9770 CULVER BOULEVARD, CULVER CITY, CA 90232-0507
MEMORANDUM
DATE: August 11, 2023
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR VERA AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CULVER CITY
FROM: Chair Carlos Valverde and Members of the Equity an d Human Relations Advisory Committee
SUBJECT: JANUARY- JUNE 2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND 2023/2024
PROPOSED ACTIVITY/UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE
NEXT 6 MONTHS
CC: John Nachbar, City Manager
Introduction
The Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee (EHRAC) was first appointed by City Council on June 8, 2020, and held its first meeting on July 28, 2020. The EHRAC will continue to work towards, modify and evolve its 2023-24 work plan for the duration of this fiscal year
List of Accomplishments January 2023 - June 2023
EHRAC dissolved a number of Ad Hoc subcommittees at the June 27, 2023, meeting in an effort to remain compliant with City CBC guid elines regarding the dissolution of Ad Hoc subcommittees that are no longer needed or h ave completed the assigned project of the subcommittee.
After a successful Civil Discourse Workshop in 2022, the EHRAC and participants developed civil discourse guidelines for the commun ity. These guidelines were presented to and approved by the City Council. EHRAC members continue to promote the Civil Discourse guidelines at various CBC meeti ngs. The guidelines will be communicated by staff to the public via GovDelivery, as an alternative to emailing the guidelines to public businesses via unsolicited emails
Over the January through June 2023 period, EHRAC he ld several special events/ meetings, as follows:
o Hosted a Nonviolence Workshop on February 28, 2023.
o Presentation of two (2) Community Contribution Organizational awards to Chitra Golestani and Art of The Runway at the City Council meeting held on May 22, 2023.
o Hosted a Community Conversation: “Focus on Ageism” on May 23, 2023.
Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee 2023 Accomplishments and 2023/2024 Work Plans Page 2 of 3 o Unanimously approved the statement created by forme r member Michele Dennis in honor of Pride Month, along with a request to wa ve the Pride flag in June. The EHRAC Pride statement was subsequently issued as a Proclamation by City Council and accepted by Member Dennis on June 12, 2023. o EHRAC members attended the Juneteenth celebration held on June 17, 2023, and distributed information to the public regarding the Civil Disco urse Guidelines and the Historical Context Study.
o Unanimously approved an amended Antisemitism Statem ent in accordance with the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition for g eneral response to acts of hate and violence against the Jewish Community on June 27, 2023. The statement has been submitted to the City Clerk’s office for next steps; and o Committee members received a presentation from Memb er McBride on the revisions to Police Cadet Officer Training on the R acial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) conducted in the State of California.
o EHRAC continues to make progress towards the compl etion of content and concept of the Diversity Awareness Projects and the “Recognizing and Preventing Harassment and Discrimination” document.
Scheduled Activities for the Remaining Six (6) Months
Receive updates from the Architectural Resources Group on the Historical Context Study and offer recommendations to improve community engagement Host a Latino Heritage Month Celebration – September/October 2023 Public Recognition of Indigenous People Day – October Host Hate Crimes Discussion – September 2023
Develop and Plan for future planned Courageous Conversations and Race Relations Workshop/s
Development of EHRAC Media Kit
EHRAC will also continue towards completion with the Diversity Awareness Projects Concept and Content generation.
Work Plan
The Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee’s work plan for the current fiscal year and looking forward will adhere to the following broad principles:
Hold additional special public meetings and events on community-wide problems arising in the City that could result in intergroup tensions or discrimination because of actual or perceived biases.
Continue to prepare and disseminate educational an d informational material relating to stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, implicit bias, microaggressions, and inequity, and ways and means of addressing such issues. Continue to work on Diversity Awareness projects - content and concept developed by the Diversity Awareness Ad Hoc Subcommittee
Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee 2023 Accomplishments and 2023/2024 Work Plans Page 3 of 3 Continue to track and publicly report on existing and emerging related issues stemming from complaints from individuals and visitors concerning interactions with City employees, elected and appointed officials, City contractors and City volunteers.
Select and distribute the Community Contributions Awards Medallion to one individual and one organization who have embodied inclusiveness, altruism, and giving through volunteerism and public service to make Culver City a better place for all people to live.
Review committee initiatives to align with City Co uncil objectives and priorities for the remainder of FY 23-24.
The new/updated work plan will be presented to City Council for approval, per EHRAC’s approval of the biannual accomplishments, remaining activities for 2023, and ongoing Work Plan at its July 25, 2023, regular meeting .