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GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY HEALTH, UH, ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE COMMITTEE FOR THE MAY 25TH.
SORRY, I WAS OFF ON MY DAY, BUT WELCOME EVERYBODY.
CAN WE TAKE, START WITH ROLL COUNCIL MEMBER MEKI RODRIGUEZ.
PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER VERAN.
[Approval of Minutes ]
WE'LL START WITH THE EASY STUFF, WHICH IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR APRIL 27TH, 2023.UH, I'LL INTERNA, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE.
THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE TABLE.
[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO.AND I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT TODAY.
IT'S A BRIEFING ON THE STATUS OF GIRLS IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, IT WAS A REPORT THAT WE COMMISSIONED AT CITY COUNCIL.
AND TO KICK US OFF TODAY IS GONNA BE OUR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, AND SHE'S THE HIGHEST RANKING FEMALE IN THE CSA ORGANIZATION.
ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE FOR THOSE, UH, OF YOU WHO ARE IN THE AUDIENCE AND ARE NEW.
SO, GOOD AFTERNOON COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
I'M VERY EXCITED TODAY TO INTRODUCE TO YOU THE FIRST STATUS OF GROSS REPORT COMMISSIONED BY THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO, LET ME GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND AS TO WHY THIS REPORT WAS COMMISSIONED AND, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY.
SO, FOUR YEARS AGO, COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA REQUESTED THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS FUNDING TO HOST A GIRLS SUMMIT THAT WAS OPEN TO ALL GIRLS IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO THAT EVENT SINCE HAS BEEN HOSTED EVERY SPRING, UH, BREAK, AND IT GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY TO YOUNG WOMEN AGES 13 TO 18 IN OUR COMMUNITY TO NETWORK, TO LEARN ABOUT IMPORTANT ISSUES FACING YOUNG GIRLS, AND ALSO TO BE PREPARED FOR A STRONG FUTURE.
AT THIS SUMMIT, WE PROMOTE NON-TRADITIONAL CAREER ROLES FOR WOMEN, SUCH AS EMPLOYMENT, LIKE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, CITY MANAGEMENT, AND ENCOURAGE A POSITIVE BODY IMAGE, SELF-CARE, AND SOCIAL MEDIA AWARENESS.
SO LAST YEAR AS WE WERE PREPARING FOR THE 2023 SUMMIT, COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA SUGGESTED THAT WE COMMISSION A REPORT ON THE STATUS OF GIRLS SIMILAR TO THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT THAT WAS COMMISSIONED BACK IN 2019 BY THE CITY.
SO TODAY, UH, YOU WILL HEAR FROM DR.
ROGELIO SCIENCE OF THE UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
ON THE FIRST STATUS OF REPORT, U T S A WAS THE ORGANIZATION, AND ACTUALLY, DR.
S WAS, UH, ALSO THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WORKED ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT BACK IN 2019.
SO WE ARE VERY, UM, THRILLED AND HAPPY THAT HE CONTINUES TO PARTNER WITH US IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT REPORT.
SO, THIS REPORT ESTABLISHES A, UH, BASELINE DATA ON ISSUES FACING GROWTH IN YOUNG WOMEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, INCLUDING HEALTH AND WELLBEING, EDUCATION, VICTIMIZATION AND CRIME, AND DEMOGRAPHICS, AND SOCIAL SOCIOECONOMIC STANDING.
THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THIS REPORT WERE PRESENTED TO THE ATTENDEES AT THE GROSS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT BACK IN MARCH OF 2023.
AND TODAY, WE ARE PRESENTING TO YOU THE FINAL REPORT.
THE INTENT OF THIS REPORT IS TO ALLOW US TO LOOK AT HOW COUNCIL POLICY AND ALSO CITY PROGRAMS CAN IMPROVE THE LIVES OF GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE ARE PLANNING ON UPDATING THIS REPORT EVERY FIVE YEARS AND THE CITY'S DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY DEPARTMENT.
WE'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING AND REPORTING ON THIS REPORT.
UH, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO TO BE HERE THIS, UH, THIS AFTERNOON.
UH, AND I'VE HAD THE, THE PLEASURE AS, UH, UH, DEPUTY, UM, UH, CITY MANAGER VIA GOMEZ, UH, MENTIONED TO HAVE DONE THE, UH, STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT A FEW YEARS AGO, AND ALSO TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE, UH, STATUS OF, UH, OF, UH, GIRLS IN, UH, IN SAN ANTONIO.
UH, AND I'D LIKE TO ALSO THANK, UH, ALONG WITH, UH, MS. UH, LI GOMEZ, UH, DR.
UH, UH, ROCHA GARCIA, ALSO FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN THIS, UH, IN THIS, UH, PROJECT FROM THE OUTSET, I HAVE LOTTED,
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UH, THE, UH, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO FOR RECOGNIZING THAT TO ELIMINATE GENDER DISPARITIES.IT REQUIRES A WIDE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT, UH, STRATEGIES AND SO FORTH.
UH, PUBLIC POLICY, OF COURSE, IS A MAJOR ONE, BUT ALSO KNOWING AND RECOGNIZING THAT IF WE WANT TO, TO ELIMINATE GENDER DISPARITIES, WE NEED, NEED TO DO IT AT THE VERY EARLY YEARS BEFORE SO THAT WE CAN DERAIL, UH, GENDER, UH, UH, INEQUALITIES THAT, UH, THAT CAN CONTINUE TO PLAGUE OUR CITY, OUR STATE, OUR NATION, AND, AND OUR, AND OUR COUNTRY, UH, THE GLOBE AS WELL.
SO, LOOKING AT THE STATUS OF WOMEN, UH, IN SAN ANTONIO REPORT, YOU DO SEE SOME SIMILARITIES, BUT ALSO SOME DIFFERENCES.
SO THAT ONE, WE SEE IN THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT.
THERE WAS GENERAL, UH, CONSENSUS THAT WOMEN WERE DOING WORSE THAN MEN WHEN IT CAME TO SOCIAL ECONOMIC AND A WIDE VARIETY OF CHARACTERISTICS.
UH, HERE WE DO FIND THAT THE DISPARITIES TEND TO BE A BIT DIFFERENT, A BIT SMALLER IF WE LOOK AT MALES AND FEMALES, BUT THAT IS BECAUSE MALES AND FEMALES ARE LIVING IN THE SAME HOUSEHOLDS, THE SAME HOMES, AND SO FORTH.
UH, AND, UH, SO YOU DO SEE THOSE, UH, THOSE KIND OF, UH, UH, MORE, UM, UH, DIFFERENCES FROM THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMES OUT FROM THIS REPORT, THOUGH, IS THAT JUST LIKE WITH WOMEN, THAT, UH, YOUNG GIRLS ARE DOING BETTER IN EDUCATION, BUT THEY'RE ALSO DOING BETTER WHEN IT COMES TO WORK AS WELL AS EARNINGS COMPARED TO BOYS.
UH, SOMETHING THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT.
UH, AND WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND, THAT MAKING SURE THAT THOSE DISPARITY, THE, THE, THAT DEGREE OF EQUITY DOESN'T, UH, GET LOST.
UH, AND THEN WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE, JUST LIKE IN THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT, THERE WERE A LOT OF MAJOR DIFFERENCES ALONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC LINES.
UH, WOMEN OF COLOR, PARTICULARLY LATINA AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN, UH, FARED WORSE COMPARED TO WHITE WOMEN.
AND THAT IS ALSO VERY OBVIOUS IN THIS, UH, THIS REPORT AS WELL.
UH, IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT MANY OF THESE DISPARITIES THAT WE SEE EXISTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT THE PANDEMIC JUST MADE THINGS, UH, THINGS WORSE.
A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, THE OUTLINE OF THE REPORT, UH, THE REPORT BEGINS WITH A KIND OF OVERVIEW OF, UH, GENDER, UH, EQUITY KINDS OF RESEARCH, UH, AS, UH, AS WELL AS DIFFERENT TO TRY TO PLACE IT WITHIN THE CONTEXT, THE GLOBAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXT, THE STATE CONTEXT, AND THEN DRAWING ON THE WORK THAT CAME OUT OF THE, UH, STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT.
AND THEN MORE SPECIFICALLY ON THE STATUS OF GIRLS REPORT AS WELL.
UH, THE DATA THAT WE USE, WE USED A VARIETY OF DATA.
ONE WAS, UH, THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY DATA, UH, THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION DATA, UH, VERY, UH, IMPORTANT DATA FROM THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, AS WELL AS DATA FROM THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY.
AND THEN AS, UM, AS, UH, MS, UH, VIA, UH, VIEZ, UH, INDICATED, WE LOOKED AT DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, HEALTH AND WELLBEING, EDUCATION, AND VICTIMIZATION AND, UH, AND CRIME.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS OBVIOUS IN, UH, FROM THE GIRLS, UH, POPULATION HERE IN BEXAR COUNTY OR SAN ANTONIO, IS THAT IT'S A, UH, POPULATION THAT, UH, UH, GIRLS OF COLOR, UH, REPRESENT THE DISPROPORTIONATE, UH, UM, UH, PRESENCE OF, UH, YOUNG GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
ABOUT 68% OR SO OF ARE LATINAS.
UH, ABOUT 7% ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE.
UM, UH, UH, GIRLS REPRESENT ABOUT 19%.
THE OTHER GROUPS TEND TO BE RELATIVELY, RELATIVELY SMALL.
SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS THAT, THAT WE FIND, THE GENDER DIFFERENCES, AS I MENTIONED, UH, THAT IF YOU LOOK AT MANY OF THE DIFFERENCES, THERE ARE NOT GREAT, UH, GREAT DISPARITIES BETWEEN MALES AND FEMALES.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSEHOLD WITH THE SAME PARENTS AND SO FORTH.
UH, BUT THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENCES THAT STAND OUT.
ONE GIRLS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ENROLLED IN PRESCHOOL COMPARED TO BOYS AT AGES THREE AND FOUR, YOUNG WOMEN 16 TO 17 OR MORE LIKELY TO BE WORKING AND HAVE HIGHER EARNINGS COMPARED TO YOUNG MEN.
UH, BOYS ARE SLIGHTLY MORE LIKELY TO HAVE THAN GIRLS TO HAVE A DISABILITY.
AND YOUNG MEN, 16 TO 17 ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE DROPPED OUT OR BEEN PUSHED OUT, UH, TO, UM, OR TO BE OPPORTUNITY YOUTH THAT IS, THEY'RE NOT ENROLLED IN SCHOOL, AND THEY'RE NOT WORKING COMPARED TO, UH, TO WOMEN.
AND THEN YOUNG WOMEN, 15 TO 17, ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE EVER MARRIED COMPARED TO TO YOUNG, TO YOUNG MEN.
UM, BUT THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES ARE ALONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC LINES.
SO WE FIND BLACK AND LATINA GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN TEND TO LIVE IN HOMES THAT ARE MORE CROWDED, HAVE FEWER RESOURCES, AND TO BECOME TEENAGE MOTHERS, UH, AT A NER, UH, MORE LIKELY, UH, DURING THIS, UH, STAGE IN THEIR LIVES COMPARED TO, UH, WHITE GIRLS,
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BLACK AND LATINA GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO LIVE WITH THEIR MOTHERS, LIVE IN HOMES WITH MORE CROWDING, MULTIPLE FAMILIES, THREE OR MORE GENERATIONS, UH, OR TO LIVE ALSO WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS.UM, LESS LIKELY TO HAVE COMPUTERS AND, UH, AND INTERNET SERVICE, LESS LIKELY TO HAVE AN AUTOMOBILE AT HOME, UH, LESS LIKELY TO BE ENROLLED IN, UH, IN PRE-K, UH, MORE LIKELY TO BE IN POVERTY.
SO WE FIND ONE OUT OF EVERY FOUR GIRLS IN SAN SAN ANTONIO IS LIVING IN POVERTY.
UM, UH, FAM, HOUSEHOLDS OF COLOR MAKE ABOUT 54 CENTS FOR EVERY $1 THAT WHITE HOUSEHOLDS MAKE.
UH, AND THEY'RE ALSO, UH, MORE LIKELY TO BE WORKING AND HAVE HIGHER EARNINGS COMPARED TO, TO BOYS, AND THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE GIVEN BIRTH AT AGE 15 TO 17 AS WELL.
THERE ARE ALSO SOME OTHER IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO BLACK GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN.
THEY'RE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE DIED, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INFANT.
INFANT MORTALITY IS EXTREMELY HIGH AMONG BLACK GIRLS, AND ALSO AT THOSE AGES, ONE TO 17 HIGHER THAN IT IS FOR OTHER RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS, AND HIGHER THAN IT IS AMONG ANY RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUP IN THE OTHER FOUR MAJOR CITIES AS WELL.
SO THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO, TO, UH, TO BE ADDRESSED.
UM, UH, AS I SAID, UH, UH, BLACK BABIES ARE MORE THAN TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE BEFORE REACHING THEIR FIRST BIRTHDAY, COMPARED TO WHITE AND LATINA BABY GIRLS AND BLACK GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN, ONE TO 17 YEARS OF AGE, OR ALMOST TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE COMPARED TO WHITES AND, AND LATINAS, LATINA GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN.
THERE'S ALSO SOME CHALLENGES HERE, LESS LIKELY TO BE ENROLLED AT PRE-K AT AGE FOUR, UH, MORE LIKELY TO HAVE EVER BEEN MARRIED, UH, AT AGES 15 TO 17, MORE LIKELY TO LEAVE, UH, SCHOOL WITHOUT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, AND MORE LIKELY TO BE OPPORTUNITY YOUTH.
THAT IS, THEY'RE NOT IN SCHOOL AND THEY'RE NOT, UH, WORKING AS, UH, AS WELL.
WE ALSO FIND THAT, UH, THE DIFFERENCES ARE NOT ALL THAT GREAT AS WE SAW WITH THE WOMEN, UH, UH, COMPARISONS ALONG, UH, FOR SAN ANTONIO, UH, COMPARED TO THE OTHER THREE MAJOR CITIES.
BUT HERE YOU DO SEE SOME, SOME DIFFERENCES, UH, AS WELL THAT TAKE PLACE.
BUT I, I WON'T GO INTO THIS, UH, BECAUSE OF, UH, TIME I WOULD PUT, I POINTED OUT THAT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU FIND, THAT THIS IS THE RATIO OF INCOME EARNING, UH, FROM WORK FOR MALES AND, AND FEMALES.
SO THIS WOULD BE THE RATIO OF WHAT, UH, FEMALES EARN TO MALES.
AND YOU CAN SEE AT AGE 16 TO 17, UH, YOUNG GIRLS, UH, YOUNG WOMEN, UM, ARE MAKING ABOUT $1, 2 CENTS, 2 CENTS MORE THAN, THAN, THAN, UH, BOYS.
BUT YOU CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN, WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT THE ADULT AGES FROM 18 ALL THE WAY TO 65, THAT ADVANTAGE THAT WE SEE.
AND PART OF THAT ADVANTAGE IS WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE WORKING, AND THEY'RE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO BE WORKING MORE HOURS ALSO COMPARED TO BOYS.
SO THAT'S, UH, PART OF THE, UH, UH, PART OF THE, THE DIFFERENCE.
BUT THIS IS ONE OF, AS WE THINK OF POLICY, HOW CAN WE CON CONTINUE TO RETAIN THIS DEGREE OF EQUITY ALONG THE LIFE COURSE? UH, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE NOT FAM FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, UH, THAT, UH, THAT, UH, THAT, UH, PROTECT, UH, WOMEN.
UH, HERE WE HAVE SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES THAT TAKE PLACE.
THIS, THESE ARE THE, UH, EDUCATIONAL, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE.
REGION 20 IS SAN ANTONIO ON THE FAR RIGHT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STANDS OUT IS THE, THE DIS.
THIS IS THE FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATES AND LATINO AND, UH, AND, UH, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS HAVE LOWER, UH, FOUR YEAR, UH, GRADUATION RATES COMPARED TO WHITES.
AND THAT GAP IS BIGGER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO COMPARED TO, TO THE, UH, TO THE OTHER THREE CITIES.
WE DO FIND, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT, UH, THAT, UH, UH, WOMEN, UH, GIRLS ARE MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE, UH, IN TIME COMPARED TO, UH, TO BOYS.
AND THEN WE ALSO SEE, UH, DIFFERENCES HAVING TO DO WITH, UH, ATTRITION.
AND THIS WOULD BE DROPOUT RATES.
AND AGAIN, WE FIND HIGHER DROPOUT RATES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS IN LATINOS HERE IN, IN, UH, REGION 20 IN SAN ANTONIO COMPARED TO THE OTHER AREAS.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, DIFFERENCES ALONG GENDER LINES, UH, GIRLS TE AND YOUNG WOMEN TEND TO HAVE LOWER, UH, DROPOUT RATES COMPARED TO, UH, TO BOYS AND, UH, AND YOUNG MEN.
NOW, ONE OF THE MAJOR ISSUES, AND WE KNEW THIS IS THIS WAS ALREADY TAKING PLACE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES ARE REALLY, REALLY A, A MAJOR CONCERN, AND THEY'VE GOTTEN WORSE DURING THE PANDEMIC.
SO WE FIND, FOR EXAMPLE, DRAWING FROM DATA IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND FROM THE, UH, SAN ANTONIO'S TEEN MENTAL HEALTH SURVEY, THAT GIRLS ARE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT ISSUES
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HAVING TO DO WITH MENTAL HEALTH, MORE LI LIKELY TO, UH, HAVE SELF-HARM OR, UH, UH, ATTEMPTED SUICIDES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.UH, SO THESE ARE MAJOR CONCERNS THAT WE, THAT WE FIND HERE IN, IN OUR CITY IN THE, UH, WE, UH, GET SOME DATA HERE.
IN 2021, THERE WERE 248 HOSPITAL ADMITTANCES PER 100,000.
UH, WERE ADOLESCENT GIRLS WHO HAD ENGAGED IN SELF HARM AND, UH, FIVE TIMES, FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN ADOLESCENT BOYS TO EXPERIENCE, UH, MENTAL HEALTH AND SELF, UH, SELF HARM.
UH, YOU CAN'T SEE THIS VERY WELL, BUT IT SHOWS SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU SEE, UH, MENTAL HEALTH AND, UH, DISPARITIES, UH, ALONG THE LINES OF, UH, OF, UH, UH, THE INTERNET, FOR EXAMPLE.
I CAN'T READ REAL, UH, CLOSELY HERE, BUT, UH, IT'S, UM, THE, UM, UH, LET'S SEE, THE, I'M TRYING TO SEE OVER THERE IN THE, UH, UH, SMOKING AND A VARIETY OF OTHER KINDS OF, UH, OF, UH, DISPARITIES THAT THEY EXPERIENCE THAT ARE RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALSO STANDS OUT FROM THIS DATA IS THAT GENDER DIVERSE, AS WELL AS LGBTQ PLUS, UH, INDIVIDUALS ARE PARTICULARLY, UH, UM, LIKELY TO REPORT MENTAL HEALTH, UH, ISSUES, UH, COMPARED TO, UH, TO, UM, HETEROSEXUAL, UH, INDIVIDUALS.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE, UH, THINGS THAT CAME OUT, SOME OF THE TRENDS THAT CAME OUT FROM THE TEEN MENTAL HEALTH SURVEY.
