For Immediate Release
MENLO PARK – Work to expand the Peninsula’s Big Lift Early Learning Initiative, fund a new JobTrain center in East Palo Alto, create affordable housing in Mountain View, enhance a multi-use trail in Sunnyvale, and repair the popular Pacifica Pier will get a substantial boost from $18.3 million in allocations included in a state budget trailer bill that Governor Newsom signed late Monday.
“I couldn’t be more pleased by the investments approved by the Governor and supported by my colleagues in the Legislature,” said state Senator Josh Becker, D-Peninsula, who advocated for the funding. “These programs and projects help our region thrive. They address key life needs that are essential elements for success: literacy-focused early childhood education, development of job and life skills, and creation of affordable housing. Peninsula projects that enable our community to better connect with the outdoors also are included.”
Here are highlights of the $18.3 million in state budget allocations for Peninsula programs and projects.
$1 Million for The Big Lift
“On behalf of San Mateo County, I am so pleased that The Big Lift, our preschool to third-grade collective impact initiative, will be receiving $1 million in state funding,” said Supervisor Carole Groom. “We’re grateful to Senator Becker and the state as this money will allow more children to participate in this important high-quality program across San Mateo County, helping to close the literacy gap in children of color and low-income children.”
Launched in 2012, The Big Lift is a public-private partnership of San Mateo County, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation dedicated to improving literacy among San Mateo County children. To close an opportunity gap, The Big Lift focuses on children in their early school years to fundamentally change their learning trajectory.
The Big Lift has served more than 10,000 children. 70% of participants are dual language learners. The $1 million from the state will help fund a five-week summer learning program with full-day STEAM and literacy enrichment for 1,200 low-income kindergarten through third grade students. The funds will also support the implementation of an evidence-based literacy program for the 2021-22 school year for 720 low-income preschool students.
$5 Million for the East Palo Alto JobTrain Center
“In partnership with the Emerson Collective, we are building JobTrain’s new Center for Economic Mobility in East Palo Alto to significantly expand our services while adding new programs to empower our community to attain full economic mobility,” said JobTrain President and CEO Barrie Hathaway. “The state’s allocation of $5 million for our new building virtually ensures that our vision for the community will become a reality. We are immensely grateful to Senator Becker, and to the State of California for this tremendous investment in our community.”
JobTrain has provided low-income adults of all ages a pathway out of poverty into upwardly mobile careers since 1965. JobTrain’s programs have evolved over the decades. They now include robust supportive services to help clients achieve sufficient stability to enroll in the nonprofit’s career training programs – and, from there, to navigate career pathways that have the potential to result in strong entry-level wages and, ultimately, solid living wages.
Last year, 80% of JobTrain’s graduates were on career pathways earning an average hourly wage of $21.80. The nonprofit is striving for a longer-term commitment to work with graduates until they achieve full economic mobility as well as economic sustainability. To do so requires greater program capacity, which the state allocation and help from the Emerson Collective will enable JobTrain to achieve. JobTrain celebrated the state’s support in a recent news conference that coincided with a career fair held by the nonprofit.
“It is especially fitting that we celebrated on the day that JobTrain held our first in-person job fair since the pandemic. Some 24 employers were with us to meet and hire job seekers who are ready to join, or rejoin, the workforce. Through employers like these and investments that help job seekers, our communities will overcome the economic challenges left by the pandemic and continue on the road of economic recovery,” Mr. Hathaway said.
Senator Becker shared a congratulatory message in a video from the State Capitol. “JobTrain and all its good works for the past 56 years speak to a vision I strongly share: That by building solid job and life skills, people can burst through the doors that have shut them out. This is the pathway to opportunities for better lives, economic stability and sustainability, and, ultimately, economic prosperity,” Senator Becker said in his greeting to career fair attendees. “It is such a great honor to share this day with you.”
$8 Million for Mountain View’s ‘Lot 12’ Affordable Housing Project
“On behalf of the City Council, we are greatly appreciative of Senator Becker’s leadership in affordable housing and his support of our city-owned Lot 12 to bring key funding resources for this development project in Mountain View,” said Mayor Ellen Kamei.
“The pandemic has significantly impacted the livelihood of lower-income households while simultaneously making it more difficult to finance affordable housing due to economic development challenges and increased costs of materials such as lumber,” Mayor Kamei said. “With the support of Senator Becker and the state’s approval of $8 million for Lot 12, the project will remain on track for providing 120 units of much needed affordable housing as quickly as possible.”
The City of Mountain View is working to create a pipeline of 100% affordable housing projects, several of which would include rapid rehousing and/or permanent supportive housing to aid the unsheltered. Lot 12 is the proposed redevelopment of a city-owned downtown public parking lot to provide 120 units of much-needed affordable housing, including housing for extremely low-income households as well as rapid rehousing.
$3.8 Million for the Evelyn Avenue Bike Lane Upgrade and Multi-Use Trail
“I want to extend our immense thanks to Senator Becker and the state for their support to enhance the safety and connectivity of Sunnyvale’s bike lane network,” said Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein.
“With this state funding, we’ll be able to upgrade the existing bike lane on a key segment of Evelyn Avenue, a major east-west corridor between the Sunnyvale and Mountain View Caltrain Stations,” Mayor Klein said. “When complete, this new off-street multi-use trail will bring us another step closer to Sunnyvale’s Active Transportation Plan goal of getting people out of their cars and more safely biking and walking in our community.”
$500,000 for the Pacifica Pier Repair
Senator Josh Becker and Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Kevin Mullin worked together to secure funding to repair the Pacifica Pier.
“The City of Pacifica is immensely grateful for Assemblymember Mullin’s and Senator Becker’s joint request for funding in the state budget for the Pacifica Pier repair project,” said Mayor Sue Beckmeyer.
“A portion of the pier remains closed to the public following significant damage to a section of the pier’s railing last winter during heavy storms,” Mayor Beckmeyer said. “The pier is a significant regional recreational asset, hosting visitors from all over the Bay Area and beyond. State funding will help restore the closed portion, and replace many other sections of deteriorating railing, to ensure the pier remains open and can continue to be available for all visitors to enjoy.”
###
Visit http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/ to view California’s 2021-22 budget.
Media Contact: Leslie Guevarra, leslie.guevarra@sen.ca.gov, 415-298-3404