President Obama has rightly called for spending on earmarks to be sharply curtailed, and I intend to do my part. It is important to me that constituents and the general public understand and have access to information about the appropriations process and the role Members of Congress play in that process. While I will pursue funding for a limited number of projects again this year, I have used the same transparent and sharply circumscribed process as last year:
For further information, please contact my Washington, DC office at (202) 225-8220.
My requests for FY10 are as follows (organized by Appropriations Subcommittee and in alphabetical order):
Harbor College
1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington, CA 90744
This funding will help Harbor College expand educational outreach efforts of the Star Search program and update original equipment in the Astronomy center, which is over 30 years old. This one-time funding request is vital to continuing an important program that is essential to motivating local youth, specifically minorities, to consider science and math as an exciting and rewarding academic choice.
$240,000
Phoenix House
11652 Eldridge Ave., Lake View Terrace, CA 91342
This funding will help the Phoenix Academy of Los Angeles: expand its residential substance abuse treatment for adolescents; enrich the scope of family services to engage parents and guardians in the recovery process of troubled youth; strengthen mental health services; and enhance long-term recovery by providing outpatient treatment services and referrals to other providers in the community.
$500,000
Redondo Beach Emergency Operations Center
City of Redondo Beach, 415 Diamond Street, Redondo, CA 90277
This funding will help relocate the City’s Emergency Operation Center from the seismically unsound basement of the Police Department to the second floor of the Main Library building. The Library building was selected because of its construction and ability to weather earthquakes and other natural disasters.
These funds will help to: install an alternative power supply for the building; perform basic room preparation including computer cabling, television network systems, storage cabinetry, area signs and designated personnel seating; and install redundant 911 communications and emergency dispatch equipment.
$500,000
Advanced Tactics, Inc.
P.O. Box 2393, El Segundo, CA 90245
This funding will help the development of a joint unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that can perform casualty evacuation, special operations, and search and rescue. Such a UAV/UGV would substantially enhance the ability of Army medical personnel to remove quickly and safely wounded soldiers from the battlefield, particularly from areas which current ground vehicles and helicopters have difficulty reaching. The contractor – Advanced Tactics, Inc., a small El Segundo, CA aerospace startup – has been working with the Army to design and build a prototype. The requested funding would help continue that work.
$1.5 million
Aura Systems, Inc.
2330 Utah Ave., El Segundo, CA 90245
This funding will help to develop and demonstrate a 30 kW “VIPER” mobile power generator and related power control unit capable of producing AC or DC power for military vehicles. With the rapidly increasing use of electronics in military operations, the power demands put on military vehicles have increased exponentially. Currently, many vehicles must use a bulky “genset” – a large generator that stands outside a vehicle and must be transported separately, significantly impairing a vehicle’s mobility and putting military personnel at risk.
The VIPER generator will use the technologies already developed by the intended recipient – Aura Systems, an El Segundo, CA company with approximately 50 employees – which has already produced an 8 kW version that is in use in hundreds of vehicles deployed in Iraq. The 30kW version, like the 8kW VIPER, is much smaller than existing gensets, and would be designed to fit within the transmission bell housing of the vehicle. Finally, this technology has enormous implications for the civilian sector. It could help large vehicles substantially improve their fuel efficiency, thereby reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
$1.5 million
Honeywell International
2525 W. 190th St., Torrance, CA 90504
This funding will help the intended recipient – Honeywell International, in Torrance, CA – develop a small, lightweight millimeter wave (MMW) radar to detect wires and other obstacles that disrupt flight patterns or cause the collision of military helicopters and similar aircraft. During peacetime mission training, wire strikes (becoming ensnared in electrical and utility lines, etc.) are the number one threat to military helicopters. During wartime, wires, towers, poles, and other hazards are the number two threat to low flying military helicopters, exceeded only by small arms and air defense systems threats. The MMW will help avoid pilots identify and avoid these obstacles.
$2 million
Moog, Inc.
20263 S. Western Ave., Torrance, Ca 90501
This funding will help Moog, Inc. – in its Torrance, CA office – develop an advanced actuation system, which is a quiet, compact electro-mechanical device for all-electric ships and submarines. These actuators will provide the Navy with a performance improvement and lifecycle cost advantage compared to today’s hydraulic rotary actuator. These systems will also automate many systems and help submarines and surface ships operate much more quietly, keeping sailors out of harm’s way.
$1.5 million
NextGen Aeronautics
2780 Skypark Drive, Suite 400, Torrance, CA 90505
This funding will help NextGen Aeronautics – a Torrance, CA company with approximately 50 employees – develop a revolutionary, small UAV with structurally integrated low-frequency antennas. The project pursues a novel concept – a UAV designed from the ground-up to provide the monitoring capabilities of larger UAVs in a much smaller (approximately 200 lbs) form. Such a UAV would be much easier to transport, could be launched and recovered from very short and rough runways, could stay in the air for four to six hours, and could be easily integrated into existing infrastructure such as ground system controls, fuel supplies, and military communications systems.