UH, SO YOU SEE INABILITY TO PERFORM DAILY TASK, 42% REPORTED, YES, LOW ENERGY, 42% SUBSTANCE ABUSE, 58% HEALTH DYSREGULATION, 40, UH, 3%, AND SUICIDE IDEATION, 37%.
UH, AND THEN WHEN IT COMES ALSO TO, UH, CONTACT WITH A, WITH A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, WE ALSO FIND THAT THERE ARE RACIAL DISPARITIES HERE.
SO THAT LATINAS MAKE UP 73% OF GIRLS WHO HAVE BEEN BOOKED VERSUS BEING 69% OF GIRLS IN, IN BEXAR COUNTY, BLACK, UH, YOUNG WOMEN, OR 16% OF GIRLS WHO HAVE BEEN BOOKED, VERSUS 7% BEING 7% OF ALL GIRLS IN, UH, BEXAR COUNTY WHITE, UH, YOUNG WOMEN WHO ARE BOOKED ARE 9% COMPARED TO 19% FOR THEIR REPRESENTATION IN THE OVERALL, UH, COUNTY.
AND I'LL SKIP THIS, UH, BUT IT GIVES YOU SOME MORE DATA HERE.
BUT TO CONCLUDE THEN, SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, THE EDUCATIONAL MATTERS, UH, INCOME INEQUALITY AND POVERTY, OVERCROWDED HOME CONDITIONS, THE DIGITAL DIVIDE THAT BECAME PARTICULARLY OBVIOUS DURING THE PANDEMIC MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, PARTICULARLY FOR L G B T Q, UH, YOUTH, AS WELL AS FOR, UM, UH, GIRLS WHO HAVE, UH, BEEN HOSPITALIZED, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, SELF HARM, TEENAGE MARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD, ESPECIALLY AMONG LATINA, UH, YOUNG WOMEN.
THE DISPROPORTIONATE INTERACTION WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THE LACK OF HEALTHCARE INSURANCE, ESPECIALLY FOR LATINA YOUNG WOMEN, UH, THE HEALTH, UH, LEVELS, UH, THE HIGH LEVELS OF INFANT AND YOUTH MORTALITY AMONG BLACK GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN.
AND THEN GREATER CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT ALSO AMONG GIRLS COMPARED TO, UH, TO BOYS.
SO, JUST, UH, TO CONCLUDE IN TERMS OF, UH, WE NEED, I KNOW THE CITY HAS PUSHED TO BRING GREATER DEGREES OF EQUITY ALONG GENDER LINES AND ALONG RACIAL LINES, AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE, UH, UH, IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS AND, AND, UH, POLICIES THAT, UH, ELIMINATE THESE DISPARITIES.
AND THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT THESE DATA, UH, AND THIS REPORT AND BEING COMMISSIONED, IS THAT HERE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN AT, AT YOUNG AGES TO TRY TO DE DERAIL THE, UH, THE GENDER, UH, UM, DISPARITIES THAT CONTINUE TO, TO PLAGUE OUR COMMUNITY AND, UH, STATE, UH, AS WELL AS, UH, AS COUNTRY AND, UH, GLOBE AND OTHER FEW REMARKS THERE.
BUT I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING, UH, UH, LONG ON, UH, SHORT ON TIME, SO I'LL STOP HERE.
SZ, I, UM, I APPRECIATE THAT, THAT WE HAVE THE FULL REPORT.
I KNOW YOU HAD SHARED SOME HIGHLIGHTS AT THE GIRLS EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT, UM, AND, UH, UH, COUNCILMAN CASTRO WAS THERE IN ATTENDANCE AND COUNCILMAN VRAN, OR WAS IN ATTENDANCE AS WELL.
AND I KNOW THAT EVEN WITH SOME OF THE HIGH LEVEL ONES, WE WERE, WE WERE CONCERNED, SO WE COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE THE FULL REPORT.
AND, UM, SO I'LL, I'LL START OFF FIRST BY, UM, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE, WE DO HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF WORK TO DO, RIGHT? YEP.
AND SO I APPRECIATE THE, THE FACT THAT YOU, UM, ARE, ARE VERY HONEST IN WHAT, UH, THE, THE NATION IS DOING, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE CITED SEVERAL THINGS ALONG HERE THAT THE NATION AND FOLKS ACROSS THE STATE ARE DOING AS WELL, BUT IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH.
SO ONE OF THE KEY FINDINGS THAT I, UM, WAS LOOKING AT IS IN THE,
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IN THE SLIDE THAT YOU HAVE, UH, WHERE GIRLS NEED TO, UH, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON BUILDING WEALTH FOR THEM SO THAT THROUGH INCOME, OF COURSE, UM, PRESTIGE, STATUS, POWER.UM, SO IF YOU NOTICED IN MY INTRODUCTION, I ALWAYS DO THIS WITH MARIA VILLAGOMEZ.
I POINT OUT THAT SHE'S THE HIGHEST RANKING, UH, FEMALE RIGHT? IN THE CITY ORGANIZATION.
AND I THINK THAT A PART OF IT IS, UM, WOMEN THAT HA THAT SHOULD BE EMPOWERING OTHER WOMEN.
AND SO I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE GIRLS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE HERE.
I SEE A FEW OF YOU ALL IN THE BACKGROUND.
AND SO WE HAVE A, A GROUP THAT ALWAYS POWERS THROUGH AND STEPS UP TO THE PLATE AND HELPS EMPOWER GIRLS.
SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT IS READY MM-HMM.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I, I NOTICED IN HERE, GIRLS IN SAN ANTONIO FAIR LESS FAVORABLY IN EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES COMPARED TO GIRLS IN AUSTIN, DALLAS, AND HOUSTON.
AND SO, I, I, I HATE BEING BEHIND ANY OTHER TEXAS CITY EVER, RIGHT? BUT THEN IN PARTICULAR WITH SOME OF THOSE CITIES, UM, THAT, THAT WE ALREADY COMPETE WITH, WITH OTHER THINGS, THIS IS SOMETHING WHERE I THINK THAT WE COULD REALLY TAKE THE LEAD.
AND SO, UM, SO I'M, I'M INTERESTED TO SEE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THOSE OTHER CITIES ARE DOING, UH, IN REGARD TO, TO GIRLS SPECIFICALLY? OR HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING FROM THOSE CITIES COMING OUT OF, UH, YEAH, THAT'S A, THAT'S A NICE, UH, OBSERVATION.
AND ONE THING IS I HAD FOR FORGOTTEN TO MENTION IN TALKING ABOUT EMPOWERING, UH, UH, YOUNG, YOUNG WOMEN AND SO FORTH, THAT MY CO-AUTHOR IS CHRISTINA QUINTANILLA MUNOZ, UH, WHO IS A, A DOCTORAL STUDENT IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEMOGRAPHY.
SO SHE'S BEEN WORKING WITH ME ON THIS PROJECT.
UH, SO THEN, UM, I WOULD HAVE TO CO UH, DISCUSS WITH, WITH HER, BECAUSE SHE'S VERY MUCH FAMILIAR WITH THE, UH, TRENDS THAT ARE GOING ON THE PROGRAMS AND SO FORTH IN, IN, IN COMMUNITY.
SO, SO I'LL LOOK AT THOSE, UH, THOSE, UH, TRENDS WITH HER.
THE OTHER THING, UM, THAT I NOTICED IS, UH, THAT THE INCREASED EXPOSURE TO OVERCROWDED LIVING CONDITIONS, SPECIFICALLY IN, UM, LATINA AND BLACK GIRLS.
AND SO, UM, TO ME, THAT THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THESE REASONS WHY, AND THE CITY PASSED A HOUSING BOND, RIGHT? SO WE'RE TRYING REALLY HARD TO GET ACCESS.
UM, MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO WAS ADVOCATING, UM, I THINK IT WAS YESTERDAY AT THE VIA BOARD MEETING FOR DEEPER AFFORDABLE HOUSING MM-HMM.
AND SO, UM, IT ALL RELATES, RIGHT? YEAH.
IT, IT ALL BECOMES A PART OF THIS.
AND SO I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT SHE DOES TO CONTINUE TO, TO, TO KEEP THAT AT THE FOREFRONT.
AND THE REASON THAT I'M SAYING THAT SPECIFICALLY IS BECAUSE, SO, UM, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE WITH ANOTHER RELATIVE, SPECIFICALLY.
BUT THEN THE, THE INTERESTING PART IN MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN ANO ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT THIS, THEY LIVE WITH THREE OR MORE GENERATIONS.
SO TELL ME ABOUT THAT, UM, RESEARCH OR ANY ADDITIONAL FINDINGS INTO THAT, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME, OR WE, AND THEN SOMETIMES WE ALWAYS, WE, WE JOKINGLY AND SAN ANTONIO SAY, OH, THE AITA, RIGHT? UHHUH
LIKE, SHE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE THERE.
BUT THE REALITY IS THAT THIS, THIS, THIS IS HAPPENING AND IT'S HAPPENING IN OUR FAMILY.
SO WHAT, WHAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DID YOU FIND THERE? ANY, ANY, UM, ANYTHING YOU CAN OFFER IN ADDITION TO WHAT WAS IN THE REPORT? YEAH, VERY MUCH SO.
IN TERMS OF THE, UH, THE KINDS OF, UM, HOUSING, UH, AVAILABILITY THAT WE NEED IN TERMS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAS BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE.
AND WE KNOW THAT WITH GENTRIFICATION THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND SO FORTH, THAT THAT CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR ISSUE.
SO YOU HAVE FAMILIES THAT NEED TO DOUBLE UP OR SO, UH, THAT, UH, WITH, WITH OTHER RELATIVES.
UH, AND OF COURSE THAT, UH, THAT AFFECTS ALL SORTS OF, UM, OTHER COURSES HAVING TO DO WITH PRIVACY, STUDYING, UH, CONCENTRATION.
UH, BUT WE ALSO SAW IT DURING THE PANDEMIC.
WE SAW THE PANDEMIC DISPROPORTIONATELY HIT PEOPLE OF COLOR, UH, PARTICULARLY LATINOS ALONG THE BORDER, WE SAW IN, EVEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UH, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WAS VERY MUCH APPARENT WAS THAT, UH, HOUSEHOLDS THAT WERE MULTI-GENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN TO ALSO EXPERIENCE THE COVID SPREAD MM-HMM.
AND THEN, UH, WE KNOW THAT, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN LATINOS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE ON THE FRONT LINES.
THEY, THEY CONTRACT THE VIRUS, THEY BRING IT HOME.
AND THAT REPRESENTS ANOTHER OF THOSE, UH, OF THOSE, UH, UM, SO THAT REPRESENTS ANOTHER ILLUSTRATION OF, UH, THE CONSEQUENCES OF, UH, THOSE DISPARITIES.
AND OF COURSE, ON THE FRONT END, JUST THE ABSENCE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING YEAH.
AND YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING, UM, AND IT, BROADBAND ACCESS.
RIGHT? AND I'M GLAD THAT BRIAN DILLARD AND TEAM ARE HERE, UM, BECAUSE THAT WAS ANOTHER THING THAT, SO, UH, WHEN YOU'RE USING TOO MUCH BANDWIDTH AND IN SOME AREAS WHERE, UM, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME ACCESSIBILITY AND, AND KIDS WERE, IF YOU WILL, WERE FIGHTING RIGHT OVER, OR IT MIGHT TAKE LONGER FOR THEM TO BE
[00:25:01]
ABLE TO, UM, ACCESS THE, THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO, TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK, WHICH YOU MENTIONED THAT.YOU, ME MENTIONED THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AS WELL.
UM, COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ LAST WEEK AT OUR SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST MEETING CHALLENGED, UM, 1, 1 2 ACTUALLY, OF OUR PROJECTS.
AND SO ASKED FOR DEEPER AFFORDABILITY AND SPECIFICALLY, UM, UH, WE WERE LOOKING AT THREE BEDROOM, UM, UH, APARTMENTS BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ENOUGH.
AND WE KNOW, AND COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, UH, WAS, UH, UH, I THINK ACTUALLY IT, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN HIM, IT, IT MIGHT HAVE COUNCIL COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, AND THEN COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ CHIMED IN, BUT WE WERE PUSHING FOR TWO AND THREE BEDROOM HOMES, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO, UM, WE, I WOULD SAY TENTATIVELY APPROVED SOME, SOME OF THAT, UM, WITH THE CONDITION THAT THEY WERE GONNA GO BACK AND, AND GIVE SOME MORE INFORMATION.
SO THIS IS HELPFUL, RIGHT? BECAUSE THIS PROVES TO, AGAIN, THAT THIS IS, WE'RE NOT JUST SAYING THIS, WE COULD DO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, BUT THIS IS A QUANTITATIVE, UH, PART THAT I THINK THAT WE NEED.
UM, THE OTHER, THE OTHER CONCERN THAT I, UM, THAT I WAS LOOKING AT IS, UH, HIGH LEVELS OF, UM, EARLY MARRIAGES MM-HMM.
AND SO I, WHEN YOU MENTIONED, UM, THE LOWER INCOME LEVELS, DO YOU THINK THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH, UM, EARLY PREGNANCY RATES? UH, I THINK WHAT, WHAT YOU HAVE IS KIND OF THE, THERE'S A, A WIDE, UH, SENSE OF, UH, UH, FACTORS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS IN, IN TERMS OF YOU HAVE, UH, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SO FORTH, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UH, FOR POOR WOMEN WHO HAVE, WHO GAIN ACCESS TO HIGHER LEVELS OF EDUCATION, THAT THEY TEND TO ALSO HAVE OTHER OPTIONS BESIDES EARLY MARRIAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, AND SO FORTH.
SO THAT'S WHERE I THINK, UH, UH, EDUCATION BECOMES EXTREMELY, UH, IMPORTANT IN MAKING SURE THAT, UH, GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN HAVE THE, UM, UH, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, ISSUES HAVING TO DO WITH, UH, WITH, UM, UH, SEX EDUCATION AND SO FORTH, THAT THOSE ARE BECOME EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF CONTRACEPTIVE USE AND THINGS LIKE THAT AS WELL.
AND, UH, THIS PAST WEEKEND, UM, WE HAD A TEEN SUMMIT, AND IT WAS A MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT SPECIFICALLY, AND I, I, UH, A LOT OF THE ORGAN ORGANIZERS WERE GIRLS, AND I WAS SO PROUD OF THEM.
UM, WE, UH, GOT TO KIND OF WALK AROUND, AND SO THEY WERE PRESENTING INFORMATION THAT THEY THINK THAT, THAT THEY NEED TO SHARE.
AND I, I KNOW YOU WERE THERE, COUNCILOR RODRIGUEZ, I, UM, GOT THERE A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, BUT, SO IT'S, IT'S ABOUT SUPPORTING AND EMPOWERING THE KIDS TO BE ABLE TO, TO REALIZE MAYBE WHAT THEY'RE LACKING AT SCHOOL, RIGHT.
UM, I'M REALLY PROUD THAT WE CONTINUE TO PURSUE THESE GOALS AS A COUNCIL.
I'M ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO CREATING A MUNICIPAL COMMISSION, HOPEFULLY ON THE STATUS OF GIRLS.
I MEAN, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE CALLED THAT, BUT WE HAVE A WOMEN'S COMMISSION.
AND SO, UM, I, I WOULD HOPE THAT WE COULD DO IT DURING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GIRL SCOUTS.
AND SO, UM, THE, THE GIRL SCOUTS ARE CELEBRATING A MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY, AND THEY ARE, ARE REALLY THE ONES THAT KIND OF, UH, GET EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY TOGETHER.
I, UM, WANNA ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE, UH, I, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU HAVE, UM, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION ON, UH, THE BIRTH RATES ACROSS, UH, ETHNIC GROUPS AND, UM, LIFESPANS AS WELL.
AND SO WE DON'T, I I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF IT TODAY, SO I'LL JUST GIVE YOU SOME, SOME, I'LL, I'LL ASK SOME QUESTIONS LATER OFFLINE, SO I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU.
BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE WHAT, UM, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE PICKED UP FROM THE DISCUSSION.
SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO WHOEVER WANTS TO MAKE REMARKS NEXT.
UM, I WISH I WAS IN HIGHER SPIRIT BECAUSE OF THIS PRESENTATION, BUT I'LL, I'LL BE HONEST, THAT, YOU KNOW, TODAY WE'RE RECEIVING THE STATUS, UH, REVIEWING THE STATUS OF GIRLS IN SAN ANTONIO.
IN MY TAKEAWAYS THAT IT'S DEVASTATING, AND I'M GONNA BE VERY SINGULAR IN MY FOCUS IN THAT.
UM, I SPECIFICALLY WANT TO DISCUSS, UH, THE STATUS OF BLACK GIRLS IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND I, I THINK ABOUT MY LITTLE SISTER, MY COUSINS, ALL OF THE YOUNG BLACK GIRLS THAT I TAUGHT WHEN I WAS TEACHING AT ST.
HOUSTON, AT MADISON HIGH SCHOOL.
AND I KEEP GOING BACK TO, UH, BLACK BABY GIRLS IN BEAR COUNTY ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE BEFORE THEIR FIRST, FIRST BIRTHDAY.
AND THEN I THINK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN YOUNG WOMEN, THESE YOUNG BLACK WOMEN FROM THE LEMONADE CIRCLE CAME AND THEY WERE DISCUSSING THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH HAIR DISCRIMINATION.
AND THEN, UH, LOOKING AT THE RATE, THE 37% SUICIDE IDEATION RATE AMONG TEENS, AND THEN SEEING THAT BLACK GIRLS ARE TWICE AS LIKELY, UH, TO BE BOOKED IN COUNTY JAIL.
AND THEN THINKING A LITTLE BIT, GETTING TO ANOTHER POINT WHERE BLACK WOMEN ARE ACHIEVING HIGHER EARNINGS LATER.
AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING THAT WE ARE DOING PARTICULARLY WELL, IT'S BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN FIGHT AND QUITE IN CONTRAST TO OR IN, UH, CONTRAST TO WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING.
AND THEN THEY GO ON AND THEY HAVE THE HIGHEST,
[00:30:01]
UH, MATERNAL MORTALITY, UH, RATES.AND THEN WHAT ISN'T GONNA MAKE IT AFTER A YEAR, LIKE, IT'S, IT'S A CYCLE.
AND IT'S, UH, QUITE HONESTLY, HORRIFIC.
AND I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE DATA THAT, YOU KNOW, IT REAFFIRMS THE HARSH REALITIES OF THE DISPROPORTIONATE MATERNAL MO MORTALITY RATE FOR, UH, BLACK WOMEN.
AND WE KNOW THAT WHAT AFFECTS THE MOTHER ALSO AFFECTS THE WHOLE FAMILY BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, MOTHERS OR GRANDMOTHERS TEND TO BE THE PARENT, OUR, OUR CHAIR, OUR CHIL OUR CHILDREN LIVE WITH IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD.
AND FOR THIS REASON, I, I THINK WE NEED TO GO BACK TO OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT HEALTH ACCESS IN A HOSPITAL IN THE EAST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE THESE RATES ARE, THESE, UH, HEALTH OUTCOMES ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING BLACK WOMEN AND BLACK GIRLS.
AND WE JUST CLOSED DOWN, UH, THE MATERNAL WING OF THE, OF, UH, A HOSPITAL IN THE NORTHEAST.
AND, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS ISSUE IS HEARING THE VOICES OF BLACK WOMEN YOUNG AND OLDER.
AND SO I'M WONDERING, DOES, DO WE HAVE ANY DATA THAT EXPLORES THE CIVIC PARTICIPATION RATES OF BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND WOMEN OF COLOR? OKAY.
