DATE: 09/04/2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Community Services Department
2024-26
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
ACCEPTANCE OF $100,000 IN PASS-THROUGH GRANT AWARD FUNDING
THROUGH THE GREEN LATINOS FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE US FOREST SERVICE AND FUTURE APPROPRIATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to accept and appropriate the Green Latinos passthrough grant award funded by the United States Department of Agriculture US Forest Service to plant additional trees and contribute to our Urban Forest Management Plan.
The total award for the Fiscal Year 2025 is $50,000, and an additional $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2026, for a total of $100,000.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Accept a pass-through grant award from the Green Latinos in the amount of $100,000 to plant additional trees and contribute to the City’s Urban Forest Management Plan.
b. Authorize an appropriation and estimated revenue increase to the Community Services Department’s operating budget of $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2025 within the General Fund 110.
c. Authorize an appropriation and estimated revenue increase to the Community Services Department’s operating budget of $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2026 within the General Fund 110.
d. Authorize the City Manager or his designee to adjust the budget accordingly if the Grantor distributes additional funds to grant participants.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Green Latinos is a non-profit organization of Latino leaders confronting national and local environmental issues. They were awarded $25M to expand our sustainable cities Urban Greenspace Initiative, where they will provide new Grassroots Grantmaking for Tree Canopy Restoration across Latino Communities. They will promote tree planting, maintenance, restoration, resilience, green workforce development, green urban planning, and community engagement—all while combating extreme heat and heat islands in underserved communities.
In November 2023, the City submitted a grant application to the Green Latinos to purchase and plant trees to help further the goals outlined in the City’s Urban Forest Management Plan. By integrating the grant with our established systems, we can leverage the existing infrastructure outlined in the Urban Forest Management Plan for outreach, maintenance, and contractual services and ensure a streamlined and impactful implementation that maximizes the benefits for our environment.
ANALYSIS:
The City of Corona was notified in September 2023 that we received the Green Latinos grant award of $100,000. The grant process was extremely competitive, with only 385 recipients selected nationwide. This grant will supplement the funds already budgeted for the City’s Urban Forest Initiative and will assist in planting additional trees in the downtown area near City Park. The Community Services Department will plant 15-gallon trees aligned with our approved street tree list identified in the Urban Forest Management Plan. It is estimated that this will equate to around 1,000 to 1,500 trees over a 3-year period, in addition to the 15,000 trees the City has committed to planting over a 5-year period as part of its reforestation efforts.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation and estimated revenue increase in the amount of $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2025 and $50,000 for Fiscal Year 2026 within the General Fund 110 to the Community Services operating budget.
These grant funds do not have a matching requirement. Grant funds must be fully expended in accordance with the City’s approved budget by November 30, 2027.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is a financial transaction between the Green Latinos and the City of Corona, and there is no possibility that accepting this grant award will have a significant effect on the environment.
Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: SARAH ARCE, MANAGEMENT ANALYST I
MOSES CORTEZ, FACILITIES, PARKS, AND TRAILS MANAGER
REVIEWED BY: DONNA FINCH, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
ATTACHMENT:
1. Exhibit 1 – Award Letter