Upland City Hall
460 N. Euclid Ave.
Upland, Ca 91786
(909) 931-4100
Monday - Thursday
8am - 6pm
City Hall
City Manager's Focus
The City of Upland values education and has been looking at different avenues not only to provide educational opportunities for local students, but also to create a learning experience that is a win-win for students and the City. During the month of September, the City of Upland hosted a group of 12 students from the Coro Center for Civic Leadership. The students came to observe how the City of Upland operates and provides services to the community.
Coro is a non-profit, non-partisan educational institute founded in 1942 which is currently supported by foundations, corporations and individuals. Coro is an organization that trains young veterans with leadership skills necessary to challenge and assure that the democratic system of government currently in place is effectively meeting the needs of its citizens.
The group of 12 Los Angeles CORO students were here in the City of Upland for 6 days. While in Upland, they interviewed residents, business owners, youth and City employees, and examined every aspect and function of the City. Upland is currently in a unique position and this not only provided a great experience for the students, but a great opportunity for the City. The City of Upland was looking to see if the report and feedback provided by this organization would spark areas that the City could look to improve and change on how it operates as an organization. Though there are constraints on how a government/public agency can look to make certain changes, and with the economic tone dictating how exactly these or such changes would take place, the City was able to use the report provided on September 12, 2011, as a stepping-stone for improvement.
Here is their report:
THE PROJECT
What is the logic of Upland? From September 7th-12th, the 2011-2012 Los Angeles Coro Fellows lived and breathed this exact question. While we initially focused on pinpointing a definitive and succinct answer to the logic, what we found through our research and analysis revealed much more than any one label ever could. By examining the pieces, people, dynamics, conflicts, and spirit that makes up the whole of Upland, we uncovered key lessons from how its self-government functions that we believe could apply to any U.S. city.
OUR RESEARCH
We began our research with a series of interviews with government officials, then expanded to include candid input from business owners, commuters, non-profit organizations, faith-based institutions, real estate developers, city hall employees, youth, minority groups, parents, service workers, and regular citizens. We conducted both formal and informal interviews and spent additional time examining census data and local news articles to refine our information. As a group, we made every effort to represent the values of our organization and gain the truest picture of Upland by remaining un-biased and nonpartisan.
WHAT WE FOUND
Upland’s standard of living relies on family values, maintaining a safe community, and most importantly placing a high priority on the education of their children. The city’s motto reflects these values, which are clearly evident across the city. “A City of Gracious Living,” rings true for many we interviewed, and we were amazed by the many ways the city considers its residents and residents consider one another. Yet we caution Upland against blindly sticking to this motto at the expense of incorporating new voices or adjusting to thrive in the face of new challenges.
FILLING THE GAPS: TAKING MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS
The city serves its citizens through a combination of services delivered by both Upland’s city government and its outstandingly engaged community. Upland is at its strongest when organizations step in and work together to fill gaps in service. One example of this is the Scheu Family YMCA’s intramural basketball program. When the school system could no longer run its own program after school, the YMCA created a basketball program to serve a larger number of youth. Similarly, the St., Joseph’s food bank serves thousands of individuals who are out of work or homeless each year, providing a service that the government currently does not.
Upland has an impressive history of community support for public projects as demonstrated by multiple votes to approve bonds and sales tax increase, most recently including $100 million for bringing a 21st century classroom to every child in Upland Unified School District. To build on this tradition of mutual responsibility and continue filling gaps that exist, we urge the city to:
· Promote the concept of mutual responsibility by highlighting these and other successes of community involvement to encourage new partnerships. Celebrate community collaboration.
· Identify additional areas where the city can provide staff, resources or funding to outside organizations (such as the Community Services Department’s work with after-school and summer camp programs) to support and enhance their work in serving the city’s residents.
· Bring together new and existing community leaders to problem solve around persisting issues that the city cannot address within its own budget (for instance to address the 2,000 plus families who do not currently receive housing subsidies for which they are eligible). Task citizens with serving one another, as they have been successful with this in the past.
· Find places where the city government can fill gaps itself in cost-effective, simple ways. As one example, the city could easily offer resources that could potentially help the jobless or homeless citizens get back on their feet by providing these individuals with information about how to apply for government benefits or where to access health care.
“NO ENTIENDO ‘GRACIOUS LIVING’”: INCLUDING ALL VOICES
Throughout the past century, Upland has succeeded in maintaining an upscale feel built on shared values, strong education and a safe environment where people can raise families. In this sense, “gracious living” is alive and well, and our group experienced it firsthand from the many individuals with whom we spoke during our stay. However, there are many citizens for whom this concept does not hold true; in fact, some are not even aware of the motto.
