Congresswoman Jackie Speier has the opportunity to submit requests to the Appropriations Committee for Community Project Funding that can improve the lives of families in our district, advance infrastructure needs, create jobs, and support the economy. These projects are separate from the surface transportation requests submitted to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The following requests were chosen through a competitive application and vetting process to ensure compliance with Appropriations Committee guidelines, community support, benefit to constituents, and valuable use of taxpayer funds. Please note that a request by Congresswoman Speier to the Committee does not guarantee that the project will be funded. Further, Members are required to certify that neither they nor their immediate family have a financial interest in the requests made.

Brisbane Housing Affordable Rehabilitation

• Request Amount: $495,000
• Intended Recipient: City of Brisbane
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 50 Park Place, Brisbane, CA 94005
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: Brisbane has a significant number of affordable housing units that needs rehabilitation. The project would help address issues around the safety and quality of life of those inhabiting these older buildings. Needs include installations for energy efficiency, noise insulation against airplane noise, and safety improvements.

Burlingame Community Center Photovoltaic (PV) Panel Project

• Request Amount: $900,000
• Intended Recipient: City of Burlingame
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 501 Primrose Road, Burlingame, CA 94010
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would install photovoltaic panels on up to 80 percent of the Community Center’s roof area in accordance with a 2018 community vote. The project would reflect the community’s primary values and priorities by advancing environmental stewardship through a sustainable design.

Caltrain Mini-High Ramps

• Request Amount: $460,000
• Intended Recipient: Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos, CA 94070
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would support the installation of mini-high accessible ramps at three train stations in California Congressional District 14. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will increase reliable and meaningful access to train service for passengers needing assistance to board trains. The installation of these station improvements will also provide benefits to all Caltrain riders as it will reduce the dwell time as passengers needing assistance board the train.

Economic Mobility Resource Hub

• Request Amount: $500,000
• Intended Recipient: City of South San Francisco
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: South San Francisco City Hall, 400 Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would fund workforce development services provided through JobTrain at the Economic Mobility Resource Hub, bringing resources directly to North San Mateo County residents facing job loss and job insecurity in an accessible location in South San Francisco’s lowest income neighborhood. Over 90% of North San Mateo County’s population consists of people of color and this project targets this population, which has been historically underserved and hit hardest by the pandemic. Workforce development programs offered at the Hub will center on supportive, case-management driven services supporting the whole person. In addition, the project will dramatically improve access to job training and placement services for the region’s most vulnerable residents, because it will establish a physical center that is rooted in the community it serves and that can be conveniently accessed by people walking or taking transit from the most heavily impacted neighborhoods.

Hope Services’ Mental Health Services Expansion

• Request Amount: $159,036
• Intended Recipient: Hope Services
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 30 Las Colinas Lane, San Jose, CA 95119
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would expand Hope Services’ mental health services to San Mateo County, serving an estimated 21 additional individuals over the course of a year. Hope Services has a well-established history of providing these services in Santa Clara County. Mental health services for people with co-occurring developmental disabilities and mental health needs are essential and highly specialized. Providing these services to residents of San Mateo County would be a valuable use of taxpayer funds because, left untreated, this population would likely continue to suffer progressively more severe mental health symptoms. With treatment, they can live a much-improved quality of life and successfully manage, or even overcome, their mental health issues. Also, providing regular and adequate mental health treatment will reduce the likelihood and frequency of any possible episodes requiring emergency room visits or hospitalization, providing a direct cost benefit to the community overall, as well as to these individuals and their families. Golden Gate Regional Center is poised to begin referring San Mateo County resident clients in need of these services to Hope Services as soon as possible. Initially, these services will be provided virtually, and as soon as in-person services are allowed to resume, Hope Services will begin offering these services at a clinic site to be leased from AbilityPath. 

Maple Street Navigation

• Request Amount: $500,000
• Intended Recipient: San Mateo County
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project is a 200-250 bed permanent Navigation Center with approximately 100 units devoted to Transitional Housing including a combination of 25 units intended for couples and 75 units for single occupancy. Funding will provide for the Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FF&E) to be installed in the Navigation Center. In addition to housing units, substantial space for service provision, dining, and wellness will be provided on site. The project addresses one of the County’s and Redwood City’s top priorities which is to house its most vulnerable population and provide support to individuals who are transitioning from shelters to permanent housing. The County has developed and is pursuing a Functional Zero vision for ending homelessness. Achieving Functional Zero means that all homeless residents who request shelter can be housed in an emergency shelter or in temporary or permanent housing and includes the provision of services that promote long-term housing.

Millbrae Water Recycling Project

• Request Amount: $800,000
• Intended Recipient: City of Millbrae
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 621 Magnolia Avenue, Millbrae, CA 94030
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would provide funding for the design phase of a project to capture sewage flow and treat it at the Millbrae Water Pollution Control Plant. The City of Millbrae is projected to experience water supply reduction and needs an alternative water source for outdoor use. The project would also reduce reliance on the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water Supply.

O’Connor Stormwater Management

• Request Amount: $800,000
• Intended Recipient: City of East Palo Alto
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: O’Connor St (adjacent to the San Francisquito Creek), East Palo Alto, CA 94030
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would replace four outmoded 225-horsepower diesel engines that are more than 50 years old and could fail at any moment. If the old engines fail, unfiltered stormwater will flow into the San Francisquito Creek and the San Francisco Bay during wet weather periods. The new engines will use less energy, reduce operation and maintenance costs by 60 percent, and eliminate harmful diesel emissions that are hazardous to City residents, who tend to have more respiratory issues than those in nearby wealthier communities.

Pacifica Pier Project

• Request Amount: $450,000
• Intended Recipient: City of Pacifica
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 170 Santa Maria Avenue, Pacifica, CA 94044
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project would repair a forty-foot section of the Pacifica Municipal Pier that was damaged and rendered unusable by high tides and large waves. The pier is a free, coastal recreational asset that is important to the city’s economy and local businesses.

US 101/SR 92 Area Improvement Project

• Request Amount: $1,000,000
• Intended Recipient: City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG)
• Full Street Address of the Intended Recipient: 555 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063
• Financial Disclosure Letter
• Request Explanation: The project includes infrastructure improvements such as adequate ramp capacity and more efficient weaving and merging spacing where there are higher than average collision rates at ramps and connectors. The project enhances safety and minimizes vehicle/pedestrian conflicts on local roadways, which have had an influx of regional cut-through traffic as motorists seek alternative routes avoiding congestion on U.S. 101 and S.R. 92. These improvements go hand in hand with a longer-term project, the US 101/92 Direct Connector, which will redesign and rebuild a significant portion of the interchange. Both projects improve safety and operational efficiency for transit and drivers.