South Coast Air Quality Management District

Execute Contract for Community Outreach Program Assistance

SYNOPSIS: 

On August 17, 2001, the Board authorized staff to execute a contract with RCA & Associates for Community Outreach Program Assistance to help AQMD with identifying and addressing neighborhood air quality issues in the African-American Community. RCA & Associates has notified the AQMD that the principal-in-charge has taken a full-time job. Staff concludes that she is no longer personally available to perform the required tasks, and the Administrative Committee therefore recommends that the contract be terminated. RCA’s subcontractor as well as the two remaining bidders were contacted, and two expressed interest in being interviewed to perform the contract duties. At its June 14, 2002 meeting, the Administrative Committee interviewed these firms, made a selection, and recommended executing a contract with Fame Renaissance and Lee Andrews Group, as co-principals, for an amount not to exceed $450,000 for a two-year period.

COMMITTEE: 

Administrative, June 14, 2002, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. Approve termination of contract with RCA & Associates in the amount of $450,000, except for completion of the first task order "Air Quality Summit" for which a total of $50,000, including funds already paid.
   
   
2. Appropriate $450,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance to the Public Affairs FY 2002-03 Services and Supplies Major Object, Professional and Special Services Account for Community Outreach.
   
   
3. Authorize the Chairman to execute a contract with Fame Renaissance and Lee Andrews Group, co-principals, for an amount not to exceed $450,000 for outreach to the African-American Community for a two-year period.
   
   
4. Authorize Executive Officer to direct selected consultant to perform the attached previously Board-approved task orders, for an amount not to exceed $200,000 with other tasks to be identified and Board approved in the future for the balance of the funding.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

The Board previously designated $500,000 for enhanced outreach to the African American Community from the AES Settlement Projects Funds. RCA & Associates was selected by the Board through a competitive bid process to assist with this effort by AQMD for a two-year period. However, RCA & Associates has recently notified the AQMD that the principal investigator has accepted a full-time position with another government organization. The Administrative Committee, therefore, concludes that she is personally unavailable to conduct her duties as envisioned and has recommended that the contract should be terminated. Therefore, it is necessary to interview and select a new consulting firm to execute the attached previously Board-approved task orders, as well as future tasks within the scope of the contract.

On June 14, 2002, the Administrative Committee interviewed two firms that previously submitted proposals for the Board-approved RFP #P2001-39R for Community Outreach Program Assistance to help AQMD with identifying and addressing neighborhood air quality issues in the African-American Community, and who expressed interest in participating in the interview process again. The two firms interviewed are: CHMB Consulting; and Fame Renaissance and Lee Andrews Group. CHMB currently serves as a subcontractor to RCA under the current contract. The Administrative Committee interviewed representatives from these firms and recommended executing a contract with Fame Renaissance and Lee Andrews Group for an amount not to exceed $450,000, for a two-year period. In addition, CHMB will be joining the new team as a subcontractor.

The attachment contains the previously Board-approved task orders identified under this contract.

Proposal

The Administrative Committee recommends the Board approve execution of a level-of-effort contract with the selected consultants for a two-year period other than the first task order, which will be completed by the subcontractors, contained in the original RCA and Associates contract. At any time during this period, the Board will have the ability to modify or terminate contracted efforts based on performance results.

Resource Impacts

The contract with RCA & Associates for $500,000 will be terminated except for $50,000 designated for completion of the first Task Order #1, and the remaining $450,000 returned to the General Fund. The $450,000 in the General Fund, Undesignated Balance will then be appropriated to the FY 2002-03 Services and Supplies Budget in Public Affairs, Professional and Special Services Account for Community Outreach for the proposed contract. Thus there is no change to AQMD’s Budget.

Attachment

Task Orders for Community Outreach Program Assistance

ATTACHMENT

Community Outreach Program Assistance

Specific Task Orders

Air Quality Summit

Projected Task: To coordinate, promote and implement a legislative summit with the California Legislative Black Caucus, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and prominent local churches, to discuss legislative and administrative solutions for addressing air quality problems affecting communities of color in the four-county region AQMD serves. For example, studies show that African American children have two-to-three times higher incidence of asthma than other children. The summit will seek to coordinate federal, state, and local government efforts on air quality and environmental justice issues and prioritize public policy initiatives to address air quality-related public health issues.

Target Audience: African American communities in the four-county area along with other stakeholders including environmental and health agencies, and members of the general public.

