On his second official trip back to the district since being sworn into office, Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced, met with officials in three West Side communities to hear their concerns and learn how he can help them accomplish their goals.
Unfortunately, he also had to deliver some bad news.
Some 16 budget requests originally submitted during the term of former Rep. John Duarte have been eliminated from the “continuing resolution” drafted by the Republican majority and passed in both houses last week.
“The 13th Congressional District is made up of all these small- and medium-sized communities and what they all have in common is that they get overlooked,” said Gray, explaining why he made visits to Coalinga, the City of San Joaquin, Huron and Firebaugh one of his highest priorities during his return to the district. “That was my frustration with this last continuing resolution. We lost close to $50 million in projects that were previously in this year’s budget but now are not because of the continuing resolution.”
Among those projects was $7 million for interchange improvements on Highway 99 and state route 233 in Chowchilla, $5 million for the Kerman area Multi-Generational Resiliency Center and nearly $1 million for a community wellness project in Gustine.
“Our communities don’t have entire rooms full of grant writers to get these things refiled,” said Gray, who voted against the bill. “So, it’s really important that Congress deliver for these small communities.”
Gray said he heard requests for community centers, a fire station and investments in city government from those with whom he met.
“These are real brick-and-mortar projects that these communities need. These investments were previously in the budget, but now they’re not there because the majority party no longer considers them a priority,” said Gray.
“It’s concerning that our federal government is pulling back funding rather than investing in our communities,” said Gray, who spent 10 years in the state Assembly before moving to the House. “It’s a situation where everything is blamed on the state. But with the announcements of tariffs and the challenges in the stock market, the California state budget is probably going to decline so there’s going to be a need for even more federal investment.”
In his conversations with mayors, city councilmembers, city managers and college presidents, Gray said improvements scheduled for Highway 152 frequently came up. The major commuter artery will have to be elevated to accommodate higher water levels planned for San Luis Reservoir.
“It’s a huge need and we’re hoping to identify additional money,” said Gray. “I think it’s $500 million just for the road.”
Gray mentioned his visit to the “Farm of the Future” at West Hills Community College in Coalinga and heard first-hand about the City of San Joaquin’s downtown restoration project. He also discussed clean-water initiatives for several communities and his efforts to protect “Dreamers” – the people brought to America as children but still without papers – from deportation. With Rep. Marie Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Gray is co-sponsoring the American Dream and Promise Act, which provides Dreamers 10 years to seek permanent status or citizenship.
Gray is also working with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents San Benito and Monterey counties, on the Farm Workforce Modernization Act to create a Certified Agricultural Workers status for workers to enter the U.S. while making criminals ineligible for entry. The program would be administered by the departments of Labor and Agriculture.
After a “great day on the West Side,” Gray said he intends to schedule meetings in Los Banos, Dos Palos and Gustine on future trips before moving up the West Side in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.
Since taking office, Gray has also convened a Veterans Advisory Committee meeting with 50 veterans in Atwater and hosted a roundtable meeting with about 40 labor leaders from the building trades, Teamsters, domestic workers and first-responders. In the coming weeks, Gray will be setting up meetings for small-business owners, educators, and healthcare workers among others. Another priority is reconvening the San Joaquin Valley Medical Coalition to continue work he began while in the Assembly to increase the number of medical residency and nursing positions available in the region’s medical centers.
“We want to set up community meetings all over the district,” said Gray. “Hearing what people have to say, listening to what’s important to them — that’s a priority for our team.”
