Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Adjourned Regular Meeting of September 17, 2018
Title
UPDATE FROM CITY COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE
ON STRENTHENING COLLABORATION WITH
LEADERSHIP HERMOSA BEACH
(Assistant to the City Manager Nico De Anda-Scaia)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
It is recommended that City Council:
1. Receive and file the update from the City Council Subcommittee; and
2. Provide direction to the Subcommittee and City staff on refinements, if needed, to the attached Subcommittee Summary and Recommendations (Attachment 3).
Body
Background:
Leadership Hermosa Beach (LHB) was founded in 2003 by former Mayor Art Yoon as a community-based organization that conducts an annual leadership training program to local residents in and around Hermosa Beach, California. The Board of Directors formalized the program in 2008 by incorporating Leadership Hermosa Beach as a California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation and obtained its tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) educational organization.
LHB’s mission is to educate, train, and connect leaders for the betterment of our community. Part of the curriculum includes class projects meant to contribute positively to the Hermosa Beach community while participants learn how the city works and how public governance and leadership are structured as they navigate the steps required to obtain approval from City staff, Commissioners and Councilmembers for their proposed projects. Some past LHB class projects include “FitFest”, Hermosa Utility Box (HUB) Art, “Market 90254” and most recently, “Mark your Mile.”
To help streamline these efforts, City Council decided at their May 8, 2018 meeting to appoint a two-member ad hoc subcommittee consisting of Councilmembers Massey and Campbell to work with Leadership Hermosa Beach to develop expectations and guidelines for future LHB class projects and programming. The subcommittee began meeting with City staff and representatives from Leadership Hermosa Beach on June 20, 2018 to identify areas for improved collaboration, establish clear expectations on how class projects can support and align with community needs, and systematize the process for engaging City officials and obtaining necessary approvals for future proposals.
Analysis:
After meeting over several months with representatives from LHB, the Subcommittee has identified key areas for improved collaboration. The attached Subcommittee Summary (Attachment 3) includes detailed guidelines and recommendations. The categories of recommendations are outlined below.
1. City Staff to schedule an annual meeting with the Leadership Hermosa representatives prior to launching the new Cohort program.
2. Schedule a brief presentation by the LHB President and/or Board Member at a City Council meeting to provide an overview and ‘kick-off’ to the new cohort cycle. Encourage LHB cohort members to attend and be introduced as a class.
3. Conduct a brief post-cohort check-in between City Staff and Representatives from LHB to discuss any “lessons learned” and focus generally on continuous improvement of the collaboration.
The Subcommittee has concluded that these minor changes to the process of collaboration will be easy to implement (after discussing with Staff), will increase proactive communication, and will ultimately create more meaningful outcomes for the City as well as the Leadership Hermosa Beach participants.
General Plan Consistency:
As part of PLAN Hermosa, the City set goals and adopted policies aimed at supporting civic engagement and leadership development programs. PLAN Hermosa also speaks to the need for seeking feedback from the community and partner organizations to improve city processes, policies, and procedures. The relevant policies from PLAN Hermosa are listed below.
Governance Element
Policy 1.9 Civic policy and leadership academy. Support local programs that teach community members about local government functions and processes and encourages community participation in civic efforts.
Policy 2.9 Evaluation and feedback. Periodically solicit service evaluations from the community and utilize feedback to improve and develop the City’s policies, ordinances, programs, and funding priorities.
Attachments:
1. Link to Leadership Hermosa Beach Website
2. May 8, 2018 Staff Report (Appointment of City Council Subcommittee)
3. Subcommittee Summary and Recommendations
Respectfully Submitted by: Nico De Anda-Scaia, Assistant to the City Manager
Concur: Councilmember Mary Campbell and Councilmember Justin Massey