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Next Advisory Board Meeting now on January 20th 1024 1024 RPOSD

Next Advisory Board Meeting now on January 20th

The next Citizens Oversight Advisory Board meeting will take place on January 20, 2021 at 6:00 pm. This meeting will be hosted virtually and is open to the public per usual. Spanish translation will be provided at this meeting.

This has been rescheduled from the postponed January 6, 2021 date. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. Please continue to visit the Advisory Board page for the latest information.

The Advisory Board meets quarterly throughout the year and provides outside accountability for the use of Measure A funds, ensuring that expenditures are being allocated and expended only for purposes described in the Measure. Please go to the Advisory Board page to preview the agenda, submit public comments, and access the links and codes to attend the meeting.

Go to the Advisory Board's page

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Advisory Board Meeting on January 6th – POSTPONED 1024 1024 RPOSD

Advisory Board Meeting on January 6th – POSTPONED

IMPORTANT UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 5, 2012

The Advisory Board Meeting scheduled for tomorrow (January 6, 2021) has been postponed. A new date and time will be announced once we reschedule. We are sorry for any inconvenience his has caused. Please visit the Advisory Board page for the latest news and information.

ORIGINAL ANNOUNCEMENT DATED DECEMBER 29, 2020

The next Citizens Oversight Advisory Board meeting will take place online on January 6, 2021 at 6:00 pm. This meeting will be hosted virtually and is open to the public per usual. Spanish translation will be provided at this meeting.

The Advisory Board meets quarterly throughout the year and provides outside accountability for the use of Measure A funds, ensuring that expenditures are being allocated and expended only for purposes described in the Measure. Please go to the Advisory Board page to preview the agenda, submit public comments, and access the links and codes to attend the meeting.

Go to the Advisory Board's page

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Register to Attend LA Parks Portal Informational Session 1024 576 RPOSD

Register to Attend LA Parks Portal Informational Session

Mark your Calendars for next year! There will be an informational session to introduce the LA Parks Portal for new users on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 2:00 PM. It will be hosted virtually on Zoom and we expect it to last about an hour. To receive a link to the workshop, please register to attend on Eventbrite.

Register to Attend

Please note that only agencies that own or manage a park in Los Angeles County need to sign up for the LA Parks Portal. All park agencies must update their park inventory data annually as a requirement of eligibility to receive Measure A funds (See Section 1.3 of the Measure A Grants Administration Manual). Updates will need to include park names, park locations, park sizes, and quantity and condition of identified standard amenities within each park, as described in the Parks Needs Assessment.

Go to LA Parks Portal Page

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LA Parks Portal – Available Now! 1024 1024 RPOSD

LA Parks Portal – Available Now!
Agencies that own or manage a park in Los Angeles County must update their park inventory data annually as a requirement of eligibility to receive Measure A funds (See Section 1.3 of the Measure A Grants Administration Manual). Updates will include park names, park locations, park sizes, and quantity and condition of identified standard amenities within each park, as described in the Parks Needs Assessment.
The deadline for park agencies to complete inventory updates on the portal is

May 27, 2021 at 12:00pm (noon).

Verifying existing data and providing any necessary updates is required to remain in Good Standing with the Regional Park and Open Space District, so please follow the instructions below to sign up and access the portal:

  1. Go to laparksportal.org
  1. Click on the Log In link in the upper right of the page.
  1. Click Sign Up on the login screen.
    You can also navigate directly to laparksportal.org/signup/
  1. Next, select your agency from the dropdown and fill out the fields that appear on the next screen.
  1. An email will be sent on your behalf to review your request to sign up.
    Note: If you are the first person from your agency to sign up, an email will be sent to the managers of the website to approve your request and create your account. If you already have an Agency Manager at your organization, they will be notified and can review and approve your request.
  1. Upon approval, you’ll receive an email from info@laparksportal.org with your password, which you can also reset in your User Profile or by using the Forgot Password link on the login page.
Go to LA Parks Portal Page

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2019-2020 Competitive Grant Cycle Canceled due to Covid-19 560 315 RPOSD

2019-2020 Competitive Grant Cycle Canceled due to Covid-19

The Regional Park and Open Space District (RPOSD) released the 2019-2020 competitive grant application cycle for the Recreation Access and Youth and the Veterans Job Training and Placement Programs in late 2019. In the weeks following the February 25, 2020 close of the application process, the County of Los Angeles faced dramatic changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the current COVID-19 restrictions, the proposed programs are not feasible as submitted. Given the competitive nature of the application process, the guidelines for both grant programs prohibit material changes to scope and budget. Given the lack of feasibility, RPOSD is cancelling the application cycle for both programs and will not make funding awards.

