2019
State City Report of the
March 2019
Mayor Ras J. Baraka
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents 3
MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR YOUTH LEADERSHIP
4
Our Youth. Our Future. EDUCATION
6
Progress in Education PUBLIC SAFETY
8
A Safer Newark
A MODEL CITY
10
Enriching Quality of Life A DEVELOPING CITY
Development to Serve Newarkers A WORKING CITY
Connecting Residents to Jobs
CITY OF NEWARK Ras J. Baraka, Mayor
MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
Mildred C. Crump, Council President/Council Member-at-Large Augusto Amador, Council Member, East Ward Carlos M. Gonzalez, Council Member-at-Large John Sharpe James, Council Member, South Ward Joseph A. McCallum, Jr., Council Member, West Ward LaMonica McIver, Council Member, Central Ward Eddie Osborne, Council Member-at-Large Luis A. Quintana, Council Member-at-Large Anibal Ramos, Jr., Council Member, North Ward
2 State of the City Report March 2019
12 14
MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
Letter from the Mayor Dear Friends: Newark is undergoing rapid growth with more than $4 billion in new development and a surge in investment. We are excited by the positive change and momentum, but now our challenge is to ensure that every resident in every neighborhood benefits—through more opportunities for our youth, well-paying jobs, affordable housing, improved education, a safer city and an improved quality of life. We seek to be a city in which every child has the opportunity for a world class education, every person has a decent affordable home and a living wage job, every neighborhood is a safe neighborhood, and no individual is poisoned by a toxic environment. This report outlines some of the ways in which the City of Newark and the people of Newark are working together to achieve equality and inclusion in a city democratically governed by social, racial, and economic justice. The transformation of Newark is being driven by strong collaborations involving the entire community—community activists, colleges and universities, businesses large and small, labor unions, clergy, traditional public and charter schools, non-profits, philanthropies, faith communities, and more. Now we commit ourselves to do more. Please join us with your energy, ideas, spirit, and love of Newark. All the best!
Ras J. Baraka
Mayor
March 2019 State of the City Report 3
YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Mayor Baraka speaks with members of the HBCU Travel Club
T
Our Youth. Our Future.
The City of Newark is investing in the potential of our young men like never before. Last year, MBK Newark hosted the Obama Foundation’s Pathway to Success Opportunity Summit, where more than 50 local and national employers came together to help more than 600 young men of color to enter a pathway to a sound career.
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER MBK Newark’s mission is to address persistent pportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of o color and ensure that all young people can reach their 4 State of the City Report March 2019
full potential, regardless of who they are, where they come from or the circumstances in which they are born. Since its inception, MBK has: ›› Connected 1,400 youth with jobs through its partnership with the Obama Foundation’s MBK Alliance. ›› Partnered with the Newark City of Learning Collaborative and Essex County College to improve college persistence rates for young men of color.
YOUTH LEADERSHIP
THE MAYOR’S OFFICE OF YOUTH AND COLLEGE AFFAIRS continues to provide programs that directly impact the lives of young people and the community by empowering youth to take leadership roles. Youth programs and resources include My Brother’s Keeper, Newark Street Academy, Newark Community Street Team, Newark Youth One-Stop, Newark Youth Summer Program, Shani Baraka Women’s Resource Center, Newark Youth Anti-Violence Coalition, the Newark Public Schools, the Newark Youth Court, the City’s Division of Recreation, and others. Some of the highlights of this year include: Sing in Praise of King. The Youth Office coordinated the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. event and secured Angela Rye, Koryn Hawthorne, The Group Fire, & The City Wide Liturgical Dance Team to speak or perform at the event. HBCU Travel Camp. Newark High School 10th and 11th grade students and 25 Newark Works Students met every week for six weeks to learn about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) before taking a trip in the Fall of 2018 to visit and study these campuses and their histories.
