California lawmakers brought home more than $1 billion in federal funding for over 750 community projects as part of the federal budget passed last month, a Spectrum News analysis has found. 

The community project funding, also known as “earmarks” due to them being separate from the traditional appropriations process, range from everything from park revitalization, critical infrastructure projects, and initiatives to tackle homelessness.

What You Need To Know

  • California lawmakers brought home more than $1 billion in federal funding for over 750 community projects as part of the federal budget

  • The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Zoe Lofgren brought in $40 million for a project at Fort Hunter Liggett, the single largest earmark for California

  • Of the more than 750 projects, intiatives ranged from park revitilzations, critical infrastructure projects, and funding for intiatives to combat homelessness

  • Reps. Katie Porter and Tom McClintock, along with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who left Congress at the end of 2023, didn't bring back funding for any projects

Over $9 million in funds directed from Reps. Adam Schiff, Jimmy Gomez, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Brad Sherman and Tony Cárdenas, as well as Sens. Alex Padilla and the late Dianne Feinstein, went to Los Angeles-area homelessness initiatives at the request of Mayor Karen Bass. $3 million of that funding will be used to enhance the City of Los Angeles’s Inside Safe initiative, with the other funds directed to other policy intiatives.

“Our federal partners have shown their commitment, through this funding, to bringing people inside from the streets and to investing in housing so that we can keep more people housed and prevent them from falling into homelessness in the first place,” Bass said in a statement. “I thank each of our partners for securing funding to save lives and locking arms to deliver for Angelenos.”

Feinstein and Rep. Zoe Lofgren secured $40,000,000 for the construction of a permanent information and communications facility at Fort Hunter Liggett was the single largest earmark for California, with $39,334,000 for the Murrieta Creek Flood Control Project in Temecula secured by Padilla and Rep. Darrell Issa a close second. 

Some other projects that made the final budget included:

  • $9 million for the construction of a new homeless shelter campus in Bakersfield requested by Rep. David Valadao

  • $6.74 million for maintenance dredging at the Port of Redwood City requested by Senators Feinstein and Padilla

  • $6,500,000 for the Lake California Drive Reconstruction Project to improve bikers and pedestrian safety requested by Rep. Doug LaMalfa

A list of all of the earmarks Congress attached to this year’s spending bills can be found here.

Reps. Katie Porter, Tom McClintock and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not bring earmarks back to the state. McCarthy left the House at the end of 2023 after being ousted from the Speaker’s office last fall; McClintock has long been against earmarks, as has Porter, who made it a cornerstone of her failed Senate bid this year.

Many of the earmarks championed by Feinstein were picked up by Senator Laphonza Butler, who was appointed to fill the seat by Gov. Gavin Newsom after Feinstein’s death in September.

“I am proud of the work we were able to do this appropriations season to continue Senator Feinstein’s legacy and to chart a fresh path to secure millions of dollars for California,” said Butler in a statement. “These $264 million will go to projects across our state that will better people’s lives.”  

Spectrum News’ Melody Kloepfer contributed to this report.