UM, SEE, GREAT POINTS AND, AND GREAT OBSERVATIONS.
I THINK IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU'RE SPOT ON IN TERMS OF THE, UH, THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOU HAVE THE, JUST THE ACCUMULATION OF, UH, LACK OF A ACCESS TO GOOD HEALTH, UH, CARE.
UH, THERE IS, UH, MUCH LITERATURE, UH, RESEARCH THAT HAS SHOWN THAT THE, UM, RACISM IS ALSO CONNECTED WITH HEALTH OUTCOMES AND SO FORTH.
ALL OF THESE FACTORS, UH, INTER INTERSECT WITH EACH OTHER TO CREATE THESE OUTCOMES THAT WE SEE, PARTICULARLY FOR, UM, YOUNG BLACK WOMEN, WOMEN WHERE YOU'RE SEEING INFANT MORTALITY RATES THAT ARE EXTREMELY HIGH.
THESE ARE INFANT MORTALITY RATES AND DEATH RATES AT, AT, UH, AT ONE TO 17 YEARS OF AGE THAT ARE HIGHER THAN, THAN EVEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.
UH, SO WE SEE THESE, UH, THESE KINDS OF DISPARITIES, AND THEY CONTINUE TO TAKE PLACE.
AND IT IS THAT INTERSECTION, I THINK, OF THE LACK OF ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, THE HOUSING CONDITIONS, THE, UH, WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS, THE, THE, UH, THE, UH, RACISM THAT WE, THERE'S A RESEARCH THAT SHOWS HOW RACISM, OF COURSE, IF A MOTHER IS EXPERIENCING RACISM AND EXPERIENCING, UH, THAT, UH, IMPACTS THE, THE, UH, THE, THE BABY IN, IN THE WOMB AS WELL, THE INFANT IN THE WOMB AND SO FORTH.
SO ALL THESE FACTORS THEN, UH, THEN PLAY A ROLE IN THESE HORRIBLE, UH, OUTCOMES.
YOU MENTIONED CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND THERE, UH, YOU DO FIND THAT, UH, FIND THAT, THAT WOMEN TEND TO BE MORE LIKELY TO BE ENGAGED CIVICALLY IN OUR STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT.
WE FOUND THAT WOMEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO WERE MORE LIKELY TO VOTE, FOR EXAMPLE, OR BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, THAT WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE SERVING ON, UH, ON, UH, UH, CITY COMMISSIONS AND, AND, UH, ORGANIZATIONS.
I THINK THAT THERE'S SOME CHANGE THAT IS GOING ON THERE, UH, BUT WE SEE THAT MOTHERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE MAJOR ADVOCATES FOR, FOR THEIR CHILDREN AS WELL AS FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.
SZ, FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE.
UH, HAD A SECOND CHANCE TO LISTEN TO SOME OF THIS.
UM, AND OF COURSE, IT'S ALWAYS VERY DEPRESSING.
UM, BUT I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
ONE OF THEM IS, WHEN YOU TAKE ALL OF THIS DATA TOGETHER AND YOU LOOK AT WHERE A YOUNG WOMAN STARTS, UH, AND, AND WHERE IT STARTS TO SLIP COMPARED TO YOUNG MEN, CAN YOU APPLY THAT SOMEHOW AS A LENS OVER PROGRAMS THAT THE CITY CREATES THAT COULD TELL YOU WHAT IS MORE EFFECTIVE? MM-HMM.
NOWADAYS, WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT YOUNG WOMEN AND THE STRUGGLES IN MENTAL HEALTH.
IN YOUR STUDY, DID YOU FIND WHAT SOME OF THOSE MAJOR STRUGGLES ARE FOR YOUNG WOMEN? YEAH.
UM, THESE WERE KIND OF DATA THAT WERE, THAT ARE PRETTY MUCH GENERAL, SO THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO LOOK, UH, DOWN IN THE WEEDS TO, TO GET AT THAT.
BUT SOME OF THE TRENDS THAT, THAT WE DO FIND IS, UH, IN THE GEN, IN THE EDUCATION RESEARCH LITERATURE HAS AL ALWAYS SHOWN HOW YOU HAVE, UH, YOUTH, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE VERY MUCH ENGAGED, UH, IN EDUCATION WHEN IT COMES TO SCIENCE AND GETTING EXCITED ABOUT SCIENCE, UH, DURING THAT, UH, FIRST TO FIFTH, SIXTH GRADE, AND SO FORTH.
AND THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME DISCONNECTION THAT TAKES PLACE BY THE TIME YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SEVENTH GRADE AND, AND
[00:35:01]
HIGHER.SO THOSE ARE, I THINK, REPRESENT SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE TO ENGAGE AND KEEP THAT ENGAGEMENT OF THESE CHILDREN, PERHAPS SUMMER CAMPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD, UH, THAT, THAT WOULD, UH, BE, UH, EFFECTIVE.
THE LAST PART OF YOUR QUESTION,
SO THAT THERE'S NOT THE SLIPPAGE.
AND THERE, I THINK THAT, THAT IT, I THINK A LOT OF THE, THE BEN MENTORING KINDS OF PROGRAMS, UH, UH, CONNECTIONS, I THINK WITH BUSINESSES AND SO FORTH WITH THE, UH, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HERE, MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THOSE, UH, THOSE PARTICULAR KIND OF PROGRAMS, UH, AND, UM, THE, UH, WORK OPPORTUNITIES AS, AS WELL.
SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME THINGS THAT, UH, THAT COME, COME TO MIND, UH, RIGHT OFF HAND.
BUT WITH MENTAL HEALTH IN PARTICULAR, THERE ISN'T ANY PRIORITY LIST, IF YOU WOULD, OF WHAT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH WITH YOUNG WOMEN.
BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU LOOKED AT, YOU LOOKED AT, RIGHT? YEAH.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN, IF, IF I MAY, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE NOTE OF AS, SO AS WE, UM, IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS OR PRESENT PROGRAMS TO THE COUNCIL AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PROCESS, WE CAN IDENTIFY EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AND HOW THOSE CAN IMPACT SOME OF THOSE TRENDS THAT YOU SAW TODAY.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT OUR, UH, EQUITY DEPARTMENT WILL BE WORKING ON TO SEE HOW WE CAN CHANGE THOSE TRENDS THAT WE SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
WELL, I THINK, FOR EXAMPLE, YOUR FIREFIGHTERS PROGRAM WITH THE YOUNG GIRLS, I MEAN, THAT'S A GOOD INNOVATIVE KIND OF THING THAT WOULD INTRODUCE THEM EARLY ON TO THOSE POTENTIAL.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE TALKING ON READY TO WORK, UH, ABOUT WEATHERIZATION, STUFF LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, WHERE DO THEY GET THAT KIND OF, UH, EARLY UNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE KINDS OF JOBS COULD THEN LEAD TO HAVING A, A VERY GOOD INCOME WITH BENEFITS AND ALL THAT? PART OF THE PROBLEM THAT I SEE IN TERMS OF JOBS IS THAT A LOT OF OUR FOLKS DON'T KNOW, LET'S TAKE BUS DRIVING THAT IF YOU'RE A BUS DRIVER FOR VIA, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE BENEFITS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A PENSION, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MEDICAL.
I MEAN, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S THE SAME WITH SO MANY OTHER FIELDS THAT OUR KIDS DON'T KNOW.
SO FOR, TO ME, IT'S LIKE, WHERE AND HOW AND HOW DO YOU DEVELOP THAT LENS? SO IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT IT BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU CAN SEE WITH SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT, UM, WERE BROUGHT FORTH IN THAT PROGRAM THAT WE WENT TO, YOU CAN SEE THAT INNOVATION.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE INNOVATIVE WAYS OF INTRODUCING YOUNG GIRLS TO THINGS THAT, ONE, HELP THEIR MENTAL HEALTH IN TERMS OF WHAT CAN YOU DO, WHAT CAN YOU BE, UH, AND THEN TWO, EARLY CAREERS.
AND OF COURSE, IT GOES BACK TO EDUCATION.
UH, AND I KNOW IT'S ALL TIED TOGETHER, HOUSING, UH, BUT, BUT I DO THINK THERE'S A WAY TO TAKE THAT DATA AND FIGURE OUT WHERE DO WE INTERVENE THAT IS MOST EFFECTIVE? AND THAT IS A VERY GOOD POINT ALSO, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT OCCUPATIONS THAT TEND TO BE DISPROPORTIONATELY MEN TEND TO ALSO HAVE HIGHER WAGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT AS YOU, AS YOU POINTED OUT.
UH, SO THAT, THAT REPRESENTS IN TERMS OF HOW WE CREATE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET INTO THESE, UH, THESE JOBS THAT ARE GOOD PAYING JOBS AND SO FORTH.
COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, THANK YOU CHAIR.
AND, UH, I, I WANTED TO COMMEND DR.
I ALWAYS JUST THOUGHT WE GOT CUTE, UH, DAY OF THE GIRL SHIRTS.
I, I, I DIDN'T REALIZE THE WORK THAT WENT INTO, UH, INITIATING AND SUPPORTING THAT, SO THANK YOU.
UM, I THINK WHAT THIS PRESENTATION PROVIDES IS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND RECALIBRATE ON HOW WE ADDRESS MANY OF THE ISSUES.
FOR EXAMPLE, I'M LOOKING AT THE RACIAL DISPARITIES AMONG JUSTICE INVOLVED GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN IN SAN ANTONIO.
UM, THESE PROGRAMS ARE OPEN TO EVERYONE, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
[00:40:01]
APPROACH, RIGHT? WHEN MISTAKES ARE MADE.UM, AND LOOKING AT THE, THE SLIDE, PARTICULARLY AROUND, UH, SIDE AND RELEASE, UM, JUVENILE ARREST FOR GIRLS BY AGE GROUP IN CHARGE, UM, I, I, I FIND IT A BIT CONCERNING, RIGHT? UM, DESPITE BLACK YOUNG GIRLS MAKING 6% OF THE YOUNG GIRL POPULATION, RIGHT? THEY WRITE RANKED SECOND MM-HMM.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT AND PROVIDE DIRECTION ON HOW TO ENSURE THAT, UM, EVERYONE'S HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY AND BEING TREATED EQUALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SIDE AND RELEASE.
UM, UH, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THE, THE REFERENCE AND THE USE OF THE YOUTH COMMISSION'S MENTAL HEALTH SURVEY.
UHHUH
BECAUSE WE KNOW, UM, THE IMPACTED ONES HAVE THE BEST SOLUTIONS.
AND WHAT THE YOUTH COMMISSION CREATED WITH THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WAS, UH, OPPORTUNITY MICRO GRANTS, CITYWIDE YOUTH EVENTS, DISTRICT SPECIFIC EVENTS, UH, MARKETING AND, AND A COUPLE OF OTHER PIECES.
AND, AND SEEING THE, THE IMPACT THAT OUR YOUTH ARE HAVING AND ALLOWING THEM THAT AGENCY TO HELP SHAPE POLICY, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THAT'S WHY I HOPE WITH, UH, THE UPCOMING BUDGET, WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE YOUTH COMMISSION.
UM, BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE FEELING AND HOW THEY'RE BEING IMPACTED.
ESPECIALLY IN THE DAY OF, OF THE INTERNET.
AND GOING TO SCHOOL IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC AND THAT IMPACT ON LEARNING ABILITIES, UM, IS JUST MAJOR.
UM, AND I THINK, UH, OUR YOUTH ARE THE ONES THAT ARE BEST TO LEAD US
I SEE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, TO RECALIBRATE AND DO BETTER.
UM, I WILL SAY THE COLORS ON THE PRESENTATION MADE THIS, UH, MUCH MORE PALATABLE.
'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, INFU INFURIATING INFORMATION ON HERE,
UM, SO, SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE CONTINUED WORK, AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO USING THIS TO MAKE BETTER POLICY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILWOMAN.
AND I THINK THAT THE YOUTH ALSO PLAYED AN EX AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, UH, ROLE IN TERMS OF THE DATA COLLECTION IN THE SURVEYS AS WELL.
I NOTICED THERE WAS A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT DID IT MM-HMM.
UM, BUT COUNCILMAN BRAN, THANK YOU.
UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR EXCELLENT WORK.
SIGNS, I THINK I, I'M NOT SURPRISED, AND I THINK I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE BECAUSE OF THE 2019 STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT, UH, WHICH THE, UH, INFANT MORTALITY RATE WAS THERE, THEN MATERNAL, AND IT'S 2023.
AND SO I THINK ONE THING WE, WE NEED TO SAY, BUT WE DON'T, IS THAT THIS COUNTRY HA HAS TO ADDRESS ITS TREATMENT OF WOMEN.
ITS TREATMENT OF WOMEN'S HEALTH.
UM, AND I I, I FEEL THAT WE HAVE A COUNCIL THAT DOESN'T WANNA JUST CHECK BOXES, OH, WE DID THIS STUDY.
WELL, WE KNOW THIS REPORT, BUT THEY ACTUALLY WANNA MOVE US FORWARD FROM THIS.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO USING THIS.
AND, AND IT IS, IT IS, UM, IT, IT IS DISCOURAGING, BUT NOT UNEXPECTED.
BUT IT'S ALWAYS GOOD WHEN YOU HAVE THE, THE, THE DOCTORS AND THE EDUCATORS GO OUT AND DO THE RESEARCH AND TELL US, THIS IS WHAT YOU THOUGHT.
AND I, I DO APPRECIATE THE COMPARISONS WITH ADOLESCENT BOYS, BUT I THINK WHAT RESONATED WITH ME IS BECAUSE WOMEN VERSUS WOMEN OF COLOR AND THOSE DISCREPANCIES THERE, AND I THINK AS WE MOVE FORWARD, SPECIFICALLY IN THE DEPARTMENTS OF METRO HEALTH HOUSING AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND DECORUM TOWARDS WOMEN AND GIRLS, WE NEED TO LOOK AT CREATING POLICY THAT ADDRESSES THAT FACT.
WE, UM, IF WE ARE GOING TO BE, UH, THE CITY THAT WE WANT TO BE THE WORLD CLASS CITY, I JUST USE THAT QUOTE, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HERE.
AND I THINK IT STARTS WITH THE WOMEN, BECAUSE I THINK THESE ARE THE MOTHERS, THESE ARE THE WOMEN LEADING THE HOUSEHOLDS.
AND IF WE, IF WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THEM, WE'LL SEE SOME OF OUR OTHER PROBLEMS, UM, START TO MOVE ALSO.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, I THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK.
I, I LOOK FORWARD, IF FROM YOUR, UM, THE WORK YOU DID, IF YOU SEE A POLICY AND YOU WANNA COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE OR ANY OTHER COMMITTEE, PUBLIC SAFETY AND SAY, HEY, BASED ON THE REPORT WE DID, THIS IS HOW IT WOULD NEGATIVELY OR POSITIVELY IMPACT
[00:45:02]
THE, THE STATUS OF GIRLS OR THE STATUS OF WOMEN.BECAUSE I THINK RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK SPECIFICALLY IN HOUSING, WE DO A LOT OF THINGS WHERE WE'RE LIKE, OH, LET'S DO THIS.
BUT WE DON'T EVER WANNA SAY, LET'S PRI PRIORITIZE OTHER THAN WOMEN WHO'VE BEEN VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WHICH MARIA AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT MAKING THAT A PRIORITY, BUT ACTUALLY PRIORITIZING WOMEN WHO HAVE THREE GENERATIONS IN THEIR HOUSE, WHO ARE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLDS, WHO, WHO, WHO HAVE TO, TO CARE FOR SOMEONE LIVING WITH A DISABILITY.
THE, MAYBE THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS WE START ASKING BASED ON THIS REPORT.
UH, THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING THIS INTO SOME KEY DEPARTMENTS AS WE MAKE POLICIES, UH, THIS BUDGET SESSION.
AND, UM, MOSTLY BECAUSE, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENTATION.
I DON'T KNOW, I, IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU, I DO WANT TO FOCUS A LITTLE BIT ON THE CITY AND ASK SOME QUESTIONS OF, UH, MARIA.
UM, AND ONE OF MY FIRST, AND, AND THE REASON THAT I ASKED, UH, THE QUESTIONS I DID DURING THE LAST ROUND WAS THAT, UM, I GENERALLY WANTED TO KNOW, ARE WE DOING A GOOD ENOUGH, UH, JOB GETTING THE FEEDBACK AND LEARNING FROM THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN OF COLOR, PARTICULARLY BLACK WOMEN? AND, UH, WE JUST LISTENED A LITTLE.
WE HEARD A RESPONSE ABOUT COMMISSIONS AND LACK OF ENGAGEMENT FROM, UH, THE BLACK POPULATION.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY IS THAT OFTEN IF WE HAVE A BOARD AND COMMISSION SEAT, I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR APPOINTING THE SOLE BLACK VOICE ON ANY OF THOSE COMMISSIONS.
AND SO, UH, I WOULD IMPLORE MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES HERE AND NOT HERE, UM, TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY CAN ELEVATE BLACK VOICES SO THAT THE ONLY VOICE ISN'T COMING FROM THE EAST SIDE, BECAUSE THERE'S BLACK FOLK ALL AROUND OUR CITY AND ALL THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTY, AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY'RE, UH, REPRESENTED.
UM, I DO WANNA HIT A LITTLE BIT ON PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND, UM, YOU HAD MENTIONED RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS GONNA MENTION.
AND, UM, WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE 16% OF GIRLS BOOKED, UH, BEING BLACK GIRLS, OR 16% OF, UH, YEAH, GIRLS BOOKED VERSUS 7% IN BEXAR COUNTY.
AND THEN TALKING ABOUT PROGRAMS LIKE SITE AND RELEASE, AND WE KNOW THINGS TO WORK.
THERE'S A REASON WHY PROGRAMS LIKE SITE AND RELEASE AND OTHER REFORMS ARE, UH, IN PLAY.
AND WE HAVE TO SUPPORT THEM WHEN WE KNOW THAT THEY, WHEN WE KNOW THAT THEY WORK, AND WE CAN'T BEND TO THE WHIMS OF, UH, POWERS SUCH AS SPOA OR OTHERS THAT TELL US, OH, WE DON'T WANT SITE AND RELEASE.
WE HAD A WHOLE ATTACK THIS WHOLE PAST FIVE, SIX MONTHS ON SITE AND RELEASE AS A CONCEPT, AND WE KNOW IT TO WORK, AND WE KNOW IT TO ADDRESS ISSUES SUCH AS, UH, THIS DIS UH, DISPROPORTIONATE REPRESENTATION OF BLACK GIRLS BEING BOOKED WHEN THEY ONLY MAKE UP A VERY SLIM PORTION OF THE POPULATION.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO CHALLENGE MY COLLEAGUES THERE.
AND WHAT I WANT TO GET AT IS BASED ON THIS DATA, AND SPECIFICALLY AS I'M TALKING ABOUT, UM, ISSUES OF BLACK GIRLS, UH, KNOWING THAT IT DOES APPLY AS WELL TO BROWN GIRLS AND OTHER, UH, GIRLS OF COLOR, WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS MIGHT YOU HAVE OR WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO NEXT? RIGHT? SO, COUNCILMAN, RIGHT THIS MINUTE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS AS WE, THE REPORT WAS JUST FINALIZED, BUT THIS IS THE WORK THAT OUR EQUITY DEPARTMENT IS GONNA TAKE ON TO, UH, ONE, LOOK AT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AND SEE HOW THOSE PROGRAMS CAN BE IMPACTING POSITIVELY SOME OF THE STATISTICS THAT YOU SAW TODAY.
