Public Works & Transportation Committee
December 12, 2023
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: G. Harold Duffey
City Administrator Director, Oakland Public
Works
SUBJECT: Amend Beautification Council
Contract Amount
DATE: November 13, 2023,
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To (1) Increase Beautification Council’s Contract Amount By Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000) For A Total Not To Exceed Contract Amount Of Three Million Four Hundred Eighty Thousand Dollars ($3,480,000); And (2) Waive Further Advertising, Bidding, Competitive Request For Proposal/ Qualification Selection And Local Business/Small Local Business Participation Requirements.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed resolution would increase the City of Oakland (City) contract with the Beautification Council by six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) to enable Beautification Council to resume homeless encampment cleaning and sanitizing through the end of the amended contract term on June 30, 2024.
The Beautification Council is a Oakland-based nonprofit organization that is dedicated to combatting the pernicious issues plaguing underserved communities through innovative on-the- job, work readiness and life skills training designed to uplift justice system-involved and unhoused individuals. The City originally contracted with the Beautification Council for homeless encampment cleaning in May 2021 for a two-year term expiring in May 2023; then in the spring of 2022, the City extended the Beautification Council’s contract through June 2024 and increased its scope to include homeless encampment debris removal at designated Caltrans rights of way throughout the City. While the Caltrans work continues, funds for the original scope of work were fully expended by the end of the original contract in May 2023. The proposed resolution would allow the work of cleaning homeless encampments throughout the City to continue through the end of the contract term on June 30, 2024.
Between now and the contract end date, staff will work to establish a citywide trash and litter abatement support services contract via a formal request for proposals/qualifications (RFP/Q).
Jestin Johnson (Nov 30, 2023 21:34 PST)
Nov 30, 2023
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amend Beautification Council Contract Amount
Date: November 13, 2023 Page 2
Public Works & Transportation Committee
December 12, 2023
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
In October 2020, at the height of COVID-19, the City awarded the Beautification Council a $175,000 CARES Act grant to aid in homeless encampment clean-ups to prevent the spread of the disease. Through this grant-funded project, the local non-profit demonstrated its ability to safely and sustainably engage unhoused participants to clean up the encampments in which they lived. To continue the successful partnership, the City established a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the Beautification Council on May 5, 2021 (Council Resolution No. 88079 C.M.S.) One year into the Beautification Council’s contract, the City Council adopted Council Resolution No. 89279 C.M.S. t o accept and appropriate up to $1.28 million in Clean California grant funds and to execute a two-year, Clean California Maintenance Agreement (CCMA) with Caltrans to provide litter, bulky waste, and homeless encampment debris removal services in designated Caltrans locations throughout Oakland. To perform the CCMA scope of work without limiting Oakland Public Works’ ability to deliver its normal services, staff proposed to amend the Beautification Council’s existing contract to accommodate these additional services. This recommendation, approved by the City Council on June 21, 2022, (Council Resolution No. 89366 C.M.S.), increased the value of the contract by $1.28 m illion to incorporate the Clean California grant award and extended the contract term by 14 months to align with the CCMA’s expiration date of June 30, 2024.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
In accordance with the City’s adopted Budget, City activities are structured to support the following priorities: (1) Holistic community safety; (2) Housing, economic, and cultural security; (3) Vibrant, sustainable infrastructure; (4) Responsive, trustworthy government.
The proposed grant agreement with Caltrans furthers all four of the City’s priorities.
The Beautification Council supports the work of Oakland Public Work’s homeless encampment cleaning crews by cleaning and bagging small litter and debris, broom cleaning, and sanitizing in and around active homeless encampments. The work of removing smaller debris from an encampment cleaning operation is time consuming but critical to the final appearance of a cleaned location. With the Beautification Council performing this service, City crews can focus on removing bulky items and the majority of waste material from an encampment and ultimately clean more locations.
