El Camino College welcomed Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi to campus Sept. 7 to thank him for his assistance in the appropriation of $10 million for the future South Bay Public Safety Training Center. The funds were approved when Governor Jerry Brown signed the 2018-19 state budget on June 27. The South Bay Public Safety Training Center will support the education of ECC's public safety students while also addressing the ongoing training requirements of South Bay firefighters and law enforcement officers.
"We are extremely grateful for Assemblymember Muratsuchi's support of El Camino College and our efforts to serve our community," said El Camino College President Dena P. Maloney at the appreciation event. "This past spring, he initiated a funding request for the South Bay Public Safety Training Center—shepherding it through to inclusion in the final budget signed by Governor Brown. The $10 million allocation will help us launch the development of the center with classrooms, training towers and equipment."
As a longtime supporter of South Bay first responders, Assemblymember Muratsuchi said he was pleased to pursue funding for the training center project and noted it combines some of his top priorities as a legislator. "This brings together two of the things I think make the South Bay such a special place to live: having great schools and safe neighborhoods," he said.
The South Bay Public Safety Training Center will address two critical needs. First, the region is the only part of Los Angeles County without a designated training center for local fire, police, hazmat, emergency management, and emergency medical service agencies. Second, the current training facility for ECC's fire academy and law enforcement programs is severely limited in its ability to meet the needs of students.
A larger, modern facility operated in partnership between El Camino College and local agencies will support the education of public safety students while also addressing the ongoing training requirements of firefighters and law enforcement officers.
During his remarks, Assemblymember Muratsuchi recognized the El Camino Police Department cadets in attendance, emphasizing the new facility has been conceived with their preparation in mind.
"You are the future of public safety in the South Bay," he said. "We want to make sure we're training you well so that you're protecting us, you're saving our lives, and we continue to enjoy the great first responders we have in the South Bay."
A site for the South Bay Public Safety Training Center has not been determined, but the center's planning committee is considering several options within the El Camino Community College District boundaries.