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Agenda Report
May 5, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Public Health Department
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO AMEND CONTRACT NO. 32390
WITH RICKY PICKENS AND THE TEAM OF VIOLENCE
INTERRUPTERS TO INCREASE THE TOTAL NOT-TO-EXCEED
AMOUNT BY $260,000 TO SUPPORT GANG OUTREACH AND
VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION SERVICES THROUGH OCTOBER 2025
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the action proposed herein is not a "project" subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 21065 and within the meaning of Section 15378(b);
2. Authorize the City Manager to amend Contract No. 32390 with Ricky Pickens and the team of violence interrupters to increase the total not-to-exceed amount by $260,000 to support Gang Outreach and Violence Interruption Services through the end of October 2025; and
3. To the extent the amendment to Contract No. 32390 could be considered a separate procurement subject to the Competitive Selection Process, grant the contracts an exemption pursuant to Pasadena Municipal Code ("PMC") Section 4.08.049(8), contracts for which the City's best interests are served. This transaction is exempt from competitive bidding per PMC Section 4.08.030 and City Charter Section 1002(F) based on contracts for professional or unique services.
I
IBACKGROUND:
On August 15, 2022, the City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a contract with Ricky Pickens to conduct gang outreach and violence interruption services after completion of a competitive selection process. The contract term was for two years with the option for an additional one-year extension. The contract was originally administered by the Office of the City Manager and has since been transferred to the MEETING OF.05/05/2025AGENDA ITEM NO.5
Authorization to Amend Contract No. 32390 with Ricky Pickens May 5, 2025
Pasadena Public Health Department ("PPHD"). PPHD exercised the optional one-year extension in October 2024.
Between 2019 and 2021, the Pasadena community experienced a rise in gang violence leading to a 125% increase in confirmed shootings. The engagement with Ricky Pickens and his team of violence interrupters began in January 2021. In Calendar Year 2021, Pasadena Police Department data indicate there were 31 gang-related or possibly gang-related shootings. The number of gang-related or possibly gang-related shooting has decreased over the four-year period with a low of four gang-related or possibly gang-related shootings in Calendar Year 2024 - an 87% decrease from 2021 to 2024.
CONFIRMED COMMUNITY SHOOTINGS
30 2S
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Source: Pasadena Police Department (2025)
Over the course of the contract term, City Council authorized amendments to the agreement for various periods of time increasing the overall value of the contract to support an expansion of the team from four to six team members. The two additional interventionists have demonstrated success reducing potential conflicts by working with previously incarcerated individuals and youth to respond to specific concerns within and between local gangs.
To ensure services with the six-member Gang Outreach and Violence Interruption Services ("GOVIS") Team continue through the full term of the agreement, an amendment to increase the contract value by $260,000 is requested. If approved, the proposed contract amendment will allow services to continue through the end of Authorization to Amend Contract No. 32390 with Ricky Pickens May 5, 2025
October 2025. The Pasadena Public Health Department is planning to launch a competitive selection process this summer to secure gang outreach services into the future.
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The proposed contract amendment aligns with the City Council's strategic plan goal to ensure public safety.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
CEQA excludes, from environmental review, actions that are not "projects" as defined by CEQA Guidelines Section 21065 and within the meaning of Section 15378(b).
Sections 21065 and 15378(b) define a project as an action which may cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Section 15378 excludes from the definition of "project" government fiscal activities which do not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. The actions proposed herein, authorizing the City Manager to amend an existing contract by increasing the total not-to-exceed amount, is fiscal activity, and therefore is not a "project" as defined by CEQA. Since the action is not a project subject to CEQA, no environmental document is required.
Authorization to Amend Contract No. 32390 with Ricky Pickens May 5, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT:
Sufficient appropriations in the General Fund are currently available within the Public Health Department's Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget. There are no anticipated impacts to other programs as a result of this action.
Respectfully submitted,
MANUELVCARMONA, MPH, MPA
Director of Public Health
Approved by:
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MARQUEZ
City Manager