City Council
December 3, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Ashleigh Kanat
City Administrator Director, Economic &
Workforce Development
Department
SUBJECT: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants DATE: November 20, 2024
City Administrator Approval
Jestin Johnson (Nov 25, 2024 20:25 PST)
Date: Nov 25, 2024
RECOMMENDATION
RESOLUTION 1) AWARDING GRANTS FOR THE 2024 -2025 CORRIDOR SAFETY
AMBASSADOR PROGRAM TO NON- PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS LAUREL DISTRICT
ASSOCIATION IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($200,000), AND TO BLACK CULTURAL ZONE AND SPANISH SPEAKING UNITY COUNCIL OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, INC., IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($100,000) PER GRANTEE, AND TO TRYBE INC. IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($50,000) FOR
A TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($450,000) TO IMMEDIATELY ENHANCE SAFETY AMBASSADOR AND PERSONNEL AND SAFETY PROGRAMS DURING THE 2024 HOLIDAY SHOPPING
SEASON AND THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM YEAR IN HIGH PRIORITY
NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS CORRIDORS INCLUDING THE DIMOND, LAUREL,
LITTLE SAIGON, HEGENBERGER, AND FRUITVALE BUSINESS CORRIDORS AND
TO ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE LINKING CITY SERVICES AND TRAINING FOR SAFETY AMBASSADORS AND PERSONNEL; AND 2) AUTHORIZING
THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO NEGOTIATE AND ENTER INTO GRANT AGREEMENTS WITH GRANTEES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025 WITH AUTHORITY
TO EXTEND THE TERMS WITHOUT INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF THE GRANT AWARDS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following roll-out of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 Corridor Safety Ambassador grants and the reported effectiveness of the program as a crime mitigation strategy, the adopted mid-cycle FY 2024-25 budget allocated $1.5 million toward Corridor Safety Ambassador grants to support key business corridors across the City of Oakland (City).
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 2
City Council
December 3, 2024
budget shortfall, EWDD recommends moving forward with a modest program awarding $450,000 to 4 organizations implementing these programs in high priority neighborhoods for a limited duration.
Neighborhood-serving business corridors are integral to the economic vitality. Yet businesses in Oakland continue to struggle. Property crime in these business corridors increased year over year from 2022 until the start of 2024, creating additional obstacles for businesses to recover and build from the economic losses sustained during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. While overall crime has trended downward since the start of 2024 by business corridors continues to persist (see Attachment A, Weekly Crime Report Citywide).
The proposed resolution would aim to support interventions in five commercial districts as defined by the OakDOT Geographic Equity Toolbox1, serving a large Community-initiated interventions, like this Corridor Safety Ambassador program, help build safer, more welcoming, and thriving business corridors, and include streetscape improvements, public safety personnel, and community ambassadors as some of the ways to bring community members together, build communication networks, and draw critical mass to our business districts as a deterrent to theft and property crime.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
In the FY 2023-25 budget approved by City Council on June 26, 2023, $1,000,000 was allocated for the Community Ambassadors and Safety Improvements for Business Corridors for FY 2023-24. These funds were allocated to support community driven corridor safety and ambassador initiatives in the Greater Downtown, Fruitvale and Hegenberger business corridors.
During the first year of these programs, all community partners reported various degrees of success with community driven interventions, from further building out safety communications and infrastructure within the Greater Downtown community, to providing wellness checks and escorts to promote safety in the Fruitvale and Hegenberger areas, providers reported a number of outcomes that promote safer business corridors and increased commercial activity (see Attachment C FY23-24 Impact Reports).
On July 2, 2024, the Oakland City Council approved $1,500,000 in the FY 2024-25 Budget to support established corridor safety and ambassador programs, again identifying specific neighborhoods of need (see Table 1 for funding allocations by area and focus). Economic Workforce Development (EWD) staff is tasked with implementing the FY 2024-25 Ambassador Program, guided by a data-driven, equity-based approach that prioritizes areas of need and considers potential impact. Community partners were selected based on 1) evidence of effectiveness in each area, 2) capacity to participate in the Community of Practice, and 3) ability to leverage additional investment in the Ambassador Program.
1 A tool created as a way for the City of Oakland to prioritize neighborhoods based on concentrations of people with demographic factors determined to have experienced historic and current disparities.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 3
City Council
December 3, 2024
On November 12, 2024, the City Administrator removed this item from the City Council consent agenda due to a forecasted budget shortfall in the current year. The administration was able to find other funds to support this program as an effective tool to provide additional safety and other services in these high priority business corridors during the busy holiday shopping season.