$2 million
Physical Optics, Inc.
2600 Gramercy Place, Torrance, CA 90501
This funding will help the Navy integrate the Universal Avionics Recorder (UAR) into its T-45 aircraft. The UAR – produced by Physical Optics, Inc. of Torrance, CA – combines five avionics recorders into a single wireless UAR, including digital video, audio, and sensor data recorders. The UAR will be capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground data links between up to 20 aircraft and ground stations, giving flight controllers and others the ability to monitor this data while the plane is still in the air. The UAR could eventually be included in a wide range of military and civilian aircraft, substantially improving the ability of military and civilian authorities to identify problems before they threaten the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.
$1 million
Sierra Monolithics, Inc.
103 W. Torrance Blvd., Redondo, CA 90277
This funding will help Sierra Monolithics, Inc. – a Redondo Beach, CA technology firm – develop a phased array radar (PAR) that uses an electronically scanned antenna and modern signal processing to provide a dramatic improvement in performance over conventional radar, including the ability to detect and track multiple targets with greatly improved speed and anti-jam capability. The contractor has used its expertise in wireless communications to design a PAR that not only makes technological advances, but could compete economically with the current national network of weather and aircraft surveillance radars. A successfully deployed PAR could eventually support significant improvements in severe weather detection and precipitation estimation, and will enhance the nation’s homeland security and aircraft surveillance capabilities.
$1.5 million
University of Southern California, Institute for Creative Technology
13274 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
This funding will help the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technology (ICT) further develop a virtual reality Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) exposure therapy. ICT is an award-winning research center in Marina del Rey, CA that advances state-of-the-art technology in virtual reality, artificial intelligence and immersive training environments.
ICT’s BRAVEMIND (Battlefield Research Accelerating Virtual Environments for Military Individual Neuro Disorders) research program immerses participants (mostly PTSD sufferers) in a virtual reality simulation of a combat situation to use exposure therapy as a means of lessening the disorder’s impacts. A prototype system has already been deployed to over 30 Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, VA, and University clinics for large-scale randomized clinical trials. ICT is also working with the Defense Department to use these virtual reality tools to train clinical personnel in treating the brave men and women who have experienced significant trauma in the service of our country.
$1 million
University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering, Information Sciences Institute
4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 1001, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
This funding will help the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute – located in Marina del Rey, CA – operate its Academic Outreach Program, in which USC graduate students work with the National Reconnaissance Office, the Air Force, and other government agencies to help develop methods for the serial manufacturing of microsatellites. These microsatellites can be manufactured and launched much more quickly and inexpensively than conventional satellites, giving the government the capability of quickly responding to emerging threats. The program also helps recruit, train, and clear the next generation of space professionals – helping to arrest a long-term “brain drain” of talent from the industry.
$2 million
California Coastal Sediment Master Plan
Los Angeles County Department of Beach and Harbors, 13837 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
This funding would help continue the Army Corps of Engineers’ California Coastal Sediment Master Plan (CCSMP), which will survey the entire California Coastline and develop regional approaches to managing resources and strategies to replenish the coastline with sediment.
$900,000
Coast of California Storm and Tidal Wave Study for Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, 13837 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
This funding would help continue the Army Corps of Engineers’ Coast of California Storm and Tidal Wave Study (CCSTWS), which, once completed, will provide a long-term management plan for California’s beaches. The study will also aid in the development of regional sediment management plans.
$363,000
Harbor/South Bay Water Recycling Project
West Basin Municipal Water District, 17140 South Avalon Blvd., Suite 210, Carson, CA 90746
This funding will help continue a project to develop up to 48,000 acre-feet of recycled water for the LA area annually, helping reduce water imports and effluent discharge in Santa Monica Bay.
$2 million
Los Angeles River Demonstration Projects
City of Los Angeles, 200 North Spring St., Third Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012
This funding would allow the Army Corps 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.
$2 million (this is a delegation request)
Los Angeles River Revitalization Study
City of Los Angeles, 200 North Spring St., Third Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012
This funding will help the Army Corps of Engineers continue a study that investigates a major restoration of the 32-mile Los Angeles River watercourse to restore the natural river ecosystem. Recommendations will repair and enhance the entire region's natural environment.
$2 million (this is a delegation request)
Lower Ballona Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study
Santa Monica Restoration Commission, 320 West 4th St., Los Angeles, CA 90013
This funding will continue an Army Corps of Engineers study that examines the feasibility of partially naturalizing the Ballona Creek flood control channel and improving hydraulic connectivity between the flood control channel and Ballona Wetlands complex.
This timely project reflects the interests and concerns of many citizen stakeholders in the Santa Monica Bay, who seek a connected and restored greenway from the center of Los Angeles to the sea. This project is also of critical importance to the region, as it balances flood management, habitat, water quality, and recreational needs. The project will complement and expand wetland restoration work being conducted by the State of California by returning ecosystem value to a highly degraded urban stream, wetland, and estuary complex.