March for Our Lives
March for Our Lives. Newark youth were among the thousands of people who called for an end to gun violence in marches across North Jersey in 2018 as part of the nationwide March for Our Lives campaign that drew hundreds of thousands of people to protests across the country in the aftermath of a mass shooting at a Florida high school last year. Global Peace Ambassadors International Trip. The City of Newark’s Youth Office supported students from three Newark high schools to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to participate in the Global Peace Ambassador Program. Health Leadership Roles Included: Robert Wood Johnson Health Initiative. The City of Newark and the Abbott Leadership Institute lead this three-year project, in which a total of 30 youth from Newark, ages 14-21, are receiving guidance from trained community-based coaches to better understand topics around population health, develop leadership skills, and implement self-designed projects to make their communities healthier.
The Youth Office Registered 2,000 millennials to vote in 2017-2018
Political Engagement Activities Included: Youth Ambassadors. Once a week, Youth Ambassadors study current policies, which makes them become a part of the political process. Newark Youth Ambassadors created a campaign: “Hear our city, hear our nation,” with the hashtag #HCHN. This campaign aims to bring attention to issues in different neighborhoods, and to give voice to those who feel voiceless. They stress the fact that youth can use social media as a catalyst for change. United Rally against Hatred. The Youth and College Affairs Office organized Newark college students and organizations in an action plan to voice the opinions against President Trump’s policies. Black Students Unions, Haitian Students Organizations, Rutgers SGA & Newark Central High School Students were among the organizers.
Believe in A Healthier Newark Documentary. Pathway to Food Security with RWJ Barnabas Health (January 2018) is a new documentary created by Newark’s youth. The hour-long film chronicles food insecurity in Newark through the perspective of young Newarkers (ages 12 to 21) from area schools and community-based organizations. The film highlights community-based ways to change systems, structures, and policies to enhance access to healthy and affordable food in Newark.
March 2019 State of the City Report 5
EDUCATION
M
Progress in Education
Newark City of Learning Collaborative
More Newark students from throughout the city are graduating from high school and enrolling in college. Graduation rates for the city’s district high schools in particular have steadily increased, rising from 61% in 2012 to 78% in 2017, according to Newark City of Learning Collaborative’s 2018 report.
BUILDING NEWARK’S COLLEGE-GOING CULTURE The Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC) launched in 2015, as a citywide postsecondary edu6 State of the City Report March 2019
cation network committed to increasing the percentage of residents with post high school degrees, certificates, and high-quality credentials to 25% by 2025. Newark’s post-secondary attainment rate is currently 19%, compared to the state and national rates of 45% and 40%, respectively. NCLC consists of 60 partners, representing a cross-section of stakeholders, including higher education institutions, K-12 schools, local government, corporations, foundations, and non-profit and community-based organizations.
EDUCATION
COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT The Office of Comprehensive Community Education continues to strengthen the collaborative relationship between the city and all educational institutions in the city, particularly the Newark Public Schools and the institutions of higher education. In 2018, the office created Edu-Talk, a cable show to create a forum to regularly discuss education issues.
More Newark High School Graduates E nrolling in College
NEWARK LITERACY INITIATIVE The Newark Literacy Coalition is being launched to ensure that Newark residents of all ages read at their grade level and capacity. The Literacy Coalition is a joint partnership between the City of Newark and United Way of Essex & West Hudson and other partner organizations. This joint effort is comprised of three pillar programs: Book Club: “Fireside chats” to discuss books relevant to older-teen and young-adult readers will be hosted by Mayor Baraka. The books will be made available in advance to participants with support from Audible, Barnes and Noble, and the Newark Public Library.
54% 39%
2004 - 2011
2011 - 2016
Source: Newark City of Learning Collaborative (NCLC), study dated 2018.
Adult Literacy: Adult learners will participate in a course to measurably increase reading and writing skills necessary in preparation for the current job market. The program will employ an intergenerational approach to reading instruction for adult learners. Birth to Third Grade: Armed with national data that concludes that: “academic success, as defined by high school graduation, can be predicted… with reasonable accuracy by knowing someone’s reading skill at the end of third grade,” this program will focus on school and community strategies to achieve grade level reading by grade three.