Building on the FY 2023-24 results, the Ambassador Program is an opportunity to expand the reach of City Services by strengthening links with local communities. With a focus on clean and safe business corridors, Community Ambassadors play a central role connecting City services and programs to businesses and their communities. Service teams from the Oakland Police Department (OPD), Neighborhood Services Division (NSD), MACRO, 311, Oakland Public Works (OPW) and the Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) benefit from the -line view as they establish and/or improve public service delivery in high and highest priority business corridors.
As part of the next program phase, EWDD will oversee and administer the launch of a quarterly Community of Practice between Oakland's ambassador programs and their Community Based management and local economic development strategies. Community Based Organizations can make this capacity building aspect of the program effective through their own design and input on curriculum.
The Community of Practice will also intentionally focus on the role Ambassador programs play as a workforce development tool. Acknowledging the experience Ambassadors receive on the job provides an opportunity to highlight employment pathways in other sectors such as security, healthcare, environmental construction and maintenance, and public management, building assets and wealth for local residents as communities care for their corridors. The Community of Practice can also help advise on the design of dir
Development programs.
Table 1: Funds Available
In the FY 2024-25 Budget the following amounts were allocated by area:
Business District/Corridor Amount Allocated
Dimond/Laurel and MacArthur $200,000
Fruitvale $100,000
Hegenberger $100,000
High Priority Corridors, Little Saigon, San
Antonio/Clinton Park; Community of Practice
for Safety and Corridor Ambassador
Services
$50,000
Total funds allocated $450,000
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 4
City Council
December 3, 2024
Corridor Safety and Ambassador Service Plan
Dimond/Laurel Business Corridors
Located in District 4, the Dimond business district is comprised of independently owned businesses La Farine, Bombera) and franchises
concentrated along a two-block radius surrounding the intersections of Macarthur Blvd and Fruitvale Avenue. The business corridor is also a busy transportation hub serving residents in the adjacent Oakmore, Glenview, and Lincoln Highlands neighborhoods. A series of business closures and long-term vacancies increased in 2023 due in part to increased property crime. In 2023, OPD crime data for Area 3 reported commercial burglary increased 92% over the previous year. The Dimond Improvement Association, a volunteer led community group convenes monthly to coordinate and implement a variety of activities including monthly community clean ups, and production of the annual Oaktoberfest, a family friendly two-day festival along the Fruitvale/MacArthur business corridor.
The Laurel business district, also in District 4 is on MacArthur Blvd, from 35 th Avenue to High
Street, and serves as an important business district that serves eastern neighborhoods as well as the District 4 area in the Laurel, Allendale, Redwood Heights neighborhoods to the east, the Dimond District to the north and the Maxwell Park neighborhood to the south. The Laurel Business Improvement District implemented a safety ambassador program during the 2023- 2024 holiday shopping season. The program results included a 27% decrease in property crime and a 31% decrease in violent crime during the course of the program from December 1, 2023 to January 15, 2024. The Laurel Business Improvement District will administer the ambassador grants for both the Dimond and Laurel business districts in coordination with the Dimond Improvement Association.
Hegenberger Business Corridor
Within District 7, the Hegenberger commercial corridor serves as an entry point for visitors to Oakland and includes the Airport Business Park. District 7 hosts 4,000 employees and 3,318 businesses including the Airport Business Park which supports the Oakland International Airport, making it a major economic engine for the SF Bay Area. Creating a safe and vibrant commercial district that services the thousands of visitors, business owners and operators in the cleanliness profile shows 64,532 Service Requests to 311 in 2022, 31% were for Illegal Dumping, 11% were for police and 3% were for Abandoned Autos. District 7 sits within OPD Area 6 where commercial burglaries have increased by 124% since 2021 and 59% since 2017.
These are some of the highest increases in burglary in the city and the impact of the increase in commercial crime has been felt by Distric
car rental, gas stations, construction and manufacturing and business owners and operators identified several pressing issues that need immediate attention to provide for a safer business environment conducive to the increased activity expected during the holiday travel and shopping season including a lack of police presence and slow response times for emergency calls.
