Pomona Municipal Code Art. I Pomona Fund for Children and Youth

Beginning January 1, 2025, there is hereby established in the treasury of the City of Pomona (the "city") a special fund to expand children's services in the city, which shall be called the Pomona Fund for Children and Youth (the "Children and Youth Fund"). The children and youth fund shall be maintained separate and apart from all other city funds and shall be appropriated annually at the time of the city's budget adoption, and by supplemental appropriation, when necessary as determined by the city council.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

The city shall set aside a minimum of ten percent of the annual actual revenues generated and received by the city from Bradley-Burns Uniform Local Sales and Use Taxes, pursuant to article II, chapter 50 (sections 50-31 through 50-44) of the Pomona Municipal Code, to be transferred to the children and youth fund, for the express purpose of establishing and supporting the infrastructure of the children and youth fund and the department of children and youth, as described in section 3-6, including the development of the strategic investment plan, as described in section 3-9. This set aside shall not include a percentage of any revenues generated and received by the city from local transactions and use taxes, pursuant to article VII, chapter 50 (sections 50-601 through 50-653) of the Pomona Municipal Code, or from any future transactions and use taxes that are enacted in the city.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

The goals of expenditures from the children and youth fund seek:

(1) To ensure that Pomona's children, youth and young adults are physically, emotionally, mentally and socially healthy, educated, successful in school, and live in stable, safe and supported families and communities;

(2) To increase safety for children, youth, young adults, their parents/guardians, families and the communities in which they live by preventing problems and enhancing the strengths of children, youth, young adults and their families using harm reduction strategies that reflect specific individual and community needs, community care models, and alternatives to policing;

(3) To ensure young people, and especially Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and youth of color, queer, transgender, and non-binary youth, and youth with physical, mental, intellectual and/or sensory disabilities are provided with gender responsive, trauma-informed, population-specific and culturally-competent services;

(4) To strengthen collaboration among public agencies and community-based organizations around shared outcomes among all service providers for children, youth, young adults and their parents/guardians;

(5) To ensure an equitable distribution and direct community investment of resources to all of Pomona's young people in recognition of the importance of investment in their futures from birth through young adulthood;

(6) To fill gaps in services and leverage other resources whenever feasible.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

(a) The city shall use monies from the children and youth fund for no cost or low cost services provided to children and youth from birth to 18 years old and their caregivers, and, as defined in section 3-4(b), disconnected transitional-aged youth from ages 18 to 24 years and, when relevant, their caregivers, or as part of programs that predominantly serve children, youth and disconnected transitional-aged young adults within those ages and their caregivers, including:

(1) Violence prevention and response. Including restorative and transformative justice; programs that support positive communication and relationships between young people and within families; programs that train young people, adult allies and parents/guardians in de-escalation; programs that address domestic and sexual violence, including child abuse prevention; emergency relocation; programs that address homophobia, transphobia, bullying, and xenophobia.

(2) Alternatives to incarceration. Including pre-arrest diversion, prevention, and re-entry programs for transitional aged youth and family members that live in a home with an eligible youth, substance use disorder services; and preventing and responding to police violence against children, youth, young adults and their caregivers.

(3) Education, job training, and jobs. Including programs that help youth stay in school; promote academic success and college and career readiness; language services; support parents/guardians in advocating for their young people's education; assist in developing life skills and gaining work experience; provide job fairs and job training, placement, expungement services, youth employment, and youth employment know your rights workshops and job opportunities.

(4) Parent/guardian support. Including domestic violence services and co-responder models, support services for single parent/guardian led households, family strengthening programs, fostering positive child-adult and youth-adult relationships that support young people's safety, self-esteem, well-being and positive futures; childcare and family support services.

(5) Media, arts, culture and technology. including artistic and cultural expression and education, job and life skills development, and after school arts programs.

(6) Youth and family leadership, organizing and civic engagement. Including community organizing and support that amplify the voices and engagement of children, youth and family in how Pomona prioritizes its resources; builds youth civic engagement and leadership.

(7) Health and well-being. including physical, mental, emotional, behavioral and social health services that support health and well-being for people with disabilities and non-disabled people, reduce drug-related harm, violence and self-harm, and sexual violence and/or abuse; food security programs.

