Economic Development

Continued Engagement with the City of San Diego

Your branch has continued to engage the City of San Diego in an effort to land more contracts for firms of color, and more jobs for people of color.

Our delegation, led most ably by Vice President Francine Maxwell and Assistant Treasurer Wanda Rogers met with Mr Nagelvoort, Director of Public Works, and Mr Perkins, Deputy COO for Infrastructure and Public Works, among others, on Tuesday, January 29th.

We cannot say that we have progress yet, but we have found a couple of issues on which we can bring political pressure to bear, including applying SB 693 “Skilled Workforce” provisions to more City Contracts than just Pure Water. We will be continuing to engage with the City on this pressing problem of equity.

Service Opportunities

in the NAACP San Diego Branch

Executive Committee

The NAACP San Diego Branch, founded in 1919 and dedicated to the Civil Rights of all persons and eliminating race-based discrimination, is looking for leaders who would like to serve their communities through advocacy.

The full Executive Committee and Officers, plus Monica Montgomery, District 4 Councilmember

We are looking for individuals who want to inform, connect, and empower our membership, so that we are a strong, vibrant organization, run from the grass roots on up.

We expect all applicants to:

  • Be committed to the cause of Civil Rights
  • Be members of the NAACP San Diego Branch (join today)
  • Live or work in the greater San Diego area, south of the 56 Freeway
  • Have good communications and leadership skills
  • Have (or gain) familiarity with our bylaws

We are seeking people who would like to serve in the following capacities as specified in our bylaws:

Secretary

ACT-SO Chair

Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs Chair

Communications, Press and Publicity Chair

Community Coordination Chair

Criminal Justice Chair

Economic Development Chair

Environment and Climate Justice Chair

Freedom Fund Chair

Labor & Industry Chair

Health Chair

Legal Redress Chair

Membership and Life Membership Chair

Political Action Chair

Young Adult Chair

Our bylaws give the duties of each of these committees in a paragraph or so starting on page 38 (the Secretary is on page 34.) We  invite you to read the relevant section of the bylaws and then fill out a brief application form.  

We are also looking to recruit enthusiastic, outgoing people as Social Media Contributors  to take the Branch’s social media presence to the next level.

If you feel you are qualified to provide leadership in these areas, please fill out our brief application form.

We will contact everyone who applies.

Thank you for your interest in service with the NAACP San Diego Branch, and for whatever work you do, with us or with others, to help our Community thrive.

Watch: NAACP Vice President Honoré Urges Contracts Equity

You may remember that in September we took the City of San Diego to task for its shocking record of contracting with people of color, as revealed in the CAPER report to HUD.  We were back at the City Council on October 23rd on a fresh contracting issue.

The City of San Diego gives very nearly all of its construction business to firms owned by white men, firms that often do not even employ significant numbers of African-Americans and other ethnicities. The NAACP San Diego tried to delay the awarding of this $100M water and wastewater contract until the firms involved could be queried on their inclusion plans.

Our voice was joined by Brother Hameed of the National Black Contractor’s Association:

Councilmember Alvarez even read part of our letter to urge adoption of one of its provisions:

In the end, we were unsuccessful in achieving a delay:

However, City Engineer James Nagelvoort is facilitating a meeting between the NAACP, the Black Contractor’s Association, the National Association of Minority Contractors, and the five firms in question.  We hope the talks are productive.

We could be more active in these areas of labor and economic equity if NAACP members with relevant expertise and passion would come out to work on our Labor and Economic Development committees.  Please come to our General Membership Meeting on November 2nd, or write us at [email protected] and volunteer to help us with this important work!

Full text of our letter to the Council follows:

2018-10-22 K-17-1518-MAC-3 NAACP Letter to Council (dragged)
 2018-10-22 K-17-1518-MAC-3 NAACP Letter to Council (dragged)

 

USC Training in Real Estate Finance and Development

We came across this program at the San Diego Housing Federation’s “Housing at the Breaking Point” conference.  It looks interesting.

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The Ross Minority Program was founded in 1993 for the purpose of engaging land use professionals, especially of underrepresented ethnic minority groups and women, to enter the field of real estate finance and development. We continue to provide an excellent opportunity to any and all individuals wishing to build new skills, gain valuable insight and expand their career path in real estate finance and development.

To date, over 900 land use professionals have participated and received their certificate in Real Estate Finance and Development from the Ross Minority Program.  These individuals work in a variety of positions, including: real estate practitioners, non-profit and community leaders, public sector decision makers, and entrepreneurs.

