Soap Box 5-23-19
Jobs Jobs Jobs
Here is some recent News that is important to our ECA members:
1. County got denied $21 million for FEMA funding to fix roads damaged during the fire fighting and subsequent cleanup. Our Supes are appealing this decision with the help of Congressman Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman. My guess is that we will prevail on at least part of that funding.
2. State Senator Mike McGuire, Congressman Jared Huffman, and State Assemblyman Jim Wood have “teamed up” to get the final $40million funded to do the environmental work on a permanent fix in Del Norte County for the Last Chance Grade repair. Once designed, that will be a big project! link
3. Sonoma County just voted to award $14.7 million to Team Ghilotti and Ghilotti Construction Company for fixing roads in Sonoma County
4. Sonoma County just voted on allocating over $36 million for their Pavement Preservation Program for 2020/2021 construction season to fix over 50 miles of County roads. This makes the County expenditure on road repair in the years 2013-2021 nearly $150 million!! link
5. The County just landed the first $10 million for a Sonoma County Airport expansion with another $10 million “promised”. link
6. SMART is seeking $194 million to get the rail line 5 miles across the Russian River from Windsor to Healdsburg. Another $170 million will complete the rail line the 17 miles to Cloverdale as originally planned. link
I have long been explaining why the ECA is important to our industry as far as establishing relationships with the County Supervisors that have done an outstanding job since 2013 in funding our roads. As several of our local politicians have moved on to Sacramento, those relationships between the ECA and our Supes and the Supes and McGuire/Dodd/Wood have really benefitted our “oxygen supply” of funding for our roads and slide repairs in Sonoma County.
I urge you to keep this successful advocacy going when you receive your Dues invoices in the next week or two and please increase the amount you pay for our asked for Political Action funding. Money is necessary to form these bonds with the Politicians, and we have done a great job in fostering those relationships that have benefitted our firms and our community in the last 6-10 years.
We may not agree with all that our elected representatives are doing, but it is hard to argue with the $131.7 million listed above in items 1-5 for roads and airport work with another possible $364 million to extend SMART all the way to Cloverdale.
Jobs Jobs Jobs folks!
That’s All Folks
John
