SACRAMENTO – The Budget Conference Committee approved a request by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) to appropriate $5.4 million for case management and home repairs to help in the recovery from the flooding in San Jose.
Assemblymember Kalra presented the request before the Assembly Budget Committee last month on behalf of members of San Jose’s legislative delegation.
The original $10.4 million budget amount was organized into two parts, with $5.4 million appropriated for direct case management assistance for residents, which would include rent subsidies, transportation assistance, and relocation assistance, and the remaining $5 million to be used for rehabilitation grants for homeowners.
“I applaud the Budget Conference Committee for approving $5.4 million to cover casework, which continues to be a vital aspect of recovery efforts and will go a long way to help those who are displaced,” said Assemblymember Kalra. “I want to thank my colleagues from the San Jose delegation for their dedication to this critical need—Senators Jim Beall and Bob Wieckowski, as well as Assemblymembers Evan Low and Kansen Chu. I also extend my gratitude to the City of San Jose, the County of Santa Clara, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, local community groups, charities, and those impacted by the flood that worked collaboratively to help develop the budget request.”
“Unfortunately, hundreds of San Jose residents still cannot return home due to the devastation caused by the Coyote Creek floods,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. “This money would go a long way to addressing that need and I’d like to thank Assemblymember Ash Kalra and the rest of our local delegation for advancing this critical budget request on behalf of the many families who are still struggling to get back to on their feet.”
During the early hours of Feb. 20, 2017, a number of communities and mobile home parks along Coyote Creek were submerged when a series of storms brought heavy rain to the area that exceeded the capacities of Anderson Reservoir and the creek. Several San Jose neighborhoods experienced severe flooding that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and caused significant damage to public and private property in the city.
