San Jose Conservation Corps:
The Corps Provides Essential Services T o Residents, However The City Can Better Monitor Performance And Promote Workplace Safety A Report from the City Auditor
Issued April 2023
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor
1 Background
2 • The San Jose Conservation Corps is a
501(c)3 non-profit organization that
connects young adults from under-
resourced communities with job training
and educational opportunities.
• The City has contracted with the
Conservation Corps since its inception in
1987 for park maintenance, cleanup
programs, and other projects.
City Expenditures for Conservation Corps Have Grown to
$12.6 million in 2022
Source: Analysis of transaction detail for the Conservation Corps from the City’s Financial Management System. Note: BeautifySJ funding spans over multiple programs.
Background
3 The San Jose Conservation Corps works in
three primary program areas:
• Resilience Corps Environmental Pathways –
Providing living-wage jobs for young adults, focusing
on environmental impact projects in City parks and
trails.
• BeautifySJ – Trash clean-up and collection work at
trails and encampments for residents experiencing
homelessness.
• Food Distribution – Helping fill and distribute
boxes of food through the Second Harvest Food
Bank.
Source: Auditor analysis of City contracts with the Conservation Corps, the City’s Financial Management System (FMS), performance reports, and invoices.
Finding I: The City Can Refine Performance Tracking and Improve Contract Monitoring.
Program FY 2021-22
Expenditures Overview of Reported Program Results
Resilience Corps
Environmental
Pathways
$4,305,662
• Recruited 106 Corps members, 89 percent from low-resource census tracts.
• Corps members worked 72,000 hours across 29 locations in the city and received 13,200 hours of training and professional development. • Retained 80 percent of Corps members and achieved a positive outcome rate of 74 percent.
Food Distribution $8,053,195 • 218 Corps members worked at Second Harvest Food Bank, providing 170,400 hours of food boxing and support.
BeautifySJ Homeless
Encampment
Cleanups
$270,073
• Completed 370 clean-ups at encampments, trails, and other sites. • Filled and collected 3,900 trash bags and distributed 1,600 empty bags to residents experiencing homelessness.
• 96 Corps members worked 4,700 hours in BeautifySJ programs.
Finding I: The City Can Refine Performance Tracking and Improve Contract Monitoring.
Recommendations:
The Administration should:
• Develop metrics related to timeliness
or effectiveness for the BeautifySJ
work
• Establish a process to verify Resilience
Corps’ post-program participant
outcomes
• Review Conservation Corps indirect
cost breakdowns for compliance with
federal guidelines
• The City can better measure and track
performance goals in some areas.
• PRNS can improve its contract monitoring by
more consistently reviewing invoices and tying
payments to completed work.
• As some Conservation Corps funding has come
from federal sources, the City is currently
working to ensure compliance with federal
rules around that funding.
Finding 2: The City Can Help Promote a Safer Work
Environment for Corps Members.
6 Hazards Were Present at Roughly Half of The Sites and Routes Source: Auditor Analysis of BeautifySJ survey data.
7 Source:
• Not all Corps members were trained in
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) or bloodborne
pathogens standards.
• PRNS can improve the process to ensure
follow-up service occurs at these sites.
Recommendations: The Administration
should:
• Work with the Conservation Corps to
finalize safety operating procedures for
handling biowaste and hazards
• Develop training requirements and
guidance based on OSHA standards
• Establish a process for notifying other
groups in the City for follow up services
related to needles or other hazards
Finding 2: The City Can Help Promote a Safer Work
Environment for Corps Members.
Conclusion
This report has five recommendations to better monitor performance and promote workplace safety.
We would like to thank the San Jose Conservation Corps and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services. We also thank the City Manager's Office; the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs; the Finance Department; and the City Attorney's Office.
The audit report is available at www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor Audit staff: Brittney Harvey, Ricky Tran, and Hiwad Haider 8