Gov. Jerry Brown was in Fresno last week signing the legislation authorizing the funding. The Brown Administration in Sacramento has recommended that the city receive at least 50 percent of this year’s $140 million appropriate to the new California Strategic Growth Council Transformational Climate Communities Program. 

So far, along with Fresno, Los Angeles is slated to received 25 percent of the funding, with the remainder going to a third site yet to be determined.

“This is exciting news for Fresno, and a gratifying result to the hard work Assemblymember Arambula and I have put in over the past few months to ensure a significant portion of this funding was spent in Fresno,” said Mayor Swearengin. “The final results are the most important, though, because they mean more transportation options, revitalizing our inner city, and a better quality of life for our citizens.”

The Transformational Climate Communities Program is intended to fund the implementation of neighborhood-level transformative projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits in disadvantaged communities.

“This money will have a significant impact in Fresno,” Arambula said. “It’s going to help build mixed-income housing around the High Speed Rail station, support urban greening and energy efficiency in downtown and ensure that there are links to public transit.  It will also provide funds for pedestrian and bicycle paths throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.  I am thrilled to see an investment of this magnitude.”