Specific Deliverables:

1. Develop summit format and program content.
2. Secure commitments from legislative and church/NGO leadership participants.
3. Identify and secure summit partnerships.
4. Secure site for summit.
5. Develop summit collateral material (packets, event program, badges, notices, etc).
6. Secure media and promotional advertisement in the African American and general media.
7. Identify and track registrants for summit.
8. Arrange staff and manage summit logistics (transport and hotel, equipment, meals, program participants, speakers, etc.).
9. Assemble and develop evaluation tools for participants and registrants.
10. Assemble data for post-summit report.
11. Produce post summit report with evaluation analysis for AQMD
    follow-up.

Delivery Schedule: Fall, 2002 (October). Upon Board approval, logistics and program planning will begin. Implementation timeline is approximately six months.

Relationship to Overall Outreach Objectives: This task order is to increase community leader and general public awareness regarding the effect of air pollution on the African American communities and potential options to address issues of concern.

Budget: $50,000

Community Forums

Projected Task: Develop, coordinate, and implement eight (8) issues breakfast forums (focus groups) with key community stakeholders to help the AQMD focus on environmental issues most important to the African American communities in the four-county area. Two of these breakfast forums will be held in each county to get the broadest spectrum of views on air quality issues that affect these counties, particularly the minority communities. These meetings, free to the participants, will be designed to host approximately 50 to 60 community leaders, elected officials, environmental and health professionals, business leaders, media and opinion leaders, church leaders and community group representatives to receive specific comment on issues related to air quality, as well as what measures AQMD can implement to facilitate improved air quality policies, and to develop constructive long-term relationships with these leaders.

Target Audience: African American communities in each county, including community leaders, public and private sector organizations, and community groups seeking to collaborate on air quality management issues.

Specific Deliverables:

1. Establish timeline calendar for holding breakfast forums.
2. Identify stakeholders in each community.
3. Develop content and agendas for forum presentations.
4. Design feedback questionnaires for distribution and data collection.
5. Handle notices, mailings, promotional give-a-ways.
6. Develop evaluation report after each forum.
7. Meet with AQMD to discuss follow-up strategies in community.
8. Build a community stakeholders’ list of "who’s who" in each county,
   for the purpose of allowing AQMD to maintain ongoing contact and long-term relationships in future community collaboration efforts.

Delivery Schedule: Upon Board approval, development for implementation calendar will begin immediately. Forums will be held from July 2002 to March 2003.

Relationship to Overall Outreach Objectives: This task order supports AQMD’s efforts to educate the public and perform agency outreach through strategic linkages in each community by holding events that allow AQMD to present information and receive constructive feedback on appropriate policies and activities to promote clean air and safe environments.

Budget: $40,000

Clean Air Fairs

Projected Task: To implement and conduct a "Clean Air Fair" in each county, centered around air quality and public health, new low-pollution technology, and environmental justice. This task would allow AQMD to hold Clean Air Fairs with support from churches and business leaders in each county, to develop heightened public awareness for AQMD efforts/programs. These fairs would also give greater AQMD exposure to the general public. Clean Air Fairs will serve as the follow-up to the breakfast issue forum/focus group activity to maximize use of the newly identified stakeholders and expand on collaborative relationships.

Target Audience: African American communities, churches, and businesses with significant involvement from the general public.

Specific Deliverables:

Plan, coordinate and implement one Clear Air Fair in each of AQMD’s four counties:

1. Identify sites for the events.
2. Secure "Clean Air" partners, including police departments which would offer free children finger printing that can be used as an enticement for public participation.
3. Identify church/NGO and business participants.
4. Develop programming and schedule of activities for each fair.
5. Invite and confirm speakers.
6. Develop and implement media publicity through print, radio and TV announcements.
7. Coordinate panels.
8. Distribute AQMD collaterals.
9. Develop assessment response forms and evaluate fairs in each county.

Delivery Schedule: Upon approval, planning for Clean Air Fairs will begin in June 2002. One Clean Air Fair will be held quarterly starting in October 2002 and continuing in January 2003, April 2003 and July 2003. Results of the first Clean Air Fair will be reported to the Board’s Administrative Committee prior to conducting the remaining fairs.

Relationship to Overall Outreach Objectives: This task order supports AQMD’s efforts to educate the public and expand agency outreach via the use of strategic linkages in each community. These "Clean Air Fairs" allow AQMD to present information and receive constructive feedback on its efforts to promote clean air and safe environments.

