(Revised 09 13 18)
PUBLIC INTEGRITY DISCLOSURE
APPLICANT DISCLOSURE FORM
1. Name of Entity
2. Address of Entity (Principle Place of Business)
3. Local or California Address (if different than #2)
4. State where Entity is Registered with Secretary of State If other than California, is the Entity also registered in California? Yes No
5. Type of Entity
Corporation Limited Liability Company Partnership Trust Other (please specify)
6. Officers, Directors, Members, Managers, Trustees, Other Fiduciaries (please specify) Note: If any response is not a natural person, please identify all officers, directors, members, managers and other fiduciaries for the member, manager, trust or other entity _________________________________________________ Officer Director Member Manager [name]
General Partner Limited Partner
Other ____________________________________
_________________________________________________ Officer Director Member Manager [name]
General Partner Limited Partner
Other ____________________________________
_________________________________________________ Officer Director Member Manager [name]
General Partner Limited Partner
Other ____________________________________
IEHP Foundation
9500 Cleveland Ave, Suite 120, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 See attached list
California
Item 3F - Page 6
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS – PUBLIC INTEGRITY DISCLOSURE
APPLICANT DISCLOSURE FORM
(Revised 09 13 18)
7. Owners/Investors with a 5% beneficial interest in the Applicant Entity or a related entity
EXAMPLE
JANE DOE
[name of owner/investor]
50%, ABC COMPANY, Inc.
[percentage of beneficial interest in entity
and name of entity]
A.
[name of owner/investor] [percentage of beneficial interest in entity
and name of entity]
B.
[name of owner/investor] [percentage of beneficial interest in entity
and name of entity]
C.
[name of owner/investor] [percentage of beneficial interest in entity
and name of entity]
D.
[name of owner/investor] [percentage of beneficial interest in entity
and name of entity]
E.
[name of owner/investor] [percentage of beneficial interest in entity and name of entity]
I DECLARE UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THAT THE FOREGOING IS TRUE AND CORRECT.
Signature of Disclosing Party, Printed Name, Title Date N/A
Randee Roberts, Sr. Finance Director 6/26/24
Item 3F - Page 7
BOARD MEMBER and CEO LIST
Name Board Title
Stephen Bennett Board Chair
Karen Scott Vice Chair
Regina Weatherspoon-Bell Secretary
Conrado Barzaga, MD Treasurer
Josh Candelaria Board Member
Edward Juhn, MD, MBA, MPH Board Member
Geoffrey Leung, MD Board Member
Jarrod McNaughton, MBA,
FACHE
Board Member
Greg Bradbard CEO
Item 3F - Page 8
I p
Foundation
ATTACHMENT B
Item 3F - Page 9
ASSESSMENT, READINESS,
AND FEASIBILITY REPORT
Palm Springs, CA
Riverside County
April 2023
Item 3F - Page 10
Thank You
We want to thank Riverside University Health System - Public Health for partnering with us in this assessment. We applaud them in their ongoing commitment to improving well-being in Riverside County by bringing the best innovations to the region. We also want to acknowledge the support of our assessment contributors, who share our vision of a healthier, happier future for Riverside County.
Ben Leedle, CEO Blue Zones
Thank You
We want to thank the City of Palm Springs for partnering with us in this assessment. We applaud them in their ongoing commitment to improving well-being by bringing the best innovations to the region. We also want to acknowledge the support of our assessment contributors, who share our vision of a healthier, happier future for Palm Springs.
Ben Leedle, CEO Blue Zones
Item 3F - Page 11
Riverside
County -
Steering
Committee
Executive Director
Reach Out
Diana Fox
Chief Executive Officer
RUHS Medical
Center
Jennifer Cruikshank
CEO
Desert Regional
Medical Center
Michele Finney
Executive Director
Riverside County
Transportation Committee
Anne Mayer
Advisor to Mayor:
Policy and Advocacy
City of Riverside
Edward Coronado
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Community Health Association
Inland Southern Region
Jodie Wingo
Assistant City Manager
City of Riverside
Rafael Guzman
Former CEO
Greater Riverside
Chamber of Commerce
Cindy Roth
Superintendent
Riverside County
Office of Education
Edwin Gomez (Dr.)
Director of Sustainability &
Community Engagement
Palm Springs Convention
& Visitor Center
Lauren Bruggemans
Former Mayor
City of Riverside
Rusty Bailey
Chief of Cardiology
Kaiser Permanente
Columbus Batiste
City Manager
City of Coachella
Gabriel Martin (Dr.)
Chief Strategy Officer
Community Advocacy for
Desert Care Network
Linda Evans
Executive Director
Alianza
Silvia Paz
CEO
Desert Healthcare
District & Foundation
Conrado Barzaga (Dr.)
Former Mayor
City of Palm Springs
Geoff Kors
President
Inland SoCal United
Way, 211+ Connect IE
Lisa Wright
Executive Director
Inland Congregations
United for Change
Tom Dolan
Executive Director
DAP Health
David Brinkman
Chief Executive Officer
Inland Empire
Health Plan (IEHP)
Jarrod McNaughton
Chair & Professor
UC Riverside
Mark Wolfson
Executive Director
Mizell Center
Wes Winter
CEO
Tilden-Coil
Construction
Dayne Brassard
Chief Executive Officer
Riverside County -
Executive Office
Jeff Van Wagenen
President &
Chief Executive Officer
Eisenhower Health
Martin (Marty) Massiello
Assistant CEO
RUHS
Zareh Sarrafian
Item 3F - Page 12
Activate Palm Springs Keynote — March 15, 2023
4 Activate Palm Springs Report
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Activate Palm Springs - By the Numbers
KEYNOTE EVENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/
SCHOOLS FOCUS GROUPS
POLICY FOCUS GROUPS
120+
key community
stakeholder attendees
30+
community members
engaged
100+
individuals
engaged
Activate Palm Springs Report 5
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BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here
The report is divided into the following sections:
• The Executive Summary contains a high-level look at our major findings and recommendations.
• The next section outlines the Blue Zones approach to
community well-being transformation.
• The next three sections provide detailed findings and recommendations for the Policy, Places, and People sectors we explored.
• The last section is the Appendix with additional data, references, policy scans, and other supplemental
information.
This report builds upon what we have learned from Palm
Springs. It is not exhaustive of what is going on in all these arenas, but a pulse assessment of the feasibility of applying the Blue Zones model to Palm Springs.
As with other communities of focus in Riverside County, findings and recommendations at the county level, can be found in the Appendix of this report.
How to read this report:
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................... 8
THE BLUE ZONES MODEL
What is Blue Zones .................................................. 16 Power 9....................................................................17 Life Radius............................................................. 19 What We Do .............................................................. 20 The Blue Zones Approach.............................. 20 Transformation is Possible ..............................24 Value Delivered and Measured......................25
Well-Being Imperative ......................................26 POLICY
Built Environment .................................................... 54 PLACES
Schools........................................................................108 Worksites ...................................................................120 Restaurants ...............................................................130 Grocery Stores .........................................................136 PEOPLE
Civic & Faith-Based Organizations ................. 144 Media ...........................................................................158
APPENDIX
Riverside County Assessment ...........................162 Built Environment .............................................164 Food Environment............................................ 178 Tobacco Policy.................................................. 190 Worksites ............................................................202 Value Brief .................................................................216 Meet Our Team........................................................228 Activate Palm Springs Report 7
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.... ·•
... ••
BLUE ZONES
Executive
Summary
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Palm Springs is a vibrant desert oasis with a history and culture that sets it apart from any other place in the country.
The city’s mid-century modern architecture is a hallmark of its identity, and residents take pride in preserving and celebrating the city’s architectural heritage. Its historical significance as a playground for old Hollywood is another notable feature; the warm, sunny climate, natural hot springs, and stunning natural beauty make it a popular destination for wellness tourism and relaxation. Palm Springs is also home to a thriving arts and culture scene, with world-class museums, galleries, and performance spaces.
The city has a diverse population of almost 45,000 people, with approximately 30% Hispanic residents, and, as an
attractive retirement destination, with about 30% of residents over 65 years old. City leaders are committed to working together to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to thrive, and there has been strategic investment in the local community and the downtown commercial districts.
Despite the city’s unique blend of natural beauty, architectural heritage, and walkable neighborhoods, Palm Springs faces some significant challenges. The high cost of living, fluctuating population through the seasons, lack of diversified economy and well-paid employment opportunities, car dependence, and limited public transit coverage and frequency of service means the city is plagued by the same U.S. trends that threaten the health and prosperity of many Americans.
According to Gallup, 4 out of 5 residents are overweight or obese, 3 in 5 are struggling with their health, and 2 in 3 experience regular financial stress. These well-being shortcomings are not only causing needless suffering for the people in Palm Springs, they are also costing countless millions in lost productivity, absenteeism, and healthcare costs. We estimate that over the next five years, the city could save about $207 million with a coordinated comprehensive effort. *See Appendix for full Value Brief
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BLUE ZONES
The city is plagued by the same U.S. trends that threaten the health and prosperity of many Americans.
According
to Gallup:
4 in 5 Palm Springs
residents are
overweight or obese
3 in 5 are
struggling with
their health
2 in 3 experience
regular financial stress
For the people of Palm Springs, everyone needs
better access to the things that measurably improve
well-being, including healthy food, transportation
options, jobs, education, and safe places to gather
with others. Everyone gains from creating a resilient,
prosperous city where all residents have equitable
access to opportunities and can contribute to the
larger community and economy.
Residents of Palm Springs and the city leadership
are ready to jumpstart community transformation. A
long-term, regional collective vision is foundational
for success, and will allow the people and
organizations working together to leverage and
amplify each other’s efforts over time.
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BLUE ZONES
Blue Zones helps communities optimize their human-made surroundings so the healthy choice is not only the easy choice, but at times the unavoidable choice in the places and spaces people spend the most time. We achieve this by improving:
Policy
We’ve aggregated evidence-based policy “menus” that favor healthy food over junk food, walkability over increased traffic, the non-smoker over smokers, and a “sweetspot” for alcohol consumption that allows for a vibrant community with a minimum of misuse. Then, we help the city drive consensus around most feasible and effective policies. Finally, we ensure that the chosen policies are implemented.
Places
We administer a Blue Zones Approval Program that recognizes places that make it easy to help people eat less junk food, move naturally all day, smoke less, build strong social networks, and live out their lives with purpose. In five years, we aim to get 30% of all of the region’s schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and workplaces Blue Zones Approved.
People
Our teams will help 15% of the adult population to optimize their homes for less mindless eating and more natural movement, upgrade their social circle so that they have at least five healthy friends they see regularly, and identify their life purpose and put it to work through volunteering. This perfect storm of healthy nudges and defaults sets people up for success as they move through their day.
Blue Zones brought a team of experts
together during the assessment period,
where we investigated conditions, talked to
local stakeholders, ran focus groups across
sectors, and dove deeply into data. To truly
understand the community and its strengths
and challenges, we try to understand it from
as many angles as we can - from a bird’s
eye view to a data-centric view to close
conversations with residents and neighbors.
This process was the foundation for our
community transformation plan centered
around the Blue Zones philosophy of
making healthy choices easier for everyone
living in Palm Springs.
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BLUE ZONES
READINESS MEASUREMENT
Readiness is measured on a scale from 1-5 (low to high, respectively) and is a reflection of attendance of key leadership at events or one-on-one meetings, and overall community input during the assessment process.
CRITERIA: Alignment of community’s current initiatives and strategic plans with Blue Zones Palm Springs is making strides in health and well-being initiatives that align well with Blue Zones, including the revitalization of the Downtown and an expanding active transportation network. The City’s mission statement includes dedication “to providing excellent and responsive public services to enhance the quality of life for current and future generations”, with the most recent strategic plan priorities focused on Quality of Life, Environmental Stewardship, Community Infrastructure, and Good Governance. Many priorities are targeted towards improving quality of life, communications, sustainability, and strengthening the city’s urban fabric. There are opportunities to collaborate on initiatives underway and strategically align future initiatives across Palm Springs Many of the 130+ Community leaders engaged expressed a strong desire to learn more about and engage with Blue Zones to achieve a healthier and happier place to live, work, play, and grow old.
CRITERIA: Leadership Support Across Sectors
Senior leadership from across Palm Springs including City Staff (including Mayor and Council and the City Manager’s Office), Steering Committee members, and non-profits came together to drive a highly attended In-Community Assessment that was attended by over 100 keynote attendees and 30 focus group participants from across healthcare, government, education, private sector, civic and non profit organizations, and faith-based organizations. These leaders demonstrated a strong commitment and support towards a Blue Zones transformation in the City of Palm Springs. Community leaders were eager to participate in both the keynote and focus groups, and provided valuable insights and suggestions for alignment with Blue Zones work. Community leaders were proud to share the many exciting initiatives underway in Palm Springs towards health and well-being and provided examples of how Blue Zones could support and help expedite these initiatives. Leaders from across the community expressed that the City’s large retirement population represents an invaluable resource that could be enhanced through Blue Zones work to encourage cross sector communication and collaboration. In a next stage Blue Zones transformation it will be important to engage additional sector leaders that align with the scope of transformation including major employers and tourism and hospitality employers.
SCORE:
5.0 SCORE:
5.0 12 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
CRITERIA: Governing Body Support and Continuity
As noted previously, senior City leadership played a pivotal role in the success of the In-Community Assessment, which engaged with over 130 key stakeholders. Senior City leadership supported outreach to the Community including issuing invitations and making personal outreach demonstrating strong and wellengaged leadership. Many City Officials have demonstrated support for a Blue Zones transformation in Palm Springs.
CRITERIA: Well-Being Improvement
Key well-being indicators show that there is a high need across Palm Springs for a well-being transformation effort, such as a Blue Zones Project. This includes higher than average rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol among other risks when compared to top MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) communities. Inactivity, poor diet, and tobacco use are also all higher than benchmark MSA’s. Additionally, disease prevalence rates in Diabetes and depression also far exceed that of the benchmark MSA’s. By leveraging Blue Zones model for transformation, there is an opportunity to positively impact these, and other, risks and improve well-being for all residents of Palm Springs.
SCORE:
5.0 SCORE:
5.0 Activate Palm Springs Report 13
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BLUE ZONES
The Blue Zones
Approach
14 Activate Palm Springs Report
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What is Blue Zones
The Original Blue Zones
Places where people
live measurably longer,
healthier lives
In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed with National Geographic, the National Institutes on Aging, and the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people lived measurably better, longer. In these blue zones, they found that people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States. 16 Activate Palm Springs Report
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Ikaria, Greece
Lom~a Lincla, California
0 - N1coya Peninsula, Costa Rica
()
BLUE ZONES
Power 9®
Though the original blue zones are located
across vastly different parts of the world, their
residents share nine specific traits that lead
to longer, healthier, and happier lives. We call
these the Power 9®.
1. Move Naturally
The world’s longest–lived people
are in environments that nudge
them into moving without thinking
about it.
2. Purpose
Waking up in the morning knowing
your purpose is worth up to seven
years of extra life expectancy.
3. Down Shift
Stress leads to chronic inflammation
and is associated with every major
age–related disease. The world’s
longest–lived people have routines
that shed stress.
4. 80% Rule
“Hara hachi bu”—the Okinawans
say this mantra before meals as
a reminder to stop eating when
80 percent full.
5. Plant Slant
The cornerstone of most
centenarian diets? Beans. They
typically eat meat—mostly pork—
only five times per month.
6. Wine at 5
Moderate drinkers outlive nondrinkers, especially if they share those drinks with friends.
7. Positive Pack
The world’s longest–lived people
chose or were born into social circles
that support healthy behaviors.
8. Loved Ones First
Centenarians put their families
first. They keep aging parents and
grandparents nearby, commit to a life
partner and invest in their children.
9. Belong
Attending faith-based services four
times per month—no matter the
denomination—adds up to 14 years
of life expectancy.
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w
I
I
a
BLUE ZONES
Blue Zones Mission: We help people live better,
longer by improving their environment.
18 Activate Palm Springs Report
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Blue Zones focuses first on changing the
human-made surroundings and systems
that have such a big impact on our health
instead of focusing on changing individual
behaviors. We take an environmental
approach to improving the health and
well-being of entire communities by
impacting the places and spaces people
live, work, and play.
We focus on the Life Radius®,
the 20-mile radius close to
home where we spend 90%
of our lives.
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BLUE ZONES
What We Do
The Blue Zones Approach
How can we improve all the places and spaces we spend the most time so that the healthy choice is the easiest choice? In our work in communities, we improve the food environment and built environment to increase the availability and accessibility of healthy food and opportunities to walk, bike, and move. To reduce the culture of excessive drinking and the culture of smoking on the population level, we focus on policies to reduce the access and availability of alcohol and tobacco products. To improve the social environment and reduce loneliness, we help people find ways to connect, give back, and find their purpose.
We weave together a set of complementary strategies that are multifaceted and multi-level and target the entire community — we use policy as the biggest lever to create positive change, but we also reach into all the places people live, work, learn, worship and play.
INCREASE HEALTHY
FOOD AND MOVEMENT
OPTIONS
DECREASE
TOBACCO AND
ALCOHOL OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
We use Gallup’s Well-Being Data to inform our work. Wellbeing includes not just physical health, but also social, financial, community, and career health. You can predict someone’s life expectancy and health status based on their zip code, and this “Zip Code Effect” shows wide health
disparities exist.
These disparities affect well-being and quality of life but also cost billions of dollars in terms of unnecessary healthcare costs and lost productivity. The interconnectedness of our health to that of our neighbors has never been more clear, and we believe that communities can bridge glaring gaps with a community-wide initiative that combines macroscale policies and micro-level grassroots action.
In our work in over 70 communities in America, we’ve
demonstrated a measurable ability to increase levels of physical activity and the consumption of healthy food over junk food. We’ve seen smoking, obesity, and loneliness
decline. We are good at helping people find their purpose and put that purpose to work. All of these factors have a measurable impact on people’s well-being. We work with
the world’s top experts, use the science of well-being, and find deep engagement at the community level. We build a collective vision with people and leaders to drive consensus around policies that will be most effective and feasible in creating a healthier and happier population.
We test rigorously, innovate relentlessly, and
use evidence-based strategies to improve
health at a population level. The result is that
people improve their lives and strengthen
their community at the same time.
Community Collaboration
An essential component to Blue Zones is
meeting the community where they are. A Blue
Zones Project is not something that is “done”
to a community, but rather in full collaboration
with the community. From hiring the local
team directly from the community to hosting
design charrettes to dedicated staff specifically
for community engagement, the Blue Zones
process is grounded on collaborating, listening,
and learning from residents, stakeholders, and
leaders within the neighborhoods.
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BLUE ZONES
Fort Worth moved from
185th to 31st healthiest in
the nation since launch of
Blue Zones Project.
Physical activity is
up 16.8 percent since 2014.
$9.9M funding secured for
built environment policies and
infrastructure projects and
$656k secured for community
and school gardens.
Fort Worth, TX, the largest Certified
Blue Zones Community®
Since we began work in 2014, the largest gains in well-being came among those who needed it the most. Neighborhoods and sectors of Fort Worth whose residents showed the highest well-being disparities in 2014 now show the greatest gains in well-being. Higher risk populations have lower health outcomes and higher-than-average rates of healthcare costs; this significant achievement comes at a time when most cities in the U.S. see widening gaps in health disparities.
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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
BLUE ZONES
25% INCREASE
$425M 31% DECREASE
in property values in
downtown Albert Lea, MN
Muscatine, IA
received in grants
in smoking in
Fort Worth, TX
15% DROP
68% DROP
in overweight and obese adults in Beach Cities, CA
in Childhood Obesity
in healthcare spending
over 6 years at NCH
in Florida
54% DECREASE
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Transformation is Possible
In 2009, Blue Zones worked in partnership with the
AARP and the United Health Foundation to apply
the Power 9 principles to Albert Lea, Minnesota.
It worked: After just one year, participants added an estimated 2.9 years to their average lifespan, while health care claims for city workers dropped 49 percent.
Blue Zones has since expanded to over 70 communities across the United States, impacting millions of people.
At Blue Zones, we transform communities. Applying the principles of the world’s longest lived people, we are pioneers in creating big picture change through altering environments — the places where people live, work, learn, and play. Rather than a siloed approach that concentrates on specific challenges, we represent a paradigm shift to a focus on root causes, not just the symptoms. We help reengineer environments and cultures to make the healthy choice the easy choice and measurably improve the well-being of entire populations. “...the biggest healthy living experiment
in America.”
— DALLAS MORNING NEWS
24 Activate Palm Springs Report
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~~ BLUE ZONES™
BLUE ZONES
Value Delivered and Measured
Transforming communities takes time, but every step of the way adds value.
Blue Zones rigorously measures this value throughout the entire process so that change is not just felt, but proven. Our work is quantifiable through three levels of meaningful impact:
Reduction in lifestyle risks
Well-being isn’t just an idea. It’s calculable. We measure risk reduction with the Gallup Well-Being Index® and survey elements tied to overall well-being improvement and Blue Zones interventions.
Movement in community prioritized metrics
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Your community has its own unique challenges and concerns, and a Blue Zones activation is tailored to make them a priority. We work with community leadership to identify and track community-specific metrics utilizing available data sources.
Media interest
Working with Blue Zones is a partnership with a global brand, respected for our pioneering longevity research and groundbreaking work transforming communities in America. Media interest in our work becomes media interest in your work, helping you generate support and secure grant funding for your project.
Activate Palm Springs Report 25
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NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC TED MED
SCIENTIFIC
AMERICAN
Men'sHealth
a
TODAY
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
Newsweek
GOOD
@MORN NG
AMERICA
IHUFFPOSTI
BLUE ZONES
Well-Being Imperative
In February of 2021, consulting firm Deloitte
released a new report that predicted healthcare
spending as a percentage of GDP would decelerate
over the next 20 years. They expect healthcare
spending to grow to $8.3 trillion by 2040, which
is $3.5 less than the current federal government
estimate. The discrepancy is what they call a “wellbeing dividend,” or the return on investment for tools, systems, or protocols that help consumers to
take an active role in their health and well-being.”
The Economy of Well-Being is defined
as the ‘capacity to create a virtuous
circle in which citizens’ well-being
drives economic prosperity, stability
and resilience, and vice-versa.”
ANGEL GURRIA,
OECD SECRETARY GENERAL
26 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
In January of 2021, the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services released a Community Health and Economic Prosperity report. The first of its kind, it raises awareness to business leaders of the advantage of investing in community health for the health of their businesses and the health of their economy. It shows that the return on investment in community well-being is economic development which means more prosperity and happiness for individuals, organizations, and the community at large.
By 2040, 60% of healthcare
spending will go to improving
health and well-being.
DELOITTE CONSULTING
60%
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BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here
The State of
Well-Being
in Riverside
County
28 Activate Palm Springs Report
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Headline Two Lines Here
“Our well-being and that of our families and
community is what matters. Creating the best
possible conditions for well-being is not just the
right thing to do philosophically, but it is also
the smart thing to do since happier individuals
are more pro-social, more productive, and live
longer and healthier lives.”
— Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Economist and Professor, Oxford University Activate Palm Springs Report 29
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What is
Well-Being?
Well-being is about how we
are doing as individuals and
communities and, in turn, how
that makes us feel about the way
our lives are going.
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Why Does Well-Being Matter?
Our well-being and that of our families and
community is what ultimately matters
Most policy-makers underestimate that creating the
best possible conditions for well-being is not just
the right thing to do philosophically, but that it is
also the smart thing to do since happier individuals
live longer and healthier lives, are more pro-social,
more productive, and also show greater support for
incumbent government leaders.
A recent large-scale survey shows that over three quarters (78%) of people globally now feel strongly that happiness and well-being should be prioritized over money.*
This demand for change is being championed by the
younger members of our society, with the 25-34-year-old age group representing the highest percentage of responses in favor of change.
*Unilever Wall’s 2020 Happiness Research
https://www.unilever.com/Images/walls-manifesto_tcm244-558473_en.pdf Activate Palm Springs Report 31
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*
Understanding & Mapping Life
Satisfaction in Riverside County
For this assessment, we teamed up with Oxford
University and Gallup to understand both what
seems to make people in Riverside County most
happy and what specific policies are most likely
to increase happiness and life satisfaction. The
goal of this work is to help us identify policies
that are most likely to improve the happiness of
the people of Riverside County.
Over the past decade, Gallup has surveyed Americans to determine their life satisfaction and what characteristics most drive that satisfaction. We know from this work that the happiest Americans are socializing more than six to seven hours per day, that people who sleep less than six hours a day are 30% less happy than people who sleep at least eight hours, and that obese people are 11% less happy than similar people of normal weight.
Our experts have analyzed the Gallup Well-Being Data for Riverside County to determine what seems to be most driving life satisfaction and day-today happiness in this community. While health, city, community, safety, and work are all important for happiness everywhere, we are able to discern their relative importance. Knowing this will help policymakers decide what policies should provide the most happiness for Riverside County.
The goal of this work is to help
us identify policies that are most
likely to improve the happiness of
the people of Riverside County.
The State of
Well-Being
in Riverside
County
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The primary measure for well-being asks survey respondents to evaluate the quality of their life.
This is normally done by asking respondents to rate their life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. 10 9
8 7
6 5
4 3
2 1
0 Best possible
life for you
Worst possible
life for you
“Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?” Secondary measures for well-being also survey optimism as well as positive and negative emotions.
“On which step do you think you will stand about five years from now? ” “Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about __________?” (well-rested, smile or laugh, enjoyment, etc) “Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday? How about __________?” (physical pain, worry, stress, sadness, etc Survey respondents evaluate their life as follows:
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BLUE ZONES
Data Source
01 Between 2009-18
All data analyses in this report draw
on the Gallup daily poll which ran
between 2009-18
02 N=16,829 surveys
We look at Riverside County as the
main geographic unit of interest in
our principal analyses
03 N=29,082 surveys
We also compare San Bernardino
MSA to Riverside County in some
analyses
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Well-Being in Riverside County Optimism in Riverside County Life Satisfaction
Average well-being in Riverside County is 7.02 out of 10.
This is above San Bernardino (6.95), but below average for California (7.09) and the USA (7.07).
Life Satisfaction in 5 Years
Average expected well-being in Riverside County is 7.62 out of 10.
This is slightly below San Bernardino (7.73), California (7.70), but above the USA average (7.56).
