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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Update on the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities’ Needs Assessment; (2) If Desired, Creation of a Related City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee and Appointment of Two Council Members; and (3) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: March 10, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Francisca Castillo, Recreation and Community Services Manager/ PRCS Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6645
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (03/06/2025)
Department Approval: Ted Stevens, PRCS Director (02/17/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) receive an update on the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities’ Needs Assessment; (2) if desired, create a related City Council subcommittee and appoint two Council Members thereto; and (3) provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities supports the work of local, regional and state governments as they prepare for the nation’s changing demographics. Established in 2012, the network includes towns, cities, counties and states that have made a commitment to being more livable for people of all ages, and especially older adults. The program’s framework equips local leaders and residents with resources for assessing the needs of older adults related to housing and transportation options, access to key services, and opportunities to participate in community activities. Once identified, those needs can be incorporated into an action plan.
As a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, the City of Culver City has made an ongoing commitment to be more livable for people of all ages and abilities. The arriving force behind this commitment has been the Age-Friendly Action Plan Initiative, which began in 2019. Nancy Frank, Age-Friendly Consultant, was hired to work alongside staff to support the City’s efforts in developing and implementing an action plan, as well as analyzing the community’s needs. She is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working in program and system design and redesign, from strategic planning to program development, to policy and program evaluation. Nancy is known in the industry for supporting effective strategies in planning and evaluation for community change.
As part of the initiative, the City conducted two community listening sessions and a community-wide survey in 2019, using the results to help form the development of the action plan. Individuals who participated in the survey were over the age of 50 and/or disabled (at any age). With AARP’s guidance, the City designed the survey to focus on interest areas and sent it to the community in a variety of ways over the course of approximately two months. Surveys were completed by 447 individuals. Seventeen people attended the community sessions and offered valuable input.
On Monday, October 14, 2019, during a regular meeting of the City Council, the City’s consultant, Nancy Frank presented the results of the first survey. Several key findings are listed below:
• 81% of survey respondents report that Culver City is an excellent or good place to age.
• 44% of survey respondents report household incomes of less than $50,000 year.
• Just 57% of survey respondents feel prepared for a community-wide emergency, such as an earthquake or fire.
In addition, the City Council formed a City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee comprised of former Council Members Meghan Sahli-Wells and Alex Fisch to help guide the action planning process.
Following its October 14, 2019, meeting, the City Council directed staff to share findings with the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) for discussion and consideration in the General Plan Update. The City Council also directed it be shared with the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Commission to identify actionable items for the City Council’s consideration. Ideas were presented at the PRCS Commission meeting on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the development of the needs assessment, action plan, and the implementation phase was postponed. It was relaunched in 2024, starting with the needs assessment. The goal of the needs assessment is to collect relevant data and research which will guide the development of the action plan. The purpose of the needs assessment is to identify the community’s needs with regards to the eight domains of livability:
• Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
• Transportation
• Housing
• Social Participation
• Respect and Social Inclusion
• Civic Participation and Employment
• Communication and Information
• Community Support and Health Services
To ensure that the survey results from 2019 were still relevant, Nancy Frank and City staff convened six community meetings at various PRCS facilities outlined below:
• Community Meeting # 1: Thursday, June 27, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Blanco Park.
• Community Meeting # 2: Thursday, June 27, 2024 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM at Syd Kronenthal Park.
• Community Meeting # 3: Friday, June 28, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Culver West Alexander Park.
• Community Virtual Meeting # 4: Wednesday, July 10, 2024 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM via Zoom.
• Community Provider Groups Virtual Meeting # 5: Thursday, July 11, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM.
• Community Provider Groups Virtual Meeting # 6: Thursday, July 11, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
Nancy Frank facilitated the community meetings. In addition, she met individually with 23 City staff members from various City departments to gather information and feedback on how the City is preparing for the aging population. Afterwards, she compiled a needs assessment report which included the data collected from the community meetings, listening sessions, and staff interviews.
The needs assessment report will help create a five-year action plan that will organize and prioritize the City’s work towards becoming a more livable city.
As a next step, staff is recommending the City Council form an Ad Hoc Age-Friendly States and Communities’ Action Plan Subcommittee for the purpose of meeting with staff to provide support and input throughout the various stages of the planning process and provide recommendations to the City Council for the action plan’s implementation.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The initial fiscal impact to create the Age-Friendly States and Communities Action Plan would be isolated to personnel costs.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-03-10 - ATT 1 Age Friendly Needs Assessment Report
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Receive an update on the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities’ Needs Assessment;
2. If desired, create a related City Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee and appoint two Council Members thereto; and
3. Provide additional direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.