(8) Environmental health and justice. including programs that improve the environmental health of children and youth and their right to live free of pollution, toxins and lead, and increase access to healthy food, safe and accessible outdoor and recreational spaces and other places to be physically active, with a special focus on the Pomona Industrial Zone.

(9) Outdoor education and recreation. including sports, recreation centers, play, camps, gardening and urban agriculture; including no cost recreation programs.

(10) Deportation and immigrant support. support for young people and their families experiencing or being threatened with deportation; legal services, and empower immigrant community members through economic, political, and social development and sustainability.

(11) Housing support. Support for young people and their families experiencing or being threatened with eviction or housing insecurities; provide direct housing assistance in collaboration with the Pomona Housing Authority and relevant Pomona unhoused people programs and Pomona Housing Services for youth and disconnected transitional-aged youth; which could include developing and maintaining at least one unhoused youth shelter within the city.

(b) The children and youth fund will prioritize three groups of young people living in Pomona: children ages zero to 12; youth ages 13 to 17; and disconnected transitional-aged youth ages 18 to 24, who are most impacted by harm, inequity and lack of access to support and services. The priority populations include, but are not limited to: Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and youth of color, system-impacted young people; young people who have been pushed out of school; young people who themselves or whose families are unhoused or threatened by houselessness; young people living in poverty; immigrant and undocumented children, youth and families; LGBTQIA+ youth and families; teen parents and families, including single parents/guardians, especially single mothers; young people with poor physical, mental, emotional and behavioral health outcomes and disabilities; and families with children and youth who are impacted by the criminal justice system and/or who have family members who are incarcerated; and/or are involved in or transitioning from the foster care, juvenile justice, criminal justice or special education systems.

(c) Entities eligible to receive funding shall be public agencies and non-profit community-based organizations, including organizations with a non-profit fiscal agent, that serve children, youth and disconnected transitional-aged young adults. In any fiscal year, public agencies shall not receive, in total, more than 20 percent of the funding awarded to applicants.

(d) Each fiscal year, a portion of the children and youth fund may be used for costs related to administering the fund, including staff support, basic infrastructure, administrative support for the agencies administering the contracts, and overhead costs. An additional portion of the fund may also be used to evaluate the results of how the fund is used.

(e) Entities eligible to receive funding include those (1) located outside but in close proximity to Pomona to the extent that those entities serve children, youth and disconnected transitional-aged young adults who reside in Pomona, and (2) located in Pomona that serve children, youth and disconnected transitional-aged young adults in Pomona, regardless of the residence of the children or youth.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

The children and youth fund shall not fund the following services or types of expenditures:

(1) Services are not to be used by the carceral system, including, but not limited to, the following non-exhaustive list of agencies: the Pomona Police Department, or other law enforcement agencies, courts, the district attorney, public defender, city attorney; or the fire department; private and/or public detention or probation services mandated by state or federal law;

(2) Any service that primarily benefits adults over 24 years;

(3) Any service for which a fixed or minimum level of expenditure is mandated by state or federal law, to the extent of the fixed or minimum level of expenditure;

(4) Income supports that supplant state or federal benefits or post-secondary tuition assistance;

(5) Administration of other funds.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

The City shall establish a department of children and youth (DCY). The office shall operate under the city manager. The accountability board for the children and youth fund, described in section 3-8, shall oversee, monitor, and advise the department. The department shall be staffed by a department director who is hired and evaluated by the city, and who is an employee of the city. Other staff shall be hired by the department director as needed to perform the functions of the department. The office shall be entirely funded through the children and youth fund.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

(a) Administer the children and youth fund. The primary function of the department shall be to oversee the implementation of the children and youth fund and ensure that the children and youth fund meets the goals and requirements outlined in this article.

(b) In addition to overseeing and administering the children and youth fund, the department shall provide leadership to the city on matters related to the health and well-being of children and youth and shall ensure that children and youth remain a priority for the city, by:

(1) Monitoring the health, safety and access to equal opportunity of the children and youth of Pomona and reporting findings to the public and civic leaders.

(2) Promoting collaboration among public and private city agencies, including schools, to improve outcomes and ensure equity for children and youth.

(3) Raising and leveraging public and private resources for services and opportunities for Pomona's children and youth.

(4) Promoting youth voices in Pomona's civic life, including providing support to the Pomona Youth Commission.

