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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11. Provide direction on 2024 citizens’ academy (Central San Academy)Item 11. BOARD OF DI RECTORS POSIT ION PA PER M E E T ING D AT E:MA R C H 21, 2024 S UB J E C T: P R O V I D E D I R E C T I O N O N 2024 C I T I Z E NS ’ A C A D E MY (C E NT R A L S A N A C A D E MY) S UB M I T T E D B Y: C HR I S T I NA G E E , MA NA G E ME NT A NA LYS T E MI LY B A R NE T T, C O MMUNI C AT I O NS A ND I NT E R G O V E R NME NTA L R E L AT I O NS MA NA G E R I NI T I AT I NG D E PART M E NT: O F F I C E O F T HE G E NE R A L MA NA G E R R oger S . B ailey General Manager IS S UE Board direction is requested on the proposed plan to hold this year ’s C entral San’s citizens’ academy, C entral San Academy, on J une 25, J uly 2, J uly 9, and J uly 16 at the R oundhouse C onference C enter in San Ramon. B AC K G RO UND Since 2016, C entral San has hosted members of the public at its award-winning citizens’ academy, Central San Academy. C entral San presents this program on an annual basis to expand our participants’ knowledge, increase awareness of and appreciation for our programs and community service, gain feedback on how we might improve our services, and create a networking space for our customers to share ideas with each other and C entral San’s leaders. A f ter five sessions of the academy, 158 participants have graduated to become alumni ambassadors. D ue to unique circumstances this year, it would be advantageous to make changes for the 2024 C entral San Academy, as detailed below. Schedule and L ocation T here are a f ew factors impacting the dates and location for C entral San Academy this year: March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 89 of 195 Page 1 of 8 I ncrease C ommunity E ngagement in D ivision 5 I n 2024, C entral San will f ully transition to area-based “by-division” elections under the C alif ornia Voting R ights A ct. C entral San has five Division B oard of D irector seats with staggered four-year terms. T his year, Divisions 1, 3, 4, and 5 seats will be up for election. S taff is proposing to host the Central S an Academy in S an R amon to generate interest f or the D ivision 5 Board seat, and support outreach to the robust A sian A merican voting population in S an R amon as identif ied by the demographer during C entral San’s redistricting process pursuant to the C alif ornia Voting R ights A ct. By increasing the accessibility and proximity of the Academy for San Ramon residents to participate, the hope is that residents of District 5 may be more inclined to attend. A dditionally, there are numerous timing f actors to consider, to allow f or the greatest interest in the Central S an A cademy. D ublin S an R amon S ervices District (D S R S D) Citizens Water A cademy D S R S D provides water, wastewater, and recycled water services to a portion of S an R amon. T hey have announced their citizens’ academy to run from A pril 17 to J une 20. To avoid crossover with their academy, C entral San Academy should begin no earlier than J une 21. Allow S uf f icient Time for Outreach To avoid confusion, staff cannot begin marketing Central S an A cademy until af ter A pril 17 (the start date for D S R S D ’s academy). Marketing includes f eatures in C entral San’s publications, online presence, and physical f acilities, as well as assistance f rom Academy alumni and other public agencies in amplifying the call f or applications. T hese activities should drive participation in the Academy, which will help drive interest to participate in the election. T he C ontra C osta C ounty E lection candidate filing period will run from J uly 15 to August 19. C alif ornia Association of Sanitation A gencies (C A S A) Conf erence C entral San is an active member of C A S A, an association of statewide public agencies dedicated to advancing wastewater interests. S taff and B oard Members typically attend C A S A conferences. T heir summer conf erence will be held in Monterey, C alif ornia f rom J uly 31 to A ugust 2. Programmatic Need for F our Consecutive Weeks W ith the constraints on this year’s academy, staff has consolidated the curriculum f rom six to four classes. Optional “extra-curricular” activities such as a daytime f acilities tour or the nighttime quarterly public treatment plant tour, as well as a Go with the F low bike tour (in conjunction with B ike C oncord), would be of f ered. To maximize our participants’ retention of inf ormation and reduce attrition in attendance, it is recommended that Central S an A cademy be held over f our consecutive weeks. Need to Host in S ervice Area C entral San Academy should be held in C entral San’s service area to avoid conf usion with other agencies and be convenient f or our ratepayers to attend. Proposed P lan for Central San Academy Given all the considerations above, staff proposes to hold Central S an A cademy on J une 25, J uly 2, J uly 9, and J uly 16 at the R oundhouse C onference C enter in San Ramon. T his appears to be the optimal option f or a venue within our service area, targeting D istrict 5, and with availability on the dates meeting the March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 90 of 195 Page 2 of 8 requirements. ALT E RNAT I V E S /C O NS I D E RAT IO NS D o not host a citizens’ academy this year. T his is not recommended as the academy has been a popular and ef f ective outreach tool, and a valuable way to form long-term relationships with our community members and stakeholders. Host Central S an A cademy at an alternate location or time. T his is not recommended for the reasons listed above. A dditionally, holding the A cademy in San Ramon may attract participants who have not attended in the past due to the rush-hour commute to the Academy’s past locations (Martinez, Pleasant Hill, or Walnut C reek). Offering the A cademy in the summer (versus the spring, when it is typically held) may attract new participants as well. R educe the number of dates of the A cademy. T his is not recommended as the curriculum has already been optimized to present the most popular and engaging topics. F I NANC IAL I M PAC T S T he rental of the Roundhouse f or all four proposed dates is estimated