Community Development Citizens' Committee - Regular Meeting

Testing? Okay.

There we go.

Hello everyone and welcome to the CDCC meeting, call to order at 06:39PM. We will start with, a roll call and we'll hand this over to staff for the roll call.

Chair Bly?

Present.

Vice Chair Honzo?

Present.

Committee member Castaneda.

Present.

Committee member Cox.

Here.

Roll call is complete.

Thank you. I'm I'm opening the floor for any public comments. Are there any Zoom speakers?

We don't have any Zoom speakers. Thank One moment. We do have one.

Okay.

Hi. Oh, sorry.

Melanie, you can start.

Thank you. I just wanted to clarify if this, was the appropriate time if it was regarding an agenda item or if I should wait till later in the meeting.

Now is the time for public comment.

Okay. Great. Well, thank you then for giving me the opportunity to speak. This is Melanie from Upwards. I just wanted to, share a couple updates since we since I last presented about Upward's Boost program and how it can support Fullerton's childcare providers and improve access to quality care for working families.

We recently actually polled a thousand families in Orange County, and not surprisingly, 62% of working parents have reported that they've either reduced their hours or changed jobs due to child care challenges. 70% cite child care as their largest expense or among the top three. And half of child care providers cite operational costs and staffing as their primary challenge. You might recall last time that I mentioned, you know, on average in Fullerton specifically, child care providers earn, less than $18 an hour. So they're not only low to moderate income, but, it really makes it hard for them to sustain their business, let alone grow it.

And meanwhile, in Fullerton, there's a massive capacity gap with over seventy five percent of all children under six unable to access licensed care. So clearly, that leaves thousands of families struggling to fully participate in the workforce. Good news is these are the very pain points that the Boost program is designed to, alleviate. So I think you all recall how it works, but just a quick recap. The program supports low to moderate income family child care providers through customized, intensive one on one year long mentorship with the goals of increasing their capacity, increasing their revenue, and improving the quality and inclusivity of care.

Again, providers will retain free access to our child care management software system even beyond the program year. So that really helps them keep up and build on the success. But I also wanted to emphasize that Boost will help families throughout the city and not just families that are already enrolled with participating providers, but any family in Fullerton will be able to benefit from the program and, have a dedicated care specialist who helps them find the care that meets their needs, and that includes emergency backup care. Within twenty four hours, they'll find them a match. So that's a game changer for us working parents.

And then meanwhile, the children will benefit from higher quality, more consistent care. So I know you will probably have tough decisions to make tonight, so I just wanna reiterate that Boost is fully scalable. We can scale the program up or down without sacrificing the quality, and we'd be ready to go from day one. We've launched a program in nearly two dozen counties and cities, including San Jose, which is our largest partnership, and Garden Grove, which is our longest partnership. I've sent over, Linda and Dan, you know, references that they can, reach out to.

And I'm just pleased to share that even though four that we just wrapped up or we will be wrapping up at the end of the month, we not only meet but exceed all projected outcomes. So those are very, conservative. Finally, just in a time when CDBG funding oh, sorry.

That's time, Melanie. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you.

Are there any more Zoom callers?

There isn't.

Thank you. Moving on to the first order of business for the consent calendar. We have to approve the minutes for February 25, March 11, and 03/25/2025. Motion to approve the minutes? I'll move.

I'll second.

Committee member Cox. Because

I wasn't here on the, February 25, I will abstain from, vote on those minutes. But on the twenty fifth and the eleventh, I'll vote yes.

Committee member Castaneda?

Yes.

Chair Bly?

Yes. Vice chair Honzo? Yes.

Minutes for the February 25 meeting. Three approve. One abstains. March 11 and March 25 minutes are approved.

Okay. Thank you. Moving on to item number two for regular business, staff updates, and I'm gonna turn this over to staff for the updates.

Thank you. Yeah, I'd like to provide just a few updates on housing and community development matters that impact our work. As many as many of you know, on May 2, the administration released its full fiscal year 2026 federal budget proposal. There's many major proposed changes to the development of housing and urban development that I wanna bring to your attention. First, a proposal calls for significant cuts and in some cases complete elimination of major community development programs.

These include the Home Investment Partnership programs and the Community Development Block Grant, both which as you all know are very essential sources of funding for cities like ours. To stay ahead of these changes, we've already reached out to several national housing and advocacy organizations, including the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, also known as NARO, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness to both gather insights and coordinate responses. It's important to emphasize that this is a proposal. Congress, as you know, holds a final authority in shaping and improving the budget. We'll continue to monitor developments closely as this goes along.

We've reached out to HUD officials. And as I mentioned in previous meetings, it's a very precarious time right now for all of us, not knowing what that's gonna look like in terms of just total elimination or cuts. There's been talk that some of the funding would go to the state and they would administer some of the grants. That's mainly for rental assistance, also known as Section eight. But there's an aspect of that TBRA that we utilize here in the city, tenant based rental assistance, that can also fall within that category. I'll pause right there if you have any questions.

Thank you for the update. It's I've been worried about this since February when they kinda shut down the funding and sadly, city hall in your department for housing had a rush to get invoices and just to get paid. My question is the significant cuts by the feds, are we talking about money that the previous congress already allocated?

No. We're talking about, yeah, 2627. Yeah. What they allocated, we have that. Yeah. That's been secured.

So that's been secured. Yes. So the money that the current congress, the hundred nineteenth congress is finalizing with this big ballooning budget, That is what is gonna hurt us in twenty twenty six, twenty seven? Yes. Wow. And the group NARA and Alliance to End Homelessness, are they planning to do lawsuits or just write letters or what kind of act advocacy?

Yeah, that's a great question. I think they're doing both. I mean, there's talk about rallying amongst other organizations to do, you know, to block some of this legislation. I think a lot of it right now is it is within those groups and lobbyists in in in addressing these type of cuts, right, and how significant it would be to communities like ours and many others to not only assist many who really rely on these programs, but also it could add to homelessness in general.

Just for the public who's watching or whoever watches on TV or in the future, the 2026, 2027 budget, right now it's looking like they're gonna significantly cut or completely cut Home Investment Partnership and TDBG which is what we're going to okay, for the nonprofits, the public service.

That's right.

Yes. That's Thank you.

Okay. Shifting to our some of our initiatives that we've been able to operationalize since we last met. I just want to give you some updates on that. Our tenant based rental assistance program, most recent sign up period ran from April 28 to May 12. During that time, interest forms were made available both online and in person at our office.

We also held two public workshops to guide residents through the process and to answer any questions. For those two weeks, we received two zero seven total applications here at the city. After reviewing those interest forms, we've identified 83 applicants who were not eligible to move in onto the lottery process. And what I meant was not eligible, many were from outside Fullerton, right, unfortunately. Some were their rents were above the fair market rent that was that the Orange County Housing Authority sets.

Others were others had a relationship with the landlord, which that's ineligible to do under this particular program. So as a result, we'll be reviewing those remaining applications. And in the next two to three weeks, we'll we'll be reaching out to them to talk about next steps and to have that lottery. Yeah. And we'll be we'll have that included in our website and we'll definitely in all social media outlets. Sure.

Thank you, Dan. So the total number of families or eligible tenant based rent tenant based rental assistance program applicant, that number, right? Has that been budgeted already? Or what's the total number that will come out of that eligible pool?

Excuse me. Yes, it's been budgeted. It's been budgeted. It's one year program with a renewal for a second year, and we've budgeted that money. So yeah.

And the total number of applicants that we expect to qualify

Great question. Forgot to mention. Thank you for bringing that up. We're looking to qualify maybe 10 to 12 families because of that tight budget, right? And so that's our goal.

Thank you.

Lastly, I wanted to give a quick update to Project Homekey. As many of you know, this is a state funded program designed to create permanent or interim housing for people experiencing homelessness by converting existing properties like motels. We've been in discussions with the county as you all know and developer regarding the potential motel conversion here in Fullerton. Unfortunately, the project is currently on pause. The issue lies in a misalignment between the state's funding requirements and timeline, which requires a project to be completed within twelve months.

The developer is requesting twenty four months to complete renovations. And unless there's a compromise reached, this project will probably not move forward.

Sure. May

I ask So a

if project Homekey, is that funded only with state funds or does that have federal money?

Yeah. That that state funds, state grants and our our involvement would include home ARP funds. Right?

Mhmm.

And we were gonna utilize those funds to be part of that project. Again, this is a this is a project where the county purchases the the property, leases it to developer, and then we would have a stake in that involvement.

And I remember it was like two years ago when we were talking about using the ARPA money for some kind of development for housing. Yes. It's so sad to now learn that it's on pause.

It is. And we'll talk about what we're going to do with that money too. There's always a plan b.

Oh, thank you, chair. So, you know, I'm sorry to hear that it got delayed or just misalignment. I don't know how a developer in twelve months I mean, we see what developments here take and convert a facility to meet county standards up to today. And I'm a little bit older than most here, but I remember when we used to the homeless could get housed in some of the hotels and motels. Boy, they were I can remember those buildings are long gone in Bray and some other areas and even here in Fullerton.

But when that does go through, is there comprehensive services that go along with that for these folks? Because if you just house people with drug addictions and mental health and you don't give them treatments, you know, you're just asking for trouble. It's just it doesn't work out. I've seen that movie before. So I'm I'm hoping that includes really comprehensive services that the county would be involved in as well, I would hope.