(5) Recommending and advocating policies that will promote equity and the well-being of children and youth.

(6) A youth and family impact section shall be incorporated as part of every city council agenda to ensure elected officials take into account the potential impact of agenda items on the overall health and well-being of Pomona youth and families.

(c) In furtherance of the objectives established in section (b), the department of children and youth shall annually place an item on the accountability board agenda to review and provide input on a minimum of $6,000,000.00 of the city's direct youth programming expenditures. This agenda item will include participation from city staff representing operating departments that provide direct programming for children and youth, as outlined within the city's annual operating budget. Department representatives will present their proposed youth expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year and solicit input from the accountability board and the community. This input will be incorporated into the annual city budget study session presentation for consideration by the city council. The city council will have the discretion to recommend changes to be included in the final adopted budget.

(1) This shall not replace, limit, or otherwise modify any advisory, public hearing, or budget review processes required by federal, state, local, or grant-specific law for other funding sources, including, but not limited to, special revenue funds, restricted funds, enterprise funds, or externally funded grant programs.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

The children and youth fund shall be administered by staff in a city department of children and youth, as described in sections 3-6 and 3-7, within the city manager's office. Oversight of the children and youth fund shall be provided by a 15-member Pomona Fund for Children and Youth Accountability Board (the "Accountability Board") that shall be composed as follows:

(1) Each member of the Pomona City Council shall appoint one city resident who is over 24 years of age as a member and one city resident between 15 to 24 years of age as a member. The mayor shall appoint one additional city resident between 15 to 24 years of age as member.

(2) The mayor and city council members shall coordinate their appointments within their respective districts so that the members of the accountability board be reflective of Pomona's diverse communities, including, but not limited to, low-income youth of color, LGBTQIA+ youth and systems impacted youth.

(3) The accountability board shall have the following responsibilities, powers, and functions:

a. The role of the accountability board will be to provide input on written policies regarding the children and youth fund, monitor the children and youth fund, ensure that the children and youth fund is managed in a manner accountable to the community, and ensure the highest standards of care and transparency.

b. Responsibilities of the accountability board shall be:

1. Strategic planning: (a) providing input on an initial strategic investment plan as described under section 3-9, and (b) providing input on updating the strategic investment plan every three years.

2. Reviewing applications for funding from the children and youth fund through a transparent and fair application process, as developed and implemented by the department director and accountability board.

3. Recommending to the city council a list of grants to be awarded for each funding cycle.

4. Facilitating an annual evaluation: working with the department director and a third-party, external independent evaluator to identify relevant evaluation measures and ensure that programs funded through the children and youth fund are impactful and meet established outcomes. Evaluation reports shall be provided to the city council and the mayor's office and made available to the public.

5. Reviewing financial reports and audits to confirm that spending from the children and youth fund is consistent with all provisions of this article, and that the funds are being managed responsibly.

c. The accountability board shall adopt rules and regulations to govern its procedures, which shall, among other things, include the manner of calling and giving notices of meetings. The accountability board shall meet a minimum of six times per year. Its meetings shall be open to the public and subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act open meetings law. A majority of the regular members shall constitute a quorum. Minutes of the meetings shall be filed with the city clerk.

d. The accountability board shall be responsible for reporting to the public the services and outcomes supported by the children and youth fund.

(4) The accountability board members serve two-year terms, provided that members under age 24 may serve a one-year term. There shall be no limitation on the number of consecutive terms served. The terms of the initial appointees to the accountability board shall commence on the date of the first meeting of the accountability board, which may occur when at least ten members have been appointed and are present.

(5) If a vacancy occurs during the term of office of any accountability board member, the appointing authority shall appoint a successor to complete the unexpired term in the same manner as the selection of the initial member.

(6) In order to provide for staggered terms, eight members shall be chosen by lot, from among those able to serve for two years, to serve for an initial term of two years, with the remaining members to serve for an initial term of one year. Except for appointments to fill a vacancy, all subsequent appointments shall be for a term of two years, provided that members under age 24 may serve a one year term.

(7) Accountability board members shall not be a paid employee of an organization funded from the children and youth fund or applying for funding from the children and youth fund.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

The city may establish a strategic investment plan setting forth funding priorities for a three-year period, and may set forth a plan for overseeing and evaluating the children and youth fund and the programs supported by the children and youth fund. The department of children and youth shall work with the accountability board to complete the strategic investment plan and conduct a community needs assessment.

