuries in the County —and 3.19 cyclist injuries annually per 10,000 people—the County’s fourth highest rate of cyclist injuries. This intersection is at the heart of the City and carries 16,500 vehicles per day, but also incorporates the primary “parallel arterial route” for the I-80 Integrated Corridor Mobility program which can take freeway traffic around an incident on I- 80 by redirecting motorists to surface streets in the local communities. One of the streets entering this intersection has the Hatlen Center for the Blind, the City’s sole Middle School, and its Community Center within ½ mile of this intersection. Safe passage through the intersection and expeditious traffic flow are of the utmost importance to the City of San Pablo.
Currently, the City of San Pablo cannot fund the non-bridge replacement work, which would transform this intersection into a comprehensive, multi-modal, complete street experience for the traveling public – increasing safety to all users. Realigning the intersection to improve sight distance, slow the vehicles, and provide protected areas for pedestrians and cyclists are key to improving the safety of this intersection. Without these requested funds, this intersection will continue to be a challenge for the traveling public. With the funds to enhance the safety of this intersection, the City can better serve its community and safety to all of the road users.
San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement and Intersection Realignment Project
New Project Design Alternative Under Consideration
Project #2: Expansion of Municipal Public Fiber/Wireless Network (Phase II) Total Federal Funding Request: $3 million
The City recently completed Phase I of expanding municipal fiber to City facilities. Phase II would connect the City’s Maintenance Corporation Yard to the other facilities, and could place traffic signal interconnect in existing conduit along Rumrill Boulevard, add to the City’s fiber backbone along Rumrill, San Pablo Avenue and Broadway, and connect with Contra Costa College. The City has earmarked a total of $1.25M in ARPA funds allocated to leverage other sources of external funding (TBD) to expand wireless and internet connectivity to disadvantaged community to close the digital divide for local businesses, youth and families who need enhanced internet and wireless connectivity.
Phase I – Public Fiber Project (Completed September 2021)
Project #3: Development of Community-wide EV Charging Station for All EV Vehicles/ Total Federal Funding Request: $3 million
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The City of San Pablo is pursuing federal or stat e funding opportunities, and external EV grants for disadvantaged communities for conducting a feasibility and cost analysis and ultimately developing new, publicly -accessible EV Charging Stations on two (2) City -owned properties for personal and commercial EV vehicles to meet growing consumer demand and State-wide Zero-Emissions Goals by 2035. (See project site locations below).
Both City-owned project sites can be further assessed for land value to be leveraged for federal and/or state funding opportunities for further project development in addition to any future City one-time project funds (TBD).
Chesley Avenue @ Rumril Blvd. Old PD HQ Building (San Pablo Avenue)
Project #4 Public Safety Camera Infrastructure Replacement and Expansion Total Federal Funding Request: $3 million
Since 2011, the City of San Pablo has invested in Public Safety Camera Infrastructure to include the installation of (281) situational awareness cameras and (82) automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras. These assets have been integral in reducing violence and overall crime as much as 32% in San Pablo. The City of San Pablo is located in West Contra Costa County and is considered a gateway to multiple jurisdictions with nearly 60-million vehicles traveling through the City in 2023. As such this Public Safety Camera technology has been utilized as a regional asset as 97,126 wanted/felony/stolen/ or Missing Persons vehicles were alerted utilizing these systems. The success of this program has been embraced by the San Pablo Community with 70% of those surveyed supporting further technology investments according to recent Public Safety Survey by the Strategy Research Institute.
Currently, some these camera assets are reaching end of life and need replacement. The City of San Pablo must fund the replacement and potential expansion of these assets in continuing to support crime reduction strategies. Without sufficient funding, much of this infrastructure will be down for undetermined periods and compromising progress established to this point. With the funds to replace and enhance the Public Safety Camera Infrastructure, the City can continue support the safety initiatives of San Pablo residents.
Project #5 Real-Time Information Center Infrastructure to Support Cyber Crime Investigations Total Federal Funding Request: $2 million The City of San Pablo is constructing a new Police Department Headquarters with a component of a Regional Training Center and a tentative opening by mid-2025. This facility will encompass enhanced technology which will need to be accessed and monitored on a consistent basis to support critical incident response and on-going cyber -crime investigations. This enhanced public safety response will include:
• First-of-its -kind Drone as a First Responder program : This program will allow officers to utilize drones strategically located remotely within the City to respond to priority incidents to provide responding personnel with real-time situational awareness. • R egional Cyber Crime Investigations: Emerging criminal activity has evolved to be carried out regularly by means of computers or the internet. Investigations have become complex and reliant on sophisticated equipment and software for data analytics and cryptoanalyst capabilities.
San Pablo PD aims to utilize these tools to support regional law enforcement needs in West Contra Costa County.
• E mergency Operations Center (EOC) for West Contra Costa County: There have been discussions with County partners in having this facility identified as the regional EOC during critical incidents or disasters impacting the region.
These integrated technologies require high-performance computers, displays, and equipment to meet the complexities in dealing with modern public safety priorities . Funding is being sought for one-time procurement to establish infrastructure to support this regional response. * * *