You're absolutely right. And it does come with wraparound services. This is intensive case management services that will be on-site. And there's actually, there's designated rooms where they'll be there to meet

with I think it's important, you know, as administrators of these funds and of the projects and the ideas as they go forth, I just recommend you put the city put forth as much information on that as possible. Because when people just hear it, I know what they're hearing in their head and seeing. And that is we're just going to house people and then we're going to have these a whole lot of problems in a building that a lot of money was spent on. Now it's all torn up. And if they understand there's comprehensive service, this isn't just we're going to house people and stick them there and good luck and leave them like that.

No. And so I think it's really important that we get that word out. And I I think it will just take care of a lot of pushback that you might get otherwise. So it's just kind of one of those things I'd recommend. I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Chair.

And in speaking with ARP, the housing team will meet to discuss those funds. We're looking to put together a request for proposal RFP for those funds for supportive services and for tenant based rental assistance. We have 1,900,000.0 of ARP funds that we need to use by 2030. So that RFP will be going out probably in a month or so if things are as planned. And that's an opportunity, right, to reach out to nonprofits, to developers to utilize those funds.

I have a question. Sorry to go back, for the pause with the project home key, is there an appeals process where you can ask the state to give you an extension from twelve months to twenty four months?

There is.

Has anything been submitted for that appeal?

Yes. The there's been county letters that are on behalf of the developer to see if they could request an additional twelve months, yes. And really the issue is in twelve months, the state looks at the project as a rehabilitation. And since it's a rehabilitation project, it's twelve months. The developer is looking at it as new construction rehabilitation and therefore they need twenty four months. In addition to that, they're arguing that because of the supply chain, because of the tariffs, these type of materials needed are vital obviously, and that's going to take some time. So there's a lot of back and forth. We've, you know, they're working on that and we'll see how that how it

Are they hoping the tariffs are gonna go away in 2027?

Well, I think there's when it comes to certain supplies, there is a shortage right now, and that's and that's what they're arguing.

And I feel for the developers because your labor force is also getting deported so it's it's bad for the economy. Wood comes from Canada. You keep messing with Canada. Guess what? We're gonna have consequences. So it's gonna have a ripple effect, unfortunately. But keep us posted. Thank you.

You're welcome.

That concludes our staff updates. Oh. Sorry.

Yes. Thank you, sir. Oh oh, no. You go first. Oh, it was it was you. Oh, you had a question earlier. Oh, in that case.

I know.

In that case, I know that this might be much more appropriate for the committee and staff communication. But just on the item of these updates, just want to say I've been watching other cities and the way that they've handled both councils and their CDBG commissions and in the way that they have been handling them there has been a lot of just a lot more theatrics in different cities that I've seen but here in Fortuna I would I wanna I wanna give a big shout out to our our consultant Linda Cordova because she's really understood this from a long term perspective and how we didn't need to have any of that inner player dynamics here. So I just want to point that out that thanks for her expertise we're just handling this year's allocation very smoothly and we didn't have any of the hullabaloo that I've seen other councils and the CDBG commissions have. So regardless of other The forthcoming budget whatever passes from the senate side and makes it to the the president's the president's desk on July 4 or so. This year, least, I had a lot of confidence, thanks to the in house expertise, from our staff.

So just wanted to point that

out. I second that.

That concludes our staff report.

Okay. Moving right on to item number

I'm sorry. That's his portion of it. Now we need to go to Noemi.

Yes. Sorry.

Over to Noemi.

Good afternoon committee members. So I am giving you guys an update on the CDBG accomplishments for the nonprofits. Currently in front of you, you can see the 20 four-twenty five accomplishments for the current nonprofits up to third quarter. We don't have fourth quarter since the reports are due July 10. So as you can see in front of you, we we've been monitoring one of the nonprofits.

This specific nonprofit, we've been having some issues where we haven't been able to reimburse first, second, or third quarter reimbursements. We have requested certain documentations such as training manuals and procedure manuals. Some trainees have carried over for many months and fiscal years as well. Our accounting team has also done a monitoring on the program and the agency has not provided or has not been able to clear their findings since March. And if you guys have any questions I'm open for questions.

I just want to be careful. We're not going to name that agency or that nonprofit organization right? Out of Correct. A caution?

Correct.

Okay so avoiding avoiding that. In terms of, their deliverables, do they have a deadline to submit, any of these, or have those already passed and we're just we're just stuck with where where we're at?

They have had multiple deadlines and they continue to not provide the documentations that we've requested.

Okay. And so there's no

from

what I I understand

see that the committee is a little confused so if you guys see on the expended portion of the report it's the only agency that we have not paid.

Right. And we're just not naming it Can for out of abundance of

I ask why we're not naming it? This is a public meeting if they haven't turned it in.

Because we're currently still working with them.

It's a liability issue.

It's not a lie here's the deadline. Get your stuff in. You don't get it in? Well, there it is. There's no liability issue here. If there was, there'd be an attorney there telling us. There's no liability issue here. So, I mean, if the if someone from the public came up right now on this item and said, who is this? You'd have to tell them. So I see no secrets otherwise where we couldn't know. I I mean, there's no abundance of caution here. I don't care. They're they're an NGO. They either get their stuff in or they don't. I mean, it's pretty basic.

Naomi, let me ask you the basics. So the city staff, they go out and monitor. You had findings and you can't reimburse them because they haven't turned in their training manual. They have clients or people they service that they're supposed to train, but they never leave the program and then they end up staying year over a year or for several months. And so it's it's not complying with the program design that we approved.

Correct. So to clear, Committee Member Cox, so the agency is Heart Communities Homes under Monkey Business Cafe. The agency during the first quarterly review there was in their time sheets we were having some issues and inconsistencies which at that point we had to review and the amount that they were requesting did not align the amount that the city was reviewing. Therefore, we requested that they fix it. At that time, their monitoring did start because we also did see that the people that they were training, they had trained the previous fiscal year and then before that too.

And every year we need new clients.

Correct. Because well, not necessarily. But because they are a training program, we didn't we didn't have any idea on how long it takes to train somebody for the job that they are they are performing. So we started requesting training manuals, their training procedures, and they have failed to provide that documentation to us.

And I'm glad you're coming to the committee because over the years, I've been asking, when when do these monitoring visits happen? And I'm I'm, you know, little nosy. I'm a social worker. I have my MSW and I used to do that for the county. I used to go to the nonprofits and look at their client files and look at their bank statements and look at, you know, and there are findings.

Some people are, you know, not they write one thing in an application. My program is gonna do a, b, and c. But when the city or the county or the government goes to confirm, verify and if a big chunk of it is we're gonna do employment training or we're gonna train, they should have training manuals or they should have some kind of program to show. So thank you for letting me know. I on that chart for the quarterly report, they were supposed to go have a goal of 15 and they've only serviced four.

So they've only done 27%. And now I understand from what you the information you provided that they're not complying with your findings. They're not doing corrective action. And so it now that we're gonna in the next agenda item is do we wanna fund them? It if they can't comply with basic monitoring request or corrective action plan, then it's good for us to know. Everybody else on this chart is at 80%, 42%, 100%, 78%, 60%, 80%. So they're the only ones that are at 27. So I think we should have this information. And thank you for bringing it.

I I have to agree with you. I think it's it's almost what you were talking about is almost Doge like. You know, you've got to trust but verify. You got to trust but verify. Anyone who's been in a leadership role in in accounting, you know, people are gonna spend money. Well, there's processes, and they're there for a reason. It's to stop fraud, waste, and abuse. And so that's just normal in customary. And every NGO knows that. They live by that, and they die by that. And they get their funding by that. So those are good things for us to know. So there could be valid reasons. They haven't gotten it in. And but they haven't. So that's all we have to really look at at this But thank you.

And if I could just add. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Oh. I

just want to point out that this so this organization was also a recipient of the state HCD funding for for a housing project here in the city. I think it was like 1.5. Right? Or 1.5 or 2,000,000. I forget what the exact figure was.

But because they received funding from HCD we know that they're the only organization slash housing provider from almost all of Orange County that received this funding. And it behooves me just knowing how certain decisions are made that regulators may look at this from ECD and say well if Fullerton is not funding this program we're gonna take a closer look at the city and see if they're having if they're doing everything right. There could be a little bit of a backlash from, you know, the an like an Elon Musk versus president Trump backlash where we just wanna be careful around this. So with this provider for heart community homes and their workforce development program, the best I can hope for is that it's an administrative error on their end and there was just a mix up where maybe they can provide something in the way of, what Noemi has been, pushing for for I don't know how long. But when it comes to the decision that we make on the funding, that we're we're not too quick to to pull back, because of of that information.

Because if HCD were to come and look at us again after the debacle of however many years, they've been pulling the housing element and the city through all this, It just it behooves me to make sure that we're, you know, we're we're lenient in in understanding.

So are you saying that there's a possibility we should approve something in which people haven't provided the correct documentation and it quite quite possibly shows that they're not spending the money, they don't have the training in place. Simple training outlines, task conditions standard.

