SR 06-25-2019 3O
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: June 25, 2019
Agenda Item: 3.O
1 of 3
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Katie Lichtig, Assistant City Manager, Office of Emergency Management
Subject: Blackboard Emergency Notification System
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate an d
execute a second modification and reinstatement to agreement #2809 in the amount of
$31,380 with Blackboard, Inc, for emergency notification services for the Office of
Emergency Management. This will result in a six-year amended agreement with a new
total amount not to exceed $188,280, with future year funding contingent on Council
budget approval.
Summary
The City's Office of Emergency Management maintains SM Alerts, an emergency
notification system using Blackboard Connect, to maintain contact information for
residents, those who work in Santa Monica, and City employees to public safety alerts
and traffic event information via text, phone and email. This system also has the
capability to provide "Reverse 911" emergency messages to telephone service
subscribers in the Santa Monica area. The City’s contract with Blackboard, Inc., for use
of Blackboard Connect expired on January 9, 2019 and staff now seeks to enter a
reinstatement and amendment of the agreement to maintain the license for Blackboard
Connect for one additional year while staff conduct a request for proposal for
emergency management notification services. By extending the contract, emergency
mass notifications will continue to be provided to City residents, businesses and
employees during this RFP process.
Discussion
Mass notification is a critical tool in public safety communications. Blackboard Connect
is the tool that sends out e-mail, telephone, and text message communications both to
internal staff and to the public. The tool enables Santa Monica Fire Department
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personnel to receive significant event notifications during structure fires and hazardous
materials incidents. The tool enables the Planning Department to send out weekly street
closure information to community members interested in severe traffic impacts. On
average, the Office of Emergency Management in coordination with its public safety
partners and Office of Communications, sends out approximately five public safety
messages per month, informing the public about law enforcement activity, major traffic
accidents, and significant weather activity.
Originally managed by the Information Services Department, the Office of Emergency
Management took over responsibility of contract management for all technology related
to emergency management in early 2019. During the transition, the contract expired and
the Office of Emergency seeks to reinstate the agreement and to continue emergency
alert notifications to the public without interruption. The Office of Emergency
Management strives to ensure the most robust and cost-effective mass notification
system is utilized in future years.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to increase the amount of contract with Blackboard, Inc. for
emergency notification services.
Contract Modification Request
Contract No. Current Authorized
Amount
FY 2018-19 Account
Number
Modified
Request Amount
Total Revised
Contract Amount
#2809 $156,900 01200014.525080 $31,380 $188,280
Reinstating and extending this critical City contract for another year ensures that
services to the public and City of Santa Monica departments are not disrupted. This also
gives the Office of Emergency Management flexibility to initiate the RFP process to
ensure that the most cost-effective mass notification vendor is selected for future years.
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Prepared By: Lindsay Call, Chief Resilience Officer
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. City of Santa Monica_Oak Initiative Notice_BlackBoard_6.12.19
Pleaseattachadditionalpagesifmorespaceisrequired.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE NOTICE
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS, BIDDERS, PROPOSERS
AND OTHERS SEEKING DISCRETIONARY PERMITS, CONTRACTS,
OR OTHER BENEFITS FROM THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
Santa Monica’s voters adopted a City Charter amendment commonly known as
the Oaks Initiative. The Oaks Initiative requires the City to provide this notice and
information about the Initiative’s requirements. You may obtain a full copy of the Initiative’s
text from the City Clerk.
This information is required by City Charter Article XXII—Taxpayer Protection. It
prohibits a public official from receiving, and a person or entity from conferring, specified
personal benefits or campaign advantages from a person or entity after the official votes,
or otherwise takes official action, to award a “public benefit” to that person or entity. The
prohibition applies within and outside of the geographical boundaries of Santa Monica.
