Eric O’Donnell

Local Governance:

• In fiscal year 2022, Eric worked diligently on behalf of TPA clients to secure over $22 million in Community Project Funding (or earmarks) in the federal appropriations package. The funds allocated for these projects will support TPA clients’ legacy projects, especially in the areas of infrastructure and water and wastewater.
• Eric worked with the City of Avalon to secure a direct funding allocation in the FY 2019-20 State Budget in the amount of $500,000 to remove and replace single-walled underground fuel storage tanks with safer and more durable double-walled underground fuel storage tanks. Eric worked closely with the City’s legislative delegation as well as legislative staff from the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees and the Speaker and Senate Pro Tem’s offices to ensure that the funding was included in the FY 19-20 State Budget.  This funding will allow the City’s marine fuel dock in the harbor to continue operating and will provide a critical resource for the community.
• Eric was critical in facilitating a resolution to a Redevelopment Dissolution related issue for the City of Stanton that resulted in the City receiving over $2.1 million in loan repayment. Eric worked closely with the City’s legislative delegation and executive staff from the Department of Finance to identify a solution. The favorable resolution resulted in the Department of Finance approving a previously denied line item on the City of Stanton’s Recognized Obligation Payments Schedule (ROPS), thus awarding the City a loan repayment.

Water and Sanitation:

• Eric worked with the Orange County Sanitation District to secure a $1 million grant award from the Department of Water Resources’ Integrated Regional Water Management Grant Program to replace a critical sewer line. Eric worked closely with staff at the Orange County Sanitation District, the Department of Water Resources, and the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority throughout the development and implementation of the grant program.
• Eric helped the East Orange County Water District secure a $500,000 grant from the Drought Response Program, administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The funding allowed East Orange County Water District to construct a new drinking water well in order to provide safe, clean, and affordable drinking water to the District’s retail customers. Due to the prevalence of PFAS/PFOA in existing groundwater resources, the District needed new sources of reliable and affordable drinking water.
• Eric secured a $500,000 grant from the California Natural Resources Agency via the River Parkways grant program for the City of Laguna Beach for the DeWitt Habitat Restoration Project. This project helps restore Laguna Canyon Creek, one of the last natural remaining natural creeks in Orange County, as well as re-establish natural habitats for wildlife that rely on the Creek and its ecosystem.

Transportation:

• Eric helped the City of Fountain Valley secure a $226,000 grant from the Active Transportation Program, administered by the Southern California Association of Governments and the California Transportation Commission. The funding allowed the City to build ADA accessible pedestrian curb ramps within neighborhoods that are located near five elementary and middle schools in the Fountain Valley School District and the Ocean View School District. The project will provide greater mobility for the public and improve the safety of the City’s routes to local schools.

Housing and Development:

• Eric worked on behalf of the City of Fullerton to secure a direct funding allocation in the fiscal year 2022-23 State Budget in the amount of $6 million to purchase the building that houses the City’s Navigation Center. The purchase of the building gives the City greater control to provide needed improvements to better support the work at the Navigation Center. The Navigation Center assist persons experiencing homelessness in the City of Fullerton and connects them to the wide variety of services offered at the local, state, and federal levels.