Santa Monica To Get $16.3M In State Funding For City Projects

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica is about to receive a hefty injection of funds following Gov. Gavin Newsom's signing of a historic $308 billion state budget. The city has secured $16 million for three local projects.

The money will fund new city crosswalks, medians, landscaping, lighting access to safe temporary housing and more through projects led by Assemblymember Richard Bloom.

"I am thrilled to have secured several key investments for the City of Santa Monica in the 2022-23 state budget. These projects will address critical infrastructure needs in the City and will help ensure the safety of pedestrians in our community, address the growing behavioral health needs of our residents, and help the City meet its sustainability goals," Bloom said in a statement.

These three projects in Santa Monica will receive funding.

• The City Yards Modernization Project: This plan will receive $10 million to fund the "heart of operations for essential city services" for infrastructure and operational improvements. The City Yards is a facility that provides services to homes and businesses.
• The Lincoln Boulevard Neighborhood Corridor Plan: This project is getting $4.8 million to fund new medians, crosswalks, lighting and landscaping.
• Santa Monica Behavioral Health Center: The center will receive $1.5 million to improve access to safe temporary housing and stablizing care for vulnerable residents.

"We are extremely grateful to Assemblymember Bloom for his advocacy on behalf of the City of Santa Monica," said Mayor Sue Himmelrich.

Santa Monica is also pursuing additional direct funding for the center. Congressman Ted Lieu announced this week that his request to secure $1.5 million was included in the FY 2023 appropriations bill that the U.S. House will vote on in the next few weeks.

The behavior center is intended to be an alternative for first responders to drop off people who don't require the "level of crisis to require emergency rooms, psychiatric urgent cares or jail," Lieu's office wrote in a press release Wednesday.

The first phase of the 24/7 center will focus on those experiencing homelessness in Santa Monica, his office said.

The largest chunk of the funding will go to the City Yards, which is intended to update an outdated facility at 25000 Michigan Avenue. It is meant to serve as a center for municipal maintenance services including water, resources recovery, fire training and recycling.

"All three of these budget items represent the continuity of policies and projects I have worked on as Santa Monica's Mayor and Councilmember and my last 10 years representing the City and the 50th District in the Assembly. They are the product of nearly a quarter-century representing the interests of our community, which I have been honored to serve," Bloom said.