SACRAMENTO – Senator John Laird today announced he secured state funding for six projects in Santa Cruz County, supporting affordable housing, senior nutrition, arts and culture, health care, public transit safety, and climate-focused work.

“Santa Cruz County faces some very real challenges, from the high cost of housing and maintaining access to quality health care to supporting our seniors and preparing our coastal communities for the impacts of climate change,” said Laird. “These investments put state dollars toward local priorities and help give our communities the resources they need to meet those challenges.”

The funding secured by Laird includes:

1. City of Santa Cruz for affordable housing

The funding will help the City of Santa Cruz acquire nearly two acres of Caltrans-owned land near the intersection of Highways 1 and 9 for the development of affordable housing.

The two Caltrans parcels sit next to a 1.31-acre parcel the city acquired in 2022. The city plans to develop the entire site as deed-restricted, 100% affordable housing. It would also be mixed-use and integrated with the adjacent Tannery Arts Center, with amenities that support active transportation modes.

2. Community Bridges for its Meals on Wheels program

The funding will address a funding gap and enable Community Bridges to acquire the production kitchen that supports Meals on Wheels operations throughout Santa Cruz County.

The kitchen is central to Community Bridges’ ability to prepare and provide meals for older adults across the county through its Meals on Wheels program.

3. Watsonville Cultural District

The funding, provided through the California Arts Council, will support the Watsonville Cultural District and its arts and cultural community, helping strengthen and celebrate the traditions, creativity and cultural identity deeply rooted in the Pajaro Valley.

Watsonville was recently selected as one of California’s newest state-designated cultural districts, recognizing the community’s distinctive cultural identity and the role local artists, organizations, and traditions play in the region.

4. Upgrades to medical and surgical technology at Watsonville Community Hospital

The funding will support upgrades to medical and surgical technology at Watsonville Community Hospital, helping the community-owned hospital modernize its equipment and strengthen patient care. This transformation and renovation will be fundamental in putting Watsonville Community Hospital back on track to financial solvency following its return to public ownership.

The investment is in addition to the $25 million in emergency funding approved by the state California Legislature in May through Assembly Bill 108 to help financially distressed hospitals such as Watsonville Community Hospital weather the storm of federal funding cuts tied to the passage of H.R. 1. The $10.6 million emergency grant for Watsonville Community Hospital and this most recent community funding come as Watsonville Community Hospital continues a broader effort to modernize its facilities and medical technology. The hospital has been making upgrades to imaging, surgical, and other medical equipment to improve the care available to Pajaro Valley residents.

5. Santa Cruz METRO to update its aging radio system

The funding will help replace Santa Cruz METRO’s aging radio system and integrate the transit agency into Santa Cruz County’s Regional Interoperable Next Generation (RING) radio system.

METRO’s current radio system, purchased in 2010, experiences random failures, transmission-device problems, and critical coverage gaps in Bonny Doon, Davenport, and along Highway 17. Modernizing the system will provide more reliable communications for daily transit operations and improve coordination with other agencies during emergencies, disasters, and major incidents.

6. Seymour Marine Discovery Center to support climate-focused work

The funding will support climate-focused work at UC Santa Cruz’s Seymour Marine Discovery Center, which connects marine and coastal science with public education and community engagement.

The Seymour Center has increasingly focused its exhibits and programming on coastal climate resilience and works with UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience to bring research and potential solutions to the public. That work includes efforts to make coastal climate science more accessible and connect researchers, community partners, and the public around solutions to the challenges facing California’s coast.

The project will consist of immersive, bilingual and interactive exhibits inside the Seymour Center. It will include a hands-on learning space and a civic engagement zone to help make climate resilience a part of everyday life.

The six allocations are part of funding secured by Laird through the 2026-27 state budget and will be distributed to support the identified local projects and programs.

Additional Budget Wins

The funding comes in addition to other state investments Laird secured for Santa Cruz County this year, including $3.3 million in the state budget to expand PRIME Central Coast, a partnership between UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis that is creating a local pathway for future physicians to train and practice on the Central Coast. He also secured an additional $4.5 million for the Santa Cruz Public Library through the state’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program for the Downtown Library Mixed-Use Project, bringing the state’s total investment in the project through the program to $9 million.