HBCU Travel Camp members on a visit to Howard University. NCLC Partners
March 2019 State of the City Report 7
PUBLIC SAFETY
Graduation of new police recruits
N
A Safer Newark
Police-to-Community Newark continues to become safer, but street and deploying the latest law enContact behind the numbers are the people forcement technologies. This effort has increased and programs that are driving crime been helped enormously by the data, by down. More residents are taking reresearch, analysis and recommensponsibility for their neighborhoods dations of the Safer Newark Council and becoming involved in a collabora(SNC), a partnership of the Mayor’s Oftive effort to reduce crime. More police fice, Rutgers-Newark, the Victoria Founon the streets is only part of an effective dation, Prudential Financial, the Newark strategy to make the city safer. Over the past Community Development Network and the four years, crime in Newark has been significantly Newark Department of Public Safety. reduced through building trust between residents The results are measurable. Crime is down 15 perand the police, working to restore past levels of police cent, reflecting a decrease for the fourth consecutive staffing by increasing the number of officers on the year with 1,400 fewer victims. 8 State of the City Report March 2019
46%
PUBLIC SAFETY
A TRAUMA-INFORMED CITY ›› Newark Cares Program. The Newark Police Division collaborated with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Newark Public Schools to implement the Newark Cares Program. Through appropriate notification when a child has been a victim or witness to crime/ trauma, school officials/personnel can assist with mitigating the negative effects experienced by such children exposed to trauma.
SAFETY HIGHLIGHTS ›› Two new precincts opened during 2018. The strategy of opening these two precincts was developed to provide greater police presence within smaller geographical areas. ■■ The 6th Precinct was opened in April in the Vailsburg section, located at 491 Irvington Avenue. ■■ The 7th Precinct was opened in November in the Roseville section, located at 159 North 10th Street. ›› Citizen Virtual Patrol (CVP). Partnership with the community to provide civilians access to Newark
LOWEST CRIME IN 50 YEARS Shooting Victims
Car Thefts
Burglaries
Carjackings
Property Crimes
Homicides
Violent Crimes
0
Robberies
Crime Continues To Drop
DOWN DOWN
6%
4%
-10 DOWN
16%
DOWN
18%
566
FIREARMS RECOVERED
-20 DOWN
30%
-30
DOWN
30%
DOWN
35%
1,400 FEWER CRIME VICTIMS
-40
-50 DOWN
56%
›› Victims’ Service Demonstration Project involves social workers embedded with police to address the needs of those surviving all forms of violence. This will build awareness and understanding of trauma-informed care in partnership of law enforcement and the medical community.
Police surveillance cameras deployed throughout the City to enable residents to virtually patrol their neighborhoods and assist police in deterring crime. Citizen Virtual Patrol grew from 62 cameras when launched last April to 126 with nearly 8,000 registered subscribers by year’s end. There has been a reduction in crime of four percent in areas where the cameras are deployed. ›› G.R.E.A.T. Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) is a partnership with Newark Public Schools. G.R.E.A.T. offers a classroom curriculum, for fourth and sixth grade students, taught by officers of the Newark Police Division. The program is designed to steer youth away from violence, gang membership, and delinquency at an early age. On June 15, 2018, the Police Division graduated approximately 2,000 students from the G.R.E.A.T. Program. ›› Hope One Newark Mobile Unit: This mobile outreach unit was created late last year to provide help to those struggling with opiate addiction. The van connects addicts and homeless individuals to treatment and shelter, and trains people in the life-saving use of naloxone, the opioid overdose antidote. Hope One is reducing crime, not through arrests, but through preemptive treatment and services. In its first month of operation, there were 302 visitors, 104 mental health placements, 21 rehab referrals, and 30 persons trained in narcan use. ›› Coffee with a Cop. This new initiative provides an opportunity for police and community members to come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, and build relationships over a cup of coffee.
-60
Source: Newark Police Division, 2018 compared to 2017.
March 2019 State of the City Report 9
A MODEL CITY
Enriching Quality of Life
New fire trucks and public works vehicles unveiled in 2018.
