HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity of San Luis Obispo Urging Award Announcements for DHS and FEMA GrantsCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114,
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The Honorable Salud O. Carbajal
United States House of Representatives
2331 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Re: Request for Timely Award of Department of Homeland Security and FEMA Grants
Dear Congressman Carbajal,
On behalf of the City of San Luis Obispo, I am writing to respectfully request your support in
urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) to award Fiscal Year 2024 grant funds before they lapse at the end of the
federal fiscal year on September 30, 2025.
Our City has two pending FEMA applications currently under review:
• Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG): $1 million request to offset the replacement
cost of Truck 1, a critical frontline apparatus for the protection of life and property in
the City of San Luis Obispo and on the Cal Poly SLO campus.
• Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S): Nearly $100,000 request to support our
community education intern program, which will be essential for implementation of
the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code next year.
These programs are vital to ensuring adequate staffing, equipment, prevention, and
preparedness resources. With the fiscal year ending on September 30, unawarded funds risk
being returned to the U.S. Treasury on October 1.
We respectfully ask that you contact DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and urge the agency to
finalize and distribute awards for AFG, FP&S, and other FEMA/DHS grant programs without
delay. Your advocacy is critical to ensuring that communities like San Luis Obispo can access
these resources to protect both residents and first responders. Thank you for your leadership
and continued support of public safety in our region.
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo