SAN DIEGO — Mayor Todd Gloria led a community celebration Thursday in Oak Park to highlight $68.5 million in state budget funding for critically important projects in the City of San Diego – part of $485 million for projects regionwide.
Mayor Gloria was joined by members of San Diego’s state legislative delegation and of the City Council, as well as representatives from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
"Led by Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, San Diego’s legislative delegation in the state Capitol is advancing opportunity for our communities through the state budget,” said Mayor Gloria. “Just as they did last year, the members of the Senate and the Assembly that we have sent to Sacramento did an incredible job in 2022 of bringing state tax dollars home to San Diego for dozens of projects that will greatly improve our quality of life."
The biggest single allocation of funding to the City is $20 million for construction of a new Oak Park Library, a project championed by Atkins along with Assemblymember Weber and other members of the delegation. Of the total funding for the City of San Diego, $29.25 million will fund park and recreation projects, $27.9 million will fund library projects, $7.3 million will fund cultural projects and $4.05 million will fund projects that promote green jobs and enhance public safety.
"Thanks to the state’s fiscal health and responsible budgeting by the Legislature and the Governor, the 2022-23 state budget makes historic investments for projects and programs in the San Diego region, including many specifically for the City of San Diego," Senate President pro Tem Atkins said.
The specific projects to be funded include:
- Oak Park Library design and construction – $20 million
- Ward Canyon Park expansion, Normal Heights – $8 million
- Carmel Knolls Park comfort station, Carmel Mission Park comfort station, Sage Canyon Park concession building plus field renovation, Rancho Bernardo Community Park renovations, Black Mountain Mine Open Space environmental study, Canyonside Community Park Tennis Center expansion, and Peñasquitos Creek Neighborhood Park comfort station – $7 million
- Villa Montezuma museum restoration, Sherman Heights – $5 million
- Ocean Beach Library expansion – $4.5 million
- Clay Park Improvements, Rolando Village – $4 million
- San Diego Urban Sustainability Coalition, construction of a light office complex in Valencia Park – $3.3 million
- Olive Grove Community Park upgrades, Clairemont Mesa – $3 million
- South Clairemont Community Park recreation center upgrades – $2 million
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Swimming Pool upgrade, Encanto – $2 million
- Camino de la Costa Viewpoint coastal-access projects, La Jolla – $2 million
- University City Library expansion – $1.9 million
- New San Carlos Library, Phase 1 – $1.5 million
- San Diego Natural History Museum improvements, Balboa Park – $1.3 million
- Marston House restoration and repair – $1 million
- San Diego Family Justice Center – Your Safe Place, additional legal and community services for victims of domestic abuse, family violence and sex trafficking – $750,000
- Mountain View Park Sports Court improvements – $600,000
- Mountain View Sports Court tennis courts renovation at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Encanto – $500,000
- Serra Mesa trail improvements – $150,000
The funded projects span all nine City Council districts. The single largest project to receive funding in the San Diego County region is improvements to the LOSSAN rail corridor, for which $300 million has been allocated. Another 185.5 million will go to dozens of projects across the region.