Focus on Results
Since taking office in December 2022, our city has seen several positive changes. We applied for and were awarded over $14,000,000 in grants to combat the homeless crisis for housing projects and closed all of the unsupervised encampments in the city limits. We addressed decades of neglected infrastructure needs such as much needed improvements to our waste water treatment plant, resurfaced and repaired a record number of damaged roads, upgraded many of our parks and added staff and resources to our animal shelter. We also addressed traffic issues by synchronizing the lights on Pacheco Blvd, to increase the flow of traffic. We did all of this and so much more in just a nineteen month span. There is more work to do and with another two years, and the momentum and partnerships we've built, we can accomplish so much more, to better our community.
During my short time in office I have been fortunate to be elected or appointed to other community leadership roles. Such as serving on the Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE) board of directors and finance subcommittee as well as serving as both Vice Chair last year and currently the Chairman of the Merced County Association of Governments. Working with and collaborating with other elected officials and community leaders has been a key to our success.
I have been fortunate to travel to Washington DC twice to advocate for our great city and The County of Merced. I have attended numerous meetings and built ongoing relationships with Federal agencies to bring more resources back to our community.
Building relationships at the Federal level, include working alongside our congressman on regional water projects, resources for veterans and the fight against human and drug trafficking through our city.
During the last eighteen months The City of Los Banos has been awarded more $13,000,000 in total State funds for community improvement projects. These funds include encampment relief funds, grants for our animal shelter and $1,000,000 from State Assembly Woman, Esmeralda Soria for a community park project.
In the past year we have trimmed more trees than ever before. Trimming back overgrown trees helps save money, mitigates potential damage to property and reduces the need for additional resources during an emergency.
Streets like Badger Flat, G Street, San Luis and Birch Ave were severely neglected and required re-engineering along with compacting and repaving to make them brand new again in the past year and a half.
From January 2023 to now our Public Works Department and other partners have repaired more city streets than during any other similar time frame. Another record number of streets are budgeted and scheduled for repair, this fiscal year.
In the past two years we used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funds to paint and upgrade city buildings such as city hall, The Miller and Lux building and Fire Station 1.
In the last year we added dozens of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) required sidewalk upgrades throughout the city.