City Council to Vote on Contract Amendment Consulting on Homeless Count

The City Council will vote on a proposal to amend a contract with Daniel Davidson for homeless count consulting services to $79,680.

On October 1, 2021, as the result of a Request for Proposals, the City entered into a $30,000 with Dan Davidson to manage the planning and coordination of volunteers for the unsheltered and supplementary youth counts for the 2022-2024 Point-in-Time Homeless Counts. 

This initial contract did not undergo Council approval proceedings as it fell below the established expenditure threshold of $75,000. 

Costs during the first two years of the contract exceeded initial projections due to increases in staffing and supply costs, primarily related to inflation. 

Additionally, the City initially purchased some of the materials for hygiene’ kits distributed during the count but has shifted the procurement of these supplies to be wholly completed by the contracted consultant. 

The Department is seeking Council authorization to amend the contract with an additional $16,560 of California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) grant funds to sustain the provision of consulting services for the 2024 Point-in-Time Homeless Count. 

The Department is also seeking authorization to amend the department further two additional times, each with an additional $16,560 of CESH grant funding for new not-to-exceed totals of $63,120 and $79,680 and to extend the term through June 30, 2025 and June 30, 2026 for consulting services for the 2025 and 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count. 

Here are the other items on Monday’s consent calendar. The items can be approved with a sweep motion or set aside for additional discussion and a vote.

• Two contracts with Smartrise Elevator Service Inc. for $2.1 million for elevator modernization in six city-owned garages. In 2020 the Department of Transportation utilized the engineering firm of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (WJE) to complete, an assessment of the physical condition of all nine City-owned or operated parking structures and develop a ten-year maintenance plan to address their findings. Due to the wide variety of items identified, as well as the timeline for the repairs to be completed, the findings were converted into a Capital Improvement Project. The maintenance plan called for a number of repairs, including the modernization of garage elevators at the Paseo Subterranean, Marengo, Los Robles, Schoolhouse,  Delacey, and Marriott garages, which were identified as being the most urgent. The expected life span of an elevator is 20 years and our oldest elevator is 53 years old, therefore, each elevator will require extensive work to modernize. In addition, there is a scarcity of parts to repair the elevators as many of the parts are obsolete or extremely difficult to find, resulting in long elevator outages while parts are sourced. 

• A $219,468 contract with Argo Chemical Inc. to furnish and deliver Ammonium Hydroxide for the Glenarm Power Plant. The City of Pasadena’s (“City”) Plant includes five natural-gas fueled combustion turbines (GT1, GT2, GT3, GT4 and GT5) equipped with generators that produce electrical power. Ammonium hydroxide (aqueous ammonia) is a chemical product used in the air pollution control equipment at the Plant to meet the air quality standards set by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (“SCAQMD”). Ammonium hydroxide is mixed with exhaust gas and creates a chemical reaction that reduces the amount of air pollutant leaving the exhaust stack. It is essential to have a steady supply of ammonium hydroxide during the regular operation of power generating units in order to ensure compliance with SCAQMD air quality regulations. The availability of the generating units is essential to maintaining the reliability of the City’s electrical system during the normal course of business and especially during California Independent Service Operator’s (“CAISO”) requirements for resource adequacy. Not having a ready supply of ammonium hydroxide would result in having to place the units in an extended outage. The result would impact the reliability of the electrical system and would impact the City’s revenue. 

• A professional services contract, and to execute all related documents and amendments, with American Global Security, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $237,500 until Oct. 30. In preparation to purchase and sell 17 Caltrans properties, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for security guard services for the City’s holding period. The RFP was open from July 10 to August 1. Notification of the RFP was initially sent to 2,732 vendors.

• The City Council held over a $262,500 contract for property inspection services with Scotland Yard Home Inspection of Caltrans properties until Oct. 30.  In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the California Department of Transportation (“CalTrans”) acquired four hundred sixty (460) properties in Pasadena, South Pasadena, and El Sereno for the construction of its SR-710 North Project, which would have connected the northern stub of the SR-710 with the 210 Freeway. The SR-710 · North project was officially terminated with CalTrans’ 2018 certification of the final environmental impact report on the freeway and subsequent legislation in 2019. The Roberti Act (Senate Bill 86) was enacted in 1979 for the purpose of preserving, maintaining, and expanding the supply of affordable housing to affected persons and families of low- or moderate-income. On July 6, 2023, CalTrans transmitted a Notice of Solicitation to the City. This Notice of Solicitation contained seventeen (.17) property addresses, along with the original acquisition prices, which average at $57,420. The City indicated its interest in purchasing all seventeen (17) properties in a response dated July 25, 2023. The City has identified four (4) of the properties as potential affordable homeownership opportunities, with the remaining thirteen (13) properties to be marketed and sold to market buyers. The City will enter into purchase and sale agreements with CalTrans after conducting its due diligence, including property appraisals and inspections. Staff will return to the Council with a recommendation to acquire the properties that contains information about the due diligence findings. 

 The City Council held over three contracts for broker listing services for Caltrans properties with Deasy Penner Podley, Beautiful Pasadena Homes and Sotheby’s International for an amount not to exceed $1,387,260 until Oct. 30. Marketing will begin while the properties are in escrow, which will require the services of listing agents. All properties will be sold in “as-is” condition. As proposed, buyers will be required to execute a performance deed of trust in the form of an addendum to their purchase and sales agreement to ensure that the properties are maintained, brought up to code, and occupied within a reasonable period of time. In preparation to purchase and sell these 17 properties, the City issued a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for Broker Listing Services on July 7, 2023. The RFP was open from July 7 to July 25. Notification of the RFP was initially sent to 2,743 vendors. The RFP was forwarded to the Pasadena Association of Realtors (PFAR) and was shared with Pasadena Heritage. An article about the RFP appeared in Pasadena Now on July 17th.