Obringer goes to Washington to plead Concord’s case

CONCORD, CA (Apr. 15, 2025) — I recently attended the National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference in Washington, D.C., along with Councilmembers Dominic Aliano and Pablo Benavente.

This conference is an annual opportunity to:

• Hear directly from federal agency experts and other advocacy professionals about the impact of federal policy on local governments.
• Connect with mayors and city councilmembers from across the country to hear how they are approaching common challenges like economic development, homelessness and housing affordability.
• Strengthen partnerships with policy experts and other local government advocates.
• Network with federal agencies to leverage federal programs and funding.

One such agency with which we connected was the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. I shared with Christine Serrano Glassner, special assistant to the president/deputy director, that Concord still has $20.6 million in federal funding frozen – money that had already been allocated to our city:

• $7 million for LED streetlight modernization, cutting energy costs, improving safety and reducing long-term maintenance expenses – a cost-saving measure for both local and federal taxpayers.
• $5.4 million for repaving Willow Pass Road, a critical transportation artery, ensuring efficient commerce, reduced vehicle wear and tear, and safer road conditions.
• $3.3 million for the Galindo Street Multimodal Corridor Project, supporting economic development by improving business access, reducing congestion and enhancing pedestrian safety.
• $1 million in Community Development Block Grants, funding essential initiatives that strengthen local economies and enhance property values.
• Additional targeted investments in transportation, public safety, and infrastructure that enhance economic competitiveness and reduce burdens on taxpayers in the long run.

It was helpful to obtain Glassner’s email address and follow up directly in writing regarding this essential funding for infrastructure, public safety and economic development projects. As of this writing, we are actively communicating with her office regarding the status of these funds.

Without attending the conference and seeing the agenda item, “Drop-in office hours with White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs,” I am not sure how we would have identified the appropriate person within the presidential administration to directly engage with regarding the federal funding promised to the city of Concord.

While attending the conference, Aliano and I also met with Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, and the offices of Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff. The purpose of these meetings is to share information about projects that are a priority for the city, including funding for necessary improvements to Concord’s Emergency Operations Center to help ensure the safety and well-being of our residents and strengthen our ability to respond effectively to emergencies and disasters.

These meetings help confirm whether our proposed projects are eligible for Community Project Funding and whether the congressman and senators have an interest in including them as Congressionally Directed Spending requests. For example, based on meetings in 2024, DeSaulnier submitted a $1.1 million request for Concord Emergency Operations Center upgrades, which the House Appropriations Committee approved. Unfortunately, the Continuing Resolution passed in March 2025 excluded all earmarks, so we will be submitting this project again this year, as it previously enjoyed support not just from DeSaulnier, but also from Padilla.