Title:
Title
Family Unity, Education, and Legal (FUEL) Network for Immigrants Report to City Council [Oral Report]
End
FileID
File ID: 2018-01707
Location
Location: Citywide
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Receive and file.
Contact: Christopher Conlin, Interim Assistant City Manager, 916-808-8526, Office of the City Manager
Body
Presenter: Marcus Tang, Citizenship and Immigration Project Director, (916) 446-7901, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-FUEL Contract C2017-1329
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: Sacramento immigrants comprise over twenty percent of our residents. Our community has benefited from being one of the most integrated and diverse cities in the United States. Sacramento has a strong history of reaching out and welcoming people of diverse backgrounds and immigration status. In 1985, the City Council (Council) adopted Resolution 85-973 which recognized the dignity and human rights of individuals fleeing Guatemala and El Salvador and declaring Sacramento a “sanctuary city [that] shall serve as a haven for refugees now residing in the City of Sacramento until they can safely return to their homeland or until they receive federally recognized residency status.”
On May 4, 2017 the Council reaffirmed the City of Sacramento’s status as a City of Sanctuary. In a related action, the Council established a onetime grant for the Sacramento FUEL Network. With the City’s financial, institutional, and leadership support over the past year, the FUEL Network has grown into a robust collaborative of over fifty Sacramento community-based organizations, legal services providers, volunteer attorney groups, labor unions, faith-based groups, and educational institutions that are all actively working to provide critical services to immigrant communities. California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLA Foundation) was appointed by the City as the fiscal lead organization for the FUEL Network. This Network includes Sacramento-area organizations and institutions such as the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Center for African Peace and Conflict Resolution, the Center for Workers’ Rights, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Cruz Reynoso Bar Association, La Familia Counseling Center, the Mexican Consulate, the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law Immigration Clinic, Sacramento Area Congregations Together, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, the Sacramento Immigration Coalition, the UC Davis Immigration Clinic, the Sacramento Immigration Coalition, and many others.
The primary goal of the FUEL Network is to help Sacramento residents prevent, prepare for, or defend against the possibility of deportation through the provision of completely free education and outreach, resources, and legal services. The FUEL Network accomplishes this goal by: 1) offering “Know Your Rights” presentations and family preparedness emergency assistance to Sacramento immigrant families; 2) expanding the capacity and expertise of local organizations and school districts to provide these services; and 3) providing limited-scope legal assistance and full-scope legal representation to individuals in their immigration legal matters.
Policy Considerations: Council passed Resolution No. 2017-0159 authorizing the appropriation of up to $300,000 from the available fund balance in the General Fund in FY2017/18 for a grant to the Sacramento FUEL Network to provide urgent legal and support services to Sacramento families facing the immediate threat of separation due to deportation, and authorizing the City Manager or City Manager’s designee to negotiate and execute a contract for said grant. The subsequent Grant Funding Agreement 2017-1329 stipulated a scope of work and a requirement for FUEL to provide regular Progress Reports regarding their performance and compliance under this Agreement.
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Environmental Considerations: Not applicable.
Sustainability: There are no sustainability considerations associated with this report.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: Not applicable.
Financial Considerations: All funding for the FUEL Network came from the FY2017/18 Approved Budget and has been expended as of this report date.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.