No. I have a very strong track record, very strong track record on being the magnifying glass over at the city of Buena Park that did not allow for anything

like this. So HCD and everyone else doesn't care about. What I care about is malfeasance and nonfeasance. If we don't do our jobs, that's malfeasance. Now we know something. Malfeasance is knowing something and not doing it. Right.

But we just want to encourage them.

So now we know. And it's just not giving them money or giving them money. HCD, if we were to approve, I'd argue the other point, if we give money to a place that isn't following proper procedure and protocol, normally customary within the contract, and this is like common NGO business to do. I mean, they would HDD would look at us even far worse if that were the case. Like we're in we really are incompetent. So I'm almost about accounting transparency and looking at this stuff and giving grace where it's deserved. At the end of the day, the deadlines, they come and they go and they mean things. And I don't know. I might there might something come up, I agree with you. But I'm just leaving that open that staff has gone above and beyond, I mean, months and months.

So for clarification, this is we are funding the Monkey Business Cafe training program for their trainees. It doesn't have to do anything with the housing portion of Hart Communities.

Yeah, I just wanted to, yeah, add to that. Thank you, Noemi. I think there's two entities, right? Just want to be clear that this is Monkey Business Cafe. We've worked with them. We're continuing to work with them to get this right. We've provided recommendations. Naomi's worked really hard to work with their staff and to really identifying what we're looking for. And although they've fallen short of that, we'll continue to reach out. But this is just an awareness

How long have they been in business doing the training and applying for grants? How long have they been?

So I have gone back from 2020 to 2021 fiscal year. I believe that they missed the twenty twenty one-twenty twenty two allocation. Then they had twenty twenty two-twenty twenty three and twenty twenty three-twenty twenty four and twenty twenty four-twenty twenty five.

So they're not new to this. Mean they understand and they've been through it and they have the proper people who are they consultants that work with them to get it right or do they

do themselves? It's the same staff.

Same staff. Okay. All right. Well, thank you.

Anyone have any more questions?

I was wondering if you had any more information to share with us.

I do. Okay. So, no, when it comes to the nonprofits and the CDBG accomplishments, this agency was the only one that we've had

Issues?

Yes, that we found findings and we're trying to work with them but we haven't been able to resolve it. Other than that if no one else has questions I'll hand it over to Linda for her staff updates.

Okay. On May 13, HUD did announce the allocations. As you know, Fullerton received $1,000,397.09 and $450 to that in CDBG funds. Home funds were awarded $466,386.07. Last year, they started adding the cents.

We don't know where that came from. So this information, will be put all into the consolidated plan. You have in front of you the summary of the survey results from the 77 people that responded as well as all of the comments that were submitted through that process. Those along with the detailed report on the the survey will be part of the consolidated plan. K.

The public comment period, and this is gonna be tough getting it out by next week, but we needed this committee to meet before we could get it ready, will be from June 12 through July 14. It will be available for review by the all residents, and the, consolidated plan will be presented to city council on July 15. You are more than welcome to attend. We ask we, you know, we'll we'll let the nonprofits know as well, and they can also attend. So you have a new chart in front of you.

It has the yellow stripe across with all of the funding the correct funding, and all of the applications. Two agencies did withdraw. They have been removed from this. They're listed there, but their funding request has been removed. The two that withdrew were High Hopes Counseling, Empower and Recharge Your Battery, and also OC United Together, Love Fullerton.

We ask the committee tonight when you look through this to remember you do not have to apply 15% or go up to 15% for nonprofit agencies. You can allocate a lower amount if you would like. You will find there will not be enough money to fund up to 15% for all the nonprofits and cover city programs. So you can make that decision. I we look when you look at it, we ask that you look at the community need, new opportunities for new subpopulations, and track record of existing pro agencies.

I'm sorry. I'm having trouble speaking tonight. With that, I think I'm just gonna open it up. I'll put if you'd like, I'll put the chart up on the screen so we can kind of go through the numbers. Madam chair, I think in the past, we found that if you go through the public service section first, then it's a little easier to go after that and figure out where the remaining dollars will go. Okay?

Can I ask just on the consolidated plan survey comments when people were talking about abandoned lots, transportation, they want green space? You know, some people are claiming there's broken water mains, recent projects with little city values. Some people wrote about supporting small businesses with resources, technical assistance. All those public comments are going are gonna be evaluated at what you're saying between June 12 to July 13?

This will become part of the consolidated plan. But, yeah, they're it's there for the public to see what

But the team you meet with are gonna design priorities of what kind of population we wanna work for for those years. Right?

I'm sorry, who?

With that data and that feedback and the comments you're going to meet with a team in your department to be able to propose to the city council on July 15 like priority projects or design a project?

No. These comments are part of the consolidated plan saying these are the things that the residents have seen that they feel are issues. And then the committee, this committee can make their recommendation based on what they feel is a higher priority based on some of these comments.

Okay. Thank you.

I have just a may I share? Oh, thank you. Thank you. Just going along those same lines about the survey. So we had a total of 77 respondents on How the many people are there in the City Of Fullerton? This

was our lowest response as long as I've been here.

Kind of disappointed. I wish the public I'd love to see more. I think last meeting or one the last meetings I was at, I mentioned that some cities will put these things, these flyers in with the water bill so that it goes out and so people get that and say, hey, go to this website if you really want to put in your thoughts and stuff. And actually we can code that so that they put in a unique code. It just allows them to identify them, but it says, okay, that code has been used. It can't be used again. That way you don't get more people flooding in and doing it from out of the city and stuff like that. It just helps for the efficacy and for what folds in. But I think that could help some of the responses. So I think a lot of people have a lot of stuff going on in their lives.

When I looked at the survey and some of the answers, you know, God bless some of these folks. They have some really high ideals, and and I'm glad they do and and some overarching concepts that I might be able to agree with if I had all the money in the world. Unfortunately, I think some of these things are going to be limited by what Fuller has and budgets and what we're coming up against. There's some cold hard realities. I think there's some stuff we can do, but having been at the county and worked there and done this stuff, know, have 18,000 employees.

And so they have a much larger budget. When I was there, social services and the healthcare agency, those two combined were 1,100,000,000.0 that they were getting. And they have a lot of resources and I'm glad to hear, like going back to that, the possible refurbishment of hotels or a motel for homeless and comprehensive services and the county is going to be more behind that because I hope folks understand there's, you know, money is what makes everything happen. And Fulton doesn't we can't be squeezing out money all the time for everything. We're going to have to prioritize and triage And it's going to get tighter and tighter.

So I hope we can do some good stuff here, and I think we can. But there's there's some stuff that I'm reading here, I'm like, I don't know how that could be achieved. But anyway, thank you. That was just my two cents on it.

I to agree with Commissioner Cox on a lot of points, if not all of them here. So I just I know that the for Linda, you've recommended for us to go down the public service activities list to kind of red line or give her a number or give or take. And then for the other sections for administration for the economic development and the other eligible activities sections Those recommendations they're at the same maximums right that have been provided. So the administration maximum 20% of the total CDBG budget can only be up to $279,000 right?

Yes and that was adjusted from the previous sheet that you got because our allocation did go down so that number went down.

And so since the public service activities applications they're not really they're not competing with any of the administration or economic development.

Well they could. You can only go up to 15% like I said maximum on public service But you do not have to go to that 15%.

Right.

If you decide you only wanna do 10% because you want the other 5% for city programs, you can do that as well.

Okay. I I just maybe maybe I wanna go in reverse of in reverse of what you've recommended that we tackle the administration, economic development, and other eligible activities amounts first just because we know that we need to fund these things. Like we need to fund our city code enforcement, right? And our housing administration. So if we can work backwards from that if my committee members agree.

So we're going to move on to item number three, CDBG fiscal year twenty twenty five-twenty twenty six funding recommendations and I believe that's what we'll talk Okay. About all Thank you. Determination of the committee recommendation that will be submitted for city council approval on 07/15/2025 tentatively proposing the nonprofit slash for profit organizations and city department that shall be allocated CDBG funds to be expended in support of specific programs during the twenty twenty five twenty six fiscal year. And we are gonna open the floor for recommendations.

So just to give a a basic review for all four of us. In the years past, we usually do the public services. So if you look at the budget, the headings with red, public service activities, admin, economic development on the second pages we have and then other city programs. If you look at the second page, the last line says grand total. If you look at the third column with numbers, it's the '20 five twenty six request.

So this is what the applications that are in our folders are asking for, 1,800,000.0. However, we need to stay, if you look at the top of that same paper, the yellow bar, it says total CDPG available is 1.5. So if we subtract 1,800,000.0 from 1.5 that means we're over budget 335,691. So 335,000 that we need to cut as a committee and that's going to be in all of these areas if we're going to have a discussion. The easiest way is to start in public service activities and then move down from there on how we we do that.

So that's a good starting point to understand that from 1,800,000.0 we need to bring down this budget to 1.547. And so that's one of the things we can do is out of all the nonprofits that have applied, the last column this committee is gonna figure out how much we each want to do so we can throw numbers and start from the top or we can say out of all of these applicants is there anyone we want to fund at zero? Once we know who we want to fund at zero then we're going to have a solid number to distribute to the rest.

A question here. Great analysis, great thinking there. Appreciate those insights. Because the haircut we would have to take would be substantial and then there would be no funding for anybody else. I hear what you're saying. Although I believe Commissioner Castaneda, think he's got some good ideas here too on this. But can staff just tell me on the second page it says down at the bottom other eligible activities subtotal. Are those 480,000? What are those other is that the $3.50 the three fifty and the 130 code enforcement?