Fruitvale Business Corridor
Within District 5, the Fruitvale/International Boulevard commercial area, anchored by the Fruitvale BART Station, the Fruitvale Transit Village adjacent to the BART Station, and various commercial areas located in the District have emerged as an important cultural and commercial District 5 hosts 2,659 businesses that employ 9,000
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 5
City Council
December 3, 2024
people, offering Latino-oriented goods and services, authentic Mexican and Central American cuisine. The District features widely attended cultural events such as Día de Los Muertos which draws as many as 80,000 people per year. In addition to its retail and restaurant offerings, a distinguishing feature of the district is its rich network of social services, including health centers, schools, and social service organizations, which serve as major employers, draw additional customers to the area, and provide services that help stabilize the surrounding community. Specifically, health and service agencies employ approximately a quarter of the workforce in this area. The three largest non-profit organizations in this area serve more than 40,000 people per year. The Fruitvale Village is a multimodal corridor accessible by vehicle, BART and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along International Boulevard and attracts the highest vehicle traffic of any commercial area along International Boulevard (50,000 daily vehicles). The Fruitvale BART station is the 4
th busiest BART station in the East Bay with an average of 80,000 monthly trips. The Fruitvale Transit Village, developed by The Unity Council, acts as an important mixed-use, transit-oriented development linking the BART station to International Boulevard.
2022; 32% were Illegal Dumping, 12% were for Police and 4% were Abandoned Autos. District 5 sits within OPD Area 3 where commercial crime has increased by 92% since 2022 and 73% since 2017.
Community of P ractice/Little Saigon/San Antonio/Beat 19X Trybe Family currently provides corridor safety and ambassador services in the Clinton Park/Little Saigon and San Antonio neighborhoods (Beat 19X) Trybe Family will implement and maintain those services in highest priority neighborhood of Beat 19x, and will also lead the peer learning and training model design and facilitation, that is the Community of Practice, wherein Trybe Family will convene, co-train, and provide a working training guidebook that aims to document promising practices and skills training for corridor safety ambassadors.
The curriculum design includes the following topics:
Calming & de-escalation skills training
Community engagement skills including direct outreach, relationship and trust building Beautification: picking up trash, graffiti abatement, 311, power-washing, trimming trees Community Improvements: garden, outdoor fitness equipment, chess/ play tables, gazebos, benches, respite areas, walking paths
Outreach & Education: making contact with neighbors, patrons, businesses, city staff, visitors, and all general public to establish a safe, pro-social, and welcoming environment of peace and community
Education of all stakeholders and visitors on community agreements and general safe practices for the area
Technical skills: pallet jack/forklift/liftgate, driving trucks, ladder safety Safety: CPR/First-Aid, Traffic Safety (how to set up proper traffic signs and how to be an effective signaler)
Scenario and experiential training: responding to people in mental health crisis, arson, human trafficking
Administrative skills: using computers, email, data/reporting, and Google Suite
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 6
City Council
December 3, 2024
Resource Navigation and ongoing training for the ambassador team
Within each of these districts, Corridor Safety and Ambassador programs have been previously established to enhance public safety and hospitality. Designed as public private partnerships, leveraging public and private funds includes on the job skills training to and local job opportunities, which further advances workforce development priorities in these highest and high priority neighborhoods.
ANALYSIS A ND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
While we have seen positive trends with crime overall, property crime continues to have a negative impact on businesses, depressing foot traffic and therefore affecting economic activity.
Commercial burglaries hit an all-time high in the City in 2023 burglaries increased 52% over the prior year, the Hegenberger area saw a 124% increase in commercial burglaries in the past year, and the Fruitvale/International Boulevard area experienced a 92% increase over last year. These statistics exclude vandalism and theft.
Immediate community-based solutions continue to be needed to secure these and other areas
season, and to sustain recent abatement of property and commercial crime. The most recent crime data exhibits a significant decrease across all crimes since January of 2024, aligning with national crime trends from January 2024 through June 2024. OPD Area crime data is a year over year comparison from September 2023 to September 2024 and shows double digit decreases in burglaries citywide, especially in commercial and auto crime which disproportionately impact businesses (see Attachment A).
business
corridors as part of a holistic, community led citywide safety strategy. Community Ambassadors can play a variety of roles that support a holistic sense of safety and wellbeing, from providing a welcoming presence on the street for residents, visitors and shopkeepers to conflict de- escalation and reporting; they are a community resource to bridge a communication and service gap between neighborhoods and beat officers/street patrols. However, Community Ambassadors alone are insufficient to address more complex drivers of property crime and theft. Therefore, this initiative aims to provide communities with the resources to address assets, resources, and capacity.
