City of Sacramento
City Council - 2PM Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2025-01079 5/27/2025 Item 8.
Approval of Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) Governing Board Action to Accept Public Service Practice Change Funds from the James Irvine Foundation File ID: 2025-01079
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Pass a Motion approving the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency’s acceptance of $875,000 in Public Service Practice Change Funds from the James Irvine Foundation.
Contact: Roy Kim, Workforce Development Deputy Director, (916) 263-3814 [email protected], Sacramento Employment and Training Agency; Denise Malvetti, Deputy Director, [email protected], City Manager’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-James Irvine Foundation Proposal
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: Under Paragraph 21(a)(1) of the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) joint exercise of powers agreement (SETA JPA), SETA must obtain the City Council’s approval to receive Public Service Practice Change Funds from the James Irvine Foundation.
Policy Considerations: None.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: The proposed action is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), consistent with section 15378(b)(5) of the CEQA Guidelines, which provides that organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment are not subject to environmental review.
Sustainability: Not applicable.
File ID: 2025-01079 5/27/2025 Item 8.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: Paragraph 21(a)(1) of the SETA JPA requires SETA to obtain the approval of the City of Sacramento and the County of Sacramento to accept any form of additional financial assistance other than those specifically authorized in the SETA JPA. City Council approval is therefore required for acceptance of the James Irvine Foundation funds because SETA is proposing to receive financial assistance that is not specifically authorized under the SETA JPA.
Financial Considerations: This action will authorize SETA to receive grant funding in the amount of $875,000 over a three-year term from the James Irvine Foundation and will add one additional funding source to SETA’s budget.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
Background: In June 2024, the James Irvine Foundation released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Public Workforce Capacity Fund. This grant opportunity was directed to local workforce development boards (WDBs), in recognition of the central role WDBs play in advancing racial equity, providing holistic support, and promoting access to quality jobs within the workforce development field and in the communities they serve.
SETA submitted a proposal requesting $500,000 to focus on aligning and integrating programs/services/funding sources. In alignment with SETA’s new Strategic Plan, the goal was to implement an agency-wide, holistic approach that offers the full range of SETA services to all family members who are served across SETA programs. Central to the implementation of this approach was the development of an advisory group/board comprised of representatives of SETA’s subsidiary boards - Workforce Development Board (WDB) and WDB Youth Committee, Policy Council/Parent Advisory Committee, and Community Action Board, as well as key community representatives and staff from across all SETA Departments - Workforce Development, Children and Family Services, Fiscal, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Executive.
SETA was not awarded funds under the initial RFP process. However, the James Irvine Foundation staff were impressed with SETA’s application and would like to fund SETA with $875,000 to implement its proposal over a period of up to three years. The James Irvine Foundation has requested that SETA increase its emphasis on customer-centered design by including customers and/or graduates of SETA’s programs on its advisory group/board. SETA has submitted a revised proposal to the James Irvine Foundation.
1 The SACRAMENTO EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING AGENCY (SETA) is a joint powers agency of the City and County of Sacramento. From its inception, in 1978, the mission of SETA has been to support and fund programs in the Sacramento area that create opportunities for workers, employers, and students, and help children and their parents access services.
Our goal is a holistic approach: we build self -sufficiency by addressing a totality of needs, from education and training to childcare and more. This inclusive approach is driven by the belief that everyone in our community deserves to share economic prosperity. As a public agency, we take our commitment to accountability seriously.
SETA has earned the respect of community partners by remaining relevant, responsive, and driven by outcomes. We do this in order to help all Sacramento County residents reach their potential, with a focus on low-income workers and their families, and the creation of and access to quality jobs. Along with a focus on employment, a unique feature of SETA is its extensive network of Head Start programs, which are operated by the A gency’s Children and Family Services Department. SETA has the potential to offer life- changing support to individuals from early childhood throughout their working careers, in a whole- family service approach.
