20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.comcom Transportation Even for road and bridge projects completed by the local agencies (like the County of Monterey) or the state (Caltrans), there is often federal funding contributed. Some examples of U.S. Department of Transportation funds outlaid last year for local projects include $35.3 million for Highway 101 improvements in Prunedale, including pavement, drainage system improvements, guardrails and overcrossings; $23.3 million for Highway 101 ramp improvements and repaving in Salinas; $19.7 million for guardrail updates on Highway 1 from Carmel to Big Sur; and $10.3 million toward a Transportation Agency for Monterey County project to construct a new interchange on Highway 156 at Castroville Boulevard. “Funding for transportation projects in Monterey County are a mixture of local, state and federal funds,” says Theresa Wright, a TAMC spokesperson. “Federal funding is critical for implementing major regional infrastructure projects. Without federal funding it will likely take longer to get projects fully funded and construction started. “We are not optimistic that once the projects are eligible that federal funding will be available or that there would be federal employees in place to process and implement the application process.” Monterey Regional Airport The Monterey Regional Airport, like all commercial airports in the U.S., doesn’t receive any federal funding on an annual basis for operations—airport operations are supposed to pay for themselves. But it can get funding through grants from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for developing projects at the airport. To that end, the 2024 fiscal year was a boon for MRY, with $37 million awarded toward the airport’s terminal relocation project (see story, p. 6). In the 2025 fiscal year, MRY is eyeing more federal funding for the terminal relocation—the airport is expecting $14.2 million in grant funding from the Biden administration’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and possibly more AIP grant funding in the range of $20 million. Housing In 2024 the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey received $56.7 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a variety of housing vouchers distributed by HACM to qualified renters. While funding for vouchers was not jeopardized in the continuing resolution passed on March 14 by Congress to avoid a government shutdown through September, the National Low Income Housing Coalition argues HUD funding in the bill was insufficient to meet program expenses. In addition, Elon Musk and DOGE have proposed at least 50-percent layoffs of HUD staff. This is a major concern, says Geoffrey Morgan, president and CEO of local nonprofit developer CHISPA, because it could lead to delays. He also says there is uncertainty about future funding for programs, such as HUD’s Home Investment Partnerships Program, a grant program that municipalities use in partnership with developers like CHISPA to build affordable housing. “It’s still a little early to tell,” he says. Morgan adds there’s been an attempt by the Trump administration to “claw back” committed funding that has not yet been spent. Small Businesses The federal government doesn’t just provide grants to nonprofits or award contracts to bidders, it is also a significant lender to for-profit entities looking to start a new business or upgrade their properties. The Small Business Administration administers the loans to businesses— about $164.5 million was lent among 3,280 businesses in California’s 19th Congressional District from 2021-2024 (total numbers for Monterey County were not readily available; part of the county is in District 18). In 2024, Pascal Investments LLC secured a $5 million loan to purchase the former Furniture Expo building on South Main Street in Salinas, which is now being renovated into a Planet Fitness. The loan was the largest received from the SBA among Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara counties for the last quarter of 2024, according to an analysis by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Other loans in 2024 include $60,000 to De Tierra Vineyards, which operates a tasting room in Carmel, and $127,300 to Terra Superfoods in downtown Monterey. The Monterey County Workforce Development Board, meanwhile, offers DOD RETIREMENT $46,000,000 VA BENEFITS $282,314,000 CALFRESH $132,097,007 SOCIAL SECURITY $1,390,000,000 MEDI-CAL $2,090,000,000 MEDICARE $754,109,863 DIRECT BENEFITS PAID IN MONTEREY COUNTY (2024) This chart shows some (but not all) direct federal benefits paid out last year.
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