By El Latino newsroom
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The Ventura County Air Pollution Control Board approved $2.3 million in emission reduction grants for Ventura County businesses.
This year’s grants will help pay for new, lower-emission agricultural equipment to replace 50 older, higher-pollution diesel engines.
The total investment in 2022 air quality projects, including the cost-share contributed by grant recipients, will be over $4.5 million.
Since 1999, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District has awarded over $54 million to help businesses operating in Ventura County replace older equipment with cleaner, low-emission equipment.
“By providing local farmers, businesses, public agencies and school districts with air quality incentives program funding, we have been able to help replace old equipment with new, lower-emission equipment that helps to improve air quality in Ventura County,” said Ali R. Ghasemi, Interim Air Pollution Control Officer of the VCAPCD.
The VCAPCD has three separate incentive programs through which grants are awarded to the most cost-effective projects.
These grants seek to maximize the reduction of smog-forming and toxic diesel particulate emissions countywide, with a large portion of the grants focusing on reducing pollution in disadvantaged and low-income communities.
The total annual emissions reductions from the grants approved by the Board on April 12, 2022, are 25 tons per year of ozone precursors, 1.7 tons per year of diesel particulate matter, and 272 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
The application cycle for VCAPCD’s combined incentive program grants is now open and applications will be accepted through June 10, 2022.
To be placed on an email list to be notified of incentives program news, when applications become available or when community meetings are being held for the incentives program, email Tyler Harris at [email protected].
SB:LMC PROJECT FINISHED
Couple weeks ago the Lower Mission Creek Flood Control Project (Project) reached another milestone when contractors completed work on two sections.
The reason is because this joint Project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and the City of SB has been under study and development since the 1960s.
According to the City, the project addresses flood control concerns and environmental issues by widening the creek to increase flood flow capacity, reducing flooding and property damage.
The $5.5 million Project located between Chapala and De La Vina Streets at Reaches 2B-2 (under Highway 101) and Reach 3 (between Highway 101 and Gutierrez Street), was funded by the County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.
Granite Construction was the contractor on the Project.
City Principal Engineer, Adam Hendel emphasized the multi-agency effort that went into the Project’s completion and also the patience of City residents.
«The opening of the bypass culvert is a culmination of much effort and engagement within the community.»
The highlight of this Project’s current phase was the construction of a bypass culvert underneath the freeway.
“Because it was not feasible to widen the creek that bends around the train station under the freeway, an additional channel was built to increase flood flow capacity,” the Hendel.
The City also said that from now on, natural water flow will continue through the historic Mission Creek, which serves as a passage for rainbow and steelhead trout, and the bypass channel will only be used when water flow reaches a certain peak volume.
“The overall Project is designed to increase capacity for a twenty-year storm event,” the Hendel said.
Meanwhile, County First District Supervisor Das Williams said along with many residents, he have been excitedly waiting for the Lower Mission Project to near completion, first as a Santa Barbara City Councilmember back in 2008 when the City and Flood Control District received the Coastal Development Permit to start construction on this Project, and now as Supervisor representing most of the area that will benefit from the project.
“This project is vital to the public safety and environmental protection of Santa Barbara. It’s a great achievement every time we finish construction on another reach, and I’m looking forward to championing the completion of future phases,” said Williams.
VACCINES WONT BE MANDATORY IN SCHOOLS
The California Department of Public Health announced on Thursday that the student vaccine mandate (which included a personal belief exemption), will be delayed until at least the 2023-24 school year.
According to the announcement, the earliest California would implement a vaccine requirement after full Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval would be July 1, 2023.
The FDA has yet to approve a vaccine for students ages 12 and up.
The State of California announced last October that full approval by the FDA was a precondition to initiating the rulemaking process to add the COVID-19 vaccine to other vaccinations required for in-person school attendance—such as measles, mumps, and rubella—pursuant to California’s Health and Safety Code.
Earlier in the day on April 14, 2022, it was announced that Senate Bill (SB) 871 (by Senator Pan) will not proceed.
This bill applied specifically to updating the requirement for children to attend public child-care or school by adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of immunizations required for enrollment, potentially prior to full FDA approval.
This measure would have also removed the personal belief exemption for COVID-19 and any future vaccines added to the list by the legislature or CDPH, including removal of the personal belief exemption currently included in the Governor’s October 1 plan.
NEW HOUSING FOR HOMELESS
The City of Goleta announced that the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara will receive almost $19 million to acquire and rehabilitate the 60-unit Super 8 Motel in Old Town Goleta into permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, chronic homelessness and homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness.
The project located at 6021 Hollister Avenue will provide on-site wrap-around supportive services and ample space for indoor and outdoor community services.
John Polanskey, the Director of Housing Development for the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara said he he values values the partnership with the City of Goleta and County of SB.
“Thanks to our joint efforts we can now increase the availability of permanent supportive housing for our most vulnerable residents,” Polanskey said.
The funding, announced on April 13, 2022, by Governor Gavin Newsom, is a part of $70 million in State awards for six new Homekey projects throughout California.
When fully operational, the projects will provide 232 housing units for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness.
City of Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said they are thrilled and grateful to hear the great news.
“This is the culmination of what has been a massive effort on the part of the Housing Authority to secure this much needed State funding with assistance from the County and the City of GoletaThis proposed development will play a big part locally to help address the human and societal problem of people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness,” Said Perotte.
The Super 8 housing development project is proposed to include 59 permanent supportive housing units for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
A unit will house an onsite property manager, plus five existing units will be converted to community space in which a robust offering of services will be provided.
This state funding includes rental subsidy and operating costs. Generous additional funding has been reserved for this development by the County of Santa Barbara and City of Goleta.
Under recent State law (AB 140 and AB 2162), supportive housing projects funded through the Homekey program are automatically deemed consistent and in conformity with local General Plan and zoning requirements and allowed by right as a permitted use.
