oakland food policy council

Oakland Food Policy Council

November 2, 2009 Meeting Notes & Outcomes5:00-7:45 pm

Bay Localize Conference Room436 14th Street, 2nd Fl

"Refreshments for today's meeting were donated by Revolution Foods andFrog Hollow Farm”

Facilitated by Coleman-Smith

CONFIDENTIAL [Oakland Food Policy Council + Coleman-Smith] 2

agenda

ACTIVIT Y T I M E WHO

Reconnection

Introduction

! Welcome, Agenda Review

! Ground Rules + Meeting Outcomes

! Check-in

5:00-5:30 Alethea, Coleman-Smith

! Review + Approve

- Notes from last meeting

- Proposed meeting structure

- Terms of Reference

5:30-5:45 Coleman-Smith, OFPC

members, Alethea

Setting Course

Determine the strategic direction of the Council

! W hat do we mean by “food policy” and the

“council?”

! W hat’s our agenda for the year? What do

we want to take on this year?

5:45-6:40 Coleman-Smith, Alethea

Break 6:40-6:45

Assigning the Players

Choose work group members + chairs

! C onsideration: Do we expand the work

group membership beyond the Council?

6:45-7:00 Coleman-Smith

Presentation: Revolution Foods 7:00-7:15 Revolution Foods

! Next Steps + Announcements

! Plus/Delta: Evaluate meeting process

7:15-7:30 Coleman-Smith


ground rules

Put cell phones on silent Assume best intentions Stay engaged in the conversation + on topic Trust the process Suspend certainty Challenge ideas and not people Seek to understand Take care to monitor your speaking time Enjoy the ride


meeting purpose + outcomes

Purpose To determine the direction of the Council and

organize into the chosen structure

Proposed Outcomes Chosen direction for the year Clarity about who we are as a policy council


meeting participants

OFPC Members Nathan McClintock Robin Plutchok Jenny Huston Mike Church Koina Freeman Heather Wooten Suzan Bateson Brad Burger Abeni Ramsey Sara Weihmann Hank Herrera Christopher Waters Shereen D'Souza Margot Lederer Prado Daniel Kramer

OFPC Staff/Consultants Adrienne Smith, Coleman-

Smith Vanessa Coleman, Coleman-

Smith Alethea Harper, OFPC Grey Kolevzon, PUEBLO

Community Lannette Rangel Charissa Young Anja Schiller Lorae Womack Batzdorf, MD Mary Thomas Katie Myszka Tracy Tingle Lori Cook Keri Keifer, Revolution Foods


proposed meeting structure

Topic Description/Structure

Check-in • Round Robin individual report outs

• Determine public speakers for the agenda

Process/work (small + large group) Work Group breakouts/report outs & large

group discussions

Scheduled Speakers • 7 – 10 min w/ 5min Q & A

• Information presentations – no sales

pitches

• Members may also present

Public Speakers • 3 – 5 min per public comment

• Held to committee Ground Rules

Next Steps • Summary or meeting outcomes

• Projected next steps

Setting Course

What do we want to focus on for 2009-10?


resources and updates Report from “Gathering of Local and State Food Policy Councils”

in Des Moines New tool: “Whole Measures for Community Food Systems” Highlights:

• CDC + Prevention Grant (stimulus). Communities putting prevention to work - shovel-ready projects -requested subcommittee to translate policy to “public speak”: Heather, Jenny, Koina, Suzan, Abeni,Sara

› Team will summarize results of meeting, including City of Oakland focus on E/W• OFPC is invited to table at the Community Convergence for Climate Action event.• How do we handle measurement?

› Data management can track by work group + content areas. Each group picking metrics they think shouldbe tracked, and forwarding those to the data team. Also mentioned having evaluations after eachcommunity event, and tracking articles that appear on the OFPC.

› Influences evaluation of the OFPC, and the food system• Fundraiser: Cookie contest sponsored by Food First for OFPC• Grant for Health Impact Assessments of a particular policy. Food First can help make the proposal.

