SACRAMENTO – Last week, the State Legislature approved budget bills that included requests championed by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José). District budget requests can be found in AB 178 (Ting), signed by Governor Newsom June 30th, and outlined below:
- East San José Corridor Safety Improvement Project ($10 M): An urgent investment in the City of San José’s Vision Zero strategy, a traffic safety initiative to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on roadways. This shovel-ready project provides comprehensive safety upgrades, including a concrete buffer between cyclists and vehicles and a new traffic signal at one of the most dangerous intersections.
- Responsible Landlord Engagement Initiative 2.0 ($800 K): One-time funding to the City of San José to improve the management of small rental operations, 50 units or less, by encouraging communities to organize and communicate with landlords.
- Speed City Legacy Project ($4 M): One-time funding to renovate a space at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds for track and field in partnership with the County and San José State University. This track and field will also be home to the Speed City Legacy Project-Social Justice that will bring programming and services to underserved areas.
- Santa Clara County Health Equity Agenda ($200 K): One-time allocation to the County of Santa Clara to help fund the implementation of the Santa Clara County Health Equity Agenda, of which the goal is to drive quantifiable reductions in racial health disparities.
- Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center ($5 M): One-time funding for San José State University to retrofit the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center (WIRC), build a new fire testing lab with proper safety measures, and extend current computational facilities used for wildfire prediction.
“This historic budget includes much-needed investments and financial relief after a challenging few years enduring the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Assemblymember Kalra. “I am honored to champion critical local requests to bring state dollars back home and fund meaningful projects throughout the community. I worked on some of these efforts when I served on the San José City Council and it is heartening to see them continue and grow.”
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Assemblymember Ash Kalra represents the 27th District, which encompasses approximately half of San José and includes all of downtown. He is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment and also serves as a member on the Housing and Community Development, Judiciary, Transportation, and Water, Parks, and Wildlife committees. For more information, visit https://a25.asmdc.org/.