Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The Year in Review and Looking Ahead
Belmont City Council Meeting
June 2024
City of Belmont
Agenda
● Belmont’s DEI Initiative Update
● 2023-2024 Goals and Outcomes
● Looking Ahead
○ City Calendar
○ Cultural Events
Belmont’s DEI Statement (Internal)
The City of Belmont values and celebrates a
diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace
environment and commits to providing
everyone an equal opportunity to thrive.
2017 - City Council resolution protecting civil rights in the community 2021 - Appointed DEI Officer
2022 - Engaged consultant to assist with internal DEI effort ✓ DEI Steering Committee formed
✓ Organizational Culture and DEI Awareness survey conducted ✓ DEI working Committee formed
2022-2023 -DEI working Committee developed and implemented DEI initiatives 2023-2024 – Implemented DEI initiatives in City programs and services and engagement with the Community via DEI discussions, events, etc. 2017 to Present - Ongoing DEI improvements to benefit the Community Belmont’s DEI Initiatives to Date
Who is involved?
Staff and stakeholders
● City Manager - Partnership and support
● SMT - Support and leadership
● All Staff throughout the City participate in trainings, events and surveys ● City Council
DEI Steering Committee
Brigitte Shearer, Andrew Armando, Ann Ritzma,
Elizabeth Tsachres
DEI Working Committee
● Committee members: Annie Villaroman, AnnMarie Garcia, Antoine Abinader, Carina Cortes, Cody George, Danielle Giuliacci, Laura Kirby, Mara Perez ● DEI 2.0 (September 2023 to June 2024)
● One working session per month
Leadership
● City Manager, Council Members, SMT
DEI
Consultant
Irma Zoepf,
The Z Bridge
How are we doing it?
DEI Steering Committee
● Leads the DEI initiative coordination
● Liaison between the DEI Working Committee
and the City Manager
● Makes sure the plan and actions are executed
DEI Working Committee
● Attend DEI Committee meetings
● Fully participate, share ideas and opinions
● Develop the plan, actions, and tools to promote DEI in the workplace ● Be an ambassador for the DEI initiative and its practices All staff and stakeholders
● Participate in the various opportunities from the DEI initiative, e.g., training, listening sessions ● Share feedback, comments or ideas for DEI
● Be an ambassador for the DEI initiative and its practices • 2 Trainings with City Staff
Foundations of DEI
Handling Difficult Conversations
• 1 training with Senior Management Team
• 1 Training/ discussion session with Council
• Numerous local training opportunities for staff
JEDI conference with CPRS District 4
Conference sessions at CPRS, City Clerk, and other gatherings Redwood City Foundational Training Series
Quarterly San Mateo County DEI staff convenings to share ideas Cultural toolkits developed by San Mateo County Office of DEI shared with staff Training During DEI 2.0
1. Develop and confirm Calendar of Cultural and Community Recognitions/ Celebrations
2. Develop format for DEI updates to staff
3. Develop and conduct an activity interest survey and plan activity for staff to foster a fun and inclusive work culture
4. Identify resources for translation services
5. Identify and clarify how the City reaches out to underrepresented groups
DEI Working Committee 2.0 Goals
Develop and confirm calendar of Cultural and
Community Recognitions/ Celebrations
DEI Goal 1
• Federal, Non-Religious Holidays
• Professional Recognition (Day or Month)
• Historical Recognition (Day or Month)
• Cultural Recognition
• Community Positive/ Wellness/ Awareness (Day or Month) What’s Next
• Develop process for community engagement and leadership • Define City’s participation in and support of cultural events Federal, NonReligious
Holidays/ City
Observed
Holidays
Professional
Recognition
Federallyrecognized
Historical
Recognition
Cultural Recognition Community
Positive/ Wellness/
Awareness
• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther
King Jr Day (P)
• President’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence
Day
• Labor Day
• Veteran’s Day
(E)
• Indigenous
People’s Day
(P)
• Thanksgiving
Day (and day
after)
• Christmas
• Teacher
Appreciation Week
• Law Enforcement
Appreciation Day
• Admin
Professionals Day
• Public Works
Week (P)
• Parks Make Life
Better Month (P)
• Coach’s Day
• First Responders
Day
• International
