What's at stake?
Millions of dollars are on the line as local officials weigh lobbying efforts for the coming year.
Above an abandoned casino in downtown Fresno, local officials will vote Thursday on the official federal lobbying project list of Fresno County’s leading transportation agency.
If approved, lobbyists will be going to Washington, D.C. this March to advocate for Freeway 99 interchanges near industrial development, road expansions near Millerton Lake, and a stopgap spending measure for California’s high speed rail project, among others.
Most of the projects are oriented around urban development in the greater Fresno-Clovis area. The mostly rural Council of Governments (COG) board, composed of the county’s 15 mayors and Supervisor Sal Quintero representing the county, will vote to approve these as the county’s regional priorities, as part of their annual ‘One Voice’ lobbying trip, which takes place in March.
The projects, proposed to be included in COG’s One Voice Advocacy trip, include:
- Highway 99 interchange project on Shaw Avenue – $19 million requested.
- South Fresno industrial interchanges on Highway 99 – support RAISE grant request
- Millerton Road widening and safety improvements near Friant – $35 million requested
- Funding to complete Central Valley segment of high-speed rail.
- City of Clovis Kings River Raw Water Pipeline – $140 million
- City of Parlier Rails to Trails – $5 million requested.
- A new pedestrian bridge over Freeway 168, along the Enterprise Canal Trail – $45 million requested.
- A new runway ($75 million) and traffic control tower ($10 million requested) for Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
- A new Central Valley Transportation Training facility for future transportation workers
- Opposing Congressional spending bills that cut transportation infrastructure spending
The project list could be what U.S. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, along with the incoming representative to replace former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, as well as Senators Padilla and Butler look to direct the billions of dollars of federal infrastructure funding to the Central Valley in the coming year. Clovis mayor Lynne Ashbeck, Jeff Roberts of the Assemi Group, and Parlier mayor Alma Beltran will be the lobbyists on the DC trip.
Past projects on the ‘One Voice’ lobbying list that have received significant federal funds have included the Veterans’ Boulevard project and the conversion of the Fulton Mall to a street.
The Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board meets on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. at 2035 Tulare St., 2nd floor.
