Assemblymember Alex Lee Announces Additional $13.8 Million Secured to Fund Local Projects, Bringing Total to Nearly $32 Million

With the signing of AB 179, Assemblymember Alex Lee is proud to announce that he has secured an additional $13.8 million in state funding for local projects in Newark and San Jose, bringing the total to $31.6 million this year.

“I’m thrilled we were able to secure nearly $32 million in local investments for all five cities in the district,” said Assemblymember Lee. “This important funding will go to supporting Piedmont Middle School’s gym, broadband access, developing a quiet zone, homeless prevention, rebuilding a teen center, building an all-inclusive playground, supporting biking infrastructure, and developing a landmark bicycle and pedestrian gateway.”

Newark

• $2 Million for Quiet Zones
  • The implementation of Quiet Zones in Newark has been an item of significant concern for members of the community because Newark experiences a fair amount of freight and passenger railroad traffic. City staff conducted a study which recommended the City move forward with safety improvements for two grouped corridors. The secured funding allows the City of Newark to move forward on the two recommended grouped corridors:
    • Coast Subdivision between Jarvis Avenue and Central Avenue (total 6 at-grade crossings) 
    • Niles  Subdivision  between  Cedar  Boulevard  and  Sycamore  Street  (total 3 at-grade crossings)   
• $1.8 Million for Broadband
  • The City of Newark aims to move forward on its first Broadband Master Plan. The funding secured allows the City to immediately begin implementing phases of the plan to develop an inventory of existing fiber optic infrastructure, identify gaps of unserved and underserved areas, gaps of infrastructure assets, and develop phased improvements to address short-term and long-term needs.

San Jose

• $10 Million - Berryessa Union School District Gym
  • Piedmont Middle School, which was built in 1959, still has its original multipurpose space that functions as a gymnasium/cafeteria with windows that are over 60 years old and no longer operable. The funding secured will provide Piedmont Middle School with a new state of the art facility with a full-size middle school basketball court and bleacher sections that will accommodate 180 people. It  will  allow  for  expanded  lunch  service,  will  meet  athletic  sporting  event  standards for competition, and will provide a space for community services in the evenings and weekends.

Fremont

• $8 Million - Fremont Teen Center Building Upgrades
  • The Teen Center at Lake Elizabeth in Central Park serves as a hub for Fremont’s recreational and education programs, serving large numbers of youth year around and offers unique facilities for meetings, parties, and special events. The secured funding provides critical facility improvements to the Teen Center to enhance its safety and ability to continue to serve Fremont’s youth. 
• $6 Million - Fremont 1-680/Sabercat Bridge
  • The City of Fremont’s I-680 Sabercat Bridge & Trail (Irvington BART to Ohlone College) will be a landmark bicycle and pedestrian gateway into the City of Fremont. The secured funding will support construction of the trail which will cross the canyon of I-680 currently dividing the Irvington District, East Bay Greenway (EBGW), and future Irvington Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Station from the Sabercat Historical Park, Ohlone College, and Fremont Hills. The project will also create a bicycle/pedestrian connection over or under the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR)/BART tracks. 
• $500,000 - Fremont Housing Navigation Center
  • In 2020, the City of Fremont opened a 45-bed temporary Housing Navigation Center (HNC)  to provide a clean, safe, calm and flexible environment that allows unhoused residents to rebuild their lives and focus on finding stable, permanent housing. HNC participants receive wrap-around services that include health and wellness resources, employment assistance, substance abuse services, and counseling. In the first year of operations, the HNC has proven to be successful in helping participants transition into permanent housing options. The funding secured supports HNC operational costs.

Milpitas

• $1.5 Million - Milpitas Homelessness Prevention and Unhoused Services
  • The Milpitas Homelessness Task Force and individual members of the Council expressed several priorities in addressing homelessness in Milpitas. The secured funding supports several priority projects including the continuance and expansion of the City’s mobile shower and laundry services, the establishment of a Milpitas Resource Center as a 2-year pilot program, and provides rent relief to vulnerable Milpitas residents.
• $1 Million - Milpitas Bike Lanes Facilities Enhancement
  • To encourage greater mode shift from motorized vehicle travel, Milpitas looks to improve existing bicycle facilities to promote multi-modal nature of roadways and increase bicyclist comfort. This allocation supports upgrading existing bike lane infrastructure throughout Milpitas with green-colored pavement at intersections and through conflict areas, establishes green-colored intersection bike boxes, buffered bike lanes, and/or separated bikeways marked with bollards, posts, or on street parking.

Santa Clara

• $800,000 - Santa Clara Magical Bridge All-Inclusive Playground in Central Park
  • Central Park serves thousands of residents of Santa Clara, and neighboring communities, of all ages and abilities annually since 1965. This project funds the construction of a one-acre All-Inclusive Playground in Santa Clara's Central Park, ADA Renovation of the Arbor Area restroom, and installation of shade structures in the Arbor Center group picnic area.