The proposed resolution would enhance Community Ambassador and Security Programs during the holiday shopping season in neighborhood shopping areas by making the following grant awards (see also Table 2).
A $200,000 grant to the Laurel Business Association to support safety initiatives and provide safety ambassadors/security guards in the Dimond and Laurel business corridors and stretches of MacArthur Blvd.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 7
City Council
December 3, 2024
A $100,000 grant to the Black Cultural Zone Community Development Corporation (BCZ) to implement a layered model of public safety personnel to secure the Hegenberger corridor between the Airport and 73rd Avenue.
A $100,000 grant to the Spanish Speaking Unity Council of Alameda County, Inc. to implement safety initiatives in the Fruitvale Village and International Boulevard business corridor.
A $50,000 grant to Trybe Inc. to design and implement the Community of Practice, and to provide safety ambassadors in the Clinton Park area of Little Saigon, including E.12 Street and International Boulevard business corridors and 19X police beat.
TABLE 2. Commercial Corridor Safety and Ambassador Grant Award
Commercial Corridor Safety and Ambassador Grants ($450,000):
Grantee Individual Maximum
Grant Amount
Total Not-to-Exceed
Grant Amount
Laurel District Association
(2592345), a Nonprofit Corporation
to serve the Dimond and Laurel
commercial districts
$200,000 $200,000
Black Cultural Zone Community
Development Corporation
(4533653), a Nonprofit Corporation
to serve the Hegenberger commercial
corridor
$100,000 $100,000
Spanish Speaking Unity Council of
Alameda County, Inc. (527967), a
Nonprofit Corporation to serve the
Fruitvale commercial district
$100,000 $100,000
Trybe Inc. (3623859), a Nonprofit
Corporation to serve the Little Saigon
commercial corridor, to lead and
administer training/workforce
development program (Community of
Practice)
$50,000 $50,000
TOTAL $450,000
Public safety is a citywide priority and has drawn support and partnership from several agencies and stakeholders both public and private.
In the Dimond and Laurel Districts, the Laurel District Association will deploy security guards who will also act as ambassadors, patrolling MacArthur Blvd, Fruitvale Ave, Dimond Ave, 35th Ave, and High St during daylight and overnight hours as determined by community input. They
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 8
City Council
December 3, 2024
will also modernize and upgrade the License Plate Reader camera systems at 10 intersections in the Dimond Laurel MacArthur corridor.
For the Hegenberger commercial district, Oakland Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff s Office and the California Highway Patrol have advanced coordinated law enforcement efforts to address crime hot spots. OPD has commenced installation of the Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) through the FLOCK camera system. These resources complement and will add another layer of support for the Black Cultural Zone, which is an organization that since 2022 has successfully piloted a Corridor Ambassador initiative, recruited and deployed dozens of corridor ambassadors to provide a presence along several business corridors, engaged with business owners, facilitated contact with City services, and reported making over 500 business contacts on everything from support with 311 reports of illegal dumping and service requests to access to business consulting services during the short pilot period (November, 2022 - January, 2023) (Resolution No. 89484).
In the Hegenberger corridor, BCZ in partnership with trusted messengers and violence interrupters in East Oakland, will deploy a multi-layered community engagement strategy and public safety initiative which leverages relationships with a network of trusted ambassadors, CREW, influencers, interrupters, and messengers. BCZ will also engage with community-based private security/safety patrols, involve members of the East Oakland Small Business Alliance and other Commercial Corridor business and property owners, and will coordinate with City Agencies and entities, including the Department of Violence Prevention. The goal is to engage and unify all stakeholders, expedite appropriate responses, and address public safety and quality of life concerns along the major commercial corridors in East Oakland bounded by Hegenberger/73rd Avenue, MacArthur/Foothill, 98th Avenue, and Doolittle. Building on the success of the BCZ Community Ambassador funding through the 2022 Shop Safe initiative, through this past year, BCZ will once again recruit, stipend, train, and deploy Community Safety Stewards and coordinate with public and private entities in a collaborative, multi-agency approach to secure the corridor during one of s.
In the Fruitvale District, Peralta Services Corporation, a social impact subsidiary of The Unity Council, will provide community ambassador services in the heart of the Fruitvale neighborhood, working to keep it clean and safe. This area includes the perimeter of the Fruitvale BART Plaza (a major transportation and cultural hub in East Oakland), and East 12th street and International Blvd from Fruitvale Ave to 37th St. Ambassadors provide foot patrol services during business hours, de-escalate situations when possible and report any safety issues they encounter. They also provide waste management services such as removing trash and small bulk items, and they engage in beautification activities in the community. They will coordinate with City of Oakland cleaning services as needed as well as connect community members to resources to include; social and financial support services, career and resource fairs in the area, and events.
