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In compliance with House Appropriations Committee rules, and in order to make the federal funding process as transparent as possible, posted below are descriptions of the requests for federal appropriations that Congressman Berman submitted for consideration for fiscal year 2010.
The federal appropriations process is a long and complicated one. Through this process, Members of Congress are able to recommend that funds from large government spending accounts be directed toward priorities in their home states and districts, or to national priorities. Responsible requests for funds on behalf of carefully scrutinized projects help address areas of need at the local level that would otherwise go unmet. Many facilities in the 28th Congressional District, including Sun Valley Park, the Pacoima Credit Union, and the Hansen Dam Recreation facilities owe their existence to federal appropriations that came as a result of such requests.
Congressman Berman received a total of nearly $130 million in funding requests this year. Below is a list of the requests actually submitted, after careful review, to the House Appropriations Committee for Fiscal Year 2010. These requests constitute roughly 28.5% of the total requests made of Congressman Berman’s office.
School Resource Officer Program
City of San Fernando
901 First St.
San Fernando, CA 91340
$483,000
With this funding, the San Fernando Police Department can provide educational, outreach and security programs to all 22 public and private schools located within the city. The San Fernando Police Department presence will enable the schools to educate the youth while providing security for the students, faculty, and surrounding neighborhoods of each of the school campuses.
Gang Reduction Youth Development Zone – Pacoima
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$300,000
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the San Fernando Valley is home to at least 80 known gangs. In 2008, LAPD recorded 1,155 gang-related crimes in the Valley and 6,877 gang-related crimes city-wide. Many more go unreported. The Mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development will use funds to expand prevention and intervention services into Pacoima, a community of great need. Prevention services will target 100 youth at highest risk of joining gangs. Intervention services are multi-pronged with wrap-around programs for 100 youth or young adults already gang affiliated as well as violence interruption and pro-active peacemaking.
Senior/Multi-generational Center
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$500,000
The City of Los Angeles will use the funds for planning and construction of a new senior/multi-generational center at Sylmar Recreation Park.
El Dorado and Bromwich Sidewalk Improvements
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$550,000
Installation of new sidewalk improvements, including ADA compliant access ramps, curb, gutter, and driveway improvements, will provide for safety from motor vehicle traffic, and create a more walkable community. This community plan area has approximately 33,000 residents with an estimated 13% of the population using either public transit or non-vehicular modes of transportation.
Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$2,100,000
This study further defines the existing authorized “Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration Study.” The LA River Ecosystem Restoration will build upon the existing study and incorporate input from the City of Los Angeles’ Master Plan for the LA River to improve the LA River’s flood control ability and include vegetation and recreation opportunities for the City of Los Angeles and the communities that abut the River.
Los Angeles River Demonstration Projects
City of Los Angeles
200 N. Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
$5,000,000
Demonstration project funding would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to maximize benefits and minimize the costs of the Los Angeles River Revitalization study implementation by allowing the Corps to evaluate new high-tech materials as alternatives to concrete, test effectiveness of wetlands for runoff management and water quality improvements, and assess methods to sustain different vegetation types. This will improve the LA River waterway while minimizing the negative environmental impacts of necessary construction and infrastructure improvements.
Sun Valley Watershed Feasibility Study
Los Angeles County Flood Control District
900 South Fremont Ave.
Alhambra, CA 91803
$600,000
The Sun Valley Watershed is a 2,800-acre (4.4-square-mile) urban watershed tributary
to the Los Angeles River. The underserved, urban Sun Valley community suffers a lack of recreational opportunities, aesthetics, and wildlife habitat. The community has also experienced severe, chronic flooding for over 40 years. The funds requested would be used by the Corps of Engineers for the feasibility phase, which will continue the investigation of environmental restoration, water quality improvement, flood mitigation, and other related issues within the Sun Valley Watershed.
Tujunga Wash Restoration Project, Phase II
Los Angeles County Flood Control District
900 South Fremont Ave.
Alhambra, CA 91803
$2,850,000
The project will create a naturalized, meandering streamcourse along the west bank of the channel and plant trees, shrubs, and perennials within and alongside the streamcourse and the east bank of the channel. Passive recreational pathways will complement the project. Together over 10,000 feet of riparian habitat would be created in a highly urbanized setting, providing increased groundwater replenishment, improved water quality and aesthetics, and enhanced habitat value in an area greatly in need of it.
