For City Council Meeting [ September 27, 2022]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Administrator
FROM: Cynthia Alvarado-Crawford, Director of Parks, Recreation & Community
Services
Title
Request City Council set a Public Hearing for November 15, 2022, to approve the Naming of a Meeting Room in the Frances E. Brooks Conference Center located at the Johnson Community Center “Barbara Chavez Meeting Room”.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On January 27, 2012, the City Council approved the policy for naming parks and other City
facilities. The procedure for the naming of city parks and facilities includes the following:
• The Recreation and Community Services Department (Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department) will submit a staff report to City Council requesting to set a public hearing to consider the recommendation. Citizens will have the opportunity to comment on the recommendation directly to the City Council via the Public Hearing.
• The City Council will make the final determination in the naming of all City parks and facilities.
Naming of City parks and facilities are subject to the following criteria:
• A park can be named after an individual whether living or deceased.
• A facility can be named after an individual or organization.
• No more than one park or facility can be named after an individual or organization.
• To have a park or facility named after any individual or organization, that individual or organization must have completed a minimum of 20 years of service to the community or have donated a minimum of 50% of the value of the park or facility.
At the September 13, 2022, City Council meeting, Councilmember Trujillo and Councilman Carrizales requested that this item be brought before council for consideration to begin the process of naming a meeting room in the France E. Brooks Conference Center after Barbara Chavez.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Barbara Lourdes Chavez was born on May 11, 1952 at Holy Cross Hospital in Los Angeles, California. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she attended Roosevelt High School where she participated in her earliest activism with her work in supporting Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers and the East LA Walkouts.
Although active in the Catholic Church at a young age, it wasn't until the family moved to Fontana in 1987, where she found her second home at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Here she would devote her life in teaching, studying, organizing and later, evangelizing in serving the Lord.
Barbara's career in education began as an Instructional Aide in Los Angeles Unified. Upon relocation she worked for San Bernardino County preschools. However, it was at the Fontana Unified School District, where she continued her fight for justice and equity in education for staff, students and their families. She worked in various fields with the Fontana Unified School District, always as an advocate for putting students first. She was the first Latina President of the United Steelworkers Local 8599, where she served from 2003 to 2006. She was a labor advocate for more than 25 years. Eventually, she expanded her reach and became involved as a regional delegate for California, while also serving in various positions for the Fontana and Rialto Democratic clubs and the Hispanic Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce.
Barbara Chavez began volunteering with the City of Rialto in 2018, when she was appointed to the Planning Commission. Because of her great interest in the City of Rialto’s economic development, she was recently selected as Vice Chairman. She participated in many decisions on development projects focusing her attention on the residents’ needs and concerns. .
Her passion for education and student's success encouraged her to run as a Fontana Unified School District School Board. She served in this elected position from 2009-2016. Barbara was instrumental in opening the first Dual Language Immersion Spanish Program, Dolores Huerta International Academy in Fontana, among many accomplishments for the District and its schools. On A few days before the horrific automobile accident on August 21st that would take her life, Barbara attended the ground breaking of the Rialto Village Marketplace a project that she assisted in vetting along with the planning commission and she had just graduated from CERS (Community of Evangelization for Reconciliation and Service). Barbara was a great community, leader, mother, grandmother, friend, and a giving spirit who always cared for others.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
The requested action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a Project means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
Guiding principle: Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed and approved this staff report and Memorandum of Understanding.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact
There is no fiscal impact due to the name change.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
There is no Capital Improvement Impact.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council set a Public Hearing for November 15, 2022, to consider naming a meeting room in the Frances E. Brooks Conference Center “Barbara Chavez Meeting Room”.