Goleta City Council
October 3, 2023

Agenda Item A.7

CPMS CONSENT CALENDAR
Meeting Date: October 3, 2023
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Kristine Schmidt, Assistant City Manager
CONTACT: Shannon Kirn, Management Analyst
Rebecca Eggeman, HR Analyst/DEI Officer
SUBJECT: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan Agreement Award RECOMMENDATION:

Authorize the City Manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Equity Praxis Group in the base amou nt of $74,674.35 and authorize the City Manager to approve additional services up to $ 7,500, for a total amount not-to-exceed $82,174.35, with a term ending December 31 , 2024, for development of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan and professional consulting services.

BACKGROUND:
“ENSURE EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESS IN CITY PROGRAMS, SERVICES, AND ACTIVITIES: The City of Goleta has a clear and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and access in government. The City appreciates and values the physical, social, and psychological differences between people and groups in our community. We endeavor to ensure that everyone in Goleta can reach their highest level of health and po tential for a successful life, regardless of their background and identity, and experience a sense of belonging in our community. To that end, the City will continually examine its policies and practices, seek new and innovative ways to engage and benefit the entire community, and make changes in any government policies, structures, services, or culture that negatively impact or do not fully benefit historically disenfranchised communities.”
- Key Initiative #9 from the City of Goleta Strategic Plan DEI Initiative
The City Council and management have affirmed th e City’s commitment to D iversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) various times over the City’s history through official statements, policies, and actions. On October 6, 2020, the City Council received a staff presentation on the City’s past DEI efforts, and new staff DEI Initiative was kicked off. This initiative involved:
1 Meeting Date: October 3, 2023

 The creation of a staff DEI Team to advise the City Manager on operationalizing the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all dimensions of City government, and to be responsible for designing, coordinating, and organizing the City’s DEI Plan and activities. The team includes representatives from each department as well as the City’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator, HR staff, and Community Relations staff.
 The creation of an Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council to support the DEI Team in its development of the DEI Plan and to bring the policymaker perspective to the process, facilitate efforts to engage th e community and regional peers in conversation, and preview the plan before its presentation to the full City Council  The designation of a DEI Officer in the Human Resources Division to support the DEI initiative by scheduling and chairing DEI Team meeting s, scheduling Ad Hoc Committee meetings, coordinating data collection and reporting, plan ning events and trainings, prepar ing reports for management and the City Council, and monitoring best practices in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in local government.

Recent Accomplishments
In spite of staff turnover in the DEI Officer position and the organizational effects of the pandemic since the kickoff of the DEI initiative in late 2020, the City has achieved various DEI-related improvements including, but not limited to, the following highlights:
 Held regular monthly meetings with the staff DEI Team to discuss D EI topics and occasionally touched base with the Ad Hoc Committee.
 Provided DEI Training, including training on implicit bias, to all staff and City Council members in 2021, with follow up training planned for Fall 2023.  Included a new 9th Key Initiative in the City’s FY 2021-23 and FY 2023-25 Strategic Plans to “Ensure Equity, Inclusion, and Access in City Programs , Services, And Activities”, with related strategic goals and objectives (adopted by Council on May 18, 2021, and March 21, 2023).
 Joined the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network of government agencies working to achieve racia l equity and advance opportunities for all.
 Joined DiversityJobs.com (“Connecting job seekers with employers who embrace diversity”) to reach job seekers are looking for diverse & inclusive organizations.  Created a City DEI website (https://www.cityofgoleta.org/your-city/city-manager-s- office/human-resources/diversity-equity-and-inclusion).  Analyzed the City’s employee demographic information and posted it on the City’s DEI website (this information was recently updated).
 Updated th e Equal Employment Opp ortunity and Non -discrimination and Harassment provisions in the City’s Personnel Rules (Adopted by Council on February 21, 2023).
 Created a new Citywide Nondiscrimination and Harassment Policy that is broadly applicable to members of the City Council, all City employees, all advisory boards, commissions and committees, all interns and volunteers, and all those who do business with, or who seek to do business with, the City of Goleta, (Adopted by Council on June 20, 2023).
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 Contributed non-discrimination and DEI requirements to be included in the new templates for City Professional Services Agreements, bid documents , and Purchase Order terms and conditions (roll out expected in Fall 2023).  Established a qualification for all board and commission members that “Applicants and members must demonstrate respect for the diversity of the Goleta community and be committed to ensuring equity, inclusion, and access for all residents and visitors in the provision of government services” (approved by Council on May 16, 2023).
 Officially included Cesar Chavez Day and Juneteenth as City Holidays (approved by Council on July 19, 2022).
 Created a Diversity Calendar acknowledging imp ortant cultural observances , which are regularly announced/recognized in advance at Council meetings and in the monthly Monarch Press.
 Increased the Spanish Engagement Specialist to full-time (approved by Council on June 21, 2022).
 Launched a Spanish Language City website, Goleta En Espanol, https://www.cityofgoleta.org/connect/goleta-en-espa-ol
 Included improved disability and language accessibility features in the City’s refreshed website.
 Installed a kiosk at the reception desk in City Hall to provide more immediate multilingual customer service via videoconference with bilingual staff.  Held the first LEAD Goleta academy with simult aneous Spanish language interpretation (Spring 2023).
 Began the Café y Communidad (Coffee and Community) events in City districts with a focus on outreach and inclusion for Spanish Speakers (Recently held in District 1 and District 2, District 4 is scheduled for Fall 2023).  The City’s DEI Officer regularly attends quarterly Diversity Inclusion Belonging Equity (DIBE) round table discussions with DEI leaders from throughout the County.
 City leadership and staff, including DEI Team members, have attended regular County DEI Symposiums (Spring 2022, Fall 2022, and Spring 2023).

Most of the achievements above were pursued as the opportunities arose. However, one of the strategic objectives that was approved as part of the DEI initiative and included in the City’s Strategic Plan is for staff to create DEI Plan to provide for more methodical analysis and implementation of DEI improvements. The staff DEI Team believes that this process would benefit from professional expertise in DEI. In July 2022, the DEI Ad Hoc Committee approved staff’s recommendation to engage consultant services for the creation and implementation of a DEI Plan.

The remainder of this staff report is to recommend authorizing the City Manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Equity Praxis Group (Attachment 1) for the development of the City’s DEI Plan and for consulting services. 3 Meeting Date: October 3, 2023

DISCUSSION:

The next step in the City’s DEI efforts is to collect data and information and then develop a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan (Plan) that is specific to the City’s needs and includes goals and objectives. Over the longer term, the progress toward those goals and objectives will be monitored, the effectiveness of our efforts will be evaluated, and we will regularly modify and adapt the Plan as needed.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued on February 15, 2023. The City received a total of 15 proposals from consultants locally and nationwide. Given the high volu me of proposals to review, staff took extra time in evaluat ing each proposal. After a thorough review by the evaluation team , and based on the quality and responsiveness of the proposals, two finalist firms were invited to interview with a panel from the DEI Staff Team.

Following the interviews in June/July 2023, staff assessed the consultants based on their responses to questions and determined that Equity Praxis Group is the most qualified consultant to accomplish the goals and work tasks of the RFP . The cost proposal for Equity Praxis group was also reasonable when compared to the other proposals.

Scope of Work
Equity Praxis will develop a comprehensive Plan that incorporates key governance focus areas such as: staff recruitment and retention; pro motional and career development; training to increase DEI awareness, competencies, and skills; government transparency; procurement and budgeting procedures; land use and capital improvements; boards and commissions; communication and public engagement.

The process includes performing a DEI assessment of the organization, establishing key priorities with internal staff and stakeholders, creating an action plan to guide the work, and setting measurable outcomes of the program to determine its effectiveness.

Some of the work that will be covered by the agreement includes:
 Conduct regular administrative/update meetings with the Project Team  Conduct an organizational analysis.
o Review existing information and work conducted by the DEI Team and Ad -Hoc Committee to identify successes, challenges, opportunities, and gaps in information; build on existing efforts. o Work with the DEI Team to select and tailor an organizational assessment tool such as the GARE (Government Alliance on Race and Equity) DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) assessment for cities.
o Conduct 1:1 interviews of 8 Executive leadership and 5 elected officials.
o Conduct research and analysis to identify best practices and benchmarks in each area and review with the DEI Team
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 Conduct a day -long retreat/training to strengthen shared language with staff DEI Team and Council Ad Hoc Committee
 Assess the current community landscape to develop a city-specific DEI plan. o Conduct 5 community listening sessions with diverse groups (Specific groups TBD) to be tter understand their perspectives, needs, and experiences
o Meet monthly with internal staff and stakeholders to establish key priorities and set measurable goals
o Prepare a report of findings with recommendations that clearly identify opportunities to strengthen DEI competencies of all City staff, policies, procedures, and programs
 Conduct a "Report Feedback and Meaning Making Session" with key City leadership, DEI Team, and key community stakeholders (if desired) to present the Draft Plan, solicit feedback and reactions, and identify next steps.  Use feedback to develop a final Draft Plan for approval by the City Council.

Consultant Qualifications
Equity Praxis Group is a mission drive consulting group founded and based in Goleta, CA in 2020. They strive to help organizations, groups, and communities engage in meaningful and productive conversations about diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in ways that bring people together; heal hurts caused by exclusion, marginalization, and inequity; and catalyze sustainable action for progress.

The Equity Praxis Group team:
 Is grounded in and an active contributor to the latest research in areas of diversity, inclusion, equity, justice (DIEJ), organization development, and systems change;  Brings over 300 years of combined expertise in the field;  Has worked across sectors with a diverse array of organizations and professionals, including government, nonprofit, for-profit, educational, law enforcement, arts and culture, healthcare, community, and more;
 Has partnered with the Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) to bring a customized Racial Equity capacity -building to jurisdictions in California’s Central Coast;
 Has produced measurable results with past and existing clients, demonstrating that a well-executed D EI initiative can improve both individual and institutional outcomes; and
 Has several team members who have liv ed and/or worked in Goleta for several decades, as well as team members from across the nation.

These combinations of expansive qualifications allow Equity Praxis Group to draw upon local knowledge, expertise, and relationships as well as national resources. The proposal evaluation and finalist interviews demonstrated that Equity Praxis most qualified consultant to serve the City of Goleta.
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Staff is therefore recommending the City Council to authorize the City Manager to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Equity Praxis Group, LLC in the in the base amount of $74,674.35 and authorize the City Manager to approve additional services up to $7,500, for a total amount not -to-exceed $82,174.35, with a term ending December 31, 2024, for development of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan and professional consulting service (Attachment 1). Equity Praxis Group’s proposal can be found in Attachment 2.

Staff met with the DEI Ad Hoc Committee on August 24, 2023 (Councilmembers Kyriaco and Reyes-Martín) and reviewed this recommendation.