In the Clinton Park and Little Saigon area, Trybe Family will sustain its corridor safety and ambassador services along the E12th Street to Foothill Blvd business corridor, and between 6th Ave to 11th Ave, as well as continue providing services in the 19X police beat. Trybe Family will also convene, facilitate and train the Community of Practice, the cohort of ambassadors and
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 9
City Council
December 3, 2024
service organizations that will be sharing promising practices as they deploy community driven ambassador services throughout the six business corridors in this program, and extending this training and resource sharing citywide.
In summary, Corridor Safety/Ambassador grants will:
Immediately expand safety, security, and Community Ambassador programs used in high priority neighborhood shopping and travel areas through the holidays.
Provide grants to implement community-specific initiatives and infrastructure improvements that support safety, network and community building goals.
Establish a citywide community of practice, leveraging City service support and training for ambassadors to establish a baseline understanding and relationship with OPD, MACRO, 311 and Neighborhood Services programs to support business corridor organizing and service delivery.
Respond to and advance community driven activities to build thriving, resilient business corridors across six Oakland neighborhoods.
These grants will compliment multi-agency efforts led by the Business Development team, which convenes Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT), Oakland Police Department (OPD), Fire, Code Enforcement and other key departments to steward operational enhancements including high-visibility patrol presence in commercial areas during key shopping times and enhanced coordination with commercial district ambassadors and security, including regular coordination meetings and shared communications devices.
While the recommended action contemplates a smaller program than anticipated with the approval of the Midcycle Budget, approval of the recommended action would advance the Citywide priority of holistic community safety by providing up to $450,000 of investment into highest priority areas to support safety efforts and can make a meaningful difference.
FISCAL I
MPACT
The anticipated source of funding for this program was the General Fund, which is why the item was pulled from the November 12, 2024 City Council agenda. At the direction of the City Administrator, staff worked to both scale down the program and identify alternative sources of funding. $1.5 million of
one-time revenue resulting from the Becker Boards and Outfront Billboard Agreements authorized as per City Council Resolution 89771 C.M.S. adopted on June 6, 2023. The terms of the legislation and the contracts stipulate that $150,000 per billboard is payable to the City as the billboards are installed, permitted, and become operational. least four billboards are currently operational, although final state (Caltrans) and local permits are still needed. As soon as the permits are finaled, $600,000 is due to the City with another $900,000 expected as the remainder of the billboards are installed and permitted. Because there are not date certain commitments in the legislation or the contracts with respect to when the installation of the billboards will occur, the anticipated revenue is not part of the Budget one-time billboard revenue is net
new.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 10
City Council
December 3, 2024
As this revenue is received, $450,000 will be appropriated to fund the recommended action, and the balance, $1,050,000, will go to the General Fund. There is a risk that the funding may not be received in time to mobilize the grantees for a holiday roll out.
The four hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) in funding for these grants are expected to be available as part of the General Purpose Fund (1010) Economic Development Organization Miscellaneous Contract Services Account (54919), Business Creation, Attraction, Retention, & Expansion Program (SC11),
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
Staff has been working across multiple City departments including the Oakland Police Department, Department of Transportation, Business Development, Special Events, to address business
corridor safety concerns, including responding to safety concerns citywide, and leading and facilitating merchant and resident coordination and collaboration efforts in high priority neighborhoods in Dimond, Downtown, Fruitvale, Hegenberger, Laurel and Little Saigon, in s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), including the Laurel Business Improvement District.
Staff convenes a monthly online inter-agency workshop with the above-named City departments to steward, facilitate and implement solutions in close concert with the Uptown/Downtown Nighttime Economy Committee, which includes venue operators such as the Paramount Theater, The Fox Theater, and the multitude of business owners and operators, commercial landlords, residents, business leaders and associations. These efforts have significantly addressed the impacts of the shifts in the type, timing, and impacts of increased nighttime business activity and resulting spikes in property and violent crime.
The Unity Council has also been an instrumental collaborator, participating and collaborating with Merchants Public Safety Committee, Neighborhood Services Coordinator, business operations and Ambassadors to develop a set of community informed solutions, in addition to coordination with law enforcement and with Staff. Staff attend the Merchant Public Safety meetings in the community and continue to be in communication on responses to ongoing concerns.