San Bernardino Riverside San Bernardino Riverside
0 0 2 4 6 8 10
5 10
PRESENT15
20 25
0 0 2 4 6 8 10
5 10
PRESENT15
20 25
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--- ---
BLUE ZONES
Well-Being by Gender Positive Emotions by Gender
5.5 6
6.5 LIFE EVALUATION 7
7.5 8
50 60
70 POSITIVE AFFECT 80
90 100
WOMEN MEN WOMEN MEN
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---I---
I
BLUE ZONES
Negative Emotions by Gender Well-Being by Income
10 20
30 NEGATIVE AFFECT 40
50 60
WOMEN UNDER $11,999
$12,000 TO $23,999
$24,000 TO $35,999
$36,000 TO $47,999
MEN $48,000 TO $59,999
$60,000 TO $89,999
$90,000 TO $119,999
$120,000 AND OVER
LIFE EVALUATION
5.5 6
6.5 7
7.5 8
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I T
i
BLUE ZONES
Optimism by Racial Differences
LIFE EVALUATION
5.5 6
6.5 7
7.5 8
LESS THAN HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA WHITE
HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE OR DIPLOMA BLACK
TECHNICAL/VOCATIONAL SCHOOL ASIAN
SOME COLLEGE HISPANIC
COLLEGE GRADUATE
POST GRADUATE WORK OR DEGREE
LIFE IN 5 YEARS
6.5 7
7.5 8
8.5 9
Well-Being by Education
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BLUE ZONES
Well-Being by Age
18 - 29
30 - 39
40 - 49
50 - 59
60 - 69
70+
LIFE EVALUATION
5.5 6
6.5 7
7.5 8
Optimism by Age LIFE IN 5 YEARS
6 6.5
7 7.5
8 8.5
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BLUE ZONES
Well-Being Over Time
Life Evaluation Over Time LIFE EVALUATION (0-10)
6 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
6.5 7
7.5 8
Rest of CA
Rest of USA
Riverside
San Bernardino
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BLUE ZONES
100
95 90
85 POSITIVE AFFECT (0-100)
80 75
70 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
55 50
40 35
NEGATIVE AFFECT (0-100)
30 25
20 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Positive Emotions Over Time Negative Emotions Over Time Rest of CA Rest of USA Riverside San Bernardino Rest of CA Rest of USA Riverside San Bernardino Activate Palm Springs Report 41
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BLUE ZONES
LIFE EVALUATION (0-10)
6 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
6.5 7
7.5 Well-Being Over Time by 8
Age
70+
50 - 59
40 - 49
30 - 39
18 - 29
Optimism Over Time
LIFE IN 5 YEARS
6.5 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
7 7.5
8 8.5
9 Rest of CA
Riverside
San Bernardino
Rest of USA
60 - 69
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BLUE ZONES
Mapping Well-Being
Mapping Well-Being in California Mapping Well-Being in Riverside County – San Bernardino MSA
LIFE SATISFACTION
7.31 - 8.83
7.07 - 7.13
6.91 - 6.96
4.86 - 6.72
7.21 - 7.31
7.02 - 7.07
6.83 - 6.91
7.13 - 7.21
6.96 - 7.02
6.72 - 6.83
7.28 - 8.06
7.05 - 7.11
6.82 - 6.88
6.20 - 6.66
7.16 - 7.28
6.97 - 7.05
6.78 - 6.82
7.11 - 7.16
6.88 - 6.97
6.66 - 6.78
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,w ____________ _____,
BLUE ZONES
Mapping Well-Being
Mapping Well-Being in Riverside County
LIFE SATISFACTION
7.20 - 8.06
6.89 - 7.03
<10 Respondents
7.14 - 7.20
6.77 - 6.89
7.03 - 7.14
6.32 - 6.77
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BLUE ZONES
Mapping Well-Being in Riverside County
*Indicates 95% of the population of Palm Springs
*
*
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ZIP Code Life Sat Life in SY Neg Aff Pas A ff N
92210 8.06 7.58 0.17 0.93 73
92518 8.00 8.00 0.27 0.92 15 f92270 7.82 7.43 0.22 0.90 247 92211 7.~ - 7.35 0.24 ~ ~ 368
92253 7.36 7.46 0.28 0.88 375 - ~
92373 7.34 - 7.75 0.35 ~ ~ 355
92879 7.2_!!_ - 8.15 0.30 0.86 208
92260 7.26 7.28 0.25 0.91 358
92880 7.24 8.16 0.39 0.87 257
-+ 192264 I 7.23 7.32 0.31 0.87 264
92590 7.21 - ____]_£!_ - ~ ,- 0.88 47
92536 7.20 7.67 0.25 0.87 44
92549 7.18 7.60 0.30 ~ 61
92508 7.17 7.83 0.38 0.87 212
-+ I 92241 1 ?.12 7.75 0.33 0.86 - - 76
92506 7.16 7.78 0.34 0.89 439
92561 7.16 7.71 0.26 0.9!_ 36
92276 7.16 7.71 0.28 0.94 71
92584 7.15 7.81 0.30 0.87 242 ,- - ~
92203 7.15 7.61 0.33 0.91 208
92223 7.15 7.72 0.26 0.87 349
92557 7.15 7.90 0.33 ,_ 0.8~ 298
92028 7.15 7.44 0.31 0.87 438
92201 7.14 - 7.66 0.32 ~ 318
92563 7.13 7.81 0.34 0.89 379 - 92587 - 7.11 7.52 0.3_£ ~ 143 92236 7.10 8.07 0.35 0.85 114 ~
92399 7.10 7.57 0.35 0.87 460 - 92562 7.09 7.66 0.28 ~
o.~ 476
92883 7.09 7.74 0.32 0.91 176
-+ ! 92262 ! 7.08 7.84 0.32 0.86 332
92555 7.08 8.30 0.35 ~ 0.88 173
92254 7.07 6.69 0.26 0.92 51
92592 7.04 7.77 0.35 ~
___Q:!!!!_ 484
92320 7.03 7.32 0.30 0.87 84 -- 92220 7.03 7.47 0.32 0.86 292 92860 7.02 7.69 0.35 0.80 159
92548 7.02 7.46 0.31 0.85 62
92504 6.97 7.72 0.36 0.87 369
92881 6.97 7.86 0.35 0.89 162
92551 6.96 8.35 0.33_ 0.86 114
-+
-+
-+
ZIPCode Life Sat Life in SY NegAff PosAff N
92532 6.96 8.07
92509 6.96 7.89
! 92234 ! 6.94 7.29
92591 6.92 7.41
92544 6.91 7.28
92596 - 6.89 7.76
92503 6.88 7.68
92571 6.87 8.00
92505 6.87 7.77
! 92882 ! 6.86 7.71
92586 6.84 6.61
92585 6.83 7.17
92507 6.82 7.86
92274 6.81 7.75 I 92240 I 6.81 7.81
92553 6.81 8.02
92501 6.79 7.75
92545 6.77 6.72
92225 6.76 7.62
91752 6.75 7.84
92583 6.71 7.42
92582 6. 71 7.62 t-- -- 92530 6.71 7.72
92324 6.63 7.89
92570 6.62 7.76
92595 6.52 7.35
92230 6.41 7.50
92567 6.40 7.26
92539 6.32 7.09
92543 6.32 7.02
0.38 0.87
0.33 0.85
0.34 0.87
0.28 0.87
0.34 - o.~
0.36 0.89
0.36 0.84
0.36 0.85
0.37 0.90
0.38 0.86
0.29 0.85
0.33 0.85
0.36 0.84
0.33 0.83
0.30 0.83
0.34 0.81
0.34 0.82
0.28 0.86
0.43 0.87
0.34 0.89
0.30 0.86
0.42 0.81
0.36 0.84
0.38 0.83
0.37 0.85
0.40 0.84
0.39 0.79
0.32 0.85
0.33 0.85
0.36 0.82
114
399
344
276
391
116
467
164
232
400
294
111
346
88 237
265
163
397
97 151
206
93 289
213
290
212
18 60
41 291
BLUE ZONES
Mapping Positive & Negative Emotions in Riverside County Positive Affect
Negative Affect
89.8 - 93.9
85.7 - 86.8
<10 Respondents
87.9 - 89.8
84.2 - 85.7
86.8 - 87.9
79.4 - 84.2
36.2 - 41.9
31.4 - 33.0
<10 Respondents
34.7 - 36.2
27.9 - 31.4
33.0 - 34.7
17.1 - 27.9
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m
m
BLUE ZONES
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Well-Being Driver
Analysis:
What factors best explain differences
in well-being across people in Riverside
County?
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Variable Groupings & Question Wordings
Work
At work, do you get to use your strengths to do what you do best every day, or not?
Are you currently employed?
Does your supervisor always create an environment that is trusting and open, or not?
Does your supervisor at work treat you more like he or she is your boss or your partner?
In the last seven days, I have felt active and productive every day.
Health Status
Do you have any health problems that prevent you from doing any of the things people your age normally can do? During the past 30 days, for about how many days did
poor health keep you from doing your usual activities?
BMI greater than or equal to 30 (derived from height and weight) Have you ever been told by a physician or nurse that you have depression?
Would you say your own health, in general, is ...? (1-5, excellent to poor)
Safety
I always feel safe and secure.
In the city or area where you live, is it easy or not easy to get a safe place to exercise?
City and People
You can’t imagine living in a better community than the one you live in today.
You are proud of your community or the area where you live.
Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the city or area where you live?
The city or area where you live is a perfect place for you. Approximately, how many minutes does it take you to get from your home to your workplace?
The house or apartment that I live in is ideal for me and my family.
If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help you whenever you need them, or not? Someone in your life always encourages you to be healthy. Your friends and family give you positive energy every day.
Health Behaviors
Do you smoke?
In the last seven days, on how many days did you exercise for 30 or more minutes?
In the last seven days, on how many days did you have five or more servings of fruits and vegetables
Did you eat healthy all day yesterday?
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BLUE ZONES
Driver Analysis of Well-Being in Riverside County
RIVERSIDE: POOLED
10.03%
Healthy Behavior
7.00%
Personal Safety
56.06%
Health Status
10.03%
Workplace
15.07%
City & People
While health, community, and work are all important for happiness everywhere, we are able to discern their relative importance. For instance, our analysis finds:
Individual health status stands out as the most important driver for life satisfaction with general satisfaction with city and people a contributor to it. Healthy behaviors, personal safety, and work satisfaction are other strong drivers for life satisfaction. 50 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
Driver Analysis of Well-Being in Riverside County by Gender Most notable are the changing drivers of well-being over the life course. The importance of health status rises dramatically with age. The opposite is true for the workplace and city & people variables which are much more important to the well-being of the young.
Categorization of Gallup data variables relevant to Blue Zones interventions.
Methods: variance decomposition and hot-deck imputation
12.04%
Healthy Behavior
6.05%
Personal Safety
56.08%
Health Status
9.01%
Workplace
16.03%
City & People
8.05%
Healthy Behavior
8.01%
Personal Safety
56.04%
Health Status
12.01%
Workplace
15.00%
City & People
MEN WOMEN
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BLUE ZONES
Driver Analysis of Well-Being over the Life Course in Riverside County
HEALTH STATUS HEALTHY BEHAVIOR PERSONAL SAFETY WORKSPACE CITY & PEOPLE Age
31 - 59 49.05%
14.00%
19.01%
6.02%
11.02%
Age
60+ 60.02%
17.08%
6.06%
7.04%
8.00%
Age
18 - 30 41.05%
14.50%
18.01%
10.01%
15.08%
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BLUE ZONES
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Headline Two Lines Here
Policy Overview
Optimizing the built environment is a high-impact,
cost-effective strategy to reduce chronic disease
and increase well-being.
PALM SPRINGS
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Headline Two Lines Here
With this approach, individuals can see tangible
transformation taking place in their lives: from the
buildings they work in, to the streets and paths
they use to get around, to the parks and places
they play and enjoy.
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Headline Two Lines Here
This report is meant to be a snapshot in time for local community policy and well-being. The policy team endeavors to explore all policy work that is underway in the community.
This report may not reflect all efforts in which the community is engaged.
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Built Environment
The built environment includes the human-made spaces where we live, work, learn, pray, and play. This includes our streets, intersections, buildings, homes, and sidewalks as well as our natural environment, such as open spaces, parks, trails, plazas, and playgrounds. How well the built and natural environment are integrated is an essential predictor of natural movement and downshifting in any community.
Located around 110 miles west of Los Angeles, and 60 miles west of the Riverside, the City of Palm Springs is situated at the base of the majestic San Jacinto Mountains and represents the westernmost community in the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs enjoys a warm, arid climate that attracts both residents and tourists who are drawn by pleasant weather, outdoor recreational opportunities, and proximity to world class natural beauty including nearby Joshua Tree National Park.
PALM SPRINGS
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•
BLUE ZONES
Introduction
Prior to European colonization the area was inhabited by the Cahuilla Native Americans, who thrived here due to the combination of natural hot springs, abundant wildlife, and fertile lands. While the arrival of Spanish explorers significantly impacted indigenous populations, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians today play an important role in the region’s landscape due the unique checkerboard configuration of
the Agua Caliente Reservation, resulting in around 11% of the City’s land area owned by the tribe, making it the City’s largest landowner. This includes most notably Section 14, which is of cultural, historical, and economic significance to the tribe as it houses the sacred hot springs, tribal cemetery, Palm Springs Convention Center, the Agua Caliente Casino, and numerous major hotels and housing complexes.
Palm Springs today traces its roots back to the early 20th century, initially as a health resort due to the presence of a dry desert climate and therapeutic hot springs, but quickly became a glamorous retreat for Hollywood celebrities with frequent visits from stars including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Marilyn Monroe. Palm Springs continues to be an important tourism destination with an economy driven by tourism,
hospitality, and real estate. Palm Springs has become world renowned for its mid-century modern architecture, vibrant arts scene, and world-class golf courses.
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Public investment has catalyzed significant private development, including apartment buildings and hotel development which draw design cues from the City’s heritage buildings, resulting in a unique downtown that caters to both locals and visitors.
While home to pockets of walkability, an enviable network of parks and recreation facilities, and an extensive network of bike paths and trails that permeate through many of the City’s 52 neighborhoods and into neighboring communities, residents in many parts of the city are car dependent. This car-dependence is attributable to several factors including a sprawling layout, suburban-style residential developments, and limited public transport availability. Palm Springs’ desert climate creates unique impediments to walking and biking, with the City recording 151-days above 100f in 2020.
Throughout the Blue Zones engagement City Council + City Staff have demonstrated strong engagement and commitment towards fostering a better built environment and recognized the need to increase density, encourage mixed housing types, and enhance active transportation and alternatives to the automobile. Limited updates to the City’s 2007 General Plan include an updated Housing Element that incorporates various efforts that target reducing barriers to housing development and efforts to improve housing accessibility and affordability.
The built environment assessment for Palm Springs was
completed through research, observation, and conversations with local leaders. This process was facilitated by the Blue Zones Built Environment Team, who engaged with key stakeholders and conducted windshield and walking tours to assess readiness to improve well-being through more opportunities to move naturally, socialize, and downshift.
This report summarizes key findings, observations, and next step recommendations. Based on our evaluation and supplemented with on-site interviews, and additional research into the policies and practices of Palm Springs, we believe there are a number of ways to strengthen the region’s built and natural environment.
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BLUE ZONES
Blue Zones
Built Environment Goals
Routine, daily movement, and social connection are central tenets of the Blue Zones approach to a healthy, engaged lifestyle. This does not necessarily mean structured exercise or scheduled interactions, rather, through an environment that is supportive of walking, bicycling, and social connectedness.
Essential Blue Zones goals for the built environment include moving naturally, encouraging social gathering places,
completing neighborhoods, and increasing housing options.
Extensive research has demonstrated that neighborhoods or communities that have these components have higher rates of walkability, economic development, vitality, and greater overall health and safety for residents. Each of the core Blue Zones built environment goals are described below.
PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT: A comprehensive and
connected network of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, such as sidewalks and crossings, bicycle lanes, and trails are available to all residents and visitors. Major roads are designed or retrofitted to fully accommodate those walking and bicycling to access their destinations safely and comfortably. Streets are compact, green, comfortable, and inviting, serving lowspeed movement of all. Traditional well-connected paths favor walking and biking. Essential to this goal is ensuring the safety, security, and access for people of all ages and abilities. Daily needs are met easiest by walking among mixed use buildings, parks and plazas.
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BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here
ENCOURAGE SOCIAL GATHERING SPACES: Accessible areas
are integrated into the neighborhood fabric to facilitate and encourage connections between people and places. Examples include parks, open spaces and community nodes like a
plaza or neighborhood square. Sometimes uninviting and
nonessential pavement can be transformed into community amenities.
INCREASE COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS:
Residents have options on where and how to live, work, shop, play, learn, worship, and get around. Destinations and wellconnected low speed routes are designed to encourage social connections and reward those who arrive on foot or bike.
Benches, shade structures, planters, awnings, water fountains, human scaled lighting, way-finding elements and well-placed quality bicycle parking offer safe, welcoming, comfortable, and appealing surroundings. Buildings provide security by their placement near walkways and transparent window coverage.
INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS: Providing a range of housing
can increase affordability of neighborhoods and communities.
Missing middle housing, such as accessory dwelling units, townhomes, duplexes, four squares, courtyard homes, pocket neighborhoods, apartments and other housing options
traditionally found in communities are encouraged. Missing middle housing can help to gently increase density in a neighborhood, also increasing its vitality, sense of community, and opportunities for social connectedness.
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BLUE ZONES
Strengths
HIGH QUALITY URBAN CORE – For a city of its size and
population, Palm Springs is home to an enviable animated urban core, with activity concentrated along a two mile stretch of Canyon Palm Dr and Indian Canyon Dr between Via Escuela in the north and Ramon Road in the south, an area that encompasses both Uptown and Downtown retail precincts.
Lined with unique buildings and commercial spaces that
house bustling restaurants, cafes, and a diverse array of retail offerings including many local / independent retailers, this area provides a case study on how to create an inviting built environment that caters to both locals and visitors.
Downtown Palm Springs’ success is the result of extensive commitment and long-term investment from the City, with strong support from the City’s electorate who in 2011 voted in Measure J, a 1% sales tax increase which has been used to “maintain local community services and revitalize Downtown”.
City data from 2019 indicates that between 2013-2019 $37.9 million was invested in Downtown, with improvements
The community of Palm Springs has a number of
assets to leverage to help create environments
that better prioritize pedestrians, support natural
movement by foot and bicycle, and create social
gathering areas. Some of the essential assets
include:
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BLUE ZONES
including the flagship Downtown Park, as well as $20.7 million investment in street and sidewalk improvements, many of which are designed to improve pedestrian safety (including pedestrian refuge islands, Rapid Flashing Beacons, and curb extensions both shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and cue vehicles to slow down).
UNIQUE IDENTITY AND DISTINCT ARCHITECTURE – Palm
Springs is home to a high concentration of well preserved mid-century modern architecture scattered throughout the City, with key examples including the Palm Springs Visitor Center (Enco Tramway Gas Station) and the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center (Santa Fe Savings & Loan Association). Preservation of historic buildings in Palm Springs has led not only to a unique inventory of buildings and a distinct sense of identity, but also contributed significantly to the economy and tourism, with one of the City’s largest events, Modernism Week, attracting well over 100,000 design enthusiast over 11-days, generating an estimated $50 million in economic impact for hotels, shops, restaurants, and services.
PROGRESSIVE LAND USE POLICIES – Much of Palm Springs’
urban fabric, especially in central, older neighborhoods enjoys proper building placement, massing, and street orientation that are the result of land-use policies and zoning regulations that encourage mixed-use development, preservation of open spaces, and promote a diversity of land-uses. Many newer, larger footprint buildings in the City blend well with both the natural landscape and existing architecture, creating a cohesive, uniform, and high quality user experience for both residents and visitors alike.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT - Sandwiched between the
Sonoran Desert and the majestic San Jacinto Mountains,
Palm Springs is surrounded by unique landscapes which
provide an opportunity for a range of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and walking that provide opportunities for social connectivity. Much of the City’s surroundings have been preserved through creation of strong land-use controls that preserve environmentally sensitive hill / mountain slopes and limit development encroachment.
STRONG PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIVE
APPROACHES – Our initial observations and conversations with key leaders suggests a long history of collaboration and cooperation between the City, Tribal Government,
neighboring municipalities, and regional organizations such as Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) to work together towards building a livable and healthy community.
Palm Springs residents have a strong sense of pride in their community, and our team heard how people from diverse
backgrounds and perspectives come together to support local initiatives, programs, and events.
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BLUE ZONES
COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Challenges
Palm Springs’ population fluctuates dramatically between seasons, creating challenges for housing availability and affordability, servicing, tax base, and engineering.
Snowbirds and other types of seasonal residents are less invested in the community (e.g. volunteering).
Short term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO contribute to lack of housing availability and affordability, and can also create conflicts within given communities and HOAs.
Although many City and State laws exist to regulate short term rentals, enforcement can be challenging and many
examples of property owners circumventing rules.
Transit routes are very long and not centralized, resulting in lengthy headways and long wait times, meaning bus use can be inconvenient and inefficient.
Long standing economic disparities in certain
neighborhoods due to historic land use planning decisions.
There are some challenges that could prevent or hinder
Palm Springs from fully capitalizing on existing assets.
During our focus group meeting, issues we heard from
participants included:
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BLUE ZONES
Dramatic increases in property values and rental prices are contributing to the housing crisis and increasing
housing insecurity, particularly challenging for vulnerable populations.
High cost of housing and limited affordability means that many people working in Palm Springs must live outside of City limits.
Many older houses have maintenance issues, which is
difficult to identify for non-residents, resulting in some population groups (notably seniors and lower income
households) experiencing issues with heating / cooling, a serious issue in Palm Springs’ desert climate.
Discussions and conversation about building up (through infill + densification) vs. building out.
Many areas of the city lack sidewalks, including even very central neighborhoods. This is particularly concerning for seniors and along streets frequented by children / families walking to school.
Past historic issues with CALTRANS not allowing pedestrian crossings along the major arterial SR-111.
Conflicting priorities from the Planning, Historical, Architectural and City Commission.
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BLUE ZONES
The Blue Zones Policy team would add a few additional
challenges that are preventing residents from fully maximizing all the built and natural amenities Palm Springs has to offer.
These include:
ROADWAY STANDARDS Commercial corridors, neighborhood
collectors and residential streets are all over-designed to move cars with more lanes for vehicle travel than seems appropriate for traffic volumes and overly wide lane widths.
These transportation corridors encourage surrounding land use that is a sprawl pattern of suburban development with limited walkability or appeal for bicycling.
ONE-WAY MAIN STREETS THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN CORE
Two of Palm Springs most commercially active streets, Palm Canyon Dr and Indian Canyon Dr, are both configured as oneway streets which actively encourages increased traffic speeds to achieve increased automobile capacity, resulting in reduced pedestrian safety. As key commercial streets that represent the heart of Palm Springs, these streets should prioritize pedestrian mobility over cars..
VARYING LEVELS OF WALKABILITY AND PEDESTRIAN
SAFETY While Downtown / Uptown Palm Springs offer
pockets of walkability, outside of this core area there are many barriers to pedestrian mobility including gaps in the sidewalk network, sufficient lighting, wide distances at key pedestrian crossings, and unequal coverage of protected pedestrian crossings.
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FLUCTUATING SEASONAL POPULATIONS Like many resort
destinations, Palm Springs’ population fluctuates dramatically between seasons, with Palm Springs estimated 45,000 yearround residents ballooning to over 70,000 each winter. The Coachella Valley is estimated to attract 12+ million visitors a year. As in other resort communities, these population fluctuations cause challenges for housing availability and affordability.
AGING POPULATION Palm Springs is a popular retirement
community, with almost a third of residents in Palm Springs aged 65 and over (vs. 14.8% for Riverside County) , with a median age of 56 (vs. 36 across Riverside County). Striving towards a built environment that incorporates age-friendly design adaptations will ensure that older residents can safely and conveniently access vital services such as grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and community centers. Addressing these challenges could also help to reinforce the attractiveness of Palm Springs as a destination for retirees.
CLIMATE In 2020 the City of Palm Springs experienced over 150 days over 100-degrees, creating unique challenges for alternative transportation (walking, cycling, transit) which encourages private vehicle ownership / driving.
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COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Opportunities
Palm Springs is home to a wealth of assets on which to build on to increase health and well-being in the Community.
During our focus group meetings, we heard from participants on a number of opportunities and stakeholder comments
summarized below:
Having one vision is key. We need some kind of long-range plan because it’s going to take decades to get there. You’ve got to give up things, so you have to have the buy in and focused direction.
Even though we have a community garden, we need
sustainable gardens in each neighborhood. Convert front/ back yards to gardens. Sharing fruits and vegetables is a way to make connections with neighbors.
We have parks with hardly one tree. We just don’t have enough trees to enjoy the parks we already have. Trees, splash pads, there’s some way we can be more sensitive to that.
We need things that help to encourage healthy activities – shaded sidewalks example, drought tolerant shade trees, shaded pedestrian paths – examples of the types of design guidelines that would encourage healthy activities.
Developments should include more greenery. Development all over the United States are ahead of us in incorporating into their new construction gardens, greenery, and it’s a beautiful thing. If these could be incorporated into design guidelines, it could encourage greater sustainability.
We need better connectivity of bike paths. It would be nice to have designated bike lanes, a better-connected network of bicycle paths and lanes.
There is a desire to reduce roads and make places more walkable and add bike lanes.
There is an appetite for bicycle rental options so a bike share could fill some connectivity gaps.
There is no formal walk week/bike to work week in Palm Springs.
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BLUE ZONES
Improve the walking connectivity. We have good walking routes, but then one place won’t have a sidewalk. We have a dark skies initiative that is amazing, but it does make it harder for walking after dark. So strategically making better connections for walking would be good.
I would love no-car streets. Many larger cities take the streets offline for cars. In the downtown area, we have Thursdays with no cars allowed, parking is behind it, and people are out and walking and socializing.
This is a driving city. A senior has to get into a car to go anywhere, at some point they aren’t driving anymore.
Unless they get on a bus, or have someone to drive them, there’s no chance for social interaction which is the key to keeping people healthy.
We used to have the trolleys and a lot of people used them to get around. That probably stopped because of funds,
but that could be another thing if we had the right sponsor, to bring that back.
Require that every project connect to the project next to it, especially commercial to residential. Walls create isolation and an inability to move around. There are a number of
places where if you live in a residential community you have to walk ¾ mile to get to a grocery store that is 50 feet away because of walls and projects that aren’t connected. Bringing farmers markets to the north end.
Better connect the north end to the downtown.
Allow for staggered two and three stories, which enable second and third floor roofs as green parks/spaces.
Integrate building orienting the building to help with airflow.
The Blue Zones Policy Team was inspired by the breadth
and depth of input provided. The team has identified a few additional opportunities to further support a healthier built environment, these include:
RECONFIGURING CENTRAL ONE-WAY STREETS Exploring
the reconfiguration of Palm Canyon Dr to prioritize people / bicycle movement and lower travel vehicle speeds could help to reinforce this key commercial corridor as the economic and social heart of Palm Springs. This could include a roaddiet from three lanes to two, with the addition of a two-way protected bike lane.
EXPANDED ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COVERAGE
Reconfigure the streets on local neighborhood collector and arterial streets to reduce the width and number of lanes.
Many of these streets are overbuilt and reconfiguring these streets through road-diets would support active community environments - this could include protected bike lanes; highvisibility crosswalks; mini-roundabouts instead of stop signs; landscaped medians; striped on-street parking; pedestrian refuge islands; curb extensions to encourage safer street crossings; parklets for outdoor dining; mature trees to provide protection and shade for pedestrians; and increased public space (e.g. parks and plazas).
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BLUE ZONES
CONTINUE TO EXPAND HOUSING SUPPLY According to data contained within the City’s 2023 General Plan - draft Housing Element (2nd Revision) between 2010 and 2020 Palm Springs added a net 1,200 units of housing, representing a 3% increase. To meet 2021 - 2029 state Regional Housing Needs Allocation the City will have to double the growth rate achieved between 2010 to 2020 (2,557 units). Achieving this growth in a sustainable way that improves community health, well-being, and economic development will require a targeted effort to entice housing development especially along key transit corridors, in existing pockets of density (e.g. around Downtown / Uptown), or in single family homes through infill development and Accessory Dwelling Units to achieve gentle density.
CLIMATIC ADAPTATIONS In November 2022 the City of Palm Springs allocated $250,000 towards the Turf Conversion Rebate Program to incentivize private residences and HOAs to remove water intensive turf gardens and encourage more sustainable landscaping. The City should continue efforts to reduce irrigation use, and encourage drought tolerant / native plant landscaping. In addition to incentivizing sustainable, less water intensive private residential landscaping, the City should work to expand tree coverage of drought tolerant species that provide shade and respite from the sun, especially in parks and along key pedestrian corridors and active transportation routes.
ENHANCED ACCESSIBILITY TO GREEN SPACES Although Palm Springs is surrounded by majestic mountains and home to many well-loved parks, not all residents enjoy equal access to hiking trails and park space.
Expanding accessibility to green spaces could mean improving Active Transportation coverage (especially in underserved areas) as well as exploring opportunities for new green spaces and enhanced existing ones. 70 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here
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Readiness
Does the political leadership of the
jurisdiction have a strong willingness to
support this work?
Are the city’s/region’s decision-makers
on board to change (some) jurisdictional
policies and processes to support a Blue
Zones project?
Are community groups excited about
the possibility of a Blue Zones project
and on board to partner and collaborate
to move a Blue Zone project forward?
Are other community influencers
excited about the potential and willing
to support this work?
A first step after Blue Zones is invited into a community is to assess “readiness.” This is an essential step as a number of communities are interested in transformation, but only some have the political, staff, and community commitment to make systematic changes to enable “making the healthy choice the easy choice.” Specific for our policy areas, we seek to answer the following questions:
?
