1 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BY AND BETWEEN
GATEWAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
AND THE CITY OF VERNON
FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE UNDER THE
STRATEGIC GROWTH COUNCIL – REGIONAL CLIMATE COLLABORATIVES
PROGRAM
This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) is dated _May 5th, 2026_ (“Effective Date”) and entered into by and between the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (“GCCOG”) and the City of Vernon, a California charter City and California municipal corporation (“City”) (each a Party to this MOU and collectively, the “Parties”).
RECITALS
A. The GCCOG is a recipient of a Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) Program Grant from the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC). As part of the RCC Grant, the GCCOG is able to provide certain technical assistance to cities in accordance with the Grant Agreement between the GCCOG and the SGC and the RCC Guidelines.
B. The City is in need of such technical assistance pursuant to the Grant Agreement and the RCC Guidelines and agrees to the terms and conditions set forth herein to receive such funding.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS MUTUALLY AGREED THAT:
1. Scope of Work and City Responsibilities.
The City requests technical assistance as set forth in the Scope of Work attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by this reference. The City agrees to:
A. Appoint Daniel Wall, Director of Public Works and City Engineer, with contact phone number (323) 826-3623 and email [email protected], to serve as the City’s Project Manager.
B. Participate in scheduled conference calls and meetings from the anticipated start date to completion date.
C. Respond to the GCCOG or its consultant’s requests related to the Scope of Work in a timely manner, such as providing feedback on draft documents, approaches, and designs.
2 2. GCCOG Responsibilities.
The GCCOG will engage one of its technical assistance consultants to perform the Scope of Work requested by the City and manage the payment of those services pursuant to the Grant Agreement and RCC Guidelines.
3. Governing Law.
This MOU shall be governed by the laws of the State of California and venue shall lie in Los Angeles County.
4. Disputes.
Any dispute arising under this MOU which is not resolved by mutual agreement shall be decided through binding arbitration by a neutral arbitrator selected by the Parties. The arbitration proceedings shall be governed by any rules the Parties mutually agree upon in writing. A judgment upon the award rendered by arbitration may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof. The arbitrator shall have the authority to grant any remedy or relief that would have been available to the Parties had the matter been heard in a court of law. Following arbitration, the arbitrator shall prepare a written decision containing the essential findings and conclusions on which the award is based. All expenses and fees for the arbitrator and expenses for hearing facilities and other expenses of arbitration shall be borne equally by both Parties unless they agree otherwise in writing or unless the arbitrator in the award assesses such expenses against one of the parties or allocates such expenses other than equally between the Parties. Either Party may bring an action in court to compel arbitration under this MOU or to enforce an arbitration award.
5. No Waiver.
A waiver by either Party of any breach of any term, covenant or condition contained in this MOU shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other term, covenant or condition contained in this MOU, whether of the same or different character.
6. Severability.
If any part of this MOU is held invalid, the remaining terms and conditions shall not be affected unless their enforcement under the circumstances would be unreasonable, inequitable, or otherwise frustrate the purposes of this MOU. 3 7. Independent Contractor.
The Parties are independent entities and are not to be, and shall not be, construed as joint venturers, partners, employer/employee, or agents one of the other, and neither shall have the power to bind or obligate the other except as set forth in this MOU.
8. Construction.
The Parties have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this MOU. In the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises with respect to this MOU, this MOU shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the Parties and in accordance with its fair meaning. There shall be no presumption or burden of proof favoring or disfavoring any Party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this MOU.
9. Captions.
The captions herein are for convenience and references only and are not a part of this MOU and do not in any way limit, define or amplify the terms and provisions hereof.
10. Entire Agreement.
This MOU, including Exhibit A attached hereto, constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties and supersedes any previous oral or written agreements with respect to the subject of this MOU. No amendment or modification to this MOU shall be valid and binding unless in writing and signed by authorized representatives of the Parties.
11. Authority to Execute this MOU.
Each person executing this MOU on behalf of a Party warrants and represents that they have the authority to execute this MOU on behalf of that Party and the authority to bind that Party to the provisions of this MOU.
12. Counterparts.
This MOU may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the authorized representatives of the Parties have caused this MOU to be executed as of the date of the last signature below. [Signatures appear on the following page.]
4 VERNON
_______________________________
Brian Saeki, City Administrator
Date: __________________________
GCCOG
_______________________________
Hector De La Torre, Executive Director
Date: __________________________
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
Zaynah Moussa-Milward, City Attorney
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________
Ivy M. Tsai, General Counsel
ATTEST:
______________________________
Genoveva Rocha, City Clerk
5 EXHIBIT A
SCOPE OF WORK
BACKGROUND
The GCCOG is a recipient of a Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) Program Grant from the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC). GCCOG has collaborated to create the Gateway Cities Regional Climate Collaborative (GCRCC), an RCC-grant-funded partnership designed to strengthen climate readiness across the region by providing support for local planning, project implementation, and community engagement that helps cities access funding and prepare for climate impacts. The collaborative focus area includes the cities of Bell, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, Huntington Park, Lynwood, Maywood, South Gate, and Vernon, along with two unincorporated communities.
Partner organizations include: the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, SELA Collaborative, Grid Alternatives, TreePeople, AltaMed, and the LA County Office of Sustainability.
OVERVIEW
As part of the RCC Grant, the GCCOG is able to provide technical assistance to cities in accordance with the Grant Agreement between the GCCOG and the SGC, and the RCC Guidelines. The City is in need of such funding for technical assistance pursuant to the Grant Agreement and the RCC Guidelines and agrees to the terms and conditions set forth herein to receive such funding.
$15,000 in assistance is being offered to the City of Vernon to support one grant application. City of Vernon has identified "Electric Shuttle Project, Clean Mobility, and Community Resilience Center Planning” as potential priorities. We will aim to support funding applications that expand the city’s zero-emission transportation efforts and climate readiness. Other efforts may be identified to support climate projects and planning, workforce development, climate education, and/or capacity-building activities (such as grant writing and administration training).
TIMELINE
Activity Time Period
COG will issue RFP to contract grant writer(s) to assist selected cities
December 2025 –
January 2026
Grant writing services and technical assistance offered to cities and coordinated through COG
February – June 2026
Final deadline to receive services June 30, 2026