COORDINATION
The Budget Bureau and Office of the City Attorney were consulted in the preparation of this report and resolution, as well as Oakland Public Works, Oakland Police Department, and the City Administrator.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The proposed grants support community driven initiatives and interventions to create safe and welcoming spaces for residents, workers and visitors alike to enjoy during the
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 11
City Council
December 3, 2024
corridors, located in the Dimond, Fruitvale, Laurel, Hegenberger, and Little Saigon
and in the visitor experience, particularly during the holiday shopping and travel season. It is expected that these grants will preserve if not enhance economic activity, retain jobs and support safer business operations during a critical time for the business community.
Environmental: The proposed grants in part support community driven streetscape improvements, which shift the psychology of a space, lead to less illegal dumping, and combined with safety personnel, benefit the environment and can be used effectively as crime prevention strategies by altering how people engage in and move about the physical environment.
Race & Equity: This initiative centers on the urgency from the Oakland business community and residents in high priority neighborhoods, defined as communities with disproportionate concentrations of people of color, low-income households, and high levels of crime relative to other parts of the City. The Hegenberger, and Fruitvale commercial corridors experienced a disproportionate increase (52%- 124% from 2022 to 2023 ) in property crime, retail theft, and robbery. In the current year, these have trended downward, in part due to more coordinated efforts. It is critical to sustain services to support this downward trend, particularly in communities which increasingly house Black and Brown business owners and operators who have been disproportionately impacted relative to other parts of the city.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive A Resolution 1) Awarding Grants For The 2024-2025 Corridor Safety Ambassador Program To Non-profit Organizations Laurel District Association In An Amount Not To Exceed Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000), And To Black Cultural Zone And Spanish Speaking Unity Council Of Alameda County, Inc., In An Amount Not To Exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) Per Grantee, And To Trybe Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) For A Total Amount Not To Exceed Four Hundred And Fifty Thousand Dollars ($450,000) To Immediately Enhance Safety Ambassador And Personnel And Safety Programs During The 2024 Holiday Shopping Season And Throughout The Program Year In High Priority Neighborhood Business Corridors Including The Dimond, Laurel, Little Saigon, Hegenberger, And Fruitvale Business Corridors And To Establish A Community Of Practice Linking City Services And Training For Safety Ambassadors And Personnel; And 2) Authorizing The City Administrator To Negotiate And Enter Into Grant Agreements With Grantees For Fiscal Year 2024- 2025 With Authority To Extend The Terms Without Increasing The Amount Of The Grant Awards.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 12
City Council
December 3, 2024
For ques
tions regarding this report, please contact Cristy Limon Johnston at 510-238-6193.
Respectfully submitted,
ASH
LEIGH KANAT
Director, Economic & Workforce
Development Department
Re
viewed and Prepared by:
Cristy Limon Johnston, Deputy Director,
Economic & Workforce Development
Department
Attachments (4):
A: OPD Weekly Crime Report Citywide 23 Sep 29 Sep, 2024 B S
Weekly Crime Report 23 Sep 29 Sep,. 2024
C. Percentage Changes in Burglary, Oakland Police Department Jan Dec, 2022, from W
eekly Crime Report
D. FY23-24 Program Impact Report
ATTACHMENT A
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 13
City Council
December 3, 2024
OPD Weekly Crime Report Citywide 23 Sep 29 Sep, 2024
ATTACHMENT B
Percentage Changes in Burglary, Oakland Police Department 23, Sep 23 ep 24, from Weekly Crime Report 23 Sep 29 Sep,. 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 14
City Council
December 3, 2024
Area 1
(Downtown
W Oak)
Area 2
(N Oak
Uptown)
Area 3
(Fruitvale
Central Oak)
Area 4
(E Oak Mills
Leona)
Area 5
(E Oakland
Knowland
Park)
Area 6
(Coliseum OAK
Airport)
Percentage
Change
1-Yr
3-YR
1-YR
3-YR
1-YR
3-YR
1-YR
3-YR
1-YR
3-YR
1-YR
3-YR
All Burglary -59% -43% -57% -35% -38% -20% -19% 4% -29% -7% -75% -62% Commercial -48% -31% -40% -25% -50% -34% -21% 0% -37% -18% -19% -19% Auto -62% -47% -61% -39% -42% -23% -30% -3% -44% -19% -81% -70% Motor