GOLETA STRATEGIC PLAN:

This agreement will directly further progress toward the following goals and objectives:
2023-2025 City Strategic Plan
 Goal 9.2. Create a culture of learning and awareness at the City, and a workforce committed to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and access in the provision of City services.
o Objective 9.2.2. Engage a cross-section of staff on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team in the implementation of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan.
 Goal 9.5. Continually examine operational policies and practices to eliminate bias and ensure equity, inclusion, and access.
o Objective 9.5.1. Complete and present the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Plan to the City Council.
o Objective 9.5.2. Implement the recommendations for changes to policy and practice outlined in the DEI Plan.
o Objective 9.5.3. Use data to develop baselines, set goals, and measure the success of specific programmatic and policy changes.
o Objective 9.5.7. Explore a method of routine evaluation of equity impacts of City projects and programs.

City Manager 2023-24 Work Program Project
“Oversee the development of a citywide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan. This work will be completed in coordination with a professional consultant and Human Resources/Risk Management division staff.”
FISCAL IMPACTS:

The proposed contract amount is for a total amount of $74,674.35, with a termination date of December 31, 2024. In addition to the total cost, staff is recommending a contingency of $7,500 (approximately 10% of the total contract cost) to cover change orders or added work efforts that may arise during the course of the project. The total contract not-to- exceed amount including the contingency is $82,174.35.
6 Meeting Date: October 3, 2023

The current FY 23-24 budget has $100,000 available for this project in the City Manager’s Professional Services budget (101-10-1200-51200), so no appropriation is needed to cover the total costs of the contract.

ALTERNATIVES:

City Council could choose not to proceed with the staff recommendation and c hoose a different consultant to perform the project. Council could also choose not to move forward with hiring a consultant, however that could delay progress on this project.

Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:

Reviewed By: Legal Review By: Approved By:
___________________ ___________________ _________________ Kristine Schmidt Megan Garibaldi Robert Nisbet
Assistant City Manager City Attorney City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:

1. City of Goleta and Equity Praxis Group, LLC Professional Services Agreement , including Equity Praxis Group Proposal in Exhibit A.

2. Equity Praxis Group’s Proposal
7 ATTACHMENT 1
City of Goleta and Equity Praxis Group, LLC Professional Services Agreement, including Equity Praxis Group Proposal in Exhibit A
8 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

Project Name: DEI Plan

AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

BETWEEN THE CITY OF GOLETA
AND

EQUITY PRAXIS GROUP, LLC

This AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (herein referred to as “AGREEMENT”) is made and entered into this ________ day of ______ , 20____, by and between the CITY OF GOLETA, a municipal corporation (herein referred to as "CITY"), and EQUITY PRAXIS GROUP, LLC, herein referred to as "CONSULTANT").

SECTION A. RECITALS

1. The CITY has a need for professional consulting services for development of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan; and

2. The CITY does not have the personnel able and/or available to perform the services required under this AGREEMENT, and therefore, the CITY desires to contract for professional services to accomplish this work; and

3. The CITY procured these services in compliance with Goleta Municipal Code Section 3.05.260; and

4. The City Council, on this _____ day of _______, 2023, approved this AGREEMENT and authorized the City Manager to execute the AGREEMENT.

SECTION B. TERMS

1. RETENTION AS CONSULTANT
CITY hereby retains CONSULTANT, and CONSULTANT hereby accepts such engagement, to perform the services described in Section 2.

CONSULTANT warrants it has the qualifications, experience, and facilities to properly and timely perform said services.

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
The services (the “Services”) to be performed by CONSULTANT are as follows:

Professional Consulting Services shall generally include development of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan as more DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 9 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

particularly set forth in the Scope of Work, attached as Exhibit “A,” and incorporated herein.

CONSULTANT shall deliver to CITY the deliverables defined in Exhibit “A.”

3. COMPENSATION AND PAYMENT
(a) Maximum and Rate . The total compensation payable to CONSULTANT by CITY for the services under this AGREEMENT SHALL NOT EXCEED the sum of $74,674.35 (herein "not to exceed amount"), and shall be earned as the work progresses on the following basis:

Hourly at the hourly rates and with reimbursement to
CONSULTANT for those expenses set forth in CONSULTANT's Schedule of Fees marked Exhibit "B," attached and incorporated herein. The rates and expenses set forth in that exhibit shall be binding upon CONSULTANT until December 31, 2024 , after which any change in said rates and expenses must be approved in writing by CITY's Project Manager as described in Section 5 (CITY is to be given 60 days notice of any rate increase request), provided the not to exceed amount is the total compensation due CONSULTANT for all work described under this AGREEMENT.
(b) Payment. CONSULTANT shall provide CITY with written verification of the actual compensation earned, which written verification shall be in a form satisfactory to CITY's Project Manager , as described in Section 5 .

Invoices shall be made no more frequently than on a monthly basis, and describe the work performed (including a list of hours worked by personnel classification).

All payments shall be made within 30 days after CITY’s approval of the invoice.

4. EXTRA SERVICES
CITY shall pay CONSULTANT for those CITY authorized extra services, not reasonably included within the services described in Section 2, as mutually agreed to writing in advance of the incurrence of extra services by CONSULTANT. Unless CITY and CONSULTANT have agreed in writing before the performance of extra services, no liability and no right to claim compensation for such extra services or expenses shall exist. The applicable hourly rates for extra services shall be at the hourly rates set forth in Exhibit B, if one is included as part of this agreement . Any compensation for ext ra services shall be part of the total compensation and shall not increase the not to exceed amount identified in Section 3.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 10 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

5. CITY PROJECT MANAGER AND SERVICES BY CITY
The services to be performed by CONSULTANT shall be accomplished under the general direction of, and coordinate with, CITY's "Project Manager", as that staff person is designated by CITY from time to time, and who presently is Rebecca Eggeman. Project Manager shall have the authority to act on behalf of the CITY in administering this AGREEMENT but shall not be authorized to extend the term of the AGREEMENT or increase the not to exceed amount.

6. TERM, PROGRESS AND COMPLETION
The term of this AGREEMENT is from the date first written above to December 31, 2024 , unless term of this AGREEMENT is extended, or the AGREEMENT is terminated as provided for herein.

CONSULTANT shall not commence work on the services to be performed until (i) CONSULTANT furnishes proof of insurance as required by Section 10 below, and (ii) CITY gives written authorization to proceed with the work provided by CITY's Project Manager.

7. OWNERSHIP OF DOCUMENTS AND CONFIDENTIALITY
(a) Ownership of Documents. All drawings, designs, data, photographs, reports and other documentation submitted to the CITY (other than CONSULTANT's existing drafts, notes , internal memorandum , intellectual property, educational materials, frameworks, worksheets, templates, and tools ), including duplication of same prepared by CONSULTANT in the performance of these services, are the property of CITY. CITY shall be entitled to duplicates of the same upon completion of the work under this AGREEMENT, or at any earlier or later time when requested by CITY. CITY agrees to hold CONSULTANT harmless from all damages, claims, expenses, and losses arising out of any reuse of the plans and specifications for purposes other than those described in this AGREEMENT, unless written authorization of CONSULTANT is first obtained.
(b) Confidentiality. All ideas, memoranda, specifications, plans, procedures, drawings, descriptions, computer program data, input record data, written information, and other Documents & Data either created by or provided to CONSULTANT in connection with the performance of this AGREEMENT shall be held confidential by CONSULTANT. Such materials shall not, without the prior written consent of CITY, be used by CONSULTANT for any purposes other than the performance of the Services. Nor shall such materials be disclosed to any person or entity not connected with the performance of the Services. Nothing furnished to CONSULTANT which is otherwise known to CONSULTANT or is generally known, or has become known, to the related industry shall be deemed confidential. CONSULTANT shall not use CITY’s name or insignia, photographs of the Services, or any publicity pertaining to the Services in any magazine, trade DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 11 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

paper, newspaper, television or radio production or other similar medium without the prior written consent of CITY.

(c) Confidential Information. The CITY shall refrain from releasing CONSULTANT’s proprietary information ("Proprietary Information" refers to any information created by CONSULTANT that is not submitted to the CITY under subclause (a) of this section. ) unless the CITY’s legal counsel determines that the release of the Proprietary Information is required by the California Public Records Act or other applicable state or federal law, or order of a court of competent jurisdiction, in which case the CITY shall notify CONSULTANT of its intention to release Proprietary Information. CONSULTANT shall have five (5) working days after receipt of the release notice to give CITY written notice of CONSULTANT’s objection to the CITY’s release of Proprietary Information.

CONSULTANT shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the CITY, and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against all liability, loss, cost or expense (including attorney’s fees) arising out of a legal action brought to compel the release of Propriet ary Information. CITY shall not release the Proprietary Information after receipt of an objection notice unless either: (1) CONSULTANT fails to fully indemnify, defend (with CITY’s choice of legal counsel), and hold CITY harmless from any legal action br ought to compel such release; and/or (2) a final and non -appealable order by a court of competent jurisdiction requires that CITY release such information.

8. PERSONAL SERVICES/NO ASSIGNMENT/SUBCONTRACTOR
This AGREEMENT is for professional services which are personal to CITY. Jarrod Schwartz is deemed to be specially experienced and is a key member of CONSULTANT' s firm, and shall be directly involved in the performance of this work. This key person shall communicate with, and periodically report to, CITY on t he progress of the work. Should any such individual be removed from assisting in this contracted work for any reason, CITY may terminate this AGREEMENT. This AGREEMENT may not be assigned or subcontracted without the City Manager’s prior written consent.

9. HOLD HARMLESS AND INDEMNITY
(a) Hold Harmless for CONSULTANT's Damages. CONSULTANT holds CITY, its elected officials, officers, agents, and employees, harmless from all of CONSULTANT's claims, demands, lawsuits, judgments, damages, losses, injuries or liability to CONSULTANT, to CONSULTANT's employees, to CONSULTANT’s contractors or subcontractors, or to the owners of CONSULTANT's firm, which damages, losses, injuries or liability occur during the work required under this AGREEMENT, or occur while CONSULTANT is on CITY property, or which are connected, directly or indirectly, with CONSULTANT's performance of any activity or work required under this AGREEMENT.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 12 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

Client shall defend, indemni fy and hold CONSULTANT, its officers, employees and agents harmless from and against any and all liability, loss, expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees), or claims for injury or damages arising out of the performance of this AGREEMENT but only in p roportion to and to the extent such liability, loss, expense, attorneys' fees or claims for injury or damages are caused by or result from the negligent or intentional acts or omissions of Client, its officers, employees or agents.

(b) Defense and Indemnity o f Third Party Claims/Liability.

CONSULTANT shall investigate, defend, and indemnify CITY, its elected officials, officers, agents, and employees, from any claims, lawsuits, demands, judgments, and all liability including, but not limited to, monetary or p roperty damage, lost profit, personal injury, wrongful death, general liability, automobile, infringement of copyright/patent/trademark, or professional errors and omissions arising out of, directly or indirectly, an error, negligence, or omission of CONSULTANT or any of CONSULTANT’s officers, agents, employees, representatives, subconsultants, or subcontractors, or the willful misconduct of CONSULTANT or any of CONSULTANT’s officers, agents, employees, representatives, subconsultants, or subcontractors, in performing the services described in, or normally associated with, this type of contracted work. The duty to defend shall include any suits or actions concerning any activity, product or work required under this AGREEMENT, and also include the payment of all court costs, attorney fees, expert witness costs, investigation costs, claims adjusting costs and any other costs required for and related thereto. (c) No Waiver. CITY does not waive, nor shall be deemed to have waived, any indemnity, defense or hold har mless rights under this section because of the acceptance by CITY, or the deposit with CITY, of any insurance certificates or policies described in Section 10.