Volunteer Day
• LGBTQ
History
Month
• Black
History
Month (P)
• Juneteenth
(P)
• Women’s
History
Month (P)
• Pride Month
(P, E)
• Lunar New Year (E)
• Arab American
Awareness
• Asian American/
Pacific Islander
Heritage (P)
• Filipino American
Heritage
• Native American
Heritage
• Dia de Los Muertos
• Jewish American
Heritage
• Hispanic Heritage
(P)
• Kwanzaa
• Diwali (E)
• Trans Day of Visibility
• Valentine’s Day
• Mother’s Day
• Father’s Day
• National Poetry (P,
E)
• Arbor Day (P, E)
• Earth Day (P, E)
• Older Americans
Month
• Mental Health
Awareness (E)
• Suicide Prevention
Week (P)
• ADA Anniversary
• National
Preparedness Day
• Dyslexia Awareness
• Halloween (E)
• Winter Events
• Deaf Awareness
• National Arts and
Humanities P: Proclamation; E: Event
DEI Goal 1
San Francisco: City Hall is available for all residents to host community events and cultural celebrations. Mayor Breed is dedicated to creating a more equitable San Francisco that celebrates its diverse population and many cultural communities. • 10 cultural districts; Arts Commission; Human Rights Commission; Office of Racial Equity San Mateo County: Supports art events, programs, outreach, engagement and services that create social vitality in neighborhoods, K-12 schools, and under-served constituencies; Provides grants for non-profit arts and culture partners (City of Belmont has received grant funds for cultural events)
• Office of Arts and Culture; Arts Commission, Chief Equity Officer Mountain View: Annual multicultural festival in collaboration with multiple community partners; requires significant supporting logistics and city resources
• Human Relations Commission
Redwood City: Events are held in collaboration with Casa Circulo Cultural, San Mateo County History Museum, Friends of Redwood City Library, Redwood City International, etc.
• Equity and Inclusion Officer
San Carlos: Community Foundation of San Carlos collaborates with the City and performs strategic philanthropy to create and amplify sustained and measurable impact for the San Carlos community Burlingame: Burlingame Parks Forever Foundation collaborates with the City to enhance the life of all residents in Burlingame and the surrounding communities by working with our city staff to facilitate volunteer opportunities, provide community outreach for park and recreation, and raise funds to support our local programs, facilities, and services.
DEI Goal 1
Lessons Learned & Recommendations:
Community interest must drive agenda, events, participants, marketing collateral, allocation of resources
Collaboration is key
• Partner with Belmont Library to elevate the quality and scope of the Lunar New Year and Diwali events
• Develop process for providing event space and logistics planning to facilitate local organization-led events
Resource constraints demand focused approach
• Continue to incorporate DEI into ongoing activities and events, operations, and services Develop format for DEI updates to staff
DEI Goal 2
• Newsletter format
• Quarterly editions
• Includes resources for DEI awareness/
training
What’s Next?
• HR will issue
• DEI Committee members will provide
content
Develop and conduct an activity interest survey and plan activity for staff to foster a fun and inclusive work culture DEI Goal 3
• Conducted survey – received 26 responses
• Staff is keen to have more opportunities to gather
• DEI Committee members hosted one lunchtime wellness event • P&R staff hosted an open space lunchtime hike
What’s Next?
• Expand events and activities beyond DEI subcommittee
• Offer a variety of quarterly events, indoors and outdoors Identify resources for translation services
DEI Goal 4
• Selected Hanna Interpretation and Translation Services • On-demand and pre-scheduled in-person & virtual
interpretation
• Document translation services
• 200+ languages; 24/7 availability
What’s Next?
• IT will own and oversee this vendor relationship
• Department reps will be training
• System is ready to go
Identify and clarify how the City reaches
out to underrepresented groups
• Interacting with organizations providing services for differently abled persons • Collaborated with BRSSD to share scholarship opportunities within Parks & Rec • Introduced ‘Mobile Rec’ concept at local school event; expanding this summer • Designed two new free events – hiking tours, gardening event What’s Next?