AND ALSO BASED ON THE, THE RESULTS OF THE REPORT TODAY, WHAT EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS WE COULD RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADAPT TO MAKE CHANGES IN SOME OF THE TRENDS THAT YOU SAW.
SO I ENVISION THAT WHEN WE COME TO YOU AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS, DEPARTMENTS LIKE METRO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE'LL HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WOULD DIRECTLY ADDRESS SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE, UH, TRENDS, UH, NEGATIVE TRENDS THAT YOU SAW TODAY.
AND I GUESS MY LAST REQUEST OR IDEA THAT I'VE GOTTEN FROM THIS, JUST, UM, BASED ON THE FACT THAT I FEEL AS THOUGH, UH, BLACK WOMEN AND BLACK GIRLS HAVE A VERY, UH, NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE IN BEXAR COUNTY AND IN OUR CITY, I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, EXPRESS SOME INTEREST IN FORMING A COMMITTEE OR COMMISSION OR WORK GROUP OF, UH, BLACK WOMEN THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO SPECIFICALLY, UM, TO DISCUSS THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES AND TO PROPOSE THEIR FEEDBACK AND IDEAS.
AND MAYBE THAT COULD BE THE FIRST TASK WHEN WE FORM THE COMMITTEE.
RIGHT? AND SO, UM, SO I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, COUNCILMAN.
UM, I DO, BY THE WAY, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING IN IT, UM, REMINDED ME WE HAVE AN UPCOMING ITEM ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND SPECIFICALLY DIVERSITY THAT'S GONNA COME TO THIS COMMITTEE.
SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, SO I NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF, OF, UH, GIRLS, WELL,
[00:50:01]
ACTUALLY YOU ALL DID YOUTH EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES, UM, 12 TO 19 YEARS OLD.THERE WAS, UH, 846 THAT YOU ALL INTERVIEWED.
49% OF THEM, UM, DID NOT DISCLOSE OR CHOSE NOT TO DISCLOSE, UH, THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
AND 30, WELL, SORRY, THAT'S 16% AND 33 IDENTIFIED AS LGBTQ PLUS.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS WHY IT'S CRITICAL THAT, THAT WE, WE FOCUS ON THIS GROUP.
DID YOU NOTICE ANY ADDITIONAL TRENDS, UM, IN THIS GROUP THAT, THAT MAYBE WE DIDN'T SEE TODAY IN THE REPORT? YEAH, THE, I THINK, UH, AND, AND THIS IS THE SURVEY THAT WAS DONE BY YOUTH HERE, UH, IN, UH, IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO WE, UH, ESSENTIALLY LOOKED OVER THE, THOSE REPORT AND HIGHLIGHTED, UH, SOME OF, AND USED SOME OF THOSE, UH, THOSE DATA.
I THINK, UH, YOU PROBABLY ALSO FIND THAT SOME PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT HAVE REVEALED THEIR SEXUAL IDENTIFICATION, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THERE MAY ALSO BE, UH, INDIVIDUALS THERE THAT, THAT, UH, ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING DEGREES OF, UH, OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THAT COME WITH PERHAPS NOT IDENTIFYING OUT AS, UH, UM, UH, LGBTQ PLUS.
I, I FIGURED THAT WAS THE CASE, BUT I WAS JUST, UM, DOUBLE CHECKING IF, IF THERE WAS ANY INDICATION OF THAT.
UM, BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
I, UH, REALLY AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT STEP FOR, FOR OUR THING BEING AT LEAST FORMING SOME SORT OF A COMMISSION.
AND I THINK, LIKE I SAID, WHAT COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ OFFERED, I THINK WOULD BE A, A GOOD FIRST STEP.
S WE APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT, THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR US ON THIS AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED DIALOGUE WITH YOU AND WITH, UM, CHRISTINA ON THIS AS WELL.
WE WILL MOVE ON NOW TO ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS A BRIEFING ON THE RESULTS OF A STUDY EXPLORING MULTIPLE BENEFITS OF FOOD, FOREST AND URBAN AGRICULTURE, UM, AND HOW THOSE BENEFITS COULD BE TARGETED TO VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.
SO WE'RE GONNA ASK BRIAN DILLER TO INTRODUCE OUR NEXT SPEAKERS.
UM, SO, UH, IN 2021, UH, OUR SMART CITIES TEAM PROVIDED SEED FUNDING TO TWO URBAN AG, UH, URBAN AGRICULTURAL, UH, PILOTS.
ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS WAS THE FOOD FOREST AT PADRE PARK DOWN IN DISTRICT THREE.
UH, THE PROJECT ATTRACTED INTEREST OF STANFORD UNIVERSITY'S NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECT, NAT CAP.
UH, THE NAT CAP AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY IS A RESEARCH ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON BUILDING TOOLS THAT MAP AND QUANTIFY THE GOODS AND SERVICES PROVIDED BY NATURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
UH, IN 2022, NAT CAP APPROACHED THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL OF SAN ANTONIO ABOUT UTILIZING THE TOOL YOU'RE BEING PRESENTED HERE TODAY TO HELP THE CITY QUANTIFY THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT GENERATED BY REPURPOSING VACANT LAND INTO A FOOD FOREST USING PADRE PARK AS A CASE STUDY.
UH, THE STANFORD NCAP TEAM HAS PARTNERED WITH THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL OF SAN ANTONIO, OUR OFFICE OF INNOVATION, OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND METRO HEALTH, TO DEVELOP A TOOL CALLED INVEST.
THIS TOOL QUANTIFIES ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES GENERATED BY REPURPOSING CITY OWNED PROPERTIES INTO FOOD PRODUCING LAND USES, INCLUDING URBAN FOOD, FORESTS, AND URBAN FARMS. THIS TOOL MODELS ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES BASED ON LAND USE CHANGES.
THE TOOL ALSO PROJECTS FOOD YIELD, URBAN HEAT, ISLAND CHANGES AND WATER FILTRATION RATES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING URBAN FOREST AND FOOD FOREST, URBAN FARMS, AND FOOD FOREST.
PAIRED WITH EXISTING CASE STUDIES, LIKE THE PADRE PARK FOOD FOREST TOOL HELPS QUANTIFY R O I AND MAKES THE CASE FOR HOW MUCH VALUE ALTERNATIVE LAND USES BRING TO THE BROADER CITY.
IN 2022, THE STANFORD NCAP TEAM WAS AWARDED A NASA GRANT TO SUPPORT THEIR WORK IN SAN ANTONIO.
SAN ANTONIO IS THEIR PILOT CITY USING THIS NEW TOOL, WHICH WILL BE APPLICABLE GLOBALLY.
WE ARE HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU TODAY TO BRIEF ON WHAT WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THIS JOINT EFFORT, AND I'M HAPPY TO HAND IT OVER TO MITCH HACKNEY, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL URBAN AGRICULTURAL WORK GROUP TO MOVE US FORWARD.
MITCH, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYONE FOR YOUR TIME AND, UH, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION.
UH, THE, FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT, THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL OF SAN ANTONIO IS AN ALL VOLUNTEER, UH, NONPROFIT.
WE'VE BEEN OPERATING SINCE 2011 AND WE HAVE, UH, SPONSORED AND SUPPORTED POLICY CHANGES SUCH AS THE HEALTHY CORNER STORE INITIATIVE, WHICH IS NOW IN 35, UH, STORES THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND, AND MOVES A GREAT DEAL OF PRODUCE THROUGH FOOD DESERTS.
WE ALSO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A LOT OF URBAN AGRICULTURE POLICIES, INCLUDING CHANGING, UH, ZONING CODES FOR WHERE, UH, URBAN AGRICULTURE IS, UH, UH, ABLE TO BE, UH, PRODUCED WITHOUT SPECIAL USE PERMITS.
WE FACILITATED AN INCREASE IN THE LEGAL NUMBER OF CHICKENS THAT YOU CAN HAVE IN YOUR BACKYARD.
AND LAST YEAR WE ALSO, UH, FACILITATED A POLICY THAT DECREASED, UM, REGULATORY RESTRICTIONS FOR
[00:55:01]
URBAN FARMS AS THEY EMERGE.UH, AS WAS MENTIONED, WE HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING WITH, UH, THE NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECT AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
THEY HAVE, UH, BROUGHT TO BEAR A LOT OF, UH, DIFFERENT MODELING AND SCIENTIFIC RESOURCES.
THEY'RE AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE OF MANY, MANY DIFFERENT PARTNERS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
AND THEY'RE BASED AT STANFORD, UH, UTILIZING THEIR MODELING TOOL, UH, KNOWN AS INVEST.
UH, AT THE SAME TIME, THROUGH THE COURSE OF OUR COLLABORATION, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH, UH, MULTIPLE DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS.
WE HAVE SPECIAL THANKS FOR, UH, METRO HEALTH, THE OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY.
UH, AND WE, UH, HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF GREAT FEEDBACK THROUGH DIFFERENT MUNICIPAL SOURCES, UH, AS WE MOVED FORWARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW, UH, VACANT LANDS AND UNDERUTILIZED LANDS THAT THE CITY AND OTHER PUBLIC SOURCES OWN COULD BE LEVERAGED FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT, UH, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROBLEMS IN THE CITY, WE NOTICE THAT THERE IS AN INTERSECTION WHERE AGRICULTURE CAN, UH, CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ON, ON EACH OF THOSE.
UM, WE WERE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE AMOUNT OF FOOD INSECURITY THAT OCCURRED DURING C OVID 19, WHICH WAS JUST AN EXACERBATION OF EXISTING FOOD INSECURITY AS A LATENT ASPECT OF OUR CITY.
CURRENTLY, UH, ONE IN FIVE CHILDREN IN SAN ANTONIO LACK ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, A LOT OF THOSE SAME, UH, CHILDREN, UH, ARE IN DENSE URBAN AREAS THAT SUFFER FROM, UH, REALLY HIGH, UH, URBAN HEAT INDICES.
UH, AT THE SAME TIME, THOSE SAME REGIONS OF THE CITY WHERE THESE PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED THAT WAY, UH, UH, REALLY STRUGGLE WITH RISKS OF FLASH FLOODING.
AND WE THINK THAT THESE ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH CONCERNS ARE LINKED NOW.
THEY'RE NOT EVENLY DISTRIBUTED.
WE KNOW, UH, THAT A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE CITY ARE NOT, UH, EVENLY DISTRIBUTED.
THEY ARE, UH, UH, IN AREAS WHERE WE SEE A LOT OF POVERTY, UH, UH, A LOT OF, UH, INDIVIDUALS OF COLOR.
AND, UH, ONE INDICATION THAT WE HAVE ON THE FAR LEFT THERE IS, UH, FOOD INSECURITY AND A PROXY METRIC THAT WE'VE BEEN USING IS THE AMOUNT OF FOOD STAMPS AND SNAP BENEFIT USAGE AND QUALIFICATION THAT THAT EXISTS.
NOW, UH, JUST AS A REMINDER, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROCESSES THAT THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH THROUGH THE YEARS THAT HAVE CONCLUDED THAT URBAN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY ARE IMPORTANT, UH, THINGS FOR THE CITY TO TACKLE.
UM, SA TOMORROW THE, UH, SA CAP PLAN AND SA FORWARD ALL HAVE SPECIFIC MENTIONS OF FOOD INSECURITY AND URBAN AGRICULTURE AS A POTENTIAL STRATEGY.
SO POLICIES THAT WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR TODAY, WE THINK ARE AN EXTENSION OF EXISTING WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE WITHIN THE CITY AND PRIORITIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SET.
SO, IN THE ANALYSIS THAT WAS CONDUCTED WITH THE NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECT, WE SPECIFICALLY LOOKED AT TWO TYPES OF URBAN AGRICULTURE.
WE LIKED COMMUNITY GARDENS, BUT WE WERE LOOKING AT, UH, MORE SCALED UP VERSIONS OF AGRICULTURE DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE CITY, ONE EXAMPLE IS, UH, FOOD FORESTS.
AND IN THAT ANALYSIS WE LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT, UM, WELL-ADAPTED CROPS LIKE PECANS, MULBERRIES, FIGS, NEPAL, THINGS THAT DO EXTREMELY WELL IN TIMES OF EXTREME HEAT, AND WHEN THEY'RE OCCASIONALLY FLOODED AS WELL.
ONE EXAMPLE IS THE TAMMA TULO FOOD FOREST, WHICH IS OUR PILOT AT PADRE PARK.
UH, THIS HAS ABOUT A HUNDRED TREES ON IT AT THE MOMENT.
UH, IT'S RIGHT ALONG THE SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK, UH, IN DISTRICT THREE.
REALLY A VIBRANT, TERRIFIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CENTER.
AND IT'S BECOME VERY CLEAR THAT THIS, UH, PARK AND THIS AGRICULTURAL EFFORT HAS BECOME A PART OF THE COMMUNITY IDENTITY WITHIN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, ANOTHER TYPE OF MODEL THAT WE LOOKED AT ARE URBAN FARMS. AND ONE, UH, EXAMPLE THAT WE ACTUALLY PULLED DATA FROM IS GARCIA STREET URBAN FARM, WHICH IS BASED IN DISTRICT TWO.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT COLLABORATION BETWEEN OPPORTUNITY HOMES AND, UH, ALAMO COLLEGES LED BY SOME REALLY, UH, EFFECTIVE OR URBAN AGRICULTURALISTS PRODUCING LARGE VOLUMES OF CROPS IN THE CITY, BOTH FOR SALE AS WELL AS DISTRIBUTION THROUGH THE FOOD BANK AND THROUGH COMMUNITY MEANS.
SO I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO ONE OF OUR COLLABORATORS FROM THE NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECT, UH, ANN, UH, WHO, UH, WAS OUR LEAD AND, AND THEY REALLY HAVE SOME TERRIFIC, UH, RESEARCH RESULTS FOR US.
HEY ALL, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION TO COME SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY.
SO WE EXPLORED THE PRIMARY BENEFIT THAT YOU CAN GET FROM URBAN AGRICULTURE BEING FOOD YIELD, BUT THEN THROUGH OUR WORK AT THE NATURAL CAPITAL PROJECT, WE BROUGHT THE INFORMATION ABOUT CO-BENEFITS, INCLUDING HEAT ISLAND MITIGATION, CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, GREEN SPACE ACCESS, FLOOD RETENTION, AND NUTRIENT RETENTION.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE, SO IN TERMS OF THE QUESTIONS WE WERE ASKING IN THIS REPORT WERE HOW MUCH FOOD COULD BE PRODUCED THROUGH URBAN AGRICULTURE IN SAN ANTONIO? HOW MUCH OF THOSE DIFFERENT CO-BENEFITS COULD WE EXPECT? TO WHOM MIGHT THOSE BENEFITS FLOW? AND HOW MIGHT ONE PRIORITIZE INVESTMENTS TO IMPROVE EQUITY? SO I'M GONNA JUMP RIGHT INTO RESULTS NEXT SLIDE.
SO WE LOOKED AT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SCALES.
WE STARTED WITH A CASE STUDY SCALE WHERE WE EXAMINED, UM, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WERE TO INVEST IN URBAN AGRICULTURE, SPECIFICALLY A FOOD FOREST IN AT THE VIA CORONADO PARK.
RIGHT NOW, THERE'S A SMALL FOOD FOREST OF ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN ACRE, BUT THE PARK ITSELF IS CLOSER
[01:00:01]
TO NINE ACRES, AND IT'S GENERALLY UNDEVELOPED OPEN SPACE WITH THE WALKING PATH.SO IF YOU COULD JUST IMAGINE FOR A SECOND WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF WE WERE TO HAVE A THRIVING FOOD FOREST ON THAT LAND.
SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, IF WE WERE TO HAVE A FOOD FOREST ON THAT LAND, WE COULD PRODUCE AN ESTIMATE OF APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS OF FRUIT AND NUTS PER YEAR.
AND IF WE VALUE THAT IN TERMS OF MARKET VALUE, THAT WOULD BE A LITTLE OVER A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS IN MARKET VALUE PER YEAR.
BUT WE DON'T ONLY GET FOOD BENEFITS.
SO IN ADDITION TO THOSE FOOD BENEFITS WE SAW IN OUR MODELS THAT WE WOULD SEE ABOUT A $2,000 PER YEAR, UM, DECREASE IN COOLING COSTS FOR SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, WE WOULD SEE, UM, THE SOCIAL COST OF CARBON WOULD BE VALUED AT ABOUT $8,000.
WE WOULD SEE SMALL INCREASES IN URBAN NATURE ACCESS.
WE WOULD SEE SOME SMALL REDUCTIONS IN FLOOD VOLUMES AND IN STORMWATER PHOSPHORUS EXPORT.
AND THERE WOULD BE A SMALL COST IN TERMS OF INCREASES IN NITROGEN EXPORT, WHICH COULD BE MITIGATED A LITTLE BIT THROUGH ON-FARM PRACTICES.
AND OUR ESTIMATES FOR THE COSTS OF SUCH A THING BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE AT, UH, TEMA TULO, WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $150,000 WITH MAINTENANCE COSTS OF ABOUT $40,000 PER YEAR.
SO THE NEXT QUESTION TO ASK ON THE NEXT SLIDE IS, WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM SUCH A FOOD FOREST? SO THEN WE LOOK AT THE SURROUNDING AREA, WHICH IS GENERALLY LOW INCOME, AND WHERE THERE'S LOW ACCESS TO FOOD.
SO, UM, IT'S IN THE SORT OF CENTER OF, UH, DISTRICT THREE THERE.
UM, AND IN THAT REGION, ABOUT 50% OF HOUSEHOLDS ARE LOW INCOME.
ABOUT 23% OF HOUSEHOLDS RELY ON SNAP BENEFITS.
AND IN THAT ZIP CODE, UH, APPROXIMATELY 40 KIDS, 40% OF KIDS REPORTED NO VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION IN THE PREVIOUS DAY.
SO IN THE CASE OF, UH, A LARGE FOOD FOREST AT THIS PARK, THAT FOOD FOREST WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ALL 536 HOUSEHOLDS THAT RELY ON SNAP BENEFITS WITH A LITTLE OVER THREE POUNDS OF, UH, FRESH FRUIT AND NUTS PER WEEK.
SO THEN THE NEXT QUESTION IS, WHAT IF WE WERE TO SORT OF LOOK AT A BROADER SCALE? SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS WHAT IF WE WERE TO SCALE UP URBAN AGRICULTURE TO PUBLICLY OWNED, UNDERUTILIZED NATURAL AREAS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND OF COURSE, WE'RE NOT PROPOSING THAT THAT IS A, UH, SOMETHING THAT ONE WOULD DO, BUT IT GIVES US AN ESTIMATE OF WHAT COULD BE PRODUCED ON THESE LANDS.
SO IF WE WERE TO LOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, IF WE WERE TO LOOK AT DISTRICT FIVE, WHERE THERE IS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF PUBLICLY OWNED, UH, NATURAL AREAS THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR CONVERSION TO URBAN AGRICULTURE, AND THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS THAT RECEIVE SNAP BENEFITS, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, EVEN IN A PLACE LIKE THAT, WITH ABOUT 237 ACRES OF PUBLICLY OWNED UNDEVELOPED GREEN SPACE, ALL FAMILIES ON SNAP COULD GET THEIR REQUIRED DAILY VEGETABLES BY CONVERTING A LITTLE BIT UNDER HALF OF THAT ACREAGE TO URBAN FARMS. JUST TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF THE KINDS OF VOLUMES OF, UM, FRESH LOCAL FOOD THAT COULD BE PRODUCED ON UNDERUTILIZED LANDS IN THE CITY.
