City of Glendale Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Project, Phases II and III “Jewel at the Bend”

Stakeholder Outreach Plan

Prepared by Katherine Padilla & Associates (KPA) July 30, 2014

INTRODUCTION

The City of Glendale under the direction of the Community Services & Parks and Public Works Departments is moving into Phases II and III of the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk Project (Riverwalk), which includes two parks and a preliminary study for a new LA river bridge. Preparation is underway to conduct preliminary design and environmental documentation for the park and bridge engineering with the park plans proceeding to construction, which will include community outreach.

Phase II activities include designing and building a cover over a flood control box culvert to connect and extend the recently completed Class I bike path along the Los Angeles River, and locating parks around the culvert bridge at the intersection of Flower Street and Fairmont Avenue (“Flower Plaza”), and at the confluence of the Verdugo Wash and Los Angeles River (“Confluence Park”).

Phase III will include the evaluation, investigation, and preliminary design for future bridges over the Los Angeles River and Verdugo Wash, efforts that will support the connection and continuation of the bike path along the Los Angeles and access to Griffith Park. The specific location of the proposed bridge will be determined through this process. Selection of that location from the four alternative locations identified in the Riverwalk Master Plan will be part of the scope of this project.

Stakeholder Outreach Plan. This Stakeholder Outreach Plan (SOP) describes community outreach and public engagement strategies including stakeholder education and involvement of elected officials, members of neighborhood associations and multi‐family residential complexes; recreational, environmental, community‐based and business organizations; and other interested persons. KPA will focus on contacting City of Glendale stakeholders as well as adjacent City of Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, Griffith Park, and Los Feliz. KPA will collaborate with staff to develop project information that will help stakeholders make informed decisions, and will take the lead in implementing the outreach.

Goals.  Educate and obtain input from key stakeholders via meetings with individual and groups.  Deliver consistent, transparent, positive messages.  Respond to inaccurate or misleading information and rumors in a timely and positive manner.  Develop informed project champions whenever possible.

Strategies.  Utilize a range of engagement tools that encourage people to participate in the Phase II review process, including:

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‐ Calling elected officials and their representatives, community organizations, civic groups, and key individuals to inform them of the project and community meetings; ‐ Attending selected meetings of community organizations and the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council to announce dates and location of the Project’s community meetings; ‐ Providing opportunities for two‐way dialogue through which team members can engage in thoughtful conversations and learning opportunities with community members through individual briefings, and interactive, productive, public community meetings.

 Determine a bridge location and bridge type that satisfies the greatest number of community members, and that also can attract funding to continue the design and construction;

 Produce public information through meeting and “Save the Date” notices, talking points and press releases that encourage community participation and communicate the following Project Goals: ‐ Improve access to the LA River; ‐ Connect to Griffith Park, a regional resource and one of the largest urban parks in the nation; ‐ Provide connection to equestrian paths, contingent on location of bridge; ‐ Improve connections for bicycle and pedestrian paths, taking into consideration future downtown dwellers, corporate employees and residents; ‐ Serve as a model for other river projects.

1. Outreach Program Management. KPA will maintain on‐going communication with City staff and team members through telephone calls, conference calls, and emails. We will attend monthly team meetings and provide updates, as required, on the progress of the outreach program, challenges, and issues encountered and propose solutions for team discussion. In particular, KPA will assess, with the team and staff, areas of agreement/disagreement within stakeholders about the bridge location or design that emerge from community meetings, and as needed, propose additional tools that may be effective to come to resolution, such as dialogue groups/ focus groups. Schedule: March 2014 –the completion of the Atkins Phase III project schedule.

Required: City review and approval process clarification. It is understood no outreach will be conducted without approval of this Stakeholder Outreach Plan.

Kickoff Meeting of the Project Team and Stakeholder Analysis. KPA will work with the City to clarify outreach team roles for the effective engagement of the public during Phases II and III. In conjunction with the kickoff meeting, KPA will conduct a stakeholder analysis with City staff

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beginning with project history and known key stakeholder issues and concerns. We will identify organizations, including those from Phase I, who will receive outreach communications including briefings, phone calls, emails, and meeting notices. We will provide a list of key individuals and stakeholder organizations for City review. Schedule: April 2014

Talking Points Memorandum. KPA will research background information on the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk and related issues in order to develop written talking points that are accurate, relevant and succinct. The talking points memorandum will define the issues, opportunities and benefits of the Project. These talking points are intended for internal use only and are not meant to be delivered verbatim; rather they are the starting point on which other written material and communication pieces are based. The talking points will incorporate the Glendale Animated! branding and image developed by the City. Schedule: July 2014

2. Stakeholder Contact. KPA will develop the list of stakeholders for the City’s Project Manager to review and approve as part of this Outreach. The list will include stakeholders who were engaged in previous outreach efforts and additional stakeholders recommended by the City staff.

