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Council approves community activity grants; debate over church-run Love Yucaipa event and in-kind support
Summary
The council approved Community Activity Grant awards, including in-kind support for Love Yucaipa, after several council members questioned whether public funds should support a program organized by faith-based groups. The full grants list was approved after the council split on Love Yucaipa’s funding.
The Yucaipa City Council approved the fiscal year 2025–26 Community Activity Grant (CAG) awards on June 9 after a contentious discussion over one applicant: Love Yucaipa, a citywide day of community service organized through faith-based groups.
Randy Bolling, appearing for GracePoint Fellowship and Love Yucaipa, thanked the council and said the May event united more than 300 volunteers and multiple churches and businesses to complete projects across the city. "Because of your partnership, we had over 300 volunteers that came together on May 3 to complete 14 impactful projects across our cities," Bolling said.
Several council members raised concerns about public dollars supporting an event run by a faith-based organization and asked whether the program had provided proof of nonprofit status and matched the grant funds. Staff confirmed the applicant had supplied documentation of its 501(c)(3) status and that the council’s CAG program requires a 100-percent applicant match for financial awards this year.
Council action and votes: Council approved the full slate of recommended awards in a two-stage process. First, council approved all applications except the Love Yucaipa request. Later the body voted specifically on Love Yucaipa’s in-kind award and approved it in a 3–2 roll-call vote: Councilmember Beaver — yes; Councilmember Miller — no; Councilmember Woolsey — no; Mayor Pro Tem Venable — yes; Mayor Thorpe — yes.
Other grants: Several other local organizations — including Yucaipa Pickleball, Family Service Association of Redlands (Yucaipa satellite), Yucaipa Valley Art Association and Yucaipa Calimesa Family Assistance — presented during public comment. Staff noted the ad hoc review committee recommended awards and that updated in‑kind cost estimates (for facility use and permits) were included in the packet addendum.
Ending: Council directed staff to ensure grant recipients meet the matching requirements and to continue checking applicants’ nonprofit status and program budgets before issuing funds.