Beautification Council is uniquely qualified to perform this work. The organization has demonstrated the ability to engage unsheltered residents in deep cleaning encampments safely and without requiring police presence through the CARES Act project, as well as through the current Public Works homeless encampment contract and Caltrans maintenance agreement.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amend Beautification Council Contract Amount
Date: November 13, 2023 Page 3
Public Works & Transportation Committee
December 12, 2023
By approving this proposed resolution to provide needed funding, the City Council will authorize the Beautification Council to resume cleaning and sanitizing homeless encampments immediately. With the additional work performed by Beautification Council’s crews, Oakland Public Works can extend its capacity to clean more homeless encampments throughout Oakland, thus contributing to safer communities and more sustainable infrastructure. Through this proposed contract amendment, the Beautification Council will reach more unhoused and justice-system-involved individuals. Participants are paid above living wage and are given job readiness skills to transition to more stable employment and housing, which advances the housing and economic security for this underserved population, and fosters a safer, more holistic community overall.
This contract amendment request is a stop-gap measure to continue critical encampment cleaning services while staff are developing an RFP/Q for a longer-term contract for these services. Increasing the Beautification Council’s contract will provide staff with the six-month lead time necessary to complete a formal RFP/Q. Staff aim to return to the City Council by June 2024 with the qualified vendor(s) to establish a citywide trash and litter abatement support services contract. Council’s approval of the proposed resolution will demonstrate the City’s continued responsiveness to Oaklanders’ appeals to do more to clean up Oakland streets.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact to the City if the proposed resolution is approved by the City Council is six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000). Funds for this work are available in Fund (1010) General Fund: General Purpose, Organization (30674) Illegal Dumping, Project (1005963) Homeless Encampment Cleanup.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
This item did not require any additional public outreach other than the required posting on the City’s website.
COORDINATION
Staff worked with the City Attorney’s Office, Oakland Public Works’ Fiscal Unit, the Budget Office, and the City Administrator’s Office in preparing this report.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Approval of this resolution will enable the Beautification Council to hire more unsheltered individuals to perform work, providing participants with living wages and job readiness skills to advance to regular employment. Finally, cleaner streets and encampment Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amend Beautification Council Contract Amount
Date: November 13, 2023 Page 4
Public Works & Transportation Committee
December 12, 2023
areas will promote a safer, healthier, pedestrian-friendly environment that encourages shopping and recreation in Oakland, which will benefit neighborhood businesses.
Environmental: Illegal dumping is a crime against the environment. Illegally dumped materials can be washed into storm drains, contaminating Oakland’s waterways and harming wildlife.
Debris can clog storm drains and culverts, causing flooding. Large garbage piles increase the likelihood of fires. Dump piles serve as an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies, rats, and other disease-carrying vectors. Amending the Beautification Council’s contract capacity to perform the clean-up work will allow Oakland Public Works to maintain an overall cleaner, safer Oakland.
Race & Equity: Clean streets – ones free of discarded household goods and clothing, broken furniture, appliances, and/or commercial waste – will have a measurably positive effect on the health and safety of Oaklanders, especially for those living and working in historically underserved frontline communities below Interstate 580 where illegal dumping is concentrated, and where chronic hot spots are most prevalent. With the passage of the proposed resolution, the City Council will continue its commitment to invest resources into these areas and amplify the results and success of the work by City crews.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Amend Beautification Council Contract Amount
Date: November 13, 2023 Page 5
Public Works & Transportation Committee
December 12, 2023
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To (1) Increase Beautification Council’s Contract Amount By Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000) For A Total Not To Exceed Contract Amount Of Three Million Four Hundred Eighty Thousand Dollars ($3,480,000); And (2) Waive Further Advertising Bidding, Competitive Request For Proposal/ Qualification Selection And Local Business/Small Local Business Participation Requirements.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Victoria Chak, Administrative Services Manager, at (510) 615-5446.
Respectfully submitted,
G. HAROLD DUFFEY
Director, Oakland Public Works
Reviewed by:
Kristin Hathaway, Assistant Director
Oakland Public Works – Bureau of Environment
Prepared by:
Victoria Chak, Administrative Services Manager
Oakland Public Works – Bureau of Environment
Harold (Glenn) Duffey (Nov 30, 2023 13:38 PST)