?
?
?
Through conversations with local stakeholders, City officials and local leadership, the Blue Zones Policy Team is confident that there is support, enthusiasm, and deep desire to do the hard work needed to transform the Palm Springs community and to increase well-being region-wide.
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BLUE ZONES
Acknowledgements
NAME ORGANIZATION
Amalia DeAztlan Principal, De Aztlan Group
David McAbe Director of Public Works, City of Palm Springs Dick Burkett Board Member, Palm Springs Modern Committee Flinn Fagg Director Development Services, City of Palm Springs Joel Montalvo City Engineer, City of Palm Springs
Joy Silver Chief Strategy Officer, Community Housing Opportunities Corporation Lindsay-Paige McCloy Sustainability Director, City of Palm Springs Mark Hoffman Associate Principal, Placeworks
Nicole Criste Principal, Terra Nova Planning & Research Prema Walker Manager, Compost Site Operations Manager
Russ Uthe Chairman Sonora Sunrise, One Palm Springs
Timothy Day Developer, Miralon Masterplanned Community
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BLUE ZONES
NON-REGULATORY — Creating or changing programs, guidance, or education efforts.
REGULATORY — Creating or changing legally binding standards, rules, or laws, such as zoning codes, ordinances, permitting, or licensing standards.
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE
Category:
Blue Zones Built Environment Policy Menu
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
PRIORITIZE
WALKING FOR
EVERYONE
M
Adopt or amend complete streets policies to direct specific changes to the design of streets (such as those identified below). For communities without a complete streets policy, adopt one that identifies relevant changes (such as those listed below) and establishes prioritized schedules for implementing those changes.
M Identify critical walking/biking routes in local communities (especially those that connect key community assets such as schools, parks, libraries, and other civic institutions) and schedule capital improvements to complete missing or insufficient sidewalks or paths.
M Create a program to place, establish, and maintain street trees in neighborhoods with inadequate tree canopy. 74 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
0 ®
0 ®
®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
3. The City’s website contains limited mentions of complete streets, and what is mentioned is dated.
The pedestrian plan only mentions complete streets in the context of available funding sources.
Although Downtown / Uptown Palm Springs contains areas of good walkability, outside of the urban core walkability is patchy, and there are some areas (even in central neighborhoods) that lack sidewalks. (See “City of Palm Springs | Home (palmspringsca.gov)” and “City of Palm Springs Pedestrian Plan.”) The General Plan mentions that at least one person asked for complete streets during the community input phase of its writing.
X X X
2. The city has a map of bike routes & trails, and it also has a pedestrian plan. The pedestrian plan does not implement key walking routes. (See "Biking | Palm Springs, CA" and "Biking | Palm Springs, CA".) Sunline has a page on bike commuting. (See "SunCommute | SunLine Transit Agency.")
X X X X X
2. The city did a tree inventory and density map in 2015. Street trees may be required in single-family subdivisions. (See “Tree Programs | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov)” and “9.60.040 On-site development..” at (c).)
X X X X X X X
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
PRIORITIZE
WALKING FOR
EVERYONE
L Evaluate the need for traffic calming, reduced travel lane width or number, and reduced pedestrian crossings along critical walking/ biking routes, and provide timely capital improvements to implement findings.
M Adopt tactical urbanism strategies to demonstrate easily implementable streetscape changes.
S Require wide sidewalks in commercial areas and places where multi-unit housing and townhouses are prevalent.
M Limit the number and width of curb cuts to preserve continuous and safe sidewalks.
L Remove bans on on-street (parallel) parking on local and collector streets, and on arterials where possible, to help slow traffic and to protect sidewalk users from moving vehicles.
S Train key staff, administrators, partners, and consultants on the importance of implementation measures for complete streets. 76 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
®
®
0 0
0 ®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
1. Palm Springs has a traffic calming program. Note, though, that it is mostly for traffic within neighborhoods—meaning within its approximately 1/4th mile square superblocks. (See “Traffic Calming | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov).”) At least one specific plan—College Park—includes traffic calming. (See “College Park Specific Plan (palmspringsca.gov).”)
X X X X
3. No clear indication of tactical urbanism in Palm Springs from either the city side or the Tactical Urbanists’ side. X X X
3. The city requires sidewalks in subdivisions and in planned development districts. However, there is no special requirement for a width proportional to pedestrian traffic flow. (See “9.60.050 Off-site improvements” and “94.03.00 Planned Development District (PDD)” at D.3.d.iii.) X X X
3. No clear indication of any limitation on curb cuts, except that in many cases only one driveway entrance is permitted per property. X X X
2. There is on-street parking on side streets or streets in developments. With one major exception, there is no on-street parking in most areas that would be considered main streets if they were built as such. The exception is on and near both Indian Canyon Drive and N. and S. Palm Canyon Drives south of E. Granvia Valmonte and north of W. Ramon Rd. (Viewed on Google Maps and Google Streetview.) This area is in the downtown combining zone for parking. See “The downtown combining zone…” below.
X X X X
3. No clear indication X X X X X
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
MAKE IT EASIER TO
WALK TO SCHOOL
M Create a Safe Routes to School Plan that sets priorities for the most important improvements.
M Implement the Safe Routes to School Plan through capital improvements.
L Maintain, renovate, and create new neighborhood schools; avoid relocating existing schools to non-walkable locations. 78 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
®
®
®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. Looking on the city’s website, there was a flurry of activity on safe routes to school between about 2009 and 2012. (There are proposals, contracts, grants, and meeting minutes.) SRTS is also mentioned prominently in the pedestrian plan. (See “City of Palm Springs Pedestrian Plan 5.2.”) Within the unified school district, there is SRTS in the Bubbling Wells Elementary Shool’s 2021-22 School Accountability Scorecard. (See “Bubbling Wells Elementary Shool’s 2021-22 School Accountability Scorecard.”) X X X
3. No clear indication, but it seems to be part of the pedestrian plan to the degree that it calls for physical improvements. See immediately above. X X X
3. No clear indication that there are many plans for building new campuses on the latest, somewhat dated, project summary sheets. (See “Facilities Planning & Development / Projects (psusd.us).”) The Desert Hot Springs High School Career Tech Building will be a new building on an existing campus. (See “Inial Study/Mitigated Negave Declaraton Desert Hot Springs High School Career Tech Building.”)
X X X X X
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
MAKE THE WALK
WELCOMING AND
COMFORTABLE
M Amend zoning regulations to better support the “pedestrian realm” by requiring buildings to be located close to the sidewalk, with sidewalk-facing entries and windows.
M Create or update street design standards that prioritizes pedestrians and increases pedestrian safety.
S Require street trees be planted when properties are developed or redeveloped.
L Allow awnings and canopies over public sidewalks to provide shade and rain protection for pedestrians.
S Require pedestrian-scaled lighting be provided along sidewalks when commercial or multi-unit properties are developed or redeveloped.
S Require street furniture such as trash and recycling receptacles, bike racks, and benches in commercial areas when properties are developed or redeveloped.
L Create physical buffers between pedestrians and moving cars, using features such as curb extensions, street trees, street furniture, street-level stormwater management, and on-street parking. 80 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
0 0
0 0
0 0
®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. Zoning regulations allow close setbacks in the central business district. (See “General Plan | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov)” and “92.09.03 Property development standards C.2. Setbacks.”) This zone also requires a greater setback for buildings taller than 15 feet on the west side of the street.
Some other zones permit portions of buildings to come closer, but none seem to require a close frontage, except where affected by a historical overlay.
X X X
2. The purpose statement for the central business district “C-B-D” zone mentions pedestrian amenities:
“The central business district is intended to be a compact, lively, active, intensively used area catering to the pedestrian.” (See “92.09.03 Property development standards.”)
X X X X X X
2. As noted above at the city did a tree inventory and density map in 2015…,” the city only requires street trees in limited circumstances. X X X
2. With the exception of specific plans’ design guidelines, awnings are to be kept in shape, but otherwise they are only regulated by the zoning code as signage. (See “93.19.00 Property maintenance standards.”) The exception is that the downtown design guidelines promote shade structures. (See “Adopted Downtown Specific Plan - Design Guidelines” at III.G Green Building and Energy Efficiency, and see “Section 14 Specific Plan - Design Guidelines” at 7.16 Shade Structures.) X X X
3. There is a requirement for pedestrian-scaled lighting in the environmentally sensitive area specific plan zone, ““ESA-SP.” (See “92.21.1.05 Design standards.”) The downtown design standards are not very specific, although the city can be more specific during the design review process. (See the nonspecific language at III.F.4.
X X X
1. This is covered by design guidelines in the central business district, Section 14 Specific Plan, and perhaps other plans not listed. See immediately above. X X X
2. See above but one. Looking at recent construction, streetscape as well as parked cars intervene between moving traffic and the sidewalks. X X X
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
SUPPORT
MOVEMENT BY
BICYCLE
M Create a bicycle master plan to prioritize new bicycle connections between key community assets.
L Invest in bicycle infrastructure such as separated/protected bike lanes and bike/pedestrian trails.
M Provide bicycle racks in commercial districts, major workplaces, and near civic institutions.
S Amend zoning to require a minimum amount of bicycle parking in new developments.
M Create or enhance community education programs that teach bicycle laws and roadway safety. 82 Activate Palm Springs Report
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BLUE ZONES
®
®
®
0 ®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. As noted above at “The city has a map of bike routes & trails…,” the city has a detailed route map of different classes of bicycle facilities. This seems to involve a partial update to the circulation element of the general plan too. (See General Plan | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov),” “4. CIRCULATION ELEMENT,” and “City Council Staff Report…BIKEWAYS MAP.”) X X X
1. Looking at the draft five-year capital improvement plan, it looks like there’s plenty of funding for both bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. There is also a dedicated Active Transportation Route under development that will cross the Coachella Valley - the CV Link. (See “Draft Five Year Capital Improvement Program 2023-2027 (palmspringsca.gov)” and “Ambitious Bike-Ped Network Connects Palm Springs to Coachella : California Association of Councils of Governments (calcog.org).”) X X X
1. The city has a bicycle rack host agreement, by which the city pays the capital costs and installation in exchange for having it hosted on the property. (See “Bike Rack Host Agreement 2016 (palmspringsca. gov).”)
X X X
2. The city can require bicycle parking during the design review process. No clear indication there is a numerical requirement. See above, however, for city bicycle rack host agreements. (See “93.06.00 Offstreet parking - C.5. Bicycle Parking.”)X X X
2. No clear indication there is a bike safety program, but the city’s website points people to the League of American Bicyclists, which has a safety education program. (See “Biking | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov) - Bike Safety” and “Smart Cycling | League of American Bicyclists (bikeleague. org).”)
X X X X X
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
EXTEND THE
RANGE OF PEOPLE
WALKING and
BIKING
M Create or enhance transit based on community size, e.g., commuter or other van service, express bus, or on-demand bus or van service.
L Establish a publicly-accessible circulator, especially in places without transit service.
L Provide more frequent transit service, especially in underserved areas.
M Provide all-weather shelters at bus stops.
S Provide bicycle racks on all buses.
M Amend regulations that block micro-mobility options on public streets.
S Establish a mobility education program focused on safety for users and nonusers.
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
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BLUE ZONES
®
®
®
®
®
0 ®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. Comparing a density map and the route map, the denser area to the south of Midtown is wellserved, but the other hot points of density to the north and east are not particularly well-served. (See “Final System Map Jan 2023 (Sunline.org)” and “The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas.”)
X X X X X X
3. No clear indication; only a paratransit service and the School Tripper service. (See “School Tripper | SunLine Transit Agency.”) X X X X X X X X
3. No clear indication. The routes through the denser or less-served areas are all infrequent. (See “Routes and Schedules | SunLine Transit Agency.”) X X X X X X X
2. Important bus stops have canopies, which given the City’s desert climate may be appropriate most of the time. (Snowfall in urban areas of Palm Springs is exceptionally rare). (See “Bus stop at Palm Canyon and Ramon.”)
X X X X
1. SunLine has bicycle racks, and it has a page explaining riding with a bicycle. (See “Bike & Ride | SunLine Transit Agency.”) X X X X
3. Micro-mobility options (other than bicycles) are prohibited on public streets and plazas. (See “12.90.020 Use of skateboards, scooters, roller skates, and similar devices restricted.”) X X X
3. No clear indication of this, except for bicycles, and then only indirectly. See “No clear indication there is a bike safety program…,” above. X X X X X X
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
CREATE
PARK-ONCE
ENVIRONMENTS
M Amend zoning to locate parking for enhanced walkability, such as prohibiting parking between the front of buildings and the sidewalk.
M Add on-street parking spaces that can be shared throughout the day; this can sometimes be accomplished through lane reduction and restriping.
S Amend zoning to allow off-site and shared parking, instead of requiring all parking to be on-site.
XL Establish a parking management district to coordinate shared parking (instead of requiring a set number of parking spaces for each use at all times).
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
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BLUE ZONES
0 ®
0 ®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. This is encouraged in the C-B-D zone's design regulations. It is not in the zoning code itself. X X X
2. This is done in the downtown area, almost exclusively. X X X
2. The downtown has a “downtown parking combining zone,” which allows shared parking. (See “92.26.00 “D” downtown parking combining zone.”) X X X
2. The downtown combining zone noted immediately above provides some of its own parking ratios and allows parking to be shared. It also credits on-street parking. The guidelines for the downtown specific plan explain how to calculate shared parking so as to save parking spaces by pairing land uses with complementary peak hours of parking use. (See “Adopted Downtown Specific Plan - Connectivity…Spaces - Number of Parking Spaces Required.”)
X X X X X X
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: ENCOURAGE SOCIABLE GATHERING PLACES
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
INCREASE
ACCESS TO PARKS
AND OTHER
RECREATION
AREAS
L Provide more playgrounds in neighborhoods parks, especially in underserved areas, using municipal funds or private fundraising efforts.
L Provide paved walkways and benches in neighborhood parks using municipal funds or private fundraising.
M Amend school district policy to enable community use of school recreational facilities after hours.
L Prioritize trail network extensions and crossings in capital improvement programs, especially in underserved areas.
M Amend existing standards to provide more frequent and smaller parks, e.g., pocket parks, linear parks, neighborhood parks, within neighborhoods (to supplement larger community and regional parks).
M Create a parks and recreation master plan that evaluates park access and facilities for all neighborhoods.
M Amend comprehensive plans to identify the need for neighborhood and community parks that support active and passive recreation for all residents.
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BLUE ZONES
®
®
®
®
0 ®
0 0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. Looking at Google Maps, there are several playgrounds near the downtown, but the distances between them are extreme, except that Francis Stevens Park and the Downtown Park are 5/8 mile apart along roadways. No clear indication there is play equipment in photos online, but it has a fountain of the sort that kids can walk through.
X X X X X X
1. Walkways and benches in publicly funded neighborhood parks are well maintained. X X X X X X
1. The Palm Springs Unified School District allows outside organizations to request the use of facilities. (See “PSUSD Terms and Conditions: Use of School Facilities and Grounds (psusd.us).”) X X X
3. Palm Springs is surrounded by miles of well-loved trails including the Lykken Trail which can be accessed from Downtown. Despite an extensive existing network, there is no clear indication of trail extensions or proposed capital improvements in recent plans.” (See “Project Updates | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov).”) the Tahquitz Creek Trail Master Plan from 2010, however, involved substantial capital improvements. (See “Tahquitz Creek Trail Master Plan.”) X X X
2. The City of Palm Springs have invested significantly in the recently opened Downtown Park.
There is limited indication of increasing park supply e.g. pocket parks and neighborhood parks. (See “Downtown Park | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov).”) X X X
1. The city’s Parks and Recreation master plan from 2014 evaluated access as well as level of service. (See “City of Palm Springs Parks And Recreation Master Plan Draft — March 2014.) X X X
3. The city’s Recreation, Open Space & Conservation Element dates to 2007. There is a limited update in process.(See “5. Recreation, Open Space & Conservation Element (palmspringsca. gov).”)
X X X
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BLUE ZONES
GOAL: ENCOURAGE SOCIABLE GATHERING PLACES
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
INCREASE
NEIGHBORHOOD
SPACES FOR
GATHERING
S Amend zoning to allow excess, underutilized parking lots or other spaces to be used for alternative activities such as outdoor dining, farmers’ markets, pop-up retail, and similar events.
ENCOURAGE
GATHERING WITHIN
PUBLIC RIGHTS-OFWAY
S Amend regulations as needed to allow sidewalk dining.
S Amend regulations to enable parklets and dining decks in on-street parking spaces.
M Establish outdoor entertainment districts within defined geographic areas and with specific performance standards (such as limited hours of service and number of drinks allowed).
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BLUE ZONES
0 0
0 0
0 ®
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
1. The city is allowing dining in parklet through 2023, as part of measures adopted during COVID. However, from the wording of a recent article it may be that the city is leaning toward allowing them permanently. Otherwise, the city allows dual use of parking lots — or appears to, as viewed in Google maps and online photos. This may be a response to COVID too. (See "Palm Springs will allow outdoor dining parklets through 2023 (desertsun.com).") X X X
1. See immediately above, and numerous cafes and restaurants on Palm Canyon Dr have outdoor dining in front. Judging from the zoning, mentioned above as the C-B-D zone, the mechanism is generally to allow dining within a shallow front yard setback from the front lot line. As mentioned immediately above, moreover, there may be some desire to make the situation more permanent. For example, there was a comment about making the safety barriers more attractive. In light of the fact that the newspaper article was discussing an extension of such dining for only 14 months past the date of the article mentioned immediately above, this suggests some people are considering the practice as more of a pilot project than an emergency rule.
X X X
2. No clear indication there is a move to do this, but as noted in the two items immediately above, this may be happening. Parklets used for dining already must meet design guidelines, so it would be merely a matter of making the guidelines permanent.
X X X
Although it is not formally an entertainment district (at least from this scan) the combination of the downtown specific plan and guidelines, as well as the evident quality of downtown’s night life, tend to make it function like an entertainment district. It may not need specific hours of operation, since it is geographically separated from residential areas from which objections might come. Moreover, consistent enforcement of impaired driving laws in the Downtown / Uptown area is well-known. (See “Adopted Downtown Specific Plan - Connectivity, Streetscapes, Open Spaces” and “Adopted Downtown Specific Plan - Design Guidelines.”) X X X
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
REMOVE ZONING
BARRIERS TO
COMPLETE
NEIGHBORHOODS
M Ensure that dimensional standards in zoning districts are aligned with existing or desired pattern of buildings.
M Amend zoning to allow more mixing of uses within zoning districts, both within buildings and by proximity to other buildings.
L Amend zoning to allow small-scale commercial uses within or along the edge of residential neighborhoods; ensure that on-site parking is not required or is very minimal.
ENABLE
NEIGHBORHOOD
MAIN STREETS
(TO PROVIDE
ACCESS TO DAILY
GOODS AND
SERVICES)
L Allow on-street parking, especially in and around neighborhood main streets areas.
M Establish a program to recruit a mix of supportive businesses in neighborhood main streets.
M Encourage the establishment of new local Main Street programs, e.g., a National Main Street Center program.
L Designate existing and potential neighborhood main streets in general plans or zoning regulations.
REFORM
MUNICIPAL
PARKING
REGULATIONS
L Reduce or eliminate minimum on-site parking requirements.
GOAL: COMPLETE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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0 0
0 0
®
®
0 0
BLUE ZONES
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. With some exceptions dimensional standards in zoning districts are conducive to urban sprawl.
Design standards in specific plans and the master plans under which developments are approved are extremely thorough. (See “Chapter 9.64 Requirements” and “Specific Plans | City of Palm Springs (palmspringsca.gov).”)
X X X
3. The C-B-D zone allows mixed use. It is the only one that does, except that it may be possible in a Planned Development District. One of the purposes of a PDD is to “[a]llow a mix of uses, housing types, and zones within a single project.” (See “92.09.01 Uses permitted [C-B-D zone]” and “94.03.00 Planned Development District (PDD)..”)
X X X
3. No clear indication X X X
2. On-street parking is allowed in the downtown area, as noted above at “There is on-street parking on side streets….” Otherwise, on-street parking appears only to be permitted in residential districts. X X X X
3. No clear indication. From what can can be read in news articles and on the city’s website, downtown restaurants, and bars seem to be going in the “right direction” for most people. It does not appear that the city is concerned about bringing in businesses that may be crowded out by the current retail focus on entertainment, tourism, and so on. (See “What is the Future of Palm Springs? We Ask the Players for Answers (palmspringslife.com).”)
X X X X X X X
3. See immediately above. X X X X X X
3. No clear indication. Retail is part of some specific plans, such as College Park’s, but it is to be in a shopping center. (See “College Park Specific Plan (palmspringsca.gov).”) X X X
2. No clear indication, except within the parking combining zone. (See “92.26.00 “D” downtown parking combining zone.”) X X X
GOAL: COMPLETE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
REFORM
MUNICIPAL
PARKING
REGULATIONS
M Require that any on-site parking spaces in walkable areas be placed behind buildings.
M Allow off-site and shared parking.
M Provide easily accessible bike parking in high-demand locations.
RETAIN AND
RECRUIT CIVIC
INSTITUTIONS AND
NON-PROFITS
M Establish non-profit hubs in neighborhood main street or other neighborhood-adjacent areas.
L Establish a community foundation to support local community-focused non-profits.
IMPROVE ACCESS
TO EMPLOYMENT
M Amend zoning to allow small-scale manufacturing within neighborhood centers or main streets L Incentivize and recruit new businesses within walkable, bikeable, and transit accessible areas.
IMPROVE ACCESS
TO RECREATION M Build parks where they are easily reachable by foot, bike, or transit.
GOAL: COMPLETE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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BLUE ZONES
0 0
®
®
®
0 ®
®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
3. No clear indication, except in the downtown area. There, parking is highly controlled, and most of it seems to be directed to parking structures. (See "Adopted Downtown Specific Plan - Design Guidelines" and search for "parking struct.")
X X X
2. The design guidelines mentioned above are strict about the parking they require, but parking is meant to be shared. Non-residential parking can go anywhere on the “site,” and it is not clear whether the “site” is limited to one development. Most of the plan seems to be focused on blocks rather than on specific ownership.
X X X
2. The city can do this, but it is not clear to what degree it has done so. See “The city has a bicycle rack host agreement….” X X X
2. No clear indication there is a physical hub per se, but the “Caravanserai Project” is an incubator for social entrepreneurs. That is, it seems to be an incubator for non-profits. (See “Caravanserai Project.”) X X X X X X
2. The local foundations seem to be the Inland Empire Community Foundation and the Desert Community Foundation. (See “IECF | Inland Empire Community Foundation (iegives.org)” and “Desert Community Foundation (desertfoundation.org).”)
X X X X X
3. No clear indication X X X
3. No clear indication X X X
3. No clear indication there is project to do this, but the city just built a downtown park. X X X X X X GOAL: COMPLETE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
DEVELOP
NEIGHBORHOOD
PLANS
M Develop master plans for downtown and other neighborhood centers to guide mixed-use infill development and redevelopment.
M Amend zoning as needed to implement new downtown and neighborhood center plans.
ALIGN PLANNING
DOCUMENTS S Ensure that comprehensive plans include goals and policies on health and equity.
GOAL: COMPLETE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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0 ®
®
0 0
BLUE ZONES
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
1. The city has done this for downtown, and it is also starting to promote some redevelopment. For example, it passed an ordinance to make downtown reconversions to apartments easier. That is, where apartments were converted to lodging, they can be reconverted back to apartments. (See "Ordinance_2080.pdf (apartment reconversions).") Housing also appears to be at least part of the reason for the partial rewrite of the general plan. However, the focus seems to be on new outward development rather than on infill or redevelopment in existing urbanized areas. (See "Palm Springs plans for 2,557 new units in Housing Element (desertsun.com)")
X X X X
1. The city appears to do so, but the neighborhood plans are more sprawl-oriented than not. X X X X
3. No clear indication X X X
GOAL: COMPLETE OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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BLUE ZONES
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
REDUCE THE COST
OF PROVIDING
ADDITIONAL
HOUSING
M Amend parking requirements to reduce the number of on-site parking spaces required for new housing.
S Amend parking requirements to allow on-street parking spaces to count towards any on-site parking requirements.
M Where impact fees exist, reduce or eliminate fees for affordable housing.
M Where impact fees exist, tier fees by the size and location of new housing units.
S Amend zoning to remove requirements that each new housing unit be larger than an arbitrary size.
M Amend ordinances that arbitrarily limit the acceptable composition of a family L Amend allowable densities to align with infill housing models (such as missing middle types).
GOAL: INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
3. No clear indication X X X
3. No clear indication. Yes, it is allowed downtown, but not for housing. However, since the downtown allows shared parking to take advantage of complementary peak hours, this could technically still be a small benefit. There is a significant enough overlap between peak hours for residential uses and evening entertainment and dining uses that they both draw spaces from the same pool at the same time. Note for here and below: the city council appears to have been looking at policy changes for affordable housing 1 1/2 years ago. Moreover, the city appears to have created some incentives, such as a waiver for building height. (See “Palm Springs City Council discusses how to increase affordable housing (desertsun.com)” and “Palm Springs Announces Development Incentives For Affordable Housing – NBC Palm Springs.”)
X X X
3. No clear indication, but the city donated land for an affordable housing project in 2021. (See “State awards $21M to build Palm Springs affordable housing complex (desertsun.com).”) X X X
3. No clear indication. However, impact fees are one of the things that the draft housing element considers. (See “Revised Draft Housing Element (11/02/21).”) X X X
3. No clear indication there is a minimum size requirement for a dwelling. X X X
1. “Family” is defined broadly as 1, 2, or more people in a housekeeping unit. X X X
2. Greater densities are permitted under the density bonus. These are not for missing middle housing, necessarily, but they increase allowable densities. (See “93.23.17 Density Bonus..”) X X X GOAL: INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
REDUCE THE COST
OF PROVIDING
ADDITIONAL
HOUSING
S Establish a program to reimburse application and review fees for affordable housing.
L Establish a local affordable housing development non-profit.
M Establish a community land trust or similar entity, if one does not exist, to provide and manage affordable housing.
L Encourage area institutions (e.g. hospitals and universities) to provide nearby affordable housing for their staff.
ENABLE AND
ENCOURAGE INFILL
HOUSING
L Amend zoning to allow missing middle housing in single-family zones.
M Amend zoning to permit more intensive housing along transit lines (where they exist) M Amend zoning to reduce maximum lot coverage caps to block infill housing.
S Amend zoning to allow residential uses in commercial zones.
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BLUE ZONES
®
®
®
®
0 0
0 0
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
3. No clear indication X X X
2. There are at least a couple of housing nonprofits active in Palm Springs. (See “Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (chochousing.org)” and “Affordable Housing Development Organization - Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (cvhc.org).”)
X X X X X
2. The Inland Equity Community Land Trust works in the county. (See “Inland Equity Community Land Trust,”) X X X X X
3. No clear indication, but there may be little opportunity for it. X X X X X X
3. No clear indication, but it may be part of the incentives mentioned in the article, “Palm Springs Announces Development Incentives For Affordable Housing – NBC Palm Springs.” (See article of that title.)
X X X
2. No clear indication, but there appears to be a consensus that new housing can go downtown in the article “Palm Springs City Council discusses how to increase affordable housing (desertsun.com).” (See article of that title.)
X X X
3. No clear indication, although in this case it is more a matter of reducing required lot sizes. X X X
2. No clear indication, except that the C-B-D zone allows housing. X X X Activate Palm Springs Report 101
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BLUE ZONES
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
ENABLE AND
ENCOURAGE INFILL
HOUSING
L Provide streamlined review processes for small-scale infill housing, such as making site-plan review an administrative rather than a discretionary process.
S Schedule an Incremental Development training session for potential local developers to facilitate small scale infill housing.
ENABLE AND
ENCOURAGE
ACCESSORY
DWELLING UNITS
S Amend zoning to allow accessory dwellings on residential lots, within existing buildings or as accessory buildings, including the following regulatory elements.
