City Council
MEETING DATE: 8/29/2018
TITLE:
Title
Cathedral City Community Coalition Update
End
FROM:
Leisa Lukes, Business Development Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive and file.
Body
BACKGROUND:
In March 2016, the City hosted an “All-In Cities Workshop: Building an Equitable Economy from the Ground Up.” The workshop was conducted by PolicyLink, an organization based out of Oakland, California, and held at the Date Palm Country Club. Several council members and City staff attended the workshop. A number of community members, including Josie Diaz and Fabiola Alvarez - both of whom are long-time Cathedral City residents involved in the community - also participated. PolicyLink discussed the “ability for all to participate, prosper, and reach their full potential within society.”
This workshop was followed by a June meeting held at St. Louis Church in which several community members led by Ms. Diaz and Ms. Alvarez presented their ideas to improve economic opportunities for the City’s residents. Several council members also attended this meeting.
As these efforts began to take shape, it was the consensus of the City Council, at the suggestion of Mayor Henry, to form a subcommittee comprised of Mayor Pro Tem Pettis and Councilmember Aguilar who would work with the community in support of an equitable economic strategy.
In January 2017, the City contracted with Estolano LeSar Advisors (Estolano) to create an equitable economic strategy for the City. Their work included extensive outreach in which both Ms. Diaz and Ms. Alvarez participated. Estolano’s work concluded in March 2018, with an Equitable Economic Strategy document that was presented to the City Council. The document outlined a number of recommendations and actions that aim to “shift how public, private, and philanthropic investments are deployed to deliver economic benefits, workforce development opportunities, and community-oriented social and cultural resources to low-income neighborhoods.”
Ms. Diaz, Ms. Alvarez, and several other involved citizens began to implement some of the recommendations that emerged from the Strategy document. Some of these recommendations are discussed below. These have included Local Hire Programs and Career Fairs. Their efforts have resulted in a number of successful outcomes and they have since formalized their group as the Cathedral City Community Coalition (CCCC). The CCCC is currently working under the umbrella of the Inland Congregation United for Change (ICUC), which provides support to the CCCC.
The CCCC is now taking steps to secure their designation as a 501C3 non-profit organization comprised of a board of directors and advisory committees. They are a new member of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce and are currently holding their meetings at the Chamber’s offices; however, they are seeking a permanent location in Cathedral City that will serve as their office and workforce resource center. They continue to pursue opportunities that support unemployed and under-employed Cathedral City residents.
DISCUSSION:
The CCCC has successfully implemented several successful career building and employment opportunities for Cathedral City residents. These include:
• Local Hire Program with Ace Hardware (Mike Reinhardt, Owner/Operator)
• Local Hire Program with G1 Perez (Edlin Kim, CEO)
• Career Fair (A1 Service Heroes and IBEW)
Additionally, Sunniva has committed to conducting a Local Hire Program this Fall as well as additional Career Fairs.
CCCC’s goal is to develop a Resource Center in the City that will provide the skills necessary for Cathedral City residents, primarily those who are unemployed or underemployed, to secure economic opportunities. CCCC seeks to provide the same opportunities offered at area workforce centers but within a convenient, nearby location for Cathedral City residents and that offers a comfortable environment for the participants.
The CCCC envisions the Resource Center to offer such things as: resume writing, dressing for success, interview skills, language skills, and job placement, among other workforce training.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
ATTACHMENTS:
None