All persons or entities applying or receiving public benefits from the City of Santa
Monica shall provide the names of trustees, directors, partners, and officers, and names
of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation or revenue interest. An exception
exists for persons serving in those capacities as volunteers, without compensation, for
organizations exempt from income taxes under Section 501(c)(3), (4), or (6), of the
Internal Revenue Code. However, this exception does not apply if the organization is a
political committee or controls political committees. Examples of a “public benefit” include
public contracts to provide goods or services worth more than $25,000 or a land use
approval worth more than $25,000 over a 12-month period.
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City
compiles and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any
person or persons who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an
entity, rather than an individual person, the information includes the name of every person
who is: (a) trustee, (b) director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent
interest in the entity. Therefore, if you are seeking a “public benefit” covered by the Oaks
Initiative, you must supply that information on the Oaks Initiative Disclosure Form. This
information must be updated and supplied every 12 months.
Pleaseattachadditionalpagesifmorespaceisrequired.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
OAKS INITIATIVE DISCLOSURE FORM
In order to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the Oaks Initiative, the City compiles
and maintains certain information. That information includes the name of any person or persons
who is seeking a “public benefit.” If the “public benefit” is sought by an entity, rather than an
individual person, the information includes the name of every person who is: (a) trustee, (b)
director, (c) partner, (d) officer, or has (e) more than a ten percent interest in the entity.
Public benefits include:
1. Personal services contracts in excess of $25,000 over any 12-month period;
2. Sale of material, equipment or supplies to the City in excess of $25,000 over a 12-month
period;
3. Purchase, sale or lease of real property to or from the City in excess of $25,000 over a 12-
month period;
4. Non-competitive franchise awards with gross revenue of $50,000 or more in any 12-month
period;
5. Land use variance, special use permit, or other exception to an established land use plan,
where the decision has a value in excess of $25,000;
6. Tax “abatement, exception, or benefit” of a value in excess of $5,000 in any 12-month
period; or
7. Payment of “cash or specie” of a net value to the recipient of $10,000 in any 12-month
period.
Name(s) of persons or entities receiving public benefit:
Name(s) of trustees, directors, partners, and officers:
Name(s) of persons with more than a 10% equity, participation, or revenue interest:
Prepared by: ____________________________Title: __________________________
Signature: ______________________________________ Date: ________________
Email: ____________________________________ Phone: ____________________
Blackboard Inc.
(Please See Attached)
Providence Equity Partners VI L.P.
Providence Equity Partners VI-A L.P.
Bill Jones Deputy General Counsel
April 12, 2019
bill.jones@blackboard.com
Officers and Directors of Blackboard Inc.
Office Name Address
President and Chief Executive
Officer and Director
William Ballhaus 1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Chief Legal Officer, General
Counsel & Secretary
Stuart Kupinsky 1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Treasurer Alan Goldblatt 1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
CFO Richard Essex II 1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Chief Client Officer Tim Atkin 1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Chief Accounting Officer Kevin Harrill 1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036
Director David Phillips 50 Kennedy Plaza, 18th Floor, Providence,
RI 02903
Director Peter Wilde 50 Kennedy Plaza, 18th Floor, Providence,
RI 02903
Director James Zumberge 9 West 57th Street, Suite 4700, New York,
NY 10019
Director Julian Markby #2 Steamboat Mews, 633 Steamboat Rd.,
Greenwich, CT 06830
Director Rick Cieri 6597 Nicholas Blvd. # 703, Naples, FL
34108
Attachment A
1. Names with more than 10% Equity, Participation or Revenue Interest:
Providence Equity Partners VI L.P.
Providence Equity Partners VI-A L.P.
2. Directors and Officers - Blackboard Inc.
Board of Directors
William Ballhaus
James Zumberge (Providence Equity Partners)
David Phillips (Providence Equity Partners)
Peter Wilde (Providence Equity Partners)
Julian Markby
Rick Cieri
Officers
William Ballhaus - President and Chief Executive Officer
Rick Essex - Chief Financial Officer
Tim Atkin - Chief Client Officer
Kevin Harrill - Chief Accounting Officer
Stuart Kupinsky - Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Secretary
Alan Goldblatt - Treasurer
REFERENCE:
Contract No. 10872
(CCS)