Prior to each community meeting, KPA will call organizations and key stakeholders to encourage their support in promoting and attending the meetings, in distributing the notices to their members, and placing the notice on their websites. KPA will contact the City Public Information Office of the City and ask that the meeting notices and project information be included in the City’s monthly newsletter sent electronically using OnContact to Commissioners, homeowners associations, and other involved community organizations, recreational groups, and business groups. KPA will provide the verbiage to the Public Information Office 2 to 3 weeks prior to the distribution of monthly newsletter (1st of every month). KPA will also coordinate and provide information to the Public Information Office staff for dissemination through the social media, website, and City Public Access Channel.

Schedule: A minimum of 3 weeks prior to each public meeting

One‐to‐One Stakeholder Briefing. City staff will recommend twelve individuals who are opinion leaders for briefings to determine preliminary insight into project‐related issues, concerns, and opportunities. In close collaboration with City staff and team members, KPA will schedule and help conduct briefings. KPA will develop a briefing guide to evoke strategic thinking that will assist in decision‐making during Phases II and III. Through conversation, the intent is to identify ideas that can be linked together and explored further for collective, consensus‐based, strategic initiatives and actions.

During the briefings, City staff and KPA will also seek interviewees’ suggestions for individuals and community‐based/civic and business organizations that we should engage. KPA will draft a

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summary of the briefings, noting key project‐related trends, issues, and opportunities, as well as saturation points to help prepare the team and staff for community meetings. Saturation points are issues and comments that are brought up continuously indicating a commonly shared value or perception.

Schedule: 4 weeks prior to community meetings

Outreach to Elected Officials. The intent is to serve as an accessible, friendly informational link for elected officials and their staff. At the direction of City staff, KPA will call and provide follow‐up emails to the staff of elected officials who represent the constituents of City of Glendale, Los Feliz, Atwater Village, and Griffith Park to make them aware of the project descriptions, milestones, and schedule for community meetings. KPA will also contact federal, state, and county officials representing Glendale and adjacent areas to inform their staff of the project and meetings. This will prevent surprises when constituents call their elected officials to find out what is happening in their area.

Additionally, the Outreach Team will seek elected officials’ assistance on obtaining agreement to use their organizations’ information channels, i.e. websites, mailers/newsletters, databases to promote meeting attendance, and to feature meeting invitations, project updates, and other positive messages. We will contact the offices of the following elected officials and provide meeting notices for electronic distribution to their constituents.

 City of Glendale Mayor – Mr. Zareh Sinanyan  City of Glendale Councilmember ‐ Ms. Laura Friedman,  City of Glendale Councilmember ‐ Mr. Ara Najarian  City of Glendale Councilmember ‐ Ms. Paula Devine  City of Glendale Councilmember ‐ Mr. Dave Weaver  Los Angeles Council District Office 4 – Tom LaBonge  Los Angeles Council District Office 13 – Mitch O’Farrell  Los Angeles Council District Office 1 – Gil Cedillo  Los Angeles City Mayor – Eric Garcetti  United State Senator – Dianne Feinstein  United State Senator – Barbara Boxer  California State Senator District 25 ‐ Carol Liu  California State Assembly District 43 – Mike Gatto  United States Representative District 28 – Adam B. Schiff

Schedule: Four weeks in advance of meetings

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Outreach to Government Staff. KPA will contact City of Glendale and Los Angeles City and County staff to request support for posting the meeting notices on City and County bulletin boards, calendars, and other county‐wide public notification vehicles, including newsletters. We will provide information as requested including meeting notices and the press release. We will request that a link be provided on the City of Glendale website. Prior to the community meetings, we will send emails to following recipients to make them aware of the meetings. Where appropriate, we will ask City staff to send the Meeting Notices to members of the following divisions, departments, commissions and committees:

 City of Glendale Executive Team members: ‐ Director of Public Works/City Engineer ‐ Community Services & Parks Director ‐ CS&P Principal Development OfficerEconomic Development DirectorPublic Information Officer  County of Los Angeles Construction Division, Watershed Management Division, and Mapping and Property Management Division  City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works ‐ River Project Office = Ms. Carol Armstrong  City of Los Angeles, Ad Hoc River Committee  City of Los Angeles Interdepartmental Task Force on the River  City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks staff  City of Burbank, Community Development Department Transportation Planning staff  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  Caltrans District 7  National Park Services – Trails and Conservation Assistance Office  Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority

Schedule: Three ‐ four weeks in advance of meetings, minimum

Outreach to Neighborhood Councils, Associations, and Community Based Organizations. Prior to community meetings, KPA will call and/or email selected neighborhood associations, chambers of commerce, and other community‐based organizations (CBOs) to notify them of the community meetings. It is assumed that we will communicate with 20 organizations via phone calls and emails. Prior to each community meeting, KPA will attend the regularly scheduled meetings of two selected community organizations and the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council to announce the meetings, describe project objectives and benefits, encourage participation, and distribute flyers. We will also obtain names of interested persons and contact information to add to the project database.

