Commending the Laborers Union/City and County of San Francisco Gardeners Apprenticeship Program for graduating the program’s first class of community workers.

[Commending the Laborers Union/City and County of San Francisco Gardeners Apprenticeship Program]

Commending the Laborers Union/City and County of San Francisco Gardeners Apprenticeship Program for graduating the program’s first class of community workers.

WHEREAS, In 2010, the Laborers Union Northern California District Council and Laborers Union Local 261 teamed up with the City and County of San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department and Department of Public Works to create a unique partnership to improve the quality of the City’s parks, open spaces, and streets while developing long-term career opportunities for local workers in landscaping and horticultural services; and,

WHEREAS, In October 2010, the State of California’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards certified the Laborers/City and County of San Francisco Gardeners Apprenticeship Program that resulted from this collaboration as the first state-certified program of its kind; and,

WHEREAS, Participants in the apprenticeship program receive both hands-on training in areas such as Golden Gate Park and dozens of other parks facilities and public spaces combined with classroom instruction in horticulture and plant identification in partnership with City College of San Francisco, which together lead to full-time employment for graduates with a sustainable living wage and benefits; and,

WHEREAS, The program also promotes effective implementation of San Francisco Department of the Environment policies such as the Urban Forestry Council Ordinance and important safeguards for our City’s families such as the Department’s Reduced Risk Pesticide List; and,

WHEREAS, On Thursday July 25, 2013 the program celebrated its first class of apprenticeship graduates and City departments announced plans to expand the program in future cycles going forward, presenting the opportunity to serve even more members of the community workforce and the potential for the Department of Environment to partner with the Laborers Union and participating City departments to promote apprenticeship opportunities for Environment Now graduates; now therefore, be it,

RESOLVED, That the San Francisco Commission on the Environment and the Department of the Environment commend the Laborers Union and the first class of graduates of the landmark apprenticeship program on this historic occasion and wish the program continued success going forward.

I hereby certify that this Resolution was adopted by the Commission on the Environment at its meeting on September 24, 2013. ____________________________________

Monica Fish, Commission Secretary Vote:

APPROVED 6-0; 1 Absent Ayes: Commissioners Arce, Josefowitz, King, Stephenson, Wald, Wan

Noes: None

Absent: Commissioner Gravanis