I
In 2018, the City of Newark created the Newark People’s Assembly to give residents more involvement in city decisions and patterned it after the innovative People’s Assembly created by Mayor Chokwe Lumumba ofJackson, Mississippi. The People’s Assembly gives residents a forum to voice their concerns and opinions to decision makers at City Hall who are deciding programs, projects, initiatives, and development. Meetings are being scheduled at each of the city’s 21 neighborhoods including Clinton Hill, Lower Broadway, Vailsburg, University Heights, South Ironbound, and more. 10 State of the City Report March 2019
There were five introductory meetings held from September 20 – October 8. ›› Other community meetings held were: ›› Lead Service Line & Water Filter D istribution information sessions from October 13 to November 8. ›› MX-3 Zoning meetings from November 26 to January 3. ›› Renting, Owning, and Living in the City of Newark in January 2019.
A MODEL CITY
NEWARK NAMED BEST CITY FOR IMMIGRANTS Newark was recognized in 2018 as the best city in America for immigrants. New American Economy—launched by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a cohort of business leaders—specifically ranked cities based on local government policies and socioeconomic integration into the community.
NEWARK NAMED IN TOP 15 WALKABLE CITIES LIST Last year, Business Insider reported that Newark is ranked no. 5 in top walkable cities in the U.S. because of how easily residents can get around without a car. This assessment was made by Walk Score, a company that analyzes car-free efforts in urban areas.
Improved Management. Improved Finances. For the second time in two years, Moody’s increased the bond rating of the City of Newark, which reflects that the City’s cash position is healthier and getting stronger every year. The City can now borrow at a lower interest rate and fund bonds at a lower interest rate. In previous years, the City depended on borrowing Tax Anticipation Notes to cover a portion of the City’s expenses. Since 2017, the City has not requested or borrowed any Tax Anticipation Notes. NO MORE BORROWING NEEDED Year
Amount Borrowed
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
$74.9 Million $69.8 Million $54.9 Million $0 $0
FINANCE HIGHLIGHTS: ›› Use of online business payments has increased more than 100% from last year. ›› Collected almost $10 million above budget from special taxes, which include payroll, parking and hotel taxes. ›› Anticipating $15 million operating surplus for 2018. ›› Increased investment income from approximately $237,900 in 2015 to $1.7 million in 2018.
PUBLIC WORKS HIGHLIGHTS: ›› Implemented “100 Days Clean Up” initiative ›› Demolished nearly 40 hazardous structures throughout the City ›› Began construction of new salt mine on South 12th Street ›› Implemented use of GPS to improve street sweeping, garbage collection, and snow removal ›› Secured a brine vendor to assist in our snow preparation efforts for the 2018-19 snow season ›› Secured 38 More Sanitation Vehicles: ■■ 2 sanitation garbage trucks ■■ 13 tandem dump trucks with spreader and plow ■■ 8 mason dump trucks ■■ 4 Ford F-250 trucks with spreader and plow ■■ 11 street sweepers
Newark increased repaving of roads to 9 miles annually, up from 4 miles a nnually. NEW AND REDEVELOPED PARKS Eddie Morales Field: The site formerly known as Ironbound Stadium was abandoned nearly four decades ago when multiple contaminants were identified. The completed effort will be a showpiece demonstrating the resilience of Newark. Ironbound Ice Rink: Redevelopment in partnership with the NJ Devils of the nearly 60-year-old plus ice rink, which was dormant and not operated for more than four years. The redeveloped site will serve as a hub to the community for not only ice skating but will also include after school programs and learning c enters. MLK Jr. Park: A small “pocket park” at the entrance to the Arts District of downtown Newark at the corner of Clinton Avenue & Dr. MLK Jr. Boulevard with free WIFI and seating in a manicured garden. Riverfront Park, Phase III: A 3.5-acre waterfront along the Passaic River includes walking trails, two exercise equipment areas, a playground, seating and lounging areas, and bird sanctuaries. Hank Aaron Field: A redeveloped 1.5-acre field serves as a central point for baseball training and league games. March 2019 State of the City Report 11
A DEVELOPING CITY
Development to Serve Newarkers
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With more than $4 billion dollars in new development and much more on the way, the breathtaking speed of change in Newark will accelerate dramatically in 2019. Mayor Baraka is actively involved in implementing strategies to ensure that the investment boom benefits ALL Newarkers, of all ages, races and ethnicities, in every neighborhood, and that no one is pushed out by the changes taking place. His mission is to achieve equitable growth resulting in a city democratically governed by social, racial, and economic justice. The challenge over the next four years and beyond is to create a culture of par12 State of the City Report March 2019
ticipation and inclusion that enables inequality to be replaced by equitable opportunity, prosperity and growth, rather than the gentrification and displacement that describes too many American cities. Top 10 Opportunity Zone in the Country LOCUS/Smart Growth American named the City of Newark’s 13 Opportunity Zones among the Top 10 in the country on the basis of Smart Growth Potential (SGP), as well as a Social Equity plus Vulnerability Index Score (SEVI). The Opportunity Zone designation will help drive investment and development across
A DEVELOPING CITY
the city, including those areas that have been neglected and suffering from disinvestment and deferred maintenance for years.