S Amend zoning for accessory apartments to eliminate size caps that are smaller than than 600 sq.ft. or 50% of the primary dwelling unit size, whichever is greater.
S Amend zoning that requires owner-occupancy for the principal or accessory unit.
S Amend zoning to remove parking requirements for accessory dwelling units.
S Provide training and assistance for homeowners in creating accessory dwelling units.
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
0 ®
0 0
0 0
®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
No clear indication X X X
No clear indication X X X X X X
1. There is an accessory dwelling ordinance. (See “93.23.14 Accessory Dwelling Units.”) X X X
1. The size caps are 850-1000 square feet, depending on bedroom count. X X X
2. Owner-occupancy is still required for units built before 2020. There is no owner-occupancy requirement until 2025, when a new requirement kicks in. (See “93.23.14 Accessory Dwelling Units” at E.7.)
X X X
2. There are parking requirements, but there are several exceptions, including that if a carport or garage is converted to an ADU it need not have additional parking. X X X
3. No clear indication X X X X X X
GOAL: INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
GOAL: PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT
ACTION
(Objective)
CATEGORY
LEVEL OF EFFORT
FOCUS (Strategy)
ALIGN
COMMUNITY’S
PLANNING
DOCUMENTS
WITH COMMUNITY
GOALS
M Ensure that the housing element in a comprehensive plan includes essential goals and strategies to encourage additional housing, such as those listed above.
M Complete a housing study to analyze and document existing conditions and needs, and describing next steps in creating additional housing.
Level of Effort: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE EXTRA LARGE Category: REGULATORY NON-REGULATORY GOAL: INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
0 ®
0 ®
Status
Status of strategies:
1. Locale has done all that it can and must do to effect the policy.
2. Locale is working on it.
3. Locale has not started or has not conceptualized the policy.
4. Locale is prevented from taking action, by e.g. preemption from state.
Palm Springs Policy Scan
WHO WHERE HOW
Municipality
County
State
Non-profit
Organization
Institution
Small Area
Neighborhood
Across the
Municipality
Region
Ordinance
Licensing &
Permitting
Operations
Partnerships
2. The city appears to be working on it. The latest draft found, though, is over a year old. (See “Revised Draft Housing Element (11/02/21).”) X X X
2. See immediately above. X X X X X
GOAL: INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS
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BLUE ZONES
Places Overview
The Blue Zones approach to community transformation is to optimize the places and spaces people spend the most time so that healthy choices are easier or even unavoidable. Large worksites and public schools are a focus because they are where most adults and children spend the majority of their waking lives. Administered and run by our team, we deploy a Blue Zones approval program for schools, worksites, restaurants, and grocery stores.
SCHOOLS | WORKSITES | RESTAURANTS | GROCERY STORES
PALM SPRINGS
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Over time, our objective is to get a minimum threshold of these places Blue Zones Approved™. In Blue Zones communities, we typically have 50-70% or higher name awareness and recognition, so a Blue Zones designation is highly coveted. By working collaboratively to make permanent and visible changes, healthy choices become easy choices in all the places where people live, work, learn, pray, and play.
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Headline Two Lines Here
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Schools make a wise investment because outcomes can last 70 years or longer. Good habits adopted at an early age lead to healthier, happier, more productive lives, and enormous cost savings in medical and social expenditures.
The Blue Zones team will focus on helping 50% of the
schools in the community implement a critical mass of
best practice items from the Blue Zones Schools Pledge
to become Blue Zones Project Approved schools.
Schools
PALM SPRINGS
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ct
• BLUE ZONES
" ' """' ,,
The following readiness assessment examines public schools in the City of Palm Springs, CA. In addition to compiling data through analysis of textual resources, focus groups with stakeholders, including school leaders, community
engagement professionals, community organizations, and
other representatives proved instrumental in capturing
valuable information for this report.2 The purposes of these gatherings were to gain a deeper understanding of the City’s public schools, and determine their readiness for working with Blue Zones to revitalize school environments and better promote physical, social, and emotional health throughout the region of focus.
Our review of current practices and local realities illuminates that many public schools within the study area are uniquely positioned to work with Blue Zones toward improving school environments. While numerous perennial public health
challenges and conflicting objectives exist, leveraging Blue Zones-established best practices, and practically applying them at both a macro and micro level with the knowledge gained from this review, will begin to empower these school districts to better serve the groups and individuals who are in need of such collaboration.
The Blue Zones region of focus encompassing much of Riverside County, CA represents an opportunity to make a tangible impact on this vibrant community’s public health.1 In this regard, a focused effort to improve the health of educational environments is a critically important issue. Of the host of public health issues many communities across the country face, providing healthy environments in public schools is a challenge with an undeniably strong influence on most other outstanding problems.
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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BLUE ZONES
Background
Located in the southern region of California, Riverside County is the State’s fourth largest by total area, comprising 7,206 square miles, and bordered by San Diego, Imperial, La Paz, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties.3 Riverside enjoys a diverse population of just over 2.4 million residents who live across a mix of urban and rural localities.4
The City of Palm Springs, CA (Palm Springs) is in eastern Riverside County, in a geographic area termed “The Coachella Valley”. It is 54 miles east of Riverside, CA and 107 miles southeast of Los Angeles, CA. Palm Springs is a city of approximately 50,000 residents.5
The City of Palm Springs’ k-12 education system is provided by the Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD). In addition to the City of Palm Springs the districts services surrounding communities including Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Palm Desert.
According to information provided in the City of Palm Springs’ Community-Led Presentation there are 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school, and 1 charter school, with a total enrollment 5,154 students ( 2019-2020 academic year). This represents around a quarter of PSUSD’s student body.
Credit: Google Maps
State of California Programs and Funding
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSAL MEALS PROGRAM
California is the nation’s first state to implement a universal meals program for school-aged children.6 Beginning in the 2022–2023 school year, the California Universal Meals Program is a statewide initiative aimed at providing nutritious meals to all children in California “regardless of their family’s income or immigration status”.7 This program was established to address food insecurity and ensure access to healthy meals, with all children aged 18 and under eligible to receive two free meals, breakfast and lunch, at participating schools, community centers, and various locations. The program is funded by the State of California and administered by the California Department of Education in partnership with local schools, community organizations, and food service providers.
The meals provided through the program are based on USDA nutrition standards, and designed to meet the dietary needs of growing children while instilling healthy eating habits.
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KITCHEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRAINING FUNDS (KIT FUNDS)
In 2022 California passed legislation allocating necessary funds through 2025 to improve schools’ kitchen infrastructure and train food service staff with the goals of increasing schools’ capacity to prepare fresh meals on site that are minimally processed and incorporate locally grown and sustainable ingredients, and with the overarching aims of promoting nutritious foods while reducing waste.8
FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PROGRAM
PSUSD provides the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), a federally assisted program providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to children at eligible elementary schools during the school day. Eligible schools must apply for this program in order to receive funds to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables from wholesale vendors to serve to students during the school day, free of charge. Along with the opportunity for students to try new fresh fruit and vegetables, additional nutritional educational materials are provided to expose students to the importance of healthy eating.9
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
Riverside County’s Office of Education focuses on developing students from the perspective of the whole child model, which includes fostering children’s physical, mental, and spiritual health in addition to their academic growth. The county’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez, established 4 initiatives addressing issues related to equity and inclusion, mental health, literacy by 5th grade, and financial literacy to support students.10 Critically, Superintendent Gomez expressed his openness and willingness to collaborate with Blue Zones, noting the importance of Blue Zones’s efforts and the need for them to be integrated regionally.
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
Strengths
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Headline Two Lines Here COMMUNITY-BASED EFFORTS TO IMPROVE SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENTS
Among the most significant strengths school districts in this community possess are partnerships with community organizations that work to support students and families. Schools are no longer places that only provide an education—they are neighborhood hubs that community organizations collaborate with to offer critical services and resources, including social services and social and emotional learning, translation services, tutoring, child care, and additional meals for dinner and during the summer. While reconciling the demand placed on schools to offer these supports with available resources poses a significant challenge, especially in areas where the institutional pull on education occurs more frequently and intensely, several community organizations in the region of study have nobly answered the call to service, stepping in to assist and offer programming to help meet these needs.
Further addressing how partnerships between schools and community organizations can work in more harmonious ways, and helping them create healthier environments through the Blue Zones Pledge, will further ease the burden schools face to offer the aforementioned services and resources. Community organizations can be a part of district and school wellness committees that offer valuable resources and learning opportunities to many, while Blue Zones can help to align resources to the school pledge actions.
PSUSD has its own foundation (The Foundation). The Foundation functions as a nonprofit entity for the district, with the primary goal of cultivating public-private
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collaborative partnerships that enhance and strengthen
schools to boost student achievement and success. One of many instances of the Foundation’s work includes fostering a partnership with NFL player Jerry Argovitz and the district to create a cutting-edge program that engages and mentors high school student-athletes around the importance of academic excellence alongside sports achievement.11 Focus group members also mentioned The Foundation’s school gardens project wherein funding has created at least four of them thus far throughout the district.
PALM SPRINGS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
PSUSD promotes its wellness policy online and provides
resources aligning with student wellness, such as sample healthy USDA-approved Smart Snacks and healthy classroom fundraisers.
Additionally, several schools throughout the district facilitate various wellness-related activities periodically throughout the school year.
The City of Palm Springs actively supports wellness efforts in PSUSD. The district, for example, received a grant to retrofit classrooms as wellness spaces that are staffed by a combination of behavioral specialists, counselors, and therapists. According to a focus group participant, 19 have been financially underwritten with 7 implemented thus far.
These wellness centers also received grants to add telehealth resources.
PSUSD places significant value on providing resources that support and enhance staff wellbeing. The PSUSD Staff
Wellness Club, for example, provides programs and incentives to inform, encourage, and promote the health and wellbeing of all district employees. One staff wellness initiative highlighted during the focus group was Lighten Up, a team-based
healthy weight loss competition modeled after HealthyWage, an outcomes- based corporate and consumer weight loss
program. The winning team receives $10K for their school, and everyone pays $75 each to participate. Currently, a step challenge for staff is being promoted as well.
PSUSD utilizes the FruitGuys Farm to School Program and shares a monthly nutrition education bulletin through it. Fruitguys partners with parents, teachers, and nutrition services staff to increase overall wellness and positive behaviors by improving nutrition and reducing hunger through the promotion of better eating habits and physical activity.
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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Headline Two Lines Here
A focus on connectedness at Cathedral City High School led to efforts shifting the building’s climate and culture toward one that is more inclusive. Such efforts include the creation of a club consisting of peer mediators, counselors, and equity ambassadors who help students solve conflict, and share safe spaces for restorative practices (restorative circles).12
PSUSD views parents as partners, and works to increase active parent engagement through its Family Engagement Center. It is here that parent associations and group forums meet. These groups include the PTA, SEPAC, LPAC, LGBTQ, DELAC, PIA, and LCAP. The center is also a place for family and parent education classes, adult learning and personal development, and health resources. During the focus group, there were also discussions regarding the inactivity of parent engagement during COVID-19. Since things have opened up in recent months, however, engagement has improved. Every Wednesday the Center hosts a family engagement hour filled with various activities—themed events occur every month, and “geeky” nights are hosted to promote science and technology. Prevention and resilience workshops are also hosted with the direction and guidance of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator who leads much of this work, and supported by others including Native American, LGBTQ, Pacific Islander, and parent groups.13 Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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Challenges
SOCIOECONOMIC
During focus group discussions, socio economic challenges in Palm Springs were raised. Respondents mentioned a shortage of housing for low and middle income workers including
teachers earning salaries of $60-100K. It was noted that parks and city infrastructure cannot handle and/or accommodate the needs of students, families, and school district employees.
These imbalances make it challenging for school employees to afford to live in the area in which they work.
TRANSPORTATION
Many parents in the district’s surrounding areas drive their kids to school, often transporting children from 35 minutes to 1 hours daily to get to school. Focus group members
talked about school transportation options that are complex, costly, and insufficient. PSUSD does offer a home-to-school transportation option for those students living further than a predetermined aerial distance from their school, but even with this program in place, a large number of students do not have this beneficial transportation option available to them.
Relatedly, there was an abundance of conversation about pedestrian safety and biking fatalities within the community.
Implementing a walking school bus program, one of the Blue ZonesPledge goals can help reduce traffic congestion, bring community connectedness and increase physical activity.
MENTAL HEALTH
Addressing students living with mental health conditions is a perennial challenge exacerbated by the digital age. The focus group shared with pride that PSUSD has made great strides in combating mental health issues with the staffing of counselors, psychologists, and improving MTSS support for students in response to current challenges. Participants noted that they are constantly seeking ways to create a school-wide culture of positive mental health and curb mental health challenges. An increasing body of research is suggesting that social media has the ability to intensify and accelerate negative feelings youth manifest about themselves and others, and diminish feelings of connectedness in school, potentially causing detrimental effects on overall well-being.14 Additional health and wellness initiatives could empower the district’s schools to become sites that foster more social connection and, ultimately, overall well-being. 116 Activate Palm Springs Report
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Opportunities
School districts were overtaxed during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and worked hard to satisfy the many needs of students and families. Utilizing the well-organized response during this time to support students and families to leverage a new approach to overall well-being can be accomplished by reestablishing district wellness goals and policies that will help build a cultural shift wherein valuing well-being becomes the norm throughout the school environment and community. PSUSD shares its wellness policy online through a highlighted brief document and shares its Wellness Policy Assessment which, according to the PSUSD website, was last updated in the 2017-2018 school year.15 16
These underlying challenges reinforce the need for improved wellbeing throughout the community. An investment in transformation could set a strong foundation of opportunities for relieving stress, reducing loneliness and alleviating depression—forming and nurturing social groups that support healthy habits leads to happier lives.
In CA, school districts are required to have local school wellness policies.17When implemented, these policies bring structure and accountability to school health, and align with Blue Zones Project School Pledge Actions. These policies typically include:
Specific goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other School-based activities that promote student wellness
Policies for other foods and beverages available on the school campus during the school day (e.g., in classroom parties, classroom snacks brought by parents, or other foods given as incentives)
Wellness communication efforts
Program evaluation
Environmental safety and health services
Opportunities to instill healthy lifestyle choices are strengthened through periodical programmatic improvements and policy changes. In light of this, the CDC recommends that school districts revisit their wellness policies every three years.
Additionally, establishing or reestablishing School and District Wide Councils to update policies, organize efforts, and streamline wellness activities in and out of schools will be beneficial. This phase of review can also serve as a moment to bring more cohesiveness to the current efforts around mental health and social emotional health practices and policies as well as offer opportunities for the district as a whole to communicate, collaborate, and share important ideas and resources with each other so that more programs and activities become available to the students and families of the Palm Springs area.18 Activate Palm Springs Report 117
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Given the Parent Engagement Center’s latest successes in building parent engagement, there is an opportunity to enhance communication with parents and families through promoted events that are well-being focused. Adding well-being groups within the center could benefit students and families, and help incorporate well-being-related topics that further instill a culture of health throughout the community.
People and Organizations
Engaged During Assessment
NAME ORGANIZATION
Carol Stewart Director of School Programs, The FruitGuys Farm to School Program
Dr. Edwin Gomez Superintendent, Riverside County Department of Education
Ellen Goodman Executive Director, PSUSD Foundation
Erika Barragan Executive Assistant, Superintendent’s Office, PSUSD
Joan Boiko Coordinator, Communication and Community
Outreach
Kat Satterly CA Program Manager, Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Michael Ventura Principal, Palm Springs High School
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1 Image courtesy of the United States Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/ profile?g=0500000US06065
2Building- and district-level personnel include superintendents, those from child nutrition services, and those from health and physical education. 3United States Census Bureau. Riverside County, California - Census Bureau profile. https://data.census.gov/profile?g=0500000US06065 4Ibid.
5Gehrlein, T. (2022). City of Palm Springs, California [Context report, unpublished]. Elemental Advisors. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E3C ph871V6KYcssUKkBHG9t0IA4sa1w-/edit#heading=h.23ckvvd
6California Department of Education. (n.d.). Universal meals - school nutrition. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sn/cauniversalmeals.asp
7Ibid.
8California Department of Education (n.d.). 2022 Kitchen Infrastructure and Training Funds. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/kitfunds2022.asp 9USDA. (n.d.). Fresh fruit and vegetable program. https://www.fns.usda.gov/ ffvp/fresh-fruit-and-vegetable-program
10Riverside County Office of Education. (n.d.). Superintendent’s Initiatives. https://www.rcoe.us/about-us/superintendent/superintendent-s-initiatives 11The Foundation. (n.d.). Our projects. https://www.psusdfoundation.net/ ourprojects
12School News. (2023). CCHS creating inclusive safe space. https://www.psusd. us/cms/lib/CA02204874/Centricity/Domain/5471/PS_FEB_23.pdf 13Family Engagement Center. (n.d.). Calendar of events. https://www.psusd.us/ domain/1211#calendar1993/20230329/month
14Nesi J. (2020). The Impact of Social Media on Youth Mental Health:
Challenges and Opportunities. North Carolina medical journal, 81(2), 116–121. https://doi.org/10.18043/ncm.81.2.116
15Palm Springs Unified School District. (2018). Wellness policy highlights. https://district.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/palmspringsusd/files/WP%20 Summary%20Foods%20Highlights.pdf
16Palm Springs Unified School District. (n.d.). Wellness policy. https:// psusdnutrition.com/index.php?sid=1203101941382649&page=wellnesspolicy 17Wellness Policy was difficult to find in its entirety, highlights of the policy were located here https://district.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/ palmspringsusd/files/WP%20Summary%20Foods%20Highlights.pdf 18CDC. (n.d.). Local school wellness policy. https://www.cdc.gov/ healthyschools/nutrition/wellness.htm
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BLUE ZONES
Worksites
Most Americans spend about half their waking life
on the job, making workplaces a prime opportunity
to encourage healthy lifestyles.
The Blue Zones approach to transforming worksites
is to offer a Blue Zones Approval program that
implements a critical mass of initiatives that nudge
employees into moving more, eating less junk food,
making meaningful connections with coworkers, and
helping people find and live out their purpose.
PALM SPRINGS
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The Blue Zones Worksite Pledge is
designed along five areas of best practice:
Leadership
Purpose
Physical Environment
Social Networks / Engagement
Policies and Benefits
To achieve Blue Zones Certification, we require a significant percentage of the largest workplaces to become Blue Zones Approved.
Employers who take the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge are offered consulting support at no cost, but they are required to take the process seriously. The program provides free purpose workshops and moais — a process by which we build employee social networks around walking and healthy eating.
Benefits to Employers
Large Grocery Chain in Hawaii (Foodland):
72% report of being less sedentary per day
46% participation in volunteer experience through work
5.5% decrease in employee turnover
Large Hospital System in Southwest Florida (NCH)
34.1% positive shift in BMI
2.8% improvement in social well-being score
17.6% positive shift in blood pressure service affordable to all residents
Blue Zones Approved Worksites:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
BLUE ZONES
Economic Development
in Palm Springs
The City of Palm Springs Department of Community and
Economic Development oversees many different activities and programs that benefit City residents and businesses. A sampling of these activities and programs include:
The Downtown Revitalization Project along with the
addition of the new 1.5 acre Downtown Park.
The Hotel Incentive Program designed to help existing hotels to renovate their properties.
Improvement and remodel programs aimed at revitalizing under-served areas of the community.
The Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP),
established in 1994, brings together the nine cities in the region including Palm Springs, unincorporated areas, tribal governments, regional governments, businesses of all sizes, and the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Business
Bureau. The CVEP focuses on regional business development initiatives. It promotes a diversified, year-round economy by facilitating programs that stimulate job creation in key industries through business attraction, retention, and expansion.
The Partnership also manages the Palm Springs Innovation Hub (iHub), a state-sponsored business incubator designed to support early-stage business in the fields of renewable energy, health and medicine, and digital technology. The iHub is funded by the city of Palm Springs and Wells Fargo. The Palm Springs iHub also offers the Palm Springs Accelerator Campus aimed at mitigating start-up risks and increasing the probability of business success.
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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BLUE ZONES
Employers and Industries
City employment totaled 23,300 for the Fiscal Year 2021-22, based on the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
In 2021, 21% of Palm Springs residents worked from home compared to 8% in Riverside County. It is worth noting that the average age in Palm Springs is about 57 years old (compared to 37 years old in Riverside County, with almost a third of the population 65 and over).
According to the City’s Economic Development Department, the top employment sectors in Palm Springs:
Leisure and Hospitality
Retail
Education
Health
According to a Tourism Economics report, in 2021, tourismsupported jobs accounted for more than 19.1% of all jobs in the region (37,254 in Greater Palm Springs).
Palm Springs is known as a resort city, and tourism is an important part of the local economy as well as a major source of tax revenue. Luxury hotels and casinos, restaurants, golf courses, high-end shops, the warm climate, desert landscape, and cultural events like the Palm Springs International Film Festival all draw visitors to Palm Springs.
In 2020, David H. Ready, who was the Palm Springs City
Manager for 21 years before his retirement, told Palm
Springs Life Magazine, “Over the last 10 years, the City has strategically focused on growing our local tourism economy by improving our Convention Center, incentivizing new hotels and renovations, and revitalizing our downtown.”
“All of this has come together to bring Palm Springs back as a premier destination and we’re seeing that manifest as additional new airlines recognize that Palm Springs is experiencing a renaissance and they want to be part of it,” he said
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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Palm Springs Unified School District,
2,584 employees
Desert Regional Medical Center
2,459 employees
Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs
547 employees
City of Palm Springs
470 employees
Walmart Supercenter
387 employees
Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs
251 employees
The Home Depot
220 employees
Lowe’s Home Improvement
152 employees
Ace Hotel & Swim Club
114 employees
Hilton Palm Springs Resorts
108 employees
Top 10 Employers in Palm Springs
To achieve Blue Zones Certification, (by workforce size) a significant percentage of the
largest employers in a community
are required to become “Blue
Zones Approved” to reach a tipping
point of participation.
Source: 2022 Palm Springs Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (Fiscal Year 2021-22)
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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Workforce Development
What is Workforce Development?
Workforce Development is a comprehensive approach to
developing the talent required to meet the current and
emerging needs of business and industry within a community.
The Riverside County Workforce Development Center serves Palm Springs as well as the rest of the county and its cities.
There are several adult Workforce Development Center
locations and Youth Opportunity Centers throughout the
county, but none are located specifically in Palm Springs.
However, the county’s Mobile Workforce Development Center travels throughout the county and is available by appointment.
The Workforce Development Center offers services to both business and job seekers. Business solutions include:
Analysis of business needs
Hiring incentive programs
Recruitment of qualified candidates
Tax incentive programs
Business retention and expansion
College of the Desert (COD), which has a Palm Springs campus at 1300 E. Baristo Rd., offers credit and non-credit college courses, basic skills courses, and English Second Language non-credit courses.
The COD, which has its main campus in Palm Desert within close driving distance to Palm Springs, has Economic and Workforce Development (EWD) programs that provide
education, training, and technical assistance to prepare workers for emerging industries as well as to help the
employed to update their skills.
The college works closely with businesses in the area to identify knowledge and skill gaps, develop training solutions, and implement effective strategies for ongoing professional development.
Among the COD’s current EWD programs are the following:
Automotive and Advanced Transportation Technology
Building and Energy Systems
Solar Energy
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The COD also offers certificate and/or associate degree programs in a number of fields that prepare students for work.
A sampling of these include:
Air Conditioning/HVACR
Culinary Arts
Emergency Medical Technology
Fire Technology
According to the California Economic Development
Department, the following locations also offer career training programs in Palm Springs.
Champion Institute of Cosmetology
Desert Resorts School of Somatherapy
Dorothy Shreve Professional Modeling
Palm Springs Adult Education
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Community Voices
During our focus group meeting, we heard from participants on strengths, opportunities, and challenges for well-being at Palm Springs’ worksites:
Strengths
COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
There is interest and efforts to promote Well-Being in the workplace, but is mostly informal, not policy driven:
• CVEP allows for standing desk equipment or
ergonomic chairs when requested, but does not have
a policy
• CVEP allows flexible hours and is more results
focused than hours worked (e.g. Allowing a parent
to leave early to attend a child’s sports game or a
professional appointment). Again, this is an informal
practice and is not policy driven
• Allow bringing dogs or kids to work in a number of
worksites, especially non-profits
• Use of recognition and reward, especially when
money for benefits and salaries is more limited
• Work from home
Chamber of Commerce has multiple practices to
support well-being:
• If have a group for a trip, allow employee “runners”
host the trip without cost to the employee
• Pays 100% of healthcare benefit
• Provides business networking opportunities and
socials
• Employees can earn extra income outside their salary
(e.g. Sell advertisement for periodicals)
• Financial support for continued education and
conference attendance
Attendance at work related events or socials has mostly recovered to pre-covid state
There is support from some entities to promote greater well-being practices
• E.g. GrubHub funding the replacement of oil fryers
with air fryers in some restaurant establishments
Categories of largest employers
• Healthcare
• Tribes
• Government
• School systems
• Hospitality
• Retail
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COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Workforce challenges:
• Ability to provide a diversity of jobs
– Hospitality is major source of jobs and has
consistently low salaries
– Lack of professional jobs - If one professional moves to the area for a job and has a working professional
partner, it can be very difficult for the partner to
find a suitable position
• Workforce is generally underpaid comparative to
other areas, but there is also pay disparity with City
employees generally having the highest salaries which
is a challenging optic
– “85% of the students are on the paid lunch
program”
– Higher paid employees move into the city, lower
paid employees move out related to affordability of
housing, etc.
• Recruitment is difficult, especially for professional positions - No 4 year university exists to provide
professionals to the area
– Commuting is difficult with traffic, weather and
frequently closed roads
– Inability to provide competitive benefits (e.g.
Assistance with employee healthcare coverage
costs, 401K and being able to pay out the matching
funds)
– Ability to provide employee events as costs are so
much higher
– Maintaining a consistent workforce related to
above issues with seasonality adding an additional
challenge
– On-boarding, supporting, connecting and
addressing well-being of the work-from-home
employees
– Affordability and access to childcare
– Workforce described as being in a state of
“perpetual rage”
Inadequate/inconsistent broadband service as is
often unstable even in town making work from home
challenging
Non-profit organizations are offered grants, but cannot always get a workforce to execute, especially with
behavioral and mental health projects
What the workforce wants, but cannot consistently
have:
• Flexibility
• Ability to earn a decent living
• Ability to provide for their families beyond “necessity” • Ability to work in roles consistent with their area of interest or passion
Challenges
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Opportunities Acknowledgements
NAME ORGANIZATION
Dave Powell Desert Business Association
Donna Craig Desert Health District
Joe Wallace Coachella Valley Economic
Partnership (CVEP)
Nora Watson Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce
Ron DeHart Palm Springs City Council
Stephen Scoggins Volunteers In Medicine
COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Strengthen employee benefits beyond salary
• Childcare assistance or on-premises childcare
• Reward and recognition programs
• Employee networking and connecting events
• Free self-help apps such as “calming apps”, yoga, etc • Healthcare assistance
• Consistent 401K match
• Flexible working hours
• Purpose workshops
• Assistance with continued education
Improve affordable housing access.
Develop and communicate policies to address improved
well-being
Develop strategies for strong on-boarding, support, and networking for work-from-home employees
Address commuting issues such as road structure,
closures, etc.
Develop strategies to attract and retain professional employees
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BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here
Restaurants
Blue Zones Approved restaurants tend to save money on food costs and attract more business through customers who want to eat healthier.
Our goal is to ensure a critical mass of restaurants offer residents healthy options when they go out to eat. To
that end, we administer a Blue Zones Approval Program
that helps restaurants make the healthy choice the easy choice by offering plant-based meals, smaller portions, and less processed foods with less sugar and sodium.
Blue Zones Approved restaurants tend to save money
on food costs and attract more business through
customers who want to eat healthier.
In our work in cities and counties across the nation, our goal is for 10% of all restaurants within the community to take the Restaurant Pledge to become Blue Zones Approved.
