Planning Committee

Meeting Notes
November 9, 2000
Hismen Hin-Nu

NEXT MEETINGS:

Retreat: Lower San Antonio Collaborative, 12-2, Hismen Hin-Nu

Opening

Stan Gentle, who served as the facilitator, convened the meeting.

Introductions

Each attendee introduced themselves and named their organizational affiliation(s).

Quick Business/Follow-up from Last Meeting

• The Lower San Antonio Making Connections web site is up and running. Access the site by logging on to Urban Strategies Council at www.urbanstrategies.org and pointing your mouse to the Lower San Antonio Neighborhoods Making Connections hyperlink.
• A notice about the Making Connections list serve will be sent to all committee members, with easy to follow instructions on how to signup for the list serve. PLEASE NOTE: all committee member emails will be posted on the service for convenience. If you would not like your address posted, contact Jessica Pitt at jessicap@urbanstrategies.org.
• Urban Strategies Council will be responsible for note taking at the regular LSA Collaborative meetings only. Note takers at other committee meetings should forward their formatted notes to Jessica Pitt to be distributed to the LSA Collaborative. Meeting notes should all follow the same formatting. To receive a copy of a formatting template, please contact Jessica Pitt at Urban Strategies Council. All meeting notes will be posted on the LSA Making Connections web site.
• The Oakland Tribune reported that Oakland small schools received a $15 million dollar work grant that will support the schools over several years. On November 14, 2000 there was a small schools meeting at OaklandTechnicalHigh School.

Committee Updates

1. Housing

• Three point priority
  1. Homeowner assistance center- met w/HUD San Francisco and the ConsumerCounselingCreditCenter--will put together a proposal for the group.
  2. Tenant/Landlord Outreach-two forums: first one for tenants and the second one for landlords. Gives both parties an opportunity to voice views and concerns and to find out about existing programs.
  3. Economic Development Efforts-The City of Oakland has allocated funds for commercial improvement/BAE market analysis. The focus is on the corridor in the LSA.
  4. Don Davenport to research housing information
• SACDC is putting in an application for 12 units for land banking dollars
• OUSD may take part of commercial corridor for small schools
• Mural on Laotian building. Laos CDC & SACDC-Jose Velasquez, world renown artist will design mural
• Don Davenport and SACDC are negotiating for the Garcia building
• There was a request for input from the group on the forums.

2. Schools

• Joint OCO/RVC action
• Mayor Brown, Councilman De La Fuente, Gilda Gonzalez from the School Board will commit to identifying sites for small schools by 2001 to allow for new small schools to relocate in temporary space to relieve overcrowding.
  • want new small school temporarily in non-traditional space
  • will go to school board for waiver
  • need more integrated way of looking at development
  • want mayor to meet with superintendent one time per month
    • NOTE: There will be a meeting between Brown/Chaconas/Perata the week of November 12--Evaluation for Action at Roosevelt
  • good new leadership coming-up in neighborhood
  • discussion of putting new school in VOA building
  • brown & district now moving-victory
  • evaluation of Wed., Nov. 15 @ 6pm

3. Newspaper

• San Antonio community newspaper-February 2001 issue date
• State Street Foundation donation -through Pat Constantine
• Hired Letitia to do work between meeting
• Exploring distribution options
• Plan to incorporate a community training process into the newspaper production based on a South Bronx example. It will include a full year of workshops free to the community. VC and East Side Arts Alliance are to capture the culture, ambiance of the community through photos. A primary goal is to build a staff while raising the skill level of the community.

4. Outreach

This group had not met in the past month. Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16.

Bart Lubow Meeting

• Purpose
  • To engage Bart Lubow on concerns shared by participants
• Results
  • Helpful, clarified a lot of the things
  • Resident engagement understood in historical context discussed with satisfaction
  • Casey will communicate through the Casey Team so there is input/feedback on corrections
  • RE: Coordinator--hold off, at least in the short term
  • Care should be taken when decisions are to be made around money. The results must be value-driven and not competitive.

