TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Carrie Tai, AICP, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:Title
Consider Submittal of a City Representative to Participate on the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) Housing Education Advisory Committee (Community Development Director Tai).
(Estimated Time: 15 Min.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on a submittal of a City representative to participate on the SBCCOG Housing Education Advisory Committee.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
The SBCCOG is a joint powers authority government agency of 16 cities (including the City of Manhattan Beach) and Los Angeles County that share the goal of maximizing the quality of life and productivity of the South Bay subregion of Los Angeles.
The SBCCOG participates in the Regional Early Action Program (REAP) grant program funded by California Housing and Community Development (HCD) and administered by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The purpose of REAP is to allow regional entities like SBCCOG to collaborate on efforts that have a broader regional impact on housing. The grant funding is intended to help regional entities assist local governments in meeting their Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation.
One of the REAP projects is the South Bay Sustainable Housing Development Education Program. This project includes a series of educational workshops (Housing Education Forum) to inform South Bay city leaders about residential density and design that supports a range of housing options and helps decision makers and stakeholders understand ways to meet 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment targets. Attendees are anticipated to be elected officials, planning commissioners, community development staff, and community advocates.
To meet the project objectives, SBCCOG is convening an Advisory Committee and developing a Housing Education Forum series with trainings delivered by a bench of experts. SBCCOG anticipates that members of the Advisory Committee will:
• Participate in virtual meetings to discuss program development and delivery;
• Advise on curriculum development in the Housing Education Forum series
• Identify questions and subtopics to address in each training unit; provide insights from a South Bay perspective
• Read and approve SBCCOG staff drafts of work products
• Recommend Subject Matter Experts and guest speakers to deliver housing education training
• Review and finalize the proposed curriculum for appropriateness to South Bay needs
• Promote the Housing Education Forum among South Bay city elected officials, commissioners, and staff
• Evaluate program delivery and advise on improvements and lessons learned
SBCCOG estimates that Advisory Committee members will spend 1 to 2 hours per week over the course of 10 weeks performing tasks leading up to Housing Education Forum series launch. SBCCOG anticipates each member would invest a total of 20 hours or less serving on the Advisory Committee.
Additional information on the tasks and probable schedule are attached.
DISCUSSION:
The SBCCOG Housing Education Advisory Committee is a short-term committee to provide input on an upcoming Housing Education Forum series intended to benefit the entirety of the South Bay. Having a City representative on the Advisory Committee ensures that content in the educational effort includes perspectives relevant to the development patterns and land uses in Manhattan Beach.
City Council members often participate on regional committees or groups. Some examples include SBCCOG, the League of California Cities, and West Basin Water District. These representatives are usually selected by the Mayor and submitted to the City Council for consideration.
The City Council historically has delegated land use and housing matters to the Planning Commission as a recommending body. Given that the subject matter is germane to the Planning Commission’s purview and expertise, an option would be to select a member of the Planning Commission to participate on the Advisory Committee. Alternatively, a member of the Community Development Department staff could participate on the Advisory Committee.
The SBCCOG has requested that names from each SBCCOG jurisdiction be submitted for consideration as soon as possible. The SBCCOG will consider submissions and select members by the second week in August.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are presented for City Council discussion:
ALTERNATIVE 1: Select a member of the City Council to be considered for participation on the Advisory Committee.
ALTERNATIVE 2: Select a member of the Planning Commission to be submitted for participation on the Advisory Committee. Staff can conduct a discussion with the Planning Commission to select a Planning Commissioner to be submitted for participation on the Advisory Committee. Furthermore, staff has informed the Planning Commission of this opportunity, and Planning Commission Vice-Chair Robert Tokashiki has expressed an interest in representing the City.
ALTERNATIVE 3: Request that the City Manager select a member of the Community Development Department staff to participate.
ALTERNATIVE 4: No Action. Do not send a City representative.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
After analysis, staff determined that public outreach was not required for this issue.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENT:
1. SBCCOG Advisory Committee Scope of Work