at approximately $17,000. T his is assuming a estimate of 45 participants and staf f for the f irst three nights and 55 f or the last night. T his is inclusive of the rental f ee, f ood and beverages (cof f ee and water), service charge, and taxes. T he f irst three classes would be held at Shasta Hall and the last/fourth class would be held at Tenaya Hall, at a rate of $1,400 and $1,600 per date respectively. To help offset these costs, only essential hourly staff will be asked to attend, and any additional costs f or the A cademy (e.g., supplies and giveaways) will be reduced without sacrif icing the quality of the program. W hile the Roundhouse does not of f er any government rates, they are willing to work with Central S an to f ind cost savings where possible. C O M M UNI T Y O UT RE AC H To avoid confusion, staff will begin marketing C entral San Academy after April 17 (the start date f or D S R S D ’s academy). Historically, the most successf ul outreach techniques to advertise the Academy are as f ollows, in order of most effective to least: Pipeline community newsletter, mailing list, website (centralsan.org), word of mouth, ref erral f rom alumni, city/town community e-newsletters, and social media. Central S an will continue utilizing these methods this year. I n addition, staf f will advertise at the P ermit C ounter, Headquarters Of f ice Building L obby, Household Hazardous Waste Collection F acility and Recycled Water F ill S tation. C O M M I T T E E RE C O M M E ND AT IO N T he Roundhouse requires a non-refundable deposit to secure a reservation, and the f acility is in high demand this summer. T he Pipeline customer newsletter is the most effective way to draw applicants for C entral San Academy. T he spring edition is going to print on A pril 12, and the dates must be solidif ied before then for publication. F or staff to proceed under the time constraints, this item was not taken to a C ommittee f or review. RE C O M M E ND E D B O ARD AC T I O N Provide direction on the proposed plan to hold this year ’s C entral San’s citizens’ academy, C entral San Academy, on J une 25, J uly 2, J uly 9, and J uly 16 at the R oundhouse C onference C enter in San Ramon. March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 91 of 195 Page 3 of 8 Strategic Plan Tie-I n G O A L O N E: Customer and C ommunity Strategy 1 – Deliver high-quality customer service, Strategy 2 - Promote initiatives to advance affordable and equitable access to services, Strategy 3 - Build neighborhood and industry relations G O A L TW O: Environmental Stewardship Strategy 2 - Educate on pollution prevention and environmental protection G O A L TH R EE: Workforce Diversity and D evelopment Strategy 1 - Recruit from a diverse pool of qualified applicants, Strategy 4 - Foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion G O A L FO U R : G overnance and Fiscal R esponsibility Strategy 2 - Encourage and facilitate public participation AT TAC HM E NT S : D escription 1. P resentation March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 92 of 195 Page 4 of 8 1 2024 Central San Academy Session Board of Directors Meeting Emily Barnett Communications and Governmental Relations Manager March 21, 2024 Christina Gee Management Analyst Central San Academy •Citizens’ Academy hosted annually since 2016* •Previously held in Martinez, Pleasant Hill, or Walnut Creek •Objectives •Expand participants’ knowledge •Increase awareness / appreciation for Central San's programs and community service •Gain feedback on how Central San might improve its services •Create a networking space for customers to share ideas with each other and Central San’s leaders •New for 2024: Encourage interest in Central San's new Division 5 •158 alumni ambassadors have graduated the program in five sessions * Not held in 2020 or 2022, virtual session hosted in 2021 2 1 2 ATTACHMENT 1 March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 93 of 195 Page 5 of 8 2 Factors Impacting Location 3 •Encourage Interest in Central San •Support outreach to the robust Asian American voting population in San Ramon as identified by the demographer during Central San’s redistricting process pursuant to the California Voting Rights Act •Generate community interest for the Division 5 Board seat and educate potential candidates about the Central San's work •Host the Academy in San Ramon to engage the entire District 5 San Ramon community 4 Factors Impacting Dates and Location •Avoid Cross Over with Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD) Citizens Water Academy •Runs from April 17 to June 20 •Avoid conflict with the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) Annual Conference •July 31 to August 2 •Ensure community have opportunities to participate •Allow sufficient time for outreach •Contra Costa County Election candidate filing period July 15 to August 19 3 4 March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 94 of 195 Page 6 of 8 3 •Programmatic need for four consecutive weeks •Curriculum consolidated from six to four sessions, with two optional “extra- curricular” activities •Consecutive weeks needed to maximize retention of information and reduce attrition in attendance •Need to host in service area •To avoid confusion with other agencies •Convenient for customer attendance 5 Factors Impacting Dates and Location (continued) 6 Getting the Word Out •Staff will begin marketing Central San Academy after April 17 (the start date for DSRSD’s academy) •Outreach via •Pipeline community newsletter •Website (centralsan.org) •Referrals from Academy alumni •City/town community e-newsletters •Chambers •Social media •Information placed at Permit Counter, Headquarters Office Building Lobby, Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, and Recycled Water Fill Station •Direct mailing to the residents of District 5, if appropriate 5 6 March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 95 of 195 Page 7 of 8 4 Staff Recommendation 7 •Host Central San’s 2024 Citizens’ Academy on June 25, July 2, July 9, and July 16 at the Roundhouse Conference Center in San Ramon or, •Provide other direction to staff 7 March 21, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Agenda Packet - Page 96 of 195 Page 8 of 8