TITLE
Recommendation to adopt My Brother’s Keeper Long Beach Local Action Plan;
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute any and all necessary documents to receive and expend funding from the Long Beach Unified School District;
Authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute Memorandum of Understanding(s) with community partners that are needed to implement the six milestones in My Brother's Keeper Local Action Plan; and
Increase appropriations in the Community Development Grants Fund (SR 150) in the Development Services Department (DV) by $50,000. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
In February 2014, President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. In the fall of 2014, the Obama Administration issued the MBK Community Challenge as a call to action to cities, towns, counties and tribal nations to build and execute “cradle to college and career” plans around six crucial milestones for success:
1. Enter School Ready to Learn
2. Read at Grade Level by Third Grade
3. Graduate from High School Ready for College and Career
4. Complete Post-secondary Education or Training
5. Successfully Enter the Workforce
6. Safe from Violence and Provided Second Chances
The national Task Force further identified areas of opportunity, or priorities, which span across all milestones that cities and communities can choose to focus their efforts.
Recognizing that the City is well positioned to become an MBK city, the City Council directed the City Manager to provide a report on how the City could respond to the challenge to improve conditions for boys and young men of color in Long Beach. On January 20, 2015, the City Council adopted a Resolution supporting President Obama’s MBK Community Challenge, and received and filed a status report on efforts with the City of Long Beach in support of the initiative.
The City hosted the MBK Community Challenge Local Action Summit (Summit) at Ernest McBride Park in March 2015. More than 160 participants representing government and non-governmental agencies, faith-based and community groups, community members and youth participated in the Summit. Every participant had the opportunity to provide input on each of the six MBK milestones, articulating priorities, identifying key programs, and pinpointing critical gaps.
Following the Summit, Mayor Garcia convened the Long Beach MBK Task Force (Task Force), a broad-based group comprised of more than 40 representatives including City officials, City and county departments, community-based organizations, the education community, law enforcement, local hospital executives, faith leaders, and other community stakeholders. The Task Force is staffed by personnel from the Office of the Mayor, the City’s Development Services Department, and the Technology and Innovation Department. Bloomberg Associates, a consulting group whose mission is to help city governments improve the quality of life of their citizens, and PolicyLink, a national research and action institute that advances the creation of sustainable communities of opportunity that allow everyone to participate and prosper, have provided consultation on a pro-bono basis to City staff and the Task Force on the development of an MBK Local Action Plan.
The Task Force met several times over the past year, where they reviewed the Summit’s proceedings, added their own input, and through a voting process, identified which priorities from among those proposed by the White House were determined to be most appropriate for Long Beach.
Through much discussion, a rich body of input and insight began to emerge from the process, from which City staff was able to shape the Local Action Plan to meet the MBK Challenge. The MBK Long Beach Local Action Plan (MBK Plan) (Exhibit A) was launched on April 7, 2016.
In order to codify the City’s efforts, the Long Beach Unified School District pledged $50,000 toward the MBK Plan. The funding will be used by City staff to further advance the work by providing programming at local libraries to ensure young boys enter school ready to learn, promote grade level reading, and provide support for high school students to have access to college and training readiness.
This matter was reviewed by Assistant City Attorney Michael J. Mais on May 26, 2016 and by Assistant Finance Director Lea Eriksen on June 2, 2016.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on June 21, 2016, to allow timely implementation of the program activities.
FISCAL IMPACT
An appropriation increase of $50,000 is requested in the Community Development Grants Fund (SR 150) in the Development Services Department (DV), offset by revenue received from the Long Beach Unified School District. There is no local job impact associated with this recommendation.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
AMY J. BODEK, AICP
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER