CITY OF PASADENA MINUTES OF THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMITTEE

Transcription

1 CITY OF PASADENA MINUTES OF THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMITTEE December 6,2007 Pasadena School District Board of Education 2nd Floor Board Room 35 1 South Hudson Avenue, Pasadena Chair Bogaard called the regular meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Youth Development and Violence Prevention to order at 7:38 p.m. CALL TO ORDER/INTRODUCTIONS Members Present: Members Absent: Bill Bogaard, Jean Burch, Renatta Cooper, Jarvis Emerson, Ed Honowitz, Steve Madison, Jeanette Mann, Anna Pembedjian Consuelo Rey Castro, Jacquelynne Corby, Victor Gordo, Tim Kelly, Esteban Lizardo, Jacque Robinson REPORT FROM SUBCOMMITEE FOR MASTER PLAN CONSULTANT SELECTION AND MANAGEMENT Member Mann introduced the item and reviewed a proposed action plan provided by the Subcommittee entitled "Report from Committee for Master Plan Consultant Selection and Management". She presented the Subcommittee's Plan of Action to Promote Youth Development and Reduce Violence, reviewed the Statement of Purpose, described the four phases of the Scope of Work (Assessment of Best Practices; Community Engagement and Deliberation; Bridging Gaps and Methods for Developing Effective Programs, Practice and Policy; and Development and Evaluation of Implementation Strategy), discussed the Estimated Project Cost not to exceed $100,000, reviewed the Projected Schedule, and concluded with the Subcommittee's recommendation to hire the Western Justice Center as the Consultant to oversee the action plan as presented. The Committee discussed oversight of the consultant being conducted by the entire body rather than just the Subcommittee and the urgency to move forward with the action plan. Member Madison requested that the Scope of Work, when considering Page 2 of the report and the issues/questions identified by the Subcommittee to be addressed by the consultant, allow for more flexibility and the inclusion of any additional issues identified during the process. Member Mann recommended that the sentence on Page 2 of the report be amended to include the underlined words, as follows: "In particular this assessment should address at least the following questions:"

2 The Committee also discussed the project cost in terms of cost sharing among all entities represented on the Committee with the City Council to fund a major share of the action plan but that the other agencies would provide an appropriate amount of money toward funding the action plan. Member Madison suggested that of the proposed $100,000 estimated project cost, the City would be responsible for funding $50,000, and that the other agencies represented on the Committee would be responsible for collectively funding the remaining $50,000. Member Cooper expressed concern with Pasadena Unified School District's ability to provide substantial funding towards this effort. Member Mann stated that the Pasadena Community College Board of Education would be meeting on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 and would discuss the matter to determine the amount available towards funding the action plan. Ms. Najeeba Syeed-Miller confirmed the willingness of the Western Justice Center to accept the proposal to take on the role of oversight for the action plan proposed by the Subcommittee. Member Madison suggested that the City representatives would report back to the City Council with the proposed action plan and funding request in the amount of $50,000 for approval, with the hope and understanding that PUSD, PCC, and the County, which are the agencies represented on the Committee, could collectively match the City's contribution in order to obtain the recommended not-to-exceed amount of $100,000. Member Pembedjian expressed concern regarding the timing of funding an action plan and hiring a consultant to initiate that plan in light of the fact that the information being gathered at the direction of the Committee at the November 15, 2007 meeting from the County Probation Department and Mr. Tony Massengale has not yet been received. Member Mann raised concerns with delaying action citing the need for staffing by the Committee in order to perform the work tasked to them by the City Council and the focus of the action plan being on youth development including educational aspects for at-risk youth. Member Honowitz requested that community involvement be a central component to the creation and development of the action plan in order to promote support and success of the plan.

3 Member Cooper suggested that the Mayor, as another elected official, meet with Supervisor Antonovich in order to explain the process and actions taken by the Committee to address the issues of youth development and violence prevention, and stated her support for the funding request to move forward due to the immediate need of staff assistance for the Committee to complete the work assigned by the City Council. The Committee discussed the proposed role of the consultant, the need for coordination and evaluation of programs, resources, and gaps in service in the community, and the ability of Western Justice Center to perform the necessary tasks as the consultant. Mr. Jitahadi Imara, Los Angeles County Probation Department, raised concerns with hiring a consultant to develop a youth master plan prior to the Committee receiving the information being gathered in the assessment by the Probation Department and Mr. Massengale. Discussion ensued regarding the role of the consultant to initially act as an organizing entity, the need for the Committee to receive immediate staffing support, and the ability of Western Justice Center to provide the immediate short-term staffing support that is necessary to perform the work assigned by the City Council. It was also noted that the Western Justice Center could provide the long-tcrm services outlined in thc recommendations presented by the Subcommittee in the report. Following discussion, it was moved by Member Madison, seconded by Member Honowitz, to accept the recommendations of the Committee report, with a change to the language (as described above) on Page 2 of the report to include the words "at least", with the City representatives to request that the City Council, at its December 17, 2007 meeting, approve a budget in the amount of $50,000, with the understanding that PUSD, PCC, and the County could collectively match the City's contribution in order to obtain the recommended not-to-exceed amount of $100,000, and that the City would be the fiscal intermediary utilizing the existing contract with Western Justice Center. (Motion carried. with Member Pembediian abstaining) (Absent: Vice Chair Lizardo, Members Castro, Gordo, Kelly, and Robinson) PRESENTATION BY THE PASADENA POLICE DEPARTMENT ON RECENT ACTIVITIES Following discussion, it was the consensus of the Committee to defer the report to the December 20,2007 meeting.

4 PRESENTATION BY JENNIFER DEVOLL - PASADENA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Ms. Jennifer DeVoll, Pasadena Community Foundation, presented a handout from the Pasadena Community Foundation entitled "Inventory of Programs Offered By Community-Based Non-Profits That Target At-Risk Youth and Teens", described the process for gathering the data within the report, stated that the compilation of services provides approximately 300 programs in Pasadena for at-risk teens and emerging adults, and requested direction and feedback from the Committee on how to proceed. The Committee discussed the need for the Western Justice Center (if engaged to do the work described in the Subcommittee report) to review the information as part of the evaluation of services for at-risk youth, determine the gaps in service for those in need, and the possibility of collaboration between the Pasadena Community Foundation and the Western Justice Center on reviewing the information. Ms. DeVoll suggested that in the interim she would meet with Ms. Syeed-Miller to brief her on the research and bring hcr up to speed with the project, process, and data collected. The Committee agreed by consensus to receive the report. PRESENTATION - FLINTRIDGE FOUNDATION Ms. Lisa Wilson, Flintridge Foundation, presented two handouts from the Flintridge Foundation entitled "Flintridge Foundation Community Needs Assessment" and "Flintridge Foundation - Northwest Pasadena and Altadena Data Analysis, June 8, 2007". She discussed the reasons for conducting the Community Needs Assessment, the manner in which the data was collected, the findings of the reports (including the four compelling issues of Family and Community Violence; Youth and Family Support; Education; and Financial Security), and responded to questions. The Committee discussed the challenges of utilizing the data to identify areas of service gaps, implementing changes to the allocation of resources to address the needs of the community, and the need to receive comment and input from at-risk youth. Member Madison was excused at 9: 10 p.m. Discussion ensued regarding the scheduled meeting of December 20, 2007 being dedicated to receiving public comment from local area at-risk youth, whether the meeting should be delayed in order to ensure adequate participation, that the Committee be prepared to receive comments and then act upon the information provided by at-risk youths, and that the format of the meeting is accommodating and "youth" friendly to encourage participation.

5 Member Cooper urged the Committee to move forward with the December 20, 2007 meeting as planned, stated her opinion that the Committee needs to hear from local at-risk youth before moving forward with more actions and discussions, and raised concerns regarding the message of delaying youth input. There was public comment received from the following individuals: Ms. Najeeba Syeed-Miller spoke in support of youth participation in the process, noted the need for more than one meeting in order to capture all the different groups of at-risk youths, and urged the Committee to move forward with the December 2oth meeting. Mr. Ricky Pickens, Pasadena Neighborhood Outreach Workers (NOW), confirmed that NOW will be in attendance at the meeting of December 20, 2007, is prepared to participate, supported the idea of the meeting being held before the New Year, and that it take place somewhere in the Northwest community such as Jackie Robinson Center. The Chair confirmed that the December 20, 2007 meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. (with dinner to begin at 5:00 p.m.), that the primary business of the meeting is to hear from and dialogue with at-risk youth, that the NOW organization would take on the responsibility to recruit youths to participate in the meeting, and that the meeting be located somewhere in Northwest Pasadena but that City Hall would be utilized as an alternative if no other location can be identified. There was public comment received from the following individuals: Ameer Elahee, Monrovia resident, urged the Committee to engage youth in the area, noted that the Committee needs to be visible in areas such as Northwest Pasadena and available to those most affected by the violence. Following discussion, the Committee and Ms. Wilson agreed to share the findings and rccomrnendations gcnerated by the Flintridge Foundation study and the work generated by the Committee. Ms. Wilson also stated that the Flintridge Foundation will be providing food and gift cards for atrisk youth participants that attend the meeting on December 20, There was public comment received from the following individuals: Yvette McDowell, Assistant City Prosecutor, spoke on behalf of Pasadena Neighborhood Outreach Workers (NOW) and suggested that during the Committee meeting on December 20, 2007, minutes be taken in order to assist with follow-up, that sign-in sf youth participants be conducted, that dinner be provided an hour prior to the

6 PUBLIC COMMENT: APPROVAL OF MINUTES meeting, and that evaluations be conducted after the meeting so that the Committee can receive feedback from participants. Jamie Potter, Pasadena resident, volunteered to assist the Flintridge Foundation in providing food for the December 20,2007 meeting. The Committee agreed by consensus to receive the report. There was public comment received from the following individual: Ms. Elizabeth Wiley, Quality of Life Center, spoke on behalf of Dr. Sandra E. Thomas advocating that the Committee approve a proclamation supporting the month of February as the Scholastic Month. She also asked for support by the Committee in sending a group of qualifying students to receive an award in Washington D.C. The Chair stated the City Council might consider supporting the proclamation and then sharing it with the Committee. He also suggested that solicitations to assist in sending the students to Washington D.C. could be made directly with the authoritative bodies represented on the Committee. Due to time constraints, approval of the minutes of the November 1, 2007 and November 15,2007 meetings were held to December 20, ADJOURNMENT On the order of the Chair, the regular meeting of the Committee adjourned at 9:28 p.m. Bill ~ogaarpchair Youth Development and Violence Prevention Committee