10. INSURANCE
CONSULTANT shall, at CONSULTANT's sole cost and expense , provide insurance as descri bed herein. All insurance is to be placed with insurers authorized to do business in the State of California with an A.M. Best and Company rating of A - or better, Class V II or better, or as otherwise approved by CITY.

Insurance shall include the following (or broader) coverage:

a) Insurance Services Office Commercial Liability coverage “occurrence” form CG 00 01 or its exact equivalent with an edition date prior to 2004 and with minimum limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 13 City of Goleta
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b) Insurance Services Office form number CA 00 01 or equivalent covering Automobile Liability, including hired and non -owned automobile liability with a minimum limit of $1,000,000 per accident. If the Service Provider owns no vehicles, this requirement may be satisfied by a non -owned and hired auto endorsement to Service Provider’s commercial general liability policy.

c) Workers’ Compensation insurance complying with California worker’s compensation laws, including statu tory limits for workers’ compensation and an Employer’s Liability limit of $1,000,000 per accident or disease.

d) Professional liability insurance that covers the services to be performed in connection with this agreement, in the minimum amount of $1,000,000 per claim.

Liability insurance policies required to be provided by CONSULTANT hereunder shall contain or be endorsed to contain the following provisions:

a) Except for professional liability insurance, CITY, its employees, officials, agents and member agencies shall be covered as additional insureds. Coverage shall apply to any and all liability arising out of the work performed or related to the contract. Additional insured status under the general liability requirement shall be provided on Insurance Services Office Form CG 20 10, with an edition date prior to 20 04, or its equivalent. Additional insured status for completed operations shall be provided either in the additional insured form or through another endorsement such as CG 20 37, or its equivalent.

b) General and automobile liability insurance shall apply separately to each insured against whom a claim is made or suit is brought, except with respect to the limits of the insurer’s liability. Coverage will not be limited to CITY’s vicarious liability.

c) Professional liability insurance policies inception date, continuity date, or retroactive date must be before the effective date of this agreement. CONSULTANT agrees to maintain continuous coverage through a period no less than three years after completion of the services required by this agreement.

d) Except for professional liability insurance, l iability coverage shall be primary and non-contributing with any insurance maintained by CITY.

e) Evidence of coverage (including the workers’ compensation and employer’s liability policies) shall provide that coverage shall not be suspended, voided, canceled or r educed in coverage or in limits DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 14 City of Goleta
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except after 30 days’ prior written notice has been given to CITY.

Such provision shall not include any limitation of liability of the insurer for failure to provide such notice.

f) No liability insurance coverage provided to comply with this AGREEMENT shall prohibit CONSULTANT, or CONSULTANT’s
employees, or agents, from waiving the right of recovery prior to a loss. CONSULTANT waives its right of recovery against CITY.

g) CONSULTANT agrees to deposit with CITY within fifteen days of Notice to Proceed of the Contract certificates of insurance and required endorsements.

h) There shall be no recourse against CITY for payment of premiums or other amounts with respect to the insurance requ ired to be provided by CONSULTANT hereunder. Any failure, actual or alleged, on the part of CITY to monitor compliance with these requirements will not be deemed as a waiver of any rights on the part of CITY. CITY has no additional obligations by virtue of requiring the insurance set forth herein. In the event any policy of insurance required under this AGREEMENT does not comply with these requirements or is canceled and not replaced, CITY has the right but not the duty to obtain the insurance it deems n ecessary and any premium paid by CITY will be promptly reimbursed by CONSULTANT or CITY will withhold amounts sufficient to pay premium from CONSULTANT payments.

i) CONSULTANT agrees to provide immediate notice to CITY of any claim or loss against CONSULTANT arising out of the work performed under this AGREEMENT. CITY assumes no obligation or liability by such notice, but has the right (but not the duty) to monitor the handling of any such claim or claims if they are likely to involve CITY.

11. RELATIONSHIP OF CONSULTANT TO CITY
The relationship of the CONSULTANT to CITY shall be that of an independent contractor and that in no event shall CONSULTANT be considered an officer, agent, servant or employee of CITY. CONSULTANT shall be solely responsible for any workers compensation insurance, withholding taxes, unemployment insurance, and any other employer obligations associated with the described work.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 15 City of Goleta
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12. CORRECTIONS
In addition to the above indemnification obligations, CONSULTANT shall correct, at its expense, all errors in the work that may be disclosed during CITY's review of CONSULTANT's report or plans. Should CONSULTANT fail to make such correction in a reasonably timely manner, such correction shall be made by CITY, and the cost thereof shall be charged to CONSULTANT or withheld from any funds due to CONSULTANT hereunder.

13. TERMINATION BY CITY
CITY, by notifying CONSULTANT in writing, may upon 10 calendar days notice, terminate without cause any portion or all of the services agreed to be performed under this AGREEMENT. If termination is for cause, no notice period need be given. In the event of termination, CONSULTANT shall have the right and obligation to immediately assemble work in progress for the purpose of closing out the job. All compensation for actual work performed and charges outstanding at the time of termination shall be payable by CITY to CONSULTANT within 30 days following submission of a final statement by CONSULTANT unless termination is for cause. In such event, CONSULTANT shall be compensated only to the extent required by law.

14. ACCEPTANCE OF FINAL PAYMENT CONSTITUTES RELEASE
The acceptance by CONSULTANT of the final payment made under this AGREEMENT shall operate as and be a release of CITY from all claims and liabilities for compensation to CONSULTANT for anything done, furnished, or relating to CONSULTANT'S work or services. Acceptance of payment shall be any negotiation of CITY's check or the failure to make a written extra compensation claim within 10 calendar days of the receipt of that check.

However, approval or payment by CITY shall not constitute, nor be deemed, a release of the responsibility and liability of CONSULTANT, its employees, subcontractors, agents and CONSULTANTs for the accuracy and competency of the information provided and/or work performed; nor shall such approval or payment be deemed to be an assumption of such responsibility or liability by CITY for any defect or error in the work prepared by CONSULTANT, its employees, subcontractors, agents and consultants.

15. AUDIT OF RECORDS
At any time during normal business hours and as often as it may deem necessary, CONSULTANT shall make available to a representative of CITY for examination of all its records with respect to all mat ters covered by this AGREEMENT and will permit CITY to audit, examine and/or reproduce such records. CONSULTANT will retain such financial records, time sheets, work progress reports, invoices, bills and project records for at least two years after termination or final payment under this AGREEMENT.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 16 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

16. WAIVER; REMEDIES CUMULATIVE
Failure by a party to insist upon the strict performance of any of the provisions of this AGREEMENT by the other party, irrespective of the length of time for which such failure continues, shall not constitute a waiver of such party's right to demand strict compliance by such other party in the future. No waiver by a party of a default or breach of the other party shall be effective or binding upon such party unless made in writing by such party, and no such waiver shall be implied from any omissions by a party to take any action with respect to such default or breach. No express written waiver of a sp ecified default or breach shall affect any other default or breach, or cover any other period of time, other than any default or breach and/or period of time specified. All of the remedies permitted or available to a party under this AGREEMENT, or at law or in equity, shall be cumulative and alternative, and invocation of any such right or remedy shall not constitute a waiver or election of remedies with respect to any other permitted or available right of remedy.

17. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
CONSULTANT is unaware of any CITY employee or official that has a financial interest in CONSULTANT'S business. During the term of this AGREEMENT and/or as a result of being awarded this AGREEMENT, CONSULTANT shall not offer, encourage or accept any financial intere st in CONSULTANT'S business by any CITY employee or official.

18. CONSTRUCTION OF LANGUAGE OF AGREEMENT
The provisions of this AGREEMENT shall be construed as a whole according to its common meaning of purpose of providing a public benefit and not strictly fo r or against any party. It shall be construed consistent with the provisions hereof, in order to achieve the objectives and purposes of the parties.

Wherever required by the context, the singular shall include the plural and vice versa, and the masculine gender shall include the feminine or neutral genders or vice versa.

19. MITIGATION OF DAMAGES
In all situations arising out of this AGREEMENT, the parties shall attempt to avoid and minimize the damages resulting from the conduct of the other party.

20. GOVERNING LAW
This AGREEMENT, and the rights and obligations of the parties, shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of California.

Should litigation occur, venue shall be in Superior Court of Santa Barbara County.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 17 City of Goleta
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21. NONDISCRIMINATION
CONSULTANT shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal or state law.

22. TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
CONSULTANT shall provide CITY with a complete Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, Form W -9 (Rev. October 2018 ), as issued by the Internal Revenue Service.

23. NON-APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS
Payments due and payable to CONSULTANT for current services are within the current budget and within an available, unexhausted and unencumbered appropriation of CITY funds. In the event CITY has not appropriated sufficient funds for payment of CONSULTANT services beyond the current fiscal year, this AGREEMENT shall cover only those costs incurred up to the conclusion of the current fiscal year.

24. MODIFICATION OF AGREEMENT
The tasks described in this AGREEMENT and all other terms of this AGREEMENT may be mod ified only upon mutual written consent of CITY and CONSULTANT.

25. USE OF THE TERM “CITY”
Reference to “ CITY” in this AGREEMENT includes City Manager or any authorized representative acting on behalf of CITY.

26. PERMITS AND LICENSES
CONSULTANT, at its sole expe nse, shall obtain and maintain during the term of this AGREEMENT, all appropriate permits, licenses, and certificates that may be required in connection with the performance of services under this AGREEMENT.

27. CAPTIONS
The captions or headings in this AGREEMENT are for convenience only and in no other way define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision or section of the AGREEMENT.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 18 City of Goleta
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28. AUTHORIZATION
Each party has expressly authorized the execution of this AGREEMENT on its behalf and bind said par ty and its respective administrators, officers, directors, shareholders, divisions, subsidiaries, agents, employees, successors, assigns, principals, partners, joint venturers, insurance carriers and any others who may claim through it to this AGREEMENT.

29. ENTIRE AGREEMENT BETWEEN PARTIES
Except for CONSULTANT'S proposals and submitted representations for obtaining this AGREEMENT, this AGREEMENT supersedes any other agreements, either oral or in writing, between the parties hereto with respect to the rendering of services, and contains all of the covenants and agreements between the parties with respect to said services.

30. PARTIAL INVALIDITY
If any provision in this AGREEMENT is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will nevertheless continue in full force without being impaired or invalidated in any way.

