PREPARED BY: SANDRA MARQUEZ DATE OF MEETING: 09/16/19
SUBJECT:
TITLE
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN PABLO APPROVING AN APPLICATION FOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY CENSUS 2020 OUTREACH AND ASSISTANCE GRANT
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
Compliance statements
FY 2019-21 Council Priority Workplan Compliance Statement
Enhance Community Resilience (205. Civic Engagement and 206. Immigration Integration Legislation, Projects & Services), Economic Development and Diversification (405. New Revenue Enhancements), and Expand Housing Options (301. Expand/Explore Affordable Housing Programs) are adopted policy items under the FY 2019-21 Council Priority Workplan, effective March 1, 2019.
CEQA Compliance Statement
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15061 (b)(3), the adoption of the subject resolution authorizing Community and Economic Development to submit grant applications is exempt from CEQA requirements.
BACKGROUND
Conducted every ten years, the United States Census is a constitutional mandate and is one of the most important U.S. democratic processes. Planning for the 2020 Census is underway and a City point person has been designated to coordinate with Census officials to achieve an accurate and complete count of the residents of San Pablo. Census data is used to allocate federal funds to support programs such as transportation improvements and affordable housing and also determines the levels of political representation for the community.
Historically, people of color, immigrants, low-income communities, children, seniors and many others have been undercounted in the census. An undercount can result in a decrease in federal resources for the community and a loss of Congressional representation. California faces several challenges to a complete and accurate count, including underfunding of the U.S. Census Bureau and the new online census questionnaire.
Contra Costa County’s goal is to ensure that every person in the County is counted. To minimize the undercount in our region, Contra Costa County is seeking to fund organizations, coalitions, and collaborations that are committed to ensuring a complete count of County residents with an emphasis on Hard to Count (HTC) populations. Most grant amounts will range between $500 and $20,000, and in some cases, the County may decide to grant a larger amount for projects that will have a far-reaching impact on census participation.
The City of San Pablo is home to a significant population of hard to count individuals who may face barriers due to language, income, education, immigration status and hard to track residences. The County’s grant can help the City enhance its count by funding outreach efforts to reach hard to count populations and to educate the public about the importance of being counted.
As noted above, the grant awards range from $500 to $20,000. Grant categories include grants for outreach, education, and awareness; non-English promotion of outreach, education, and awareness; and innovative strategy. Planning staff are interested in submitting grants for the first two categories, and possibly for the innovative strategy. Grant applications are due by September 30, 2019 and grants are to be awarded on October 21, 2019, with mandatory training to occur in October and November. Phase 2 grants will also be available on a rolling basis from January 15 to May 15, 2020.
Additional background information on the grant opportunities and a copy of the Short Form Contract to be executed should funds be awarded are attached.
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff seeks City Council authorization to apply for Contra Costa County Census 2020 Outreach and Assistance Grants. If awarded, it is anticipated that the City will receive between $500 and $20,000 in funding to help promote the upcoming Census count, which will increase revenues in the FY 2020/21 General Fund budget year. To the extent that the outreach efforts are successful, there would also be long-term fiscal benefits to the City in that the Census count determines the local allocation of various State and Federal funds. If the grant application(s) are successful, staff will return to Council to accept and appropriate any grant funds.
ATTACHMENTS
A: Grant RFP Guidelines
B: Short Form Standard Contract