SR-07082008-1D~-
c;cYar City Council Report
Santa Monica°
City Council Meeting: July 8, 2008
Agenda Item: 1- D
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Barbara Stinchfield, Director, Community and Cultural Services
Subject: First Amendment to Contract with GMMB for a Panhandling Education
and Alternative Giving Campaign
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a First Amendment to Professional Services Agreement N. 8895 (CCS) with
GMMB, increasing the contract by $237,000, for a total amount not to exceed $337,000.
Executive Summary
Santa Monica's panhandling education and alternative giving campaign is an effort to
educate the public, encourage them to rethink giving directly to panhandlers and
provide and publicize alternative giving mechanisms. Funding in the amount of
$237,000 was included in the FY2008-09 Budget to extend the scope of services to add
focus groups to provide more extensive testing of the potential creative cohtent,
messages and alternative giving strategies for the campaign, and to implement phase
two of the project.
Background
On February 26, 2008 City Council adopted the "Action Plan to Address Homelessness
in Santa Monica", which includes public education components, and authorized
Professional Services Agreement No. 8895 (CCS) in an amount not to exceed $100,000
with GMMB for phase one of a City-wide campaign to visibly reduce. panhandling while
redirecting people's generosity toward alternative methods of giving. Between March
and June 2008 GMMB has gathered input from stakeholders and experts, surveyed
over 300 residents and visitors to determine motivations for giving to panhandlers,
developed creative content and messages, and tested ad campaigns with focus groups.
A report on the progress of phase one was given as part of the Homeless Update at the
May 13 City Council meeting.
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Discussion
Phase two of the panhandling education and alternative giving campaign will include:
research to quantify the scope of panhandling. in Santa Monica; the development of
methodologies to measure the impact of the campaign; exploration and implementation
of alternative giving mechanisms; ad production; message dissemination through
strategic advertising and community partnerships; and a campaign launch event.
Messages will be placed in highly visible locations. If approved, proposed amendments
to the City's sign code would make noncommercial signs such as those proposed for
the panhandling education campaign exempt from permit requirements and allow for the
placement of campaign messages in key high-traffic areas such as parking structures 1
through 6. The proposed amendments were scheduled to be discussed at the April 22
City Council meeting, however, the item was continued to June 24, 2008. At the June
24, 2008 City Council meeting the item was again continued to a future date.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Funds for the first amendment of Contract No. 8895 (CCS) in the amount of $237,000
are available in 012628.555060.
Prepared by:
Danielle Noble, Sr. Administrative Analyst -Homeless Services
Approved:
Director, Community and Cultural
Services
Forwarded to Council:
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Manager
Reference Amendment to
Contract No. 8895 (CCS).