Budget: $60,000

Cultural Event Calendar
and Strategic Participation Recommendations

Projected Tasks:

Compile a 12-month calendar of cultural and planned community events in African American communities in the four-county area. Following review of the calendar, compare and evaluate events in relationship to AQMD outreach activities and goals. Produce a set of strategic participation recommendations detailing which events would provide optimal opportunities for participation by AQMD and dissemination of AQMD information, and would open up avenues for dialog and for maintaining an agency presence throughout the year.

Target Audience: (For AQMD management and staff use.)

Specific Deliverables:

1. Compile and develop a 12-month calendar of cultural and planned community events in African American communities in the four-county area, and sources and contacts from which information was gathered. Also, note pre-planned AQMD events such as Clean Air Awards, NGV Summit, etc., as supplied by AQMD Public Affairs staff.
    
    
2. Produce a set of strategic participation recommendations and justifications as to which events:

a)	would provide optimal opportunities for participation by AQMD and dissemination of AQMD information, and
b)	would open up avenues for dialog and for maintaining an agency presence throughout the year.

Delivery Schedule: Upon Board approval, initial research will begin. The completed calendar will be provided to AQMD by no later than November 2002 for the upcoming calendar year 2003.

Relationship to Overall Outreach Objectives: This task order is to enhance strategic planning of AQMD’s outreach & co-sponsorship activities, increase their cost-effectiveness, improve resource allocations, and ensure agency participation in diverse, targeted community events.

Budget: $25,000

Clean Air Congress Project

Projected Task: Recruit and enroll residents of the South Coast AQMD region in the AQMD Clean Air Congress (see attached description of Clean Air Congress).

Target Audience: Primarily African American communities (i.e., residents, community and opinion leaders, employees and business owners and operators) in the four-county area, with a particular emphasis on those living in above-average-impact air pollution areas.

Specific Deliverables:

1. Attend meetings with other ethnic outreach consultants to become familiar with the Clean Air Congress concept, process and materials to be used.
2. Identify target community organizations.
3. Schedule and conduct presentations to recruit and enroll members in the Clean Air Congress.
4. Submit monthly update reports identifying progress, including names of organizations at which presentations were made, number of people in attendance, comments made by attendees and membership applications collected.

Delivery Schedule: Upon Board approval, attend meeting with other consultants; subsequent program implementation to continue through December 2002.

Relationship to Overall Outreach Objectives: Presentations, made/arranged by the consultants at meetings of community and business organizations, will educate people in target audiences on the mission, programs and accomplishments of the AQMD. Involving and enrolling the public in the AQMD Clean Air Congress will lead to greater public awareness and participation in the development of public policy for clean air, increased effectiveness of the agency’s ongoing programs, and enhanced interface with the general public, community leaders, businesses and policy makers.

Budget: $25,000

Description of Clean Air Congress

            People living and working in the South Coast region breathe the dirtiest air in the nation. In that context, as the public agency on the frontline in the struggle to meet federal Clean Air standards, the AQMD is critical to the health and well being of everyone in the region.

            The Clean Air Congress is an organization established by the AQMD, open to anyone in the public who wants to participate in the formation of public policy in the effort to clean up the air in the South Coast region.

            Greater public awareness and participation in the development of public policy for clean air are needed to increase and enhance the effectiveness of the agency’s ongoing programs, daily interface with the public and with policy makers. Research has shown that the public has a high level of awareness of the negative impacts of air pollution but also indicates the need for additional information and education regarding current and developing clean air technologies.

            The AQMD Clean Air Congress was established to meet these needs. People who join the Clean Air Congress will:

• Receive periodic information on AQMD’s responsibilities, activities and programs;
• Be advised of AQMD-related clean air activities in the member’s local area;
• Attain increased knowledge of air pollution, including its components, health effects, history in the region and developing technologies to lower pollutants;
• Have the opportunity to make their opinions known on legislation, regulations and policies under consideration;
• Participate in an annual gathering (one held in each of the four counties on consecutive weekends) to address air pollution issues, programs and developing policies and technologies.

            All residents, employees and business owners and operators in the entire South Coast region will be targeted for recruitment and enrollment in the Clean Air Congress, with a particular emphasis placed on reaching minorities and others living in above- average impact air pollution areas.

            While recruitment and enrollment in the Congress will be generally available at various public functions, the outreach teams will also go out to community and business organizations to build membership. Rather than organizing meetings and workshops, the teams will make presentations to existing organizations at their regular meetings. They will show a video on the AQMD and Clean Air Congress, pitch membership in the Congress and pass out and collect membership applications.

            In addition to the video, materials will include a speaker’s handbook and fact sheets, a brochure and membership applications for distribution. New members will receive an acknowledgement package including a letter from the Chair of the Governing Board and a membership certificate.

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