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DISCUSSION
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: February 18, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Eric Levitt, City Manager
Department: Economic Development
Subject: Love Your Block Year 1 Update (All Wards)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, receive and file the Love Your Block 2024-2025 City Impact Presentation.
City Manager's Comments
The below represents the Love Your Block 2024-2025. This project was an innovative project for San Bernardino and was a Bloomberg Center for public innovation. This was a $100,000 grant from the Bloomberg Center to initiate innovative neighborhood projects.
Executive Summary
The Love Your Block Grant was designed to benefit the residents of the City of San Bernardino by creating community-led revitalization projects in collaboration with Community Based Organizations. The City was awarded a $100,000 Grant to help hire dedicated staff and complete community projects. This city impact presentation will highlight the impacts the Love Your Block Grant has had in our community during year one (1) and officially introduce year two (2).
Background
The Love Your Block Grant is an initiative formed by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and is designed to empower residents and local organizations to transform their neighborhoods through small-scale, high-impact community projects. This program provides funding and resources to support activities such as neighborhood beautification, clean-ups, and urban revitalization efforts. In December 2023, the City of San Bernardino, in conjunction with Music Changing Lives and Making Hope Happen: Uplift San Bernardino, submitted an application to the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation under the Love Your Block Grant Program. On February 21, 2024, the City was notified by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation that the application 3 1
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was selected and the City would be receiving a grant award in the amount of $100,000.00 from Johns Hopkins University for the 2024-2026 cohort. The grant funds allowed the City to hire a Love Your Block Fellow (Intern) to help coordinate community-led revitalization projects throughout the City. The grant also gave the City access to a dedicated AmeriCorps-VISTA Volunteer member to assist the Love Your Block project team.
Discussion
During Year One (1), the Love Your Block Program fully funded Eleven (11) resident- led Love Your Block projects. In support of these projects, 429 volunteers and residents were engaged, 486 Love Your Block Volunteer Hours were logged, 24,600 Pounds of trash were removed, and 6,955 Square Yards of grounds were cleared. These aspects will continue in Year Two (2), as the reach of the Love Your Block projects will focus on resident-led projects along the Route 66 corridor, helping residents improve their neighborhoods while building neighborhood pride and stronger connections between residents and the City through small-scale cleanup, beautification activities, and community improvement projects. The City will support (2) Grants Assistant positions through the Love Your Block Grant funding who will be directly coordinating community-led revitalization projects throughout the City and assisting the Love Your Block project team.
2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
This project is consistent with Goal No. 3 Improved Quality of Life. Participation in the Love Your Block Grant will improve the City’s appearance, cleanliness, and attractiveness through the proposed community-led revitalization projects.
Fiscal Impact
There is no General Fund Impact.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, receive and file the oral presentation.
Attachments
Attachment 1 LYB Year 1 Presentation
Ward
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions
On September 18, 2024, the Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024- 204, authorizing the city manager, or designee, to accept grant award funds in the amount of $100,000 for the Bloomberg Center of Public Innovation 2.0 Project (Love Your Block Grant); and authorizing the city manager, or designee, to execute a subaward agreement and any subsequent amendments with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for the Bloomberg Center of Public Innovation 2.0 Project (Love Your Block 3 1
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Grant) to carry out the service deliverables for the period of May 1, 2024 through April 30, 2026; and authorizing the director of finance & management services to amend and appropriate the $100,000 for the Love Your Block Grant Award in both revenues and expenditures for fiscal year 2024-2025 & 2025-2026 operating budget.
On December 17, 2025, the Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 2025-403, authorizing the city manager, or designee, to accept additional grant award funds in the amount of $60,000 for the Bloomberg Center of Public Innovation 2.0 Project (Love Your Block Grant); and authorizing the city manager, or designee, to execute amendment #1 to the subaward agreement with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for the Bloomberg Center of Public Innovation 2.0 Project (Love Your Block Grant) to extend the service deliverables to October 31, 2026; and authorizing the director of finance & management services to amend and appropriate the $60,000 for the Love Your Block Grant Award in both revenues and expenditures for fiscal year 2025-2026 & 2026-2027 operating budget.
CC: Eric Levitt, City Manager