OKAY, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, CITYWIDE IN TERMS OF THAT THOUGHT EXPERIMENT OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN, UM, FOOD FOREST COULD PRODUCE 192 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD PER YEAR WITH A MARKET VALUE OF 995 MILLION OR ENOUGH TO FEED 314,000 HOUSEHOLDS, AND URBAN FARMS COULD PRODUCE EVEN MORE FOOD.
IN ADDITION TO THAT CITYWIDE BENEFIT OF FOOD, WE CAN THINK ABOUT THE CITYWIDE BENEFIT OF THOSE CO BENEFITS.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE URBAN HEAT IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT FOOD FOREST CAN PROVIDE URBAN COOLING SERVICES AT THE CITY SCALE TO THE TUNE OF ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN AVOIDED, UM, ENERGY COSTS THROUGH URBAN COOLING.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THE, WE SUMMARIZE THE BENEFITS FROM FOOD FORESTS AND URBAN FARMS. I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE FOOD BENEFITS AND THE, UH, COOLING SERVICES.
AND THEN ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF FOOD FORESTS IN PARTICULAR INCLUDE CARBON STORAGE AND SEQUESTRATION, FLOOD RETENTION AND GREEN SPACE ACCESS.
URBAN FARMS PRODUCE MORE FOOD, UM, AND SLIGHTLY LESS COOLING SERVICES, AND THEY CAN INCREASE NUTRIENT RUNOFF INTO THE CITY AND DECREASE CARBON SEQUESTRATION AND GREEN SPACE ACCESS.
SO THOSE ARE SOME TRADE-OFFS THAT NEED TO
[01:05:01]
BE MITIGATED IF THERE WERE TO BE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN URBAN FARMS. OKAY, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS JUST THE SAME THING I JUST SAID, BUT IN CASE YOU'RE A VISUAL PERSON, IT MIGHT BE EASIER TO SEE THE ARROWS, UM, IN TERMS OF MORE FOOD, UH, FROM FARMS, BUT MORE CO-BENEFITS FROM FOOD FORESTS AND SIMILAR AMOUNTS OF MARKET VALUE FROM THE TWO TYPES OF URBAN AGRICULTURE.OKAY, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WITH THIS KIND OF MODELING STUDY.
SO IN PARTICULAR, WE COMPARED THE CURRENT BASELINE OF NATURAL AREAS TO URBAN AGRICULTURE.
SO WE WOULD SEE MUCH BIGGER NUMBERS IF WE WERE COMPARING TO PAVEMENT OR OTHER DEVELOPED LAND USE CLASSES.
AND THEN ALSO, THESE ARE MODELS, SO ALL MODELS HAVE ASSUMPTIONS BUILT IN, AND FOR EXAMPLE, CHANGES IN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES COULD CHANGE THE AMOUNTS OF YIELD THAT WOULD, UH, RESULT FROM THESE FARMS AND FOOD FORESTS.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF SOME CONSIDERATIONS, A MIXTURE OF URBAN FOOD FORESTS AND FARMS WILL LIKELY PROVIDE THE BEST PORTFOLIO OF BENEFITS TO THE PEOPLE OF SAN ANTONIO.
WE THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO TARGET FOOD FOREST TO AREAS WITH BOTH FOOD INSECURITY AND HEAT IN ORDER TO IMPROVE EQUITY AND TO THINK ABOUT CITING WHEN THINKING ABOUT CITING URBAN FARMS TO BE CAREFUL IN TERMS OF MANAGING NUTRIENTS AND ALSO CONSIDERING ALTERNATIVE GREEN SPACE ACCESS, BECAUSE URBAN FARMS OFTEN TAKE AREAS THAT WERE GREEN SPACE ACCESS FOR THE COMMUNITY AND CLOSE THEM OFF TO BE PRODUCING FOOD INSTEAD.
AND THEN I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, BRING MITCH BACK UP HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAN COME FROM OUR WORK.
CAN WE HANG OUT HERE? YEAH, IT WORKS.
UH, SO THERE'S, UH, WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, UM, THINK ABOUT URBAN AGRICULTURE AS SOMETHING THAT IS WORTH INVESTING IN, UH, AS IN THE COMING BUDGET CYCLE FOR THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET.
UM, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO REMIND FOLKS THAT THERE'S EXTERNAL SOURCES OF FUNDING THAT ARE POTENTIALLY AVAILABLE FOR SCALED UP VERSIONS, UH, OF, OF, UH, URBAN AGRICULTURE AS WELL.
THERE'S U S D A GRANTS, E P A GRANTS.
UH, THERE'S EVEN CITIES, UH, AROUND THE REST OF THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SELL CARBON CREDITS BASED OFF OF SOME OF THE FORESTRY PROGRAMS THAT THEY'RE, UH, THEY'RE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THEN THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL SO FAR HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN SOLICITING, UH, AND BEING AWARDED PRIVATE DONATIONS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, CURRY INTO, UH, OUR FOOD FOREST AT TOM TULUM AND WE THINK WOULD PROBABLY BE APPLICABLE TO OTHER COMMUNITIES AS WELL.
UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, SPECIFIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS INSIDE THE FULL REPORT THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, THERE'S THREE ONE-PAGER THAT INCLUDE DETAILS ABOUT THESE POLICIES.
UM, WE BELIEVE THAT, UH, THERE'S THE EXISTING COMMUNITY TOOL SHED THAT, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND CODE COMPLIANCE HAVE, WHICH PRIMARILY USES OR PRIMARILY SHOWS SHOVELS, RAKES, UH, SMALL HAND SAWS COULD BE EXPANDED FOR MORE EXPENSIVE AND MORE MEANINGFUL TOOLS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR CREATING NEW URBAN AGRICULTURE PROJECTS.
THINGS LIKE TILLERS, TRENCHERS, TREE AUGERS, WALK BEHIND TRACTORS.
THESE ARE IMPORTANT PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT WHEN CREATING NEW PROJECTS, IT CAN BE QUITE EXPENSIVE TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE.
AND HAVING A REPOSITORY THAT THE CITY WAS ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE TO CITIZENS AT LARGE WOULD BE, UH, AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET THOSE, UH, THOSE PROJECTS OFF THE GROUND.
THE SECOND POLICY IS TO HAVE CERTAIN, UH, VACANT LOTS OR PUBLIC LOTS AVAILABLE FOR LONG-TERM LEASES, FOR QUALIFIED FARMERS TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP, UH, THEIR OWN URBAN FARMS. THIS IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR ENTREPRENEURS WHO HAVE FARMING SKILLS BUT DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE ACCESS TO LAND IF IT'S BEING UNDERUTILIZED.
POTENTIALLY LONG-TERM LEASES WOULD ALLOW THEM TO BUILD THEIR BUSINESSES, UH, IN COMMUNITIES THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM THOSE CO-BENEFITS IN FOOD YIELD.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE THINK THAT FOOD FORESTS THEMSELVES COULD BE INTEGRATED INTO PUBLIC LANDS, INCLUDING, UH, PARKS AND FLOODPLAIN AREAS, UH, THAT PUBLIC WORKS MANAGES, UH, EITHER FROM, UH, INCREASING COSA STAFF DIRECTLY TO BE ABLE TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN THESE LEVERAGING THINGS LIKE THE TREE MITIGATION FUND THAT ALLOWS TO, UH, DO CAPITAL EXPENSES FOR TREE PLANTING AND IRRIGATION INSTALLATION.
UM, OR, UH, THAT NEW GREEN JOBS COULD BE CREATED THROUGH HIRING SUBCONTRACTORS THAT SPECIALIZE IN URBAN AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN ON THOSE PUBLIC SPACES.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DETAILS TO BE, UH, BUILT OUT AROUND THE SPECIFIC IMPLEMENTATION OF EACH OF THESE POLICIES.
THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE, AS A COMMUNITY GROUP HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER SO FAR, UH, AND WE'D LOVE, UH, AN ONGOING DIALOGUE ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THESE THINGS A REALITY BOTH THROUGH THE CURRENT BUDGET AND THROUGH FUTURE POLICY OPTIONS.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I THINK THAT, UM, SO THE THREE POLICY, UM, PAPERS THAT YOU HAVE PRESENTED, AND YOU'VE BRIEFED ME EARLIER, I, I THOUGHT THEY WERE REALLY WELL DONE.
I'M, UM, ESPECIALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY TOOL SHED EXPANSION.
I HADN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT ADDING THESE TOOLS, BUT IT MAKES SENSE.
AND SO I'M, I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT, THAT, UM, BY THE WAY, THAT THE INITIAL COSTS ARE AT ABOUT 150 K, WHICH I THINK SOUNDS MANAGEABLE.
AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO,
[01:10:01]
TO SOME MORE DISCUSSION FROM, FROM MY COLLEAGUES HERE.UM, BUT ONE THING THAT I ALSO NOTICED IS, SO YOU ALL, UM, WERE ADVOCATING FOR EXPANSION OF FOOD FOREST ON PUBLIC LAND, AND SO YOU ALL CITED, FOR INSTANCE, ROSEDALE.
AND SO MY QUESTION WHEN I MET WITH YOU ALL WAS ABOUT COST SPECIFICALLY.
AND SO, UM, THE UPKEEP ON OF IT, I THINK YOU ALL SAID, UM, WAS IT 30,000 ANNUALLY OR AM I CONFUSING THOSE? SO AT VIA CORONADO, WE ESTIMATED, UH, ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COSTS OF 40,000 FOR 40,000, ABOUT EIGHT ACRES.
AND SO THAT'S, AND, AND SO I ASKED ABOUT, WELL, THE U S D A GRANTS, ET CETERA, LIKE, LIKE, DO YOU ALL THINK THAT, UM, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND, AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, TO LEVERAGE THAT? UM, BUT I, I WANNA TURN IT OVER NOW TO COUNCILMAN VRAN BECAUSE, UM, SHE HAS THIS REALLY COOL, EXCITING PROJECT IN HER DISTRICT RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE WITH, UM, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, BECAUSE I APPRECIATE THAT IN YOUR REPORT, YOU ALL IDENTIFIED THE TWO MOST CRITICAL AREAS FOR, FOR US TO CONCENTRATE ON.
AND YOU, YOU ALL SPECIFICALLY STATED DISTRICT FIVE AND DISTRICT THREE, UM, BECAUSE OF THE U SS D A, UM, UH, STUDIES THAT ARE CITED IN SNAP BENEFIT.
SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT CONSIDERATION.
BUT COUNCILMAN NAN, YES, THANK YOU.
UH, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION, UH, MITCH, AND THANK YOU FOR JUST ALL THE HARD WORK AND BRINGING, UM, THIS TO, TO THE COMMITTEE.
I WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS FOR THE COMMITTEE BECAUSE I THINK THESE THREE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, OR THREE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS WE CAN WORK ON, WE CAN DIRECT THE STAFF TO KIND OF LOOK AT AND MOVE FORWARD TO, UM, THE FULL COUNCIL, IF POSSIBLE, UH, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
BECAUSE WE NEED TO REALLY PUT INVESTMENT IN WHAT WE SAY WE, WE PRIORITIZE, WHICH IS OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, WHICH IS SUSTAINABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY AND PARKS, PADRE PARK IN PARTICULAR, I WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS.
IT WAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COUNTY.
IT'S ACTUALLY COUNTY PROPERTY.
BUT, UH, BRIAN AND HIS TEAM WERE LIKE, WE CAN, WE CAN WRITE THE CHECK FOR IRRIGATION
AND MITCH WAS LIKE, I CAN GET THE TREES.
AND MY OFFICE WAS LIKE, I CAN GET PEOPLE TO HELP PLANT THOSE TREES.
SO, UH, WE ALL WORKED TOGETHER AND I WAS SO GLAD THAT WE ACTIVATED THIS SPACE BECAUSE MY FEAR WAS, AS MY FEAR IS WITH A LOT OF OUR GREEN SPACE, ESPECIALLY SMALL PLACES, IS THAT IT TURNS INTO A PARKING LOT.
AND THAT WAS COMPLETELY FEASIBLE IN THIS PARK OF THE PARK OVER ALONG, ALONG MISSION COUNTY PARK.
SO NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS FOOD FOREST HERE, THERE, YOU KNOW, THIS ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO, TO PARK IN THE PARKING LOTS THAT ARE ALREADY DESIGNATED OR TO WALK OVER OR BIKE OVER.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT THIS CAN POTENTIALLY DO.
THE, UH, SECOND THE LOCATION THAT THEY WERE LOOKING AT, AT VIA CORONADO, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT BECAUSE WE CAN GET IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTH SIDE HIGH SCHOOL, I FEEL, AND IF WE TELL THEM WE'RE GONNA GO, WE'RE GOING, WE'RE GONNA COME FORWARD WITH THIS AMOUNT OF GRANTS, WE'RE GONNA COME FORWARD WITH THIS TYPE OF BUDGET DOLLARS, WHICH I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY THROUGH, UH, DIFFERENT MONIES THAT WE HAVE TO COME FORWARD AND SAY, LET'S ALL COME TOGETHER AND GET THIS PROJECT DONE.
AND WE HAVE THE MONEY TO CONTINUE THIS, UH, ANNUALLY.
AND I, I WANT TO SEE IT GO INTO OTHER DISTRICTS, SPECIFICALLY DISTRICT FIVE, BECAUSE I KNOW, UM, THERE'S A LOT THAT, ONE, THEY NEED IT, THE STUDY INDICATED THAT THEY NEED THAT.
AND TWO, THERE ARE POCKETS OF GREEN SPACE THAT NEED TO BE CONSERVED RATHER THAN USED FOR PARKING LOTS OR FOR A, A SMALL, YOU KNOW, SMALL MICRO BUSINESS TYPE BUILDING THAT IS JUST GONNA CHANGE HANDS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SO I, I REALLY THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING GOOD FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO KIND OF, UH, DIG DEEPER INTO AND REALLY HAVE MITCH AND THE TEAM KIND OF BRING BACK MORE, MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
THE ONE THING, UM, AND I SIT ON ANOTHER COMMITTEE WITH TWO OTHER PEOPLE SITTING HERE, UH, AND ROSIE, THE ECONOMIC WORKFORCE AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, WHERE THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, LET'S JUST GIVE $98,000 TO AN OUT-OF-STATE CONTRACTOR.
AND I WAS THINKING, WHY DON'T YOU JUST BRING THAT OVER TO CHECK AND WE CAN USE THAT FOR A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR FROM SAN ANTONIO TO HELP TAKE CARE OF OUR, SUSTAIN OUR FOOD FORCE.
SO I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
I THINK THERE'S FUNDING THERE.
I'M REALLY EXCITED AND I'M EXCITED TO HEAR WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE TO SAY AND IDEAS Y'ALL HAVE FOR THIS IN YOUR DISTRICT.
UM, WE'LL CONTINUE WITH COUNCILMAN CASTILLO.
[01:15:01]
THANK YOU CHAIR.AND THANK Y'ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION AS WELL AS FOR INCLUDING THE DISTRICT FIVE TEAM AND TAKING, UH, JUSTIN AND RACHEL OUT TO DISTRICT THREE TO LOOK AT, UH, THE FOOD FOREST.
I KNOW IN DISTRICT FIVE, UH, NOT ONLY IS IT NEEDED, AS Y'ALL HAVE DEMONSTRATED WITH THE DATA, AND DISTRICT FIVE HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT, UM, FOR OUR HIGH ASTHMA RATES, RIGHT? THERE ARE SO MANY COMPOUNDING DISPARITIES IN DISTRICT FIVE, UH, AND THIS IS THE KIND OF, UH, INITIATIVE THAT WE NEED TO WORK TOWARDS AND IMPLEMENT.
UM, I I, I, I DO BELIEVE IT IS SOMETHING NEEDED IN THE DISTRICT, AND I ALSO SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COUNTY BECAUSE DISTRICT FIVE HAS A WEALTH OF VACANT LOTS, UH, THAT ARE JUST LOST TO, UM, TO THE PROCESS, RIGHT? THERE'S BACK TAXES, UM, THERE'S NO DEEDED AND THERE'S NO FAMILY TO INHERIT THE PROPERTY.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS HERE AT, THIS ISN'T P C D C AND P C D C, BUT LAND BANKING, RIGHT? UH, SO I SEE OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, SOME OF THAT LAND TO BECOME PUBLIC LAND TO, TO TAKE ON INNOVATIVE PROJECTS LIKE THIS.
I I DO THINK WE NEED TO BE, UM, SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY TOOL SHED AND ADDING ADDITIONAL TOOLS, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, UH, DURING THE BUDGET CONVERS, UH, STATIONS FOR 2024 THAT ARE ONGOING RIGHT NOW, UH, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, RIGHT? WE, WE WE'RE RUNNING OUTTA TIME, AND IN ORDER TO BEAR THE FRUIT OF THE FOOD FOREST, RIGHT, WE NEED TO GET STARTED ASAP.
UM, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THESE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE NEED TO SUPPORT, UM, THE, THE, THE POLICY, UM, THAT Y'ALL PUT FORTH.
UM, AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHICH GRANTS WE DO QUALIFY, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO USE THE DOLLARS WE HAVE HERE, UM, TO SUPPORT, UH, THIS INNOVATIVE, UH, PROGRAM.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING, AS I MENTIONED AT THE START, DEFI RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS, RIGHT? BUT THEN WE GET INTO THE DEBATE ABOUT A COMMUNITY GARDEN AND A FOOD FORCE, AND WHO'S GONNA MAINTAIN THE COMMUNITY GARDEN.
EVERYBODY WANTS IT TO, YOU HAVE TO GO MAINTAIN IT AND PULL THE WEEDS AND WATER IT, UH, WHEREAS A, A FOOD FOREST IS, IS DIFFERENT.
UM, AND I KNOW OVER AT ROSEDALE PARK IN PARTICULAR, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST FROM COMMUNITY.
UM, IT'S A PARK THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF, AND THAT IT'S A HUB FOR SO MANY CULTURAL EVENTS FROM THE JUNTO FESTIVAL TO LOW RIDER SHOWS, UM, TO OUR YELLOW JACKET SPORT CLUBS.
UH, IT'S, IT RECEIVES A LOT OF, UM, UH, ACTIVITY AND TRAFFIC, AND IT'S IN NEED OF SHADE.
THE LAST COMMUNITY MEETING WE HAD OVER THE BOND FOLKS WERE, WERE SAYING WE NEED MORE TREES, SO WHY NOT TREES THAT, UM, ARE GOING TO FURTHER BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY.
I APPRECIATE THE WORK AND LOOK FORWARD TO ADVOCATING DURING THE BUDGET CONVERSATIONS.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN CASTILLO.
AND YOU REMINDED ME THAT, UM, OF, OF WHILE BACK, WE, OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES CONSIDERED AN UPDATE TO OUR VACANT BUILDING, UM, UH, ORDINANCE TO INCLUDE VACANT LOTS.
AND SO THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO, TO IDENTIFY THAT.
SO, SO I GUESS WE HAVE TO ASK ON ABOUT THE STATUS OF THAT, BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN IT, WHICH REMINDS ME, UM, THE STATUS OF THE, UM, TREE MITIGATION FUND.
