DHS reevaluates UASI grant decisions
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will re-evaluate the formula it used in deciding to remove San Diego from a list of cities eligible to apply for anti-terrorism funding, the mayor announced Thursday. Mayor Jerry Sanders arrived in Washington, D.C., Wednesday to lobby the federal government to reverse its decision.
“I am pleased that the Department of Homeland Security was willing to listen to our concerns and take another look at border proximity and the presence of military bases as risk factors,†he said.
With the help of local legislators, Sanders said “we were clearly able to make a compelling case that San Diego belongs on the list of cities receiving the most homeland security dollars.â€
This comes on the heels of a meeting that Sec. Chertoff held in February to reevaluate Las Vegas’ eligibility for UASI grants, and a lot of criticism about the exclusion of San Diego and Las Vegas. I wrote in Januarythat these two cities had good reason to be upset about their exclusion, and I’m glad to see that DHS is reconsidering their involvement in the UASI program.
