Approved as to Form and Legality
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER FIFE, VICE MAYOR KAPLAN,
PRO TEMPORE THAO, AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT BAS
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING OBJECTIVES TO SCALE UP AND
MAKE MORE VISIBLE THE CITY OF OAKLAND’S YOUTH SUMMER
JOBS PROGRAM BY: (1) SEEKING STATE FUNDING, LEVERAGING
PRIVATE SOURCES, AND PRIORITIZING ADDITIONAL
ALLOCATIONS DURING THE MID -CYCLE BUDGET AMENDMENT
PROCESS TO SUPPORT THE PARTICIPATION OF AT LEAST TWO
THOUSAND (2000) YOUNG PEOPLE, AND EXPAND AGE
ELIGIBILITY, TO CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITY AND ECONOMIC
SECURITY FOR OAKLAND’S YOUTH AND FAMILIES; ( 2) BETTER
INTEGRATING THE ADMINISTRATION, FUNDING, CONTRACTING,
AND COORDINATION OF THE PROGRAM AMONG ALL
DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED, AND CREATING A SPECIFIC AND
EASILY ACCESSIBLE WEBSITE THAT WOULD ALLOW MORE
EMPLOYERS AND DONORS TO PARTICIPATE; AND (3) CREATING A
ROBUST OUTREACH PLAN TO HELP POPULARIZE THE PROGRAM
AND REACH THE MOST UNDER -RESOURCED AND UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING OUTREACH TO COMMUNITY -BASED
ORGANIZATIONS DOING JOB TRAINING AND JOB MATCHING;
AND (4) EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING SUMME R JOBS
TO CLEAN AND IMPROVE OUR CITY, AND FUNDING BLIGHT
REMOVAL AND BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAMS, AND EXPANDING
CITY OF OAKLAND POSITIONS FOR YOUTH TO SUMMER AND
YEAR-ROUND WORK
WHEREAS, the residents of Oakland are facing a myriad of issues, including growin g economic inequality as wages have stagnated while the cost of living continues to rise , leaving Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian and other historically marginalized families in very difficult economic straits; and
WHEREAS, these same communities have also historically lacked access to meaningful employment opportunities, especially young people in the flatland neighborhoods; and
2 WHEREAS, the City of Oakland has sought to address the issue of youth unemployment through programs that give young people, an opportunity to gain work experience while earning wages to help them meet some of their needs; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Summer Youth Em ployment Program places young people ages 16-21 in various paid positions to educate and equip them with the necessary skills to be successful in the workforce; and
WHEREAS, summer jobs are not only a means to earn money but have served as a tool to ad dress public safety concerns and build connections between young people and their community, with the understanding that prevention starts with creating real opportunities for those who would not otherwise have access; and
WHEREAS, the Summer Youth Empl oyment Program is funded and administered through the City’s Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD), with program coordination being conducted by the Oakland Workforce Development Board (OWDB), which contracts with local non-profits to execute the Program; and
WHEREAS, over the years the number of young people gaining work experience through participation in the Summer Youth Employment Program as well as the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program has fluctuated, with some years resulting in thousands of youth employed and years such as 2019 with only 319 youth participants; and WHEREAS, the program relies on various f und sources such as the General Purpose Fund, the Measure HH Fund, discretionary allocations from the Council, and private and philanthropic contributions, leading to inconsistent levels of investment when the level of need has continued to increase; and
WHEREAS, beginning in 2019, the Human Services Department (HCD), more specifically, the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) began partnering with OWDB to support the City’s Youth Summer Employment Program; and
WHEREAS, OFCY and OWDB contract with nonprofit service providers through a joint request for proposal partnership to deliver these services to youth including, recruiting and enrollment, job-readiness training, identifying potential worksites, and serve as the employer-of- record and the entities through which the youth receive their wages; and
WHEREAS, July 26, 2021, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 88784 C.M.S., which amended the Fiscal Year 2021 -23 biennial budget to include a General Fund allocation to workforce development providers in the amount of $1,510,000; and WHEREAS, through the FY 20 19-22 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Adult and Youth Services, OWDB contracted with Lao Family Community Development in an amount of $175,000; Oakland Private Industry Council in amount of $260,000; The Unity Council in an amount of $175,000; Youth Employ ment Partnership in an amount of $175,000; Civicorps in an amount of $75,000; Rising Sun Center for Opportunity in an amount of $75,000; Cypress Mandela in an amount of $75,000 for a total amount of 1,010,000; and
3 WHEREAS, the remaining $500,000 was dedic ated for discretionary grants for programs that provide services to youth, the unhoused, and the formerly incarcerated and to residents; and
