PREPARED BY: MATT RODRIGUEZ DATE OF MEETING: 04/19/21
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION TO RATIFY LETTERS FROM SAN PABLO MAYOR PABON-ALVARADO TO U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE MARK DESAULNIER (11TH DISTRICT) AND BOTH CALIFORNIA U.S. SENATORS DIANNE FEINSTEIN AND ALEX PADILLA REQUESTING FEDERAL EARMARK FUNDING SUPPORT FOR: (1) SAN PABLO AVENUE BRIDGE REPLACEMENT AND INTERSECTION PROJECT ($8M); AND (2) SAN PABLO AREA FOR RECREATION AND COMMUNITY (SPARC) PROJECT ($2.45M)
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve by Minute Order
Body
Compliance statements
San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement and Intersection Project and San Pablo Area for Recreation and Community Project (SPARC) are not specific projects listed as an adopted policy item contained in the adopted FY2021-23 City Council Priority Workplan, effective March 15, 2021.
CEQA Compliance Statement
This is not a project as defined by CEQA as a budget or financing mechanism pursuant to 14 Cal. Code of Regulations section 15378(b).
BACKGROUND
In early March 2021, the City Manager’s Office in consultation with the City’s lobbyist, Townsend Public Affairs (TPA), received notification that U.S. Congressional Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and U.S. Senator. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, had reached a deal on the rules governing federal funding earmarks in this legislative year’s spending bills for 2021.
The following preliminary information on Federal funding earmarks for Community Acting Funding Program by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees was provided to local government through TPA:
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
• Each member can recommend only 10 projects TOTAL.
• Each of the 10 appropriations subcommittees listed between 2 and 10 funding accounts they would permit earmarks in. .
OTHER ADVICE
• Requests should be practically achievable.
• Requests should ideally already have significant dedicated funds.
• Requests should not request too much… likely in the several million-dollar range.
Additional guidelines from the House Committee on Appropriations - Community Project Funding for Transparency and Accountability Guidelines were issued in March 2021 (see Attachment).
City Eligible Projects for Federal Earmark Funding
Based on this preliminary information obtained, the City, in consultation with TPA, prepared two (2) letters requesting direct federal earmark funding support in direct response for a Call for Federal Earmarks announced by the City’s local federal legislators: US Representative Mark DeSaulnier (11th District); and California U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla.
The two (2) recommended active City projects eligible for federal funding allocation include the following:
1) San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement and Intersection Project ($8M); and
2) San Pablo Area for Recreation and Community Project (SPARC) ($2.45M)
Therefore, the City in consultation with TPA, prepared two (2) letters requesting federal funding support for execution and signature by San Pablo Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado and transmitted these funding requests to the City’s Federal legislators (see Attachments).
Recommendation
This evening, the City Manager requests ratification approval by majority vote (via minute order) of the attached federal funding requests from Mayor Pabon-Alvarado transmitted on March 31st and April 1st, 2021 to U.S. Congressional Representative Mark DeSaulnier (11th District), and California U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla.
FISCAL IMPACT
No direct fiscal impact associated with this agenda item; although, obtaining federal funding for these projects would allow them to occur and potentially free up funding for other Council priorities.
Attachments:
1) Letter to Federal Legislators from Mayor Pabon-Alvarado transmitted March 31, 2021 re: San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement and Intersection Realignment Project ($8.0M)
2) Letter to Federal Legislators from Mayor Pabon-Alvarado transmitted April 1, 2021 re: City of San Pablo’s San Pablo Area for Recreation and Community (SPARC) Project ($2.45M)
3) House Committee on Appropriations - Community Project Funding for Transparency and Accountability Guidelines