INCLUSIVE EQUITABLE GROWTH Research has shown that growing cities with affordability issues tend to displace the most vulnerable residents through gentrification. Newark is committed to an overarching policy of equitable growth to ensure that the benefits of new development extend to all Newark residents of limited economic means and to every neighborhood. When it comes to development and growth, we have created a variety of collaborative initiatives to ensure prosperity and opportunity. Initiatives include: Office of Affordability and Sustainable Housing: In 2018, the Office of Affordability and Sustainable Housing was formed to oversee the implementation of the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance, collaborate with minority co-developers on projects, and focus on inclusionary development.
›› Strengthened Rent Controls ›› Right to Counsel legislation to prevent evictions ›› Foreclosure Prevention Programs ›› Homeownership workshops Rent Control Registration: In 2018, the City of Newark shaped a new partnership between the, Rent Control Division and the Newark Housing Authority resulting in ensuring landlords meet all rent control registration requirements of the City of Newark prior to receiving approval for an application for new Section 8 tenants. Employee Ownership: The City of Newark is implementing the development of employee-owned businesses as a community wealth-building strategy. The employee ownership initiative allows company owners who are looking to sell or retire from their business to apply to the city for a loan (or loan guarantee) when transferring ownership to their employees. The program piggybacks on a federal law dating back to 1974.
Contractors Development Initiative: The Contractors Development Initiative consists of a mandatory 15 sessions designed to be a mixture Equitable Growth Commisof workshops (eight), and 1:1 consion: The 15-member comsultations (seven), along with admission consists of experts ditional access to six sessions of Development in drawn from the city’s comwebinars on QuickBooks instrucmunity, academic, business, the City of Newark tions. This is a five-month program and non-profit sectors to enthat launched last year. Participants is at $4.5B, up $2B sure that development policies must be Newark-based, fit the criteria from 2015. and projects in Newark incorto be MWBE certified, complete an porate the principle of equitable application and go through an interview growth. It will make recommendaprocess. The Newark CDI graduated 15 partions and provide advice on planning ticipants, of which three were bonded when the and land use laws and policies; housing law and program started. Of the remaining 12 participants, six policy; public financing for housing, real estate and were bondable after graduation and an additional infrastructure development; related public health four were bondable up to 12 to 18 months afterwards. matters, business development and procurement. This commission was formed to address the crisis Worker-owned Cooperatives: The City of Newark, of affordability in housing that began long before NCEDC, and the Freedom Paper Company will launch the development surge. the Newark Paper Co-op as a community wealth Some Outcomes Include: ›› Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance ›› The Homestead Ordinance ›› The Amended Long Term Tax Abatement Ordinance ›› Neighborhood Development Program
building strategy in March 2019. This co-op will be employee and minority-owned with a focus on the re-entry population.
