Federal and state advocacy teams brief Hayward on grants, WIFIA status and state bill activity
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Summary
Capital Advocacy Partners and Townsend Public Affairs outlined recent federal appropriations, major grant wins and state legislative priorities, and answered council questions on vendor law, WIFIA review status, cybersecurity grants and housing-bond opportunities.
Capital Advocacy Partners (CAP) and Townsend Public Affairs presented separate federal and state advocacy updates Tuesday night, telling the Hayward City Council they continue to pursue federal and state funding while monitoring policy changes that could affect local grants.
At the federal level, CAP representatives said they helped secure more than $34 million for Hayward since 2014 and highlighted recent awards and requests including a $381,000 FY26 community project, $15 million for water-plant improvements, firefighting and Prop 47 funds tied to the city's navigation center, and a $215,000 CAL FIRE wildfire-prevention grant. CAP also said Hayward's WIFIA application for wastewater treatment improvements is in the final phase of federal review.
"Our understanding is that the project is in its last phase of consideration and was under review by the Office of Management and Budget," CAP said, describing the extended review as alignment work with executive priorities. CAP flagged federal shifts (executive orders and a recent directive to review funding flowing to 13 states) and said it is coordinating with congressional offices to protect federal funding streams that local programs rely on.
Townsend Public Affairs' Carly Shelby briefed the council on state priorities for 2026: transportation-safety reforms (e-bikes and automated-speed enforcement pilots), illegal-dumping prevention, stabilization of homelessness and affordable-housing funding streams, and a potential $10 billion statewide housing bond. Shelby noted the governor's proposed budget shows a roughly $2.9 billion deficit and said the May revision will be an important milestone for discretionary funding.
Council questions focused on how advocacy teams can support local enforcement or legislative fixes around street vending (CAP and Townsend both said that prior legislation such as SB 972 and SB 946 shaped local authority and that coalition work could produce further reforms), on data-center impacts and funding for related research, and on cybersecurity funding to assist seniors and local agencies.
What happened next: Councilmembers asked CAP and Townsend to continue tracking specific issues raised earlier in public comment (vendor enforcement, WIFIA timing, affordability programs) and to coordinate with city staff on potential advocacy steps.
Why it matters: Both federal and state funding and legislation shape Hayward's ability to finance infrastructure, wildfire-prevention, homelessness services and other local priorities; CAP and Townsend's work can increase the city's chances for grants and earmarks and provide early warning on policy changes that affect eligibility.
