The People's Budget

Redwood City's Participatory Budget Pilot Program

Thank you, Redwood City!

That's a wrap! Following voting by nearly 1,800 community members, the following projects are included with the Fiscal Year 2022-23 Recommended Budget. Learn more below and for a quick overview on the 2022 The People's Budget process, click here. Stay tuned for updates on the winning projects. Thank you for making our first The People's Budget pilot program a huge success!

Stay tuned for PB updates!

November 2024

Free showers for unhoused community members

Funding from the People’s Budget made it possible to bring the Dignity on Wheels (DOW) Mobile Shower and Laundry Services back to the Fair Oaks Community Center. You can find the most up to date Dignity on Wheels Sites and Schedule HERE.

From July 2022 to May 2024 the program served:

364 unduplicated individuals across four sites in Redwood City
3,460 duplicate individuals across four sites in Redwood City
Provided 3,150 free showers
Provided 1,562 laundry services
Provided 133 hygiene kits

These services are provided in addition to the showers available at the City’s Hoover Pool Facility on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

The funding from the People's Budget for Dignity on Wheels has been fully expended as of May 2024. However, the city still funds Dignity on Wheels 2 days a week at Fair Oaks, and WeHOPE has outside funding sources that pay for the sessions at the main library and the BHRS clinic.

April 2024 1

El Camino Real bike lanes

Construction on our new bike lanes is underway and progressing smoothly. The work is expected to wrap up in a few weeks, weather permitting, and the project remains on track for completion by the end of this year.

Add funds to City Housing team budget

In 2024, the City had originally planned to use funds from the Peoples Budget to conduct additional facilitated tenant and landlord community meetings and to draft and implement ordinance updates outlined in the Anti-Displacement Strategy (ADS). In May 2024 the City Council paused work on tenant protections and mobile home protections outlined in the ADS due to the pending nature of a proposed citizen sponsored ballot initiative for rent control and additional tenant protections.

While the ADS work is paused, the City will instead be using $41,662 from the People’s Budget funds towards the implementation of the Project Sentinel Tenant and Landlord Counseling Services Project. Through this project, the City has contracted with Project Sentinel to provide increased services for tenants and landlords in Redwood City that include mediation, dispute resolution, counseling, and assistance with a variety of common rental situations. These services are offered free of charge and are available to all tenants and landlords in Redwood City regardless of income or immigration status. More information on this project can be found here.

10-week youth peer mentorship program for drug and alcohol prevention

El Centro de Libertad was selected as the vendor for the 10-week youth peer mentorship program designed to help address the substance abuse crisis.

During the 2023-24 school year El Centro de Libertad/The Freedom Center, Inc. provided drug and alcohol prevention education reaching 70 students in the Redwood City School District including to 24 students at Garfield Elementary School with funding from Sequoia HealthCare District and San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.

In 2024-25 school year the People's Budget will fund delivery of a 10-week youth peer mentorship program for students and an additional 10-week peer mentorship group for parents. Both the groups for youth and the groups for parents will address substance abuse crisis by offering, education, mentorship and Peer-to-Peer Support.

April 2024

April 2024

Free showers for unhoused community members

Funding from the People’s Budget made it possible to bring the Dignity on Wheels (DOW) Mobile Shower and Laundry Services back to the Fair Oaks Community Center on Monday and Wednesday afternoons starting July 2022. DOW was also able to expand service to Friday mornings at the South County BHRS Clinic on Brewster Avenue (since November 2023) and on Saturday mornings at the Redwood City Main Library (since August 2023).

From July 25, 2022 to February 29, 2024, the program served:

361 unduplicated individuals across four sites in Redwood City
Provided 2,525 free showers
Provided 1,224 laundry services
Provided 133 hygiene kits

These services are provided in addition to the showers available at the City’s Hoover Pool Facility on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

April 2024 1

El Camino Real bike lanes In Winter 2024, Redwood City received an encroachment permit from Caltrans to install buffered bike lanes on El Camino Real from Maple Street to Jefferson Avenue (northbound). Staff is currently finalizing the design to advertise the project for construction in Spring 2024.

In preparation for bike land maintenance, the Public Works department also purchased a mini street sweeper with a portion of the funds in 2023.