Yes.

So those are other other okay. So that's where that's coming from. So I'm surprised code enforcement isn't here saying don't you cut us. I'm looking at what they've used and what they have used and they certainly haven't used all of their 130,000, I noticed. Although they did finally hire some more people, I think. Right? So Yes. Would that go

up? Funded now.

Yeah. So I'm sure that they would Fully staffed. If they're they're listening right now, they're racing over down the elevator to get here to start picketing. So I I yeah. We're gonna have to see where who where we're gonna give some haircuts to including city, some of the city asks.

So we're going have to get out our pencils and pens and start going at it. So is there, Chair, if I can recommend, is there anywhere that if you wish to put this out there to us that we start looking at those that we already think we want to do some slight haircuts to and other ones in which we're saying no they should get zero because they haven't done X, Y or Z. I mean I don't know I'm just throwing that out there, Chair, if you want to start with that and we kind of muddle our way through from there.

So I think we should start with if there's any applicants that we don't want to fund like committee member suggested and then we'll know from there.

So I am suggesting that we fund zero for heart community homes and stand up for OC, for kids OC. So I can give you my reasons and then we can compromise and negotiate. And if the majority wants agree then we agree.

I think we hear your reasons.

Okay so.

If that's okay chair. I'm sorry.

I did so for my rough numbers I did one with funding most of the agencies at what they wanted which meant removing one or two of not funding them. So the standard for kids OC let me go to my notes. In the past, we didn't fund them either just because the program design the way the program is designed is not really, in my opinion, feasible. There is no MOU with the school sites. And to send outreach workers to meet at a school site, I have never witnessed that.

I sit on the school site council for my child's elementary school. And so it's hard for school districts to approve outside don't think they'll you meet. They have an MOU.

Don't think they'll even let you meet, correct? Because you don't have an MOU, right?

So let me finish my point. Okay. So my concern is if there is no MOU and I doubt that the school sites allow this type of outreach, Their concern and I remember asking during after that presentation from Stand Up For Kids, their design says 12 to 24 year olds. And so this is a youth program. I don't wanna get in trouble with the feds and hud if they're servicing eighteen to twenty four year olds.

And so their goal is they were asking 40,000 for 25 people. And to me, this looks like case management and referrals to the rest of our agencies because if a child is homeless, they might go to another agency. So if Stand Up For Kids does this kind of outreach work, it's street outreach. And if they go to the school to try to get referral, I I just prefer not to fund them. That way I can fund, for example, I wanna give Boys and Girls Club 50,000 and I wanna give YMCA of OC their full 20,000. So I rather not fund stand up for OC kids. If anybody else agrees with me then we can kind of figure Anybody else or do you guys wanna fund them?

Do you find that that service is duplicative? That there's already there's already providers, NGOs and not only that but it's baked into or embedded within the school district. Those services are already there. So even if they were wanting money, I'd be looking at it. And this is why I love being on the commission with you the last time, it was like years ago, because you have real good insight and the ability to drill down on those things and from a social worker, from a county standpoint and those critique is the same that they use. So that overlay is good how you look at it even here. So my concern, I'd be saying the same thing because it's just duplicative services and a go between. And I don't, you know, I'm not I've never been good for that. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Yes. So from my opinion on this, so I think what I proposed earlier was to start backwards because I I wanna I wanna speak for what I wanna keep in terms of what I like what I would need to see funded. And then if there's stuff that we can't fund, I mean, it's it's just it's just not it's not something that we're intentionally going out of our way to say, oh, we don't wanna fund them. It's it's rather we just don't have the funds for it after, you know, crossing out everything else that we do need a fund. So that was my proposal for a flip on this.

And then second, I I really see things as part of a a nonprofit and social service ecosystem here in Fullerton. So I serve on the Providence St. Jude community health committee. It's one of the committees of the board of trustees and we recently had a presentation two weeks ago from Fullerton School District where they identified a lot of the program providers that they have MOUs and are partnered with when they screen and identify students for potential psychological or psychiatric needs where they might need counseling services, they might need holistic wraparound services for the entire family and so of those program providers that are working with the school district already they identified that there were there were many foster youth program provide or foster youth services program providers. I I see Stand Up For Kids and I think there's one other one.

Stand up for kids and there's another one that works with foster youth specifically. Oh no the heart community home stand up. That they work in tandem with the already identified former former homeless or at risk homeless and foster youth in an ecosystem where they lean heavily on their services to supplement what the school district already provides. So it's really not, either or. It's much more of a partnership and, and everyone working together.

And so this is I mean, that's directly from Providence which is a private entity supplementing and funding services to that the Forest and School District can provide as well as the Forest and School District providing those services with their very limited budgets already. So anytime we take funding away from any of these applicants that work in tandem with our community agencies and whatnot, you know it's a loss. I mean I think

If you look at the second column there were several that didn't get awarded last year so it's common because we'll get 18 applications and we just award 12.

Right.

So as far as the money part goes I prefer to fund the public service agencies all these nonprofit not every one of them but I want to spend the 209,000. So I feel strong about starting with public services because as far as the over budget of 335,000 we can cut that in the loan and grants or we can reduce the economic development contract because that's not really realistic to fund somebody at $104,000 for at the bottom of the first page, economic development. So that's where we can figure out the the 335,000 extra. But I wanna, in my view use up the 209,618 which is on the top corner where it says public service max. I do want to use that.

Does everybody feel the same or

I know I've watched all the commission meetings every single year So I I've I've heard the back and forth from all your input, vice chair Hanzo. I I just don't feel as strongly that we need to even go to the 15 maximum. Like, we don't need to spend $209,000 in the public service activities category. Because once we go once we eliminate from the the administration, economic development, and other other eligible activities funding requests, then we're left with, $14,000 left over for public service activities. So I mean that's at the other end on the extreme side.

So I know that we do have a mandate from the city council that we have to fund the public works engineering division Pacific Luis one the Walnut Area street improvements funding requests to the tune of $350,000. Like, that's imminently that that's immediately cut from our ability to play around with those numbers because council will override us and I don't want to present

I'm that proposing funding that we cut the city programs. I'm proposing if we do cut the 335,000 that it comes from the loan and grants program and then the economic development upwards care. That's where I would reach the $335,000.

I think

But I do wanna fund I want to use up to 209,618 for the nonprofits that are working with our residents. And so for the Heart Community Homes application, I'm thinking of also not funding them and that way the rest of the people that have applied, so those would be my only two that I would fund at zero. That way the rest can get most of their money. And if the Heart Community Homes workforce development cannot comply with training manuals and if it's a red flag to me that they're inconsistent with their time sheets and the amounts don't add up, those are they're noncompliance. So they this isn't the first time we've had issues with with them.

And so I think I am okay with putting them at zero zero. Then we can distribute, for example, Boys and Girls Club 50,000, which is what they're asking, the Cares, housing service corporation 43,000, meals on wheels senior serve 15,000 and they have a second contract. So one of them is to deliver meals 15,000 and community, the lunch cafe 15,000 and then I would fund bridges of Kramer, Mercy House at what they're requesting 15,000 and then the YMCA 20,000 and then the Recovery Road giving them their 25,000 and putting the remainder in pathways of hope. 65,000 is a lot of money to being requested for this chunk of money. So instead of 67,000 I propose we give them the remainder of 26,618.

So if there's an agreement on any of those amounts, if three if most of us or three of us want to fund those amounts, then we can do that. Is there anyone else that wants to fund Heart at zero? Give them no funding?

I'm gonna say yes. I'm gonna say no funding for Heart. They will have to reapply next year when they have their paperwork together in order.

Anyone else not want to fund HEART so that knowing we can put the number zero on the chart? And once we put on the chart we can still move those numbers around so it's not set in stone until we kind of vote on this. Anybody else?

So I'm just gonna start off with just $10,000 for Boys and Girls Club youth development program. My family has directly received and benefited from this program so I really care about this program but you know of course we don't have all the money in the world. Care housing services at $40,000 we know that they're one of the only providers and they're a very stable provider. It's just the it's just a rounding issue here. For the Meals on Wheels Orange County, they are they did go to the County of Orange and the board of supervisors did award their funding request for almost the same if not a similar program that they have in house.

So I'm gonna put it at zero just because we have the county stepping in. It was I think a couple weeks ago.

So I'm sorry. You're you're You're saying don't fund

The meals always.

Home delivery meals. Okay.

Right. It's not it's not targeted at the organization or anything. It's just they were in the news recently the board of supervisors approved a massive amount of funding for them for the same program three weeks ago. I hope no let's see here.

I'm sorry zero for both of their programs?

Yes. So zero for both. Let's see here. Heart Community Homes, I will have to agree with vice chair Hanzo. Just the deliverables needed to be there. And if we're not factoring in other kinds of, know, other kinds of things here and just looking strictly at their deliverables to the city. It's just not there. So zero. Homeless intervention services of Orange County for the intensive street based case management. There is no funding amount for that.

Right? They didn't ask for anything. Okay. Just making sure because I think Cal Optimum has stepped up with their street based, medicine program that they're they offer. Let's see here for Mercy House since they took over the operations for the bridges at Cramer's Place from the previous provider I think it was not what the previous provider was.