PALM SPRINGS
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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Headline Two Lines Here
Benefits to Restaurants
Attract new diners by offering healthier options
Increase overall revenue with sales of healthy food
and beverage options
Community recognition for Blue Zones Approved
status
Promotion through Blue Zones Project social
media and website
The Blue Zones Project Restaurant Pledge is designed around five areas of best practices:
Healthier Entrée Offerings: Provide more entrée
options that align with the plant-based focus of Blue
Zones regions around the world.
Side Dishes and Ingredients: Provide more options for
healthier side dishes and portion sizes.
Education and Awareness: Train restaurant staff on
Blue Zones restaurant guidelines.
Physical Environment: Model the Blue Zones principles
in the restaurant work environment.
Preparation and Presentation: Design menus and
present food to highlight healthier options, enabling
diners to make better choices
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
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----~- n. ...., - • • 'T
BLUE ZONES
There are more than 200 restaurants in Palm Springs
with many different types of dining experiences and
types of cuisine offered including organic fare and
healthier plant-based vegan foods that are Blue-Zones
friendly.
Due to its location in the desert, many of the restaurants in Palm Springs also offer outdoor seating with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and palm trees.
Palm Springs also offers a growing plant-based dining
scene, with many restaurants offering vegetarian and
vegan options. Some restaurants specialize in plantbased cuisine, offering creative and flavorful dishes; other mainstream restaurants in Palm Springs now
offer vegetarian and vegan options on their menus,
making it easy for plant-based eaters to find something appropriate while dining out.
A sampling of the Palm Springs restaurants serving healthy food options are:
• Nature’s Health Food and Cafe
• Palm Greens Cafe
• Native Foods
• MidMod Cafe
• Chef Tanya’s Kitchen
• Fresh Juice Bar
• Juniper Table
• 533 Viet Fusion
Many of the eateries in Palm Springs are also proudly
locally owned and operated, which is a positive
indication for Blue Zones. These owners are most likely to have the autonomy to make marketing decisions,
menu changes, and modifications to the dining
environment, unlike chain restaurants who often don’t
have the autonomy to make changes at the local level.
Most of the city’s restaurants that are located in historic downtown offer healthy menu options. And while there
are many free-standing restaurants in Palm Springs,
some of the top-rated restaurants in the city are located in luxury hotels or other venues. The Escena Lounge &
Grill at the Escena Golf Club is just one example.
Some restaurants are also located in shopping malls or
mixed-use developments like the Bar Chingona at The
Flannery Exchange, an upscale development with luxury
offices, retail shops, bars, and dining establishments.
The Restaurant Scene in Palm Springs
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While American cuisine is the most represented in
Palm Springs restaurants, there are many restaurants
specializing in ethnic or regional cuisine. These include Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Peruvian, Salvadoran,
Japanese, Asian fusion, Californian/SoCal, New
American, Mexican, European/Euro-American, French,
Italian, Greek, Mediterranean, and others.
Credit: Visit Palm Springs
Dining Accolades
There are many independent restaurants that are highly
rated in editorials, dining guides, and on social media sites like Yelp and Google. Farm, a Provençal-style cafe located in La Plaza de California, for instance, has 4.7 stars on Google and over 2,200 reviews.
In December 2022, the Michelin Guide recommended
eight Palm Springs restaurants including:
4 Saints – Located on the rooftop of the Rowan
Hotel, this restaurant offers great mountain views
and a shareable menu from Chef Ysaac Ramirez.
Bar Cecil – Just established in 2020, this restaurant is already making its mark.
Boozehounds – Serving an eclectic international bar
menu, this highly-rated restaurant welcomes dogs on
its outdoor patio and even has a canine menu.
Cheeky’s – This restaurant taps into local foods
sourcing most of its produce from within 100 miles.
Colony Club – Located in the Colony Palms Hotel,
Colony Club serves fresh Californian fare.
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Headline Two Lines Here Tac/Quila – Specializing in gourmet Jalisco-style cuisine in a casual setting, this unique restaurant
serves an eclectic mix of Mexican food ranging from
street tacos to lobster and ahi tuna.
The Barn Kitchen at Sparrow Lodge – Once
exclusive to Hollywood elites, this restaurant serves
California-style cuisine with some plant-based
options like avocado toast and cauliflower steaks.
Workshop Kitchen & Bar – Also specializing in
California cuisine, this restaurant sources food from
its own vegetable and herb gardens.
A number of Palm Springs chefs are well known locally
and beyond for their culinary achievements. Awardwinning Johannes Bacher, the executive chef and owner of Johannes Restaurant, is just one example. Another
internationally recognized chef, John Fritch was
featured in Food, Wine & Travel magazine in November
2021. He is the owner of Peaks Restaurant and Pines
Cafe, both accessed by the Palm Springs Aerial
Tramway. Served at 8,516’ alongside breathtaking views
of mountains, the Pine Restaurant’s menu features fresh vegetables and greens from the Coachella Valley as well as dry-aged meats and poultry, and fresh breads.
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Under the umbrella of the Palm Springs Hospitality
Association, the Palm Springs Restaurant Association is a non-profit organization that supports and promotes the
local restaurant industry to locals and tourists. They host events like the Palm Springs Restaurant Week and Taste of Palm Springs to showcase the city’s diverse dining scene.
The association also provides resources, advocacy, and
networking opportunities to local restaurants. Their efforts help make Palm Springs a thriving dining destination.
Connecting with the Palm Springs Restaurant Association to engage their members and support their mission may be an opportunity for Blue Zones Project.
Associations
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Headline Two Lines Here
Grocery Stores
Grocery stores influence what people choose to eat, for better or for worse. Food companies have known and used this to increase their sales with in- store marketing for decades, but health-promoting businesses have only recently started targeting food retailers as untapped resources for healthy eating.
Grocery stores play a key role in Blue Zones Project
as more and more customers are demanding healthy
options. By following best practices from around
the country, grocery stores can meet this growing
customer demand and dramatically increase revenue,
all while improving customers’ health. Local grocery
stores may already be pointing customers toward
healthier choices; but there are many opportunities to
expand upon what they are currently doing.
PALM SPRINGS
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Retail grocers realize clear benefits by affiliating with Blue Zones:
Healthy Sales: The employee-owned and operated chain of HyVee grocery stores in one regional center in southern Minnesota and seven Iowa communities, grew sales of healthy product categories like whole grains, produce, frozen vegetables, and healthy snacks.
Customer Growth: Blue Zones social media, web, and
community promotions connect the store to potential new customers and other involved organizations. Participating Iowa communities averaged 70% public awareness with several
communities reaching nearly 90%. More than 50% of residents reported being highly engaged in the work.
Customer and Staff Satisfaction: The Blue Zones Grocery Store Pledge fits with evolving consumer preferences for healthier foods. Participation helps optimize and showcase these
offerings.
Involvement also sends a positive message to customers
and employees that the business is doing its part to help the community thrive.
Healthier beverages: Promoting healthier drinks
and decreasing the focus and promotion of sugarsweetened beverages Physical environment: Re-imagining the store
layout to make healthy choices more prominent
Education and promotion: Adjusting marketing
strategy and timing of promotions to highlight
healthier options
Retail grocers realize clear benefits by affiliating with Blue Zones Customer and
Staff Satisfaction Healthy Sales Customer Growth
The Blue Zones approach to creating healthy food
options benefits both residents and grocery stores. For a community to obtain Blue Zone Certification, 25% of
grocers must implement the Blue Zones Pledge, which
includes 35 proven best practices associated with
these domains:
Benefits to Grocers
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More discovery is needed for a full list of grocery stores of all types. However, based on Google Maps listings,
there are approximately 15 grocery stores of all sizes
currently serving the City of Palm Springs, not including convenience stores.
Full-service chain grocery stores in Palm Springs include:
Albertsons – The second largest supermarket chain in North America.
ALDI – Smaller discount supermarket chain that sells a small selection of produce and meats.
Grocery Outlet – A smaller discount chain carrying brand-name groceries, plus items like gifts and toys.
Jensen’s Finest Foods – Jensen’s is considered a higher-quality, higher-priced grocery store.
Smart & Final Extra – A warehouse-like supermarket chain for produce, meats and packaged foods that offers discounts on bulk items.
Palm Springs Grocery Stores
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Headline Two Lines Here
Ralphs – There are two locations in Palm Springs including Ralphs on Sunrise Way and Ralphs Fresh Fare on Palm
Canyon Drive.
Stater Bros. Markets – A chain of grocery stores located in Southern California offering low prices.
Vons – A supermarket that offers grocery staples, produce and deli items.quality, higher-priced grocery store.
There is at least one health food store in Palm Springs, Nature’s Health Food and Cafe, located on Sunrise Way. Its mission statement is “Food is Medicine; Medicine is Food.” The store is open seven days a week and offers organic food, vitamins, herbs, and practical information and education on healthy living.
The City of Palm Springs also has a handful of smaller ethnic and/or locally owned markets which sell grocery items.
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BLUE ZONES
Most stores in Palm Springs that sell groceries are located along or near State Route 111 and State Route 111 Business, providing easy access by car, but not necessarily for those who need to walk to shop for groceries. SunLine transit agency, which provides the bus service in Palm Springs, has a 3 bag limitation.
On The Mark – A gourmet food market and deli, featuring a range of unique boutique products such as: craft beer and wine, artisan crafted cheese, nitrate-free meats, pâtés, small batch oils and vinegars, and other items.
Transilvania European Food Store – Market specializing
in eastern European food including canned goods, spices, sauces, pickled and salted vegetables, cheese, and
chocolate
AJ Filipino Market – Asian grocer concentrating on Filipino goods, with fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable foods. Also some Japanese, Thai, and Chinese foods and sauces.
Baja Springs Market - Mexican food and market with
produce, spices, full-service butcher, and prepared foods.
There are also approximately 15-20 freestanding
convenience stores in Palm Springs, including the
large, fairly new Tower Market in North Palm Springs. In addition to selling a selection of food items, which varies by location, many of these stores also sell beer, liquor, cigarettes, and fuel.
Based on the city’s community presentation, some
neighborhoods lack the presence of full-service grocery stores, suggesting that pockets of food deserts exist in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs Grocery Stores
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There have been several news stories published by local media in recent years about the lack of access to grocery stores in North Palm Springs. In a Dec. 2021 suitability analysis called “A Walkable Path to Food,” Fernando
Alvarez cites this media coverage and analyzes the issue of liquor stores and gas stations being more accessible in North Palm Springs than grocery stores.
The study highlighted the need for a full-service grocery in North Palm Springs. It concluded: “A grocery store
within the Desert Highland Neighborhood and adjacent
neighborhoods would potentially service approximately
7,159 residents, or about 16% of the city’s population.
Although Palm Springs has approved a Tower Market
to be built near the neighborhood, Tower Market will
not function as a full-service grocery store. This fact alone would make Tower Market a great location for
supplemental access to food. The city must continue to
attract interest of investors and potentially acquire land. In addition, zoning changes to vacant lots may be beneficial to the community. This would allow a walkable path to
food and produce healthier equitable outcomes for the
local residents.”
FOOD ASSISTANCE
There are several organizations that offer free or low-cost food to households in need in Palm Springs, including:
The Community Food Bank @ The Center is a flagship initiative providing nutritional assistance to those in need through partnerships with area restaurants, food distributors, and social services providers. The Food Bank distributes food every Thursday evening year-round to 275 individuals a week. Those being served by the program must qualify based on income.
According to the Food Bank website, low-income households receive a full week’s groceries which includes baked goods, meat, and fresh produce for just $10 a week.
Well in the Desert, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, sponsors a weekly USDA food distribution program to supplement
families in Palm Springs with groceries. Food is distributed to those who qualify on Saturday mornings at a site on
N. Indian Canyon Drive. Well in the Desert also offers a hot meal program, which provides meals on weekdays at different churches in Palm Springs.
The Desert Chapel on S. Sunrise Way in Palm Springs, a partner with the FIND Food Bank which serves Riverside and San
Bernardino Counties, distributes bags of food every second and fourth Saturday of the month from its gymnasium.
Grocery Gap in
North Palm Springs
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FARMERS MARKETS & PRODUCE DELIVERY
The Palm Springs Certified Farmers Market offers fresh
fruits and vegetables grown locally as well as herbs, cheese, pastries, honey, nuts, olive oil, and fresh cut flowers. From October through May, the market is held outdoors on Saturday mornings at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on E. Baristo Road. During the hot months, the market moves indoors on Saturday mornings to the nearby Palm Springs Pavilion on S.
Pavilion Way.
The Palm Springs Certified Farmers Market is mostly comprised of small family farms from all over the region.
The outdoor farmers market is highly rated with 4.5 stars on Google, and the indoor market has 4.0 stars.
CV (Coachella Valley) Harvest Box Delivery Service is another program that provides residents with access to fresh organic, locally grown produce. According to its website, food is sourced from 100+ local farms. Residents can choose small, medium, or large food boxes.
The online ordering process enables residents to choose their box size and then fill it by adding items to a virtual shopping cart. Freshly-harvested orders are picked up on Thursdays from farm vendors and partners, then delivered to residents’ doors. a month ago
2 month ago
This Farmer’s Market boasts beautiful fruits and vegetables, breads and pastries, tamales, honey, humus and soaps. There is even live music to enjoy while perusing all the goods. If you live in the area, bring a sturdy basket!
What a great garden of various goodies!!
Honey, Vegetables, the most delicious TAMALES, lots of great samples...I’ll be going again
3 month ago
5 month ago
A very pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning in Palm springs. Lots of fresh produce, a few food booths, and others.
Highly recommend it.
Really great experience and the best wholesome foods. Great atmosphere..wish they held it more often.
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***** *****
***** *****
BLUE ZONES
WIC is a registered service mark of the US Department of Agriculture for USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). WIC administers the California WIC program. This program helps families across the state by providing nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods, and referrals to health care and other community services.
Authorized WIC vendors in Palm Springs include:
Albertsons
Ralphs
Ralphs Fresh Fare
Smart & Final
Stater Bros. Markets
Vons
Walmart Supercenter
CalFresh, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, provides monthly food benefits to individuals and families with low-income and provides economic benefits to communities. CalFresh is the largest food program in California and provides an essential hunger safety net. CalFresh is federally mandated and in California, is statesupervised and county-operated.
In Feb. 2023, there were 165,404 CalFresh households and 312,013 individual CalFresh participants in Riverside County, based on information found on the CalFresh Data Dashboard.
Data was not available by city. The data also showed that more than 16,000 Riverside applications for CalFresh benefits were received in Feb. 2023, the number of applications approved for the month was 7,755.
SNAP/WIC Usage
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BLUE ZONES
Civic &
Faith-Based
Organizations
PALM SPRINGS
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In addition to business and government, a third lesser-known sector exerts a major influence upon every aspect of life in a community: religious congregations and civic organizations, ranging from service clubs like the Rotary to advocacy
groups. Very little progress is made in any direction without their valuable involvement.
Civic organizations and faith-based communities have
a unique ability to connect and engage a large number
of citizens from a wide range of ethnic, cultural, racial backgrounds, abilities, and language groups.
During the life of a Blue Zones Project, faith and civic organizations are involved as leaders, designing the overall well-being plan for the community, as engagement partners that mobilize an informed community to support and amplify the work, and by utilizing the Blue Zones Organization
Checklist that supports the well-being of their employees and stakeholders.
Our research and other data
shows that getting people
involved with faith-based
communities statististically
raises life expectancy and
well-being and lowers
healthcare costs.
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Faith-Based Organizations
There are more than 40 active religious and faith-based organizations in Palm Springs. Many of these are churches of various denominations of the Christian faith. There are also two Jewish synagogues. There is a Mid-Valley Interfaith Council that has served the Greater Palm Springs area for more than 25 years; however, it’s unclear how active the organization is at this time in the City of Palm Springs. With 17 different faiths represented, the council gathers once a month at a different church or temple to brainstorm on how they can help the community. During the pandemic, the council expanded to include the whole valley near the beginning of the pandemic.
Some churches are very active in the community and have strong outreach programs. Four different churches, for
example, open their doors each week to serve hot meals to the needy through the Well in the Desert Hot Meals Program.
These churches include the United Methodist Church of Palm Springs, the Church of St. Paul in the Desert, Our Lady of Solitude, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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SELECTION OF FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN
PALM SPRINGS, CA
Ajalon Baptist Church
Assembly of Christians
Biserica Ortodoxa Romana Palm Springs
Bloom in the Desert Ministries
Center for Spiritual Living, Palm Springs
Church of Religious Science
Church of St. Paul in the Desert
Desert Chapel
Desert Oasis Chapel of Palm Springs
Desert Synagogue
Dignity-Palm Springs
Family of Love Church
First Baptist Church
First Church of Christ, Scientist
First Southern Baptist Church
Greater New Bethel Church-God
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Iglesia de Jesucristo “Templo Sion”
Inglesia ni Cristo – Locale of Palm Springs
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
La Luz Del Mundo Church
Living Springs Christian Center
Living Water Church of the Desert
Neuva Vida Iglesia Bautista
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Our Lady of Solitude Church
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
Palm Springs Church of the Nazarene
Palm Springs Presbyterian Church
Palm Springs Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Peace Lutheran Church
Rebirth Temple of Faith
Reignite Palm Springs
Saint Cecilia Catholic Church
St. Theresa Catholic Church
Temple Isaiah/Jewish Community Center
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Father’s House Revival
The POD Church
United Methodist Church of Palm Springs
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Civic Organizations
There are numerous civic, nonprofit, and charitable organizations in the City of Palm Springs. They either work independently or with other organizations and government entities to promote causes or better the community. These organizations are driven by many different missions such as enriching the community through arts and culture, providing for those in need (people and animals), improving mental health, providing education and skills, or otherwise filling gaps of need in the community.
While some organizations are specific to Palm Springs, there are also many that serve the broader Greater Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area including the residents of Palm Springs.
Here is a small sampling of the many organizations that are active in Palm Springs and/or the Coachella Valley.
Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, located in Indio, provides food, shelter, clothing, and spiritual recovery to the homeless and those in need. According to its website, the mission provides emergency shelter for more than 300 men, women, and children each day, and it provides 30,000+ meals each month, two per day for the public, and three a day for its residents. The mission serves all residents of the desert communities.
Gay for Good Palm Springs mobilizes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally volunteers to promote diversity, foster inclusion and strengthen ties to the broader Palm Springs community through events and service projects in support of a wide range of causes throughout the city and the surrounding areas.
Mama’s House is an organization that provides a safe nurturing environment for young pregnant women in crisis. It works with numerous community partners to provide a safe haven for these women. Its Hope Center location in Palm Desert offers counseling and education including GED, parenting classes, and more.
Mizell Senior Center provides services and programs for seniors in the Palm Springs area, including wellness classes, social events, and meal delivery services.
The AAP - Food Samaritans (also known as Aids Assistance Program) was founded in 1991 to provide nutritional support to improve quality of life for low-income persons with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses throughout the Coachella Valley.
The nonprofit organization distributes food vouchers that are redeemable at Stater Bros. Markets for food and personal hygiene products.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Springs offer after-school and youth development programs to the youth of Greater Palm Springs during non-school hours. It serves more than 1,700 children and youth per year.
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The Palm Springs Modern Committee is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of the Desert Modern architecture and design. The group advocates to save threatened buildings, promotes heritage tourism, and celebrates successes in preservation and adaptive reuse.
The Rotary Club of Palm Springs Sunup is a very active organization that’s involved in a variety of projects in the community including preparing and delivering Meals on Wheels, holding monthly trash pickups, sponsoring the annual Palm Springs Chalk Art Festival, and more.
We Are One United is a community-focused, 501c3 nonprofit organization that offers a range of programs for members of the public, disadvantaged communities, local leaders, and organizations. The group’s aim is to ensure everyone, regardless of ethnicity or national origin, has access to information and skills to succeed. It holds virtual cafes to engage the community on different topics, mental health awareness, and employment services. 150 Activate Palm Springs Report
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Headline Two Lines Here
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Palm Springs has a large and engaged LGBTQ+
community which has many different organizations and
groups.
• Key groups include
– Palm Springs Pride
– HARP (HIV+ Aging Research Project)
– Gay for Good
– DAP Health
Palm Springs is a center for culture and the arts
Many retirees live within the community representing a large pool of volunteers
Certain organizations are very successful at mobilizing large numbers of volunteers - for example, we heard
how Palm Springs Pride has 350 volunteers.
• There is no “Volunteer Central” to coordinate or
maximize the volunteer pool
Strengths
Strong Neighborhood Alliance within neighborhoods
• 27 Neighborhoods w/ a plan
• Love your neighbor collaborative
Palm Springs has a unique network of neighborhood
organizations, One-PS.
• One-PS is comprised of 52 neighborhoods, and is an
organized, structured community group that could
easily be leveraged to implement initiatives.
DAP Health is also cited as a key resource within the community - one program that they have provides
cooking classes to food bank users, enabling low
income groups to maximize benefit out of food
donations.
Palm Springs has plentiful sunshine and there is
COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Community Voices: Faith, Civic, and Community Engagement During our focus group meeting, we heard from participants on strengths, opportunities and challenges in community engagement.
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appetite for community gardens but there are few in
existence today - irrigation is challenging due to desert conditions.
Downtown Park was cited as a popular event space
that has accessible toilets, plenty of shade, and
service points for electricity and water. The space is
programmed with frequent events.
Palm Springs is a small, tight knit community - people feel like they have easier access to leadership, and are able to have a voice and say in community matters.
People volunteering until very late in life, including a 98-year old volunteer!
Palm Springs is an active community
• People out walking, hiking, bicycling, interacting
• Seniors are active - walking, hiking, bicycling
• Large number of parks offering concerts, movies,
exercise stations, walking trails, yoga, organized
sports
Becoming a city for all ages with more young families becoming residents
• Active services to promote breastfeeding
Multi-denominational faith community
• An Interfaith Council exists, but is located in
Coachella and is not well organized or active
• Some churches function within their own walls, but
others have strong outreach programs
– United Methodist Church
– Temple Isaiah
– Our Lady of Solitude
Strong community communication outlets
• Desert AIDS Project
• ONE-PS and neighborhood HOAs
• Virtual Village interactive website, On-line groups
• Community newsletters, Palm Spring Post
• Schools, PTOs
• Library, City Calendar, Parks and Recreation Calendar • Mizell Center for Seniors
• Healthcare facilities
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The amount of need within community - we heard how
in Oct 2022 the Methodist Church served *40,000
meals* - 1,300 per day - represents around 3% of City
population - at organization alone.
Multiple different organizations are providing meals
/ food to low income residents, but often these are
not coordinated - service is often overlapping, with
potential for gaps in days when food is available
Palm Springs North End is noted to have some of
the most engaged institutions, but also home to low
income families and food insecurity - no grocery stores are found in the area.
Palm Springs has many “popular” volunteer causes
• the Art Gallery and library were cited as having
complex application processes and turning away
many applicants due to lack of capacity.
Efforts are siloed
• No system to collaborate, share, increase awareness
of other organizations or efforts within organizations, neighborhoods, etc
• Lack of coordination between civic organizational
projects
Palm Springs does have a network of well loved parks, but distribution is patchy and some residents live far
away from these resources.
Residents are sometimes forced to move out of Palm
Springs due to the high cost of living.
Seasonality does impact neighborhood cohesiveness in
neighborhoods with a high concentration of residents
that leave for the summer months
COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Challenges
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Palm Springs’ sizeable senior population represents an immense pool for volunteer resources - challenge can
be mobilizing, coordinating and communicating with
them
People have the desire for lifelong learning +
engagement
Many people move to Palm Springs from across the
country - on arrival they want to engage and integrate
into the community asap.
Many children are looking for opportunities to
volunteer, in part to gain credits for school /
community college, but there is red-tape around kids
volunteering without adult supervision which creates a
major hurdle.
Respondents suggested that opportunity to have
one centralized volunteer platform that listed
opportunities, as getting word out today remains a
major challenge.
• Residents spoke of this as being a virtual village
• Hyper local, moderated, but used as an
opportunity to overcome isolation.
We heard that more sophisticated groups know
how to get permitting for public events on City
property, but there could be an opportunity to
develop PDF guides for smaller groups and cut
red tape and provide grants for community driven
events.
Access to fresh food to residents of Palm Springs
Coordination of the services of the many civic and
faith based organizations to maximize access and
utilization
COMMUNITY-GENERATED COMMENTS
Opportunities
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Acknowledgements
NAME ORGANIZATION
Francis Barraza Chief of Staff, Assemblyman Wallis
Jarvis Crawford Urban Palm Springs / Black History Month Palm Springs Jeff Taylor HIV+Aging Research Project
Jilska Chandrasena We Are One United
Julie Warren Palm Springs Library + Foundation
Kathy Cohn ONE-PS
Mitchell Battersby Palm Springs Pride
Peter Sipkins ONE-PS
Susana Breumen RUHS Nutrition Services
Tanya Mayton RUHS Nutrition Services
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Headline Two Lines Here
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Media
PALM SPRINGS
According to a Pew Research Center Study, about “one-in-five U.S. adults (19%) who feel highly attached to their communities demonstrate much stronger ties to local news than those who do not feel attached — revealing a link between personal connection to the area and a desire to stay more informed about current issues and events.
When Blue Zones starts work in a community, the
first thing we do is build a collective vision together with the people who live and work there. In moving
communities towards higher well-being, Blue Zones
takes an early approach to media involvement since
community awareness and engagement is central to
creating widespread change. By involving the media
as part of the solution, we are able to mobilize and
motivate people to get involved, whether it’s in their
worksite, in their school, or as a supporter of key
policy changes.
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Sources: Pew Research Center (Civic Engagement Strongly Tied to Local News Habits)Brookings Institution (Financing dies in darkness?%20The%20 impact%20of%20newspaper%20closures%20on%20public%20finance) Local newspapers and stations give people in a
community the on-the-ground information they need.
Community papers and stations also act as community
watchdogs
Economists have found that:
Municipal borrowing increases significantly when a
local community newspaper closes down or reduces
publishing to fewer than four days a week (Three years
by 5–11 basis points—a statistically significant rise).
Why News Deserts and Shrinking
Newsrooms Matter
By engaging the media early, we form long-term
relationships to help maintain press involvement and
buy-in over time. We have used this as a key Blue
Zones strategy in bringing diverse and disparate
people together towards a common goal.
Total county government wages increase by
Research shows that after local newspapers close:
Individual taxpayer bills rise
$1.4 million
$85
a year
on average
a year
on average
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BLUE ZONES
Palm Springs, CA has a variety of media outlets, including both traditional and digital forms of journalism. These outlets cover local news, events, and entertainment in the Coachella Valley and beyond. Some of the most notable media outlets in the area include The Desert Sun, a daily newspaper; CBS Local 2 and NBC Palm Springs, both television news stations; and Palm Springs Life, a monthly lifestyle magazine. In addition to these outlets, there are also several online news sources, such as Cactus Hugs that provides up-to-date coverage of local happenings.
Palm Springs was the 144th largest TV market out of 210 Designated Market Areas (DMAs) listed by the 2022-2023
Nielsen rankings, Television stations serving the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley area include:
KDFX-CD Fox Channel 33 (Channel 11 on cable)
KESQ-TV ABC, Channel 42 (Channel 3 on cable)
KMIR-TV NBC, Channel 36 (Channel 6 on cable)
KPSP-CD CBS, Channel 38 (Channel 2 on cable)
The CW Television Network, MyNetworkTV, PBS, and other
networks are covered by low power TV stations in the market.
Print media covering Palm Springs include the following, although this may not be a complete list:
The Desert Sun is a local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in Southern California.
The Palm Springs Post is an independent news outlet
dedicated to serving the community of Palm Springs.
The Palm Springs Tribune is an online media publication providing hyper local news to those living in, visiting, or interested in Greater Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. Desert Star Weekly is a free newspaper serving Palm
Springs and a number of other communities. It is
distributed through home delivery and through drop spots throughout the Coachella Valley.
The Desert Daily Guide is a weekly LGBT periodical.
Palm Springs Life is a monthly magazine.
The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism offers free visitor guides and email newsletters to those who want to visit or learn more about the area.
