City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: NOVEMBER 5, 2024 FROM: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WARDS: ALL
DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: STATE OF CALIFORNIA, OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION 2024-2025 CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $40,000 TO PREPARE A WOMEN OF RIVERSIDE HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT - SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ISSUE:
Accept a State of California, Office of Historic Preservation 2024-2025 Certified Local Government Grant in the amount of $40,000 to be used to prepare Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement create a study list of associated sites.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Accept the State of California, Office of Historic Preservation 2024-2025 Certified Local Government Grant in the amount of $40,000 to prepare a Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement create a study list of associated sites; With at least five affirmative votes, authorize the Chief Financial Officer, or designee, to record and increase in revenue and a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $40,000, or in the amount of the grant award, in the Grants & Restricted Programs Fund, CLG Women’s Historic Context Statement revenue and expenditure accounts; and Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Office of Historic Preservation grant award including making minor, non-substantive changes, and to sign all documents and instruments necessary to complete the transaction, including, but not limited to agreements, payment requests and so on, which may be necessary to complete grant funded activities.
BACKGROUND:
In 1995, the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) recognized the quality of the City’s historic preservation program by designating Riverside as a Certified Local Government (CLG). One of the main benefits of becoming a CLG is that the City is eligible for annual competitive grant awards for projects relating to certain historic preservation criteria. Since being granted CLG status, the City has received approximately $337,800 in State CLG grants.
On June 7, 2024, the Community & Economic Development Department (CEDD), in partnership with the University of California Riverside (UCR) Public History program, submitted an application to OHP during the 2024-2025 CLG grant cycle application period. The application included a request for $40,000 to prepare a historic context statement for the Women of Riverside. On September 20, 2024, the City received notice that OHP had accepted the application and awarded a $40,000 grant (Attachment 1).
DISCUSSION:
The development of a Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement will play a vital role as a planning tool though building greater equity and inclusivity in the identification of cultural resources and can contribute new research to public education efforts locally. Additionally, the Context Statement will benefit the community because it ensures that the richer and more complete history of marginalized groups, their role in advocating and agitating for civil rights, and the role they played in the development and advancement of the City. There are multiple benefits to publicly identifying the significant role played by women and contextualizing this history in Riverside; sharing such histories with current and future generations can build community, solidarity, and tolerance.
The Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement project will include:
Preparation of the historic context statement and prepare a study list. The context statement will also include eligibility standards.
Conducting of a minimum of two community meetings for outreach and storytelling collection.
Completion of three to five oral history interviews to be recorded and transcribed.
Preparation of a story-map that provides a narrative of the Women’s history in riverside.
The awarded $40,000 in grant funds will be used to hire a consultant to prepare the context statement and study list, with the assistance of City staff and UCR students. The community meetings will be conducted by CEDD staff with the assistance of the consultant and volunteers. The oral histories will be completed by a UCR Public History Ph.D. candidate and faculty. CEDD staff will complete the story-map with the assistance of UCR Students.
This project is in line with the goals of the City of Riverside’s Historic Preservation Element, as follows: Aid in the identification, interpretation, and designation the City’s cultural resources; and promote the City’s cultural resources as a means to enhance the City’s identity as an important center of Southern California history.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This project contributes to the Envision Riverside 2025 City Council Strategic Priorities 2 –Community Well-Being (Goal 2.4 - Support programs and innovations that enhance community safety, encourage neighborhood engagement, and build public trust) and Strategic Priorities 5 – High Performing Government (Goal 5.3 – Enhance communication and collaboration with community members to improve transparency, build public trust, and encourage shared decision-making).
This item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads, as follows:
Community Trust – The proposed Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement project will include community workshops, allowing input form community members throughout the process.
Equity – The proposed Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement project will enhance the recognition group within the City who’s contribution has not been fully identified, and aid in the identification of cultural resources associated with that community.
Fiscal Responsibility – The proposed Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement project will grant funded through a CLG grant from the State.
Innovation – The proposed Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement project will make use of innovative GIS based story mapping to help tell the associated history.
Sustainability and Resiliency – The proposed Women of Riverside Historic Context Statement project will include aid in the identification and designation of cultural resources that are associated with the women who played a role in the development of City, so that efforts can be made to retain them for future generations.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this action is an increase in revenue and expenditures of $40,000. Upon Council approval, an increase in revenue and an appropriation of expenditures in the amount of $40,000, or in the amount of the grant award, will be recorded in the Grants & Restricted Programs Fund, CLG Women’s Historic Context Statement revenue account number 9352800-334100 and expenditure account number 9352800-440210.
All staffing and incidental printing costs incurred by Community & Economic Development Department Planning Division will be absorbed by the Division’s operating budget.
Prepared by: Scott Watson, Historic Preservation Officer Approved by: Jennifer A. Lilley, Community & Economic Development Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Mike Futrell, City Manager
Approved as to form: Jack Liu, Interim City Attorney
Attachment: CLG Grant Award letter
Women of Riverside Historic Context CLG Grant ● Page 2