One challenge with the diverse programs we offer the community is integrating them into a comprehensive set of services to maximize benefits and growth for individuals and families. Because our programs are funded through different sources, there is a tendency to follow a siloed approach and concentrate focus and record -keeping by funding source even when customers are receiving services across multiple programs. Consequently, it is often unclear how frequently or effectively customers are served across multiple programs.
SETA excitedly applauds the James Irvine Foundation’s (JIF) RFP and strategy of building the public workforce system’s internal capacity, and is requesting $875,000 to pursue internal cohesiveness and improve our capacity to serve customers across all of SETA’s programs. We propose to implement this concept through a re-imagining of practices and through the lenses of human- centered design, collective impact, and an emphasis on increasing access for underinvested communities. SETA will utilize third party facilitators for leadership/professional development and other capacity building activities to help ensure that they are conducted from a neutral and unbiased perspective. Activities will be reviewed and coordinated by a Cross-Advisory Board drawn from diverse members of the SETA community, including its boards and customers. This grant opportunity comes at a favorable time, as SETA is in the beginning stages of implementing its strategic plan which includes the implementation of this Cross-Advisory Board.
SETA’s Strategic Plan
SETA recently implemented a new str ategic plan with the following vision and mission:
Vision – A Sacramento County where all communities facing barriers can achieve their fullest potential in school, work, and life.
Rich Desmond
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
County of Sacramento
Eric Guerra
COUNCILMEMBER
City of Sacramento
Patrick Kennedy
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
County of Sacramento
Sophia Scherman
PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVE
Mai Vang
COUNCILMEMBER
City of Sacramento
Anita Maldonado
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GOVERNING BOARD
2 Mission – SETA transforms lives by supporting programs and partners that meet people where they are and help them thrive.
SETA’s three strategic initiatives are to: 1) Improve Awareness, 2) Strengthen Cohesion, and 3) Build Partnerships . SETA recognizes the need to advance initiatives that will improve access and outcomes for the communities we serve, as well as promote the career development and quality of life of our staff. The JIF funds will help SETA develop and pilot -test solutions that will further these strategic initiatives. Potential areas of focus may include:
• Improving equity and access for families and individuals by aligning, integrating and coordinating all Agency programs, services, and functions.
• Streamlining policies, processes, and practices to increase efficiencies, with a focus on underinvested communities and equipping staff with effective solutions to enhance their quality of work.
Creating a Cross-Advisory Board
Central to the implementation of the strategic plan and initiatives , SETA will create a Cross-Advisory Board comprised of key members of the SETA community. The goal for this Board will be to guide activities from an Agency -wide perspective in a way that more closely aligns with increasing access for underinvested communities.
SETA will arrange for internal capacity -building activities focused on Leadership/Professional Development, Human- Centered Design and Collective impact. Our aim is to maximize the c ombined impact of our programs for the populations we serve and promote a holistic approach that will increase the career development and satisfaction of our staff.
The SETA Governing Board has authority over all Agency activities but is seldom involved in the operational details of SETA’s programs. SETA currently has several subsidiary Boards, each responsible for policy and oversight of a specific program:
Policy Council/Parent Advisory Committee (PC/PAC) – Head Start/Early Head Start, Sacramento Works Inc., Workforce Development Board (WDB) – Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), WDB Youth Committee – Youth Services, and Community Action Board (CAB) – Community Service Block Grant (CSBG). The parent-driven PC/PAC oversees all aspects of Head Start, from budgetary concerns to staffing and planning. Establishing a Cross -Advisory Board will foster stronger alignment and collaboration across all of SETA’s programs, services, and functions, increase customer and staff participation in the Agency’s decision-making processes, and improve the focus on serving underinvested communities and promotion of quality jobs.
