Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@sen.ca.gov

WOODLAKE, CA – Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) today kicked off her 2022 State Budget Tour with a stop in Woodlake, to present a $7 Million check that will fund desperately needed police facilities and city services.

“I still vividly remember the day, shortly after being elected, that I went for a ride along and the police vehicle broke down as we were getting started,” said Senator Hurtado. “As I did more ride alongs, the signs of neglect were very telling across the Valley. Many of our smaller police and fire departments have crumbling infrastructure and lack the necessary resources to keep our communities safe. Today, domestic violence victims in Woodlake must file police reports standing near strangers paying their water bills--that’s unsafe, outrageous and unacceptable. This $7 million investment will help end that practice by funding a new facility, designed to support modern police practices and other vital city services. I will always work to ensure our law enforcement professionals have the support they need so they can get the job done and get home safe to their families.”

“Thanks to the hard work of Senator Melissa Hurtado and her staff, the City of Woodlake and its residents will greatly benefit from a seven-million-dollar budget allocation to help with the construction of the Woodlake Civic Center,” said Rudy Mendoza, Mayor, City of Woodlake. “The new Center will allow the City to better serve residents by providing a much needed multipurpose state of the art facility for administrative needs, public safety, utilities, parks, recreational services and much more, while maintaining the privacy and safety for all the residents of Woodlake.”

The City of Woodlake will receive $7 million to build a new Civic Center to house the police department, City Hall Administration Services, and the Citizen Service Center. The current police department shares a lobby with City Hall, which can jeopardize the privacy of individuals filing a police report. City Hall Administration Services provides a place for residents to pay their bills and sign up for services. The Citizen Service Center will provide a place for the public to hold community meetings, and will be used as a cooling center in the summer. It will also be equipped with technology to allow it to function as a base of operations for emergency services.

In the 2022 State Budget, Senator Hurtado secured $465.75 million dollars to support investments in public safety, water, education and food programs. The Valley will get a record $56 million for public safety, the largest amount ever secured—for much needed updates to fire personnel safety equipment, new fire and police stations across the district, as well as a state of the art, updated emergency operations center to serve south-eastern Tulare County.

Senator Hurtado secured an additional $100 million towards repairing our broken water conveyance system, as well as $40 million to ensure no one goes hungry—regardless of their immigration status. $116.5 million will be spent on education—from energy innovation programs at California State University Bakersfield to mentoring and leadership programs for young girls. There will also be a huge investment of $150 million towards supporting foster care families, providing much needed stability and connection.

In the 2022 Budget, Senator Hurtado secured a historic $56 million to support investments in fire and public safety funding for cities and counties throughout the Central Valley. Investments include:

• $7 million for the City of Woodlake, towards a multipurpose center that will secure a location for a new Civic Center, Police Department, City Hall Administration Office, and Citizen Service Center;
• $10 million for the City of Porterville for an Emergency Operations Center;
• $5 million for the City of Sanger for the renovation of an outdated dispatch center;
• $2 million to the Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department for a new fire department building, and for updated equipment and training;
• $7 million for the City of Farmersville for fire station construction;
• $2 million to the City of Dinuba for fire department equipment and training;
• $2 million to the City of Lindsay to update fire equipment and provide training;
• $2.75 million to the Fresno County Fire Protection District for a new fire station and equipment;
• $4.5 million for the City of Selma for new fire station construction;
• $1.5 million to the City of Reedley for updating outdated communications equipment for police and fire departments;
• $2.5 million for the City of Parlier to update its police station
• $6 million to the City of Shafter for new fire substation construction

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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