From Pilot To Permanence: Recommendations For Sustaining The Euclid Stewards Project

This report presents research and recommendations developed by students in Dr. Shawn Flanigan’s Public Administration (PA 660) course at San Diego State University through a semester-long collaboration between the Sage Project and the Euclid Stewards Project (ESP). The report identifies strategies for sustaining and institutionalizing the ESP, created by the Urban Collaborative Project (UCP), beyond its current pilot structure. Across the student research, four priorities emerged as central to ESP’s long-term success: establishing clear roles and responsibilities, securing recurring funding, offering consistent opportunities for community participation, and conducting ongoing performance measurement. The primary challenge is not a lack of supportive partners, but the need for a coordinated structure that connects UCP’s community leadership with the City’s formal authority, technical expertise, funding, and long-term maintenance responsibilities. The report’s central recommendation is to establish a Euclid Stewards Working Group and Maintenance Responsibility Matrix to clarify responsibilities among UCP, City departments, residents, businesses, and other partners. Additional recommendations include integrating ESP into the Chollas Creek Watershed Regional Park Master Plan, strengthening collaboration through the San Diego Promise Zone Alliance, developing a formal District 4 partnership program, creating a community stewardship micro-grant program, and piloting a public-nonprofit partnership with local businesses. These strategies are intended to complement one another rather than function as separate programs. However, they are also designed to be flexible: the working group can prioritize, adapt, and implement individual recommendations based on evolving needs, capacity, resources, and opportunities. Rather than requiring full implementation of every recommendation in a rigid sequence, the report provides a menu of options that can be pursued as appropriate. Establishing a clear governance structure would provide a foundation for determining appropriate partnerships, funding strategies, participation efforts, and evaluation practices, allowing ESP to grow while preserving its community-led character and ensuring that stewardship supports, rather than replaces, the City’s responsibility for public infrastructure and maintenance.