UM, I'M, I'M WONDERING IF ANYBODY KNOWS WHERE THAT'S AT, BUT I'LL, I'LL LET Y'ALL FIGURE OUT 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA TAKE TIME FOR MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES.
I'LL COME BACK TO THAT QUESTION.
BUT, UH, COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ, I, I CAN ANSWER THAT ON OUR TREE MITIGATION FUND ON THE SIXTH, NO, THE 7TH OF JUNE.
YOU'LL GET AN UPDATE, UH, FROM US THROUGH OUR SUSTAINABILITY, BOTH OFF SUSTAINABILITY AND PARKS AND REC.
SO WE'VE GOT SOME, UH, UPDATES FOR YOU TOO.
ONE THING I WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU PROBABLY WANT TO KEEP IN MIND, YOUR FOOD POLICY COORDINATORS, THOSE OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ENDEAVOR, THEY, THEY PUT THE RESOURCES INTO IT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
UH, SO JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND I HOPE MY TIME HASN'T STARTED YET.
UM,
SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT ONE DAY AND MAKING LARGE INVESTMENTS INTENTIONALLY.
UM, BUT I SEE THIS AS A VERY GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO START, AND I'M SO EXCITED FOR, UH, THE, THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICT FIVE AND DISTRICT THREE.
AND, UM, WE HAVE OUR OWN, UM, UH, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE, UH, OPIA GARDENS, I SEE STUFF, STEVEN IN THE BACK, AND, UH, WE HAVE GARCIA STREET URBAN FARMS. AND, UM, WHAT I THINK THAT HAS BEEN MISSING FROM ONE OF THE, WE GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT CITY OWNED, LOTS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN MOWED OR AREN'T MOWED, AND I KNOW THAT'S A PARKS ISSUE.
IT'S ALL, IT'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE ORGAN ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTITIES AND, UH, URBAN AGRICULTURALISTS WHO WANT TO TAKE CLAIM OVER THE LAND AND WANT TO CULTIVATE FOOD AND GREEN SPACE AND WANT ACCESS.
AND IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE TO TRY TO, UH, MAKE THESE SPACES ACCESSIBLE TO THEM.
AND SO, UH, I KNOW DURING THE BUDGET GOAL SETTING SESSION,
[01:20:01]
WE TALKED ABOUT CITY OWNED VACANT LOTS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT PARK SPACE, AND IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS A PRIORITY TO, UM, DO MORE THINGS LIKE THIS.AND SO HOPEFULLY WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO, UH, DO TOO MUCH WORK DURING THE BUDGET, BECAUSE WE HAD CONVERSATIONS LAST BUDGET CYCLE ABOUT GREEN SPACE AND HEAT ISLANDS, AND IT WAS VERY CONTENTIOUS.
AND WE HAD CONVERSATIONS AT THE GOAL SETTING SESSION, AND HERE WE HAVE FIVE OF US WHO ARE ALL EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
HOPEFULLY IT'S SOMETHING, AND I'M LOOKING AT THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
HOPEFULLY IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BAKED INTO THE BUDGET AS A RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW WE WANT THESE THINGS FUNDED, AND WE CAN DO MORE, UH, MORE IN LINE WITH THIS.
I'M JUST GONNA DROP IT THERE, BUT I'LL ALSO ADD THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE STRUGGLES THAT I'VE HAD, UM, AND I HAVE THE QUESTION OF, YOU KNOW, WHY NOT DISTRICT TWO AND OBVIOUSLY DISTRICT FIVE, DISTRICT THREE NEED IT.
NOTHING, NOTHING AGAINST ANY OF THAT.
ONE OF THE THING, WHAT I'VE BEEN BRAINSTORMING IS THAT AS DISTRICT TWO HAS OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES BEEN GENTRIFIED, WE HAVE FOLK WHO ARE MOVING IN WITH HIGHER INCOMES, BUT THE PEOPLE THERE WHO HAVE HAD THE HIGHEST NEED AND HAVE HAD THE HIGHEST NEED FOR DECADES, STILL HAVE THAT NEED WITH NO UPDATED H E B WITH NO WALMART, WITH NOT WITH VERY LIMITED ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE QUALITY PRODUCE.
BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE THESE FOLK WITH HIGHER INCOMES SORT OF, UH, SHIFTING OUR, UH, AREA MEAT AND INCOME, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR DISTRICT, IT MAKES IT SEEM AS THOUGH WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH OF THE NEED.
AND SO I WOULD BE VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING LIKE A BUY ZIP CODE, UH, BREAKDOWN, WHICH I IMAGINE WOULD BE, UH, SEGMENTS OF DISTRICT TWO.
IT'D BE A LARGE, LARGE, LARGE POCKETS OF DISTRICT FIVE, DISTRICT THREE, OF COURSE.
UM, AND I WOULD WONDER WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS MIGHT BE MADE THEN.
BUT IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THESE THINGS, AND I, I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT ALL THREE OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, ONE THING I WOULD ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES TO DO, AND SOMETHING I STARTED THIS PAST BUDGET CYCLE IS, UM, I IDENTIFIED A LOT IN DISTRICT TWO THAT'S CITY OWNED, THAT WAS JUST SITTING THERE, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH PARKS TO REDEVELOP IT.
AND THAT ONE'S GONNA BE A, YOU KNOW, A PARK.
BUT IN OTHER AREAS, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN DO FOOD FOREST AND WE CAN DO, UH, UH, FOOD GARDENS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT WE ALL HAVE, WE ALL HAVE THOSE VACANT LOTS, AND WE ALL HAVE ACCESS TO SOME AMOUNT OF MON MONEY.
AND PARKS HAS FUNDS, OTHER ENTITIES HAVE FUNDS.
AND THIS IS A MUCH MORE POSITIVE PRESENTATION THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE.
COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ, COUNCILWOMAN CASTRO, COUPLE OF THINGS.
UM, THE REPORT MENTIONED GARZA PARK, WHICH IS TWO BLOCKS FROM MY HOUSE THAT I KNOW VERY WELL.
I'M NOT SAYING, OKAY, TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM.
NO, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE GARZA PARK DEVELOP.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT THERE THAT HAS REALLY ADVOCATED TREES, NOT THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO JUST, RA PARK IS A VERY LARGE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT SCHOOLS, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, OPPORTUNITY HOME PLACES, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PARKS.
UM, I HAVE A COMMITMENT FROM THE CITY MANAGER TO HAVE SOME FRUIT TREES.
SO I'M HOPING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, IN THOSE AREAS.
AND WE MET WITH OPPORTUNITY HOME THE OTHER DAY.
SO WOULD Y'ALL CONSIDER SOMETHING DEALING WITH THE JUST TREES, LIKE FRUIT TREES? AND THEN I WANNA SPEAK TO THE CULTURAL THING ABOUT THE FOOD.
I ASKED MY STAFF WHAT A MULBERRY WAS.
NONE OF US EVER SEEN A MULBERRY.
I'VE NEVER SEEN A MULBERRY, SO I WOULD NOT EAT A MULBERRY.
I DON'T KNOW ANY MEXICAN THAT LIKES REDDISH.
DO ANY OF YOU LIKE REDDISH? YOU DO? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU KNOW ONE NOW, YOU KNOW, ONE NOW.
ANY AFRICAN AMERICAN? OKAY, WE KNOW ONE NOW.
BUT MY POINT IS WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE CULTURAL COMPATIBILITY OF THE FOOD.
UM, BECAUSE CILANTRO, WHICH PEOPLE SAY GROWS EVERYWHERE, BUT NO LONGER GROWS EVERYWHERE.
I'VE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO PLANT ONE.
I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT FOR OUR CULTURE, AND MAYBE FOR YOUR CULTURE TOO, THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM STANFORD'S CULTURE.
AND I'M NOT KNOCKING STANFORD'S, MY SONS WENT TO STANFORD, BUT I'M SAYING THAT WE HAD TO CONSIDER THE CULTURAL COMPATIBILITY OF FOOD, UM, BECAUSE IT, OTHERWISE YOUR KIDS AREN'T GOING TO EAT SOMETHING THEY'VE NEVER, NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE INTERIM, NOT TAKING AWAY ANYTHING FROM YOU GUYS, BUT CONSIDERING IF THERE IS ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE WAY TO MAYBE DO SOMETHING IN SEVEN WITH THE PART THAT YOU INITIALLY LOOKED AT, UH, PARTICULARLY AS IT COMES JUST AT LEAST IN THE BEGINNING WITH FRUIT TREES.
[01:25:02]
MIGHT THAT BE A POSSIBILITY? SIR?BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT.
I WAS EXCITED READING IT TOO, BECAUSE I MEAN, SAN ANTONIO, WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE POVERTY AND THE LACK OF FOOD.
UM, AND I THINK THAT THERE'S A REALLY WAY, THIS IS REALLY A GOOD WAY TO ENGAGE IN COMMUNITY, IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE THAT GROW THEIR OWN VEGETABLES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I HAD A FRIEND THIS WEEK TALK ABOUT ALL THIS, ALL THESE VEGETABLES YOU CAN'T GET RID OF.
UM, SO I THINK THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY FOR OUR OLDER CITIZENS, BUT ALSO FOR OUR YOUNGER KIDS TO GET EARLY ON THAT IDEA THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE FOR THEMSELVES TOO.
SO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT FOR THE REPORT ITSELF.
SO WE SPECIFICALLY LOOKED AT TWO DISTRICTS ON A DISTRICT-WIDE SCALE, WHICH IS THREE AND FIVE, BUT THE FULL RANGE OF UNDERUTILIZED VACANT LAND THAT WE LOOKED AT, ABOUT 16,500, UH, ACRES OR SO THAT'S THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND SO THAT THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL HAS, UH, CONSTITUENTS AND REPRESENTATIVES, A LOT OF THEM ON OUR BOARD WHO ARE SCATTERED ALL THROUGHOUT ALL THE CITY DISTRICTS.
I THINK ANY, LOTS, ANY PUBLIC AREAS THAT, UH, ANY COUNCIL MEMBER IS INTERESTED IN LEVERAGING FOR URBAN AGRICULTURE, WE WOULD LOVE TO, UM, TO GO DOWN THAT PATH.
AND ALSO, UM, ALSO, WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL AND IN DIFFERENT SAN ANTONIO CITY DEPARTMENTS TO CREATE A WEB-BASED TOOL THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO SELECT A PARCEL IN YOUR DISTRICT AND EXPLORE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU WERE TO CHANGE LAND USES, HOW, WHAT KIND OF CO-BENEFITS MIGHT YOU GET FROM THOSE LAND USES THISES THROUGH A NASA GRANT THAT WE HAVE.
OUR OUR PROGRAM OFFICER IS SITTING RIGHT HERE.
SO WE HOPE TO DEEPEN THIS COLLABORATION AND FIND WAYS TO CONTINUE TO HELP TO PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION THAT MIGHT HELP YOU THINK ABOUT HOW YOU MIGHT WANNA USE UNDERUTILIZED LANDS.
AND I JUST WANNA, UM, ADD TO YOUR POINT ON THE CULTURAL ASPECT OF FOOD.
I HAD A RESIDENT WHO WAS NEARLY IN TEARS LAST YEAR, AND I, I TALKED TO THE CITY MANAGER BECAUSE, UM, THE CITY HAD KNOCKED DOWN A, A, A TREE THAT HAD SOME, UH, PLANTS AROUND IT THAT THEY USED AS MEDICINE, UM, FOR STOMACH ACHES.
AND SO, AND I, I ASKED ERIC WALSH, CAN WE LIKE, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN? LIKE, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE, LIKE HE WAS DEVASTATED, RIGHT? AND HE SAID, AND EVERYBODY COMES TO MY HOUSE TO, THAT'S WHAT WE USED.
AND HE SAID, WE DON'T USE PEPTO ANYMORE.
AND SO, AND I FELT REALLY BAD, RIGHT? AND SO I SAID, I'M SO SORRY.
AND, UM, ANYWAY, SO, SO I DO DO THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING.
AND SO, UM, WHEN, WHEN I SAW SOME OF THIS, I WAS LIKE, WELL, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE THE, THE NUTRIENTS, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT I WAS THINKING THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE FOOD WITH THIS.
LIKE, HOW, HOW DO YOU PAIR IT UP? RIGHT? AND SO, UM, AGAIN, FROM, FROM THAT CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE, I JUST WANNA SAY, COUNCILMAN, I APPRECIATE THAT, UM, THAT YOU BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT, AND I DIDN'T SAY IT, UH, EARLIER.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KEEPING THAT AT THE FOREFRONT.
AND, UM, I DO WANNA SAY THAT WE KIND OF NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN ASAP BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS YOUR LAST COMMITTEE MEETING WITH US.
UM, SO THEN, UH, SO THEN JUST A LITTLE, A LITTLE, UH, PUSH FOR THAT MR. MCCAREY, BUT COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ, THANK YOU.
AND YOU PIQUED MY INTEREST WITH THAT LAND USE TOOL.
DID YOU SAY THAT'S AVAILABLE NOW, OR WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE? WELL, WE HAVE A SORT OF FIRST GENERATION THING THAT'S AVAILABLE NOW.
WE HAVE, WE'LL BE WORKING ON OVER THE COURSE OF THE, THE NEXT YEAR.
AND SO WE'RE TAKING INPUT FROM VARIOUS PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO IF YOU WANNA SHARE SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO YOU, WE'D LOVE TO HEAR THEM.
AND I THINK A, A PART OF, ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS THAT, UM, IN MY DISTRICT, WE'RE, WE'RE SOMEWHAT A WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, AND THE NORTHEAST SIDE IS REALLY SUFFERING FROM THIS FAST IN THAT, YOU KNOW, ON RIGHT ACROSS FROM PRE-K FOR SA EAST ON EISENHOWER, THERE'S 47, UH, AND A HALF 48 ACRES OF GREEN SPACE, AND ALL OF THE LAND AROUND IT, HUNDRED, YOU KNOW, ACRES AND ACRES AND ACRES OF IT, UH, WAS GREEN, AND NOW IT'S ALL WAREHOUSE AND OFFICE SPACE.
AND THOSE 48, THAT THAT LAST 48 ACRES IS GONNA GO.
AND THIS HAS BEEN A VERY CONSISTENT THING WHERE FOLK ON THE NORTHEAST ARE LIKE, LISTEN, THEY HAVE, THEY HAD GRAFFITI ON IT AFTER IT GOT BUILT, SAID LESS OF THIS, MORE TREES.
AND I WASN'T EVEN MAD AT THEM.
THAT'S LIKE, WE NEED TO, WE NEED SOME SOMETHING TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THESE WAREHOUSES.
[01:30:01]
AND THIS QUESTION IS MORE ABOUT THE BUDGET AND GENERAL PROCESS RELATED TO THE, I THINK SOMETIMES A LOT OF THE TIMES WE GET RECOMMENDATIONS LIKE THESE AND WE'LL MOVE IT TO FULL COUNSEL, AND WE REALLY DON'T EVER SEE IT.WE HAVE TO BRING IT UP AT GOAL SETTING SESSION AGAIN, IF WE REMEMBER THAT.
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S WORTHWHILE TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ONCE A RECOMMENDATION LIKE THIS IS MEET IS MADE, AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT HAS ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT OF A COMMITTEE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE EXPRESSED SIMILAR, UM, ISSUES AND IDEAS.
HOW DO THESE GET CONSIDERED AS A PART OF THE BUDGET? AND WHO ARE THE MAIN, UH, PLAYERS IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS? 'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S A DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT, UH, CONVERSATION, AND JUSTINA TATE PLAYS A ROLE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE, I GUESS I, I WANT TO KNOW THAT THINGS LIKE THIS DON'T GET LOST.
'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE SO OFTEN WE DO STUDIES AND WE HAVE REPORTS AND WHATNOT, AND THEY MAKE FANTASTIC RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE NOTHING IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.
BUT THEN WE DON'T, WE DON'T DO THEM.
AND SO I, I GUESS MORE INFORMATION CONTEXT ON THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
YEAH, NO, THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TRY TO MAKE CERTAIN WE STAY CONSISTENT WITH IS ONCE WE HAVE OUR CHAIR IN PLACE, WE ALSO KIND OF COME BACK TOGETHER AND VISIT AND MAKE CERTAIN THAT IF THAT'S A RECOMMENDATION FROM THIS COMMITTEE, WE THEN TRY TO TAKE IT TO THE FULL COMMITTEE.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, IF IT DOESN'T REQUIRE FULL COMMITTEE, WHEN WE SHARE IT WITH THE CITY MANAGER, THEN WE VISIT WITH THE DEPARTMENTS IN THE INTERIM, EACH OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS.
SO JUST YOUR CONVERSATION MEANS, NOW WE TALK WITH PARKS AND REC, WE TALK WITH INNOVATION, WE TALK WITH OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO EXECUTE THIS.
YOU KNOW, THE FIRST YEAR AS AN EXAMPLE, MIGHT BE ALL ABOUT DISCOVERY, WHEREAS THE LAND, HOW BIG DO WE WANT TO EN ENGAGE TO GET IT STARTED? SO WE TALK ABOUT, SO WE TALK ABOUT THAT DISCOVERY PIECE AS WELL AS THE RESOURCES THAT ARE REQUIRED.
SOMETIMES THAT DOES TAKE THAT CONVERSATION TO SAY, HEY, HOW MUCH, HOW MANY CALORIES YOU WANNA SPEND ON THIS? ANOTHER BETTER WORD OF SAYING IT SO THAT WE CAN GET STARTED.
ONCE WE GET THE GREEN LIGHT, YOU'LL HAVE TO STOP US TO SLOW US DOWN.
BUT, UH, THIS DOESN'T FALL ON DEAF EARS.
UH, Y'ALL DON'T KNOW HOW EXCITED I AM.
UM, I THINK THAT, THAT THIS WAS, THIS IS JUST GREAT INFORMATION.
AND SO, UM, I, UH, UH, I, AGAIN, I, I WANNA, UM, I, I WANNA THANK MY COLLEAGUE AGAIN, UH, COUNCILMAN CUSTER FOR, FOR BRINGING, UM, SOMETHING UP THAT I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF US, UM, EXPERIENCE WITH OUR RESIDENTS.
AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY AT THE, UH, FOREFRONT OF US, BUT, UM, COUNCILWOMAN, I, UH, WE ALL HAVE C C P F FUNDS, AND I, UM, WOULD LOVE TO SEE HOW, UM, I, I'LL, I'LL PUT UP SOME MONEY FROM MY COUNCIL DISTRICT FROM C C P F FUNDS TO HELP MAKE YOUR TREES A REALITY BEFORE YOU LEAVE.
AND I'LL, I'LL ASK MY COLLEAGUES, UH, ON THE FULL COUNCIL AND IN YOUR HONOR OF SERVICE TO US.
UM, AND SO, UM, LET'S SEE HOW MUCH WE COULD PITCH IN SO THAT WE COULD GET YOU SOME FRUIT TREES OVER THERE.
UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS A BRIEFING ON THE PARKS AND REC YOUTH SERVICES MASTER PLAN.
AND, UM, I THINK IT'S HOMER THAT'S PRESENTING.
I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN A WHILE AT THIS COMMITTEE, SO I'M EXCITED.
NOT THAT I WASN'T EXCITED ABOUT SEEING BRIAN DILLARD.
GOOD, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY.
I ACTUALLY AM GONNA HAVE SARAH SHARP.