Grant is 25-100K, rolling deadline.• “Whole Measures” values-based evaluation tool is available per Community Food

› To be reviewed in first mtg of each work group as a possible tool/guide• Security Coalition. Alethea will send the link from www.foodsecurity.org. Can be useful for work

groups.• Idea: Mark Winne can visit to speak to OFPC re: managing policy councils.• Revolving Loan Fund, James Johnson Piett, expert on the Fresh Food Financing Fund in PA, could visit

as part of a series of public and OFPC-internal events to get his input on how to set up a similar fundhere, perhaps using stimulus funds

• Mike Church is tracking pieces of legislation and can provide updates to the Council.

Output from discussionWhat do we mean by “council” and “policy?”

Proposed Set of Values


proposed OFPC values We proactively work to lead and address relevant legislation. We represent the needs and interests of Oakland residents and do not

promote or represent any individual interest. We create a platform for dialogue and collaboration between unlikely

interests. We seek to identify effective units of influence (for needs-based issues). We are a group of representative leaders with the experience and

knowledge necessary to address the needs of all its constituents andpolitical government to bring resources and momentum.

We create platforms and lead coordinated action. We are aware of and proactively respond to important issues as they

emerge. We build and sustain relationships with decision-maker. We seek to support the community’s ability to advocate for itself. We consistently seek to promote sustainable food systems. We highlight key connections in our work – we understand that decisions

about allocation of food resources can influence issues of environmentalimpact, e.g., trucking food.

We engage all sectors in our work including the private sector.


Focus• Public Private

Partnerships• City Innovations• Regional & State

Innovations• Neighborhood

Innovations

strategic planning focus

Strategies

• Bring underservedneighborhoods to the foodpolicy table.

• Keep food, hunger, and foodsystems on the agenda for theCity of Oakland and AlamedaCounty, and contribute to thenational dialog on food policy.

• Serve as a liaison betweendifferent actors in the foodsystem.

• Develop an integratedstrategic plan to foster asustainable food system forthe City, including policy andprogram recommendations.

• Actively advocate for andsupport implementation of newand existing food policies andprograms in the City.

• Convene meetings and leaddiscussions aligned with theOFPCʼs mission and goals.

Indicators• Increased food security in

Oakland.• Greater public health in

Oakland.• A local agriculture that is

economically viable,environmentally sustainableand socially responsible.

• Increased energy efficiencyand reduced energyconsumption.

• Protected of environmentalresources.

• A promoted “Closed-loop”food system.

• Community economicdevelopment.

• Increased public “foodliteracy.”

To establish anequitable and

sustainable foodsystem in Oakland,

California.

Proposed Areas of Focus

Within the OFPC StrategiesIdeas with the highest “votes” are noted in orange.


strategies

1. Bring underserved neighborhoods to the food policytable.• *Directly engage (learn from and share) new ideas with the community - 11• Consider the importance of regionality as it relates to dietary staples - opportunities

for City to become involved in Land Trusts - 3• Expose folks to more traditional ways to prepare meals

› Target women as a way into households - 2

2. Keep food, hunger, and food systems on the agendafor the City of Oakland and Alameda County, andcontribute to the national dialogue on food policy.• *Influencing Policy: - 10

› Reframe how we consider policy to include both what is restricted and what is actuallypromoted and leveraged, i.e. policies that promote and support initiatives. Look atrequirements, restrictions, and incentives.

• *Advocate for publicly funded meal programs to go local - WIC, public hospitals, etc -12

• *Leveraging Oakland’s energy and climate action plan - 8• Looking at green jobs initiatives - 5• Federal funds are available for green initiatives and trainings –consider which entities

are prepared to receive funds, i.e., Laney College - 4• Check out data regarding underutilized land in Oakland


strategies

3. Serve as a liaison between different actors in the foodsystem.• *Survey of CBOs, businesses, schools, other large institutions and residents experiencing barriers and

provide help in mitigate those experiences (food movement) - 10› Establish workshops to serve food to health trust, local resident, and CBO collaboration

• Demonstrate how all the players can come to the table, work together, and be acknowledged for theirwork - 4

• Consider the manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers – the holistic ecology -• Engage redevelopment agencies - 1• Consider regulations – focus i.e., mobility of food (vending)