31. NOTICES
Any notice required to be given hereunder shall be deemed to have been given by depositing said notice in the United States mail, postage prepaid, and addressed as follows:

TO CITY: Attention: Robert Nisbet, City Manager
City of Goleta
130 Cremona Drive, Suite B
Goleta, CA 93117

TO CONSULTANT: Equity Praxis Group
85 Willow Springs Ln. #102
Goleta, CA 93117

32. COUNTERPARTS AND ELECTRONIC/FACSIMILE SIGNATURES
This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, which may be facsimile or electronic copies. Each counterpart is fully effective as an original, and together constitutes one and the same instrument.

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 19 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

In concurrence and witness whereof , this AGREEMENT has been executed by the parties effective on the date and year first above written.

CITY OF GOLETA CONSULTANT

_____________________________ _____________________________ Robert Nisbet, City Manager By: Jarrod Schwartz Title: Founder, Principal

ATTEST

_____________________________
Deborah Lopez, City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

MEGAN GARIBALDI, CITY ATTORNEY

_____________________________
Scott Shapses, Deputy City Attorney

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 20 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

EXHIBIT A

SCOPE OF WORK

The following section identifies the anticipated tasks that will be the focus of this agreement as outlined in the Request for Proposals DEI Plan and Consulting Services dated February 15, 2023. The anticipated work tasks will be done in coordination with City staff.

A. Project Description

1. The focus of the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are to collect data and information and then develop a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan (Plan) that is specific to the City’s needs and includes goals and objectives.

B. Goals and Outcomes

1. Develop a comprehensive Plan that incorporates key governance areas such as: recruitment and retention; promotional and career development; training to increase DEI awareness, competencies, and skills, and to guide plan implementation; government transparency; procurement and budgeting procedures; land use and capital improvements; boards and commissions; communication and public engagement.

2. The process includes performing a DEI assessment of the organization, establishing key priorities with internal staff and stakeholders, creating an action plan to guide the work, and setting measurable outcomes of the program to determine its effectiveness. The Consultant will evaluate the current landscape to develop a city -specific DEI plan and prepare a report of findings with recommendations that clearly identify opportunities to strengthen DEI competencies of all City staff, polices, procedures, and programs.

C. Qualifications

1. The Consultant shall:
a. Be qualified in organizational assessments, strategic planning, and system change as related to DEI
b. Have a sophisticated understanding of organizational management strategies and tools in the public sector
c. Be experienced in addressing organizational goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion
d. Understand the processes which drive change in governmental and public agencies
e. Have proven talent in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data
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f. Rely on evidence -based and promising practices to guide recommendations
g. Have successfully developed actionable plans with clear metrics for measuring success
h. Work collaboratively with the City to develop solutions in consideration of the organization’s unique history and culture
i. Be respectful of the City’s staff, elected offic ials, and constituents and acknowledge their role in solution finding
j. Have knowledge of the City of Goleta and the diverse communities that live, work, and play within Goleta and the geographical region D. General Administration

1. Consultant shall (in coordinat ion with DEI Team and Project Manager/City Staff as appropriate):
a. Conduct regular general administration meetings by video conference, weekly or as otherwise agreed, with City Project Management staff to review timelines and progress
b. Develop regular meetin g schedule, meeting agendas, and summaries/action items from each meeting
c. Finalize project timeline and process
d. Facilitate any stakeholder meetings or listening sessions with community and develop all materials
e. Draft, edit and present all interim reports
f. Manage quality control of work product
g. Draft, edit and present final Strategic Plan document to City Council E. Project Phases
The scope of work for this project will encompass the items outlined in the Consultant’s Attachment A ( Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal ), found in the Consultant’s Response to DEI Plan and Consulting Services RFP , dated April 17, 2023, which was submitted to the City (attached as “Attachment A”). Per Attachment A, this scope of work includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Phase 1: Assess
a. Perform DEI Assessment of organization
b. Review existing information and work conducted by the DEI Team and Ad-Hoc Committee to identify successes, challenges, opportunities, and gaps in information; build on existing efforts
c. Work with the DEI Team to select and tailor an organizational assessment tool such as the GARE (Government Alliance on Race and Equity) DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) assessment for cities DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 22 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

d. Conduct 1:1 interviews of 8 Executive leadership and 5 elected officials. e. Collect and analyze data
f. Conduct research and analysis to identify best practices and benchmarks in each area and review with the DEI Team
g. Deliverables:
i. Initial assessment of: Recruitment and retention; promotional and career deve lopment; training to increase DEI awareness, competencies, and skills, and to guide plan implementation; government transparency; procurement and budgeting
procedures; land use and capital improvements; boards and commissions; communication and public engagement

2. Phase 2: Gather Community Assets
a. Conduct a day -long retreat to strengthen shared language with staff DEI Team and Council Ad Hoc Committee
b. Deliverables:
i. Present results of the assessment and intentionally plan next steps

3. Phase 3: Plan
a. Meet monthly for 8 months with internal staff and stakeholders to establish key priorities and set measurable goals

4. Phase 4: Engage Community
a. Assess the current community landscape to develop a city -specific DEI plan.
b. Conduct 5 community listening sessions with diverse groups (Specific groups TBD with the DEI Team. Examples might include: Latine/o/a; LGBTQIA; Black/African American; Goleta Business owners; Goleta-based and serving Non -profits; Arts Community; Community Safety; etc.) to better understand their perspectives, needs, and experiences c. Collect and analyze data
d. Deliverables:
i. Develop all agenda and materials for each listen session ii. Provide meeting minutes and summaries of key findings and data analysis of each listening session

5. Phase 5: Prepare Draft Report
a. Prepare a report of findings with recommendations that clearly identify opportunities to strengthen DEI competencies of all City staff, policies, procedures, and programs
b. Deliverables:
i. Draft report

6. Phase 6: Finalize Report and Implementation Plan
DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 23 City of Goleta
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a. Conduct a "Report Feedback and Meaning Making Session" with key City leadership, DEI Team, and key community stakeholders (if desired) to present the Draft Plan, solicit feedback and reactions, and identify next steps.
b. Use feedback to develop a final Draft Plan to be voted on by the City Council.
c. Deliverables:
i. Finalize Draft Report
ii. Present to City Council
iii. Incorporate direction from the City Council into final plan document
iv. Implementation Plan

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 24 City of Goleta
City Manager’s Office/Human Resources and Equity Praxis Group, LLC

EXHIBIT B

PRICING SCHEDULE

All itemized actual expenses shall be submitted on invoices to the City of Goleta on a regular basis at the rates and total not-to exceed listed in Table 1. All travel shall be preapproved by the City of Goleta.

Table 1. Pricing Schedule
Description Rate Total
Professional Consulting services for DEI Plan $175/Hour $59,150.00 Translation: Lena Morán-Acereto
(Spanish-English)
As needed
($0.15/word) $1,500.00
Interpretation: Lena Morán-Acereto
(Spanish-English)
As needed $2,000.00
Travel N/A $1,784.22
Supplies & Materials N/A $500.00
Project Management: René Castro (@
15%)
15% of line items
1-5 above $9,740.13
Total NTE Contract Amount $74,674.35

DocuSign Envelope ID: 8618E4DE-299E-472B-AE7A-70DD94F82A88 25 ATTACHMENT 2
Equity Praxis Group’s Proposal
26 Equity Praxis Group | www.equitypraxis.com | [email protected] | 805.364.2644 85 Willow Springs Ln. #102, Goleta, CA 93117
April 17, 2023

To: The City of Coleta
130 Cremona Dr.

Goleta, CA 93117

From: Equity Praxis Group
85 Willow Springs Ln. #102
Goleta, CA 93117

Re.: Response to DEI Plan and Consulting Services RFP

ATTN. Shannon Kim:

Equity Praxis Group is pleased to submit this proposal for consulting services designed to help the City of Goleta develop and implement a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

Equity Praxis Group is a mission drive consulting group founded and based in Goleta, CA in 2020. We strive to help organizations, groups, and communities engage in meaningful and productive conversations about diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in ways that bring people together; heal the hurts caused by exclusion, marginalization, and inequity; and catalyze sustainable action for progress.

Equity Praxis Group and its team:
● is grounded in and an active contributor to the latest research in areas of diversity, inclusion, equity, justice (DIEJ), organization development, and systems change; ● brings over 300 years of combined expertise in the field; ● has worked across sectors with a diverse array of organizations and professionals, including government, nonprofit, for-profit, educational, law enforcement, arts and culture, healthcare, community, and more;
● has partnered with the Government Alliance on Race & Equity to bring a customized Racial Equity capacity-building to jurisdictions in California’s Central Coast; ● has produced measurable results with past and existing clients, demonstrating that a well- executed DIEJ initiative can improve both individual and institutional outcomes; ● has several team members who have been living and/or working in Goleta for several decades, as well as team members from across the nation. This combination allows us to draw upon local knowledge, expertise, and relationships as well as national resources.

Please accept the following proposal that outlines how Equity Praxis Group can help the City of Goleta meet its goals of
• taking actions that advance equity within the organization and community; • collecting data and information;
27 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 2 of 25 • developing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan (Plan) that is specific to the City’s needs and includes goals and objectives;
• monitoring progress toward those goals and objectives and evaluating the • effectiveness of its efforts, while regularly modifying and adapting the Plan as needed.

Thank you for taking on this important work. And for considering Equity Praxis Group as a partner. If you have questions and/or want to discuss this proposal in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or 805.364.2644.

Thank you again for your consideration,

Jarrod Schwartz
Founder + Principal

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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 3 of 25 SECTION 2: CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS

Firm Overview & Qualifications: Equity Praxis Group, LLC Equity Praxis Group (EPG) is a mission-driven consulting practice supporting organizations, communities, and individual leaders in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). EPG helps people put cutting edge DEIJ and organization development theory into practice in order to transform their organizations, communities, and, ultimately, our world.

EPG brings over 30 years of experience offering DEIJ training, coaching, strategic planning, and organizational development services to help organizations become more diverse, inclusive, equitable, just, and effective.

Our expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) uniquely positions us to serve people and organizations in the education, health care, non-profit, government, business, and faith sectors.

