CCS Partnership Intergovernmental Collaboration Award
The City of Pismo Beach is the lead agency for Central Coast Blue, a regional recycled water project in San Luis Obispo County. Phase I of the project will collected and purify the effluent from the City of Pismo Beach’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and inject it into the groundwater basin to create a seawater intrusion barrier and protect the water supplies for municipal, industrial and agricultural users in the region. If needed and deemed feasible, a second phase would allow Central Coast Blue to purify the effluent from the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District’s WWTP and inject it into the groundwater basin, creating an additional water supply for the partner agencies and further protecting the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin from saltwater intrusion.
Community Services and Economic Development
Operation 9-2-99 and Dry Creek Trails Coalition are two outstanding community-based organizations that contribute to the maintenance, development and promotion of two of Modesto’s major recreation destinations: Dry Creek Regional Park and Tuolumne River Regional Park. Chris Guptill (Operation 9-2-99) and Darin Jesberg (Dry Creek Trails Coalition) commit their time and resources, and exemplify a genuine love for Modesto and these trails by organizing volunteer clean-up and maintenance events that result in thousands of volunteers working together to make Modesto a better place. Together, their innovative work and dedication, enhance, engage, and advance the vitality of the community.
Enhancing Public Trust, Ethics, & Community Involvement
In partnership with the First Responders, the Rolling Hills Block Captain Program is a grassroots organization made of up volunteers purposed to prepare the community for wildfires, earthquakes and other catastrophic events. With its members made up of residents of Rolling Hills, the Block Captain Program provides the sense of community, trust for city policies, a source for sound information and an avenue for resident feedback. FEMA cites as a “best practice” that Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery are most effective when residents form partnerships and work with responsible groups. The Block Captain Program has demonstrated over the past two years innovative and open collaboration among key entities: City of Rolling Hills, its residents, LA County Fire Department, LA County Sheriff, and the Rolling Hills Community Association.
Health & Wellness Programs
Project HOPE (Helping Others Prosper Everyday) is a volunteer program that offers essential services to at-risk and home-bound seniors local to Burbank. Services include grocery shopping, mail pickup and drop-off, prescription pickup, and over the phone companionship. The Phone Pals program offers telephone companionship for seniors by pairing them with a volunteer who regularly call and check-in on them. The Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program provides home delivery lunch service for homebound adults age 60 and over living in the City of Burbank, spouses living with and caring for eligible adults, and disabled children living with eligible adults. The Library’s curbside pickup service is a safe and contact-free method for patrons to reserve and pick up books, audiobooks, DVDs and music CDs. The Book Connection program is a service that allows patrons to complete a questionnaire of their personal preferences in literature so that Library staff can customize a set of curated books for them to enjoy.
Housing Programs & Innovations
Collaboration between 13 north Orange County cities to construct and operate a Navigation Center to assist homeless neighbors transition off of the street and into permanent housing.
Economic Development through the Arts
When the COVID-19 pandemic changed how businesses needed to operate to stay open, the city adopted a COVID-19 Emergency Business Recovery Strategy. As one part of the plan to help businesses, the City placed k-rail barriers along Grand Avenue to allow for expanded outdoor sidewalk and on-street dining and retail. Once business operations were moved outside, the Escondido art community came together to paint these unexpected blank canvases with wonderful art murals, and draw additional attention to these struggling businesses. What started as a temporary fix to keep business doors opened, turned into a community movement that now brings visitors to see the art and support businesses they were not familiar with along the way.
Internal Administration
IrvineREADY! was developed to enhance customer convenience and facilitate investment in the community. For many years, Irvine, like most other cities, required the submittal of paper plans and payment in cash or check. Due to the City’s robust growth, contractors and developers often brought wagons full of rolled up plans into City Hall which were then hoisted onto the permit counter and physically routed for review.
League Partners Award for Excellence in City-Business Relations
The City of Whittier partnered with the Whittier Chamber of Commerce and the Whittier Uptown Association to implement various successful programs to assist local business stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Planning & Environmental Quality
Restoration of habitat for federally endangered and sensitive species on historic Sign Hill, focusing on the mission blue butterfly and also engaging the local community to learn about and protect the only open space park and this rare habitat, within the urbanized community that is South San Francisco.
Public Safety
The City of Irvine organized a multi-disciplinary evacuation planning working group that developed a robust plan and capabilities for evacuating the public during times of emergency in an effort to respond to the growing wildfire crisis. The City successfully implemented this plan during the Silverado Wildfire.
Public Works, Infrastructure and Transportation
The 2015 Town of Windsor Greenhouse Gas Action Update identified the water reclamation facility as the source of approximately 45 percent of the Town’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Town joined with Sonoma County and all countywide cities in the Climate Action 2020 program, with the overall goal of reducing GHG emissions to 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Providing renewable clean energy for the water reclamation facility would be a major step toward achieving the 2020 goal.
Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in City Government
The City of Cupertino’s Teen Commission and the Youth Commissions of Saratoga and Campbell partnered to organize and host a political forum and debate geared towards youth and teens. The program, which was first implemented in 2012, is facilitated during election years and is typically a live televised event. With a heightened political climate and limitations on opportunities for public engagement due to the pandemic, the Pizza and Politics program had never been more crucial. The event was created by teens and for teens, encouraging their engagement and understanding of the civic process.