The City of Santa Monica will receive $841,000 in federal funding to replace aging dispatcher consoles in its 911 emergency communications center, part of a $13.77 million package of community project grants announced by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Los Angeles County.
The Santa Monica grant, drawn from the Department of Justice's COPS Technology and Equipment account, will fund new equipment at the city's Dispatch and Communications Center at 1685 Main St., where public safety dispatchers work around the clock handling police, fire and EMS calls. The existing consoles have not been upgraded since 2002, and replacement parts have grown increasingly difficult to obtain, according to Lieu's office.
"These upgrades will help ensure staff are able to be responsive to future 9-1-1 calls from the community," Lieu's office said in a project description.
The Santa Monica award is one of 14 community project grants Lieu secured across California's 36th Congressional District, totaling $13,770,432.
"One of the best parts of serving in Congress is bringing home federal funding for essential local projects," Lieu said in a statement. "From improving water quality to delivering cost-effective housing solutions for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, these projects will make our community safer and healthier."
Other recipients across the district include:
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District, which received the largest single award — $2 million — for modernization of Miraleste Intermediate School. The City of Culver City received $1.2 million for a hydrogen bus pilot program.
Rancho Palos Verdes secured two separate grants of $1,145,144 each — one for the Abalone Cove Landslide Stabilization Project and another for the Klondike Canyon Landslide Emergency Mitigation Project — as the coastal city continues to grapple with ongoing land movement affecting homes and infrastructure.
El Segundo received $1,145,144 for a pump station upgrade. Manhattan Beach was awarded $1,040,000 to strengthen cybersecurity protections for critical infrastructure. Beverly Hills received $1,092,000 for a water reliability project.
Two South Bay cities received public safety technology grants: Hermosa Beach was awarded $1,031,000 for a real-time crime center, and Torrance received $1,031,000 for a public safety digital infrastructure expansion.
Homelessness-related projects also drew significant funding. The Los Angeles Housing Department received $850,000 for the Sepulveda Hotel to Homes conversion project, and Redondo Beach received $250,000 for an affordable housing acquisition-to-lease program.
The University of California, Los Angeles received $250,000 for an electric vehicle bus project. Rolling Hills Estates was awarded $750,000 for storm drain repairs and a dry well infiltration basin.
Lieu's office said the congressman has secured a total of $58.8 million for LA County communities over the past five years.