Key Areas of Expertise
Content Areas
● Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
& Justice (DEIJ)
● Intersectionality
● Implicit Bias
● Microaggressions
● Dismantling Oppression
● Racism
● Sexism
● Genderism
● Heterosexism
● Ableism
● Ageism / Adultism
● Faith-Based Oppression
● Classism
Skills
● Leadership Development
● Organization Development
● Systems Change
● Dialogue Facilitation
● Culturally Proficiency
● Conflict Management
● Managing Group Dynamics
● Intergroup Relations
● Organizational Assessment
● Strategic Planning
● Restorative Justice &
Discipline
Fields / Sectors
● Education (PreK-12)
● Education (Higher Ed.)
● Government
● Nonprofit
● Healthcare
● Law Enforcement
● Community
● Faith
● Media

Jarrod Schwartz/Equity Praxis Group
Client List (partial):
● CALM
● California State University-
Northridge
● Clayton School District
● Cottage Hospital
● Museum of Tolerance
● North Los Angles Regional
Center
● Oxnard School District
● Pepperdine University
● Social Justice Fund for
Ventura County
● South Central Los Angeles
Regional Center
● Strive Partnership
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 4 of 25 ● County of Santa Barbara
● County of Santa Barbara
Employee University
● County of Santa Barbara
Housing Authority
● County of Santa Barbara
Probation Office
● Deckers Brands
● Far Northern Regional
Center
● Goleta Union School District
● Inland Regional Center
● Isla Vista Youth Projects
● Museum of Contemporary
Art, Santa Barbara
● RHM Design
● Santa Barbara City College
● Santa Barbara County
Education Office
● Santa Barbara Natural
History Museum
● Santa Barbara Police
Department
● Santa Barbara Unified
School District
● Santa Maria Bonita School
District
● Santa Maria Joint Union
High School District
● StriveTogether
● Tri-Counties Regional
Center
● University of California
Office of the President &
California State University
Systems
● University of California,
Santa Barbara
● University of California,
Santa Barbara Associated
Students
● Ventura County School
Board Association

Equity Praxis Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice are both ethical imperatives and strategic business principles. We intentionally foster a diverse group of team members, and we work to ensure everyone is able to bring their full selves to the table and to all that they do. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law or otherwise. We meet our clients where they are and work to help them articulate and achieve their goals and objectives.

Equity Praxis Group, LLC is fully insured and can provide a certificate of insurance as needed.

Professional Biographies – City of Goleta Lead Team Members and Roles Equity Praxis Group has a team of 12 core consultants and a network of dozens of others who are deployed to various clients and projects based on their unique expertise and experience. Equity Praxis Group does not have any employees. All of our team members serve as subcontractors, which allows us to build a team of local and national leaders with the expertise and skills to meet each unique client need.

While we may pull from our entire team to work with the City of Goleta, the primary team members will be:
• Katya Armistead, Project Facilitator: As a Project Facilitator, Katya will co-facilitate meetings, training, plan development, and community listening sessions. • René Castro, Project Manager: As the Project Manager, René will be in charge of creating process to track project activities and deliverables. He will help manage the EPG team and ensure effective and consistent communication between EPG and the City of Goleta. 30 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 5 of 25 • Lena Morán-Acereto, Project Facilitator and Language Access/Justice Lead: As a Project Facilitator, Lena will serve as a co-facilitator of meetings, training, plan development, and community listening sessions. In addition, as the Language Access/Justice Lead, Lena will help our team ensure that all processes, meetings, and sessions are linguistically inclusive and equitable. Given that Goleta has a significant Spanish-speaking population as well as other language groups, we want to make sure that language is not a barrier to participation in community listening sessions or meetings between City DEI leaders and community stakeholders that will be a part of this effort. Lena will also coordinate translation and interpretation services as needed.
• Jarrod Schwartz, Project Lead: As Project Lead, Jarrod will manage the EPG team and be EPG’s point person on the design and implementation of City of Goleta contract. He will co-facilitate meetings with City personnel, community stakeholders, and any training and education sessions. He will also co-facilitate the plan development process. • Senior Research TBD: As we help the City of Goleta develop the DEI Plan, we will seek feedback from both internal and external stakeholders through listening sessions and, possibly, surveys.

To help analyze the data and prepare a report of findings, EPG will assign one of our Senior Researchers to this project. The specific research will be assigned once a contract is confirmed and the specific timeline for research is established.

Full bios for these 4 team members are included in Section 4: Key Personnel and Qualifications.

To learn more about the full Equity Praxis Group team, visit: https://www.equitypraxis.com/our-team.

Potential conflicts of interest: EPG Founder + Principal, Jarrod Schwartz as worked with several members of the Goleta City Council including Councilmembers Luz Reyes-Martin, Kyle Richards, and James Kyriaco. While we do not believe this results in any conflict of interest, we did want to be transparent about these relationships.

SECTION 3. DEI PLAN TIMELINE
Please see Attachment A: Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal

SECTION 4. KEY PERSONNEL AND QUALIFICATIONS
The names and biographies of all key personnel, including subconsultants, are below. Resumes are included as separate attachments. An organizational plan is included as Attachment A: Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal. This document outlines when and where each team member will be deployed, as well as the anticipated total number of hours for each activity.

Project Lead: Jarrod Schwartz, MSOD
Jarrod Schwartz is an educator and consultant with over 30 years of experience working with schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, government, and communities. Jarrod’s unique approach draws upon the fields of social justice and organization development to foster inclusive, multi-stakeholder 31 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 6 of 25 processes that result in community and social change. He is the Founder and Principal of Equity Praxis Group (EPG), a mission-driven consulting practice supporting organizations, communities, and individual leaders in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, justice (DEIJ), and systems change. EPG helps people put cutting edge DEIJ and organization development theory into practice in order to transform their organizations, communities, and, ultimately, our world.

Prior to launching Equity Praxis Group, Jarrod served for close to 20 years as the founding Executive Director of Just Communities – a non-profit social justice organization that worked to ensure every school, workplace and community in California’s Central Coast was a place of opportunity; not a place of limitation.

Jarrod has extensive experience working with government agencies and jurisdictions. From 2017 to 2018, Jarrod partnered with the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) to bring the Racial Equity Learning Year to the Central Coast of California. The process allowed cross-departmental teams of government employees from the County of Santa Barbara, City of Santa Barbara, and County of Ventura to participate in a year-long racial program that helped them learn more about racial equity and draft Racial Equity Action Plans to guide concrete equity efforts for their jurisdictions. Due to the success of the program, Jarrod was invited to speak at GARE’s 2019 National Convening. The Central Coast GARE program was set to expand in 2020 when plans were put on hold due to the COVID pandemic.

In the late 1990s, as the Program Director for The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), Jarrod directed a comprehensive community change initiative to address racial inequality in education and community leadership in St. Louis, MO. In 2001, Jarrod was invited to California to launch a new NCCJ office to serve the communities of the Central Coast. In 2007, this organization became Just Communities.

Through his work with Just Communities, Jarrod established the Institute for Equity in Education (IEE).

Developed and piloted with the Santa Barbara School Districts, IEE helps schools address racial and ethnic academic opportunity and achievement gaps by focusing on the “4 Rs” of Relevance, Rigor, Relationships, and Racial Justice. IEE includes in-depth dismantling racism leadership training for educators, bi-lingual and cross-racial dialogue for parents, leadership development for students, cross- stakeholder action planning, and on-going support and coaching for schools and districts. Since its inception, IEE has resulted in significant culture and climate changes in the Santa Barbara School Unified School District which have led to:
➢ shifting the dominant narrative within SBUSD from a focus on socioeconomics and parental blame to a focus on school system, social forces, and racism as key factors in opportunity and achievement gaps;
➢ increased numbers of Latino students in honors, GATE and AP courses; ➢ improved academic performance for Latino students;
➢ increased numbers of Latino students in school leadership positions; ➢ increased Latino parent engagement and leadership;
➢ increased dialogue between Latino and White parents.
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 7 of 25 In 2007, the Institute for Democratic Renewal (IDR) at Claremont Graduate University named IEE “the most promising vehicle for eliminating racial/ethnic disparities and narrowing the educational achievement gap in the country.” IDR launched the National Educational Equity Network with IEE as its centerpiece, which has helped IEE expand to San Diego Unified Schools District and Long Beach Unified School District.

In 2009, Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund said:
“If we are serious about ensuring that all children succeed, it is imperative that we courageously address the link between institutionalized racism and the academic achievement gap. Programs like Just Communities’ Institute for Equity in Education are model programs that help educators do just that.”
Jarrod Schwartz is a nationally recognized leader on issues of dismantling racism. His work has been replicated across the country in communities across California as well as in Virginia, Ohio, New York, and Arkansas.

Prior to his work with the Institute for Equity in Education, Jarrod developed and implemented innovative educational programs across the country. In the late 1990s, Jarrod led an initiative to update NCCJ’s 40+ year old Anytown U.S.A. program. Anytown – which focused on prejudice reduction and diversity celebration – was transformed into the Anytown Youth Leadership Institute and become one of the most respected multi-issue social justice leadership institutes in the nation. The new program helped high school age youth explore issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, genderism, and classism, while developing skills to serve as change agents in their schools and communities. In 2003 Jarrod adapted the Anytown Youth Leadership Institute for high school students in California’s Central Coast where it became the CommUnity Leadership Institute (CLI). CLI has since produced over 500 young activists who are working to make their schools and communities more just and equitable.

Jarrod holds a Master’s Degree in Organization Development from American University and the NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science. He is a founding faculty member for Fielding Graduate University’s Master’s in Organization Development and Leadership program. Past positions and associations include serving as an Associate of the A.K. Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems, Adjunct Faculty Member for Antioch University, board member of the Grex Center for the Study of Authority Dynamics of Social Systems, board member and chair for PUEBLO, and a Commissioner for the Santa Barbara Human Relations Commission.

Jarrod’s personal and professional mission is to foster social change and build community through transformative educational experiences for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. Jarrod lives in Goleta, CA with his twin daughters Alix Peyton & Sydney Michelle. To learn more about Jarrod, visit www.equitypraxis.com.

Project Facilitator: Katya Armistead, Ed.D.

Dr. Katya Armistead is a Senior Consultant/Subcontractor) with Equity Praxis Group. She is a student- focused administrator with 30 years of experience and currently serves as the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Life (AVC/DOS) at UC Santa Barbara. In her campus leadership role, Katya 33 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 8 of 25 demonstrates broad concern for issues that pertain to the quality of student life of UCSB students (especially outside of the classroom); facilitates problem solving and crisis response; promotes inclusion in the campus community and equitable access to UCSB learning environment by students of all identities; and liaises between students and University administration by listening broadly to student input and representing student perspectives and interests. She is a member of the Vice Chancellor's Student Affairs Executive Leadership Team and the Chancellor's Senior Officers group, as well as a member of the UC Systemwide AVC/DOS workgroup.

And as an executive manager in the Division of Student Affairs, Katya's portfolio includes Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE), Career Services, the Dean of Students Office, First Year and Graduate Student Initiatives, the MultiCultural Center, the Office of Student Life, Orientation Programs and Parent Services, the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Veteran and Military Services, and Women, Gender and Sexual Equity. In addition, she is primarily responsible for campus protests and demonstrations, campus crisis response, campus compliance in areas of policy related to sexual violence response, voter registration efforts, campus-based elections compliance, and federal and state mandates impacting student life, including safety issues in the neighboring Isla Vista community.

Katya completed her master's degree in college counseling and student development at Azusa Pacific University. She received her doctorate (Ed.D.) in educational leadership from a joint program between UCSB and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She is a trained facilitator for The Leadership Challenge Workshop® (a research-based, behavioral leadership development framework), teaches a leadership course in the UCSB Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, and specializes in areas of campus climate and diversity.

Dr. Katya Armistead lives with her partner in Santa Barbara where she is an active volunteer and board member in non-profit organizations. Her two sons have gone on to pursue degrees at CSU and UC.

When she isn't on campus, she enjoys early-morning walks, reading, and dining out.

Project Facilitator and Language Access/Justice Lead: Lena Morán-Acereto, M.Ed.

