Democracy in Action – 鶹Ƶ Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-favicon_logo-32x32.jpg Democracy in Action – 鶹Ƶ 32 32 Storm Water Project /projects/storm-water-project-2/ /projects/storm-water-project-2/#respond Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:33 +0000 https://portal.epicn.org/case-stories/storm-water-project/ Read More... from Storm Water Project

]]> Trash discarded on urban lands frequently makes its way into streams, creeks, rivers, and eventually
the ocean, as rainstorms wash it into gutters and storm drains. This trash pollutes California waters and
adversely affects beneficial uses that support aquatic life, wildlife, recreation, water supplies, and public
health.
In 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted an Amendment to the Water Quality Control
Plan for Ocean Waters of California (Ocean Plan) to Control Trash emitted into waterways (Part 1 Trash
Provision of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries or ISWEBE
Plan). Collectively referred to as “the Trash Amendments,” the policy objective is to provide statewide
consistency for the regulatory approach to protect aquatic life and public health beneficial uses and reduce
environmental issues associated with trash in state waters, while focusing limited resources on high trash
generating areas. Put simply, the California Ocean Plan prohibits trash exceeding five millimeters in size
from discharge into any waterway in California. The Trash Amendments of the Ocean Plan are implemented
through National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permits (Phase I, Phase II, Industrial
General Permit and Construction General Permit and individual Permits), and are not enforceable until
incorporated into a Permit. The City of San Marcos (COSM) is a NPDES Phase I Permittee.

]]> The purpose of this project was for students to research successful entrepreneurial
environments, community systems and government policies that engage, motivate, attract,
and expand entrepreneurial activities in the San Marcos region of influence. Students worked
throughout the semester studying environmental problems entrepreneurs face in the launch
and growth of a new venture in the surrounding area. Furthermore, they applied their
research and design-thinking methodologies to develop and propose solutions to help solve
the entrepreneur problems in the region. The proposals focus on the best practices among
entrepreneurs, governments, and communities in providing programs, resources and support
that can reduce the impact from the various challenges entrepreneurs face within a
community. The research and proposals will help the City of San Marcos and San Marcos
Economic Development Program understand ways to potentially help entrepreneurs in the
region and incentivize entrepreneurs to relocate to the area to start and grow their business

]]> The purpose of the Human Development 497 course collaboration with the City of San Marcos Senior Activity Center (SAC) was to review current volunteer processes and develop strategies for a more efficient structure for the volunteer process. Thirty three students studying with Dr. Eliza Bigham utilized a range of strategies, such as review of the literature from a wide range of databases, using an online survey program to gather input from current CSUSM students, consultations with the SAC Administrators, SAC Staff, and Professor Bigham, interviews with SAC members, and identifying appropriate models. The data, along with ideas generated in the classroom sessions, was utilized to construct effective materials addressing each of the objectives. By collaborating and applying the skills that they have learned throughout their academic program, the students were able to successfully deliver tools and recommendations to the SAC that will benefit the SAC’s future volunteer related procedures. 

]]> Community members of all ages and backgrounds increasingly use digital platforms
as a way to connect to each other and the issues they care about. As the city’s
primary digital portal, the city’s website serves as an information hub to residents
and is often the first experience a resident or visitor has with the City of San Marcos.
Similarly, social media is part of a foundation for a new type of democracy and
community participation. In order to provide accessible public information, the City
of San Marcos has been increasing the use of these communications channels and
social media marketing tools to reach residents, businesses and visitors. The city’s
goal is to make it easy for residents to connect with services and programs, and
provide visitors and businesses with an instant impression of what San Marcos is all
about. As such, it is critical that the city develops a data-driven approach to
understanding website visitors and the information desired; through analytics, this
project will provide insight into how the city can best communicate information to
visitors and residents.

]]> To decrease the frequency of repeat 911 callers by finding alternative options and community resources that are more appropriate to their needs rather than repeated use of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Utilization of alternative options and resources for low acuity, non-emergent patients will help increase the availability of EMS to higher acuity patients, decrease offload delays at the Emergency Room (ER), and decrease re-admittance rates.

]]> Students from the Sports Marketing discipline will create a Sponsorship Marketing Plan for the Double Peak
Challenge, a 10K, 2K and trail trot run to be held in September 2018. This event is led by the Friends of San
Marcos Parks & Recreation board, a non-profit arm of the City of San Marcos Community Services Department.
The sponsorship and marketing goals for the inaugural run held Oct 1, 2016, were intentionally set low
as it was a first-year event. Students will review what was done and create a new or revised plan, incorporating
everything from establishing sponsorship levels to promotion, execution and evaluation.

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]]> During the fall semester 2017, a Qualitative Methods in Sociology class at California State University San Marcos
(CSUSM) partnered with the City of San Marcos and Democracy In Action through the University’s Oce of
Community Engagement to conduct an exploratory study of parking in San Marcos’ Rosemont neighborhood.
Thirty-four undergraduate students collaborated on this multi-faceted research project to better understand
long-standing parking issues in the Rosemont development, a residential neighborhood not far from campus.
The following research questions guided our work:
·What is the problem?
·Who is involved?
·What expectations do stakeholders have about parking?
·How do those involved understand the origins and nature of the problem?
·What is being done in other locations to address similar challenges? What are some solutions that may be
eective in San Marcos to address t his particular set of challenges?

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

Democracy in Action Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Jill Weigt
Sociology

jweigt@csusm.edu

Local Government / Community Contact
Dahvia Lynch

Director of Development Services
dlynch@san-marcos.net

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