They are able to move funding around from various cities that provide for their services at the navigation centers. So I'm just gonna put zero for now. Pathways of Hope, I think I wanna put at $60,000 because they I don't think they were funded to the to the tune of what they needed to be funded at in previous years. And they are the only they are the most significant provider of meals and social services to Fullerton School District families. This was a this was a point that was made to me in the Providence St.

Jude Community Health Committee meeting two weeks ago that that Pathways of Hope really is that partner that steps up in the community And I think to not fund them with CDBG funds would be a much more detrimental impact to Fullerton families than what we really understand right now. Recovery Road, I'm also gonna put at 5,000, Not because I don't believe in the work that they do or because they haven't been funded in the past, but because I have seen their work in action and I hope that any little amount can go a long way. And that's for both the food pantry and the their the rent cost that they they requested. Okay. Then let's let's see here.

Stand up for kids. I hear you. I hear my commissioners here. I just know that because they work in either lockstep or in tandem with our other foster youth service providers such as Crittenton and I'm blanking on the name. There's another major one in Orange County. And they work with them and alongside them that they need some funding to pay for costs. I'm gonna just ask for 5,000 in a consensus. And for YMCA also 5,000, if if not a little bit more, for the Maple neighborhood youth achievers.

You said 15 for

Yes. If you wanted to get a subtotal. I said 5,000 for it was no. So

you don't want to use 209,000 but you're proposing 150?

Yeah. Much lower.

Okay. So I have a question for staff. I remember in past years we wouldn't ever allocate 5 or 7,000 because that's it was not worth even

That was enough.

We were just discussing that.

What And I

didn't mention that. It's just an in house internal thing because there is a lot of paperwork. They have to turn in quarterly reports. They have to do intake forms on all of their clients that we ask you to kind of

Lock stand the machine returns. There's X whether it's they've got $20,000 or 5,000 it's the same amount of paperwork and the paperwork to push that costs X and

$5,000 What's that amount?

I mean you can't it's an in house it's just an in house thing that staff suggests but we did about 10,000. 10,000. Okay. Then

can we increase those 5,000 amounts all to 10,000? And then let me get a subtotal here. Change some of these numbers.

It's 77,939 I believe.

77.

I just I I may be wrong. So what's your I didn't get bring my phone computer.

My phone calculator.

Would the committee like to see those numbers on the screen?

Yes please.

Okay. Then could you repeat the numbers for me?

Boys and Girls Club, 10,000. Care, 40,000. Meals on Wheels for both programs would be zero. Park Community Homes, zero. And then down to Mercy House at zero. Pathways of Hope at sixty.

Recovery

Road at ten. I think Stand Up For Kids at ten and YMCA at ten.

Naomi, can you add three more columns and we we could just all four of us put our columns on there so we can have a good visual? Does that sound like a good idea?

Yeah. This way, the two.

Jose, can I ask you a question on some of your stuff here? As you move further, so and we're gonna be looking at the grand total on this this tally. I'm going to phone a friend here over there. Linda, work the numbers crunch them please for us. I didn't know there was going to be math on this test today. So

Oh, there's a lot of math.

Unfortunately. Excel files I love, though. But Jose, so as you get as you look at the numbers you've just proffered here, when you start getting into public services and admin and everything, so what do you any proposals there? Or are you trying because obviously I don't think there's gonna be enough here in savings. But what what are you proposing here?

Yeah. My so I'm hoping to maximize the the funding request for the city programs and nonprofit agencies for community development and fair housing services. So it would be maxed out at 279,000.

I'm just flipping my pages here. So down at administrative subtotal, the first one public services activities total is well, you step down administrative fair housing, then we have administrative subtotal in blue under there, and that's $2.79, you're saying.

Right. Hoping to max that out completely.

Okay. So right at $2.79. And then the next one, economic development. Economic development subtotal is 104, and that's on page one at the very bottom.

Yeah. From the from what I understood prior to the meeting, it was this is a noncompetitive funding, so it doesn't compete with funding maximums for public services and administration. Right? With economic development?

Economic development does not have to fall under the 15%.

Right. Okay. So we're there. So then we go to the next page on this handout that I've given us subsidy programs, home improvement admin programs, six sixty three, seven ninety five.

Yeah. We needed to max that out and almost match the the request

Okay.

That we have here completely.

Who's who's typing up the chart? Linda or Naomi?

Linda is.

Okay. So Jose, you have for upward care one zero four. Right? Okay.

We can lower that amount, but I wanted to match the other categories as closely as possible to the maximums allowable. But for upwards care because there's a flexible amount of there's there's flexibility for us there. I'm willing to go down. It's just I think they're willing to hire, was it three to four Fullerton residents locally and that's those are just that that translates directly as jobs. So for me, I see that as a very big plus.

So for special code enforcement, your what what's your number? So we can do this finish this column, then we'll mine and then we can

Special quote. Oh, that would be 130. So the whole other eligible activities would be 100

And then $3.50.

Okay. Yeah. $4.80 total.

So you're at 1,600,000.0. Okay. So on column g, I'll give you my numbers.

Sure.

Let me put names up at least at the top.

Okay. Yeah.

Put initials. Maybe No make it spelling errors then.

Yeah. I

had to

stop and think. Castaneda.

So while Carol Merrill is typing the numbers over there behind door number one, I'm going to say that from an overarching concept, Jose, I'm kind of leaning into where you're going here. I do want to help protect some of these city services that we have on page two and try to get the maximum we can for them. Although I do think we might have to give a slight haircut here and there just to bring that number in line with our total 1.547. Think you're, from what I saw

I'm just trying to

think I think you were slightly off. Set a little bit over. So that's kind of where I'm leaning. You know, there's just tough choices to make. And

So let me let me get my column down and then

Sure. But I just want people to know kind of where I'm I'm comfortable.

Boys and Girls Club, 50,000. For Care Housing Services Corporation, 43,000. Home delivery meals, 15,000. Lunch cafe, 15,000. Monkey Business Workforce Development, zero.

Bridges of Kramer, 15,000. Mercy House. Pathways of Hope. And Pathways of Hope according to their nine ninety form IRS form, have 3,700,000.0 in revenue. I think they'll be okay. If they get 20 so I'm recommending $26,006.01 8. For Recovery Road, 25,000. For Stand Up For Kids, OC 0. YMCA of OC, 20,000. And then we're gonna keep going down.

So Same for 100% for admin and Fair Housing Foundation. So Linda on that if you go to the top row 52 and if you grab the existing two five two seven nine that's on column f you can just highlight it and drag it to the right to get the formula. Click on it. Drag that corner. Hold it down.

And you can go all the way to the other three columns. Just Yeah. That way those formulas are there. For Upward Care, 50,000 or I can go less. That would be my max for them.

And the reason for them okay. I gotta find it. Okay. Upward Care, they wanna have 17 caregivers, so people to become in home child care. And so my concern is the level of liability concern of a licensed home based child care.

If there's a death of a child or injury of a baby, would the city face any liability? If we fund them? Can they come after the city? So I'm a little nervous about that that kind of service. And another concern I had with them is they have digital tools that it feels like their recipients or the caregivers that they train would have to invest in.

And so it's good to train someone if they wanna be a childcare provider, but I can't fund them at a 104. And so that's why I'm putting 50,000. Okay. So moving on. City programs for the admin, it's it's I'm recommending what they want, 163795.

For the loan and grant programs, I'm gonna cut their money to 264 comma five $5.05. Loan and grants carryover $150,000 because that's carryover. And I'm fully funding special code enforcement at 130,000 and fully funding the park improvement at Pacific Lewis Wanda at $3.50. And so let's see if my total adds up. I'm I'm over by 50,000.

I'm trying to look at my numbers. I guess when I use the Excel sheet, it added up different. Okay. I'll look into it while everybody else is doing theirs. Thank you.

Could it could it be the $2.07 9 that you dragged and it it actually copied it? Because I noticed Jose's the exact same number and even though we had cuts in there, so at the admin subtotal? Okay. I was just

Oh, I'm sorry. Patricia, you might or I'm sorry. Vice Chair DeConzo, you might check 50 g 57. I'm sorry. 59. Maybe that it didn't add up that $50,000. Remember we questioned it? But when we looked at it ups or downstairs, it worked. Maybe yours didn't have it. That'd be 50,000.

It could be that I didn't scoot it on that that column for my recs. Thank you.

All right. So I'm kind of the guy in between here. So if I was taking Jose's numbers and we applied them, only that what I would change, I agree with commissioner Hanzo on the $26.06 $1.08 for community based services program going from, I think Jose had it at 60. So I would say $26.06 18. And then

I'm sorry, what amount did you want here? This is for Pathways

I'm sorry. Was, yeah, Pathways of Hope Community Based Services Program, formerly Regional Homeless Services. I think the $26,006.01 8 is where I would I would put it at as well and I'd agree to. And then I think I also agree with the 50,000 for boost or economic development. And that's where I'm kind of get stymied at when I turn to the next page, The loans and grants.

Yeah. I I could go with the $2.64 on that as well, what Commissioner Hanzo had recommended. Oh, sure. Sure. Go ahead and pipe in. Alright. Please.