Lena is a Senior Consultant/Subcontractor with Equity Praxis Group. She is a native of Mexico City, Mexico and currently a resident of Ventura County, CA where she lives with her husband and her son.

Lena holds a Master's Degree in Education with an emphasis in Social Justice and Leadership from Antioch University Santa Barbara, where she did research on the topic of children who are used as interpreters and with her thesis focusing on the creation of an evaluation system of interpretation and translation services in school districts. As an educator, activist and advocate, Lena's expertise has led her to design and facilitate workshops and trainings nationally and internationally on interpretation, translation as well as diversity, equity, inclusion and justice and provide linguistically inclusive design and language justice consulting.

Lena works with a wide range of clients in the private and public sectors to design and implement linguistically inclusive practices, trainings and processes. Lena has also worked with clients to assess and improve internal and external language access and language justice practices. Lena is also a 34 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 9 of 25 frequent speaker and presenter at conferences and workshops, sharing her expertise and best practices for creating linguistically inclusive environments.

Lena is a licensed trainer for The Community Interpreter, a program of Cross-Cultural Communications, an interpreter and translator and expert in the field of language justice.

Lena is the founder and CEO of Bridging Voices- Uniendo Voces, a Senior Consultant at JONES Inclusive, Adjunct Faculty at Santa Barbara City College, as well as a member of the Equity Advisory Roundtable for the California Transportation Commission.

In 2018, Lena received Congressional recognition for her work in coordinating and providing language access services during and after the Thomas Fire and Montecito Mudslide disasters. To learn more about Lena and Bridging Voices-Uniendo Voces, visit: https://www.bridgingvoices-uniendovoces.com/.

Project Manager: René Castro, MSW
René is a Senior Consultant/Subcontractor with Equity Praxis Group and serves as the Principal of Facilitation Corps LLC. He and Jarrod have worked together for over 20 years. René holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work with a concentration in Public Administration. He has served as an adjunct professor for California State University, Long Beach, School of Social Work for the past 26 years. His specialties include community and organizational development, critical race theory, community assessment, evaluation and grants development. René has worked in the municipal government and non-profit sector his entire career serving in a variety of roles mostly related to Community Development; Diversity Inclusion and Equity; and Grant Writing. His personal and professional mission is to foster health equity for all Californians. To learn more about René, visit www.faciliationcorps.com.

SECTION 5. RELATED EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS AND REFERENCES Provide one to three examples of DEI assessments, strategic plan development, and implementation key personnel have developed, and one to three examples of training/education components key personnel have created or facilitated on DEI.

Equity Praxis Group has, over the last 30 years, developed a Strategic Approach to Change™ that we use with our clients. Though every client is different and, therefore, the approach we use is customized to each organization, there are common elements that, we have found, make the difference between a process that simply checks the boxes and one that leads to meaningful and sustainable change. EPG’s Strategic Approach to Change™ recognizes that both education and planning are essential parts of an organizational change process. Education helps the organization develop buy-in, a common language for talking about DEI issues, the trust necessary to have the difficult conversations about DEI that people and organizations often resist. Leadership development helps ensure there are both formal and informal leaders who have the passion, skills, and knowledge to drive DEI change efforts on an on- going basis. And planning and implementation help the organization know where it is trying to go, develop a road map to get there, and develop metrics to evaluate its progress and a commitment to continuous improvement needed to sustain the efforts and drive impact. An overview of our Strategic 35 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 10 of 25 Approach to Change™ is below followed by an overview of some projects and organizations where we have implemented parts or all of the process.

1. Building Awareness & a Sense of Urgency
After an initial intake process to better understand your current state, needs, and goals, our partnership begins with a process to Build Awareness and a Sense of Urgency for DEIJ work or some aspect of organizational change.

This includes developing a common language and
frameworks that will allow your organization to engage in meaningful and productive conversations about DEIJ
issues both in the world and internally. This stage will also engage your team in a preliminary assessment of how
DIEJ issues currently play out in their individual and
collective work, current strengths that can be drawn upon to address these issues, and opportunities for learning and growth. This phase will help point us in directions for the on-going work.

2. Building Trust, Relationships, and Readiness
As we develop a Sense of Awareness and Urgency, we will also attend to issues of relationship and trust within the organization. Discussing and addressing DEIJ issues can be hard; it can be scary. Ensuring emotional and
psychological safety is a critical step to individuals and organizations being ready to have open, honest, at times difficult, and productive conversations about issues of DEIJ. That same level of trust is also vital to the
collaboration necessary to address issues once they have been identified.

3. Leadership Development
An external consultant can help organizations identify
issues and develop the capacity to address them. But in order for change efforts to be successful, the organization must develop its internal capacity to sustain the DEIJ and systems change work. This stage will focus on helping
existing formal and informal leaders develop their equity. lenses and key DEIJ and change management skills. It will also allow for new leaders to emerge. This stage of work can include workshops on specific DEIJ topics and skills as well the personal work and 36 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 11 of 25 healing all of us need to do so we are able to “hold the space” for others and for the organization-as- a-whole to do the work.

4. Planned Change
Developing a plan with goals, objectives, strategies, timelines, and responsibilities is a vital step in any organizational change initiative - and this stage will help our clients put together such a plan. But plans, in and of themselves, don’t produce change. According to Mckinsey & Company, “70% of change programs fail to achieve their goals, largely due to employee resistance and lack of management support.” Drawing upon William Bridges' Transitions Framework, this process helps organizations gain a deeper understanding of how human beings experience change and how to manage the human side of change efforts. It will also give organizational leaders (both formal and informal) concrete tools and well-tested strategies for navigating and helping others navigate the change process. Finally, it will culminate with the organization developing a Transition Plan that can be used in parallel with strategic plans and change plans in order to decrease resistance, increase buy-in, and facilitate successful change implementation.

5. Implementation and Continuous Improvement
Authentic and lasting change doesn't come from a single workshop or program. Through on-going coaching and consultation, Equity Praxis Group can support your organization in mobilizing its intellectual, time, financial, and other resources in pursuit of implementing the changes identified in the prior phases of work. This stage is about recognizing that DEIJ work is on-going process of continuous improvement. EPG will be available for meetings with individual team members, subgroups, or to the organization-as-a-whole. This could take the form of listening sessions, serving as a sounding board, shared problem-solving, or providing training on specific issues or skills when a need is identified.

Agency /
Organization
DEI / Strategic Plan Key EPG Personnel
Involved
Santa Barbara Trust
for Historic
Preservation
(SBTHP)
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Plan 2020 – 2022
Sent as separate attachment and also available on the
SBTHP website at: SBTHP DEI Plan 2020-2022
This project began with a series of DEI workshops for
SBTHP staff and Board. We initially facilitated a 1-day retreat for staff which helped them develop a common
language around DEI, build a business case for DEI that connected to their mission, programs, and work, and
helped them identify staff priorities for moving DEI work forward.

Judy Guillermo-
Newton & Jarrod
Schwartz
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 12 of 25 Agency /
Organization
DEI / Strategic Plan Key EPG Personnel
Involved
This was followed by a half-day retreat for the board
that also focused on developing a common language,
developing the business case for DEI, and understanding the unique role a nonprofit board of directors plays in fostering a diverse and inclusive board and organization.

We then pulled the staff and board together for a joint session to build trust and identify joint DEI priorities.

These priorities served as the basis for a DEI planning process that we facilitated through which we helped
them develop goals, objectives, and tactics for each
priority.

Community Action
Partnership of San
Luis Obispo
(CAPSLO)

DEI Assessment and Planning Leading into an
Organizational Strategic Plan
Over the course of 2022, Equity Praxis Group worked
with CAPSLO, facilitating a process of DEI education and planning. We worked with a DEI Steering Committee
made up of CAPSLO leaders (both formal and informal)
to conduct an assessment, review existing staff survey
results, review policies, identify DEI priorities, develop goals, objectives, and tactics. We then facilitated the development of a 2023-2025 strategic plan into which
DEI was fully integrated
René Castro, Jarrod
Schwartz

Because all of the projects listed above included both educational and planning components, we listed them together. Below you will find examples of some of the educational components that were included in some of these projects:

Developing a Common Language for DIEJ Work
One of the barriers to effective engagement around equity is that people often lack a common language that allows them to talk about equity issues in ways that foster understanding and action.

Too often, diverse groups of people use the same words, but mean very different things. Or, the language we use leads to shame, blame, and ultimately resistance to engaging in either conversation or action to address structural inequities. This workshop helps organizations and groups develop a common language for talking about equity issues in ways that are clear, promote trust, and lead to an enhanced ability to identify issues and dynamics related to structural inequity while pointing to more new actions and solutions. Depending on the length of the session, it may also include a 38 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 13 of 25 preliminary Organizational Inclusion / Equity Assessment that will allow the organization to begin to identify current challenges, gaps and priorities for equity focused development.

Skill-Building for Engaging in Difficult and Productive DIEJ Conversations DIEJ topics are fraught with opportunities for conflict and misunderstandings. While it’s not possible to eliminate all risk of difficult and challenging conversations, it is possible to develop skills to navigate these challenges in ways that lead to greater understanding, deeper commitment, and meaningful change. This workshop provides a range of frameworks and tools to help participants improve their skills at giving and receiving DIEJ related feedback and having challenging conversations that are non-shaming, non-blaming, and lead to solutions. The session will also offer opportunities to recognize and navigate conversational speed bumps that are common to DIEJ work and practice the skills in a safe setting.

Fostering a Diverse, Inclusion, and Effective Board of Directors A successful DIEJ effort for nonprofit organizations must have buy-in at every level, including the Board of Directors. Research shows that even organizations with diverse staffs and who serve diverse clientele often do not have diverse boards of directors. This process helps organizations ensure that the Board is doing the work it needs to do to support the organization’s DIEJ work. This process includes:
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Board Fundamentals – Implications and Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion for Basic Board Duties (e.g., Fund Development, Service Delivery, PR, Marketing, Staff Recruitment & Retention, etc.)
• Assessing Board Readiness: Is Your Board Ready for Diversity? • Launching and Maintaining a Successful Board Diversity Initiative • Identifying Potential Obstacles and Solutions to Diversity and Inclusion • Creating A Culture of Inclusion – Ensuring All Voices and Talents Are Valued and Utilized • Creating Effective Multilingual Board Meetings
• Recruiting and RETAINING a Diverse Group of Board Members • Skill-Building for Engaging in Difficult and Productive DIEJ Conversations • How Do Racism and Other Forms of Structural Inequality (Classism, Sexism, Ageism, Heterosexism, Ableism, Genderism, etc.) Undermine a Board’s and Organization’s Ability to Achieve Inclusion Goals and their Mission?
• Adopting strategic DIEJ goals and next steps for action From Access to Justice: Creating Inclusive Multilingual Spaces As our nations and communities continue to become more diverse, service providers are increasingly serving more linguistically diverse individuals and communities. Language barriers between organizations and the people they serve limit communication, undermine trust, and lead to worse 39 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 14 of 25 outcomes in healthcare, social services, education, and more. Strategies and tools exist to help organizations become more accessible and inclusive by connecting across differences of language, while improving relationships, trust, and outcomes. This interactive workshop will help participants:
• learn best practices for working with interpreters and translators; • understand the role of interpreters and their ethical obligations; • learn how to create inclusive, multilingual spaces in person and online; • understand the difference between language access and language justice; • assess current practices and identify areas for improvement.