Vehicle
Theft
-19%
2%
-31%
-5%
-14%
6%
-18%
1%
-29%
11%
-20%
-7%
Larceny -37% -30% -23% -18% -9% 2% -15% -8% -29% -16% -49% -27% Carjacking
215(a) PC
-47%
-24%
-32%
-13%
-34%
21%
-35%
-20%
-21%
-9%
-34%
-20%
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 15
City Council
December 3, 2024
ATTACHMENT C
Percentage Changes in Burglary, Oakland Police Department Jan Dec, 2022, from Weekly Crime Report
Area 1
(Downtown
W Oak)
Area 2 (N
Oak
Uptown
Area 3
(Fruitvale
Central Oak)
Area 4
(E Oak Mills
Leona)
Area 5
(E Oakland
Knowland
Park)
Area 6
(Coliseum
OAK
Airport)
Percentag
e Change
1-Yr
5-YR
1-YR
5-YR
1-YR
5-YR
1-YR
5-YR
1-YR
5-YR
1-YR
5-YR
All
Burglary
2%
6%
18%
2%
-1%
-7%
-32%
-42%
-12%
-29%
66%
48%
Commerci
al
59%
52%
112
%
82%
92%
73%
22%
19%
84%
41%
124
%
59%
Auto -1% 3% 14% -3% -7% -8% -52% -59% -35% -47% 67% 56% Unknown
Location
73%
110
%
25%
75%
217
%
116
%
300
%
131
%
22%
28%
20%
43%
Motor
Vehicle
Theft
19%
33%
1%
33%
4%
14%
0%
13%
6%
22%
-2%
13%
Larceny 30% 16% 30% 22% -1% 2% -2% 1% 2% -3% 44% 24%
Carjacking
215(a)
PC
0%
30%
27%
74%
-3%
78%
-1%
61%
-7%
30%
2%
39%
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 16
City Council
December 3, 2024
ATTACHMENT D: FY23-24 Program Impact Report
LAUREL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION REPORT
The Laurel Holiday Safety Ambassador Program (LSAP) achieved its goal of reducing crime and fostering a safer and more welcoming environment in the Laurel District over a six week period from December 1, 2023 through January 15, 2024, during the 2023-2024 holiday shopping season.
The Ambassadors received training to provide security and hospitality services with an emphasis on community engagement. LSAP provided two daytime and evening walking Ambassadors and an overnight security patrol. The walking Ambassadors covered the business district checking in with Laurel merchants and members of the public along their route.
Ambassadors were available to respond to safety and security incidents and to escort patrons and workers upon request. The overnight patrol roved the district throughout the night in a marked vehicle with flashing lights.
There was 29% less crime in the Laurel during the Safety Ambassador Program compared to the same period the year prior. Within that statistic, violent crime fell 36% and property crime dropped by 24%.
There were fewer crimes reported during LSAP compared to the average six weeks leading into the period, and the number of reported crimes climbed 32% during the six weeks after.
Community surveys reported that both merchants (89%) and patrons (92%) felt safer during the Program and 75% of people reported that they are more likely to shop in the Laurel in light of the improved atmosphere.
The survey results are corroborated by hundreds of logged interactions between the Ambassadors and Laurel community members documenting their gratitude and appreciation for the Ambassadors and LSAP as well.
The Laurel Business Association reported their safety personnel had over 1,200 interactions with community, escorted 43 people safely to their destination, and 94% of merchants reported satisfaction with the program.
FRUITVALE BUSINESS CORRIDOR
The Safety Ambassadors program in the Fruitvale District community, managed by Peralta Service Corporation (PSC), aimed to ensure safety and foster a positive environment for customers, merchants, and vendors. Ambassadors engaged actively in various duties aimed at enhancing community comfort and security throughout their tenure.
The safety ambassador program in the Fruitvale district served:
50,000 residents and 15,000 households, part of the Fruitvale and the International Boulevard primary trade area, the area is home to many young families with children. 8,000 daily passengers, The Fruitvale Village is next to the Fruitvale BART station which is the East Bay's 4th busiest station.
365 businesses and non-profit organizations, including 45 health, education, and human
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 17
City Council
December 3, 2024
services organizations, 20 establishments specialize in personal and business services and over 200 retail storefronts and restaurants which the corridor houses.
International Boulevard, a major road that attracts 50,000 vehicles daily, is particularly vulnerable to property crime.
Fruitvale Public Safety Survey
Between December 2023 and February 2024, fifty-three business owners were surveyed to assess their sense of safety as the grantee The Unity Council sought to increase public safety measures by hiring safety ambassadors to patrol the area.