• Continue to identify underrepresented groups through the community-based organizations that serve the City of Belmont, Belmont schools, and community groups. • Collaborate with County Office of Community Affairs to provide enhanced community outreach in historically underserved areas and areas designated in the census as "hard to count" throughout the county
DEI Goal 5
Belmont’s Ongoing DEI Activities
Citywide Communications
● City website can be translated into 12 different languages ● Multi media exposure / channels
● DEI webpage
● Improving accessiblity to website, publications, and outreach channels Administrative Services
● Quarterly new hire employee “Lunch with the City Manager” ● Expanded categories of aggregated staff demographic data collection ● Revised employee recognition program
● Collaborate with San Mateo County and neighboring Cities for expanded DEI training options ● More comprehensive onboardning and offboarding of employees City Council
● Updated council compensation to be more equitable
● Belmont Historian's position created to help highlight City’s diverse history Police
● C.A.R.E Program (Crisis Assessment Response and Education) ● T.R.A.C Program (Tracking and Recovery of Adults and Children) ● Specialized staff training for mental health awareness and approaches Citywide Cultural Events
● Pride Month event (since 2019)
● Collaboration with Belmont Library for Lunar New Year and Diwali events ● Martin Luther King Poetry Contest (since 2023)
● Poet Laureate activities - Foster teen writing workshops, monthly poetry events on Zoom for greater participation, multicultural poetry events
● Support, promote and collaborate with Belmont Library on city-wide cultural events Public Works
● Improving ADA access in Belmont
Community Development
● Submitted revised Housing Element to Housing and Community Development for further comments ● Worked with developers to construct 131 affordable housing units in the past 18 months; 125 are under construction; additional 118 units have been approved by the City.
Belmont’s Ongoing DEI Activities, cont’d.
Parks & Recreation Programs and Services
● Provided opportunities for children with different abilities at signature events (e.g., Adaptive Egg Hunt, Superstars Dance) ● Inclusion Camp, including staff training to support this program ● Universal design playground swings
● Summer camp, aquatics, and school year program youth scholarships ● Senior programming scholarships
● Senior Tech program at Belmont Library and Twin Pines Senior and Community Center ● Volunteer activities and recreation programs for differently abled adults ● Co-hosting cultural events with Belmont Library and Belmont Youth for DEI ● Belmont Walks - weekly program to encourage gathering in all areas of Belmont ● Tax preparation program - served seniors with average annual income of $40K ● Received Age Friendly City designation; now preparing Age-Friendly City Action Plan ● Mobile Rec and Movies in the Park programs bring recreation activities out into the community ● Senior Van transportation to/ from Twin Pines Senior & Community Center ● Community Learning Center will be listed as a subsidy-eligible childcare provider through 4C’s of San Mateo County ● Reviewing field allocation process for equity
Belmont’s Ongoing DEI Activities, cont’d.
• Continued support from Leadership
• Implement final DEI 2.0 recommendations
• Continue offering training opportunities – in house and nearby Fundamentals of DEI
Additional Topics: Microaggressions, Power & Privilege, Racial Injustice • Establish DEI 3.0 Committee to continue with goal-setting and implementation of actions to operationalize equity
Looking Ahead - DEI 3.0
• Begin planning for Belmont’s Centennial Celebration
Enhance City’s centennial webpage to solicit input of ideas, memories https://www.belmont.gov/departments/administrative-services/centennial-2026 Belmont.gov
centennial
Engage community residents, businesses, sponsors
Develop a variety of events and activities
Develop plan for honoring the land on which we will celebrate Looking Ahead - DEI 3.0
City of Belmont and Belmont Youth for DEI are hosting a hybrid event Combatting Islamophobia and Antisemitism
Guest Speakers
Maha Elgenaidi
Karen Stiller
July 24, 7pm – 8:30pm
In person: City Hall, Emergency Operations Center
Virtual: Register through Belmont Parks & Recreation
Looking Ahead - DEI 3.0
Image by Patrickss on Freepik