Just just to the point.

I mean, just so I I can finish here, there's that, you know, there's a lot of stuff here. I can go a lot of different ways. You know, there's there's nine ways to skin that proverbial cat. And it's just, you know, not one is gonna be more right than the other or one more wrong. So I think we can get here.

It's just a matter of kind of doing some numbers. That's why I'm not going through I'm listening and I'm seeing what my fellow commissioners want to do. I think agreeing or modifying or slightly changing it or adding a little more to it is going to work in the long run. Because I think you all have some great ideas and some numbers that you've come up with. So I'm just going to try to just augment a few here and try to get the numbers that we need, maybe provide some more guidance than which someone might go, yeah, I agree with that one too. So anyway, that's where I'm at. So I'm sorry. Jose, go ahead.

Oh, yeah. Had a very, very critical conversation with our staff, Noemi, on the home improvement program, and that there's, there's a backlog or there is a very long waiting list already. I fear that any cuts to this would actually, we would see almost an immediate backlash because of the number of forwards in homeowners and residents that qualify for the program, have applied for the home improvement program, are on a waiting list that has not been funded from last year's funds and you know, would definitely need to be funded for at least this year since this would be the last year that this program that has been running from, I don't even know, four decades more and more would be around. Like this program will not be funded next year and so this is the last possible year that these residents have been waiting and cannot wait. So if there's any cuts to the loan and grants numbers, I feel like we would see that immediately.

We would would see that or hear that at the June at the July 15 council meeting for sure. So I wanna wanna up those numbers if possible for for all our colleagues to consider.

Committee member Cox, were you done with your recommendations?

I think I'm pretty much there. And and, Jose, I hear where you're coming from. And, know, although I can see where you're coming from, you know, we just got to come up with some money. And, you know, we're cutting a lot of some of the other folks here. I mean, there's some things.

If we look at administrative fair housing, there's some city programs and nonprofit agencies. Can there's some slight well, actually, the city program's at $259 $491 We could make some adjustments there as well to get to the right numbers. But that's going to have to come up with all of us. But no, I hear where you're coming from. But you know, it's it's it's gonna be tight all the way around. So, yeah, chair, I'm I'm I'm good. Alright.

So I'm sorry. Staff needs some clarification on the administration. So Fair Housing and Administration, you're at the full request

Let's

see. By now?

Which page again?

Second page. Housing Administration and Fair Housing Foundation. The total of Yes. $2.70

Yeah. I'm at the full. So Public Works Engineering Division, Pacific Louise Wandelnut Street are, yeah. Okay. No cuts on there. And the Community Economic Development Special Code Enforcement 130, no cuts on that. Is

Is

that that what you're looking for?

Yes.

Okay.

I believe so. Okay. I believe.

Are we ready for mine? Yes. Okay. So for Boys and Girls Club of Fullerton, I put 30 k. Care Housing, 43 k, which is the full funding.

Community senior Meals on Wheels, 25, and then 25 for the other Meals on Wheels program. And $0 for monkey for Heart Heart Community Homes, specifically the Monkey Business Cafe Workforce Development Program is what it's the question. So 0 for that. And then Mercy House, the full funding of 15 k. Pathways of Hope, 20 k.

Recovery Road, 15 k. And then, Stand Up For Kids OC, 15 k. And then, YMCA, the full 20 k funding. And that looks like it equals out to $208,000. And then for for housing administration, the full funding of $259,491.

And then Fair Housing Foundation, the full 20. And then for upwards, 20 is what my recommendation is. And full funding for home improvement program. Yes. So I I'm gonna agree with the loans and grants, and then we can discuss that if we have to.

And then $1.50 for the, carryover because it's carrying over. And then $1.30 130 k for special code enforcement, which is full funding. And then 350 k full funding for public works engineer engineering division.

Your total is $1.05 $6.05 $8.04 1.

So that's 20 k over, I believe.

Let me see. Yes. Okay.

So I'm I'm there for now, but I can work with the numbers. We have to agree to them anyway. So those are my numbers and we can go from there.

Can you scroll down and show the bottom of the totals so we see the grand amount? Thank you.

Linda, if you can please go to my what is this called? Loaning grants. So instead of 6 $2.06 4, if you can put that 214. Let me see if my number moves. And then let's see what my grand total is. K. I think that's the number that I probably messed up on. Thank you.

Mhmm. Can I chime in, madam chair, or Linda's? Yeah. Go ahead. I'm doing my math.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I I mean, my goal would be for us all four of us have a consensus on the final recommendation to counsel just as a strong recommendation that they can really consider. If we can go down to the economic development for the upwards boost program, I'll lower it to 50.

Let's see here. Oh, there we go. So I'll lower it to 50. And there are I think that's three people three out of the four for 50, and we'll leave it at that. For the home improvement, the loans and grants, I still want it I still I want everybody to come up on their numbers.

Just I I know how critical this program is, so I would hope that there's some willingness to go up but I will drop it for the sake of consensus I'll drop it to 264. So at the minimum we can move from that to two sixty four five five five. And we have three for that. Let's see here. And then going up to the Pathways of Hope, It's a little bit low.

20,000 is a little bit too low. I'll drop it to 40,000. And I think I wanted to eliminate stand up for kids here for to zero. Up and down. And moving up to the top of the sheet. I will leave it for now. I'll hear more input.

We have a total of $1,000,487.08 41.

I have to change my, line 65 because, I'm over by $18,382. So I need to change that to 246173. 246001 and 173. Yeah.

Excuse me. That brings you to $1,000,547.04 $5.09.

And that's the exact amount that of our budget. Correct? Yes.

What if I go to the side and mark the where you have at least three of you agreeing. I'll mark which ones, and then you can go from there.

I'm sorry. So We're gonna choose a one of the three columns you're saying? One of the four columns?

Look across boys and girls club.

Oh, okay. Thank you.

No. There are not three. And well, this might not work.

It looks like two people are consensus to do zero allocation for stand up for kids. And I think all of us are saying zero allocation for heart. Right?

Yes.

So there's some consensus on that.

For the rows that are three or more that you're marking for just that consensus, can we just lock those in and then we'll eliminate from the the remainder?

Okay.

Yeah.

So it looks like there's a consensus of three committee members that want to give $50,000 to Upward Care. And just for those watching, we also have consensus on special code enforcement at 130,000, home improvement program administration, loan and grants carryover.

Yeah. I can go to

And the park. On the

loans on the loans and grants, I can come up to $3.50 on that.

Oh,

we weren't? Oh, okay. I thought we were gonna I thought that was one of them where I thought I heard someone go, no. They came back up or something. So yeah. Okay. So 264, I guess, we're at. Yeah. Well, on mine, I can go up. You all are.

So with the loans and grants, it looks like they got the carryover for a $150,000.

Yes.

And last time, so that's why I felt okay taking some money away from there because they they got the carryover of a $150,000 from last time. Good point.

That's a revolving loan. So those funds go in and out every year. Some years, we don't get paid back a lot, so then there are fewer loans.

Yeah so that money is specifically from the deferred home improvement program. So the deferred loan of the home improvement program and so it just depends on whether those residents are able to pay back the city. Sometimes those applicants if they receive that deferred loan they can also request for an extension of that loan and so it may be many years before the city sees that money again. So we really wanna do our part in replenishing that fund from the CDBG funds because we're just not sure if, you know, there's a there's we expect for them to pay back but we will never know unless they're selling their home and they, you know, the lien the money from that lien comes back to the city. So I hope that explains the program a little

And is this is just an estimate, the $1.50.

Yep. So we don't know if we'll expect it in an economic

And on that category for rehab city programs, loan and grants, there's three of us that are okay at 264,555 or 200 wait. Oh, no. That's

a It was at one time, but it got changed.

It got changed. Okay.

Yeah. Yeah.

I think we should go to the on that. Think we should go to the nonprofits and and

Work our

way down. And and work our way down.

Yeah. You know, from what from what commissioner Castaneda said about the Meals on Wheels program being heavily funded by Orange County, I'm kind of I'm kind of like not not I mean they've got their money. They've got funded so.

The thing with Orange County is they're serving all of Orange County. Our CDPG funds are for Fullerton specific clients. So this is going to benefit if we're allocating 50 or 25 15 or 25,000, it's going to specifically their application says specifically to Fullerton residents.

Okay. So and what do you got? Can we go to those right now? Am I missing it right here, my eyeballs? Oh, there we are. Yeah. So there it is, 15 of 15. Come down.

So for example, the delivery of meals to seniors that are homebound, it's gonna service 35 residents of Fullerton. And then the other contract for the hot meals at the Fullerton Community Center is gonna service two eighty one seniors. So I recommend we fund them. How many of us want to fund these two Meals on Wheels contracts? Only two according to the chart.

I I see that. Yeah. We I think I got some room to come up. I I can I can go with an increase from I think you guys are at 15? Think on that. What what did you see? So at 15, we have 25 or 25.

Linda, can you go scroll down to the bottom for my subtotal? I think I had a unread no.

I can definitely come up 15.

All the way to the bottom for

Oh, yeah.

The 1.4. But how much did I have to play with? It's like 70, 60, 70. Oh, 60. Okay. So 60. I can come up. I can come up and find the Meals on Wheels.

Give us a number.