SHE IS OUR PRO OUR PARKS AND RECREATION MANAGER OVER RECREATION SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
SOME OF YOU PROBABLY HAVE MET HER BEFORE OR REMEMBER HER FROM A PRIOR BRIEFING.
UH, BUT THE PURPOSE OF TODAY IS REALLY TO SHARE OUR EFFORTS AROUND THE PLANNING PROCESSES AS IT RELATES TO YOUTH, UH, SERVICES.
SO WE'VE HAD A FEW MILESTONES OCCUR RECENTLY, RIGHT? SO WE HAD PASSAGE OF THE LARGEST BOND PROGRAM EVER.
UH, AND EARLIER THIS WEEK, UH, T P R REPORTED HOW DURING THE PANDEMIC, SAN ANTONIO IS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES ACROSS THE NATION.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PERIOD FROM JULY, 2020 TO, UH, JULY 22, WE HAVE, UH, NEARLY 34,000 NEW RESIDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS REMOVED FROM THE BOND.
LAST SEPTEMBER, WE BECAME AN ACCREDITED PARK AGENCY.
AND SO, IN THE CONTEXT OF JUST ALL OF THIS, UM, GROWING COMMUNITY, IT WAS REALLY CRITICAL THAT WE UNDERSTAND REALLY WHERE THE NEEDS ARE, LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, AND HOW WE NEED TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AND NAVIGATE, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH BUDGET, PROCESSES, AND CERTAINLY THE 2027 BOND.
[01:35:01]
I'M GONNA INTRODUCE SARAH SHARP.OUR, UH, MANAGERS ARE GONNA PRESENT THIS.
AND WHILE, UH, SO COUNCILMAN MAKI RODRIGUEZ HAS A QUICK LITTLE TIDBIT.
YEAH, SORRY, I MISSPOKE EARLIER.
AND LOOKING AT YOU, I REMEMBERED THE PROCESSES THAT WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH.
SO I JUST WANNA MISSPOKE MY BAD.
YOU KNOW, I WAS LISTENING TO, UH, HOMER'S INTRO RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK HE'S AWFULLY BRAVE TO HAVE ME UP HERE BECAUSE, UH, I CAN GO ON AND ON ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE BIT OF THAT LITTLE HUMBLE BRAG ON OUR STAFF AND ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER TO OUR YOUTH.
UM, SO SOME OF THIS WILL PROBABLY BE JUST A RECAP FOR SOME OF Y'ALL.
BUT AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO REALLY JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT WE OFFER AS IS AT OUR CENTERS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, COMMUNITY CENTERS THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO.
WE OFFER YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMMING.
UM, ALL THIS PROGRAMMING THAT I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT NEXT IS FREE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, IT'S OUR ART PROGRAMMING, WHICH IS NOT ONLY JUST ARTS AND CRAFTS, SO, YOU KNOW, MAKING BUTTERFLIES OUTTA CLOTHES PINS, BUT IT'S FINE ARTS, IT'S PAINTING, IT'S WATER COLORS, IT'S, UM, PHOTOGRAPHY.
WE ACTUALLY PUT UP A GALLERY FOR THE KIDS TO COME IN AND SHOW THEIR ARTWORK SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THAT, THAT SPACE TO SHOW OFF WHAT THEY'VE DONE.
WE HAVE SCIENCE PROGRAMMING, SO WE LOOK REALLY LOOK AT STEM PROGRAMMING, TALKING ABOUT, UM, ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE, ROBOTICS, UH, BUT ALSO THE FUN STUFF.
UH, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND DO THE VOLCANOES AND WATCH THE LAVA, MY PERSONAL FAVORITE'S, THE MENTOS AND THE DIET COKE, AND WATCH IT EXPLODE.
I CAN DO THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SO OUR PARKS, OUR CENTERS ARE LOCATED IN PARKS THROUGHOUT SAN ANTONIO.
SO GETTING THE KIDS OUTTA THE CENTERS AND IN EXPERIENCING NATURE, TAKING 'EM OUT TO OUR NATURAL AREAS.
WE HAVE SPORTS PROGRAMMING, SO WE DO OUR TRADITIONAL SPORTS, BASKETBALL, SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL, BUT ALSO OUR NON-TRADITIONAL EXPOSING KIDS TO HANDBALL TO, UH, WELL PICKLEBALL.
YOU KNOW, EVERYONE THOUGHT PICKLEBALL WAS FOR YOUR OLDER GENERATION, BUT NOW YOU GOT LEBRON AND SOME OF OUR RAPPERS OUT THERE DOING PICKLEBALL, AND THE KIDS WANNA DO IT.
SO EXPOSING THEM TO THAT, UH, FITNESS PROGRAMMING, UH, NUTRITION PROGRAMMING, AND THEN OUR TEENS, THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT AGE GROUP FOR US TO FOCUS ON, UH, TO KEEP THEM ENGAGED, TO DO COLLEGE VISITS, TO, UM, TALK ABOUT JOB APPLICATIONS, RESUMES, TEEN CLUBS, UH, TRADE SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, COLLEGE ISN'T EVERYONE'S PATH.
SO, UH, HAVING THEM HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXPERIENCE THAT WITH US.
SO ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS WE OFFER YEAR ROUND, THOSE ARE FREE TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE ALSO, WE ALSO HAVE OUR CULTURAL PROGRAMMING.
SO OUR MUSIC AND DANCE PROGRAMMING FOR KIDS.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE JUST OPENED THE BERT DANCE STUDIO AND COMMUNITY CENTER.
SO WE HAVE A ROBUST SELECTION OF PROGRAMS THERE.
BUT WE ALSO OFFER BEGINNER FREE CLASSES TO THE COMMUNITY AT OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS.
UH, CULTURAL PROGRAMMING CAN BE EXPENSIVE.
WE DO IT FOR FREE SO THAT KIDS CAN AT LEAST EXPERIENCE IT TO SEE IF IT'S SOMETHING THEY'D LIKE TO DO BEFORE A PARENT HAS TO MAKE THAT INVESTMENT.
IT ALSO HELPS WITH THE TRANSPORTATION BARRIER.
NOT EVERYONE CAN GET TO BERT MAGAR IF YOU LIVE ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OR ON THE SOUTH SEA SOUTH SIDE.
SO WE'LL OFFER THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR AREA.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE DOING THE SUMMER, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM.
SO WE HAVE, WE'LL HAVE 41 SITES THIS YEAR, 3,900 KIDS, AGES SIX TO 14.
WE'LL BE GOING THROUGH THE SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM.
UH, THAT IS A VERY LOW COST PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, IT'S $260 FOR THE FULL EIGHT WEEK PROGRAM, BUT ALMOST 80% OF OUR PARENTS PAY THAT $25 REDUCED RATE FOR THE ENTIRE EIGHT WEEK PROGRAM.
AND THAT'S FOR AGES SIX TO 14.
UM, A ROBUST SUPPLY OF PROGRAMS, UH, FROM ART TO SCIENCE TO THE NATURE FITNESS SPORTS.
IT'S REALLY TO KEEP 'EM ACTIVE AND BUSY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
WE DO OUT SCHOOL HOLIDAY CAMPS, SO THOSE ARE $3 A DAY DURING THAT THANKSGIVING BREAK, THAT WINTER HOLIDAY BREAK AND THAT SPRING BREAK TIME.
SO PARENTS HAVE TO GO TO WORK, BRING 'EM TO US, WE'LL KEEP 'EM BUSY, WE'LL WEAR 'EM OUT.
IT'S $3 A DAY, WE'LL GIVE 'EM LUNCH AND SNACK.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS GO HOME, HAVE DINNER, AND GO TO SLEEP.
THEY'LL BRING YOU TACOS THE NEXT MORNING.
SO WE OFFER SPORTS FOR OUR, UM, KIDS AT A $10 FEE.
AND THAT INCLUDES, UM, THE PRACTICES, THE GAMES, AND THEIR UNIFORM.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE EVER HAVING A REALLY BAD DAY, COME AND WATCH OUR FOUR AND FIVE YEAR OLDS, UM, PLAYING SOCCER OR PLAYING BASKETBALL.
IT'S A LITTLE CLUMP, RIGHT? OR T-BALL.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY NO GLOVES ON AND THEY'RE PLAYING IN THE SAND.
SO IT'S A WAY TO WALK AWAY AND JUST REMIND US OF WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.
AND THEN WE OFFER A LOT OF DIFFERENT SPECIAL EVENTS.
UM, SO WE JUST DID A MOVIE IN THE PARK AT MILLER'S POND.
WE HAD 224 PEOPLE SHOW UP FOR THAT AT DAWSON COMMUNITY CENTER.
WE HAD A BLACK HISTORY MONTH, UH, CELEBRATION.
BUFFALO SOLDIERS WERE OUT THERE AND THEY REALLY GAVE A GREAT PRESENTATION.
WE DID A MOVIE, WE HAD BASKETBALL, SO WE DID A LOT OF STUFF FOR THE YOUTH ALREADY IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE PARTNER WITH A LOT OF OUR, UM, SISTER DEPARTMENTS.
UH, I CALL 'EM THE BIG THREE, WHICH IS REALLY METRO HEALTH LIBRARY AND D H SS, YOU KNOW, HEALTH HAS BEEN FANTASTIC.
DURING COVID, THEY REALLY HELPED PROVIDE GUIDANCE SO THAT WE COULD OFFER CAMPS STILL FOR THE KIDS.
'CAUSE PARENTS DID STILL HAVE TO GO TO WORK.
UH, THE LIBRARY, WE DO THE SUMMER MAYOR, SUMMER READING PROGRAM.
LIBRARIES HAVE SET UP IN OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS WHEN THEY'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
SO WE'VE GOT REALLY ROBUST PARTNERS WITH OUR, UM, SISTER CITY DEPARTMENTS RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU LOOK AT THAT MAP HERE, THIS KIND OF SHOWS WHERE WE'RE AT.
[01:40:01]
UM, WE KIND OF ARE A, A BIT OF A SMILE RIGHT AROUND THE, UH, THE CENTER, CENTER OF THE CITY.UH, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE LOCATED.
SO AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA LOOK AT IS WHERE, LIKE SOME OF OUR GAPS IN SERVICE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE VERY CENTRALLY LOCATED.
WE DO HAVE 18 REGULAR COMMUNITY CENTERS THAT OFFER THAT YEAR-ROUND FREE PROGRAMMING THAT I DISCUSSED EARLIER.
AND THEN WE HAVE FOUR OPEN PLAY CENTERS.
SO THOSE OPEN PLAY CENTERS ARE REALLY OPEN FOR OPEN BASKETBALL, BOARD GAMES, KIND OF COLORING SHEETS, THAT VERY BASIC OPEN PLAY.
UH, THEY DO OFFER THE SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM.
BUT AGAIN, IF YOU LOOK, IT IS THAT SMILE AROUND THE CITY CENTER WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, LET'S LOOK AT WHERE ELSE MAYBE ARE SERVICES NEEDED.
OKAY, SO IN SPRING OF 2019, WE WENT THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS FOR THE PARK SYSTEM PLAN, WHICH IS A 10 YEAR PLAN.
UH, IT WAS TO IDENTIFY NEEDS, GOALS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND TO KEEP PACE WITH THE GROWTH OF SAN ANTONIO.
YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO'S GROWING EXPONENTIALLY.
SO, UM, THIS PLAN IDENTIFIED LIKE FOUR GOALS, WHAT WE CALL THE FOUR RS TO BE RESPONSIVE, RESILIENT, UH, RESTORATIVE, RESOURCEFUL.
UM, THEY'RE GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO OUR DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE AS WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND IT'S STANDARDIZING THE PROCESS TO REVIEW PROGRAMS AND FEATURES IN OUR PARK SYSTEM.
LIKE HOMER MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU KNOW, THE DEPARTMENT IN SEPTEMBER, 2022, WE BECAME ACCREDITED WITH OUR NATIONAL AGENCY.
YOU KNOW, THE DEPARTMENT CAME TOGETHER AS A WHOLE AND REALLY MADE THAT HAPPEN.
IT WAS A REALLY CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT FOR US.
UM, BUT PART OF THAT PROCESS SAID WE NEED TO HAVE A RECREATION PROGRAM PLAN.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT, UM, OUR YOUTH SERVICES.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY IS TO DISCUSS THE YOUTH SERVICES MASTER PLAN.
SO THE PURPOSE OF THE PLAN IS TO ENSURE THAT SERVICE DELIVERY AND PROGRAMMING NEEDS ARE BEING MET.
UM, AND THIS WILL TIE RIGHT BACK INTO OUR, OUR SYSTEM PLAN AND MAKING SURE WE'RE MEETING THOSE FOUR RS THAT WE'RE SO IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO FOR THE USE OF THE PLANTS TO GUIDE OUR FUTURE OPERATIONS, IT MAY, IT MAY COME OUT THAT WE NEED TO MODIFY WHAT WE'RE DOING.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE OPEN AFTERNOONS AND ON SATURDAYS NINE TO FIVE, SHOULD WE OPEN ON SUNDAYS? YOU KNOW, KIDS ARE OUTTA SCHOOL.
DO THEY NEED SOMETHING TO DO? IS THAT A SPACE FOR US TO OFFER PROGRAMMING? UM, ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.
AND HONESTLY, LOOKING AT OUR EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS, WE HAVE REALLY GREAT, LIKE I SAID, ROBUST PARTNERS WITH OTHER CITY ORGANIZATIONS OR OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.
BUT WE, THIS LAST SUMMER, WE PARTNERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND OFFER THE ROBO NATION C PERCH PROGRAM, WHICH WAS THE UNDERWATER ROBOTICS FOR OUR KIDS.
THIS YEAR WE'RE GONNA PARTNER WITH NASA, WHICH IS LIKE JUST SUPER COOL TO EVEN BE ABLE TO SAY.
AND WE'RE GONNA DO THE ZERO ROBOTICS WHERE THE KIDS ARE GONNA LEARN TO DO SOME CODING.
UH, PRE PANDEMIC FRANK GARRETT COMMUNITY CENTER ON THE WEST SIDE.
UH, THE KIDS THERE IN OUR SUMMER PROGRAM COMPETED IN THE NATIONAL COMPETITION.
WE GOT TO GO TO SAC TO THE PLANETARIUM AND WATCH THE ASTRONAUTS PUT OUR CODE IN AND GUIDE A SATELLITE TO SEE IF WE HAD THE, THE RIGHT CODE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE MAZE.
UM, WE DIDN'T WIN, BUT THE ASTRONAUTS GAVE US SOME SHOUT OUTS, 'CAUSE ONE OF 'EM WAS FROM SAN ANTONIO.
SO THESE KIDS GOT TO SEE FROM THE DEEP WEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, THEIR CODE BEING PUT IN FROM ASTRONAUTS, YOU KNOW, AT THE SPACE STATION.
SO WE'RE GONNA DO THAT THIS YEAR AND WE'RE GONNA EXPAND UPON IT.
SO LOOKING AT THOSE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, EXPANDING ON OUR EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS.
ARE THERE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THAT WE SHOULD BE WORKING WITH? UM, ARE THERE OTHER NEEDS THAT WE COULD FILL? SO, UM, THAT'S PART OF THAT, WHAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IN THIS MASTER PLAN, OUR PROGRAM OFFERINGS.
ARE WE OFFERING WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO COME FOR? UM, I THINK WE HAVE SOME REALLY GREAT PROGRAMS. LIKE I SAID, I THINK OUR STAFF DOES A FANTASTIC JOB.
BUT IF PEOPLE AREN'T COMING, IS IT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT OFFERING WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR? AND IF WE'RE NOT, HOW CAN WE DO THAT? UM, TALKING ABOUT FUTURE AREAS OF NEED, UH, LOOKING AT LONG-TERM GROWTH, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA JUST DO SOMETHING SHORT-TERM.
HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO BE A VERY ROBUST ORGANIZATION? I'M UBER COMPETITIVE.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO BE NUMBER ONE, I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO MOVE TO SAN ANTONIO, TALK TO THEIR NEIGHBORS AND SAY, WHERE DO I GO? WHERE SHOULD MY KID GO? AND THEY SAY PARKS AND REC.
THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND.
SO, UM, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE I'VE GIVEN TO THE STAFF TO BE, UH, TO BE NUMBER ONE.
UH, AGAIN, THAT'S MY COMPETITIVENESS GOING IN.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND ONCE WE GET THROUGH THIS PLAN, OUR RESULTS, WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, OVERLAP WITH OUR DEPARTMENTS, RIGHT? LIBRARY, METRO HEALTH, WHOEVER WE, UM, WE ALL SERVICE A LOT OF THE SAME FOLKS.
SO TAKING THE RESULTS, BEING ABLE TO SHARE THEM, AND ALL OF US BEING ABLE TO WALK WORK OFF OF THEM.
AND, UM, FINALLY, SO WE'VE STARTED THE PROCESS.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOPEFULLY GETTING EVERYTHING BACK AND THEN TAKING FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL IN JUNE.
UM, THE SCOPE, LIKE WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IN THE SCOPE FOR THIS YOUTH MASTER PLAN IS THE PROGRAM REVIEW.
TALKING, LOOKING AT OUR PROGRAMS, TREND ANALYSIS AND BEST PRACTICES.
YOU KNOW, ARE WE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN DO LOOKING NATIONWIDE, UM, AT CITIES OF SIMILAR SIZE, BIGGER, SMALLER, UH, SAME DEMOGRAPHICS, MARKETING, ENGAGEMENT.
ARE PEOPLE NOT COMING 'CAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DO? SO HOW DO WE GET THE WORD OUT AND BRING FOLKS IN? UM, SURVEYS WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT.
UM, THEY HAVE TO BE ONLINE AND ON PAPER.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A DIGITAL DIVIDE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO HOW DO WE GET THAT INFORMATION OUT FROM EVERYBODY HAVING
[01:45:01]
FOCUS GROUPS? I REALLY WANNA START IN JUNE BECAUSE WE HAVE THAT CAPTURED AUDIENCE WITH A SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM.AND NOT JUST THE PARTICIPANTS, BUT THE PARENTS AS WELL, AND HONESTLY, NOT JUST THOSE THAT PARTICIPATE, THOSE THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT AREN'T PARTICIPATING IN FINDING OUT WHY.
AND AGAIN, HOW CAN WE BRING THEM IN AND HELP, UM, MEET SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT THEY MAY HAVE.
UH, EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, Y M C A, WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH MORGAN'S WONDERLAND TO DO A LOT MORE INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING.
SO, UH, INVOLVING THEM IN THOSE INTERVIEWS.
UH, HAVING THE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, WE'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT HEALTH AND LIBRARY HUMAN SERVICES.
THEY KNOW WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS, BUT GETTING IN THERE, UM, THEIR FEEDBACK AS WELL.
I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT.
SO, NEXT STEPS, UH, IT'S THE VENDOR SELECTION.
SO LIKE I SAID, THE R F P IS OUT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, COMING TO COUNCIL ON JUNE 15TH TO THE A SESSION, UH, TO, TO PRESENT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
UH, WE'D REALLY LIKE TO GET STARTED ASAP.
OUR FIRST CAMP STARTS ON JUNE 12TH, UM, FOR SUMMER YOUTH, I'M SORRY, JUNE 5TH FOR SUMMER YOUTH.
IT IS LIKE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE VARYING START DATES.