Karen Stevenson update

Media and Race communications workshop

• Casey would like to bring this workshop to Oakland
• Oakland would be the largest city to host such an event
• Requires much planning
• Looking for planning meeting dates. This meeting will last two-days and consist of an evening reception and dinner-the outreach effort-to be followed by discussions the following day
• Please send meeting suggestion dates to Karen Stevenson

East Side Arts Alliance:
Elena Serrano and Greg Morozumi presenting

• 1. Updates
  • Meeting two times a week for sever months
  • Lots of potential
• 2. Mission Statement: Greg
  • focus on communities of color long history of arts/activism race/racism, there is a share common history here.
• 3. Art and Culture
  • Definition of our lives, central to our lives
  • A & C are vital ways to reach people
  • Programs have survived for years despite sporadic funding
  • There are after school workshops in seven sites
  • Feel a need for an ongoing presence, a cultural site for the community
• 4. Social Events
  • Tamalata-tamale party
  • Address gentrification and Oakland policies and their effect on the Lower San Antonio
  • Fish Fry--down home events to get people together
• 5. Service Programs
  • Serve the people programs--hiring people out on a grass roots level
  • Want to do many forums that include these topics: Criminal justice, education system, gentrification, media and race
  • Would like to provide dialogue on issues and discuss ways to get people involved in these issues and engage people in issue
  • Space is very important
  • Arts is a good way to reach youth as well
  • Encourage people to participate in events
• 6. Ongoing work
  • Building their own organization which they feel will have more impact
  • Want to look at funding source to build staff
  • Looking at other models around the country
    • -South Bronx
    • -Lemert Park
• 7. Comments:
  • Gus Newport: The need for physical space ties everything together. Suggested approach the American Institute of Architects to do a conceptual plan. Meetings with Jim Hamett should happen, but need conceptual plan
  • Don Davenport: Three years ago, architectural student from UC did conceptual drawings of mixed use development. Haven't explored all aspect of funds. Need to look into creative sources of gaining funding. Hopes the collaborative will lend their support to identifying funds.

Retreat

Setup retreat

• Community can define family strengthening
• Look at site plan
• Updated Make it Happen to guide the work

Matrix

Orientation to Matrix—Rudeen Monte

• Matrix is a comprehensive Management Assistance Program
• A formal orientation would take 3-4 hours
• Management Assistant Program--workshops are once per month on different topics plus individual TA
• Common misconceptions are that non-profits don't need resources. Also, there are no mentor's for directors and TA training tend to be limited
• Matrix training covers basic competency for non-profits and includes: training, coaching, TA on one competency selected by the organization and an intensive assessment at the beginning of the process.

Competencies include:

• Board development
• Management
• Strategic Planning
• Human Resources Management
• Outcomes and Quality Management
• Information Technology
• Partnership

NOTE: Matrix does not address fundraising as a specific topic but weaves it into the process.

• Agencies don't pay or receive pay--commitment to program is one year that includes a full day each month and one-half day per month meeting with consultants.
• Organizations choose to track one outcome of having participated in the program, they make one management improvement and the executive director and one board member agree to come to all trainings.
• There are no limits on the number of people attending from each organization, but Matrix does require the executive director and a board member to attend the program
• Matrix has been applied in: Bellingham, WA; El Dorado County; Poquoina (?); South Central; and West Oakland.
• Invite all organizations and usually a dozen will attend the initial orientation/information session and sign up for the program. Matrix can accommodate up to 20 agencies as long as people make the commitments, Matrix will find the funds to serve the organizations.
• Orientation - half day
  • Clarify Community outcome
  • Each agency writes client outcome
  • more detail on program
• One month later, 11/2 day retreat
• Next 11 months, training every month
• Bebe has list of agencies
• Casey would like to do breakfast in December to network/introduce to the community
• 1^st priority is LSA--then move out beyond boundaries