Which Meals on Wheels program are you funding and at what amount?

We have for both of them, I guess. Doug, do you have a

I was gonna do 15 on each, but I mean, I've got room to go. I could go 25 on each. But then again, that kind of throws

Let's go 15.

Wrenches. Let's see where the numbers start rolling. We'd here a long night. I'm wearing my toothbrush. I'm in purgatory right now. Pajamas.

Committee member Cox, are you proposing 15 as well?

Yes.

So I I really want those loans and grants fully funded as to the best, you know, that we can do. If if one of if vice chair or chair, if you'd be willing to come up to the $22,064 no. Sorry. $202,164,000, I will come up to the remainder. I think I have 10,000 left to play with. So I I really need you to come up to $264,555.

I really don't wanna do that to the nonprofits. I really wanna spend the $2.00 9.

Let's keep going and see where we're at because I I like, I wanna get through the nonprofits because that like I said like she was saying, I also wanna make sure they're

Yeah.

Scroll all way down again. I want see where my numbers are. Yeah.

The the so the question at hand is would are are you willing to come down on one of the nonprofits to come up on the home the loans and grants? Yeah. So if we can scroll to the top of the Yeah. If we could yeah.

If you can scroll to the top of the screen. Committee

Committee member Cox, are you finished with the bottom? Okay. Okay. So you do not have three members with the same numbers for any of the nonprofits.

So sorry. You can highlight Meals on Wheels. Yes.

Do have

Meals on Wheels, both of those contracts.

Change now. Well,

with with with my path that I'm on, my track, we only need 33,000 to get to it right. So maybe through just dumb luck on my old bald head, I've come up with a solution. But if you like my numbers, we only need to find 33 more. You guys need to shave to get to where I'm at. And that might be easier than what you're looking at. And I think I I think I've hit kind of everybody's kind of goal. I tried to incorporate everything you all were doing. So It's kind of the lazy way mans of of think non thinking. I just kinda hear the great minds before me and then kinda amalgamate them together and then see what I can come up with.

So you're okay not funding Mercy House Bridges of Kramer and member Castaneda?

Which which one are you on? Where

Mercy House Bridges of Kramer. Yeah.

Which line number?

26.

26. There we go. Okay.

So Murry House wants to serve a 100 clients with $15,000. And these are Fullerton resident Okay.

Let's do 15,000. My plan is 15,000. Now we only need what is it? To 18,000 more?

So I have a question Linda. Should we have a column of what we've all had consensus in and use that total?

We can but all I did was highlight them in yellow so that you know that those have a consensus.

If you take a look at my column and just take a look. I'm not saying it's the greatest thing in the world, but I kind of try to weave with all you and take bits and pieces as you noticed and just see if it kind of meets your intent, your overarching goals, what you want to achieve. And if it does so far accept, I think there's 17,000 I'm off, just go ahead and ask me. Let's just see if we can can put some money in there somewhere. And if it all works out

Okay. Because for example, Boys and Girls Club, last year, they asked for 50. We gave them 45, and you're proposing 10,000. Or wait. You're yeah. So member Casaneda and member Cox, you're both proposing 10,000. That's a big hit. Okay. The Boys and Girls Club owes.

So how about what's my balance

had information about their funding, and he shared some information about the Boys and girls club funding, additional funding that they were receiving that might have sued helped me to change my number. Can if you could share the information that you shared about boys and

girls club?

Right. I mean, we're we're really knowledgeable here. I mean, we we know some of the board of Boys and Girls Club and my you know, I mentioned that my family benefited directly from their program so I hate seeing cuts to it. It's just when certain nonprofits have the administrative capacity to go out for different pots of funding versus the like a smaller smaller nonprofit. They're they're a little bit more adaptable for to times like these where, you know, we we're shaving down the funding allocations.

And it's not because I don't like them or have anything against a particular agency or organization. It's just when you consider their organizational capacity to adapt within the certain economic constraints. It's some are gonna fare better than others. Like, the the Meals on Wheels are gonna fare better than others. Mercy House is gonna fare better than better than others than the smaller nonprofits.

And so you you mentioned that the Pathways of Hope, oh, because they have 3,700,000.0 in in the bank, that they've listed as revenue. I mean, I I've seen their operations and I know what's going on and their their partnership with Fullerton School District is a critical lifeline and as part of the social service ecosystem in Fullerton. So I would disagree with what your assertions were on some of those numbers considering that that's my calculus. Right? And I, you know, so I I really I really don't think we need to go up higher for Boys and Girls Club. We're not being punitive. It's just they have the capacity to maneuver.

Yeah. I agree. They they have depth and age and history in which they can reach back to donors and people and they have a network that's been well established. So I understand that reason. Sounds logical to me. On my plan we've got 18,000 we need to come up with to make mine I think dead on. And so we're ladies, where would you like to see 18,000

just didn't Would you

like me to read through committee members Cox's numbers to give you an idea of where he is?

Yeah. Okay.

Boys and Girls Club, $10,000 Care Housing, $40,000. Community Senior Serve Meals on Wheels, 15,000 for each program. Mercy House, 15,000. Pathways of Hope, 26,618. Recovery Road, 10,000. Stand Up For Kids, 10,000. So for a total of a 141,600

Linda, can you hold for a sec? Yeah. The total so you're saying that you're willing to cut for public services $70,000 and bring it down from $2.00 9 to $1.41. Don't know if I can do that. So look at what what Linda's highlighting right now, public services subtotal. The nonprofits, according to member Cox would only get 141,000.

Yeah. But there's I have 18,000 needs to be added on to that. 18,000 I still because I'm 18,000 off from hitting the goals. So it's not that much add 18,000 onto that. But yeah, I mean

Because the grants

30, and loans you both are at two zero nine and $2.00 8. If you add 18,000 onto that, I'm at what, five $1.59. I'm kinda splitting the difference in a way.

So To me, the the grants and loans, those families can just wait a couple years to get something repaired, a roof repaired or, you know, yes, it's gonna be hard times. But I prefer that these nonprofits get services every year to residents because it's not like residents I mean, residents are losing out with a $141,000. If HUD allows us to spend $2.00 9 or let's just say 200,000, we're we're really gonna hurt nonprofits if we don't fund them. We don't have to fund all of them, but the ones that have consistently been complying with the monitoring visits who that's why we have this chart of them in their quarters. They're in compliance and they're meeting all the criteria.

So instead of having money in a loan account and people applying for it, that can shift. And if people need to fix a wall or fix their garden or or repair something, that's materialistic. I'd rather have public social services for the clients. So a 100 and, you know, let's say, a $160,000 feels like it's way too low. And so we do this whole RFP process, and then we're not gonna really give money to nonprofits because we wanna have a big fat accounts in the loan and grants of 350,000, a quarter of $1,000,000.

We wanna just keep a quarter of $1,000,000 for maybe 10 families to apply. I mean, that's my frustration. Don't take it personal. It's just my frustration of we just want to hold $350,000 Or I think the priority should be, especially in these hard times, actual clients.

It's just that, yes, I think we're, you know, I'm always I I I hear you. I hear you, Vice Chair. I just in terms of the numbers, just bringing it back to where I think, commissioner Cox fell in the middle of our recommendations, you know, like this pushing we're all of the same values. We all wanna serve our residents. We all want these things to happen.

But with the money so limited and this being the last year for CDBG to be exist, like, we can't count on future funding pools. And so I feel like I wanna lean towards what commissioner Cox's final number recommendations are just to get a consensus on our recommendation to council because council can easily override us. I mean, I'm of the mind that council is going to, wanna see the the street rehab, for the maple what is it called? The the, the Pacific Lewis Wanda, like, that has to be funded in their minds. I think for the home improvement program we've heard some people speak to that.

I've seen the pictures on our city website for I think the recent ones where people were just living in squalor and they were not up to code enforcement standards. So in you know, the people that are receiving those funds are not just people that are like, they have a house. They're literally living in squalor. Their health and their safety are at risk every single day if those improvements are not made and they could easily go to the hospital and if they didn't even qualify for Medi Cal or or on Cal Othema then they that hospital is eating it up. So there's all these like, you know, that's this is just a sidebar. So I just wanna like

come back

to where we're at.

For the five years that I've been on this committee Yeah. We always do the maximum on the public service activities. If it's a 111,000, if it's a 109,000, we always have done that in practice.

Yeah. I've screened from behind the computer when I watched the previous year's commission meeting. So we're I we're just not gonna get there this year. It's just not possible.

I I see where you're coming from, and I I and I hear you, and I feel for what you're talking about. But let's just take a look at where some of lowest things I've got on there were Fulton Boys and Girls Club. So I came up 15. That's $35,000 difference. Right?

So $35,000, that's a large cut, but we've discussed why that cut is probably more appropriate, the depth, the knowledge, the history of the Boys and Girls Club and their ability to overcome any type of lower amount because they're just more robust. And they've been around since sliced bread, as I can remember, and long before I was married born. So then my next was was it the 43,000? I think it was at 40 I'm sorry. Place where I was zero.

So Meals on Wheels, I came up to 15, but yet there's 10,000, 10,000. So when you look at some of the places where the biggest cuts have come from on my list are some of the ones that you all proposed, but yet I've come up. But those cuts were already articulated by you all as the reasoning for it, and I went along with it. And now I've come up. So I hear you, but in reality there's about in the cuts that I have that you all have approved, the big ones, there's like, you know, was it 90,000, I think, here?