4. Develop an integrated strategic plan to foster a sustainablefood system for the City, including policy and programrecommendations.• Look at whole systems change + policy impact - 4

› Continue to inventory food resources - 2• Explore land use

› Look at under-resourced and under-utilized parks and park land that CBOs can put to use for community› *Consider vacant lands, brown fields – making them work at regulatory level - 9

• Promote rural to urban connections• Look at funding sources and consider creative repurposing of funding streams – like funds that go to

revitalizing communities - 4› RFP from USDA for community food security and stimulus and green food - 1› Nutritional education grants - 2› Nutrition grants for schools - 2


strategies

5. Actively advocate for and support implementation ofnew and existing food policies and programs in theCity.• Develop community pilots, a model for food system (vertically integrated program) - 5• Create the policy space for all the ideas to come together – Making way for “on the

ground” implementation to happen - 6• Encourage innovative programs (i.e. land trusts, new business models), and promote

a policy environment that will allow the types of things we want to see happen tothrive and spring up naturally - 2

› How can we impact policy that will then impact programs and businesses?

• Promote ideas like rooftop gardening – vertical faming - 6

6. Convene meetings and lead discussions aligned withthe OFPC’s mission and goals.• Lead with a metaphor – Emerald City, a narrative that’s easy to sell and put the

pieces together - 2• Mirror successes of councils like the child care policy work• Collaborate with other food policy councils in our region

Assigning the Players


how we organize ourselves

Work Groups with Chairs• Development Committee (this could include recruitment and community

engagement)• Fundraising• Data Management and Research• Public –private partnerships (this could include things like providing a

forum for institutional procurement folks to talk with the supply side)• “City Innovations” (this would involve studying each City

department/agency to see what changes – from simple to complex –could be made to support our goals)

• “Regional and State Innovations” (similar to “City Innovations”)• “Neighborhood Innovations” (similar to “City Innovations”)

Which one will you sign up for? Do we expand the work group membership beyond

the Council? Be a chair?

Revolution Foods

Next Steps


terms of reference

Agreement: Quorum will be 51% of the group (11people). Can allow people to vote on action itemsbefore meetings if they can't make it, but not after.


meeting evaluation

+

- N ice facilitation !!

- D e l icious Food !!!

- S tuck to time

- S mall group work !

- S e nd announcements out and include in

hand-outs only report 1-2

- M a ybe consolidate meeting packet so

its fewer pieces of paper…. Two

frames per sheet as well as front &

back?! !

- L imit speaking time/be aware of how

much each person is speaking vis-à-vis

others

- P e r haps agenda can be

reviewed/refined more in advance –

there was some confusion

- M ore information on presenters

- P r ioritize agenda so decision points

come earlier and not rushed

Appendix

Other remaining notes


what we mean by “Council”

Be responsive and proactive in influencing legislation. E.g.,zoning, a consolidated plan for how to spend HUD funds(we have 30 days to determine and respond)

Should not be a platform for personal ideologies A conversation you allow to happen between people who

would not necessarily talk together - connecting threads Representative leadership Identifying who needs to be influencing Identifying area of key forums where a council can have

impact (needs) A group of representative leaders with the experience and

knowledge necessary to address the needs of all itsconstituents and political government to bring resourcesand momentum

Can we have official opinions on federal issues?


what we mean by “Council”cont.

Create a platform for coordinated action Comment on things that are happening, not after the fact Provide accessible information (e.g., drinking milk out of

washable cup vs. paper carton) Addressing decision-makers Create a community of advocates (help people find out

about how to track legislative process and advocate fortheir needs). Use the OFPC as a way to connect vulnerablecommunities to the political process.

Being responsible - Doing volunteer work (on an individuallevel) for food system change, outside your usual area ofexpertise. Perhaps suggest a minimum number of hoursfor volunteering.

Platform for folks to create change - to give voice at alllevels


what we mean by “Food Policy”

What’s the scale? Driven by legislation On a local level, grassroots (leverage local strengths) Looking at sustainable food systems Proactive model policies Decisions about allocation of food resources can

influence issues of environmental impact, e.g.,trucking food

Increasing relevancy of our work - economies, etc Bringing private sector to this table

oakland food policy council

Documents