What you need to know: California is doubling Governor Newsom’s Clean California initiative with $114.5 million to support 60 projects across the state to clean and revitalize public spaces, including transit centers.
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that cities and local agencies across the state will receive $114.5 million in grants to remove trash, beautify neighborhoods, and transform public spaces into focal points. The funding is the latest part of Governor Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.2 billion multiyear cleanup effort led by Caltrans to remove waste, create thousands of jobs, and engage community revitalization of public spaces.
What Governor Newsom said: “The litter we see on our roadsides and public spaces is completely unacceptable; Californians deserve better. Cleaning up public spaces helps us restore a sense of pride and a sense of community across the state.
Why this is important: The 60 projects that will receive funding will improve parks, tribal lands, neighborhoods, transit hubs, walking trails, roads, sidewalks, recreation areas, community gathering places, and areas of ​​cultural significance or historical interest to underserved communities. This funding builds on the nearly $300 million in grants to more than 100 local Clean California projects across the state that Governor Newsom announced in March of 2022. After a positive community response, Governor Newsom and the state legislature approved another $100 million last year for a second round of local projects.
Grant examples include $3.3 million to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to clean up transit stations and bus stops throughout the city, $1 million to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System for South Bay Transit Beautification, and $1.1 million to the City of Fullerton to develop the Fullerton Transportation Center. This is part of a specific $14.5 million in funding set aside from today’s general announcement to support 18 projects to clean up stations and other areas around public transportation systems. In addition, there are 42 local grant projects ranging from $88,000 to $5 million, and all benefit underserved communities.
Since the launch of Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans has removed an estimated 1.9 million cubic yards of trash from the state’s highways. The program created more than 4,000 jobs that helped Californians overcome barriers to employment, including 357 people experiencing homelessness, and attracted more than 10,000 volunteers to activities ranging from community cleanups to large waste collections for appliances, tires, and mattresses.