Add funds to City Housing team budget

In 2023, the City utilized approximately $39,000 from the Peoples Budget to support the Housing Division in implementing the Anti-Displacement Strategy (ADS). The funds were used to conduct a series of facilitated tenant and landlord community meetings and to begin drafting the ordinance updates outlined in the ADS.

10-week youth peer mentorship program for drug and alcohol prevention

El Centro de Libertad has been selected as the vendor for the 10-week youth peer mentorship program designed to help address the substance abuse crisis. The program is set to begin in 2024 at Garfield Community School.

July 2023

Free showers for unhoused community members

Funding from the People’s Budget made it possible to bring the Dignity on Wheels (DOW) Mobile Shower and Laundry Services back to the Fair Oaks Community Center on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. From July 25, 2022 to January 20, 2023, the program served 187 unduplicated individuals at the Fair Oaks Community Center Site, offering 503 free showers and 236 laundry services.

These services are in addition to the showers available at the City’s Hoover Pool Facility on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Participants have shared how helpful it is to have a warm shower and clean clothes to help get them back on the right track.

For 2023, the City will be working with Project WeHOPE to determine a location to expand Dignity on Wheels services for at least one additional day per week.

The DOW staff at the Fair Oaks Community Center site recently shared that they both had been participants of the DOW services previously and were now employees for the program. Both specifically mentioned how amazing the program was, how helpful it has been in their growth as people and how good they feel being able to help the current unsheltered because they know how it feels to be “out there” without a home and having a warm shower and clean clothes can get you on the right track and make people look at you as an actual person. They are very appreciative for this opportunity.

Add funds to City Housing team budget

We are also diligently working on the implementation of the Anti-Displacement Strategy. Funding has gone toward community engagement and ordinance development costs related to tenant protections, anti-harassment policies and right of first return for renovation related evictions. Stay tuned by visiting www.RedwoodCity.org/ADS.

El Camino Real bike lanes and mini street sweeper

Progress has been made with a buffered bike lane on El Camino between Maple Street and Wilson Street. We are working with Caltrans for the installation and have reviewed proposals for consultant support to move the project forward. We also recently purchased a mini-street sweeper!

10-week youth peer mentorship program for drug and alcohol prevention

El Centro de Libertad has been selected as the vendor for the 10-week youth peer mentorship program designed to help address the substance abuse crisis. The program is set to begin soon.

Other PB Ideas

Redwood City Public Library recently completed a round of community listening sessions to update its service priorities. Listening sessions reconfirmed what you shared in the People’s Budget: 20 ideas that were not funded by the People’s Budget have been incorporated into the RCPL’s new service priorities! More information about RCPL service priorities here: https://www.redwoodcity.org/departments/library/rcpl-info/service-priorities

What Other Cities Are Using Participatory Budgeting?

Over 7,000 cities across the world use participatory budgeting processes of some type. A few of them are:

How Can I Participate in The People's Budget?

The People’s Budget only works if the people are involved. Spread the word about the People’s Budget (PB) in your community by:

Vote on projects! Rank up to seven (7) of your top favorite projects here to help decide how to spend $1 million in one-time funds to positively serve or improve our community

Share PB info on social media

Announce the PB in your workplace, school, sports team, group text, church, temple, synagogue, meditation center, volunteer organization, at the dinner table or other space
Help someone you know submit an idea or vote on projects too!
Let City staff know about events or spaces where we should hold a popup to let more people know about the PB

Examples of PB Ideas

Here are some of the eligible ideas submitted in Round 1:

El Camino Real Bike Lanes
More art activities for kids and teens
Coaching and financial education, including for undocumented community members
Tool/appliance library to check out home tools or appliances
Make all City building elevators accessible for wheelchairs
Free showers for unhoused community members
So much more!

Full list of eligible ideas available here!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the People’s Budget, also known as the participatory budgeting process?

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members decide how to spend part of a public budget. It gives people real power over real money. PB started in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989, as an anti-poverty measure that helped reduce child mortality by nearly 20%. Since then PB has spread to over 7,000 cities around the world, and has been used to decide budgets from states, counties, cities, housing authorities, schools, and other institutions. The New York Times calls PB “revolutionary civics in action”— it deepens democracy, builds stronger communities, and creates a more equitable distribution of public resources. More information about participatory budgeting available here: participatorybudgeting.org

How does the People’s Budget work/ What is the timeline?