March 2019 State of the City Report 13
A WORKING CITY
A
Connecting Residents to Jobs
University Hospital Newark 2020 employees
According to the Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics, the City of Newark is currently experiencing its lowest unemployment rate on record. The Newark Workforce Development Board and NewarkWORKS have used partnerships, collaboration and direct employer engagement to assist in lowering the unemployment rate for the City of Newark by placing more than 650 Newark residents in full-time jobs, 262 of those residents are re-entry. In addition, the City placed 3,000 youth, ages 14 to 24 in the Summer Youth Employment Program. Many of whom are still working in various positions throughout the City.
14 State of the City Report March 2019
NEWARK UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
U.S. saw lowest unemployment in 50 years in 2018. Source: Dept of Labor Bureau of Statistics
11.2%
5.2%
2013
2018
A WORKING CITY
Business Engagement at All-time High ›› Anchor institution engagement is at all-time high. Prudential, NJPAC, NJIT and Rutgers are collectively investing over $600 million on a Live Local incentive program. ›› Local procurement spend is up. Across all institutions, spend with local businesses is up from 3 percent to 9 percent, with a commitment to raise that to 20 percent by the end of 2020. ›› PSEG makes 45 Newark hires in 2018, 95 hires to date. PSEG held information sessions of Community Hub Leaders to increase Newark residents’ knowledge of PSEG’s application process, job requirements and ways to improve their skills. ›› Audible ■■ Audible partners with neighborhood restaurants and has subsidized 10,000 employee visits to neighborhood restaurants in the past two years alone, directly impacting the local economy. ■■ Hired over 100 high school students last year in paid internship positions. ›› Rutgers: Newark residents made up 8 percent of Rutgers University-Newark’s workforce in 2015 and now make up 15 percent in 2018. The number of hires of Newark residents from June 2017 to December 2018 is 352; 190 of these are full-time with benefits. ›› RWJBarnabas Health: When comparing to 2016, RWJBH has increased the number of staff who live in Newark by 16 percent over a two-year period. As part of RWJBH’s commitment to provide Newark residents with pathways towards livable wages, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center established a career ladder program and graduated its first class of 12 incumbent employees into Patient Care Technicians (PCTs) this past December. ›› Get into Energy PSEG Training Program: This partnership with PSEG, NJIT, and NewarkWORKS is a test preparation training program for PSEG’s GAS and CAST tests. The Newark Alliance lever aged existing funding to secure an instructor to provide the enrichment needed for success on PSEG’s entrance exams. Drawing from the Newark 2020 candidate pool, 32 Newark residents are now on a pathway to securing employment with PSEG thanks to this collaboration.
›› Diesel Technician Training Program: This is a partnership with New Community Corporation, the Newark Alliance and Provident Bank Foundation to launch Newark’s first diesel technician training program, which aims to train and certify 45 residents in 2019 to qualify for one of the most in-demand living wage occupations in our region. Seven employers, including United Airlines have made commitments to hire from this pool.
PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION WORKFORCE Newark Hosts Cities for Financial Empowerment Cities for Financial Empowerment, which funds 16 Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP) across the country, held their annual convening in Newark in October to spotlight Newark’s innovative model program. Newark Community Economic Development Corporation creates jobs and prepares residents for employment in well-paying jobs through a number of initiatives: ›› Mini MBA Program: The Newark Community Economic Development Corporation offers the Newark CEDC Mini MBA Program, a hands-on program that provides the knowledge and knowhow business owners need to create and manage a customized, three-year strategic growth plan. ›› The Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Program: The Youth Entrepreneurship Summer Program provides entrepreneurial mentoring to youth interested in building their business acumen. Youth were also able to participate on a weekly basis at the Newark Downtown District’s farmers market. ›› Per Scholas: The Per Scholas Newark Partnership will launch in March 2019 to prepare Newarkers for jobs in the tech sector. It is a partnership of Newark 2020, the Newark Alliance and Per Scholas Newark to support career pathway training. In addition to training, Per Scholas Newark is also hiring Newark residents for its growing staff.
March 2019 State of the City Report 15
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