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File Number: 15-197 on economic matters related to land use sends a message that economic development is a strong focus of the City and establishes a comprehensive vision of economic development for the future. The ED Element will incorporate more recent activities and planning documents such as Lit San Leandro, the 2013 City Economic Development Strategy and Work Plan, and the Next Generation Workplace District Study and provide policy recommendations relating to issues such as business image, economic diversification, retail mix, marketing and business assistance. The ED Element is not the creation of a new strategy, but a comprehensive incorporation of the City’s economic development efforts into an important planning document. The cost to add the ED Element will not exceed $20,000. The budget will cover the costs for the General Plan consultants -- Placeworks, Barry Miller, and Strategic Economics -- to compile and analyze data to prepare the new ED Element. In addition, the scope of the ED Element will enable the consultant team to expand outreach activities, including focus and individual stakeholder group meetings with the City’s diverse business community. Stakeholder groups include the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Community Benefit District, Downtown Business Association, Minority (Asian, African-American and Hispanic) Business Councils, and Industrial Roundtable/Founder’s Circle. Staff recommends the addition of the ED Element due to the consistent public feedback received during the General Plan Update planning process over the last several months from residents, members of the Planning Commission and business organizations. Community Workforce Agreement Outreach and Implementation At a Work Session on February 10, 2015, the City Council directed staff to proceed with the negotiation of a Community Workforce Agreement (CWA). A CWA is a contract between a public agency and the building trade unions that governs the role of the unions in the execution of public construction projects. The CWA is presently being reviewed by the City Council Finance Committee and is expected to be brought before the City Council for adoption before the end of the fiscal year. As discussed at the Work Session, successful implementation of a CWA will require extensive outreach, modification to the City’s existing bidding processes for construction contracts, and ongoing oversight to monitor the impacts of the program, resolve disputes, and ensure that contractors maintain compliance. An appropriation of $100,000 is requested in the current fiscal year for startup outreach and implementation of the CWA. This cost is comprised of two items; $40,000 for outreach and education and $60,000 for administrative costs related to implementation and oversight. The outreach efforts are needed to ensure that both contractors and workers are aware of the new program and have the information needed to bid and work on City projects. Particularly for non-union and minority contractors, it will be critical to understand the new rules for hiring workers and paying benefits. Additionally, the CWA will include guidelines and requirements for hiring local San Leandro residents and adding San Leandro residents to existing union apprenticeship programs. The outreach budget will be used to prepare and disseminate materials that explain the CWA, including translation into foreign languages. The remaining $60,000 for implementation is based on the estimated staff costs incurred by the City of Berkeley for implementation of a similar CWA. Implementation activities are expected to include: Page 2 City of San Leandro Printed on 4/14/2015