TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary, including any amendments, to enter into an agreement with FUSE Corps, a non-profit corporation of San Francisco, CA, to participate in the FUSE Corps Fellowship Program, in an amount not to exceed $435,000, for the period of October 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019; and
Increase appropriations in the Special Grants Fund (SR 120) in the City Manager Department (CM) in the amount of $435,000, offset by a transfer of funds from participating departments. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach (City) has participated as a FUSE Corps (FUSE) Fellowship Partner City since 2016. FUSE is a nonprofit organization that partners with civic leaders to identify pressing local challenges and recruits entrepreneurial, mid-career professionals to serve in fellowships to effectively address these challenges. FUSE Fellows are strategically placed within partner cities to augment local public service. The program is intended to help cities achieve transformative impact across areas such as education, health, poverty, economic development, and the environment. FUSE Fellows are paid by FUSE using a combination of grants from foundation partners and limited City funds.
In Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 18), the City partnered with FUSE to address two focus areas impacting the City with funding support from various local and regional private philanthropic sponsors, including the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN), and the California Community Foundation (CCF). The first project involved contracting a FUSE Executive Fellow to develop a plan to establish systems for an age-friendly City and establish an Office of Aging for the City. Since October, the FUSE Fellow has engaged with over 60 stakeholders, completed a thorough data analysis of senior services across multiple City departments, delivered a gap analysis of senior services throughout Long Beach, and completed an evaluation of four closed-loop online referral systems. On May 1, 2018, the City co-hosted the Aging Reimagined conference, where the FUSE Fellow presented the gap analysis findings. The City also recently opened the Long Beach Healthy Aging Center. The FUSE Fellow is continuing work with the newly-hired Aging Services Program Manager and City leaders to develop a sustainable program funding plan and conduct model benchmarking for the Long Beach Healthy Aging Center.
The second project in FY 18 focused on analyzing the City's hiring and onboarding process, including its policies related to talent management for both civil service and non-civil service positions. The goal was to identify areas for improvement in the City's current hiring and onboarding processes, provide metrics for success, and create recommendations for improvements. So far, the FUSE Fellow has successfully engaged with staff from all departments to understand the City’s hiring processes, and has collaborated with the Civil Service and Human Resources Departments to gather advanced analytics. The Fellow’s recommendations for improvement, including Human Capital Management, have enhanced the efficiency of internal Civil Service processes and systems. As a result of the Fellow’s findings, the City expects to explore pilot programs aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and communications with the City’s hiring process.
For FY 19, the City Manager is proposing four new FUSE Fellow projects:
• Project One: Developing a Roadmap of Programs to Expand Affordable Housing
Under the direction of the Development Services Department, the FUSE Fellow will review the working plan on affordable housing adopted by the City Council and convene meetings with community, nonprofit and private-sector stakeholders to integrate their views as part of the research process. In coordination with City staff, the Fellow will move affordable housing policy projects forward, research funding sources, and provide a breakdown of steps necessary to implement programs.
This project will be led by a first-year FUSE Fellow. Funding for this project is proposed at $150,000 for administrative and personnel costs. The Development Services Department will be responsible for $110,000 and the remaining $40,000 will be supported by a grant from the California Community Foundation, which will be granted directly to FUSE.
• Project Two: Investing in Economic Inclusion for Broad-Based Growth
Under the direction of the Economic Development Department, the FUSE Fellow will research, develop, and implement a robust economic inclusion strategy that targets the untapped economic energy of Long Beach’s aspiring minority and female entrepreneurs. The work will involve conducting an overview of existing studies, reports and data collected through stakeholder meetings. The Fellow will meet with stakeholders to understand their perspectives on opportunities and challenges, review efforts to date, and develop a list of shared priorities and prospective policy solutions.
This project will be led by a first-year FUSE Fellow. Funding for this project is proposed at $175,000 for administrative and advanced analytics costs. The Economic Development Department will be responsible for $25,000 and a $150,000 grant from an anonymous private funder will be granted directly to FUSE to make up for the remainder of the cost of the FUSE Fellow. The Economic Development Department is working to secure grant funding for this project and will return to the City Council to request appropriation once funding is awarded. If this grant does not materialize, this project will be reassessed for other funding sources and project implementation may be reevaluated.
• Project Three: Mobilizing Local Efforts to Maximize Participation in the U.S. Census 2020
Under the direction of the City Manager Department, the FUSE Fellow will engage with City departments and local community stakeholders to develop Census 2020 outreach and participation recommendations. As the state’s seventh largest city and growing, it is vital that the City captures a precise count of the City’s residents to harness the necessary state and federal resources and services. The Fellow will also engage with Los Angeles County’s Census campaign to avoid duplication of efforts with other organizations.
This project will be led by a first-year FUSE Fellow. Funding for this project is proposed at $150,000 for administrative and personnel costs. The Development Service Department will be responsible for $50,000 and the City Manager Department will provide $100,000 for this FUSE Fellow.
• Project Four: Creating an Integrated Service Delivery Model to Improve Public Health
Under the direction of the Health and Human Services Department (Health Department), the FUSE Fellow will work toward creating a more human-centered public health service delivery system to enhance utilization and resources. The aim is to develop and implement strategies that enhance public health participant flows, grantor and staff needs, and data management.
This project will be led by a first-year FUSE Fellow. Funding for this project is proposed at $150,000 for administrative and personnel costs. All costs for the FUSE Fellow will be provided by the Health Department.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Amy R. Webber on July 11, 2018 and by Interim Budget Manager Grace Yoon on July 23, 2018.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on August 7, 2018 so FUSE and the City can begin securing the necessary grant funding from foundation partners and recruitment of the Fellows. FUSE requires all documents to be executed prior to the start of the fellowships.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost to administer the proposed FY 19 FUSE projects is $625,000. The City will provide $435,000 across four City departments in FY 18 and FY 19 depending on the availability of the funding source. The remaining $190,000 are needed for projects one and two, and will be funded through a combination of private grants directly administered by FUSE. Implementation of projects one and two are dependent on FUSE securing grant funding prior to the start of each project and the Economic Development Department securing grant funding. An appropriation increase is requested in the Special Grants Fund (SR 120) in the City Manager Department (CM) in the amount of $435,000, offset by a transfer of funds that will occur both in FY 18 and FY 19 from participating departments including: City Manager Department, the Economic Development Department, Development Services Department, and Health Department. The table below identifies the amount of the departments’ contributions and the specific funding source. If the departments need to request appropriation to make the transfer, these requests will be brought to City Council at a later date. Approval of this recommendation will help enhance the City’s appeal as an employer of choice and provide valuable resources to help continued support to the local economy.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER