Ben Goldeen

Federal Funding and Coalition Building:

• Ben leads TPA’s federal appropriations process, which has successfully secured over $177 million in community project funding for clients’ priority projects in a multitude of policy areas, including transportation and infrastructure, water and wastewater, education, and parks and recreation. Key to this success is Ben’s firsthand knowledge of the current federal appropriations method which differs from the pre-2011 process. Ben utilizes his experience to balance transparency and politics to submit the most competitive requests possible.
• Coalition building is a key factor in Ben’s success for TPA clients. In 2021 TPA helped the City of Oakland secure $14.5 million through the Department of Transportation’s RAISE Grant program. Due to several factors outside the City’s control, the city was at risk of forfeiting the funds due to a statutory obligation deadline. Ben built a coalition of grant recipients facing similar challenges that spanned the country from Hawaii to South Carolina. Working with the coalition he built he successfully inserted language into the Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation Appropriations bill to extend the obligation deadline. This was signed into law, allowing the city to fully implement its grant award.

Transportation and Infrastructure:

• Through the FY 2023 federal appropriations process, Ben worked with the City of Palmdale to secure two federal earmarks totaling $3.5 million for the City’s transportation and infrastructure priorities. Ben helped develop and submit a compelling request and utilized strategic advocacy to ensure the City’s funding success.
• Ben worked with the City of Hesperia to secure $2 million through the FY 2023 federal appropriations process to repair a large section of Cedar Street, a major thoroughfare that connects various business, education, and community centers. Ben effectively conveyed the project’s need and urgency to federal legislators, ensuring that this critical initiative was included in the final appropriations bill.
• Ben and TPA’s advocacy resulted in ten partial Buy America waivers for MCAG. The waivers allowed five cities in Merced County to purchase ten pollution-reducing vehicles. Without the waivers, MCAG would have been prevented from using federal dollars to make the purchases as the Federal Highway Administration’s Buy America requirement mandates that steel and iron used in government projects be manufactured domestically. Ben coordinated a coalition of Congressional members from the San Joaquin Valley including Representatives Costa, Nunes, Valadao, McClintock, Denham, and McCarthy, to issue a delegation letter to the Secretary of Transportation advocating for the waivers. 
• Ben has worked with SunLine Transit Agency to assist in its development of its hydrogen fueling infrastructure. In FY 2023, Ben worked with Congressman Ruiz to help secure $2.5 million in federal Community Project Funding for a hydrogen fueling station, and in FY 2024 secured another $500,000 to improve SunLine’s hydrogen electrolyzer. TPA has worked hand in hand with the agency’s congressional delegation to assist SunLine in pursuing its transition to a fully zero-emission fleet by 2035.

Recreation and Community Development:

• Ben helped secure $439,094 in fiscal year 2023 federal community project funding for the City of Ontario’s Active Seniors On the Go Program. The program will provide seniors access to recreational activities that foster health and well-being.
• Ben worked with the City of Tulare to secure a total of $6.5 million through the FY 2024 federal appropriations process for two projects critical to the City’s development: the International Agri-Center Way Extension, aimed at improving regional transportation infrastructure, and the Regional Business Accelerator, designed to promote economic growth and support local entrepreneurship.

Water and Wastewater:

• Ben leveraged his extensive policy knowledge and utilized key relationships in the President’s Administration and Congress to authorize over $40 million for TPA clients through the 2022 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The funding will help TPA clients invest in water resources and build more resilient communities.
• Ben worked with the City of Turlock to secure $2.2 million through the FY 2024 federal appropriations project for two crucial water projects: the Golden State Sewer Extension, enhancing wastewater management capabilities, and the Storm Drain Upsize project, improving stormwater drainage and flood mitigation.

Education:

• Ben helped secure the authorization of $30 million for California Maritime Centers of Excellence through the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Veterans Affairs:

• As a part of the Merced County Association of Government’s annual One Voice delegation to Washington, DC, Ben helped advance the priority issue of increased vouchers for Merced through the HUD-VASH program. He coordinated across jurisdictions within the delegation to strategize an effective approach to advocate for increased veterans’ services in Merced County. Coordinating with service providers from the Department of Veterans Affairs both in Washington, DC, and local field offices in the San Joaquin Valley, Ben connected local leaders with relevant federal officials and advocated for increased services and funding at both the VA and with the client’s congressional delegation.