In the pre-survey, business owners reported high levels of feeling unsafe and crime victimization. Nearly three quarters (74%) stated they did not feel safe during their business hours, and about two-thirds (68%) also indicated that their employees did not feel safe.
Additionally, forty-two percent of business owners reported that they had been a victim of a crime near their business, and nearly two-thirds (62%) stated they had witnessed a crime occur against others near their business in the last three months. Their feelings of unsafety were exacerbated by a lack of police and safety ambassadors in the area, with two thirds (66%) reporting that they had not seen police or safety ambassadors in the area in the last three months.
These safety concerns have also impacted their business sales with almost three-quarters (72%) of business owners indicating they experienced a decrease in sales in the last three months.
Twenty-four business owners were then surveyed again in June 2024 to assess the impact that hiring safety ambassadors between December 2023 and March 2024 had on their perceived sense of safety.
According to the post-survey, business owners reported lower levels of feeling unsafe and crime victimization. Half (50%) stated they did not feel safe during their business hours, but nearly two-thirds (63%) indicated that their employees did not feel safe during their business hours.
Furthermore, a third (33%) stated they had been a victim of a crime near their business, and about half (58%) reported they had witnessed a crime occur against others near their business in the last three months. These changes could potentially be attributed to the hiring of safety ambassadors, since there was an increase in business owners who indicated they had seen more police and safety ambassadors between December and March, from thirty-four percent to forty-two percent.
Business owners also indicated more positive sales outcomes. Twenty-one percent of business owners who completed the post-survey indicated they saw an increase in sales, compared to only eight percent of business owners who completed the pre-survey.
HEGENBERGER BUSINESS CORRIDOR
Ambassador provider, Black Cultural Zone (BCZ) recruited, trained and deployed 40 Oakland residents that provided conflict resolution, de-escalation and service connections along the Hegenberger business corridor and surrounding streets.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 18
City Council
December 3, 2024
BCZ reports the following outcomes:
Ambassadors completed nearly 3,000 interactions with businesses and corridor visitors.
This reflects their continuous outreach efforts, including weekly check-ins with businesses along their routes.
Ambassadors provided valuable information on various resources and initiatives, including: BCZ Events, Shop Safe Oakland program, COVID-19 safety protocols, Business Network Support Network (BNSN), Small Business Alliance resources, Oak 311 non-emergency services, Keep Oakland Housed programs, Safety Ambassador Program, Market Hall information
Ambassadors identified and reported concerns raised by businesses, such as:
o Business counseling need
o Public safety issues
o Issues requiring reporting via Oak 311 (e.g., trash, blight) Observations: During their walks, ambassadors documented key observations to inform future program actions, including:
o Trash and illegal dumping
o Public drug use
o Crime activity
Building a Safer, More Connected Community: The Safety Ambassador program goes beyond simply walking the corridors. It fosters a collaborative environment where residents, businesses, and ambassadors work together to create a safer, more vibrant community.
Dedicated Ambassadors: Our dedicated team of Safety Ambassadors walks the designated areas, engaging with residents and local businesses. This interaction builds trust and fosters a shared sense of responsibility for public safety. Beyond these walks, ambassadors become trusted resources, providing residents and businesses with critical information, assistance, and general support daily.
Life-Changing Opportunities: The program's impact extends beyond safety. We've hired and trained several unemployed, underemployed, and hard-to-employ individuals. Many ambassadors expressed immense gratitude for the chance to contribute to their community and regain a sense of belonging. The program provides valuable skills and training, helping them reintegrate into the community and secure future employment.
Collaborative Problem-Solving and Community Vision: Bringing together safety ambassadors and neighborhood messengers fosters a space for residents to share ideas and develop a collective vision for their community. Our January 2024 meeting resulted in a range of "Visionary Ideas" for East Oakland's International Boulevard, addressing issues like youth development, abandoned vehicles, arts & culture, and education. These ideas showcase the community's diverse needs and aspirations, providing valuable insights for future planning and development initiatives.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Corridor Safety Ambassador Grants
Date: November 20, 2024 Page 19
City Council
December 3, 2024
Looking Forward: The program continues to operate successfully in the Hegenberger and International Boulevard corridor, with ongoing assessments confirming positive community feedback and sustained safety improvements. BCZ is actively planning year three, focusing on expanding safety walks and fostering deeper partnerships for a more vibrant and secure community.