Congressman DeSaulnier Secures More than $9 Million for Contra Costa Projects

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) announced that he secured $9,061,000 for community projects throughout Contra Costa County in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (H.R. 2471), which President Biden signed into law today. This funding will go to 10 different projects in our community that would address behavioral and mental health, support veterans, improve transportation accessibility, increase internet access for students, and help the County transition away from fossil fuels.

"For the first time in a decade, we finally have the opportunity to bring home funding to Contra Costa for specific projects that will have a meaningful impact on people's daily lives," said Congressman DeSaulnier."From supporting mental health resources to improving commutes, the quality of life of residents across the County will be much improved thanks to this critical funding."

"Congressman DeSaulnier continues to demonstrate why he has been so appreciated by so many for so long here in the County," said Karen Mitchoff, Chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. "These projects will help provide excellent health, including mental health services here in the County, and ensure that as our economy evolves, we continue to be the home of good jobs for all who live here."

"The Educational Internet Access project will benefit all 18 school districts in Contra Costa and help ensure that students throughout the county have reliable internet access," said Lynn Mackey, Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools. "This funding is crucial for a vital resource as students are more dependent than ever on having access to online resources. I am grateful to Congressman DeSaulnier for championing this project and advocating for the students of Contra Costa County."

"This funding will help develop crucial services in Contra Costa County, so people experiencing mental health crisis get culturally and clinically appropriate care in a timely manner," said Anna Roth, Contra Costa County Health Director. "Our community recognized an unmet health need and came together in an unprecedented way. On behalf of our partners, I thank Congressman DeSaulnier for his continued support of our efforts to provide services to anyone, anywhere, anytime."

"The community project funding for improvements to our Veterans Memorial Buildings show our community how strong Congressman DeSaulnier's and the County's commitment to Veterans is," said Nathan D. Johnson, Contra Costa County Veterans Service Officer. "These improvements will ensure that these buildings will be around to serve the needs of future generations of Veterans."

"We are thrilled that this funding will help the Contra Costa Transportation Authority advance our Vision Zero goals to improve safety for all road users in the county, especially bicyclists and pedestrians," said Timothy Haile, Executive Director for the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. "Smarter signals in the City of Concord will not only improve safety, but can also reduce congestion and emissions, prioritize transit and emergency vehicles, and support future emerging technologies like the connected and automated vehicles being tested at GoMentum Station."

"Thanks to Congressman DeSaulnier and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the City of Concord has received much-needed federal funding to invest in our Smart Signals project," saidConcord Mayor Dominic Aliano. "This will enable us to upgrade to a system that can synchronize signals to optimize traffic flow and relieve congestion, prioritize transit and emergency vehicles, and reduce emissions."

"As Danville continues to recover from the pandemic, we are extremely pleased to have been approved funding for these two vital community projects for Danville residents," said Newell Arnerich, Mayor of Danville. "These projects will improve safety and accessibility for all bicyclists and pedestrians throughout Danville and encourage people to benefit from the mental and physical health advantages of being outdoors and keeping active while enjoying Danville's outdoor spaces."

"I would like to thank Congressman DeSaulnier for his leadership and commitment to innovation," said Holland Barrett White, Mayor of Pittsburg. "The $1.2 Million Pittsburg Center Smart City Project will help move Pittsburg forward and improve the lives of every resident."

The 10 projects are:

Behavioral/Physical Health Projects:

• $1.061 million for a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) Expansion Project for Contra Costa County Health Services Department – Behavioral Health Division to add two teams to the existing Mobile Crisis Response Teams – an entity that responds to urgent behavioral health crises throughout the County. It would also add Alcohol and Other Drugs Counselors to more effectively address crises related to substance use and co-occurring conditions.
• $1 million for the Contra Costa Crisis Services Hub Project for Contra Costa County Health Services Department – Behavioral Health Division to renovate a County-owned facility to establish the Contra Costa Crisis Hub, which would consolidate and expand access to integrated mental health and substance use treatment services to best address the needs of County residents. Its goal is to divert clients from costly services such as psychiatric emergency services and emergency department services; provide a new level of care for those seeking substance use services; and provide and expand a system of crisis support less dependent on law enforcement.
• $900,000 for the Collaborative Care Implementation Project for Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Clinics toimplement a standardized treatment model across 11 Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs) within the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers (CCRMC-HC) system, building an Electronic Health Record (EHR) to support coordination of care, and supporting education and training for County behavioral health staff. CCRMC-HC supports the most vulnerable and low-income population in the County, including a high number of homeless and immigrant residents and others who traditionally have a high prevalence of mental health and co-occurring conditions.

Transportation Projects:

• $1.2 million for the Concord Smart Signals Project for Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) to upgrade traffic signals to a smart signal system within the City of Concord to help reduce congestion and emissions, prioritize transit and emergency vehicles, and protect vulnerable road users.
• $1.2 million for a Pittsburg Center Smart City Pilot for the City of Pittsburg to implement Smart City technologies by outfitting the ¼ mile transportation grid surrounding the Pittsburg Center BART station with connected technologies such as adaptive street lights, connected traffic signals, and digital and static wayfinding signage. These upgrades will help encourage transit use, encourage walking and bicycling by creating safer and more complete streets, alleviate traffic, and attract local business.
• $1 million for the Danville Townwide Traffic Signal Modernization/ITS Project for the Town of Danville tomodernize its traffic signal system network, including replacement of the Town's aging traffic signal hardware, vehicular detection systems, and communications infrastructure. It would improve bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular safety; air quality and GHG emission reductions; connectivity; and reduce travel time.
• $350,000 for the Iron Horse Trail Bridge, Nature Park, and Pedestrian Safety Project for the Town of Danville to make pressing safety improvements and enhancements to the Iron Horse Trail across multiple jurisdictions to improve the multi-use, whole access trail of regional significance from the City of Concord to the City of Pleasanton. The project will be done in coordination with the City of San Ramon and the City of Dublin.

Other County Projects:

• $900,000 for an Educational Internet Access Project for the Contra Costa County Office of Education to rebuild and enhance internet and firewall services required to provide internet connectivity to eighteen school districts in Contra Costa County supporting 24,000 educators, 172,000 students, and their families. The additional capacity would benefit teachers and students in the classroom by supporting an increased need for more bandwidth and faster internet for hybrid learning and online study.

• $750,000 for a Just Transition Economic Revitalization Plan Project for the Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development to conduct community outreach and engagement, specialized studies, economic analysis, and staffing to develop a community-wide framework for green economic development in Contra Costa County as the community transitions away from its historically petroleum-based economic sector. The framework is expected to include workforce training and land uses to support green economy industries.

• $700,000 for theVeterans Memorial Buildings Improvements Project for Contra Costa County Veterans Services Office to make energy efficiency, environmental, and safety upgrades at Veterans Memorial Buildings across California's 11th Congressional District, reducing overall maintenance costs and ensuring continued usage for future generations of veterans.

The projects were subject to a strict transparency and accountability process, which is detailed here by the Appropriations Committee. Examples of this vetting include certifying that Members have no financial interest in these projects, an audit of a sampling of these projects by the Government Accountability Office, and a requirement for demonstrated community support and engagement for each submission. Funding for these projects is expected to be disbursed in short order.