Eshoo secures millions as she departs
Rep. Anna Eshoo's time representing communities in Santa Cruz County may soon be coming to an end, but the longtime public servant is determined to go out on a high note.
Eshoo's near 30-year career of representing the 18th District which includes areas in Scotts Valley, San Lorenzo Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains, will come to an end in January when the state's newly drawn district lines go into effect. But before transitioning northward to the 16th District, Eshoo announced she had secured a series of funding wins for the county equating to millions in federal dollars.
Transportation and sanitation sectors are poised to see the greatest impact from the much anticipated investment.
According to Eshoo's office, $30 million will be provided to the Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal corridor through the Department of Transportation's Mega Grant Program. The funds were originally made available through passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law late last year.
The grant will target projects along Highway 1 and the coastal rail trail including a bus-onshoulder facility from Freedom Boulevard to State Park Drive, four Highway 1 pedestrian and bicycle over crossings and four new zero emission buses for countywide use.
“In what are the last days of having the honor of representing parts of Santa Cruz County, I am thrilled to announce that funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going straight to Santa Cruz to improve roads and infrastructure,” Eshoo said in a statement. “This funding will be used to make public transit more efficient for riders, promote active transportation connectivity on the new Santa Cruz County Coastal Rail Trail, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” But she wasn't finished there. Regions in the Santa Cruz Mountains are slated to receive $2.75 million in federal grants after recent passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
“I'm proud to have secured funding for 15 public projects
to improve the lives of our community members. The projects will provide more affordable housing, fix roads, build Caltrain crossings, and improve our schools,” Eshoo said in the statement.
The majority of the Santa Cruz funding will go to design, planning, permitting and site acquisition for a new wastewater system in Boulder Creek. County officials told the Sentinel that the $2 million secured for the project will help expand the Boulder Creek Sanitation District so that more residents will benefit from a county-operated sewage system as opposed to a individualized septic system that must be maintained by the property owner. The move is expected to improve water quality in the San Lorenzo Valley and assist survivors of the CZU fire.
Lastly, $750,000 will be dedicated to replacing an old and failing play structure at Skypark in Scotts Valley. Planners are looking to remake the recreation site to better serve children of differing abilities.
The list of projects are the final touches in a long and enduring legacy of accomplishments for Eshoo in the county. Moving forward, the veteran congresswoman's new district will be centered around more northern areas such as Campbell and Palo Alto.
The Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors honored Eshoo in October for her years of service to the community. It was an emotional goodbye for all in attendance including Eshoo who said her soon-to-be former constituents “will always be in the center of my heart.”