City Council Meeting: July 8, 2008

Agenda Item: 1-D

To: Mayor and City Council

From: Barbara Stinchfield, Director, Community and Cultural Services

Subject: First Amendment to Contract with GMMB for a Panhandling Education and Alternative Giving Campaign

Recommended Action

Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a First Amendment to Professional Services Agreement N. 8895 (CCS) with GMMB, increasing the contract by $237,000, for a total amount not to exceed $337,000.

Executive Summary

Santa Monica’s panhandling education and alternative giving campaign is an effort to educate the public, encourage them to rethink giving directly to panhandlers and provide and publicize alternative giving mechanisms. Funding in the amount of $237,000 was included in the FY2008-09 Budget to extend the scope of services to add focus groups to provide more extensive testing of the potential creative content, messages and alternative giving strategies for the campaign, and to implement phase two of the project.

Background

On February 26, 2008 City Council adopted the “Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica”, which includes public education components, and authorized Professional Services Agreement No. 8895 (CCS) in an amount not to exceed $100,000 with GMMB for phase one of a City-wide campaign to visibly reduce panhandling while redirecting people’s generosity toward alternative methods of giving.  Between March and June 2008 GMMB has gathered input from stakeholders and experts, surveyed over 300 residents and visitors to determine motivations for giving to panhandlers, developed creative content and messages, and tested ad campaigns with focus groups. A report on the progress of phase one was given as part of the Homeless Update at the May 13 City Council meeting.

Discussion

Phase two of the panhandling education and alternative giving campaign will include: research to quantify the scope of panhandling in Santa Monica; the development of methodologies to measure the impact of the campaign; exploration and implementation of alternative giving mechanisms; ad production; message dissemination through strategic advertising and community partnerships; and a campaign launch event.

Messages will be placed in highly visible locations. If approved, proposed amendments to the City’s sign code would make noncommercial signs such as those proposed for the panhandling education campaign exempt from permit requirements and allow for the placement of campaign messages in key high-traffic areas such as parking structures 1 through 6. The proposed amendments were scheduled to be discussed at the April 22 City Council meeting, however, the item was continued to June 24, 2008. At the June 24, 2008 City Council meeting the item was again continued to a future date.

Financial Impacts & Budget Actions

Funds for the first amendment of Contract No. 8895 (CCS) in the amount of $237,000 are available in 012628.555060.

Prepared by:

Danielle Noble, Sr. Administrative Analyst – Homeless Services

Approved:	Forwarded to Council:
Barbara Stinchfield Director, Community and Cultural Services	P. Lamont Ewell City Manager