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KPA will also call and send email notices to inform organizations and individuals that are recommended by the stakeholders we interview. We will document the results of those phone calls.

Organizations that we will call and/or email include:  Glendale Homeowners Coordinating  Atwater Neighborhood Council Council  Los Feliz & Griffith Park Neighborhood  Pelanconi Homeowners Association Council  Glendale Rancho Homeowners  Griffith Park Advisory Board Association  Friends of the Los Angeles River  Glendale Chamber of Commerce  North East Trees  Mr. Hank Sheets  Sierra Club Conservation Committee  Mr. Mesihgi  Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition  Future Glendale BID Downtown  Los Angeles River Revitalization residents/developers (currently under Corporation construction)  Livable Streets  Downtown Merchants Association  North East Los Angeles River Front  Montrose Shopping Park Association Collaborative (BID)  Friends of Atwater Village  South Glendale Community Plan  Griffith Park Advisory Board representatives  Friends of Los Angeles River (FOLAR)  Walk Bike Glendale  Griffith Park Apartments  Disney  Council for Watershed Health (?)  ABC 7  National Park Service ‐ Trails &  Dream Works Conservation Assistance Office  Creative Campus  Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority  Parks and Open Space Foundation  Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce

Schedule: Three weeks before each community meetings

Public Information Counters. KPA will distribute 2000 hard copy meeting notices in color and twenty‐four 12”X 18” color posters prior to each community meeting at each of the following locations below.

Libraries and Community Centers/Parks:  Library Arts & Cultural  Glendale Central Library 6 of 8| Page

 Casa Verdugo Library  Grandview Library  Montrose Library  Brand Library and Art Center  Chevy Chase Library  Library Connection @ Adam Square  Pacific Park Library  Atwater Branch Library  Los Feliz Branch Library  Adult Recreation Center & Central Park  Brand Park  Civic Auditorium  Glendale Sports Complex  Mayor Bicentennial Park  Pacific Park and Community Center  Sparr Heights Community Center  Griffith Park Recreation Center  Griffith Park Adult Community Center  Glorietta Park – Tennis Center  Verdugo Park Stengel Field

Schedule: 2 to 3 weeks prior to the public meetings.

Project Database Development and Maintenance. The project database will be maintained throughout the life of the project and will consist of key stakeholders, constituencies, organizations and individuals. Names will be added from meeting sign‐in lists or individuals who have expressed an interest in being informed of the Project. We will include existing databases from the City (if possible). Names and email addresses will be included to facilitate low‐cost, environmentally sensitive electronic communications. KPA will send (by e‐blasts) meeting notices and other communications to all email addresses on the project database. It is our intent to send out meeting notices by email with at least three weeks advance notice followed by several email reminders.

Press Releases. KPA will produce press releases prior to each meeting. The City will review and upon approval, KPA will submit the releases to local media. A list of recommended publications will be submitted to the City for staff review and comment, or KPA will provide the release for staff submittal to media, as directed.

Schedule: Three (3) weeks in advance of each meeting.

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Community Meetings. In coordination with City staff and the technical team, KPA will organize three (3) community meetings for bridge concept reviews. Additional workshops or informal review meetings with specific stakeholder groups, public agencies or interested parties will be available using any Fee Allowance funds should City staff request assistance.

KPA will arrange the meetings with early input from the City’s Project Manager. Upon approval of meeting dates and locations by the City, KPA will facilitate meeting logistics including securing locations/room rental (if applicable); making arrangements for set‐up and breakdown, refreshments, and audio‐visual needs. The City Project Manager will approve the meeting logistics, meeting format, subject matter, and consultant team attendance and presentation materials prior to finalization of the meetings.

At each community meeting, KPA will produce sign‐in sheets, agendas, and comment cards. We will also provide light refreshments. We will provide 3‐4 staff members including at least two professional facilitators. We will assist as needed with set‐up, breakdown, and staff the sign‐in process. Staff will also be prepared to take photos to document the meeting. KPA will provide visually‐attractive, written meeting summaries incorporating photos of participants, project background, format, meeting displays, discussion, all questions/comments, and next steps. It is expected that meeting summaries will be placed online for public information purposes.

Schedule: Prior to each community meeting.

Final Summary Report of Community Meetings. KPA will produce a Final Outreach Summary Report prior to the City staff presentation of the preferred location and bridge type documenting all outreach activities undertaken, comments received, issues addressed and consensus (overwhelming support) expressed. Timing to be determined.

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