Hoping for a Ripple Effect

On February 17, 2009 President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The purpose of the ARRA is to ultimately get our country on the road to economic recovery through job creation and to invest in areas that will provide long-term economic benefits, such as, transportation, environmental protection, as well as technological advances in science and health.

The total cost of the package is $787 billion, with ARRA funds investments in many programs, including health care, infrastructure, education, and public safety. The City right now is making a concentrated effort to apply for these funds in the areas Police and Fire.

Wanting to take advantage of all the available funding opportunities, the City has also completed an appropriations request for funding through Congresswoman Jackie Speier's office. The projects the City was requesting funding for were: repaving Bayshore Blvd., increasing fire flow capacity in the Annis Rd. area, seismic and structural repairs for Crocker Tank, and undergrounding an 8" wastewater tranmission line (to prevent sewage from leaking into the Lagoon and San Francisco Bay by way of the City's storm drain system). In the past 8 years, when Tom Lantos was Congressman, the City received roughly $1.5 million which it utilized for water, sewer, and Police.

Only time will tell if the federal government's dollars will benefit the economy, but we're sure hoping it will make waves!

A lot of what's been on the minds of people is how to save, and how to cut back on their spending wherever possible. Well, there is a world-wide movement taking place tomorrow night to curb the spread of global warming. From 8:30pm-9:30pm, people all over the world will be turning out their lights and participating in EARTH HOUR. So if you're able, stand up against global warming by turning DOWN those lights...because for something so huge as global warming, it will take the involvement of many to produce the needed results!