The City of Palm Springs connects with residents through multiple channels including a community television station and social media. The City has its own YouTube Channel, and Twitter and Facebook pages. It also encourages residents to sign up for e-notifications and public safety alerts through its Citywide Emergency Notification System.
Media
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Palm Springs Community Television (PSCTV) is a cable
television station found on Channel 17.
The station’s programming includes:
Palm Springs City Council meetings
Palm Springs boards and commission meetings
Special events sponsored by the City
Bulletin board of City events
City meetings can be viewed live on television or online.
Archived meetings and other content can also be viewed
anytime online.
The city also has its own app. The free myPalmSprings App aims to keep residents, businesses, and visitors up to date on what’s going on in the community. Users can use the app to search local amenities and services. For instance, they can search for a local park, explore upcoming events, or check flights at Palm Springs International Airport. Residents can also report maintenance or service issues in the City through the app.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Springs,_California%20(Accessed%204/25/23) https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=Palm%20Springs&state=CA%20(Accessed%20 4/25/23)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_North_America_by_media_market%20 (Accessed%204/26/23)
https://static.desertsun.com/about/%20(Accessed%204/26/23) https://pstribune.com/%20(Accessed%204/26/23)
http://desertstarweekly.com/%20(Accessed%204/26/23)
https://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/library/about-us/internet-to-go-mobilehotspot-kits%20(Accessed%204/27/23) https://www.californialifeline.com/en%20(Accessed%204/27/23) https://www.allconnect.com/local/ca/palm-springs#:~:text=The%20vast%20majority%20of%20 those,to%2095%25%20of%20the%20area%20(Accessed%204/27/23) https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData/consumers%20(Accessed%204/27/23) https://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/police/register-for-community-alerts%20 (Accessed%204/27/23)
https://visitpalmsprings.com/visitor-guides/%20(Accessed%204/27/23) https://www.palmspringsca.gov/government/departments/information-technology/palm-springscommunity-television%20(Accessed%204/29/23) Activate Palm Springs Report 161
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Appendix
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Built
Environment
Riverside County, part of the “Inland Empire,” encompasses a massive territory with a rich array of assets to leverage to increase well-being throughout the region. With a history stretching back centuries, the County is home to diverse populations and cultures that contribute to the unique
fabric of the community. Hosting a number of County,
State and National Parks, Forests, Refuges, Monuments,
Wilderness & Conservation Areas and Preserves, the range and bounty of natural open space in Riverside County
is unmatched. Local geography spans mountain ranges,
river valleys and desert that has been explored throughout history by Native Americans, Spanish Mission Fathers, gold prospectors, agricultural interests and people seeking a new life.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
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The evolution of transportation in the region spans
the history of travel itself: from walking the Spanish
Trail to horses leading stagecoaches to steam engine
trains and the railroads and major highways of today.
The area is also known for a citrus industry that started with the introduction of the navel orange and lemon
trees. Growth has been driven in recent decades by
people looking for affordable housing outside of the Los Angeles and San Diego metro areas, with corporations
following the growth in some parts of the county.
Leveraging this growth to build walkable communities
throughout the county to create a sense of place can
also double as an economic development strategy for
cities within the county. The County displays a past
ability to change with emerging trends. The County now
has an opportunity to manage growth to ensure the
health and economic well-being of residents for a more
resilient and economically stable region. Implementing
people focused transportation networks with supportive
land use policies should include connected bicycle,
pedestrian, trails and transit networks that provide
access within, to and among the various cities clustered in the west side of the county to the east side and major metropolitan areas nearby.
There is significant research that links walkable places with resilience, economic growth and community
well-being. For example, research has shown positive
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correlations between improved walkability, enhanced
value of local services and goods and the creation of
more job opportunities. In Lancaster, California, making the downtown more walkable generated $130 in private
investment and $273 million in economic output after the City invested in taming its Main Street to create not only a walkable downtown but a central gathering area for the city.1
According to Cities Alive: Towards a More Walkable
World, walkability creates public spaces that are a
pleasure to pass by and ensures small and well-planned
distances between destinations to enhance the pleasure
of strolling through the city and enjoying local services, shops and landmarks. A city’s identity is driven by how cultural and social interactions occur, which can be
enhanced by improvements in the public realm to create
that greater “sense of place.”2
Riverside County’s built environment assessment
was completed through research, observation and
conversations with local leaders. This process was
facilitated by the Blue Zones Built Environment Team,
who engaged with key stakeholders and conducted
windshield and walking tours. This engagement was
to assess the County and individual city readiness to
improve well-being through more opportunities to move
naturally, socialize, and downshift. The Built Environment Team gleaned insights into planning and leadership,
existing on-the-ground efforts, and other considerations.
This report summarizes key findings, observations
and next-step recommendations for the County. It is
intended to inform stakeholders and leadership, with
the goal of advancing informed and strategic decisions
about built environment opportunities and priorities.
Based on our evaluation, supplemented with on-site
interviews, and additional research into the policies
and practices of Riverside County, we believe there are a number of ways to strengthen the region’s built and
natural environment across the County.
Optimizing built environments
can increase physical activity of an
entire community by over 30%.
Our built and natural environment has a direct impact on our health, and — for most people — the amount of daily physical activity they get.
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Blue Zones Built Environment
Goals
Routine, daily movement and social connection are central tenets of the Blue Zones principles of a healthy, engaged lifestyle. This does not necessarily mean structured exercise or scheduled interactions, rather, through an environment that is supportive of walking, bicycling, and social
connectedness. Essential Blue Zones goals for the built environment include moving naturally, encouraging social gathering places, completing neighborhoods, and increasing housing options. Extensive research has demonstrated that neighborhoods or communities that have these components have higher rates of walkability, economic development, vitality, and greater overall health and safety for residents.
Each of the core Blue Zones built environment goals are described below.
PROMOTE NATURAL MOVEMENT: A comprehensive and
connected network of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, such as sidewalks and crossings, bicycle lanes, and trails are available to all residents and visitors. Major roads are designed or retrofitted to fully accommodate those
walking and bicycling to access their destinations safely and comfortably. Streets are compact, green, comfortable, and inviting, serving low-speed movement of all. Traditional, wellconnected paths favor walking and biking. Essential to this goal is ensuring the safety, security, and access for people of all ages and abilities. Daily needs are met the easiest by walking among mixed use buildings, parks and plazas.
ENCOURAGE SOCIAL GATHERING SPACES: Accessible
areas are integrated into the neighborhood fabric to facilitate and encourage connections between people and places.
Examples include parks, open spaces and community nodes like a plaza or neighborhood square. Sometimes uninviting and nonessential pavement can be transformed into
community amenities.
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INCREASE COMPLETE NEIGHBORHOODS: Offer
residents options on where and how to live, work,
shop, play, learn, worship, and get around. Destinations and well-connected low speed routes are designed
to encourage social connections and reward those
who arrive on foot or bike. Benches, shade structures,
planters, awnings, water fountains, human scaled
lighting, way-finding elements and well-placed quality
bicycle parking offer safe, welcoming, comfortable, and appealing surroundings. Buildings provide security by
their placement near walkways and transparent window
coverage.
INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS: Providing a range of
housing can increase affordability of neighborhoods and communities. Missing middle housing, such as accessory
dwelling units, townhomes, duplexes, four squares,
courtyard homes, pocket neighborhoods, apartments
and other housing options traditionally found in
communities are encouraged. Missing middle housing
can also help gently increase density in a neighborhood, increasing its vitality, sense of community, and
opportunities for social connectedness.
Assets & Strengths
The communities of Riverside County have a number
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of assets to leverage to help create environments that
better prioritize pedestrians, support natural movement by foot and bicycle, and create social gathering areas.
Essential assets across the County include:
ENGAGED COMMUNITIES: Riverside County has smallscale rural communities, suburban development and mostly built-out urban cities. Cities within the County are engaged and committed to honoring the diverse
populations, welcoming healthy development, and
creating vibrant and inviting communities. Several of
the cities assessed are eager to tackle barriers they are facing to become model communities that prioritize
well-being with a sense of identity that reflects the
growing population. While the various entities are at
different stages on this spectrum, the region has a
history of evolving to meet the demands of change.
ACCESS TO NATURE: Growing up in Riverside County
affords close contact with an abundance of nature,
even when living in urban areas. The impact of
land-consuming sprawl settlement and over-paving
varies across the county, with competing interests
in maintaining rural feel and demand for affordable
housing. Existing regional trail networks provide unique connections and opportunities for natural movement,
and the bounty of open and green spaces provides
endless cultural, historic and natural experiences.
The County and the State have prioritized resources
to sustain natural spaces for residents to continue
to enjoy and to have healthy, livable, affordable, and
vibrant places to call home. Access to nature on a daily basis provides significant heath and learning benefits, so ensuring connections to assets is important for
residents and visitors alike.
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MURAL ARTWORK: Public art murals add interest and
value to communities, while also providing an economic
opportunity for encouraging local investment in the
community. Local murals are on display in a number
of the communities visited in Riverside County and
can provide a means to connect within the community
across cultures and language barriers.
TRANSIT MOBILITY HUBS: The benefits of public
transportation are amplified when systems provide
reliable, interconnected, high-quality user experiences.
Governed by a regional transportation entity, Riverside County transit systems are connected and supported in
some locations by local circulators. These connections
help riders move throughout the area, are safer than car travel, and can improve a city’s economy by giving more people the ability to get to jobs and meet daily needs.
Transit Oriented Development land use designations
paired with frequent or on-demand transit service
to key local destinations provide access, choice and
freedom.
DOWNTOWNS WITH ARCHITECTURE THAT HAS
RETAINED ITS SOUL: A walkable city consists of
a series of walkable neighborhoods, and it’s these
neighborhoods that give many cities their character.
Some of the cities visited have retained the character
of their original downtowns and surrounding core
neighborhoods, with an abundance of beautiful
buildings throughout the county. This traditional
architecture is a wonderful asset from which to build
and leverage. The adaptive re-use of these structures
should include mixed uses such as affordable housing,
ground floor retail, office space and food access options that can serve the community in the surrounding area
to highlight the unique flavor or attributes of the area.
Newer cities in the county can implement policies to
create town centers that mimic the successful local
examples to create a sense of place for residents.
A STRONG TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION: A unique
asset, Riverside County Transportation Commission
(RCTC), functions as the Regional Transportation
Planning Organization to distribute State and Federal
funding. The RCTC also distributes Measure A funds – a
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fair share of local road funds for all transportation needs identified and approved in local Capital Improvement
Plan budgets for capital, maintenance, and operating
cost.
RCTC provides all transportation planning, design,
operations and funding in the county; manages transit,
toll express lanes, mobility hubs, bus stops and rail
stations; makes major improvements to highway
corridors; helps local communities build railroad
overpasses and underpasses; administers state and
federal funds to improve sidewalks, bike lanes, and
accessibility for persons with disabilities (ADA); as well as funds for specialized transportation in partnership
with Metrolink, SunLine Transit Agency, and Riverside
Transit Agency.
Additionally, in January 2021, the RCTC became the
managing agency for the Western Riverside County
Regional Conservation Authority (RCA). Created in
2004 to implement one of the largest Multiple Species
Habitat Conservation Plans (MSHCP) in the nation,
the MSHCP mission is to protect multispecies habitat
in permanent conservation to provide access to open
space and reduce nature deserts. Currently, there are
410,000 acres acquired with a goal of 500,000 acres to
form a habitat reserve for 146 native species. The RCA
also monitors habitat loss and the welfare of protected species, while managing the conserved lands to help
animals and plants thrive.
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Challenges & Threats To
Overcome
There are several significant challenges that could
prevent or hinder Riverside County from maximizing
or fully capitalizing on the assets described. During
our focus group meeting, we heard from participants
on challenges that are preventing residents from fully
maximizing the built and natural amenities Riverside
County has to offer. This includes:
MANAGING LOGISTICS AND WAREHOUSING
SPRAWL: While a local economic driver, the logistics
and warehousing locations across Riverside County
maintain an immense footprint with significant impacts
to transportation networks, air quality and livability of the area. A comprehensive vision for containing future
growth to ensure community and economic benefits,
infilling what is built, and managing the sprawl of this type of development is key for communities to maintain
their identity and quality of life. Street networks within and to these immense complexes also require review
to reduce the overly wide pavement and consider
roundabouts (mountable for large trucks) to better
manage traffic flow.
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DEFAULT STREET DESIGN: Design guideline standards
county-wide should be updated to create safe streets.
The default typical section county-wide is to build a
5-lane street that move cars as quickly as possible
with overly wide lanes, regardless of the purpose of
the street or the surrounding land use. Commercial
corridors, neighborhood collectors, and residential
streets should all be designed with people as the
priority and within their land use context. The main
purpose of these types of streets is to provide access
and move people. A default typical section for average
daily vehicle trips of less than 20,000 should start at 2–3 lanes, no more than 11-feet wide. Design elements
that should be considered include 6-foot wide
sidewalks, 10-12-foot wide side-paths or trails, buffered or protected bicycle lanes, on-street parking and midblock pedestrian refuge islands between intersections.
MORE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT REQUIRED:
While we were able to engage with a number of city
leaders, it would be beneficial to further engage
RCTC to better understand potential concerns, areas
of focus overlap and how efforts could be leveraged
and messaged to better serve communities. Transit,
in particular, is an essential means of travel to help
address commuter traffic. Convenient connections from
housing to existing and planned mobility hubs should
be done in partnership with the communities they serve.
RCTC is a willing partner to participate, and bringing
their voice to the table provides an opportunity for all parties to better understand how their existing services can amplify and complement serving the growing
community.
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Opportunities
Based on our time in the community, research, and
follow-up interviews, the Blue Zones Built Environment
team found emerging themes county-wide for improving
well-being and walkability. The Team has developed
initial recommendations for what the County could do
to increase well-being. Key overarching opportunities
noted to promote more natural movement include:
UPDATE STREET DESIGN GUIDELINES AND
STANDARDS: Riverside County can work with RCTC to
conduct an internal policy and process review for all
governing agencies for how new streets are designed,
developer requirements are written, and the annual
street repair and maintenance cycle is prioritized.
Changes for a more people-focused built environment
could be incorporated into County policy for local
jurisdictions to apply. Minimal changes to design
guidelines when repaving and re-striping streets could
incorporate reduced vehicle lane widths to include
buffered or protected bicycle facilities; fill sidewalk gaps; and retrofit curbs to meet ADA standards.
Additionally, default design standards when new streets are planned or developed should complement and
support the surrounding land use i.e. if the street is a residential or neighborhood collector street surrounded by housing with a desired speed of 25 mph, the road
needs to be designed for that speed to significantly
transition the pedestrian experience to be comfortable
and safe.
ADOPT VISION ZERO RESOLUTION AND
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY: The county could
impact the transportation network comprehensively
by working with the RCTC to formally adopt a Vision
Zero Resolution and Implementation Strategy to
eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility. A Vision
Zero Resolution and Action Strategy are an opportunity
to look holistically at how the County, cities within the county and RCTC plans, designs for, and accommodates
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people using all modes of travel to move safely
throughout the county. Using crash data to identify key projects to implement and prioritize funding, a Vision
Zero Strategy can be an effective tool for meaningful
impact. Having a strategy in place can also leverage
RCTC funding to apply for significant Safe Streets 4 All Federal grants.
SAVE OR CREATE THE CORE: Restore, revitalize,
and infill main streets, downtowns and adjacent
neighborhoods to take advantage of existing gridded
streets, services and buildings, and thus avoid the
need for new and expensive repairs to maintain
infrastructure. By focusing first on historic downtowns and the surrounding core areas, the County can
preserve and enhance each community’s individuality,
identity, character, history, and culture. With its colorful historic past, Riverside County communities that are
emerging in unincorporated areas can tap into these
same desired characteristics for creating a unique local identity. Walkable downtown cores or town centers,
close-in neighborhoods, access to parks and trails can
all be created through policy frameworks that guide
development for land use and supporting transportation
networks.
INCREASE HOUSING OPTIONS: Increase housing
stock for community members, maintain affordability
and address local displacement due to the influx of
commuters by creating a county-wide policy that
allows and encourages a variety of housing options to
contribute to improved walkability. “Missing middle”
housing types such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs),
duplex, triplex, four squares, garden apartments
and townhomes should be allowed, encouraged
and incentivized in emerging areas and existing
neighborhoods. An audit of existing housing, and a
review of county-wide and local regulations could
identify any unintentional Zoning language preventing
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missing middle housing from being built. Working
with engaged developers to identify any opportunity
to modify plans and offer a greater variety of housing
types will greatly improve the livability and walkability of the residential development underway and in the
future to meet the local housing demand.
Readiness
A first step after Blue Zones is invited into a community is to assess readiness. This is an essential step as a
number of communities are interested in transformation
to enable “making the healthy choice the easy choice.”
Specific to our four policy areas, we seek to answer the following questions:
Does the political leadership of the jurisdiction have a strong willingness to support Blue Zones efforts?
Are the city’s/region’s decision-makers on board to
change (some) jurisdictional policies and processes
to support a Blue Zones project?
Are community groups excited about the possibility
of a Blue Zones project and on board to partner and
collaborate to move a Blue Zone project forward?
Are other community influencers excited about the
potential and willing to support our work?
Across Riverside County, the Built Environment
assessment of each community found a range of
opportunities from a county-wide perspective to the
micro-level in each city. Some cities are further along with understanding the change that needs to occur
for well-being and others have a greater ability to put policies into place now to ensure future development
creates a connected, walkable and livable community.
Through conversations with local stakeholders, officials and local leadership, the Blue Zones Built Environment
Team is confident that there is support, enthusiasm,
and desire to do the hard work needed to transform
the communities assessed in Riverside County and to
increase well-being region wide.
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1 Steuteville, Rob. “Ten economic benefits of walkable places.” Published in CNU’s Public Square, August 21, 2021. https://www.cnu.org/ publicsquare/2021/08/18/ten-economic-benefits-walkable-places. 2 ARUP. Cities Alive: Towards a More Walkable World. 2016.
Acknowledgements
Ann Mayer, Executive Director, Riverside County Transportation Commission
Stakeholders in the assessed communities informed the Riverside County report
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Food
Environment
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
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Riverside County has a rich agricultural history and remains an agricultural powerhouse today in many areas. It is also a geography in transition, with the development of massive tracts of warehouses, new housing developments for a growing population, and a diverse populace that brings an array of food-related preferences and practices. For some communities within the County, easy access to affordable, healthy food near where people live, learn, and play is a challenge. Long commutes and the cost-of-living are squeezing household budgets and families are stretching to meet basic needs. Yet, in many places, there is an abundance of just-picked, healthy food and a broad availability of food options. The mild climate fosters a culture which supports healthy food – often grounded in the cultural traditions of residents. With an intriguing range of assets and opportunities, Riverside County, California, is well-positioned to ensure the people who live and work there can maximize their well-being.
Riverside County’s food environment assessment was
completed through background research, a multi-day
site visit with stops in numerous communities, and
interviews with local leaders. Led by the Blue Zones
Food Environment Team, this process engaged key food
and agriculture stakeholders and included windshield
and walking tours; visual inventories of food-related
assets; and a scan of relevant food-related policies. The food environment assessment is a means to evaluate
community readiness to enhance well-being. This
can occur by increasing access to healthy food and
beverages and decreasing access to unhealthy food
and beverages in the places people spend their time.
The food environment assessment generated insights
into planning and leadership, current food environment
development activities underway, and other key factors at the intersection of food, health, and agriculture.
This assessment report synthesizes core findings, related next steps, and perspectives on the state of Riverside
County’s food system. The report is designed to provide useful information to community leaders and interested
stakeholders, with the aim of generating strategic,
informed decisions about opportunities and priorities.
The Riverside County food environment assessment has
generated a clear set of opportunities to further enhance the area’s food environment.
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Blue Zones Food
Environment Goals
Enjoying a nutritious diet daily, combined
with social connection, and a sense of
purpose are fundamental components of
the healthy, active Blue Zones lifestyle.
In the context of food, this means
the community where we live and the
environments where we spend most
of our time offer affordable, culturally
relevant, nourishing dietary choices and
the opportunity to relax and enjoy our
meals in the fellowship of others. It also
means our local food system fosters
a vibrant, healthy local food culture;
access to nutritious options in the places
we spend time; community food assets
and infrastructure that promote local
agriculture and healthy options; and the
development of healthy food skills across
the lifespan. Policy and systems changes,
combined with shifts to community
infrastructure, are proven ways to move
the dial on health outcomes. Each of the
core Blue Zones food environment aims
are described below.
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MAKE HEALTHY FOOD ACCESSIBLE AND
AFFORDABLE FOR EVERYONE: Increase
participation in healthy food programs;
ensure children have enough healthy food
to eat; and foster healthy hunger relief
programs to ensure that all residents have
easy access to healthy food.
BUILD FOOD SKILLS: Prioritize education
on how to grow and cook healthy food
and foster opportunities for families to
eat together. Strengthening people’s food
skills can equip them with the knowledge
they need to select and prepare healthy
food, improving the nutritional quality of
their daily food choices.
INCREASE HEALTHY FOOD
ENVIRONMENTS: Ensure healthy
options and habits for young children,
children in K-12 environments, and on
college campuses; increase healthy
eating behaviors in hospitals and public
institutions; and promote healthy options
and habits for everyone. Making the
healthy choice the easy choice in the
places people spend time will increase
consumption of nutritious items and
decrease consumption of unhealthy items.
GROW LONG-TERM COMMUNITY
HEALTH: Establish lasting leadership
on food issues for the community; build
a base of resources to keep children
healthy; and make healthy grocery
access easy for everyone. Ongoing,
thoughtful planning around food, health,
and agriculture with consistent relevant
resource support creates healthy choice
options in a community.
GROW THE LOCAL FOOD SUPPLY: Use
public land and planning to enable food
production by local residents; care for
natural resources needed to grow food;
and support area farmers and food
enterprises to raise and sell food for
local markets. Creating and sustaining a
community’s infrastructure around food
production and food and farm enterprises
fosters a dynamic food culture; galvanizes
the local economy; and fosters community
food self-sufficiency.
The Blue Zones Food Policy Menu
identifies specific strategies that can help
achieve the above goals for Riverside
County.
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•
•
•
•
•
BLUE ZONES
Assets & Strengths
Riverside County features numerous resources to
support food environments that foster a vibrant local
food culture, healthy food skills and food environments, and a robust community food infrastructure. Key assets
include:
LONGSTANDING AGRICULTURAL EPICENTER:
Agriculture is a central activity around the county,
including nut and fruit orchards, date groves, fruit and vegetable production, and some animal production.
Agriculture defines a sizable portion of the county’s
economy, cultural identity, workforce, and land
management. Unlike most places in California, some
parts of the county are not struggling with water access issues. The University of California Riverside campus
features large plots of land in agricultural production that serve as research plots. Many of the incorporated
and unincorporated communities across the county
have established zoning codes to preserve and protect
farmland; agricultural activity often occurs adjacent to housing developments and town centers. The presence
of agriculture in Riverside County means that decisionmakers are accustomed to making long-term decisions about food production; understand the importance of
policymaking and cross-sector collaboration related to
food, health, and agriculture; and are open and willing to undertake innovative food environment initiatives.
RECORD OF HEALTHY EATING INITIATIVES: Across the
county, there are numerous systems and organizations
that focus on food and nutrition. Riverside County is
committed to providing programs and making systems
changes that increase people’s access to affordable,
healthy food where they live, learn, and work and equip them with the know-how to plan, grow, make, and enjoy
a healthy diet. County administration of CalFresh and
WIC, in cooperation with UC Cooperative Extension,
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nutrition education and support through health systems.
Notably, many of the County’s School Districts offer
farm to school programs, including purchasing and
preparation of locally grown foods; school gardens with cross-subject curricular content; and academic and
non-academic opportunities for students of all ages to
learn about food, health, and food production. In fact, the Riverside Unified School District has established a successful food hub, procuring food from local growers
for school meals. This exciting asset offers promise
as an infrastructural resource to other school districts and organizations with institutional food services
interested in farm to institution efforts. Furthermore, California’s statewide investment in universal free
school meals and USDA sponsored snack and supper
programs, combined with county-wide food resource
programs (such as backpack programs, school-based
food pantries, and regularly scheduled food distribution days at area schools) help close the meal gap for
many Riverside County students. Finally, county-wide
nutrition education learning opportunities are available to specific populations on an ongoing basis, such as
SNAP-Ed classes offered to those enrolled in CalFresh.
WIC, CalFresh, and area health systems also offer
nutrition and lifestyle education to patients..
BUILDING A NEXT GENERATION OF GROWERS AND
FOOD ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONALS: In various
parts of the county, there are institutions with active and planned high quality educational programs
designed to create a future workforce for the county’s
food system. UC Riverside offers multiple majors and
a wide array of coursework in food and agriculturerelated subjects, as well as access to numerous career development opportunities in the county. Formal
and informal agriculture education programs at the
secondary level are available in districts across the
county, including agriculture education classes, Future Farmers of America (FFA), Riverside Food System
Alliance, and student clubs. Mead Valley’s high school
features a brand new array of resources to support their programs, including an aquaponics facility; multiple
raised beds; and large production areas that raise food for the school’s cafeteria. Coachella has a massive,
ambitious agricultural studies complex planned, with
construction beginning later this year and significant
support from local agricultural interests.
PASSION FOR GARDENING: Throughout the county,
many people participate in food gardening, and County
and local policy encourage it. Community gardens
feature raised beds, learning opportunities, and social gathering spaces, many of which are supported
by local municipalities, faith based organizations,
non-profit organizations, and affordable housing
complexes. Gardening clubs, programs, and resources
(such as the countywide UC Cooperative Extension’s
Master Gardener program) support individual and
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community gardens, equipping
people with the seeds, knowledge,
and tools needed to raise food for
themselves, their loved ones, and the
community. For example, Banning is
investing municipal resources in the
construction of a new community
garden and educational space,
providing much needed infrastructure
and a hub for its gardening culture.
HELPFUL FOOD AND AGRICULTUREFOCUSED POLICY AND PROGRAMS:
County regulation and policy
encourages and permits farmland
preservation; beekeeping; backyard
small animal husbandry; micro home
kitchen operations; and cottage
food operations. Other countywide
efforts further community well-being
with specific emphasis on healthy
eating. The Healthy Riverside County
Initiative combines four components–
healthy eating, active living, tobacco
control, and the built environment–to
address issues of chronic disease.
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The Riverside County Health Coalition, a collaboration
that undertakes policy development, advocacy, and
community engagement to promote healthy lifestyles.
The County Nutrition Action Plan (CNAP) main focus
is on countywide nutrition action plans and is a publicprivate partnership addressing the food system as well as USDA-funded programs. Finally, the Ag Trail is a
project to promote agriculture and connect Riverside
County farms to homes and businesses.
MOMENTUM ON FOOD ENVIRONMENT
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT: There is both
strategic coordination and independent emergent
efforts to create what will become an ecosystem of
local food environment infrastructure across the county.
All of these efforts provide important mutual learning
opportunities across geographies and systems, as
well as a powerful, aggregate investment in Riverside
County’s future local food system. This includes
Coachella’s new agricultural high school complex,
combined with new, innovative tribally operated organic farm and food hub across the street; Banning’s new
community garden complex; the City of Riverside’s
long term, comprehensive food system development
plan and associated plans for a large incubator farmer
program on the edge of town and the school district’s
new food hub; and Mead Valley’s new agricultural
infrastructure which includes a school farm. These
reflect this momentum.
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Furthermore, the collaborative leadership required
to advance the City of Riverside’s ambitious food
system plan illustrates the potential and need for
cross-sector strategic partnerships aligned around a
shared, comprehensive vision. This leadership model,
further nurtured in communities across the county, and
collectively across these communities, demonstrates
exciting potential for how Riverside County can develop and advance ambitious, much needed innovations at the
intersection of food, health, and agriculture to support community and economic well-being for years to come.