For maximum effect, this Advisory Board will include representatives from all subsidiary Boards – PC/PAC, WDB, WDB Youth Committee, and the CAB. To ensure that the Board’s decisions/recommendations are grounded in principles of human-centered design, the Board will include customers that experienced services across SETA’s major programs. Similarly, it will be staffed by a cross -section of SETA employees who are subject matter experts in SETA’s major programs, as well as employees from each of SETA’s Administrative Departments – Fiscal, Human Resources, and Systems Administration. Once formed, additional representatives 3 may be added as appropriate, to ensure that under invested communities are represented.
The initial task of the Cross -Advisory Board will be to discuss, identify, and select Agency-wide areas of focus for alignment, integration, coordination, streamlining, or other significant improvements. The Board will work with assigned staff to engage third-party consultants that can help guide its activities. In addition, Board members may be paired with seasoned staff or consultants that are subject matter experts to mentor and guide their efforts.
Internally Focused Capacity-Building: Anticipated activities of the Cross-Advisory Board include:
• Examining underinvested groups, internally and externally, in practical and meaningful ways that align with improving the overall quality of jobs within SETA as well as the quality of services we provide.
• Reexamining hiring practices, staff development, and career pathways, including updating/rewriting job descriptions and improving transparency.
• Increasing capacity for smaller, emerging agencies to successfully partner with SETA. This may include offering grant -application and other capacity - building workshops and evaluating administrative, procurement and contracting processes.
• Developing and approving Cross -Advisory Board Operating Rules/Guidelines.
• Creating subcommittees to focus on specific areas that can benefit the Agency and its participants, such as improved data/computer systems/programs, staff development, and career pathways.
• Engaging with focus groups or other communities to increase awareness of challenges and opportunities for effective programs.
• Establishing unique customer identifiers and evaluating data collection systems that can be utilized across all Agency programs.
• Identifying improvements to SETA’s website that increase accessibility, usage, and interactivity for SETA staff and community members.
• Expanding the Agency’s wraparound services by strengthening internal policies and practices, as well as conducting ongoing cross -department training.
• Providing career pathways for SETA staff, with an emphasis on entry -level positions earning lower wages, that build and increase employees' skills and create clear advancement pathways to higher-paid, sustainable employment opportunities.
[Past examples of staff capacity -building have been highly successful models. SETA engaged in two staff development apprenticeship programs which improved staff professional capacity and effectiveness, opening the 4 door for future advancement within the agency. One program helped Head Start staff become certified teachers; another offered a certification for workforce development staff that led to promotion within the Workforce Development Department. These initiati ves have the potential to alleviate the cost to staff of higher education and professional development, while benefiting the Agency’s workforce skills and quality of services provided to the public. In addition to benefiting SETA’s internal staff capacity , such initiatives can serve as models for other public and private sector firms.]
• Identifying professional development needs in each job classification and supporting employee efforts to complete them. Investing in employees’ professional development will increase employee engagement and reduce turnover and burnout.
• Building internal capacity by providing training on common workplace concerns such as burnout, work -life balance, stress management, and workload imbalance, using a comprehensive approach that considers all employees.
• Identifying opportunities to boost organizational capacity by evaluating established work processes, procedures, protocols and other operating norms that may be streamlined, improved, or modernized.
Capacity-Building Project Examples: The overarching goal of internal capacity - building is the improvement of quality, comprehensive services to the communities we serve. It is anticipated that the actions above will lead to improved outcomes for customers through the advancement of access to services and improvement of staff effectiveness in holistic delivery of services to workers and families, including the creation and access to quality jobs and education. These are the outcomes we hope to achieve, and listed below are a few examples of potential projects to help drive implementation.
• Provide a transition plan for parents serving a five-year term on the PC/PAC Board. The Parent Volunteer Transition Program will have a proactive approach towards supporting parents with transition to employment. Toward the latter portion of their term, pa rents will be connected to a job coach at one of our Job Centers for resume building and job search services, with the ultimate goal of facilitating their transition into employment with SETA, community partners, or employers. This initiative rewards the dedication of our parent volunteers, empower ing them for their future beyond volunteering, and potentially increases our internal capacity. • Ensure our Head Start parents are regularly supported in pursuit of employment through the Job Center S ystem and ensure that Job Center participants with young children are connected to Head Start whenever possible.