Breaking the Bias Habit®: Understanding and Managing our Implicit Biases Implicit bias is hidden prejudice. Human brains gravitate toward these biases, and we often internalize our society’s stereotypes, whether we know it or not. We absorb these biases from societal messages in our childhood, including from family, friends, and media (Devos, 2008).

Unfortunately, we carry these biases with us throughout our lives. Thus, our brains reflect society’s preferences, and these preferences affect how we treat others. But we often do not know we have them or how they impact our behavior. Thus, they have the power to undermine our best intentions toward inclusion, equity, and justice.

This experiential workshop helps people understand what implicit bias is; why the human being is so susceptible to it; how our implicit biases affect our thinking, behaviors, individual and organizational outcomes; and develop the knowledge, skills, and tools to better manage their biases.

Sample learning objectives for this training are as follows:
• To distinguish between stereotypes, bias, discrimination, and oppression; • To understand the nature of implicit bias and how our brains gravitate toward it; • To identify how implicit bias affects behavior across sectors, especially in the sector that the participating organization works in;
• To be able to put into practice strategies designed to mitigate the impact of bias on behavior.

Our work explores the impact of bias at multiple levels:
• The intrapersonal level: How bias lives inside each of us; • The interpersonal or group level: How bias impacts interactions between people or groups of people;
• The organizational level: How bias plays out within organizations and effects organizational processes, structure, demographics, culture, and outcomes; • The institutional/societal level: How bias plays out within our society’s institutions, such as our educational, healthcare, and criminal justice systems as well as in media; A sample agenda for this 7-hour interactive workshop (which can be done in a single day or broken into several shorter sessions) will include:
• The science of bias;
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 15 of 25 • Explicit vs. implicit bias;
• The impact of implicit bias on various social groups (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.);
• The impact of implicit bias in various sectors (e.g., education, law enforcement, business, etc.) with a focus on healthcare and medicine;
• Exploring participants’ own implicit biases;
• Learning and practicing evidence-based strategies for addressing implicit bias at the individual level;
• Learning and practicing evidence-based strategies for addressing implicit bias at the institutional level;
• Next steps.

C.A.R.E.: Cultural Awareness, Respect, and Equity
Equity Praxis Group proposed a 4-hour workshop focused on building SGPRC staff, vendor, and community members’ ability to operate effectively across cultures. EPG’s C.A.R.E. program was developed based on the Institute of Medicine’s groundbreaking book, Unequal Treatment:

Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. This book details how, even after controlling for socioeconomic conditions, race and ethnicity remain significant predictors of the quality of health care received by patients in the U.S (Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, 2003).

In Unequal Treatment, a panel of experts documents this evidence and explores how persons of color experience the healthcare environment. The book examines how disparities in treatment may arise in health care systems and looks at aspects of the clinical encounter that may contribute to such disparities. Patients' and providers' attitudes, expectations, and behavior are analyzed. How to intervene? Unequal Treatment offers recommendations for improvements in medical care financing, allocation of care, availability of language translation, community-based care, and other arenas. The committee highlights the potential of cross-cultural education to improve provider-patient communication and offers a detailed look at how to integrate cross-cultural learning within the health professions. The book concludes with recommendations for data collection and research initiatives. Unequal Treatment will be vitally important to health care policymakers, administrators, providers, educators, and students as well as advocates for people of color. (https://www.nap.edu/read/12875/chapter/6)
In 2018, Alicia Fernandez, a University of California, San Francisco physician and expert on reducing health care disparities delivered a series of talks titled Update on Health Care Disparities: 15 Years Since ‘Unequal Treatment’. Unfortunately, she reported that very little had changed in terms of reducing disparities in health care since the original publication of the book, and, in fact, that many disparities had gotten worse.

While originally designed for medical professionals, Equity Praxis Group has worked with several Regional Centers and vendors to adapt the C.A.R.E. program for organizations that work with people 41 Proposal
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 16 of 25 with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This customized C.A.R.E. program builds off of the recommendations outlined in Unequal Treatment to help Regional Centers achieve the following learning objectives:
• To gain awareness of disparities in service delivery and outcomes and their root causes; • To understand how service recipients’ cultures, service providers’ cultures, and organizational culture impact service access, delivery, and outcomes;
• To be able to put into practice the E.T.H.N.I.C. Framework for Culturally Competent Clinical Practice (Levin, Like, and Gottlieb, 2000) to improve provider/recipient communication and trust.
• Help organizations and individuals assess where they are on their cultural proficiency continuum and identify concrete steps for moving forward.

Community Listening & Feedback
Community based organizations benefit from hearing from and being guided by the communities they serve and/or hope to serve. EPG can help you hear from your community through a combination of surveys, interviews, and focus groups. We then organize the feedback into themes and share it back with you through a facilitated Listening & Meaning Making Session through which your team can hear, make sense of, and determine how to move forward based on your community’s feedback.

Customized DIEJ Consulting & Coaching
EPG can provide customized consulting and training on a range of topics to help ORGANIZATIONS address specific goals and needs. Topics could include:
• Specific forms of structural inequality, e.g., racism, sexism, genderism, heterosexism, classism, etc.
• Effectively Serving LGBTQ+ Community Members
• Developing a Strategic DIEJ Plan
• Fostering Diverse, Inclusive, and Equity Collaboration and Coalitions • Communication Skills
• Leadership for DIEJ
• Other topics to be explored.

In addition, EPG can provide on-going coaching to individuals or subgroups within an organization to help them with their roles as formal and informal leaders. This can also include guidance on other community partners who might enhance the organization’s DIEJ efforts.

Customized Language Justice Consulting and Coaching
In addition to the Language Justice workshop, Bridging Voices-Voces Uniendo has the capacity to provide customized language justice coaching and consulting including:
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 17 of 25 • Assessing current language access climate
• Identifying what is working and where there are opportunities to improve • Developing consistent practices and protocols
• Developing custom development plans for
• Interpreters
• Developing an organization-wide language access plan and/or handbook Customized Evaluation Services
Equity Praxis Group partner, Carmel Saad Consulting conducts research on the short- and long-term efficacy of our Implicit Bias training program. We conduct pre- and post-surveys and often integrate these surveys with disparities outcomes within each organization. We want to be sure that we assess how well our trainings help people Break the Bias Habit® (Devine et al., 2012). For the past five years, Carmel Saad Consulting has utilized this model to assess the outcomes of the anti-bias trainings with organizations including the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Santa Barbara Police Department, Santa Barbara County Probation Office, Santa Barbara City College, Fuller Theological Seminary, Westmont College, Santa Barbara County Family Services Agency, Cottage Hospital, and Vizient, Inc.

Dr. Carmel Saad and her team have worked with key leaders within each organization to design the optimum comprehensive evaluation that will reveal organization-specific findings to inform and equip participants so that they can address implicit bias in a constructive way within their own roles in the organization.

REFERENCES
We have included several references who can attest to the scope and quality of our work. If you would like additional references, please let us know and we would be happy to provide them.

i. Client name
ii. Contact person and
information
iii. Brief description of the services provided
including dates
iv. Description of how the projects are relevant to
the scope of work
Participating
EPG Team
Members
Government Alliance on Race &
Equity (GARE)
2017-2018
Dwayne Marsh
At time of contract:

Director, Government Alliance on
Race & Equity
Current:

GARE Racial Equity Learning Year
The Government Alliance on Race and Equity
(GARE) is a national network of government
working to achieve racial equity and advance
opportunities for all. From 2017 through 2018,
Jarrod Schwartz partnered with GARE to create a
custom-designed version of its Racial Equity
Learning Year for cohorts from the County of
Ventura and County of Santa Barbara. Through this
Jarrod
Schwartz,
Lena Morán-
Acereto
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 18 of 25 i. Client name
ii. Contact person and
information
iii. Brief description of the services provided
including dates
iv. Description of how the projects are relevant to
the scope of work
Participating
EPG Team
Members
President & CEO
Northern California Grantmakers
San Francisco, CA
415.777.4111
[email protected]

process, we brought a year of professional
development to Central Coast jurisdictions that
combined GARE’s Racial Equity Assessment and
Planning Tool with training on key racial equity and
language justice workshops developed and
facilitated by Jarrod Schwartz, Lena Morán-
Acereto, and GARE training modules led by then
GARE Director Dwayne Marsh.

The GARE program demonstrates our experience
working with government jurisdictions on both DEI
education and helping them develop equity plans.

Isla Vista Youth Project
August 2020
Lori Lander Goodman, MSW
Executive Director – IVYP
becoming LEAP: Learn. Engage.

Advocate. Partner
805.705.6998 c
www.ivyp.org

Cultural Implicit Bias Training for Staff
Designed and conducted a 3-hour workshop to
help IVYP staff better understand what
implicit/unconscious bias is, how it may impact
their ability to provide the best possible service to
the youth and families they serve, and what they
can do to manage their biases and reduce the
likelihood that they will leak out into behavior
through evidence-based strategies.

The IVYP project demonstrates our ability to
customize DEI training for a Goleta-based
organization serving a segment of the community
that has historically been underserved.

Jarrod
Schwartz,
Lena Morán-
Acereto
Community Action Partnership of
San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO)
Loren Leidinger
Outreach/Development Director
P: (805) 544-4355 x176
C: (805) 534-3811
[email protected]
www.capslo.org

Over the course of 2022, Equity Praxis Group
worked with CAPSLO, facilitating a process of DEI
education and planning. We worked with a DEI
Steering Committee made up of CAPSLO leaders
(both formal and informal) to conduct an
assessment, review existing staff survey results,
review policies, identify DEI priorities, develop
goals, objectives, and tactics. We then facilitated
the development of a 2023-2025 strategic plan
Jarrod
Schwartz,
René Castro
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 19 of 25 i. Client name
ii. Contact person and
information
iii. Brief description of the services provided
including dates
iv. Description of how the projects are relevant to
the scope of work
Participating
EPG Team
Members
into which DEI was fully integrated, demonstrating
our ability to develop a comprehensive DEI plan.

United Ways of the San Joaquin
Valley
October 2020 – June 2021
Nanette Villarreal
Executive Director
Kings United Way
Hanford, CA
Phone: 559-584-1536
Fax: 559-584-1098
[email protected]
San Joaquin Valley United Way Race and Equity
Project
Developed and implemented a community
feedback process designed to solicit feedback from
African American community leaders about the
perceptions of the United Ways of 8 counties in
the San Joaquin Valley relative to issues of racism
and racial equity. Collected feedback from
approximately 90 community leaders through
interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Organized
the data and presented it back to United Way staff
and Board Leadership. Facilitated a “meaning-
making session” allowing the United Way
leadership to analyze and interpret the results, and
identify and commit to next steps. Provided a final
report with commitments and recommendations.