There are four main parts to creating the People’s Budget:

Step 1: Idea Submission (EXTENDED! January 1-Feburary 27)
The public and staff come together to brainstorm ideas and develop proposals. City staff will share information about participatory budgeting and City budgets and ask community members to share their ideas about what can improve or support our community.
Step 2: Project Voting (March 19-May 9)
City staff will present project ideas to the public so community members can vote on which projects should be included in the budget. Participants will be able to rank their preferences. Project voting will begin in-person with an online voting option added soon after.
Step 3: Announcement (June 2022)
The winning projects will be announced at the City Council’s June budget review meeting.

Step 4: Implementation and Updates (FY22-23 and beyond)
As projects prepare for and begin implementation, City staff can provide regular updates on how PB projects are progressing and share any opportunities for the public to be involved in implementation.

Between and during all of these steps, staff will work to determine the eligibility and feasibility of each project and share updates on what’s happening with the PB.

How long has Redwood City been doing the People’s Budget?

Why is the City doing the People’s Budget?

Who can vote for the People’s Budget?

How will projects be selected?

Community members will have the opportunity to vote on all eligible projects using a ranked-choice voting process. Final projects will be identified based on the highest votes received, whose sum is under $1 million. For example, if the top three ranked projects were Project A for $500,000, Project B for $600,000, and Project C for $10,000, Projects A and C would move forward along with any other highly voted projects costing $490,000 or less. Any voting ties will be broken by selection criteria score.

Staff will vet all ideas for feasibility and cost before and after the voting. The top ranked projects will move forward once staff have confirmed that they are feasible and within the $1 million budget. All budget and feasibility determinations before June 2022 will be a rough estimate; it is possible that unforeseen budget or feasibility challenges may prevent a selected project from moving forward after the announcement of projects.

What projects are eligible to be funded through the PB?

An eligible project:

Costs less than or equal to $1 million
Serves broad public use or purpose
Is a one-time purchase or cost
Is possible to implement or begin within Fiscal Year 2022-23

An ineligible project:

Requires reoccurring funds past the 2022-23 Fiscal Year
Requires hiring new or additional City staff (this is an ongoing, not one-time cost)
Is available or accessible to only a small number of people (this is not broad public use)

When will the PB projects be completed?

How are you spreading the word about the People’s Budget?

In each round of public engagement (for idea submission and for project voting), there are virtual and in-person public meetings in English and Spanish, radio and newspaper announcements, social media posts, mailers, and popup events at which City staff help community members submit ideas and votes. Community members and community organizations are a key part of spreading the word—please share with your community too!

Have a meeting, event, or space where you would like our team to share more about PB? Let our staff phone by phone (650-780-7334) or email pb@redwoodcity.org.

How many ideas were submitted in phase one?

We received over 700 ideas from more than 500 people! Thank you to everyone who submitted an idea or helped spread the word in Phase 1.

In January and February 2022, hundreds of community members submitted ideas for the People's Budget on paper, online, and at events. City staff reviewed the submissions for eligibility (including cost and feasibility) and have included all eligible ideas on the voting form for Phase 2 (see online in English or Spanish).

For vague ideas (such as "support students," "pedestrian safety," and "more security"), staff in relevant departments closely reviewed additional comments submitted with the idea to determine feasible projects that fit the spirit of the idea. Some ideas are not included in the project voting list because they are already happening or have received funded through another channel.

All of the eligible ideas are included in the PB voting form. You can see a PDF that lists all eligible ideas here.

Please contact pb@redwoodcity.org if you have questions about your idea or the idea submission phase.

How can I vote for a project?

Voting has now closed for the 2022 People's Budget. During the voting period, community members were able to submit their preferences by:

submitting their preferences online in English or Spanish
completing a paper voting form, which can be found at any City library, the Veterans Memorial Senior Center, or the Fair Oaks Community Center
sharing your votes at a People's Budget event--scroll up to see a list of upcoming events.

Anyone who lives, works, plays, studies, or spends social time in Redwood City is welcome to participate, regardless of age, immigration status, or where they live.

Questions, Need More Information or Have an Event We Can Speak At? Contact Us.

Email us at pb@redwoodcity.org or call Gabi Morales at (650) 780-7334.