If you’d like to apply to the Ross Minority Program, here are some things you should know:

  1. Admission is open to all individuals — regardless of race, gender, or ethnicity — who would like to receive exceptional training in real estate finance and development.
  2. Admission is competitive and selective. We aim to enroll individuals who will contribute to a rich and stimulating learning environment and benefit from an accelerated program.
  3. The ideal Ross student is:
  • a creative thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit
  • familiar with real estate and the planning process
  • motivated by the risks and rewards of the real estate industry
  • able to thrive on obstacles and challenges
  • compelled to lead and succeed in his or her profession
  • creative, resourceful, and competitive
  • keenly interested in urban development

Upcoming sessions are as follows:

2019 WINTER SESSION

DATE: January 10 – February 1, 2019 (Four-week format)
LOCATION: USC Campus, Los Angeles, CA
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:
FIRST WEEK: Thursday, Friday, Saturday – Jan 10-12
SECOND WEEK: Thursday, Friday, Saturday – Jan 17-19
THIRD WEEK: Thursday, Friday, Saturday – Jan 24-26
FOURTH WEEK: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – Jan 30-Feb 1

TIME: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm including 6 evening events to 9:00 pm

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 15, 2018

 

2019 SUMMER SESSION

DATE: June 10 – June 21, 2019 (Two-week format)
LOCATION: USC Campus, Los Angeles, CA
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:
FIRST WEEK: Monday to Saturday, June 10-15
SECOND WEEK: Monday to Friday, June 17-21

TIME: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm including 6 evening events to 9:00 pm

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 20, 2019

USC Campus Housing may be available at a reduced cost.

LECTURE TOPICS

You may review the lecture topics at: https://lusk.usc.edu/ross/program/lecture-topics.

PROGRAM FEE

The fee for the program is $5,500. There is no application fee.

The Ross Minority Program in Real Estate is underwritten by individual and corporate sponsors who support the program’s mission and believe in improving cultural and ethnic diversity within the real estate profession. The program fee covers registration, materials, meals, networking events, evening receptions, and site visits.

FEE REDUCTION

A limited number of fee reduction grants are available for applicants with demonstrated financial need. A fee reduction application must be submitted with your program application.

APPLICATION

You may access the online application process at: http://lusk.usc.edu/ross/admission/application.

USC Ross Minority Program in Real Estate

Freedom Fund Dinner Honoree: Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell

The NAACP San Diego branch is so pleased to be honoring Mr Mitchell at our Freedom Fund Dinner on October 12th.  Tickets and sponsorships are still available!

EUGENE “MITCH” MITCHELL VICE PRESIDENT, State Government Affairs and EXTERNAL Affairs SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS CO.

Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell is vice president of state government affairs and external affairs for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).

Mitchell is responsible for state governmental affairs for both California utilities and oversees external affairs activities for SDG&E. Prior to his current position; Mitchell was responsible for state governmental affairs for both California utilities.

Prior to joining SoCalGas in 2005, Mitchell served as vice president of public policy and communications at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce where he worked with the Chamber’s members and diverse volunteer base to develop a public policy agenda that is favorable to the business climate and standard of living in San Diego. He was also in charge of representing the Chamber and its members’ public policy positions to local, state and federal officials.

Previously, Mitchell was director of governmental relations for American Medical Response, the nation’s largest ambulance transportation firm. From 1996 to 1997, he served as assistant director of governmental relations for the San Diego Mayor’s Office under Mayor Susan Golding, overseeing the city’s legislative priorities and advising the mayor on policy issues.

Prior to working at the mayor’s office, Mitchell was the director of governmental relations for the San Diego City Fire Fighters Local 145 IAFF, one of the city’s largest labor unions.

Mitchell is an active member of the community. He has served for several years on the board of directors for the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and the New Children’s Museum, and is also currently on the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, San Diego Museum of Art, the Voice of San Diego and the California Asian Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He previously served on the boards of the San Diego Opera and Burn Institute and San Diego Union-Tribune Citizen Editorial board. Mitchell was also once a governor’s appointee to the Little Hoover Commission. In 2009, Mitch was selected as one of the nine civic and community leaders to receive LEAD San Diego’s Visionary Award.

Mitchell earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from University of Redlands.

174 City of San Diego HUD Contracts and Subcontracts: $73M only for White-Owned Businesses

Yesterday we sent the following letter to the City of San Diego:

Comment on CAPER Fiscal year 2018/ HUD Program year 2017

 

Dear Economic Development Department,

 

While we appreciate the work involved in producing the CAPER report, the reality that it contains is quite alarming.

 

The San Diego Branch of the NAACP Housing Committee has many unanswered questions about the report, far too many to note here.

 

However, the most glaring and distressing, in terms of what we understand as HUD regulations, is the report on Minority and Women Owned Businesses.

 

Table 10 indicates that of a TOTAL of 162 subcontracts awarded by the City of San Diego:
1. NONE went to minority owned businesses
2. Nine went to Women Business Enterprises
3. ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THREE went to white  non-Hispanic males.

 

We would like this information to be explained in detail in the final report and we would like to understand your justification for these results.
These numbers directly contradict the spirit and letter of the purpose for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  These figures put in jeopardy future federal funds that would come from HUD to the city of San Diego.
There are many more causes for concern in the report and we will comment on those at a later time.
We look forward to the final report and welcome the chance to cooperate on some of the problems that will be ongoing for some years in the future.

 

Sincerely yours,
Carol Spong
Chair, Housing Committee
NAACP San Diego Branch

Here is Page 15 of the report, which makes the situation abundantly clear:

FY18_DRAFT_CAPER_FINAL (dragged)

 

Nearly $73M and not a penny to a business owned by a person of color.  Can’t believe it?  Read the full FY18 Draft CAPER Report on the City’s website.