SUBJECT
Title
SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT OF GIFTS AND DONATIONS TOTALING OVER $5,000 TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION AND RELATED CEQA EXEMPTION (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The County of San Diego (County) Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) enhances quality of life in the San Diego region by providing exceptional parks and recreation experiences and preserving significant natural resources so that people can enjoy clean air, clean water, rich biodiversity, and access to open space. DPR’s ability to provide exceptional customer service to millions of patrons each year is supported by donations from the San Diego County Parks Society (Parks Society). The Parks Society is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1980 to support and improve DPR’s vast park system. The Parks Society’s support helps to maintain and operate County parks and assists with ongoing and expanded programming.
Board of Supervisors (Board) Policy A-112, Acceptance and Use of Gifts and Donations, permits the acceptance of donations by the administrative head of each department of the County. County Administrative Code Section 66, Acceptance of Gifts, requires Board ratification of the acceptance of such gifts and approval prior to the expenditure of the gift if the amount exceeds $5,000.
During the period of July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, DPR received donations from the Parks Society totaling $61,012.86. These donations provided the materials and funding for multiple public holiday events, active recreational activities and equipment, educational programs, and animal care at parks throughout the County. A complete list of programs receiving donations, donation types, and parks supported by the Parks Society is listed in Attachment A.
Today’s proposed action is to accept DPR’s Report of Gifts and Donations for the period of July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, from the Parks Society. There is no fiscal impact associated with these recommendations. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
1. Find that the proposed actions are not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c)(2) and (3) and 15378(b)(5).
2. In accordance with County of San Diego (County) Administrative Code Section 66, Acceptance of Gifts and Board of Supervisors (Board) Policy A-112, Acceptance and Use of Gifts and Donations, accept the County Department of Parks and Recreation Report of Gifts and Donations from the San Diego County Parks Society for the period of July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, totaling $61,012.86.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The acceptance of donations from the Parks Society assists DPR in continuing and expanding special events, community celebrations, and activities in nature for the benefit of all residents and visitors. The donations allow DPR to provide additional supplies and services to youth, families, and communities to encourage sharing experiences, cultural traditions, and resources to strengthen a sense of belonging. Donations in this period included bus transportation for elementary school children from Cajon Valley Union and San Marcos Unified School Districts to County parks as part of the Discovery Program. The Discovery Program immerses students and teachers from urban areas in nature-related activities designed to educate them about scientific phenomena and the history of the local environment, including a classroom visit by a County Park Ranger and a follow-up field trip to that Ranger’s park. Donations allowed youth to pick up school supplies through the Lakeside and Spring Valley Back to School Jams. Donations also supported community holiday events throughout the County from Dia de los Muertos at Rancho Guajome Adobe to the Pumpkin Patch at Waterfront Park in which every participant received a pumpkin to carve.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
DPR is committed to balancing recreation opportunities with efforts to protect and preserve our region’s land, vegetation, wildlife, and natural resources. Programs are planned to support these efforts while expanding the number of residents who can experience County parks and programs. Donations from the Parks Society support these goals by providing donations to expand programs like Movies in the Park, providing care and food for Animal Ambassadors that are used in interpretation programs at schools and parks to connect youth and families to the wildlife in County parks, and providing bus transportation for school children to participate in the Discovery Program in eight County parks (Stelzer, El Monte, Felicita, Flinn Springs, Guajome, Los Peñasquitos, Otay Lakes, and San Dieguito) to learn about nature and sustainability. Parks Society donations support large environment-based events like Fall Festival at San Elijo Park, First Time Camping Program at four County campgrounds, and the Women in the Wild Program.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with these recommendations. The Department of Parks and Recreation received donations from the San Diego County Parks Society totaling $61,012.86 from July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
N/A
BACKGROUND
The County of San Diego (County) Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) provides numerous educational, social, and physically active programs and celebratory holiday events annually throughout its parks system. Established in 1980, the San Diego County Parks Society (Parks Society) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support San Diego County Parks and Recreation goals, activities, and programs, and to preserve and enhance cultural, community, and natural resources through charitable contributions. The Parks Society offers these donations to assist in offsetting the costs of public events and programs that support the County’s effort to provide exceptional customer service.
Donations received from the Parks Society support DPR’s mission to enhance quality of life in the region by providing exceptional parks and recreation experiences and preserving significant natural resources. Donations are accepted for parks and programs that take place in the DPR parks throughout the region. These programs and events introduce new opportunities for many people who have never participated in a hike, campout, or had the opportunity to visit parks outside of their neighborhood. Through donations from the Parks Society, DPR can provide these opportunities at little to no cost for the end user. This includes the First Time Camping Program in which families can camp for the first time in a County Park with camping equipment loaned at no cost and with Park Ranger staff support, and the Waterfront Pumpkin Patch in which participants took home 1,000 pumpkins to carve at no cost. Parks Society donations also support Movies in the Park with free movies and crafts/snacks to be used in pre-movie recreational activities.
Donations received during this reporting period from July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023 provided opportunities to improve residents’ mental and physical health and helped educate residents on the region’s native animals and the environment we share with them. Donations were used to improve special events so communities could come together to celebrate the holidays and their local community. For example, donations provided backpacks and school supplies to youth in Lakeside and Spring Valley.
In accordance with County Administrative Code Section 66, Acceptance of Gifts, DPR is reporting donations for the period of July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, as shown in Attachment A. The total of all donations received is $61,012.86.
ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
The proposed actions are not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines section 15060(c)(2) and (3) 15378(b)(5). The actions to accept the Report of Gifts and Donations from the San Diego County Parks Society is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA only applies to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. It can be seen with certainty that today’s actions will not result in a significant effect on the environment because they are administrative in nature. Also, today’s actions are not projects as defined by Section 15378(b)(5) of the State CEQA Guidelines because the actions are administrative in nature and will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s proposed action to accept the donations shown in Attachment A supports the Sustainability and Community Strategic Initiatives in the County of San Diego’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan to protect and promote our natural and agricultural resources, diverse habitats and sensitive species and to provide programs and services that enhance the community through increasing the well-being of our residents and our environments.
Respectfully submitted,
DAHVIA LYNCH
Interim Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment A - Department of Parks and Recreation Report of Gifts and Donations