One critical next step for Upland is to actively and purposefully seek out the voices of disenfranchised groups and uninvolved citizenry. Bringing multiple cross-sections of individuals into the discussion of what Upland is and where it is going will ensure all citizens are served fairly and equally. The city, as well as the citizens themselves, needs to be fully aware of the issues that residents face in order to begin to develop solutions. Some city organizations have already demonstrated how to incorporate all voices successfully, and the city should expand on these efforts. A city that represents all of its citizens would parallel the YMCA’s mission to serve any Upland resident, regardless of his or her ability to pay. It would build on the incredible academic gains made across the board, by all demographics, in the public schools. To become a city that truly encompasses all voices and represents all citizens equally, we urge the city to:
· Seek out new community leaders from underrepresented groups, particularly from the Hispanic and African-American communities. Upland is 27.5% Hispanic, yet this population is not reflected in the city’s elected government, which should represent the entire community. All minority groups should have a voice in decision-making spaces.
· Respond to the highest needs rather than the loudest voices. The city’s new animal shelter does amazing work and stands to bring additional revenue into the city as a regional site. However, we found that other groups, such as low-income families and the homeless, could benefit from the resources that have been dedicated to the shelter.
· Develop a vibrant online presence through social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter to reach younger populations, spur discussion between citizens, and drive traffic towards the city’s clear and informative web site.
· Create more accessible opportunities for community input by holding open forum town halls, focus groups, or regular meetings in high-traffic locations to increase attendance. The most powerful person in Upland is the person who can unite the community in engaging in the political process. When this happens, you won’t have to inform the citizens of your vision. You will have created it together.
IDENTITY vs. REALITY: THE COSTS OF MAINTAINING GRACIOUS LIVING
Upland truly regards itself as a city of gracious living. This identity is predicated on safe and clean streets, security via well-funded police and fire departments, and ongoing city beautification projects. The city’s vision includes little in the way of economic development. Yet Upland is facing the same budget crisis as the rest of the state and country, as well as ongoing costs from a number of lawsuits. Upland must consider how it can afford to maintain its peaceful “bedroom community” feel, while still adjusting to meet the economic demands of the time. Ultimately, the city must let go of the financial burden of its supposed identity and adjust to meet new challenges in order to ensure sustainability in the long-term.
When we spoke with residents, we heard no less than four locations identified as the center of the city: the YMCA, the high school, City Hall, and downtown. This divergence of opinions, and the fact that there is no one evident center of the town, is representative of Upland’s larger dilemma: a severe lack of commercial activity to satisfy business owners and produce revenues for the city. The current trajectory is unsustainable, and we encourage the city to:
· Explore creative options to attract new businesses and keep resident dollars local. Some ideas include redeveloping valuable land near the freeway, rerouting traffic to move through downtown, creating multi-purpose living and commercial spaces, and working with developers to ascertain their unique ideas for how and where to expand.
· Grow and promote the Shop Upland initiative in order to keep shopping dollars within city limits. Find new ways to share the information from this campaign in places where there is high traffic (for example at a Friday night football game or church fair).
· Work with the Chamber of Commerce and business leaders in renewing partnerships that are solution-oriented and will grow business. Strategize around developing meetings that draw new voices from the business community and allow leaders to develop their own solutions to the problems they face, with city support.
· Host a series of city-wide discussions to identify a true city center. Naming a center of Upland could strengthen city pride, attract new types of business, encourage residents to spend within their own city, and help businesses attract customers.
WHAT WE TOOK WITH US
In diving into Upland’s history, present and future, we saw how community engagement, collaboration, and a willingness to adjust course determine the success of a city’s self-government. We will take with us the stellar examples Upland sets for how a community can serve its needs, as well as the examples of how it must continue to change and seek out new voices to become truly representative of its citizens.
But the most important lesson we learned from our study, and the one piece of advice we urge on Upland above all others, is that the answer to a city’s logic or motto or brand is far less important than the process of discovering it. We urge the city to take our recommendations to heart, but even more to engage in this process itself. Upland should take a long and serious look at all of its citizens and their needs, its successes and its struggles, its history and its reality, to identify where it is strong and where it must grow. Only through this honest process, built on consistent communication across demographics and interests, can the city find its own logic and provide the best for all its citizens.
In the month of September, the City of Upland looked not only to the CORO Fellow study group for feedback, but the City also expanded their internship opportunities to include an intern by the name of Malcolm Oliver, working out of the City Manager’s Office. Malcolm, who is a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Texas Arlington, will be working with the City Manager’s Office over the next six months. The graduate student has previous experience working with Riverside County as a Planning Tech, Urban Regional Planner, the City of Pomona as an Assistant Planner, the City of Lancaster as a Development Coordinator, and as a Graduate Research Assistant for the University of Texas Arlington.
Malcolm started researching areas he would be addressing as part of his dissertation by looking at City Management. From there he set out to interview nine City Manager’s Offices in the Southern California area, Upland being one of them. Based on his interview here, Malcolm saw Upland’s experience with legal battles and organizational downsizing as a great opportunity to be part of an organization that is looking to increase visibility, as well as increase efficiency of current operations, and use this experience as a tool for working on his dissertation. Malcolm will be looking at each department of the City and exploring ways in which we can increase the level of accountability across the board.