(1) During every third fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2026-2027, the department of children and youth (DCY) shall conduct a community needs assessment (CNA) to identify services to receive monies from the children and youth fund. The CNA should include qualitative and quantitative data sets collected through interviews, focus groups, surveys, or other outreach mechanisms to determine service gaps in programming for children, youth, and families. Subject to the budgetary and fiscal provisions of the charter, the DCY may contract with consultants and outside experts for such services as the department may require to prepare the CNA. The DCY shall undertake a robust community process in every council district, soliciting input from a diverse cross-section of parents, youth, non-profit organizations, and other key stakeholders to develop the CNA.

a. The CNA shall include an equity analysis of services and resources for parents, children, and youth. The DCY shall develop a set of equity metrics to be used to establish a baseline of existing services and resources in low-income neighborhoods and disadvantaged communities, compared to services and resources available in the city as a whole. The outreach for the CNA shall create opportunities for parents, youth, nonprofit agencies, and other members of the public to provide input. The DCY shall provide its plan for conducting the CNA to the accountability board. The plan shall be a public document.

b. The DCY shall complete a draft CNA and provide this draft to the accountability board for review.

c. The DCY shall submit a final version of the CNA to the accountability board. The final version may incorporate any comments or suggestions made by the public or by the agencies that received copies of the draft CNA.

d. The accountability board shall provide input on, approve or disapprove the CNA. If the accountability board disapproves the report, DCY may modify and resubmit the report.

(2) The community needs assessment shall consist of a public hearing and involve community-based organizations and community members to gather input on the service needs of various populations and review funding priorities.

(3) Each new funding cycle (every three years), and beginning with fiscal year 2026-2027, the CNA shall be followed by a budgeting process. This process shall include a series of budget meetings to provide the opportunity for community members, experts, and volunteers to collectively brainstorm funding ideas and develop project proposals for the three-year funding period. A diligent community outreach shall be executed to ensure community members, experts, and volunteers accurately represent the city's demographic. After four weeks of collaboration, volunteers shall share the top projects/funding priorities at two final community hearings, one in-person and one virtual hearing, where the community shall vote on their preferred proposal that will be recommended to the department of children and youth and the accountability board. Both the in-person and virtual community hearings must have translation available and release the hearing agenda 72 hours in advance. The virtual community hearing must have an option to submit electronic votes for the community to share their preferred proposal. This process shall repeat for the next funding cycle.

(4) The funding priorities in the strategic investment plan shall be based on the community needs assessment and take into consideration the project/projects with the most votes from the final community hearing.

(5) The initial strategic investment plan shall be approved by a majority of the accountability board and presented to the city council for its review and approval.

(6) Any change in an approved strategic investment plan shall be based on the community needs assessment and input from the community.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

In order to ensure a stable, fair and effective service delivery system, the children and youth fund shall be implemented as follows:

(1) There shall be three-year planning and funding cycles, with funding beginning in the 2026-27 fiscal year.

(2) Funds shall be allocated through an open and fair application process administered by the department of children and youth in the city manager's office in compliance with the applicable policies.

(3) Recommendations for a list of grants to be awarded shall be made by the accountability board to the city council. The city council shall review and consider the recommendations of the accountability board. The city council may reject the recommendations only if it determines that one or more recommendations are inconsistent with this article or the priorities identified in the strategic investment plan. The city council shall accept or reject the accountability board's recommendations in their entirety and may not partially accept or partially reject the recommendations.

(4) In the event the city council rejects the list of grants proposed by the accountability board, it shall set forth its rationale for such rejection and recommend revisions to the accountability board for its consideration and action.

(5) The city council shall review and consider the amended recommendations of the accountability board, provide final approval of the list of grants to be awarded, and appropriate all necessary monies from the children and youth fund. All grants and appropriations shall be consistent with the provisions of this article and the strategic investment plan. Any recommendations that have been denied can be amended and brought back to the city council for a second and final review.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)

Sections 3-1 through 3-5 of this article may not be amended except by majority approval of Pomona voters voting at a duly called regular or special municipal election. The city council may, by duly enacted council ordinance, amend any other section of this article.

(Ord. No. 4371, § 2, 6-2-2026)