You know, 90,000 savings. So I know my number looks lower at 160,000. But in reality, those the biggest cuts from there would make it up and bring it up there. But you all you all propose those cuts, not me, on some of the biggest stuff. So I don't think we're really that far off. And I I think I I agree with what you're saying.

So how much do you

want to

fund the public service agencies? $1.70 or $1.60?

I, you know

Is that what we're trying to negotiate Well,

I've got 18,000.

Does staff anywhere have any recommendation how we can

Well, I don't know. It's not a recommendation, but just a little clarification on the housing rehab program. Most of the clients are seniors. They don't have any other income coming into them. We do emergency roofs where they actually have leaking or roofs caving in. It's not. There are no luxury items. We do some cosmetics as far as paint or something like that, especially on the outside to improve the neighborhood.

So there are really a lot more health and welfare issues where that money is used for. Like in California you cannot have a home without a heater. You can't even sell it. It's a health and welfare. You've got have a heater. Don't need an AC. If you've got intrusion of water, you get mold, you get all that toxic stuff, old people succumb to that like there's no tomorrow.

Yeah. So And we work with code enforcement like you mentioned.

There's a

lot of good reasons for every one of these organizations to be fully funded. And I cannot really say no except that I don't have the money to do it. And again, the cuts that I've gone along with are the cuts you all proposed. Okay? I didn't come up with those cuts. You all did. And I went along with some of them and some I've actually come up a little bit on. I'm not saying my plan is the greatest. I'm just saying that I'm trying to hit center of mass of the average of everything that's going on. And no one's going to be able to do that.

But otherwise, we can go back to horse trading and dive right into it further. I'm good with that. I'm just trying to kind of give you all some reality. And I know what you've done before, but that doesn't you know, past performance doesn't is not indicative and require us to do it in the future and here and now because things and the situation changes. If we were locked in, if those were established rules and normal and customary rules and policies, then you wouldn't need us here. No one would be here. Would just be rubber stamped.

Member Cox, how much do you want to fund the YMCA of Orange County?

It doesn't matter how much I want to. I've got 18,000 left. What do you want to do? Put it all there. I don't care.

Well we're here to care

and No be very I don't care about the 18,000. You can put it. I'm saying you care. No. I'm looking at

your chart and it says zero right now. YMCA of Orange County serves 25 youth with $20,000 After school hours at Maple Elementary, they collaborate with the PTA. They have the Maple Youth Achievers Program. It's been three years. So are you willing to give them money or you're proposing not to? Because we have two people

If if you want 18,000, I got I got 18,000. If you want to put 18,000, then let's do it.

Yeah. I think I had 10,000 on mine as well. So just, you know

I'm I'm good with that. Like I said, I think all these things are virtuous. I think they all got their hearts in the right places. Some haven't got documents in on time. But other than that, you know, we're limited. I get it. But, you know, past performance, past, you know, it's it's like a a variance. When everyone comes up here, there's no expectation they're going to get it just because of plan commission the month before gave one. So I hear you, but situations change.

Linda, can you just record 10,000 on the YMCA one and then can you scroll to the bottom to see who's

On yours? 10,000 on yours?

Yeah.

Okay. That gives us three different numbers. 10,018.

Where can we get to a consensus? Because time is 08:30. Sorry sorry, madam chair.

Yes. So we're just a little bit up. Should we go to the top and go line by line each one and then we have to just decide as a a group. So for

Boys

and girls. Club, I did an average of what the 10,000, 50,000, 10,000, 30,000, and it come came out to 25 k on an average of what our recommendations are. But that bring that would bring you up. That would bring Patricia down. A committee member Patricia down. I mean, Hanzo down. And then

I can I mean, I think I have 10,000 left on the I I sorry? If you scroll to the bottom, it's it's gonna come back right back up. I just need to see. I've written it down.

Go up 18,000.

I have 20,000 or a little bit less than 20,000. Then we're done. Yeah. So I can go up to 18. Yeah.

Okay. I'm at 10,000, you know. If you want to make it 18, I think that does it.

Yeah. I can I can if we you can make it 18, I think that changes it, and then that's we're right there?

No. I'm I'm off somewhere.

Math in my head at this time. Okay. It's alright.

Okay. Then you you know what we do is just subtract the difference and from from the that max amount that we have I

suppose if we're gonna instead of cutting for the nonprofits, can we talk about line item 59, the upward care? Let me see what our numbers are for there. Because I'd rather have the nonprofits have more money than Upward Care. Is anyone in agreement with me

on that? I'm gonna have to agree in the spot we're in right now. That my

If you guys can come down on Upward Cares in order to give the public service activities, the nonprofits at the top more, if you guys can come down

Okay. Three of you

are at 50,000 and chairperson is at 20,000.

Because I'd rather cut this line item than the nonprofits.

No. I have, like, solid evidence. I have such solid evidence from Valencia Park.

Okay. So member Castellano is a no. Member Cox?

I'm gonna have to go with

You wanna stay at your same 50?

You know, what I needed to see was what was I off on that 18,000 and just the difference. And then what we can do is we can then we're done. Whatever it is. The max, dollars 1,000,547 and 50 so $1,547,459 and we subtract out where I'm at right now. And whatever that difference is, take that off the 18 I just put on the top.

You're only off.

Then we're on.

Oh, no. You're just off a little.

So 15 so let me see. 11555459.

So this would be my last pitch to ask for Upward Cares because this is the first time they're with us. And the nonprofits at the top have been with us for several years, and I prefer to keep funding them because they do good work. We don't know how it's gonna work out with Upward Cares. So rethink it, please, if you can reduce it by 10 or $20 just to give Boys and Girls Club 10 or $20 more.

Can you you scroll up to my my top column there? So I changed I had that 18,000. We and I was at what? Zero before? What was I at before? Was at zero, I think.

No.

I I think I was gosh. No. I I don't think I was because I had 18,000. So if we made it 8,000

So staff was encouraging us to the most the minimum to be 10,000.

Yeah. I I know. I I know. No.

I I and I also can add $11,618 to any one application. And I if you're if it's just boys and girls club from vice chair Hanzo, were there no other applicants? Because there's a let's see here. Can we scroll just a little bit lower? There you go.

So you don't want any of that funding to go to YMCA or let's see here. We're not at consensus for Recovery Road. I don't think we're at consensus for Pathways of Hope. So there were still all these other nonconsensus, type numbers we need to go through. And then there was just a question direct for vice chair Hanzo.

Like, you want for just the final, negotiation on the Boys and Girls Club amount? Oh, I was asking if you wanted us to, like, have, like, this final negotiation round for the Boys and Girls Club final amount or did you wanna touch any of these other ones that don't have a consensus for three for three votes?

So I was hoping that member Cox, if we're preferring your column, if you can reduce upward cares and economic development $10 to give to Boys and Girls Club. So minus $10 from the upward care and move it over to the Boys and Girls Club?

You know, I can do that, but I wanted to make sure that I kind of honor what you said that, you know, $10. And I think what happens on Maplewood or the Maple School, you said 18. I go, yeah, okay. Well, they put 18,000 in there. And then when I brought my other one up, put me over. That's why I said bring it down to make it only 8,000 because that that's kind of the number I got. But, you know, if you're good with that, with 10,000 to Boys and Girls Club, I could do that.

Okay.

And if if you're happy with that column and believe me, I'm not tied to my column. I was just trying to hit kinda weave and bob and kinda take what you guys all had and and kinda make it work. And if it's something we can agree on at

that point. Well, it's tough because two of us wanna be at over $200 for the public service activities and two of us want one of us wants to be at $1.57, the other one at $1.48. So there's four of us and there's not three or five of us.

I'd like to be at 209,000.

So is my number right now if you scroll all the way down? Am I am I on there?

We put 18,000 for Boys and Girls Club, and we reduced boost by 10,000. And you are at one Well,

how did Boys and Girls Club get to 18,000? I was gonna use I was gonna leave the 8,000 up at the top.

Okay. Or doing 10,000.

Or Or doing 10,000. Yeah. You can. We're gonna do 10 I'll over if you do both.

Okay. 10,000. Okay. I added 10

Yeah. And then to

what you already had.

Then I I

think That might be it.

Then I'm not sure if we're gonna actually, have the top one at 8,000, but

Yes. $3.07. Okay. Let me go over your numbers with you.

Yeah. Just go over and

Okay.

Just tell me where we're at.

Well, we're 10,000 So be low.

We're 10,000 under?

Yeah. You can spend 10,000 on member Cox.

What what did we pull from then online? What did we just because Boost.

We moved 10,000 from Boost to the top. Yeah. But you also reduced Boys and Girls Club

to 10. Do you wanna give Boys and Girls Club 20? What did was YMCA get in member Cox's?

18.

That's where the 18. Okay.

Yeah. The Maple, that's where we we put the 18.

Can Boys and Girls Club

Yeah. I'm good with that. I'm good. And I have go to Boys and Girls Club. I love that place. Brie, you get to cut your fingers on the table saw.

But it's still your game voice.

Yeah. When I went, there was no computers. It was bumper pull pull.

It's their chess program, really. It's really their chess program