Recently, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) announced an award of $3,806,152 for the City of Oxnard to replace aging cast iron waterline pipes at risk of failure throughout the city. The 60-year-old pipes have reached the end of their useful life, and are constantly in need of repairs, which is disruptive and costly to the residents of the city. With this funding, the city will be able to clean water to the residents of Oxnard while creating good-paying jobs in the region.
On Wednesday, April 3, during a press conference in front of Oxnard City Hall, with local leaders and stakeholders Congresswoman Brownley said, “These projects will not only help ensure residents and businesses in Oxnard have access to clean and reliable water services, but these resources are an investment in our critical infrastructure and our future. These Investments in our roads, bridges, public transit, and water and sewer pipelines are also creating good-paying jobs, bolstering economic opportunity, and building the middle class from the bottom up and the middle out.
“I am proud to have had the opportunity to work in close partnership with the City of Oxnard for several years now, and it is that collaborative effort that has delivered these critical resources to our community,” Brownley stated.
“Oxnard is making steady progress restoring vital infrastructure throughout the city. We’re incredibly grateful for Congresswoman Brownley’s hard work to secure millions in funding to replace the 60-year-old cast iron pipes in the Kamala neighborhood,” said Oxnard Mayor John Zaragoza to VIDA Newspaper.
“Delivering clean, reliable water is important to the health and safety of our community. We’re thankful to have Congresswoman Brownley advocating on behalf of Oxnard for these vital investments in our infrastructure,” said Oxnard Councilmember and Public Works & Transportation Committee Chair Bert Perello.
“As an older city that is working to catch up on years of deferred maintenance, these significant investments to update Oxnard’s pipeline infrastructure are important for delivering safe, clean water to our customers,” said Oxnard Public Works Director Michael Wolfe.
For the water pipeline replacement projects in Oxnard, Brownley secured funds in the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations legislation and the Fiscal Year 2024 funding bill.
In total, Brownley secured over $33 million for 29 projects throughout California’s 26th Congressional District in the Fiscal Year 2023 and Fiscal Year 2024 packages of appropriations bills. These projects directly respond to some of the most pressing needs in Ventura County and the Conejo Valley including investments in critical infrastructure.
Other projects included targeted investments that address the climate crisis, develop resilient energy and water storage systems, implement plans for safe and interconnected bike pathways, and provide critical resources to local law enforcement agencies.