SR 09-13-2022 5K
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 13, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.K
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: David White, City Manager, City Manager's Office
Subject: Accept Funding from Southern California Grantmakers for the City Manager
David White to participate in a Study Trip on Houston’s Approach to
Addressing Homelessness
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize acceptance of payment from Southern
California Grantmakers for the City Manager to travel to Houston, Texas, for a study trip
on Houston’s approach to addressing homelessness and determine that the City
Manager will make use of the payment to reimburse the City for costs associated with
the trip.
Summary
Santa Monica’s City Manager, along with other City and County Officials from Los
Angeles County, have been invited by Southern California Grantmakers to participate in
a trip to the City of Houston to study how they are addressing homelessness. Southern
California Grantmakers has offered to cover the cost of travel for this trip. By
authorizing acceptance of the payment and determining the City Manager will make use
of the payment, in accordance with Fair Political Practices Commission (“FPPC”)
requirements, the City Manager will be able to attend the study trip to Houston without
the City having to incur costs.
Background
Upon adoption of the FY 2022-2023 biennial budget, the City Council adopted three
community priorities:
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• Clean and Safe Santa Monica: Create an atmosphere marked by clean and safe
spaces and neighborhoods.
• Addressing Homelessness: Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming
homeless; address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable individuals; and
advocate for regional capacity to address homelessness.
• Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery: Cultivate equitable and inclusive
economic opportunity and recovery, including access for all community members
to educational, employment, and economic resources and opportunities, and
create a community where differences in life outcomes cannot be predicted by
race, class, gender, disability or other identities.
As part of the City’s efforts to address homelessness, the City has implemented a Four
Pillar Strategy that includes the following:
• Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless and increase the
supply of affordable housing;
• Address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable residents;
• Maintain equitable access to safe, fun, and healthy open spaces; and
• Strengthen regional capacity to address homelessness.
Because regional coordination and collaboration is an important component of the City’s
Four Pillar Strategy, the City Manager desires to join the Chief Executive Officer of Los
Angeles County along with a number of City Managers from Los Angeles County on a
study trip to Houston, Texas, to learn about their Continuum of Care’s approach to
intergovernmental collaboration to address homelessness. This trip will occur from
September 14 through September 16, 2022. The Weingart and Hilton Foundations will
underwrite the costs of this trip through their Fiscal Agent, Southern California
Grantmakers. During this study trip, there will be meetings with senior representatives
from the City of Houston, leadership of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris
County, and key civic leaders to better understand how they have established an
enabling political and policy environment for such collaboration.
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Discussion
The Fair Political Practices Commission has adopted regulations regulating gifts to
public officials for travel. FPPC Regulation 18905.1 provides for an exception for
certain travel payments made directly to the public agency for an official agency
purpose in lieu of using City funds. To qualify for the exception set forth in Regulation
18905.1, the payment must be made directly to the City and used for “official agency
business”. For purposes of the Regulation, when payment is made for the travel
expenses of an official for the purpose of receiving training directly related to the
official’s job duties and the payment is provided by an organization that commonly
provides such training, it is considered “official agency business”. The payment cannot
provide any personal benefit to the official making use of the travel, the duration of the
travel is limited to that necessary to accomplish the purposes for which the travel is
provided.
Regulation 18905.1 requires the public agency to determine which employee will be
using the payment, and to report the payment to the FPPC.
The proposed payment for travel would be used solely for purposes of the City
Manager’s travel to Houston for the study trip in lieu of using City funds. Accordingly,
staff recommends that the City Council authorize acceptance of the payment from
Southern California Grantmakers and determine that the City Manager will use the
funds for travel to Houston for the study trip in accordance with the requirements set
forth in Regulation 18905.1.
Fiscal Impacts
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this action as the City will be fully
reimbursed for the costs associated with the study trip.
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Prepared By: Christopher Smith, Assistant to the City Manager
Approved
Forwarded to Council
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