Public Administration: Budgeting and Service Delivery

Does your CP rely on money or services provided by any public entity? Are the money and services provided in a consistent and reliable manner or is the CP subject to periodic application, approval, re-application, etc.? How does this consistency, or lack thereof, affect your CP’s operations? Do other people or organizations rely on your CP to provide funding?

Twin Pines Senior and Community Center has funds and donations. They have a senior fund, which is a fund dedicated to enhance the center, senior services and their programs. This fund is consistent because they have a fund balance and any remaining balances are carried over annually, and there is no expiration date. Fundraising and donations should continue to be deposited into the fund while expenditures can be withdrawn from the fund.The funds are raised through donations received from individuals and businesses along with fundraising efforts from their volunteers. An important attribute to the fund is fundraising and donations, which keeps the fund going. There is not an organization that relies on Twin Pines Senior and Community center to provide funding, but since it is operated by Belmont, it is the city that makes sure their funds are intact and continuing to grow through the generous fundraising and donations that are given to the center. These funds are what help the center make improvements in order to provide services and programs for the members of the community.

Call to Action Day

Blog about your participation in Call to Action Day. What did you do? In what way does it reflect one of the themes we have explored this semester?

For Call to Action Day I participated in the San Bruno Mountain Watch, in which we hiked up the mountain with fifth graders from Belle Air School. We learned about ecology/Native American culture, natural history and restoration work. Since there were about fifteen Belle Air students and a small NDNU group we were divided into two groups and each had a guide who directed us for our hike. It was a very educational hike because we were learning about ecology, the Ohlone people and natural history, which was very interesting because I didn’t know some of the information that was given to us and some of it I remembered because the same things were taught to me when I was in fifth grade. I really enjoyed going on the hike because it brought two different communities together and we were able to interact, learn and have a good time together. I think this activity reflects the theme of the voiceless we talked about this semester because nature doesn’t have a voice of its own, it is the people who protect and restore nature that give nature itself a voice and it is important that we realize how precious and valuable nature is to us and we should take of it and not destroy it. After seeing such a beautiful site to hike in it is devastating to think that at one point cities were filled with nature and once people decided to cut down trees for houses and industrial buildings then our cities began to change and nature was no longer everywhere. The nature that we still have should be protected and it is up to us to take the initiative and make sure our nature is being taken care of and restored, not put into endangered species.

The Judiciary

Does your CP ever have recourse to judicial processes as a way of resolving problems, or does your CP’s work involve the prison system in any way? Describe an example.

My CP has not had to recourse to judicial processes as a way of resolving problems because as a community center they resolve their problems locally and try to come up with the solution as a whole staff in order to make it a better place and environment for the community. My CP’s work does not involve the prison system in any way because as Twin Pines Senior and Community Center there job is to make a community a better place through their services and activities they provide for the members of the community and resolving issues never lead to the prison system because it is resolved within the community center and the community.

Local Government Structure & Leadership

How does your CP interface with local governmental units? Are there any leaders in particular who’ve had a key impact on the success or development of your CP?

My CP, Twin Pines Senior & Community Center, which is operated by the city of Belmont emphasizes on bringing the community together through various programs and services for all ages. The programs they sponsor include classes, lunches, lectures, social services, special events and recreational activities. Being that they are a community center they interface with local governmental units by the work they do for the community at a local level, here in Belmont. Twin Pines Senior & Community Center is very efficient on everything they plan for the community and have the necessity funds to provide such events for the residents of Belmont to be a part of and participate. The leaders in particular who have had a key impact on the success or development of the Twin Pines Senior & Community Center is the staff, Cheri Handley who is the recreation supervisor, Andrea De Lara who is the recreation coordinator, Mark Bernardi and Kate Hirsch who are in charge of transportation, and Natalie Gore who is the nutrition site manager each and every one of them play a huge role in the success of the center because if it weren’t for these people the programs and services they provide would not have been possible. I am truly honored to be working with them because they have all the people in the community as their priority and do so much to provide for the residents.