DATE: June 17, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Housing and Neighborhood Services Department
TITLE: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENTS FOR OCEANSIDE DRUG-FREE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROGRAM PROVIDERS
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve the FY2026-27 Professional Services Agreements (PSAs) for Oceanside Drug-Free Community Initiative program providers in the total amount of $340,000, and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreements upon receipt of all supporting documents.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
On July 21, 2021, California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, announced the final settlement agreements with prescription opioid manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals and several pharmaceutical distributors, which provide funding to abate individual, family and community consequences associated with the opioid epidemic. The funding is intended for opioid remediation activities focused on prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services. Over 50% must be used for treatment and abatement services, alone.
On December 1, 2021, Oceanside City Council authorized the City Attorney to execute all documents related to the participation of the City of Oceanside in the distribution of the Opioid Settlement funds. On February 20, 2026, the Housing and Neighborhood Services Department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) under the Oceanside Drug-Free Initiative to the Oceanside community seeking projects that met the established criteria of High Impact Abatement Activities (HIAA) Intervention to prevent drug addiction in vulnerable youth that are disproportionately impacted by Substance Use Disorders (SUD) (Table 1:3 and 1:5 of the Janssen & Distributors Settlement Funds Allowable Expenditures and Core Strategies (Schedule A, Section G: Prevention Programs)). The Oceanside Drug-Free Initiative sought proposals with specifically targeted interventions that would decrease/discourage the number of young people in Oceanside who are misusing and/or considering using substances and to provide education opportunities for youth, parents, and the general community about the risks of youth SUDs through a youth-focused campaign and/or program.
The RFP was announced on social media, in local community meetings, on KOCT, and via email lists of interested parties. Potential applicants were invited to attend a Bidder’s Conference in-person on March 10, 2026, and online on March 19, 2026, to review the RFP and answer any questions from potential applicants. All proposals were due on May 1, 2026.
Similar to many other communities nationwide, some Oceanside community members continue to struggle with challenges related to gang involvement, youth violence, drug experimentation/use/abuse, poverty, and other high-risk behaviors. Positive youth development models address the needs of youth who might be vulnerable to SUD by focusing on known risk factors and the behavioral development of juveniles including but not limited to:
• Family history of substance use, including parental substance use
• Positive parental attitudes toward substance use
• Limited parental supervision
• Family rejection of sexual orientation or gender identity
• Association with peers who use substances
• Association with peers who have a history of delinquent behaviors
• Lack of connection to school
• Low academic performance
• Childhood sexual abuse
• Mental health challenges
Challenges facing Oceanside youth include:
• Oceanside has a higher juvenile crime rate than like cities.
• There is a lower graduation rate in our Opportunity Neighborhoods
• A large majority of families in our Opportunity Neighborhoods lack access to affordable afterschool programs
• A notable percentage of the above students have learning disabilities. The National Institute of Health has found that learning disabilities, without appropriate intervention, significantly increase the likelihood of substance abuse.
Prevention, intervention, and treatment programs, designed specifically for youth, help reduce substance use by engaging at-risk and actively using youth in programs that provide an outlet for positive expression, increased social and emotional skills, and mental health. Studies have shown that sound prevention, intervention, and treatment programs can save taxpayers seven to ten dollars for every dollar invested. This is primarily due to reductions in the amount spent on future incarceration by preventing the onset of adult criminal careers.
The City of Oceanside is committed to supporting programs that target youth and families who need support and intensive intervention and treatment services to divert youth populations away from drug experimentation and/or use. The City is also invested in supporting second chance efforts by supporting nonprofit, faith-based and/or grassroots groups that intervene with youth involved with the criminal justice system as a result of SUD.
SUD Prevention Programs that specifically target middle school students have been shown to be especially effective in the intervention of substance use. SUD Prevention Programs, available in both English and Spanish, are an important way for youth and their parents to receive accurate information and understand the risks associated with substance use/abuse. Programs that focus on harm-reduction for high school students give young adults the tools they need to make better choices.
Priority Population and Geography: Oceanside middle and high school students in grades 6-12, Oceanside parents/caregivers and community members.
Supported Programming: Evidence-based prevention programs focused on SUD and targeting middle and high school students, SUD community education and conferences, youth-designed SUD public service announcements & social media campaigns, peer to peer mentoring, SUD intervention services, SUD screening/mental health referrals and/or SUD treatment services.
Intended Outcomes and Impact: Decrease student drug/alcohol use, increase access to SUD treatment, increase community awareness/knowledge around SUD, decreased crime/violence associated with SUD, increased access to mental health services for SUD.
Proposal Review Process
An independent panel of subject-matter experts was recruited from the Oceanside Police Department, Oceanside Fire Department, and County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency to review each proposal. Proposals were scored using a 50-point scale that rated each by criteria including reasonableness, feasibility, location, services provided, proposed demographics, and past performance for currently funded programs.
Approximately two weeks after receiving the proposals, reviewers met to discuss their individual ratings and offered the following funding recommendations to Housing and Neighborhood Services staff:
• Boys & Girls Club of Northwest San Diego-Healthy Minds/Healthy Lives
• North County Lifeline DBA Lifeline Community Services-We Rise
• Mano a Mano
• North County LGBTQ Resource Center-Thrive Out Loud
• TrueCare-P2P
• Vista Community Clinic-420 Remix
At this time, staff is recommending the approval and execution of the FY2026-27 Professional Services Agreements (PSAs) for the above specified Oceanside Drug-Free Community Initiative program providers.
FISCAL IMPACT
The FY2026-27 Opioid Settlement Funds budget in account 836182622272 has an available balance of $896,338 and contains sufficient funds. The funding source for this PSA is the Opioid Settlement Funds. Funding recipients are required to submit monthly invoices and quarterly progress reports to the Housing and Neighborhood Services Department and quarterly Nonprofit Organization Financial reports to the Financial Services Department.
|
Description |
Account |
Amount |
|
|
Boys & Girls Club Healthy Minds |
836182622272.5395.101936 |
$50,000 |
|
|
Lifeline Youth SUD |
836182622272.5395.101935 |
$150,000 |
|
|
NCcnty LGBTQ Resource Center SUD |
836182622272.5395.101937 |
$50,000 |
|
|
Mano a Mano |
836182622272.5395.101938 |
$25,000 |
|
|
TrueCare P2P |
836182622272.5395.101926 |
$25,000 |
|
|
VCC 420 Remix |
836182622272.5395.101934 |
$40,000 |
|
|
TOTAL |
|
$340,000 |
|
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents must be reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form prior to commencement of work.
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Prepared by: Michele Gehr, Management Analyst
Reviewed by: Leilani Hines, Housing and Neighborhood Services Director
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Final RFP 26-07 Oceanside Drug Free Community Initiatives
2. FY2026-27 Opioid Settlement Funding Proposals and Funding Requests
3. RFP 26-07 Opioid Settlement Proposal Scoring
4. Mano a Mano
5. Lifeline We Rise
6. North County LGBTQ Resource Center Thrive Out Loud
7. Boys & Girls Club of Northwest San Diego Healthy Minds
8. TrueCare P2P
9. VCC Opioid Prevention FY2026-27