Challenges & Threats to
Overcome
There are several challenges that could prevent or
hinder Riverside County from maximizing or fully
capitalizing on opportunities. These include:
COST OF LIVING, FOOD INSECURITY, AND HEALTH:
Like most of California, residents in Riverside County
struggle to make ends meet. The rising cost of food,
high gas prices in communities primarily designed for
vehicle use, expensive housing, and other expenses
(such as childcare) are combined with lengthy
commutes. Time burdens are a reality for most
residents. Cessation of COVID-related Federal food
benefits occurring this month will further exacerbate
food insecurity for Riverside County residents.
Concerning rates of food insecurity and many working
low wage jobs present very real obstacles for people
just trying to get by. The psychological stress of this reality, combined with the health impacts of a poor diet, mean a higher incidence of diet-related diseases.
RAPID COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL
DEVELOPMENT: As an historically agricultural region,
the Inland Empire is facing dramatic change, particularly in unincorporated areas. Developers are purchasing
farmland, transforming it into miles of large warehouses and housing developments. The County government is
racing to keep up with these rapid shifts, addressing
basic infrastructure needs (such as roads, utilities,
and commercial needs) and has little time for longer
term planning around land use and considerations
like agricultural production and food access. This
momentum is permanently and quickly shifting the
landscape, culture, and character of the region.
STRENGTHEN FOOD ENVIRONMENT PLANNING
AT THE COUNTY LEVEL: There currently is not a
structured, comprehensive plan for food environment
development at the county level. Across scales,
geographies, jurisdictions, sectors, and issues, there is a need for a thoughtful plan that describes opportunities, needs, goals, associated objectives and evidencebased actions, with an associated workplan. Riverside County must thoughtfully and holistically address
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healthy food access in the places people spend time,
food skills development, healthy food infrastructure,
local food culture, and agricultural vitality in the region.
To do this, a collective understanding on investment
and engagement of leadership across many agencies,
institutions, and places are needed. Adopting a similar approach with a cross-jurisdictional, cross-function,
cross-sector framework can provide a fundable,
strategic roadmap for the county’s food future.
Furthermore, an operational backbone to support the
execution and necessary collaboration of this effort is needed.
Opportunities
Participants identified several opportunities to improve food environment in Riverside County. These include:
COUNTYWIDE FOOD ENVIRONMENT PLANNING:
Riverside County would benefit from the development of
a countywide food environment plan that responds to and aligns with existing, planned, and hoped for healthy eating and food environment development plans in communities
across the county. This plan can guide county-level efforts to cultivate and coordinate food skills development;
healthy food environments; local food infrastructure
development; farmland preservation; and community
and economic development efforts that foster a vibrant
culinary and agricultural identity for the region.
HEALTHY INSTITUTIONS: There are a series of
strategies that can be implemented in anchor
institutions across the county that play a role in
healthy eating. Expanding participation in state-funded Market Match programs, combined with prescription
produce and other local incentive programs for eaters
with limited resources, can increase peoples’ access
to healthy food and reduce their risk of diet-related
diseases. A comprehensive initiative to support corner
and convenience store ‘makeovers’ to reduce unhealthy
food and beverage availability and increase nutritious
offerings would be a welcome addition. Additionally,
updates and enhancements to school district wellness
policies across the county would be a beneficial step,
including universal use of second chance breakfast
at all Riverside County public schools. Institutional
food services in community anchor institutions (such
as hospitals) and worksites could create nutrition
guidelines that align with Blue Zones nutrition standards for food service, vending, and catering. Expanding farm to institution programs at anchor institutions, including implementation of ‘Good Food Purchasing Practices’
and expansion of the Riverside Unified School District’s food hub to serve these food services could continue to improve community health and economic vitality of the
region.
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FOOD INSECURITY SCREENINGS: Finally, establishing
food insecurity screenings as standard practice for
patient, student, and client intake at a variety of
institutions across the county would be a valuable step, increasing peoples’ access to and participation in federal and state food benefit programs and local hunger relief programs (RUHS uses a “whole person health score”
screening which includes nutrition.). Healthcare systems could conduct these simple assessments and provide
referrals at regular patient and annual school/sports
physical appointments; senior centers and schools could conduct this assessment through usual intake practices.
Readiness
Riverside County is well poised to take on a new body of food environment work that builds from previous initiatives and successes and is inspired by truly innovative work, collaboration, and models occurring across the county. A coordinated, strategic approach that involves partners from across the sectors of the food system, local agencies and institutions, and geographies could meaningfully move the dial on community health outcomes, while leaning into the Inland Empire’s agricultural character and connection to community and economic development. Blue Zones could
offer strategic guidance, expertise, and support to ensure a robust, dynamic portfolio of efforts that galvanize the health and vitality of the entire county.
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Tobacco
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
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Tobacco policy addresses four
major intervention arenas:
1) commercial tobacco retail
environments, 2) secondhand
/ thirdhand smoke exposure,
3) youth prevention education,
and 4) cessation support.
Commercial tobacco-use /
smoke exposure is the number
one cause of preventable
disease and death in the
US.3 Riverside County is a
model leader in the state for
coalition and health agency
collaborations as well as for
advancing commercial tobacco
prevention, health equity and
non-smoker rights. Still, there
is much work to be done in the
policy arena to move the dial
forward in one of California’s
highest populated counties.
The annual American Lung Association’s (ALA) State of Tobacco Control Report is a valuable tool for measuring the existence and strength of local tobacco prevention policies across jurisdictions. The report grades policy progress for “Smokefree Outdoor Air, Smokefree Housing, Flavored Tobacco and Reducing Sales of Tobacco Products” for each of these categories from “A” to “F.” It also provides an overall grade for counties and cities. For instance, a jurisdiction could have an “A” grade for retail interventions but an “F” grade for Smokefree Housing. Overall grades provide a high-level vantage point as to how strong community will has been jurisdiction by jurisdiction for commercial tobacco prevention.
According to the ALA’s 2023 report, none of the 29 jurisdictions, including unincorporated areas, in Riverside County have overall “A” grades and just five have “B” grades. Eleven jurisdictions are ranked with “C” grades, nine with “D” grades, and there are four “F” grades. Riverside County has around one-third of its jurisdictions only achieving average policy results, and over one third of jurisdictions have policies failing or close to failing levels. An anecdotal overview suggests that unlike many jurisdictions in California that have overall and category-specific grades at the “D” or “F” level, Riverside jurisdictions collectively shows both promise and challenges for commercial tobacco prevention.
Riverside County’s tobacco assessment was completed through research, observation, and conversations with medical professionals, community health workers, policy influencers and coalition members. This process was facilitated by the Blue Zones Tobacco Team who engaged with key stakeholders and conducted windshield tours, neighborhood walks and store visits. The purpose was to assess readiness to improve well-being through more opportunities to reduce commercial tobacco sales and the Activate Palm Springs Report 191
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impacts from secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Key
components are also youth education and community
cessation support.
The Blue Zones Tobacco Team interviewed staff at
Riverside County Tobacco Control Project, members
of Riverside County Coalition for Tobacco Free
Communities and California Tobacco Control Program
grantee partners, as well as other community members.
These stakeholders are working to reduce teen initiation to nicotine products, curtail the tobacco industry’s
targeting of vulnerable communities and population
groups, and support cessation from nicotine.
Advancing health equity for all is centered on lowering tobacco sales and use to alleviate much of the
engineered public health crisis caused by the tobacco
industry. Based on this evaluation, interviews, and
research into the policies and practices of Riverside
County, there are a number of ways to strengthen
the region’s health indicators. These opportunities
are presented in this Assessment Report. Please note
that adult smoking rates cited in this report are drawn from SHAPE Strategic Health Alliance Pursuing Equity
Riverside County’s published datasets.4
Assets & Strengths
The communities of Riverside County have a number
of assets to leverage to help create environments
that reduce tobacco retailing, protect residents from
secondhand and thirdhand smoke, educate youth
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against nicotine initiation, and support cessation for
community members who are commercial tobacco/
nicotine users. Essential assets include:
A MODEL COALITION: Riverside County Coalition for
Tobacco Free Communities, in many ways, sets the
standard for effective coalitions. The Coalition has
a Western chapter and a Desert chapter. Both meet
independently on a quarterly basis. The Coalition is
further organized into groups that support members
to engage in direct action to promote key messaging,
grow community will and galvanize support from
decision-makers. The Coalition has the following Action Teams: Flavored Tobacco, Urban Planning & Healthy
Communities, Social Media, Outreach & Logistics, and
Cessation. The Coalition also has two Policy Campaigns
Task Forces: Secondhand Smoke and Retail.
A STRONG COUNTY TOBACCO PREVENTION
PROGRAM: Riverside University Health System’s
(RUHS) Tobacco Control Project (TCP) is a worldclass organization funded by the California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) and designated by them
as the County’s Local Lead Agency (LLA). Having a
county tobacco program within this structure uniquely
positions prevention efforts for effective and energized collaboration with research and education stakeholders.
Part of RUHS TCP’s role is to support the Coalition with a staff coordinator who, while not permitted under Prop 56/99 restrictions to advocate, can provide educational, logistical and administrative support to allow nonfunded grassroots membership to maximize their advocacy work.
STRONG COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH
EXPERT ORGANIZATIONS: RUHS TCP and the Riverside
County Coalition for Tobacco Free Communities
partner with a number of other State grantees known
as Partner Organizations not limited to the American
Lung Association, American Cancer Society Cancer
Action Network, Inc., American Heart Association,
TUPE-Tobacco Use Prevention Education, and Riverside
County Black Chamber of Commerce.
STRONG COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH
NON-CTCP FUNDED PREVENTION ALLIES: RUHS
TCP and the Riverside County Coalition for Tobacco
Free Communities also help move policies forward by
partnering with other stakeholders such as local medical providers, health plans, higher education institutions, youth and adult allies, the business community, local
media, law enforcement, schools, youth-serving
organizations, civic and volunteer groups, and religious and fraternal organizations.
ASSESSED JURISDICTIONS HAVE SOME TOBACCO
PREVENTION POLICIES IN PLACE: All the jurisdictions
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in place and received “A” grades specifically for tobacco retail licensing in the ALA’s State of Tobacco Control
2023 Report Card. While great gains have been made
towards reducing sales, much work is still needed to
be done to reduce second/thirdhand smoke exposure.
Because of this need, the jurisdictions covered in this assessment, except for one, have overall tobacco control grades at a “C” or higher.
THE RUHS TOBACCO CONTROL PROJECT’S CURRENT
WORKPLAN IS BASED OFF RIGOROUS COMMUNITY
NEEDS ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES: The RUHS Tobacco
Control Project completed a Communities of Excellence
(CX) Needs Assessment in 2021 that ranks policy priorities in their current CTCP workplan. This helps identify
community tobacco policy priorities, which directs RUHS’s tobacco grant workplan and helps validate the Coalition’s focus areas. The CX process ranked Tobacco Retail
Licensing at top priority, smokefree multi-unit housing as second and smokefree outdoor public spaces as third. The 2021 CX process and report provide a main foundation
layer for gauging jurisdictional readiness for particular policies. This is complemented by CTCP grantee workplan activities such as regular use of jurisdiction-specific Midwest Academy Strategy Charts and other tools gauging readiness for change related to political leadership and decisionmaker openness, as well as community group and influencer support.
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FLAVORED TOBACCO BAN: The recent statewide ban
on flavored tobacco in California prohibits the sale
of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol
cigarettes, flavored cigars, and flavored smokeless
tobacco. The ban also applies to electronic cigarettes
and vaping products with flavors like fruit, candy, and mint. The goal of the ban is to protect youth from the
harmful effects of tobacco by reducing their access to
flavored tobacco products, which are often marketed
to young people. The ban went into effect on January 1, 2021, and includes fines for retailers who violate the law.
Challenges & Threats To
Overcome: Riverside County
There are several significant challenges that could delay or present other barriers to Riverside County Coalition for Tobacco Free Communities, RUHS Tobacco Control
Project and partner organizations from maximizing on
the opportunities described above. During our focus
group meetings and interviews, participants shared
a number of challenges that impact progress and
momentum in saving lives and preventing teen initiation to commercial tobacco in Riverside County.
THERE ARE ENTRENCHED MINDSETS AROUND ANTIREGULATION AS WELL AS INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS:
Focus group sessions pointed to profit-centrism and
individualism as being widespread mindsets and
value systems related to decision-maker hesitancy
and pushback. These can be substantial hurdles that
educators and advocates for tobacco retail control and
non-smokers rights face with decision-making bodies.
These mindsets have been known to block and delay
the consideration of stricter retail provisions, multi-unit housing ordinances and other smoke-free policies.
ASSESSED JURISDICTIONS ARE JUST A FEW AMONG
MANY RUHS AND THE COALITION ARE WORKING
IN: Interviews and focus group sessions suggest
an optimism for community readiness for tobacco
prevention policies across all County jurisdictions.
Potential Blue Zones Project community candidates
will benefit from both the vision and the demonstrated
success of Coalition stakeholders to get policies
enacted. Logistically, any future Blue Zones Project
tobacco objectives in target jurisdictions will need to be aligned as much as possible with CTCP funded agency
workplans to avoid duplication or competition with
established Coalition priorities. Ultimately, capacity can impact progress with so many jurisdictions.
SOME OF THOSE MOST IN NEED OF CESSATION
SERVICES HAVE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
ACCESSING THEM: Focus group sessions highlighted
that many of the most vulnerable community members
in greatest need for cessation support live remotely
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free, online quit services are effective to some, but
many are still not accessing it.
THERE IS A STRONG NEED FOR EDUCATION AND
CESSATION INNOVATIONS: A number of stakeholders
voiced a need for additional innovative resources such
as culturally appropriate and trauma-informed youth
prevention approaches and new cessation recruitment
solutions. One key stakeholder mentioned that current
cessation approaches across California have reached a
plateau of efficacy.
THERE ARE HIGH DENSITIES OF TOBACCO RETAILING
OCCURRING IN MANY JURISDICTIONS: Tobacco
retail clustering and associated advertising in some
neighborhoods, such as in Banning, might aptly be
described as blight. High density of tobacco retailing
can promote a normalizing effect in communities and
neighborhoods for tobacco in the retail environment.
During retail store visits, State-banned cheap, flavored tobacco products were found in a donut shop as well as
a feed store, not just in convenience stores.
SMOKE/VAPE SHOP LOCATIONS PROLIFERATE
AROUND RETAIL CENTERS AND STORES SERVING
VULNERABLE AND LOW SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS
(SES) RESIDENTS: In the jurisdictions assessed, upscale retail centers serving more economically advantaged
community members generally have a distinct absence
of smoke shops in their neighborhoods. By contrast, in
a number of retail centers serving low SES residents,
it is typical to find these smoke shops more common
and in proximity to discount markets, hydration outlets and laundromats. Because of this, tobacco-blight may
be invisible to stakeholders and policy influencers
from affluent communities that do not see commercial
tobacco blight in their immediate retail landscapes.
Stakeholders from neighborhoods more heavily
targeted by Big Tobacco pay greater health costs, such
as more frequent illness and shortened lifespans. In this way, commercial tobacco victims are disadvantaged to
challenge anti-regulation/pro-business arguments of
decision-makers.
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THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF SHARP
CONTRASTS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE
STATE FLAVOR BAN: Smoke shops visited in
Riverside, Corona and some unincorporated
areas have extensive flavored tobacco
inventories in contravention of the State’s new
flavor ban. Staff members in stores visited
voiced intentions not to comply and intimated
that supply would not be a problem. By
contrast, some shops in the City of Coachella
and French Valley are making visible efforts
to discontinue these products and, in some
cases, featured signage explaining flavor
products were being discontinued. Compliance
inconsistencies can bolster retailer opposition
to policies and can fuel skepticism by
bureaucrats as to the efficacy of policies.
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Opportunities
Building upon existing assets and cognizant of
challenges faced, there are a number of opportunities
to increase well-being in Riverside County. During
focus group meetings, participants shared several
opportunities. This includes:
PUBLIC HEALTH ALLIES VALUE RELATIONSHIPS: Blue
Zones Project community engagement policy strategies
are relationship-centric and can provide formats and
modalities to both enhance and maximize existing
strong collaborations.
TRUST BUILDING AND TRUST-MAINTAINING: During
community interviews, one stakeholder voiced a strong
maxim related to work towards greater health equity
in Riverside County, “We need to move at the speed of
trust.” There is a strong ethos of doing policy “with”
communities that fit the Blue Zones Project community
participatory model.
STAKEHOLDERS VOICED DEMAND FOR MORE
INNOVATIVE “UPSTREAM,” CULTURALLY
APPROPRIATE AND TRAUMA-INFORMED SOLUTIONS
FOR SERVING COMMUNITIES: Blue Zones Project,
in contrast to many government-funded program
workplans, can often adapt, respond more nimbly and
innovate to fill niches that community partners need
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could be useful to help “flip the script,” in regard to influences on decision makers that would slow or avoid
progress in a misguided homage to individual rights
and profit-centric values. Blue Zones Project’s upstream frameworks that speak to the economic advantages
of health and well-being in communities could greatly
complement the already effective policy efforts of
Riverside County tobacco prevention supporters.
to make policy work more effective. Riverside County,
already a national leader in tobacco prevention, may
be able to leverage Blue Zones Project frameworks to
demonstrate newer, innovative approaches to tobacco
prevention.
VALUING OF MORE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES
TO PROMOTING PREVENTION EDUCATION AND
CESSATION: Focus group participants strongly voiced
support for whole-child, whole family, trauma-informed
and culturally informed approaches to prevention
education and cessation. Addressing the role of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) in nicotine initiation was highlighted prominently as a crucial consideration for
innovative community engagement for both youth and
adults. The need to address the “root cause” of nicotine susceptibility was emphasized as key to supporting
prevention and cessation. Participants highlighted the
need for more resources to expand prevention work
at the kindergarten-level and maintain a consistent
preventative program through 12th Grade to prevent
youth from falling prey to the tobacco industry.
UPSTREAM INNOVATIONS FOR PREVENTION:
Approaches to prevention that demonstrate both
the assaults to entrepreneurship, profitability and
productivity that the tobacco industry causes to
communities, the cumulative impact of commercial
tobacco use and secondhand/thirdhand smoke exposure
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Readiness
In each interview and focus group session conducted,
stakeholders expressed confidence and initiative for
advancing tobacco prevention in all forms and policy areas.
There was no hesitation or reticence expressed at what
needed to be achieved. Stakeholders expressed prioritizing all solutions for broad, diverse and strong tobacco
prevention policies. Prevention partners, together with Coalition stakeholders, uniformly expressed a strong “we can do it” resolve and initiative. Given stakeholder collaboration, community-based leadership and action-orientation,
strengthening “A” graded policies and moving lower grades to “A’s” is very realistic and not just aspirational.
Acknowledgements
Blue Zones acknowledges the following individuals who
contributed to Assessment Phase activities:
Dr. Eddy Jara, Director, Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Tobacco Control Project (TCP)
Michelle Anguiano, Health Education Assistant II, Riverside University Health System (RUHS) Tobacco Control Project (TCP)
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/ tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/diseases-and-death. html#:~:text=Smoking%20is%20the%20leading%20cause%20of%20 preventable%20death.&text=Cigarette%20smoking%20is%20responsible%20 for,or%201%2C300%20deaths%20every%20day
4 Strategic Health Alliance Pursuing Equity SHAPE Riverside County, https:// www.shaperivco.org/
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Most Americans spend
about half their waking life
on the job, making workplaces
a prime opportunity to
encourage healthy lifestyles.
The Blue Zones Worksite Approach
The Blue Zones Worksite transformation approach
takes the focus off the individual and targets the
environment, buildings, and social networks to
make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Employers are encouraged to achieve minimum
thresholds among five areas of best practice:
Leadership, Purpose, Physical Environment, Social
Networks/Engagement, Policy, and Benefits. These
initiatives nudge employees to move more, eat
Worksites
RIVERSIDE COUNTY
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healthier (avoiding processed and junk
food), make meaningful connections,
and help people to find and live out their
purpose.
Well-being has become one of the key elements of
building a workplace culture of health, and COVID-19
has intensified and highlighted the need for companies
to prioritize all aspects of well-being.
Employers who take the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge
are offered consulting support at no cost, but they
are required to take the process seriously. To that end, our assessment involved identifying a cross-section of
workforce in the Riverside County area. We completed
interviews of a representative sample of those
employers and organizations that provide and support
health for the workforce to assess their interest and
readiness to move forward with a Blue Zones initiative.
As part of the implementation, Blue Zones provides free tools and resources, such as purpose workshops, and
moais (group networking focusing on building employee
social connections around walking and healthy eating).
The program also provides specific recommendations
on how to engage leadership, increase employee
participation, encourages use of formal and informal
social networks, and provides recommendations for
policies and benefits that advocate for an employee’s
well-being.
To achieve Blue Zones Certification,
we require 50% of the largest
workplaces to become Blue Zones
Approved (adopting >70% of Blue
Zones recommended workforce
practices).
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Employer and Industries
RIVERSIDE COUNTY WORKSITE CONTEXT
In the U.S., employed adults spend most of their waking hours working. Unfortunately, most US worksites
(offices or remote work arrangements), where
Americans spend time working, have not been designed
to support optimal employee health and well-being.
Within many industries, in Riverside County, workers
perform sedentary jobs where they spend a large part
of the day working without stopping to take stretch or
movement breaks; while other employees in industries
such as farming, education, and healthcare include
more movement throughout the day, but they may not
have quiet areas to seek relief from stress and/or to
rest and recharge on breaks. Healthy food options are
not always readily available on-site or nearby worksites, and coworkers are not encouraged to make meaningful
social connections at work.
Compared to other US counties, Riverside County has
experienced rapid job growth over the past few years.
This growth has been led by expansion of transportation, warehouse, and logistics industry due to the pandemic
era’s increased demand for shipping and delivery services.
Although employer wellness programs are common
among medium to large employers across industries
in Riverside County, the regional transportation,
warehouse, and logistics industries typically have rigid schedules that can pose challenges for employee wellbeing. The typical approach employers take with worksite wellness in the region includes leveraging the wellness program resources offered by the health plan and regional providers to offer programs such as health fairs, biometrics screenings, fitness memberships, or individual challenges to encourage “steps” activity or healthy eating. With the pandemic, virtual care management, and counseling,
mobile screening/vaccines and telemedicine offering
options have expanded and utilization has increased.
The increased availability and utilization of these
technology-driven healthcare services has been critical for Riverside employers, given the challenge of gaining accessibility to providers across the region and state.
With industry growth in the county there continue to be opportunities to address public health concerns, such as obesity, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate diet (low intake of fruits and vegetables), as well as rising air pollution, and the continuing increased demand for regional healthcare services.
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LINGERING IMPACT OF COVID IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY
AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES
Employers in the Inland Empire, like so many other parts of the world, were significantly impacted by the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic, and its economic impact, resulted in many business closures and reductions in early 2020.
Businesses, as well as workers and their families, struggled with the loss or reduction of income, childcare and in-person schooling while trying to keep themselves safe from the virus. Many businesses and jobs were impacted, and wellbeing programs were put on hold or scaled down to virtual or online offerings between 2020-2022. Over the past
year, as a vaccine has become more available, and many
businesses are working through economic recovery, and
employers are renewing their focus on employee well-being programs to keep workers healthy, present, and productive.
Despite the recovery, there are some long-lasting impacts on the area businesses, the Riverside County economy, and its workers. Many workers who lost their jobs turned to the hightech warehousing/logistics economy to replace their income.
Many of these jobs provide a replacement income, but do not necessarily provide career paths, or opportunities for career growth. In addition, there was a tremendous increase in remote working across the region. For some, this seems to have reduced commutes and improved work-life balance, however, for others remote working proved to be challenging due to unreliable technology and internet access.
Based on our conversations with
employers and stakeholders, now
is the perfect time for the region
to amplify the focus on workforce
health to support the rapid growth
of the regional economy.
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BLUE ZONES
The Blue Zones approach to
community transformation is to
optimize the places and spaces
people spend the most time so that
healthy choices are easier or even
unavoidable. Large worksites and
public schools are a focus because
they are where adults and children
spend most of their lives. The process
to become a Blue Zones Approved
worksite activates the Blue Zones
model through evidence-based
practices and environmental changes.
Each interested employer will focus
on people, places, and policies,
implementing semi-permanent to
permanent changes which make
healthy choices easier for all.
Riverside County (40,000
employees)
HARC, Inc. (<50 employees)
University of CA, Riverside (9,800
employees)
Riverside Chamber (<20 employees)
Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIRHA) Riverside Corona Chamber (<20 employees)
City of Riverside (2,500 employees)
Riverside University Health System (RUHS) (3,500 employees) Kaiser Health Plan (representing many employers)
Blue Shield, California (representing many employers)
We engaged with
Riverside County worksites
representing
~56,000
employees
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BLUE ZONES
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Riverside County Overview:
Worksites
RIVERSIDE COUNTY AREA EMPLOYERS
To achieve Blue Zones Certification, we require the majority of the larger workplaces to become Blue Zones Approved.
Employers who take the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge are
offered consulting support at no cost, but they are required to take the process seriously. To that end, our assessment included a select but representative group of employers and health service providers across all Riverside County communities. We met with the employers and program/
plan providers to assess their interest and readiness to move forward with a Blue Zones initiative.
We met with 14 employers and health organizations
during the Riverside County worksite assessment.
Collectively, these companies employ more than 60,000
county residents, including some of the county’s
largest employers and public agencies, such as City of
Riverside, Riverside County, University of California,
Riverside, representatives from the Chambers of
Commerce for several communities, Inland Empire
Health Plan, Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente Health Plan, Alvord School District, and nonprofits such as Desert Healthcare District Foundation, and Growing
Coachella Valley.
All these company representatives expressed interest in the Blue Zones initiative in Riverside County.
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Strengths
STRONG LOCAL RESOURCES AND ASSETS FOR
WORKSITE HEALTH PROGRAMMING
There are many resources in the community to support
and encourage community and worksite health. Health
Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC) has
been working with several communities in Riverside
County doing health needs assessment and health
planning. HARC also provides an annual worksite
conference which supports networking and encourages
worksite health programs across participating
employers and healthiest employer recognition
programs.The Riverside County Culture of Health
Department was created to increase employee access to
worksite well-being programming.
Riverside County is also home to many non-profits,
health, educational and community resources such
as Desert Healthcare District Foundation, Health,
University of California, Riverside, and several health plans (Kaiser, Blue Shield California, Inland Empire
Health Plan) who support worksite and worker health in
the region. The health plans have assisted with funding of many of the large employer wellness programs
including City of Riverside, and Riverside County (when it was in place 2014-2020). The collaborative way in
which these various providers are working with each
other today, will be a strong foundation to build out a Blue Zones community.
SEVERAL EMPLOYERS HAVE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS
PROGRAMS IN PLACE
Of the employers we interviewed, just over half (57%)
of the Riverside County employers we met with had
some type of wellness programming in place that
would align with the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge
such as fitness reimbursement or onsite fitness
programs, maps and walking trails, online health
education resources, physical activity challenges, or
free biometric screenings. Most employers offer basic
wellness through their health plans in addition to full coverage of preventive care for full-time workers.
Wellness committees or ambassadors who support
wellness programming, as well as tobacco free
workplace policies, are also in place for several of the larger employers who participated in the assessment.
All employers expressed interest in the Blue Zones
initiative, regardless of whether they currently offered wellness programs.
To achieve Blue Zones Certification, asignificant
percentage of the largest employers in a community are
required to become “Blue Zones Approved” to reach a
“tipping point” of participation.
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BLUE ZONES
VOLUNTEERISM AND COMMUNITY GIVING
The state/county agencies and employers encourage
volunteerism, but it is not typically offered to employees during work hours. Several employers expressed
interest in promoting volunteerism as part of their wellbeing initiatives, however, none of the participating organizations currently have policies or programs in
place
Less than one third of the
employers who participated
in Blue Zones interviews
indicated that their company
had a commitment to encourage
employees to volunteer in the
community.