RPOSD will announce a new application filing period for each program with updated program guidelines that will allow applicants to address COVID-19 restrictions in their applications.

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Technical Assistance Program Update 560 315 RPOSD

Technical Assistance Program Update

To best summarize our current progress in developing the Technical Assistance Program (TAP), we present the following timeline:

May - September 2019

TAP Grants awarded to 5 grantees using a non-competitive solicitation process:

Date of Award Recipient RPOSD Description
May 20, 2019 Community Nature Connection (CNC) Urban Parks TAP
June 4, 2019 Nature For All – Community Partners (NFA) Community Based Building and Leadership Development Program
July 16, 2019 GreenInfo Network (GIN) Ongoing Parks Data Portal
August 28, 2019 Regents of the University of California – Luskin Center for Innovation (UCLA) Park Narrative and Performance Metrics Measure A Urban Parks TAP
September 30, 2019 Council for Watershed Health (CWH) Enhanced Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services, Water Efficiency, Storm Water Management, and Climate Resiliency

January 13, 2020

RPOSD issued Stop Notices to the 5 TAP grantees, directing grantees to stop all work on TAP grants.

February 2020

Los Angeles County Auditor/Controller initiates review and audit of TAP process.  Auditor Controller’s review and audit are ongoing, however, it is anticipated that findings will include recommendations for best practices and corrective actions.

February 18, 2020

Christina Angeles is named Acting District Administrator.  She is the Principal County Counsel assigned to the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, and former counsel to RPOSD.

March 25, 2020

Termination Notices sent to 5 TAP grantees;

RPOSD requests all work product and deliverables created prior to issuance of Stop Notices be transmitted to RPOSD;

TAP grantees that received cash advances – Community Nature Connection, UCLA Luskin Center, Nature For All – are given 30 days to reimburse RPOSD.

Currently

RPOSD is reviewing all final invoices from 5 TAP grantees to determine allowable costs.

Following processing of final invoices, all TAP grants will be closed out.*

*Note, at the time of termination, GreenInfo Network had completed approximately 80% of a data portal.  Given the ongoing need for the data portal, RPOSD is exploring legally permissible options to contract for the completion of the portal.

Future Plans

RPOSD is reaching out to stakeholders who previously offered to share their expertise in the area of technical assistance.

To inform TAP development, RPOSD will survey identified Very High Need or High Need entities on their specific needs.

Possible Format

RPOSD is considering a Master Agreement format by which qualified consultants/entities that meet the specific requirements for a given technical assistance area would qualify for an agreement with RPOSD.

RPOSD would then match consultants/entities that qualify for a Master Agreement with Very High Need or High Need entities, depending on specific needs.

Target Date

Given COVID-19 related delays, RPOSD is targeting Fall 2020 for the rollout of TAP.

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Image of the 2019 annual report cover page.
District Annual Report Now Available 1024 1024 RPOSD

District Annual Report Now Available

On January 8, 2020, the first Citizens Oversight Advisory Board meeting was held and board members endorsed the 2019 Annual Report as well as the most recent Quarterly Status Report for publication.

Called for under Measure A, the 2019 Annual Report by Regional Park and Open Space District (District) can be accessed in “Reports” under the “Grants” menu tab. On the same “Reports” page, you can also find the current quarterly status report, listed under the “All Quarterly Status Reports” button.

Image of the 2019 annual report cover page.

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Image of Echo Park from the sky.
Annual Grants Management System Registration Renewal 968 726 RPOSD

Annual Grants Management System Registration Renewal

This is a friendly reminder that organizations have until January 30, 2020 to complete their Grants Management System (GMS) Registration Renewal. GMS Registration Renewal includes updating the following information depending on your agency type:

Public Agencies
• Upload of the most recent completed financial audit showing financial statements are accurate and complete. CAFR’s (Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports) are acceptable.
• Upload of Report Intent to Apply for Annual Allocations. Intent to use or accrue. Spending Timeline is required.
• Updating Neighborhood Parks Needs Assessment Inventory Data will not be required at this time. The update period will be announced by the District at a later date.

Image of Echo Park from the sky.

Nonprofit Organizations
• Upload of the most recent completed financial audit showing financial statements are accurate and complete.
• Upload Proof of Good Tax Standing. Copy of latest IRS Form 990.