WHEREAS, Council passed Resolution No. 88905 C.M.S. in November 2021 that amended the contracts with some of the a bove workforce service providers to spend down the discretionary funds, specifically allocating 1) an additional $125,000 to Civicorps; 2) an additional $75,000 each to East Bay Asian Youth Center, Youth Uprising, and West Oakland Job Resource Center; 3) a n additional $62,500 each to Lao Family Community Development and The Unity Council; 3) an additional $25,000 for Youth Employment Partnership; and WHEREAS, the current structure of the program is decentralized and relies heavily on contracting out to age ncies for youth services, making it difficult to assess progress and impact and because the program involves several in-City and outside entities, it has become increasingly convoluted and can contribute to limited accessibility for communities most in need; and
WHEREAS, there is a great need for better organization of the program that makes contributing and donating easier, whether that is companies taking on a select number of young people for paid internships and jobs and/or establishing a system of giving that allows for companies to sponsor the apprenticeship of youth in select industries; and
WHEREAS, one way to streamline this process is by establishing a website that is specifically dedicated to the administration of the program and contains clear information for the young people hoping to find employment , a central repository listing all employment opportunities for young people a part of the program, potential employers, and other private entities that seek to support the program financially; and
WHEREAS, not only will establishing a de dicated website for the program make it easier for more young people to discover and apply, it will also ensure a diverse pool of nonprofit service providers, community -based organizations, and businesses are aware of and able to take part in the program; and
WHEREAS, the website should contain a a program overview, a simple application for employment placement and other supportive services , information for potential funders and sponsors on how th ey can contribute and grow the program , and information for organizations and businesses who want to employ young people to sign-up; and
WHEREAS, the City, in addition to working to set up a website, should also work to actively promote and popularize this program to secure the participation and job placement of at least 2,000 young people annually; and
WHEREAS, in order to accomplish the goal of the program , which seeks to prioritize services for Black, Latinx, Native American and Pacific Islander youth residing in West Oakland, East Oakland, and Fruitvale, the City must ensure there is a robust outreach effort to disseminate information about the program and available positions through soci al media advertisements, physical mailers and postings, print and broadcast media outlets; and
4 WHEREAS, the City should also utilize the established relationships with the network of community-based organizations as well as creating new partnerships to ensure we are promoting the program and en couraging young people to apply who may not have easy access to a computer; and
WHEREAS, advancing this program should also include expanding the City’s role as an employer by creating positions within departments to work on projects that help addr ess the needs of the community while providing meaningful work and learning opportunities for youth, including within the Offices of the City Council, Parks and Recreation and Youth Development, Department of Transportation, and Fire Department; and
WHEREAS, in that same vein, the City should use the Summer Youth Employment Program as a pathway to year -round employment with the City, and consider developing apprenticeship programs in City departments, similar to the cadet program with the Oakland Police Department, to create pipelines to permanent, full-time positions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the City Administrator, the app ropriate city staff, and City Council shall coordinate with our lobbyists to conduct outreach to our state representatives in an effort to bring in more funds s pecific to the expansion of the Summer Youth Employment P rogram, including the better integration and streamlining of the program, developing a website, and increasing the number of youth served; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That in order to accomplish some of the objectives as described in this resolution, the City Council shall also consider prioritizing funds for the program during the mid-cycle budget amendment process; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland shall commit to creating more employment and paid internship opportunities within different departments of the Ci ty of Oakland that will give youth the opportunity to gain the necessary workforce experience, especially related to public service; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City shall work to create a robust outreach plan, as described in this resolution, to popularize the program and ensure the participation of more youth from underserved communities.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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