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BLUE ZONES
Challenges
LIMITED ACCESS TO ACTIVE TRANSIT AND PUBLIC
TRANSIT
Most employers interviewed indicated that they do not
incentivize use of public transportation. However, a few employers do encourage use of public transportation
and active commuting options through offering
discounted bus passes. Some employers located outside
the downtown area offer reimbursement options or
subsidized commuter benefits for those employees who
drive in carpools, use public transportation, or ride their bikes. Public transportation outside the larger cities is very limited, and not all roads are safe for cyclists to commute to work. Most employers do have bike racks
available, and those who offer them do not feel they are utilized by more than a few employees. It is common
that larger employer campuses (such as Inland Empire
Health Plan) have fitness centers and maps or marked
trails for outdoor walking. Based on the employers’
input, typically these resources are utilized by a small portion of employees (less than 25%). Most employers
interviewed acknowledged that very little promotion of
“active commuting solutions” is done at their worksites, given the limited access to public transportation for
active commuting.
GAPS IN WORKSITE PROGRAMMING
Among the employers who participated in the assessment, only a few had worked with their on-site cafes and vending machines to ensure healthy options were available. Very few employers had on-site cafes and none of the employers with café services indicated that they subsidized healthier options. A slightly higher portion of employers indicated that they had implemented healthy vending options, and no employers highlighted healthy catering options.
Purpose was not addressed directly from any of the
participating employers, although most organizations felt that their professional development training or Employee Assistance programs supported emotional well-being and
provided some tools to identify and make recommendations for pursuit of purpose. Several of the larger employers offered online platforms or Employee Assistance Programs through their health plans or third-party providers, which included content or counseling which helped organizations to identify their purpose and address mental and emotional needs.
No organizations indicated that they provided leadership training to support employee well-being and work-life
balance, but overall, most organizations felt that leadership support for working wellness was present at some level, but typically not present at all levels of management.
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BLUE ZONES
Opportunities
IMPLEMENTATION, EDUCATION AND PROMOTION OF
HEALTHY FOOD POLICY
Blue Zones can assist large employers in working
with the cafeteria and food service companies to
implement and promote healthy food policies for onsite café, vending, and catering services. In addition, Blue Zones community initiative can improve access
to healthier options nearby worksite locations in the
community through partnerships with local grocery
stores, restaurants, and farmers markets. A key part of the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge is ensuring that on-site vending offerings have at least 50% healthy options and that employee cafeterias become Blue Zones Approved
Restaurants. Most of the employers we engaged during
the assessment did not include a focus on healthy
options in their cafes or vending machines as part of
their wellness programs.
For employers without on-site café options, Blue
Zones can provide assistance in working with nearby
restaurants and food trucks so that healthy options are available. Contacting at least 50% of restaurants within walking distance of worksites and encouraging them
to take the Restaurant Pledge is part of the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge.
In addition to ensuring healthy food options are prevalent in and near the worksite, it is critical to provide education to workers on the value of healthy options and simple
methods to prepare them. Bilingual (English/Spanish),
promotion and education are essential, particularly with the composition of Riverside County’s diverse cultures, to help all workers learn how to remake traditional cultural favorites/comfort food options with healthier ingredients (utilizing more plant-based options).
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POLICY AND PRACTICES AND AVAILABILITY OF
MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Many employers expressed concerns about limited
access to mental health providers, inadequate coverage
of behavioral health conditions, and long wait times to see behavioral health counselors. Like many fast-growing areas in the US, Riverside County offers limited access to psychology or psychiatry professionals, as the demand
is higher than the supply of providers. Blue Zones could partner with employers to review benefits policy and
coverage, provide a list of best practice coverage areas for benefits, as well as review online provider options.
Given that loneliness and social support are often
associated with poor mental health outcomes, Blue Zones could also work with employers to identify opportunities to enhance employee support through mentoring, team
building, and workplace moais to improve social networks and connectedness. In addition, creating workplace social networks and stress and depression management services
are both part of the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge.
PURPOSE WORKSHOPS AND VOLUNTEER
PROGRAMMING
Our sense of purpose can have a strong influence on
our work performance and overall satisfaction in life,
in addition to helping to protect associates against
burnout. According to Gallup, associates who find
meaning at work are 93% more engaged and more than
three times as likely to stay with their organization.
Employees can also be encouraged to volunteer
and give back to the community with events or with
their families and friends to help connect them with
their purpose, create meaningful connections in their
community, and improve life satisfaction.
Although some employers interviewed offer training
and development programs which may touch on
personality type or communication styles, very few
worksites offer resources to support employees in
their search for purpose or work-life balance. A few of the larger Riverside County companies have programs
and campaigns that encourage volunteerism, but
these programs are not usually linked to broader
employee well-being programming. Blue Zones Purpose
Workshops and volunteer initiatives would address
some of the gaps that exist in traditional corporate
health and wellness programming.
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BLUE ZONES
ACTIVE COMMUTING: CARPOOLING AND PARKING
INCENTIVES
Many employers are geographically dispersed across the
county, and several employers indicated that they still have a portion of their employee population working remotely following the pandemic. In general, most employers are
not currently encouraging or using incentives to promote public transportation. Some worksites do offer bike racks, or storage but most say they are not used. A few employers used to offer carpool incentives, but they indicated they were not used. Southern Californians who can afford to own cars, love to drive them, typically as single commuter drivers.
Blue Zones could work with employers to provide incentives to encourage active commuting, to utilize carpooling or vanpool solutions, or to use Blue Zones parking spaces.
Creating incentives and policies to encourage employees to commute to work by public or active transportation is part of the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge. The County of Riverside Commuter Services currently offers incentives for people who carpool, bike, walk, take public transit, or telecommute to work. Opportunities may exist to increase awareness of this program when working with employers.
METRICS AND DATA IMPROVEMENT
Of the employers interviewed, few (3) had consistent
leadership support and all lacked metrics to demonstrate the value of their wellness programming. Most employers would benefit from a deeper review into how they could measure, improve, and report on their programs. Aggregating
company well-being metrics and communicating them to
employees is part of the Blue Zones Worksite Pledge.
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BLUE ZONES
Bibliography:
MacKay, Jory. (2019, January 24). The State of Work Life Balance in 2019: What we learned from studying 185 million hours of working time. (Blog post). Retrieved from https:// blog.rescuetime.com/ work-life-balance-study-2019/ Jory MacKay.
McGregor, Jena. (2014, September 2). The average work
week is now 47 hours. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www. washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/
wp/2014/09/02/theaverage-work-week-is-now-47-hours/
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/
riversidecountycalifornia,CA,US/PST045222
https://www.dailynews.com/2023/02/03/riverside-sanbernardino-counties-are-us-job-creation-leader/ https://datausa.io/profile/geo/mead-valley-ca/
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/french-valley-ca/
The American Community Survey, US Census Bureau
Hispanic, or Latino
Data for French Valley, Mead Valley, Banning, Corona CDP https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/
https://www.livework.coronaca.gov/
https://www.bestplaces.net/health/city/california/corona California Healthy Places Index
People + Organizations
Engaged During Assessment in
Riverside County.
Alvord Unified School District, Amanda Benitez, Benefits Manager/ Human Resources
Blue Shield, California, Jessica Pond, Principal Account Executive, National Accounts & Public Sector/Premier, Blue Shield of California City of Riverside, Miriana Gonzalez, Deputy HR Leader and Jennifer Brown, SHRM-CP, Human Resources Division
Corona Chamber, Bobby Spiegel, President
Desert Healthcare District Foundation, Alejandro Espinoza, MPH, CHES, Chief of Community Engagement
Dominique Fruchtman, SPHR, DTM, LSBB, Owner, Escape Room Palm Springs and Former President, Professionals in Human Resources Association (PIRHA) Riverside
Growing Coachella Valley, Janelle Percy, Executive Director, Growing Coachella Valley
Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC, Inc.), Jenna Le-Comte-Hinely, PhD, Chief Executive Officer
Inland Empire Health Plan, Dianna Del Toro, Director Human Resources Total Rewards, Inland Empire Health Plan
Kaiser Health Plan, Marc A. Saenz, MS, CWWS, Workforce Health Consultant, Strategic Customer Engagement, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan - Inland Empire
Riverside Chamber, Nick Adcock, President
Riverside County, Jennifer D’Urso, MPH, Principal Deputy ACR and former Employee Wellness Director for Riverside County
Riverside University Health System (RUHS), Eddy Jara, DrPH, Program Director, Nutrition and Health Promotion Branch, RUHSPublic Health University of California, Riverside, Ann M. Cheney, Ph.D. Faculty Director and Former Co-Chair of Wellness, School of Medicine, Dept. of Social Medicine Population and Public Health
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BLUE ZONES
Palm Springs has the
opportunity to unlock
$207 million in projected
value generation and savings
through a partnership with
Blue Zones.
Blue Zones Value Brief for Palm
Springs, CA
Over the next ten years, Palm Springs, CA has
the opportunity to unlock up to $207.2 million in
projected value generation and savings, directly
benefiting the community through a partnership
with Blue Zones.
Unlocking this value is centered on the science and knowledge that people with sustainably higher well-being cost less and perform better. And for us, well-being isn’t just an ideal. It’s quantifiable.
As such, the goal of a Blue Zones community transformation is making measurable improvements in well-being across the area—specifically, improving elements of individual and collective well-being that are proven to positively drive key economic indicators.
Research has shown that lifts in personal purpose, as well as social, financial, community, and physical health factors have direct implications on future medical costs and human performance. Reductions in lifestyle risks, disease burden, and medical spend are all results that influence individual lives as well as the collective, driving results that are not only felt but are calculable in terms of economic impact.
Value Brief
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The ten-year impact of a Blue Zones transformation:
Projected Medical Cost Saving of ~$84.8M
Reduction in projected workforce lost productivity
of ~$92.1M
These two sources of value result in a projected
~$434 average annual per capita medical saving
and productivity improvement value for the adult
population over the next decade
Approximately $30.3M of direct and indirect
benefits to the regional economy
Billions of expected positive media impressions
Additional related follow-on community grants, gifts, and investments
A cumulative total value of over $207 million
for the Palm Springs, CA in including medical
cost savings, productivity savings, and regional
economic impact.
Creating Value for Palm Springs, CA
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BLUE ZONES
The Origins of Blue Zones Project
To discover the cultural traits that lead to greater wellbeing, scientists researched the five areas of the world where people are living longer, happier lives. We call
these blue zones, as coined and well-documented in Dan
Buettner’s New York Times best-selling book, “The Blue
Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who
Have Lived the Longest.”
This research, coupled with a now 20-year worldwide
longevity study, has been used to develop Blue Zones
tools and programs that are designed to tackle the chronic disease crisis and health disparities plaguing our nation.
Our Approach to Community
Well-Being Transformation
In collaboration with community leadership, Blue Zones ignites broad-scale well-being transformations that focus on creating systemic changes to the environments in which we live.
At the focal point of our approach is affecting policy change in our human-made surroundings to make the
healthy choice the easy choice.
To unite our communities under a common cause, an
extensive outreach and marketing campaign rallies everyone from employers, grocery stores, and restaurants, to
government entities and non-profits, schools and universities, the faith-based community, the media, and of course,
individual community members.
In addition, a variety of individual engagement strategies strengthen social connection and foster personal integrity and accountability for each community member’s part in the community’s transformation.
Due to the permanent and semi-permanent nature of
environmental and policy changes, the value of Blue Zones grows and compounds over time from the initial investment– in many aspects creating true generational impact.
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Headline Two Lines Here Measuring the Impact of Well-Being Research demonstrates the link between well-being, medical costs, and job performance Improve
Well-Being
Adopt or maintain
healthy behaviors
Reduce healthrelated risks
Optimize care for health
conditions and disease
Increase Total
Economic Value
States
Communities
Payers
Individuals
Reduce Total
Medical Cost
Hospitalizations
Event Rates
Disease Rates
Lifestyle Risks
Increase
Performance
Energy
Engagement
Absence
Work Impairment
Figure 1 illustrates the probability of specific outcomes based on well-being level. Low well- being individuals are more likely to visit the emergency department, have high medical claim expenditures, leave an employer, have low performance ratings, have unplanned absences, experience disability, and attend work with an inability to perform at their best.
Optimal well-being leads to higher-performing, healthier, and more productive individuals and businesses, thus creating economic value for the region.
Figure 1
Any ER Visit
High Claims Cost
Low Intent-to-Stay
Low Supervisor Rating
Any Unscheduled PTO
Any Short Term Disability days
Any Self Report Absence (HPQ)
Low Self Evaluation (HPQ
Mid-High
Mid
Mid-Low
Well Being Level
Low
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Figure adapted from: Overall Well-Being as a Predictor of Healthcare, Productivity and Retention Outcomes in a Large Employer. Population Health Management, 2013.
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BLUE ZONES
Our advanced modeling approach includes a simulation
model, multivariate econometric models, and coarsened
exact matching. At the heart, is an industry leading predictive population health simulation model called the Healthways Simulation ModelTM, developed by the Healthways Center for Health Research in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Boston Consulting Group. Using conservative to more aggressive assumptions concerning population readiness to change, the simulation model was run with a range of scenarios— the average of which has been used to estimate the impact of a Blue Zones community transformation for the Palm Springs, CA, Area over a ten-year period.
For our purposes, the simulation model is an epidemiologybased method used to forecast the complex and compounding relationships between existing chronic conditions and
modifiable lifestyle behaviors. It is needed not only to calculate health care-related costs associated with conditions and behaviors based on a given set of data, but also to forecast the incidence and progression of these diseases over time.
Research has proven the value—via reductions in medical claims costs, decreases in absenteeism, and increases in productivity—of well-being improvement and population
management interventions, and our simulation model is how we can quantifiably get to this goal.
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BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here Using the Gallup Well-being Index data and publicly available economic, health and demographic information, the simulation model creates a baseline of well-being risks, chronic disease burden and modifiable lifestyle risk for a population. From this baseline, the model then projects how these conditions and risk factors will interact over time to establish a future risks and disease burden profile. That future risk and
disease burden profile is then converted to medical and lost productivity costs.
Changes in these costs are modeled and attributed to
source and type in the form of medical expenditures and changes in workforce productivity and performance. With this information, the model can reasonably predict the cost of “status quo – or by not introducing transformational intervention” for populations over a given period. The
accuracy of this model was scientifically and independently validated using data available from the Framingham Heart Study, the longest- running longitudinal epidemiologic public health study of its kind.
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BLUE ZONES
The graphic below (Figure 3) shows the Palm Springs, CA quintile ranking as compared to 157 MSAs across the nation on the five core elements of well-being measured within the WellBeing Index, contrasted with how the State of California ranks numerically among the 50 states (Note the color of the numeric ranking indicates it’s quintile, see quintile ranking key). Notably, Palm Springs, CA ranks in the second quintile for all most all five elements of well-being. Physical well-being ranks in the third quintile. When compared to the state, Palm Springs ranks higher in financial, community, and purpose and falls in a lower quintile for social and physical well-being.
Figure 2
Figure 3
WELL-BEING VALUE for Palm Springs, CA
Current State of Well-Being
The Gallup Well-Being Index is the nation’s largest well-being survey and database. With the ability to track nightly changes in well-being at a national, state, regional, and community level, it can report on a year-over- year basis for states and large communities. Gallup and the Blue Zones team leveraged 2017 and 2018 Well-Being Index data to identify the current state of well-being in the Palm Springs, CA.
The following represents a preliminary analysis, with the goal of providing an understanding of Blue Zones measurement methodology and projected impact. If Palm Springs moves forward with a Blue Zones community transformation, a realtime baseline of well-being will be established in a statistically rigorous oversampling by Gallup.
Overall Well-Being Index Score
California ranks 14th out of 50 states in overall well-being, placing it in the second quintile for well-being nationwide. Palm Springs, when compared to the 157 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) across the nation for which the Well-Being Index provides standard annual reports, ranks 53rd in overall wellbeing and is in the second quintile. Behind the state but ahead of the nation in overall well-being. (Figure 2)
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Overall Well-Being Score
Nation
California
Palm Springs
50.0 52.0 54.0 56.0 58.0
g 9
California 22nd 1Qlh
Palm Springs 2nd 2nd
BLUE ZONES
60.0 62.0
2rth
2nd
QUINTILE RANKING
14 tb of 50 States
53rd of 157 MSA's
64.0 QUINTILE RANKING
I g
39th 9th
2nd
The Cost of Status Quo
Palm Springs, CA struggles with many of the same chronic conditions and lifestyle behaviors that plague the entire state and nation. The cost of status quo—for doing nothing differently in the future—is significant. Using the simulation model, we conservatively forecast that over the next ten years, medical and lost productivity costs will increase annually by $248 million or
5.19%. (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Medical and Productivity Cost Projections Absent Intervention for Ages 18 and Up
Well-Being Index Risk and Disease Prevalence Figure 5
Figure 4
While Palm Springs ranks higher than the nation and is
close behind the state in overall well-being there is still an opportunity to improve. Figure 4 compares the risk and
disease prevalence of Palm Springs’s adult population to the state, nation and Benchmark MSAs. Benchmark MSAs
represent the top ten performing communities within the category of comparison. In this comparison we find that Palm Springs has several challenges in the risk profile of the population. Obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are 112%, 107%, and 90% higher (respectively) as compared to the benchmark MSAs in the U.S. Additionally, inactivity, poor diet, and tobacco use are all higher than benchmark MSAs by 57%, or more.
Disease prevalence rates in diabetes, depression, and cancer far exceed that of the benchmark MSAs. Notably, diabetes by more than 130% for diabetes, as shown in in figure 5.
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Modifiable Behaviors Prevalence
• California • Palm Springs • Top MSAs • Nation
60.0% +57%i
i +67%
50.0% +112%
40.0% +107%
30.0%
+57% +90%
20.0% i i
10.0%
0.0%
Tobacco Inactivity Poor Diet High Blood Pressure High Cholesterol Obesity
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
$700
$600
$500
~
g $400
:E
"' $300
$200
$100
Disease Prevalence
• California • Palm Springs • Top MSAs
+132%
t
Diabetes Depression
• Medical Costs • Productivity Cost Lost
Years
• Nation
Cancer
Without different
intervention,
simulated total costs
BLUE ZONES
Headline Two Lines Here
Blue Zones Community Transformation Risk Reduction and Savings Analysis Palm Springs, CA Over the next 10 years we conservatively estimate and average cumulative risk reduction of 15.5% across the eleven risk factors identified in figure 7 below. These critical factors are indicators of an individuals experienced well-being and a reduction of prevalence produces improved well-being. Our approach does not seek to drive these to zero at a population level, but rather drives slow, steady, and sustainable progress in reduction.
Key Well-being Measures for Palm Springs, CA
Figure 7
1 in 2 1 in 3 2 in 3 2 in 5 3 in 5 3 in 10 4 in 5
Do not have a
good perception
of their health
Do not exercise
at appropiate
levels
Do not eat
su
cient fruits
and vegetables
Have worried
about money in
the last week
Have a poor
current life
evaluation
Are obese or
overweight
Are not
proud of their
community
Do not feel
safe and
secure
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60.0%
55.0%
50.0%
45 .0%
40.0%
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
BLUE ZONES
Change in Risk Prevalence
33.6%
• Initial Rlsk %
58.5%
• Yr10
15.5% Average Cumulative Risk Reduction
. . . :. . . . • t . ... -
The 10-year average annual per capita medical and
productivity value for Palm Springs, CA is projected at $434 for the adult population, and a total of $508 when accounting for regional economic impact. Medical cost
saving alone are projected to generate $84.8 million for residents and employers within the region (Figure 8).
Within our framework lies a great opportunity to
impact workforce productivity and provide significant
economic benefit for Palm Springs, CA. Over the next
ten years, the model projects the Blue Zones Community
Transformation to generate approximately $92.1 million
in workforce productivity improvement in the form of
reduced absenteeism and increased workforce engagement
and performance. Medical cost savings and improved
productivity savings account for a total aggregate savings of $176.9 million (Figure 8).
Value increases further when the full regional economic impacts are considered. For every dollar of improved
workforce productivity, the regional economy benefits
in the form of increased direct and indirect household
consumption. The regional economic impact from the
proposed Blue Zones Community Transformation is
expected to be approximately $30.3 million over ten years (Figure 8).
In total, we project a conservative gross value estimate of up to $207.2 million in medical savings, improved productivity, and regional economic benefit for Palm Springs, CA over the next decade as a result of implementing a Blue Zones Community Transformation (Figure 8).
Figure 8
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Years
BLUE ZONES
Aislinn Kotifani, Communications Specialist
• For the last 7 years, has managed the Blue Zones
brand, website, and social media presence
• Experienced with large diverse city, small
community, and niche neighborhood program
engagement and launches
Amelia Clabots, Vice President of Finance &
Operations
• Experienced operations professional with deep
experience managing cross-functional Blue Zones
teams
• For the last 10 years, has helped Blue Zones
transition from a small research company to a
global brand with multiple products, channels, and
initiatives
Ben Leedle, CEO
• Former CEO and President of Healthways, Inc.
• Transformed small business into world’s top
population health management company
• Co-founder, Blue Zones Project
• Co-founder, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
Dan Buettner, Jr., Vice President of Business
Development
• Advancing Return on Well-Being models and
archetypes for businesses and communities
• International Speaker
• Global commercial real estate expert
Fabian De La Espriella, AICP, Project Manager
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams in
both the public and private sector
• Featured in the New York Times, StreetsblogUSA,
and the American Planning Association’s Planning
Magzine
• Former Urban Design & Transportation Planning
Manager for Miami Downtown Development
Authority
Greg Damron, Tobacco Policy Expert
• Specializes in Public Health initiative community
engagement, policy strategies, planning, project
management, and evaluation.
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, World Happiness Expert
• Professor of Economics and Director of the
Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of
Oxford
• Co-editor of the World Happiness Report
• Recipient of the Ruut Veenhoven Award in 2015
for his contributions to the scientific study of
happiness
Lisle Wescott, Director of Accounts
• Former Market President of the SSM Health
Hospitals in St. Charles County
• Expert in hospital quality metrics, patient and
employee safety, engagement, and community
health needs assessments
• Immediate past President of Crossroads Clinic—
Volunteers in Medicine
Lynn Richards, Senior Vice President, Policy and
Implementation
• Former President and CEO of Congress for New
Urbanism
• Former Acting Director and Policy Director,
Office of Sustainable Communities at the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Deep experience implementing policy changes at
the federal, state, and local levels
Malisa Mccreedy, Built Environment Program
Manager
• Former Director of Mobility for the City of
Gainesville, FL
• Former Division Manager for the City of Portland’s
Bureau of Transportation
Margaret Adamek, PhD, National Food Policy
Expert
• Decades of experience working with native
nations, new immigrant, and minority populations
• Designed and deployed Minnesota Food Charter
• Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow
Nadja Berneche, Food Policy Expert
• Lead Consultant and Director of Healthy
Communities Projects with Terra Soma
• Co-chair of the Saint Paul-Ramsey County Food
and Nutrition Commission
• Cross-cultural experience and demonstrated
commitment to serving diverse communities
Naomi Imatome-Yun, Editor-in-Chief
• Wall Street Journal bestselling author
• Curator of the historic Flashlight exhibit at the
Mayme Clayton African-American Museum in Los
Angeles
• Experienced reaching and engaging hard-toreach audiences (niche, underserved, millennial) Nick Buettner, Vice President of Product
• Led or produced 17 world expeditions, including
explorations to identify blue zones regions
• Former COO of Foolproof, a financial literacy
foundation
• Ed-tech innovator and co-founder of Maya Quest,
a web-based education program
Blue Zones Riverside County Team
Meet Our Team
226 Activate Palm Springs Report
Table of Contents
Item 3F - Page 235
BLUE ZONES
Exhibit A: Meet the Experts
Oliver Hayden, Project Manager
• Urban planning & development strategist
• Over eight years of experience delivering
innovative, data-driven project solutions
• Passionate advocate for well-designed cities and
neighborhoods
Robyn Fulwider, Account Executive
• Over 38 years of experience in the healthcare field
• Diverse operational management experience
including strategic planning and visioning, business
planning and management, budget development,
and contract negotiations
Sara Hetrick-Couppas, Schools Expert
• Experienced Program Director with a
demonstrated history of working in the
developmental disabilities and mental health care
industry
Sharon O’Hara, DrPH, MPH, MS, Alcohol Policy
Expert
• Professor at UC Berkeley, Core Faculty, Doctor of
Public Health (DrPH) Program
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Pacific Institute for
Research and Evaluation
• Group Leader, Berkeley Ethics and Regulation
Group for Innovative Technologies (BERGIT)
Shelly Trumbo, Chief Transformations Officer
• Founder, Starling Community Solutions
• Former Director of Community Wellness at
Adventist Health Clear Lake
• Advisory Board Member at North Coast
Opportunities, Inc.
Steve Samples, Gallup Well-Being, Senior Financial Analyst • CPA by training
• 40 years of health care experience
• Analyzed well-being, health, and claims data for hundreds of organizations
• Created numerous models to analyze and present value
projections, costs, and outcomes
• Former SVP at Healthways, Inc. leading its Financial
Operations Group
Tre’ McCalister, Worksite Expert
• Former Total Health Management Consulting Practice Leader for Mercer, Central Market
• Former Global Health Strategist at Dell
• Board of Directors for Austin Mayor’s Health and Fitness Council
Tricia Gehrlein, Community Improvement Expert
• Former Director of Population Health, Morongo Basin
Healthcare District
• Former Director, Community Health Transformation, Clinton Foundation
• Former Regional Director, Coachella Valley, Clinton
Foundation’s Health Matters Initiative
• Former Grants Manager, Desert Healthcare District
Activate Palm Springs Report 227
Table of Contents
Item 3F - Page 236
Contact Us
[email protected]
612-596-3600
200 Southdale Center, Edina MN 55346
Item 3F - Page 237
ATTACHMENT C
Item 3F - Page 238
Item 3F - Page 239
Blue Zones Project - Palm Springs
The Path to Certification
Riverside
University
HEALTH SYSTEM
Item 3F - Page 240
Palin Springs Population
CONTEXT
Palm Springs attracts both residents and
visitors from across the planet with a rich arts
and cultural scene, access to picturesque
outdoor landscapes, and iconic mid-century
architecture.
Total Population 44,800
Under 18 8.9% 4,007
18-64 58.6% 26,274
Over 64 32.4% 14,519
Adult Population (40,793)
Palm Springs
Adult Population 40,793
• Palm Springs
RIVERSIDE
COUNTY
Rivers·de
University
HEALTH SYSTEM
Item 3F - Page 241
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(flPalm Springs
Adult Population 40,793
The Cost of Doing Nothing ... Differently
• Med cal Costs • Productivity Cost Lost
$700
$600 ------------------- $500
$400
$300
$200
$100
Years
Without different
intervention,
simulated total costs
increase by
5.19% per year
Riverside
University
HEALTH SYSTEM
Item 3F - Page 242
Palm Springs
Adult Population 40,793
Annual Prevalence Rate Projections
59.6%
60.0%
55.0%
50.0%
45.0%
40.0%
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
Stress Smoke Exercise Nutrition
Change in Risk Prevalence • Initial Risk% • Yr10
58.5%
BMI BP Standard of Life Evaluation Perception of Worry Purpose Living Health
Riverside
University
HEALTH SYSTEM
Item 3F - Page 243
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Medical Productivity egional Economic
Ten Year Iinpact $84.8 Million $92.1 Million $30.3 Million
PALM SPRINGS
Blue Zones Value Opportunity
• Med cal Cost Savings
$50,000
$45,000
$40,000
$35,000
$30,000
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$0
1 2 3 4
Years
• Productivity Savings
5 6 7
• REI of Performance
8 9 10
Riverside
University
HEALTH SYSTEM
Item 3F - Page 244
Resource Allocation
BLUE ZONES PROJECT - PALM SPRINGS - 9 MONTHS & 3 YEARS
Resource Allocation
Cumulative $5.99M
e Local Team
e National Experts
e Marketing
e G&A. Technology
e IP/Licensing
e ~ Jverhead
e Contract Mcrgm
Key Features Include: Blue Zones Challenge App &
Annual Gal lup Measurement
Local FTE Mix
Executive Director
People
Placos
Polley
LOCAL
FTE MIX
AVG
Total 4
-'¢- Powerful Innovations
cioa Driven by Data
0 Enabled by Technology
ffij Powered by People
Riverside
University
HEALTH SYSTEM