$900,000
Marina del Rey Entrance Channel Maintenance Dredging
Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, 13837 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA 90292
The funding will help continue a maintenance dredging project that will remove unsuitable sediment from the Marina del Rey north and south entrances and adjacent main channel areas, resolving critical navigation and blockage impacts.
$2 million
Street Lighting Energy Efficiency Retrofit Project
City of Los Angeles, 200 North Spring St., Third Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012
This funding will help the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting replace 2,000 existing streetlight fixtures in the 36th Congressional District with Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures. The LED fixtures will consume a minimum of 40% less energy than the existing fixtures. This conversion will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 600 tons per year.
$1 million
San Pedro Bay Port Technologies Development Center
390 W. 7th St., San Pedro, CA 90731
This funding will help establish the Port Technologies Development Center, a public benefit, non-profit business incubator founded by the San Pedro and Wilmington Chambers of Commerce in cooperation with the Port and City of Los Angeles. The Center’s Business Plan has been specifically tailored to fit the unique challenges facing the maritime industry. The Center is intended to produce deliverable products for both local and worldwide markets, and create hundreds of new “green collar” jobs for local communities in what is projected to become a multi-billion dollar business cluster. The Chambers estimate that the Center will create 20 construction and 10 professional jobs in 2009, and substantially more high-wage job through the Center’s long-term operations.
$500,000
Chabad of South Bay
24412 Narbonne, Lomita, CA 90717
This funding will help the Chabad of South Bay – a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational and social services organization that operates numerous non-sectarian social services programs for approximately 100,000 individuals in the 36th District – renovate an existing commercial-grade kitchen in Lomita, CA into a one-stop food and social service referral center. The Center will have the capability to serve 60,000 individuals annually, and will aid youth and families in crisis to obtain necessary health and life skills in order to find, keep, or improve their employment and productivity.
$600,000
Port of Los Angeles High School
250 W. 5th St., San Pedro, CA 90731
This funding will help the Port of Los Angeles High School (POLAHS) develop a college preparatory curriculum in International Business and Maritime Studies to prepare the future Port of Los Angeles workforce. POLAHS seeks to create a successful workforce through a comprehensive program that promotes student achievement. This program includes a unique curriculum designed to meet high school education requirements, focus on goods movement and other port-related issues, and encourage continuation to college and workforce training programs.
$375,000
YWCA of the Harbor Area and South Bay
437 W. 9th St., San Pedro, CA 90731
This funding will help the YWCA of the Harbor Area and South Bay expand its subsidized and free all-day pre-school and pre-kindergarten classes for low income families in and around the San Pedro area.
In summer 2008, the YWCA completed a successful child care expansion of its program from just pre-school and pre-kindergarten classes to include infants and toddlers. The center achieved full capacity in approximately 4 months (it was projected to do so in 12 months). The requested funding would allow the YWCA to expand preschool and pre-kindergarten classes, and invest in specialized training for teachers.
$300,000
Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
One Civic Plaza, Suite 350, Carson CA 90745
This funding will help the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority replace the seismically deficient Commodore Heim Bridge over Cerritos Channel and add a four lane elevated roadway to by-pass intersections and railroad crossings.
This bridge replacement is part of the 2.2 mile long SR-47 Expressway project that will enhance the efficient and secure movement of international trade at the nation’s largest port complex, as well as reduce congestion, and improve air quality and public safety. The project will provide an alternate route that will by-pass three traffic signalized intersections and five at-grade rail crossings. When completed, the SR-47 Expressway will be an attractive alternative to the I-710 and I-110 Freeways, and adjoining Terminal Island bridges for truck access to local warehouse districts and rail loading facilities, thus reducing congestion and improving traffic flows on the freeways.
$2 million
Municipal Transit Operators Coalition
3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503
This funding will help the Municipal Transit Operators Coalition – a coalition of transit providers serving southern California – replace its aging diesel fleet with clean fuel buses. These clean fuel buses will help reduce emissions and provide alternative modes of public transportation.
$2 million
South Bay Regional Intermodal Transit Centers
City of Redondo Beach, 415 Diamond St., Redondo, CA 90277
City of Torrance, 3031 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA 90503
This funding will advance the South Bay Intermodal Transit Centers Project, which addresses regional transportation needs through the completion of the Transit Center in Redondo Beach and completion of pre-planning and design work for the Transit Center in Torrance. The cities of Torrance and Redondo Beach worked closely together in developing this project, and it could prove to be a model of regional planning for transportation projects. The jointly planned transportation centers will significantly improve the efficiency and scope of public transportation in the South Bay.
$1.5 million
Washington, DC
2400 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225 8220
Fax: (202) 226 7290
El Segundo
2321 E. Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 3270
El Segundo, CA 90245
Phone: (310) 643 3636
Fax: (310) 643 6445
Wilmington
544 N. Avalon Boulevard, Suite 307
Wilmington, CA 90744
Phone: (310) 549 8282
Fax: (310) 549 8250