APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
RESOLUTION ACCEPTING AND APPROPRIATING A LOCAL
IMMIGRATION AND INTEGRATION GRANT AWARD FROM THE
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (GOBIZ) FOR TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE
THOUSAND AND FORTY NINE DOLLARS ($275,049) AND AWARDING
GRANT AGREEMENTS TO THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THE
SPANISH SPEAKING UNITY COUNCIL OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, INC.
IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-
SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($157,500) AND FEED
THE HUNGER FUND IN A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED SIXTY-
SEVEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS ($67,950) TO
IMMEDIATELY PROVIDE IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS WITH
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TRAINING AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR FISCAL YEARS 2023-2025
WHEREAS, nearly half (224) of the companies on the 2023 Fortune 500 list were founded by “New Americans,” defined as immigrants or the children of immigrants. These 224 New American businesses posted a combined revenue of $8.1 trillion, an amount that exceeds the gross domestic product of every nation except the United States and China. Their total global workforce consisted of 14.8 million people; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, immigrant entrepreneurs made up 21.7 percent of all business owners in the United States, despite making up just over 13.6 percent of the population and 17.1 percent of the U.S. labor force. In California, immigrant entrepreneurs make up 38.6 percent of the share of entrepreneurs in the State, although representing only 26.7 percent of the total immigrant population; and
WHEREAS, the International Affairs and Trade Unit of the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBIZ) established a Local Immigration and Integration Grant (LIIG) to support the development or expansion of immigrant integration efforts and enhance the organizational capacity of local governments to support immigrant populations in California; and
2 WHEREAS, the City of Oakland (City) has long been known as a city where immigrant and refugee families have relocated, due in part to access to a variety of nonprofit supportive services that assist families to transition into new communities and providing pathways to economic stability; and
WHEREAS, with more than 26% of the City’s population being foreign born, Oakland has historically partnered with nonprofit organizations to provide immigrant families with services ranging from children, youth, senior and family supportive services; health and well-being services; access to workforce and employment programs; business development assistance; developing affordable housing; legal assistance and many other services to help immigrants become economically stabilized; and
WHEREAS, currently, in the City, 39.4 percent of the population speaks a language other than English at home, with business advocates and community partners surfacing a need to serve Spanish, Mam (Indigenous Guatemalan), and Vietnamese speaking entrepreneurs in their native language, a growing yet underserved food entrepreneurship community in the City. Citing this service gap informing the , Spanish Speaking Unity Council of Alameda County, Inc. and Feed the Hunger Fund approached the City to apply for this first of its kind support for immigrant entrepreneurs in California; and
WHEREAS, the partners have the cultural and language capacity to serve the Spanish, Mam (Indigenous Guatemalan), and Vietnamese populations which are a growing and underserved limited English-speaking language groups in Oakland, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council hereby accepts and appropriates the LIIG award from GoBiz for Two Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand and Forty-Nine Dollars ($275,049); and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the LIIG Award shall be appropriated to Other State of California Fund (2159), Economic Development Organization (85411), in a Project to be determined/created; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator is authorized to take any and all actions necessary, including entering into a grant agreement with the International Affairs and Trade Unit within GoBiz to receive the LIIG award in the amount of $275,049 for the grant period starting in October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator is authorized to negotiate, draft, execute, award and extend a grant agreement in an amount not to exceed One Hundred Fifty-Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($157,500) from the LIIG award to The Spanish Speaking Unity Council of Alameda County, Inc. for the purposes set forth herein; and be it
3 FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator is authorized to negotiate, draft, execute, award and extend a grant agreement in an amount not to exceed Sixty-Seven Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty Dollars ($67,950) from the LIIG award to Feed The Hunger Fund for the purposes set forth herein. IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS NOES – ABSENT – ABSTENTION –
ATTEST: ASHA REED City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the City of Oakland, California