TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute all necessary documents with the State of California Office of Traffic Safety for a two-year community-based education program that will provide child passenger safety, bicycle, and pedestrian safety education. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Department of Community Development is seeking authorization to accept a $374,758 State of California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) grant to provide a multilingual child passenger safety, seat belt safety and bicycle safety program.
The City Council authorized the City Manager to accept a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety from October 1, 2005 to December 31, 2007. This grant totaled $376,099 in funding to the Department of Community Development/Neighborhood Services Bureau's Child Passenger Safety and Youth Driving Under the Influence Education Program to provide a variety of traffic safety education programs for residents.
Through the use of those OTS grant funds, the Department of Community Development was able to provide a number of important resources to Long Beach residents, including:
. Conducted 75 educational traffic safety presentations in English, Spanish and/or Khmer to 1,407 Long Beach residents;
. Distributed more than 600 child passenger safety seats citywide to parents who attended educational classes;
. Provided child passenger/occupant restraint educational programs to families in 20 public/private daycare centers;
. Created multi-lingual educational materials about the dangers of drinking and driving for distribution;
. Supported the production of a play entitled "You Lose" at Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
On January 29, 2007 staff submitted a new proposal to the Office of Traffic Safety to provide additional child passenger safety education for parents with children under the age of six in 2008 and 2009. The proposal also included bicycle and pedestrian safety education for parents and children 4-15 years of age.
The Calif...
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