• Working with consultant s to expand services to community members who are not seeking services. The goal is to help SETA learn reasons it is not reaching specific populations and determine ways to increase access.
5 • Identifying and implementing ways to streamline administrative processes and increase the grant writing capacity of smaller community agency partners, who may need guidance in applying for SETA funding. These small agencies often act as trusted leaders in underinvested communities but lack the internal capacity and knowledge to succeed in the grant process.
Budget Narrative
The proposed budget integrates five key staff costs equating to two full-time equivalents; $ 491,680 in salaries and fringe benefits. This will allow for staff involvement across all departments to pursue this agency -wide initiative. SETA recognizes the sacrifices of its low -income Board and focus group members, and the budget includes $68,000 for convenings and incentives to alleviate the financial burden on these individuals and incentiviz e active participation. Guidance from expert consultants/trainers will be critical in our implementation of leadership/professional development and other capacity-building activities, and the budget includes $64,000 for third -party consultants/trainers. The development of Agency-wide data tracking systems is a key component to evaluate the success of this project and the budget includes $75 ,000 to implement a comprehensive data tracking and evaluation solution. Additional funds are requested to cover the administrative and operational costs associated with this project.
In conclusion, this proposal demonstrates a strong alignment with the goals of advancing access for underinvested communities , serving customers more holistically, and promoting the creation of and access to quality jobs. By focusing on internal capacity building, the proposed approach ensures that organizational capacities will be strengthened beyond the grant period, fostering sustainable impact. The emphasis on supporting low -wage workers, particularly those from underserved groups, demonstrates SETA’s commitment to addressing their needs and aspirations effectively. Through ongoing monitoring and learning mechanisms, the approach will enable us to continuously assess and demonstrate our progress towards success. Finally, the proposal outlines a feasible approach, considering budget, staffing, and grant length, ensuring practical implementation and sustainable outcomes. Together, these elements underscore the proposal's robustness and ability to achieve meaningful and lasting impact in the communities that we serve.
6 Appendix A: Budget
Proposal Budget For: Sacramento Employment and Training Agency Expense Category Amount
Requested
Direct Expenses $320,000
Salaries: Various staff; 5+ positions; 2 FTE*
Benefits: (53.65% of salaries) A detailed breakdown of benefits is not required. OASDHI (7.65%), UI (1%), Workers Comp (1%), Health/Dental (10%), Retirement (34%)
171,680
Other Direct Expenses:
Meeting expenses 20,000
Incentives/Ancillary Support for Members 48,000
Travel (airfare, ground transportation, lodging,
meals/incidentals)
You may add additional other direct cost categories, if needed.
Consultant Fees:
** Leadership/Professional Development/Capacity Building @ $200/hr.
64,000
Software Platform Developers/IT Vendors @ $250/hr. 75,000 Indirect Costs:
Cost Allocation Plan services & supplies @ 28% or wages 89,600 Administrative Costs @ 10% – Fiscal, HR, Exec., IT, etc. 86,720 Consultant Fees A detailed breakdown of fees by consulting group(s) is not required.
Total 875,000
* Anticipated Positions – Workforce Development Professional; Workforce Development Analyst , Workforce Development Planner, Head Start Family Services Worker, Head Start Health/Nutrition Specialist, CFS Quality Assurance Analyst, CFS Program Analyst, CFS Program Specialist, Information Technology Analyst, Personnel Analyst, Payroll Analyst, Accountant
** Anticipated activities may include Principles of Human/Customer -Centered Design, Communication Skills, Conflict Management/Resolution, Collaborative Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Time Management, Leading Change, Strengths Assessments, etc.