Water Conservation and Supply Feasibility Study (Hansen Dam)
Los Angeles County Flood Control District
900 South Fremont Ave.
Alhambra, CA 91803
$200,000
This project will reduce the region's reliance on imported water by increasing local supply, improving water supply reliability for the region as a whole. Current water supply needs for the County of Los Angeles are met through local water supply and imported water. Approximately one third of this need is met through local supply and reclaimed water with the remaining two thirds from imported supplies from several western states, making this project nationally significant. Funds will allow the Army Corps of Engineers to complete required environmental documents and update a study performed in 2000, which are required to move forward with the project.
Operating Room of the Future
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
8700 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
$2,900,000
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will demonstrate the improvements made in combat surgery though the use of flexible, interoperable, mobile, and inefficient operating room procedures and equipment. The Operating Room of the Future will provide a model that will help to address key elements needed to produce safe and efficient types of procedures and in combat conditions.
Labor and Delivery Unit Expansion
Valley Presbyterian Hospital
15107 Vanowen St.
Van Nuys, CA 91405
$500,000
In recent years, a Labor and Delivery Unit that was built to comfortably accommodate 250 births per month has been overwhelmed with an average of 450-500 births per month. Not only is the facility inadequate to meet the needs of the growing SFV population, its equipment is sorely out of date. Funds will enable VPH to modernize and expand the Labor and Delivery Unit and update/augment a range of critically needed medical equipment to serve the residents of the SFV.
Breast Cancer Medical Information Network Decision Support (MINDS)
TechFinity, Inc.
15303 Ventura Blvd., #900
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
$1,000,000
Unfortunately there is no robust methodology for integrating mammography, ultrasound, MRI, proteomics, genomics, and environmental/lifestyle factors into a system aimed at risk assessment and early detection of breast cancer. The Medical Information Network Decision Support (MINDS) System proposes to fuse data from multiple data sources and across time, to create a system that harnesses all relevant medical information to provide a cumulative assessment or prediction that is better than that provided by any single, independent source or test.
This will allow doctors to better manage resources while minimizing risks to the patient's health and quality of life.
Low-income Services Expansion
MEND Meet Each Need with Dignity
10641 N. San Fernando Rd
Pacoima, CA 91331
$136,626
Funds will be used to purchase equipment to expand services to low-income individuals. In the past 12 months, the number of MEND’s applicants receiving emergency food has gone up by 52% -- 60% of whom have not previously used MEND’s services.
Health and Education Resources for Latino Children with Cancer and their Families
Padres contra el Cáncer
3479 Cahuenga Blvd. West
Los Angeles, CA 90068
$516,264
A 2006 University of California study found that Latino children have higher rates of leukemia and certain other childhood cancers than non-Hispanic whites and that Latinos with cancer are more likely to be diagnosed in an advanced stage compared with non-Hispanic whites. The study concluded that the findings point to an urgent need for education in the Latino community about ways to reduce cancer risk and keep rates low in this population. Padres addresses this need by offering culturally-relevant, family-centered and community-based programs, activities and services to Latino children with cancer and their families. Funding will enable Padres to address critical program staffing needs and develop educational resources for all constituencies (patients; siblings; family; medical institutions; and healthcare professionals) to continue to expand their service population.
Strengthening Family and Mental Health Services for Underserved Youth in Los Angeles County
Phoenix Academy
11652 Eldridge Ave.
Lake View Terrace, CA 91342
$750,000
The Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles is the only facility providing long-term residential substance abuse rehabilitative treatment for adolescents in the county. It provides vital residential and outpatient services to youth and families struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Phoenix Academy’s clients are underserved and impoverished youth affected by drug addiction and mental health problems. This funding will enable the Phoenix Academy to: extend outpatient and outreach services; offer assistance to youngsters and their families more efficiently; provide a range of culturally sensitive, graduated interventions including outpatient and residential programs; and ensure the availability of appropriate post-treatment alternatives, such as aftercare, alumni groups and transitional housing.
The Prevention, Resource, Information and Drug Education Project
Chabad of Encino
4915 Hayvenhurst Ave.
Encino, CA 91436
$300,000
Chabad of Encino serves at-risk youth with drug and alcohol prevention and crisis intervention services through its nonsectarian, educational and social services programs. Chabad is seeking funding to expand its drug prevention program to reach at-risk youth in the district through expanded trained counselors and volunteers, an interactive drug prevention web-site and through a drug prevention and treatment camp. The project will serve a total of 123,000 at-risk youth in CA-28 annually. The project will be carried out at schools and community centers throughout the district. Partners in support of this project include: local elected officials, school districts and boards, PTA organizations, schools with substantial at-risk student populations, and area drug rehabilitation organizations.
Chicas in Control and Succeeding
San Fernando Valley Partnership, Inc.
