City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: APRIL 16, 2024 FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: CALIFORNIANSFORALL YOUTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – APPROVAL OF FIRST AMENDMENTS TO ROUND ONE SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENTS FOR C3 CODING CAMP INITIATIVE; COMMUNITY SETTLEMENT ASSOCIATION FOOD PANTRY; FEEDING AMERICA RIVERSIDE/SAN BERNARDINO FOOD PROJECT; LIGHTHOUSE OF HOPE FOOD PANTRY; AND THE TREE PEOPLE ARBORIST PROJECT; AND APPROVAL OF MINOR REALLOCATION BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS TO ENSURE THE EXPENDITURE OF ROUND ONE PROGRAM FUNDING ISSUE:
Approve first amendments to the CaliforniansForAll Youth Workforce Development Program Round One Subrecipient Agreements to extend the contract end date to September 30, 2024, and update subrecipient contract totals in order to ensure the expenditure of Program funding.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Approve a first amendment to a Subrecipient Agreement with C3 Initiative Youth Coding Project to extend the contract end date to September 30, 2024, reduce the existing contract with the City by $313,068.80 for a new Agreement total of $287,003.20; Approve a first amendment to a Subrecipient Agreement with Community Settlement Association Food Pantry Project to extend the contract end date to September 30, 2024, increase the existing contract with the City by $40,206 for a new Agreement total of $301,800.00; Approve a first amendment to a Subrecipient Agreement with Feeding America Riverside San Bernardino Project to extend the Contract End Date to September 30, 2024, increase the existing contract with the City by $56,348.74 for a new Agreement total of $134,140.74; Approve a first amendment to a Subrecipient Agreement with Lighthouse of Hope Food Pantry Project to extend the Contract End Date to September 30, 2024; Approve a first amendment to a Subrecipient Agreement with Tree People Arborist Project to extend the Contract End Date to September 30, 2024, increase the existing contract with the City by $208,139.14 for a new Agreement total of $946,355.14; and Authorize the City Manager or designee to sign all amendments and associated documents contemplated in the report, making minor corrections as necessary.
BACKGROUND:
In 2021, through the work of Mayor Lock Dawson and the Big City Mayors Coalition, the City received a $4.4 million from the State of California/California Volunteers to develop the Round One CaliforniansForAll Workforce Development Grant ("Grant"). The purpose of the Grant was to increase youth employment; develop youth interest in, and experience towards, a career; and to strengthen City capacity to address key areas of climate, food insecurity, and local COVID-19 recovery.
On December 7, 2021, the City Council authorized a grant application to the California Volunteers Program (“Grant”). On May 24, 2022, the City Council accepted an award from the State of California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in the amount of $4,401,597 and authorized a Standard Agreement with the State of California for the grant funds.
On September 20, 2022, the City Council authorized the approval of Subrecipient Agreements with Community Settlement Association, Tree People, Inc., Lighthouse of Hope, Feeding America Riverside/San Bernardino, and the C3 Initiative with total awards of $2,055,514 to hire Fellows over a two-year period to work in Grant related positions. The remainder of Round One funding was used to fund a Fellows employment program with the City.
Due to the City’s contractual, administrative, and recruiting procedures, the program start date was delayed and the program accumulated cost savings of nine months from the Standard Agreement Start Date. In September of 2023, California Volunteers offered its’ grantee’s deadline extensions to use up grant funds by September 30, 2024. The City requested a grant extension, and it was approved by California Volunteers.
In March 2024, the City will receive approximately $1.74 million in Round 2 Grant funding which will ensure the continuation of the current funding in a modified format for one additional year. In Round Two of the Program, the City expects to continue to hire 48 Fellows across departments annually.
DISCUSSION:
California Volunteers has approved an extension to the grant deadline for completion of funded activities from May 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024. As a result of this new deadline, the City requested supplemental project proposals from subrecipient partners, who required additional funding to continue their programs through the extended Program deadline. The City reviewed the proposals and prioritized granting additional funds to partners that were on-track to meet original expenditure deadlines, have delivered the projects as originally proposed, or have an additional project that would bring significant value to the City. These additional funds and supplemental project proposals are reflected in the contract amendments.
The City and the subrecipient partners all had cost savings from delays in program startup. Some partners adjusted their program to use up all their grant funds through the extended deadline. Other partners will not be using up all the funds in their contract, even with a deadline extension. Funding that cannot be utilized by a partner are being reallocated to ensure the complete expenditure of Round One funding.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This item contributes to Strategic Priority 3 – Economic Opportunity and Goal 3.2, working with key partners in implementing workforce development programs and initiatives that connect local workers with high quality employment opportunities and provide access to education and training in Riverside.
The item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – Applying for this grant and building a Youth Workforce Program serves the public interest by outreach to benefit the city’s diverse populations, and result in greater public good.
Equity – By program design, the funding will be used to benefit underserved populations of youth throughout the City, resulting in a more equitable distribution of opportunity.
Fiscal Responsibility – This program is funded by a non-City source; allowing for a beneficial municipal program to be implemented by external funding partnerships.
Innovation – This grant provides the City with the ability to create an innovative program for building career pathways in its young workforce.
Sustainability & Resiliency – This grant will provide funding for a Youth Workforce to address COVID 19 recovery efforts, climate impacts, and food insecurity.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of these actions is $304,693.80. After the above recommended reallocations, there will remain $8,374.92 in unprogrammed grant funding, which will be spent by the Grant deadline on administration, fellow enrichment, or other grant eligible activities. This request is a redistribution of the original grant amount of $304,693.80 which is an offset created by one subrecipient agreement being reduced, and those funds redistributed to three other partners to continue their programs to meet an extended deadline under the CaliforniansForAll Fellows Grant. All costs of the above Grant requests will be entirely funded by the CaliforniansForAll Fellows Round One Grant.
Prepared by: Edgar Arreola, Project Coordinator
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Rafael Guzman, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachments:
Amendment No. 1 – C3 Initiative
Amendment No. 1 – Community Settlement Association
Amendment No. 1 – Feeding America
Amendment No. 1 – Lighthouse of Hope
Amendment No. 1 – Tree People
CaliforniansForAll Youth Workforce Development Program Amendments ● Page 4