Southern Border Coalition discusses Imperial County improvements with new state fund 

The Southern Border Coalition held a meeting on Thursday

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) is a $600 million state investment created to help California recover from the economic distress of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members of the community joined together in Calipatria to discuss plans on how to implement the state funding that was awarded to Imperial County of $500 million.  

“So looking at all of these different sectors and trying to find and build a coalition that is very community-based so that we can do a region of approach to economic development,” said Raquel Aparicio, Regional Economic Recovery Coordinator. 

The program is divided into two phases.

In Phase One, the coalition will gather the community’s input and research to develop an Economic Regional Plan which will then help serve as a guide for the funding available in Phase Two. 

This plan will help empower and uplift disadvantaged communities with new and improved infrastructure, skills, and education programs.  

For more information on how you can participate or learn more about CERF, go to https://sbcerf.sdsu.edu/ or email SBCERF@sdsu.edu.