1131 Celis St.
San Fernando, CA 91340
$493,614
Through a previously federally-funded program, the Partnership found that 60% of eighth graders in the target area in the Northeast San Fernando Valley are already using alcohol and exhibiting delinquent behavior. The CHICAS (Chicas in Control and Succeeding) project is aimed at increasing awareness and developing prevention strategies for females, ages 12 to 17, with high incidences of underage drinking and delinquent behavior.
Pacoima Entrepreneurship and Training Center
Valley Economic Development Center, Inc.
5121 Van Nuys Blvd., 3rd Floor
Van Nuys, CA 91403
$350,000
The Pacoima Entrepreneurship and Training Center operated by the Valley Economic Development Center will provide residents of the Northeast San Fernando Valley with job training and will also house a business incubator for emerging and existing businesses. Funding will be used for facility construction.
Valley College Sustainability Institute
Los Angeles Community College District
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen ,CA 91401
$500,000
Valley College’s new Sustainability Institute will train students for jobs in new green technologies and foster collaboration between businesses, industry, and academia in implementing “green” practices and technologies. The Institute will be on the Valley campus in CA-28 and bring businesses and students to the campus from across Los Angeles.
Zuma and Trancas Canyons, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, CA
National Park Service
1849 C St. NW
Washington, DC 20240
$6,000,000
The funds will go toward the acquisition of critical inholdings to preserve the Zuma and Trancas Canyon watersheds in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area near Los Angeles. Parcel owners have expressed a willingness to sell the land, which may otherwise be developed. According to a National Parks Conservation Association "State of the Parks" report, on average 1,300 acres of private land within the park are developed each year. These areas used to be home to the Chumash Indians, and many artifacts from them still exist. The properties have high values for conservation, historical preservation, and recreational opportunities.
Malibu Creek Watershed, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, CA
National Park Service
1849 C St. NW
Washington, DC 20240
$4,000,000
The funds will go towards the acquisition of critical inholdings to preserve the Malibu Creek watershed in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area near Los Angeles. The property is surrounded on all four sides by state and national parkland in the heart of the Malibu Creek watershed. The property owner has expressed a willingness to sell the land, which will otherwise be developed. Acquisition of this pristine property is critical to preserving high-quality habitat for area wildlife and for providing recreation trails between the San Fernando and Conejo Valleys and the Malibu Coastline.
Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Monterey Institute for International Affairs
460 Pierce St.
Monterey, CA 93940
$2,000,000
The Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute for International Affairs provides substantive and technical training to individuals to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. A substantial percentage of its graduates serve in the U.S. intelligence community and in other official capacities.
Seeds of Peace International Camp and Regional Programming in the Middle East and South Asia
Seeds of Peace
70 Lexington Ave., Suite 401
New York, NY 10017
(no dollar amount request)
Every summer for the past sixteen years, Seeds of Peace, headquartered in New York City, has brought American, Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, and, more recently, Indian, Pakistani, and Afghan teenagers together to its International Camp in Maine with the goal of dispelling fear, hatred, and misunderstanding, and to foster a new generation of leadership.
Coalition Against Hate: Reforming Rule of Law by Combating Hate Crimes and Discrimination in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
UCSJ: Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union
P.O. Box 11676
Washington, D.C., DC 20008
(no dollar amount request)
The project targets the key bellwethers of corrupt and dysfunctional justice systems, i.e., uncontrolled anti-Semitic/xenophobic hate crimes and widespread discrimination against ethnic/religious minorities. Principal "at risk" groups include migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus, black African students, Armenians, Muslims, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians and Jews.
Middle East Regional Security Issues Program
University of California, San Diego, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
9500 Gilman Dr.
La Jolla, CA 92093
$5,000,000
The Middle East Regional Security Issues Program provides a unique forum for U.S. military officials to interact with counterparts from Israel and Arab countries in a confidential setting to discuss critical issues in the region that have a direct bearing on U.S. national security.
U.S.-Middle East Breast Cancer Awareness and Research
American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem
59 W. 45th St.
New York, NY 10036
(no dollar amount request)
This project promotes peace through medicine. Breast cancer research focused on Arab women and carried out by Israeli, American and Palestinian doctors is a powerful message to the Middle East that there are tangible benefits from mutual cooperation.
Raphael Lemkin Center for Genocide Prevention training program
Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation
870 Fifth Ave., #9H
New York, NY 10065
(no dollar amount request)
The Raphael Lemkin Center for Genocide Prevention trains mid-level government officials in the latest genocide and violent conflict prevention and intervention strategies. The trainees are policy makers employed for at least five years, who are nominated by their governments for their leadership potential.
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