Schools
• Upload of the most recent completed financial audit showing financial statements are accurate and complete.

Link to GMS

Registration Renewal Help Guide

Failure to update this information will cause an organization to be out of Good Standing. Organizations out of Good Standing are not eligible to apply for Measure A grants, which include the Recreation and Access and the Youth and Veterans Competitive Grant Programs. In addition, organizations out of Good Standing are unable to take action on open and active grants, such as submitting payment requests.

If you have any questions, please contact your Grants Officer or the District’s main line at (626)588-5060.

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Icon of a hammer
Measure A Maintenance & Servicing (M&S) Funds for Nonprofit Organizations Now Available! 514 511 RPOSD

Measure A Maintenance & Servicing (M&S) Funds for Nonprofit Organizations Now Available!

Applications for the Measure A Maintenance & Servicing (M&S) Funds for Nonprofit Organization  are now available in the Grants Management System (GMS)!

The program will have a pool of approximately $1.9 million in funding available to be shared among all eligible applications. The program runs on a 3-year cycle with Fiscal Years 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 available this round. Measure A M&S Funds are available to eligible non profit organizations for maintenance and servicing of parklands acquired, improved or developed from projects that received grant funding from RPOSD’s Measure A and/or Proposition A programs. The complete guidelines for this program can be found on page 2-67 of the Grants Administration Manual.

For the 3-year cycle, Fiscal Years 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022, maintenance and servicing expenses incurred on or after July 1, 2019 are eligible for reimbursement. Maintenance & Servicing submissions are a multiple step process through the online Grants Management System. 

Note: Fiscal year starts on July 1st and ends on June 30th.

Steps to Apply

Step 1: Register in the online Grants Management System (GMS). Applicants must be registered by Friday, November 22, 2019 to participate in this program. If your agency is already registered, please move to Step Two.

Step 2: Submit a M&S Budget Application between Wednesday, November 6, 2019 to Friday, December 5, 2019 by 5:00p.m. Budget review, approvals, and award will take two weeks. (December 9, 2019 to December 19, 2019)

Step 3: Submit a Claim, for fiscal year 2019-20 expenses only, beginning Monday, December 23, 2019. Claim periods for additional years to be announced.

Submission Deadlines:

  • Measure A Maintenance & Servicing Funds Budget Application Submissions Deadline: Thursday, December 5, 2019 by 5:00 p.m.
  • Measure A maintenance & Servicing Funds Claim Submissions: Beginning on Monday, December 23, 2019. 

 

M&S Budget Application received after the deadline will not be considered. Therefore, it will be to the organizations benefit to submit all M&S documentation as soon as possible, before the submission deadlines. If the total amount of approved budget applications exceeds the total funds available, a prorated portion may be approved for each eligible budget application.

RPOSD looks forward to reviewing the submitted applications for the Measure A M&S Funds for Nonprofit Organization Program. If you have any questions, please call (626) 588-5060 to be routed to a Grants Officer for assistance.

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Picture of LA State Historic Park
Consumer Price Index Update Policy 1024 683 RPOSD

Consumer Price Index Update Policy

This is a friendly reminder that organizations have until January 30, 2020 to complete their Grants Management System (GMS) Registration Renewal. GMS Registration Renewal includes updating the following information depending on your agency type:

Public Agencies
• Upload of the most recent completed financial audit showing financial statements are accurate and complete. CAFR’s (Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports) are acceptable.
• Upload of Report Intent to Apply for Annual Allocations. Intent to use or accrue. Spending Timeline is required.
• Updating Neighborhood Parks Needs Assessment Inventory Data will not be required at this time. The update period will be announced by the District at a later date.

Picture of LA State Historic Park

Nonprofit Organizations
• Upload of the most recent completed financial audit showing financial statements are accurate and complete.
• Upload Proof of Good Tax Standing. Copy of latest IRS Form 990.

Schools
• Upload of the most recent completed financial audit showing financial statements are accurate and complete.

Link to GMS

Registration Renewal Help Guide

Failure to update this information will cause an organization to be out of Good Standing. Organizations out of Good Standing are not eligible to apply for Measure A grants, which include the Recreation and Access and the Youth and Veterans Competitive Grant Programs. In addition, organizations out of Good Standing are unable to take action on open and active grants, such as submitting payment requests.

If you have any questions, please contact your Grants Officer or the District’s main line at (626)588-5060.

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