This project demonstrates our ability to engage a
broad group of community stakeholders in focus
groups and interviews which then informed how
the United Ways of the San Joaquin Valley could
best meet the needs of a marginalized population.

Jarrod
Schwartz
Katya
Armistead
University of California Office of
the President
July 2019 – July 2021
Tae-Sun Kim, Ph.D.

At time of contract:

Manager, Strategic Diversity
Initiatives, University of CA Office
of the President
Current:

Vice President and Chief Diversity
Officer
Moving Beyond Bias™ Initiative
Designed and facilitated a full-day implicit bias
training for administrators, faculty, students,
admissions officers, and admissions readers across
the University of CA and California State University
Systems. Developed and facilitated a train-the-
trainer program to develop implicit bias trainers
across all campuses. Conducted live training for
1,406 people during the contract. Developed and
launched an asynchronous implicit bias e-course
for the UC system. Conducted a comprehensive
evaluation of the effort.

Jarrod
Schwartz
Carmel Saad
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Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 20 of 25 i. Client name
ii. Contact person and
information
iii. Brief description of the services provided
including dates
iv. Description of how the projects are relevant to
the scope of work
Participating
EPG Team
Members
Legacy Health System
Portland, OR 97209 503.415.5111
[email protected]
This project demonstrates our ability to provide
high quality DEI training to a very large state-wide
system.

6. SERVICES AGREEMENT
Provide a written statement of any exceptions with provisions of the Sample Consulting Services Agreement attached in Appendix C and provide alternative proposed language as part of the proposal.

Overall, we are comfortable with the Sample Consulting Services Agreement attached in Appendix C.

We would be interested in exploring several potential revisions as described below:

Section 3. Compensation and Payment (b) Payment:
• Existing Language: CONSULTANT shall provide CITY with written verification of the actual compensation earned, which written verification shall be in a form satisfactory to CITY's Project Manager, as described in Section 5. Invoices shall be made no more frequently than on a monthly basis, and describe the work performed (including a list of hours worked by personnel classification). All payments shall be made within 30 days after CITY’s approval of the invoice. • Potential Change: We would like to explore the possibility of a small up-front payment/deposit to provide initial funding for the early stages of the work. Typically, on a contract this size, we would ask the client for 25% of the fees up front with the balance payable upon completion of specific deliverables and a final payment upon completion of the contract. • Explanation: As a small business, it is helpful for us to have a deposit from clients to begin paying our team members and to cover any costs that may be incurred early in the project.

Section 7. Ownership of Documents:
• Existing Language: All drawings, designs, data, photographs, reports and other documentation (other than CONSULTANT's drafts, notes and internal memorandum), including duplication of same prepared by CONSULTANT in the performance of these services, are the property of CITY.

CITY shall be entitled to immediate possession of the same upon completion of the work under this AGREEMENT, or at any earlier or later time when requested by CITY. CITY agrees to hold CONSULTANT harmless from all damages, claims, expenses, and losses arising out of any reuse of the plans and specifications for purposes other than those described in this AGREEMENT, unless written authorization of CONSULTANT is first obtained. 46 Proposal
The City of Goleta
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan and
Consulting Services

Proposal to City of Goleta from Equity Praxis GroupPage 21 of 25 • Potential Change (in red italics): All drawings, designs, data, photographs, reports and other documentation (other than CONSULTANT's drafts, notes, internal memorandum, and existing intellectual property, educational materials, frameworks, worksheets, templates, and tools), including duplication of same prepared by CONSULTANT in the performance of these services, are the property of CITY. CITY shall be entitled to immediate possession of the same upon completion of the work under this AGREEMENT, or at any earlier or later time when requested by CITY. CITY agrees to hold CONSULTANT harmless from all damages, claims, expenses, and losses arising out of any reuse of the plans and specifications for purposes other than those described in this AGREEMENT, unless written authorization of CONSULTANT is first obtained. • Explanation: Equity Praxis Group has developed education and training materials, templates, frameworks and tools that we use with many clients. We anticipate that we will use some of these with the City of Goleta as well. While the City of Goleta would be able to continue using any frameworks and tools we share over the course of this contract, we would need to maintain ownership of this kind of information that is essential to our sustainability as an organization.

Section 9. Hold Harmless and Indemnity
• Existing Language: (a) Hold Harmless for CONSULTANT's Damages. CONSULTANT holds CITY, its elected officials, officers, agents, and employees, harmless from all of CONSULTANT's claims, demands, lawsuits, judgments, damages, losses, injuries or liability to CONSULTANT, to CONSULTANT's employees, to CONSULTANT’s contractors or subcontractors, or to the owners of CONSULTANT's firm, which damages, losses, injuries or liability occur during the work required under this AGREEMENT, or occur while CONSULTANT is on CITY property, or which are connected, directly or indirectly, with CONSULTANT's
• Potential Change: Add to this section an additional clause: Client shall defend, indemnify and hold EPG, its officers, employees and agents harmless from and against any and all liability, loss, expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees), or claims for injury or damages arising out of the performance of this Agreement but only in proportion to and to the extent such liability, loss, expense, attorneys' fees or claims for injury or damages are caused by or result from the negligent or intentional acts or omissions of Client, its officers, employees or agents. • Explanation: As we are entering into a partnership, we would ask that we extend to each other mutual indemnification.

SECTION 7. Cost Proposal
See Attachment A: Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal.

47 Attachment A:

Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal
Proposal to County of Ventura from Equity Praxis Group Page 22 of 25 Phases Inputs Activities Deliverables Hours Rate Total

PURPOSE
The City of Goleta (City) is committed to taking actions advancing equity within our organization and community. The focus of the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts are to collect data and information and then develop a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan (Plan) that is specific to the City’s needs and includes goals and objectives. Over the longer term, progress toward those goals and objectives and the effectiveness of these efforts shall be monitored and evaluated, while the plan will be regularly modified and adapted as needed through a process of continuous improvement.

Assess
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG (Jarrod
Schwartz & René Castro)
Perform a DEI assessment of the organization.

Initial assessment of:

Recruitment and retention;
promotional and career
development; training to
increase DEI awareness,
competencies, and skills, and
to guide plan implementation;
government transparency;
procurement and budgeting
procedures; land use and
capital improvements; boards
and commissions;
communication and public
engagement.
12 $ 175.00 $ 2,100.00
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG (Jarrod
Schwartz & René Castro)
Review existing information and work
conducted by the DEI Team and Ad-Hoc
Committee to identify successes, challenges,
opportunities, and gaps in information; build
on existing efforts.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG (Jarrod
Schwartz & Katya Armistead)
Work with the DEI Team to select and tailor
an organizational assessment tool such as the
GARE (Government Alliance on Race and
Equity) DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
assessment for cities.
6 $ 175.00 $ 1 ,050.00
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG (Jarrod
Schwartz, Katya Armistead, Lena
Morán-Acereto)
Conduct 1:1 interviews of 8 Executive
leadership and 5 elected officials. 39 $ 175.00 $ 6,825.00 48 Attachment A:

Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal

Proposal to County of Ventura from Equity Praxis Group Page 23 of 25 Phases Inputs Activities Deliverables Hours Rate Total

ASSESS
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG (Jarrod
Schwartz, Katya Armistead, Lena
Morán-Acereto)
Collect and analyze data. 20 $ 175.00 $ 3,500.00 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG (Jarrod
Schwartz, EPG Senior Researcher TBD)
Conduct research and analysis to identify best
practices and benchmarks in each area and
review with the DEI Team.
25 $ 175.00 $ 4,375.00
Gather
Community
Assets
EPG (Jarrod Schwartz, Katya Armistead,
Lena Morán-Acereto); Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion Team and Ad-Hoc
Committee
Conduct a day-long retreat to strengthen
shared language, present results of the
assessment and intentionally plan next steps.

Comprehensive plan
incorporates key governance
areas such as: recruitment and
retention; promotional and
career development; training
to increase DEI awareness,
competencies, and skills, and
to guide plan implementation;
government transparency;
procurement and budgeting
procedures; land use and
capital improvements; boards
and commissions;
communication and public
engagement. Presentation to
42 $ 175.00 $ 7,350.00
Plan
EPG (Jarrod Schwartz and Katya
Armistead; Lena Morán-Acereto if the
group is multi-lingual); Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion Team and Ad-Hoc
Committee
Meet monthly for 8 months to establish key
priorities with internal staff and stakeholders
and set measurable goals.
48 $ 175.00 $ 8 ,400.00
49 Attachment A:

Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal

Proposal to County of Ventura from Equity Praxis Group Page 24 of 25 Phases Inputs Activities Deliverables Hours Rate Total
Engage
Community

EPG (Jarrod Schwartz, Katya Armistead,
Lena Morán-Acereto, and EPG Senior
Researcher TBD)
Assess the current community landscape to
develop a city-specific DEI plan. Conduct 5
community listening sessions with diverse
groups (Specific groups TBD with the DEI
Team. Examples might include: Latine/o/a;
LGBTQIA; Black/African American; Goleta
Business owners; Goleta-based and serving
Non-profits; Arts Community; Community
Safety; etc.) to better understand their
perspectives, needs, and experiences.
the City Manager and City
Council.
45 $ 175.00 $ 7,875.00
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team
and Ad-Hoc Committee; EPG Senior
Researcher TBD
Collect and analyze data. 15 $ 175.00 $ 2,625.00 Prepare Draft
Report EPG Senior Researcher TBD
Prepare a report of findings with
recommendations that clearly identify
opportunities to strengthen DEI competencies
of all City staff, policies, procedures, and
programs.
35 $ 175.00 $ 6,125.00
Finalize Report
&
Implementation
Plan
EPG (Jarrod Schwartz and Katya
Armistead; Lena Morán-Acereto if the
group is multi-lingual); Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion Team and Ad-Hoc
Committee
Conduct a "Report Feedback and Meaning
Making Session" with key City leadership, DEI
Team, and key community stakeholders (if
desired) to present the Draft Plan, solicit
feedback and reactions, and identify next
steps.
27 $ 175.00 $ 4,725.00
50 Attachment A:

Project Workplan, DEI Plan Timeline, and Cost Proposal

Proposal to County of Ventura from Equity Praxis Group Page 25 of 25 Phases Inputs Activities Deliverables Hours Rate Total
EPG (Jarrod Schwartz, René Castro, and
EPG Senior Researcher TBD); Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion Team and Ad-Hoc
Committee
Use feedback to develop a final Draft Plan to
be voted on by the City Council. 24 $ 175.00 $ 4,200.00 Subtotal $ 59,150.00

Translation: Lena Morán-Acereto (Spanish-English @
$0.15/word) $ 1,500.00
Interpretation: Lena Morán-Acereto (Spanish-English) $ 2,000.00 Travel $ 1,784.22
Supplies & Materials $ 500.00
Project Management: René Castro (@ 15%) $ 9,740.13
Total $ 74,674.35

51