WE GO THROUGH THE EARLY AUGUST, SO THAT WOULD BE THE PRIME TIME TO REALLY GRAB A WHOLE LOT OF FOLKS AND GET THEIR, UM, GET THEIR ANSWERS TO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND THEN WE'RE HOPING TO COMPLETE THE PLAN, I WOULD SAY LIKE LATE SPRINGS TO REALLY HAVE THOSE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS TO BRING BACK TO Y'ALL AND, UM, SEE WHERE WE CAN GO NEXT.
SO THAT'S IT, THAT'S ALL I HAD FOR Y'ALL.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, LOVE TO SEE WHAT Y'ALL HAVE.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMMITMENT.
I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION AND SO YOU ALL DO A GREAT JOB.
UM, THE PLAN, THE ASSAY PARK SYSTEM PLAN, DO YOU ALSO GET, UH, FEEDBACK FROM FAMILIES WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM BEFORE? YES.
YEAH, WE DID A, IT WAS A VERY, I REMEMBER BEING PART OF IT.
IT WAS A ROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN.
I MEAN, WE HAD, UH, DURING PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE OFFERING, UH, AT PARKS, AT DIFFERENT CITY EVENTS MM-HMM.
I FIGURED YOU PROBABLY HAVE AN EMAIL, UM, UH, DATABASE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE REGISTERED YOUR KIDS BEFORE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU'RE DOING.
I'LL START OFF WITH, UM, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND, UH, COUNCIL.
COUNCILMAN
THANK YOU SARAH, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, WE, UH, IN MY DISTRICT AND I'M SO GLAD WE, WE NAMED IT THE QUINTERO BECAUSE IT WAS GETTING CONFUSED WITH THE SENIOR CENTER BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S NAMED SOUTH SIDE LIONS IN THAT AREA.
SO WE NAMED IT THE QUIN RAM QUIN, UH, AT SOUTH SIDE LIONS.
SO, UH, UH, AND YOU HAVE IT UP THERE.
AND THEN HARLANDALE, I, AND I, I WANT TO SAY ONE THING IS, I THINK RIGHT NOW AS THE SUMMER COMES THAT YOU, UH, IF THERE'S ANY PROBLEMS AND YOU NEED TO REACH OUT TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE BECAUSE MAYBE THINGS AREN'T CLEAN OR, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH IT BEING DIRTY.
'CAUSE PEOPLE WERE THERE OVERNIGHT.
I KNOW WE'VE SEEN THAT AT HARLAND DALE.
UM, NOT SO MUCH AT RO, BUT TO MAKE SURE YOU COMMUNICATE WITH THE RIGHT, UM, WITH THE RIGHT DEPARTMENTS AND THE PD, BUT MAKE SURE THAT THE COUNCIL OFFICE IS MADE AWARE OF THAT ALSO, IF, IF YOU'RE RUNNING INTO ISSUES AT ANY OF THE COMMUNITY CENTERS.
SO WE CAN, WE CAN PRIORITIZE THAT IN OUR, IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
THE OTHER THING I, I'M EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING.
I JUST, UH, IN TERMS OF THE CODING, WE JUST, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS WHAT THEY DO DIGITALLY.
IF WE COULD TRANSLATE IT INTO MAYBE SOMETHING OUR BIGGER CITY HOLIDAYS, UH, WHETHER IT'S 4TH OF JULY NEXT YEAR OR SOMETHING ON THE RIVER PARADE, IF THEY CODE SOMETHING.
'CAUSE THIS PAST WEEK FOR I P W, THEY HAD STUFF DOWNTOWN, LIKE LIGHTS DOWNTOWN, AND I KNOW THAT ALL HAS TO BE COATED.
THEY HAD A WHOLE DRONE PRODUCTION LAST NIGHT.
INSTEAD OF FIREWORKS, THE DRONES WENT OUT.
AND I KNOW THAT ALL HAS TO DO WITH WHAT THE KIDS ARE WORKING ON.
SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE, WE CAN DO AS A CITY TO HIGHLIGHT THAT, UM, AND LET 'EM KNOW THIS IS WHAT HA OH, LOOK, YOU GET THIS DISPLAYED HERE.
IF YOU COME TO THE SUMMER PARKS AND REC PROGRAM, I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE THAT DONE.
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO DO THAT AND WORK ON THAT? YEAH, WE CAN ABSOLUTELY COMMUNICATE WHAT WE'RE DOING.
WE'RE, YOU KNOW, CODING'S HUGE RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND, AND A LOT OF THE STEM ACTIVITIES.
AND SO, UM, WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GREAT STAFF THAT ARE WORKING ON SOME VERY INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE THINGS WITH, IT'S A LITTLE, UH, I MEAN, WITH THE ROBOTICS, RIGHT? WITH THE C PERCH LAST YEAR WHERE THE KIDS WERE BUILDING THOSE ROBOTS AND THEY PUT THEM IN THE POOL AT THE END OF THE WEEK TO GUIDE 'EM THROUGH A MAZES.
UM, WE SAW A REALLY LARGE NUMBER OF GIRLS PARTICIPATING IN THAT, WHICH WAS REALLY JUST ENCOURAGING BECAUSE THAT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE, RIGHT? WITH STEM PROGRAMMING AND WITH CODING CODING.
AND SO, UM, HAVING THAT AVAILABLE AND NOT JUST IN SUMMER YEAR ROUND, AND THEN YEAH, WE CAN SHARE THAT AND, AND WE WANNA CONTINUE TO GROW THAT.
I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA FIND WHEN THE RESULTS COME BACK FROM THE MASTER PLAN.
THAT THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
[01:50:01]
YEAH, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA FIND THAT TOO.AND, AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD LIKE TO, A, ANYTIME, UH, YOU CAN WORK WITH ARTS AND CULTURE AND, AND I KNOW THAT PART OF IT IS BACKGROUND CHECKS AND PART OF IT IS PEOPLE GETTING CLEARED TO WORK WITH KIDS IS MAYBE WE, WE JUST HAVE THE ARTIST PRE-K FOR ESSAY BRINGS THEM IN.
BUT THE THEATER ARTISTS AND THE MUSICIANS KIND OF GET THAT CLEARANCE AND THEN IF YOU NEED THEM AND YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, THEY CAN COME IN AND DO THEATER OR DO DO SOME, UH, UM, TEACHING A LESSON ON, ON MUSIC OR, OR AN ART PIECE LIKE THEY DO FOR PRE-K FOR ESSAY.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD TOO.
ONE OF THE COME WORK WITH ARTS AND CULTURE, YOU KNOW, AT RAMIREZ WE HAD A UNVEILING OF THE MURAL AND IT WAS TWO, UH, YOUNG GIRLS THAT, UH, FROM THE AREA THAT DID THE MURAL.
AND THEY CAME IN DURING OUR CAMP AND TALKED TO THE KIDS ABOUT HOW THEY GOT TO DO THAT AND WHAT THEIR PATH WAS.
AND WE FOUND THAT TO BE VERY, UM, INFORMATIONAL, BUT KIND OF, UH, INSPIRATIONAL.
AND SO, UH, ARTS AND CULTURE HAS BEEN A REALLY GREAT, UH, PARTNER.
AND HONESTLY, WE'VE HAD SOME FOLKS AT THE CARVER COME OUT AND DO SOME PROGRAMMING AS WELL WITH OUR KIDS.
UH, WE HAVE A BIG, I THINK WE HAVE A FANTASTIC DANCE AND MUSIC PROGRAM, SO I BRAG ON THEM ALL THE TIME.
BUT HAVING THOSE VISITING ARTISTS, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT.
IT, IT CAN BE VERY INSPIRATIONAL FOR FOLKS.
AND THE OTHER THING, UH, AND THIS IS FOR PARKS AND RECS, AND ALSO FOR YOU DAVID, IS THAT IF A STAGE GOES DOWN, OR IF ANY VEHICLES NEED MAINTENANCE, 'CAUSE I KNOW WE TALK ABOUT MAINTENANCE OF OUR FLEET THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE UNDERSTAND AS A CITY COUNCIL, THESE ARE THINGS WE NEED TO BUDGET FOR.
BECAUSE WHILE MAYBE, UH, AND I DON'T WANNA SAY A GARBAGE TRUCK CAN BE DOWN FOR LIKE AN EXTRA WEEK, A STAGE OR SOMETHING THAT WE NEED DURING THE SUMMER.
IT CAN'T BE DOWN FOR THAT LONG.
AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS WHERE THE STAGE ONE OF THE MOBILE STAGES GOES FLAT, THAT THAT, THAT GOES TO THE TOP OF THE LIST FOR GETTING FIXED, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER.
HOPEFULLY THERE'S SPARE STAGES SOMEWHERE.
IT JUST DEPENDS ON MANY YEAR BOOKED UP.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND UM, YOU KNOW, UM, I'M LOOKING AT THE USE OF THE PLAN AND ONE OF THE, JUST ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY WANT TO BE A HIGH FOCUS IS PROGRAM OFFERINGS.
AND THE WAY I THINK ABOUT, UH, WHENEVER I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE EXPERIENCES OR PROGRAMS OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOLK IN MY DISTRICT, BE THEY SENIORS OR YOUNG KIDS, I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN DO HERE THAT NO ONE ELSE IN THIS CITY CAN DO? OR WHAT'S IT SOMETHING THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE YET, AND WHAT CAN WE DO FIRST? AND THEN ONCE WE'VE DONE IT LET'S, YOU KNOW, I'LL SHARE IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
AND SO I THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE CASE WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT EVERY SINGLE COMMUNITY CENTER THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE ASSETS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD? WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE VERY UNIQUE THAT CAN ONLY BE DONE AT THAT CENTER? AND THEN ON A BROADER SCALE THINKING, UM, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ONLY CAN HAPPEN IN SAN ANTONIO? OR THINGS THAT ARE UNIQUE TO SAN ANTONIO THAT, UM, FOLK THROUGHOUT TEXAS OR THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES WON'T BE ABLE TO PARTAKE IN.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND SO I, I JUST WANT INNOVATION TO BE A KEY, A KEY PART OF THE PROGRAM OFFERINGS AND A DIS UH, DISTINCT TIES TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, I AM SUPER EXCITED.
I THOUGHT I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION OR SOMETHING.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE ON SLIDE SIX WHEN, BUT YOU WERE ACTUALLY ON SLIDE TWO.
YOU KNOW, I HONESTLY, I KEPT LOOKING AT THE TIME AND I WAS LIKE, I GOTTA CUT IT SHORT.
BUT I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW, I CAN GO ON AND, UM, SO IF I PINNED YOU DOWN LATER, WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE IT.
AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND I WANNA PRAISE, UH, YOUR TEAM AT THE SUNNY MELENDEZ CENTER, PALM HEIGHTS AND ALL OF, UH, UH, CENTERS IN DISTRICT FIVE.
UH, EVERY TIME I DROP BY, 'CAUSE SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS HAVE, UH, THEIR MEETINGS IN THE CENTER AND THEY'RE JUST ALWAYS SO ENGAGED, WILLING TO SHOW ME AROUND, UM, INTRODUCING ME TO THE PARENTS, TO SOME OF THE YOUTH.
UM, IT'S JUST REALLY GREAT AND A, AND A PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE.
AND I JUST, I ENJOY BEING THERE.
AND THOSE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS.
'CAUSE JUST THE SOUND OF YOUTH IN THE BACKGROUND, UH, IS JUST, I DON'T KNOW.
IT'S, IT'S, UH, MUSIC TO THE EARS FOR ME.
UM, UH, ONE THING THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT WITH THE PLAN USE IS THE EXTENDED AVAIL AVAILABILITY OF OPERATIONAL HOURS.
AND DURING A PREVIOUS, UM, I THINK IT WAS A B SESSION, I HAD BROUGHT UP THAT WE HAD SOME YOUNG FOLKS COME INTO OUR OFFICE ON A FRIDAY.
AND I, IT DIDN'T SNAP THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A SCHOOL DAY.
AND THEY'RE LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, IF YOU SHOW UP TO SCHOOL AFTER NINE 30, THEY COUNT YOU ABSENT.
SO LIKE, WE'RE, WE WENT TO PALM HEIGHTS AND THEY DON'T OPEN TILL TWO.
WE WENT TO THE LIBRARY, THEY DON'T OPEN UNTIL 12.
UH, AND I WAS LIKE, MY STAFFER WAS LIKE, WAS THERE NO SCHOOL? AND YOU KNOW, I GAVE THEM SOME BOOKS THAT WE HAD IN OUR OFFICE AND LIKE ENCOURAGED THEM TO LIKE, HANG OUT IN OUR OFFICE.
[01:55:01]
UM, BUT WITH THE EXTENSION OF HOURS, UM, I, I WOULD ENCOURAGE, AND I KNOW THE KIDS SHOULD BE IN SCHOOL, BUT THEY DID EVERYTHING.LIKE, THEY'RE, WHERE CAN I GO TO A COMMUNITY SPACE TO BE SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE? RIGHT? AND THE, THIS, THE YOUNG KID ASKED, HE'S LIKE, CAN WE GO THROUGH THE LIBRARY THROUGH HERE? 'CAUSE OUR FIELD OFFICE IS IN A LIBRARY, SO LIKE, WE JUST WANNA READ SOME BOOKS AND STUFF.
AND I WAS LIKE, OH, LIKE HOW NICE.
BECAUSE BACK IN MY DAY, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE WERE DOING.
AND UM, JUST, I I I WAS JUST A LITTLE UPSET MORE AT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND THAT, UM, KIDS ARE, ARE, ARE LEAVING THE SCHOOL 'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE COUNTED ABSENT AND IF THEY'RE GONNA BE COUNTED ABSENT, WHAT'S THE POINT OF BEING THERE? RIGHT.
BUT ENSURING THAT THERE'S SOME TYPE OF COMMUNITY SPACE FOR KIDS TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, OKAY, MOM'S AT WORK.
UM, AND I CAN'T BOTHER HER TO PICK ME UP.
UM, THERE'S A PLACE IN THE CITY FOR KIDS TO GO TO, TO BE SAFE AND PRODUCTIVE.
BUT THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO AND TELL ALL YOUR TEAM MEMBERS.
COUNCILMAN CASTILLO, COUNCILMAN CASTRO, UH, I JUST REALLY WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH YOUTH.
I MEAN, WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS AND, UM, THE ROLE THAT IT PLAYS IN MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE SAFE, THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO.
UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN ALWAYS, AND I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT IT BEFORE, SO IMPRESSED WITH YOUR EVENTS.
UM, YOU DID EARTH DAY AND YOU DID, UH, ZERO WASTE DAY.
AND I THINK THAT KIND OF THING, STARTING WITH THE KIDS IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT GETS THEM TELLING US, HEY, DON'T DO THAT.
UM, SO I'M REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THAT AND I'VE OFTEN BEEN IMPRESSED WITH YOUR EVENTS THAT PEOPLE STAY FROM PARKS AND REC TO CLEAN UP.
AND I'VE SEEN THEM AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT DOING THAT SO THAT THE NEXT DAY THOSE PARKS ARE PRISTINE.
UM, THAT'S A REAL PRIDE IN YOUR WORK.
AND, UM, I HAVE TO SAY THAT FOR ME, PARKS AND RECS DOES, IT GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT.
AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL GET YOUR FUNDING FOR YOUR PLAN.
UM, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL DO.
AND I'LL SHARE THAT WITH THE STAFF.
SARAH, COULD YOU HAVE YOUR STAFF STAND UP THAT'S HERE FROM PARKS AND RECS? HOW MANY? WELL, YEAH, MY STAFF.
STAFF, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THEY'RE MY STAFF, BUT, UH, I THINK THEY'RE BOTH MY DIRECT SUPERVISORS, RIGHT? SO YEAH, HOMER NIKKI HERE TODAY.
BECAUSE, UH, WHAT I WANTED TO DO, AND REALLY PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH, IS ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING WHO IS IN THE AUDIENCE WITH THIS.
KNOW SARAH VERY CLEARLY, UH, IS A BIG PART OF WHAT WE DO, BUT IT'S REALLY ALSO THE LEADERSHIP OF NIKKI RAMOS.
SO YOU REMEMBER NIKKI, SHE WAS HERE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, I THINK, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND, UM, THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS.
THE EARTH DAY EVENT IS A ALL HANDS ON DECK APPROACH, AND I THINK YOU REALLY SAW THAT.
SO, UH, WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO AND THERE'S A WHOLE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE BEHIND US, UM, THAT ARE OUT THERE DOING IT NOW.
WE'RE EXCITED TO DRIVE FORWARD WHATEVER COMES OUT OF THIS PLAN, BUT AGAIN, IT'S JUST WITH THE NOW OF THE FUTURE SO THAT WE MAINTAIN A HIGH LEVEL OF WHAT WE DO.
YEAH, I, I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT, UM, PART OF THIS PLAN IS GOING TO INCLUDE A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
SO ONCE WE FIRM UP WHAT THAT PLAN LOOKS LIKE, WE'LL SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOUR AUDI, YOUR, YOUR CONSTITUENTS, CONSTITUENTS SO THAT YOU CAN, UM, ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME OUT.
UH, WE DID SAY IT WOULD BE ONLINE, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF HANDS-ON ONLINE PAPER SURVEYS, BUT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK.
SO WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU ONCE WE FIRM IT UP.
THANK YOU NIKKI AND COUNCILMAN MIKI RODRIGUEZ HAS ONE OTHER QUESTION.
AND NORMALLY I TRY NOT TO TALK TOO MUCH AT COMMITTEES, BUT TODAY IT'S JUST SUCH A GREAT DAY.
UM, I, I KNOW WE HAVE, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE LIFEGUARD SHORTAGES AT, UH, FROM PRE, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR FOR EXAMPLE.
AND SO I'M WONDERING AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROGRAMMING AT OUR, UH, COMMUNITY CENTERS AND FOR YOUNG FOLK, ARE THERE CERTIFICATION COURSES THAT KIDS COULD TAKE, UH, SO THAT THEY COULD BE PREPARED TO, UH, BECOME LIFEGUARDS? SO WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT DOING A JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM.
UM, I WILL TELL YOU THIS YEAR, WE, UM, FEEL SO MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE THAN WE DID LAST YEAR WITH OUR LIFEGUARD SITUATION.
I THINK THAT'S FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
UM, BUT A JUNIOR LIFEGUARD PROGRAM WOULD BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE KIND OF OUR NEXT STEP TO GET, UM, FOLKS IN AND TRAIN SO THAT AS SOON AS THEY TURN 16, THEY'RE READY TO PASS THAT TEST AND BECOME CERTIFIED.
SO WE CAN DO THAT IN PARTNERSHIP.
A LOT OF OUR COMMUNITY CENTERS HAVE POOLS RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
UM, WE DO A LOT BETWEEN, UM, OUR AQUATICS MANAGER, SHAYNA AND SARAH, THEY LITERALLY SHARE A WALL, SO THEY OFTEN COMMUNICATE BETWEEN THE WALL, UM, OF THINGS THAT WE CAN DO.
THE SEA PERCH, UM, IS, IS THE, A PRIME EXAMPLE.
THEY'RE COMMUNITY CENTER KIDS AT OUR POOLS.
SO THEN WE PROVIDE LIFEGUARDS FOR THAT.
SO WE, WE EXPOSE THEM TO BOTH SIDES, SO FOR SURE THERE'S, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY.
WELL, I'M GLAD Y'ALL ARE ALREADY THINKING FOR THAT.
[02:00:01]
YOU COUNCILMANAND, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE FANS ON, ON OUR COMMITTEE, SO THANK YOU.
UM, AND WITH NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO DISCUSS.