SAN DIEGO (SDJW) – “Pork barrel legislation” is defined as the appropriation of government spending for localized projects. Notwithstanding its non-kosher name, it is considered highly desirable by members of Congress, even those who are our fellow Jews.
U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) said Wednesday that “bringing home federal dollars to San Diego is one of my biggest responsibilities, so I’m incredibly proud that I secured $13.5 million for local projects across California’s 51st district—especially during such a politically fraught time in Congress.”
Appropriations in excess of a million dollars included $1,926,000 for Wildlife Technology Commons “to centralize resources that can be accessed and used by wildfire technology researchers and innovators. Data and AI will be used as tools for next-generation fire models;” $1,466,279 for San Diego Community College District’s Family-Friendly Study Centers “to create family-friendly study centers within SDCCD and expand access to resources that will support students with family responsibilities;” $1,439,790 for Lemon Grove Early Childhood Education Center Design “to provide facilities needed to support transitional kindergarten expansion. The Early Childhood Education Center will be designed to meet the specific learning needs of 3-5-year-old children. It will include 16 classrooms, playgrounds, outdoor learning centers, gardens, a library, a multi-purpose center, administrative offices, drop-off/pick-up loading, a parking lot, accessibility upgrades, storm sewer improvements, site preparation, and utility work;” and $1,200,000 for San Diego Safe Parking Program Site Expansion “to expand overnight Safe Parking for unhoused individuals living in their vehicles.”
Receiving $1 million each were two projects: 1) East County Center for Military and Veteran Reintegration “to build a Center for Military and Veteran Reintegration (CMVR) in East County. It would serve as a one-stop shop and hub for service members, veterans, and their spouses.” 2) Junior Achievement of San Diego County Expansion and Renovation “to expand and renovate JA San Diego facilities. This will allow the organization to continue empowering underserved communities and school districts with experiential, real-world lessons and mentors around financial wellness, K-12 workforce development, and a connection to representative mentors in the local business community.
Nine other projects were for grants of less than $1 million: In descending grant-sum order, they were:
— $963,000 for San Diego State University’s Transmission Electron Microscope “for a transmission electron microscope (TEM) to develop the fundamental basis and methods for testing cellular structures. This microscope would allow scientists to observe details as small as individual atoms, giving unprecedented levels of structural information at the highest possible resolution.”
— $850,000 for Grantville Safe Parking Site Construction “to build and maintain an overnight Safe Parking site for unhoused individuals living in their vehicles at a County-owned site in Grantville.”
—$850,000 for the New San Carlos Library “o help build the long-awaited, highly anticipated new flagship branch for the Navajo community (encapsulating Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, and San Carlos) within the City of San Diego. The new library will have sufficient staff office space, restrooms, adequate programming and community meeting spaces, a dedicated children’s or teens area, adequate parking, and necessary infrastructure for technology upgrades and improvements.”
—$850,000 for the University of San Diego’s Teaching Kitchen “to construct an innovative Teaching Kitchen that will actively support the crucial connection between diet, physical and mental health, and the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.”
—$658,000 for Lemon Grove Early Childhood Education Center Bus Fleet Expansion “to expand the Lemon Grove Early Childhood Education Center’s bus fleet capabilities, including building EV charging infrastructure. Many parents in the neighborhood struggle to find and afford stable transportation from home to school. Expanding the LGSD fleet will eliminate that barrier for families and increase enrollment and attendance in school.”
—$500,000 for Miramar College School of Public Safety Renovation “to help update the aging school building by modernizing teaching, learning, and working spaces.”
—$500,000 for the San Diego River Center at Grant Park “to construct a 17-acre public neighborhood park, outdoor nature experience facility, and associated support building in a park-deficient community.”
—$250,000 for Little Saigon Street Improvements “to transform land adjacent to pedestrian sidewalks and urban streets – spaces that are underutilized and accumulating trash – into mini-parks, pocket parks, community open spaces, and gathering areas that are practical and useful for the community to use and enjoy while increasing community safety and community vibrancy.”
—$100,000 for Lemon Grove Little League Field Renovation “to help install a new retaining wall to shore up land near a newly formed sinkhole and install facility lights to enable the field and the League to operate during evening hours.”
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ISRAEL-GAZA REVERBERATIONS
On Wednesday, the same day that UC San Diego girded for what was promoted by Students for Justice in Palestine as a largest-ever demonstration, the national Anti-Defamation League announced it will begin providing the directors and students of Chabad on Campus International with training and resources to create a safer environment on campus for Jewish students.
“This joint initiative with ADL represents a significant step forward in our efforts to boost a safe Jewish life and combat antisemitism on college campuses, and we are proud to join forces with ADL in the fight against hatred, discrimination and prejudice,” said Rabbi Avi Weinstein, President and COO of Chabad on Campus International. “Together, we will make a difference in the lives of Jewish students and in the broader campus community.”
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Tifereth Israel Synagogue members and guests will paint red flowers on ceramics, symbolizing the red anemone fields in the south of Israel, most of which have been closed by the Israel Defense Force due to the war in Gaza in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis. At noon, Sunday, March 17, supplies will be distributed, at a cost of $18 for each set of three ceramics, with the finished products to be placed throughout San Diego County. Proceeds will be contributed to assist those impacted by the Oct. 7th events. To RSVP, click here.
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OBITUARY NOTICE
Ner Tamid Synagogue reports the death of Mary Ruth Lupul, mother of Charlie Lapul and Kay Burton, and grandmother of Wendy Burton, Eric Burton and the Conservative congregation’s own spiritual leader, Rabbi Sammy Seid. The funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at Eden Memorial Park in Mission Hills, California, with shiva minyan following at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Northridge, California.
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SDJW staff