City of Sacramento
Racial Equity Committee Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2022-02248 1/24/2023 Discussion Item 5.
Policy Memo on Mandatory Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Training for Elected Officials
File ID: 2022-02248
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Consider and provide feedback and direction on memo and pass a motion directing staff to bring a formal proposal to the council for consideration.
Contact: Aimée Zenzele Barnes, Diversity and Equity Manager, 916-808-1174, [email protected], Office of Diversity and Equity; Larissa Wohl, Strategic Workforce Equity Analyst, 916-808-5839, [email protected], Office of Diversity and Equity.
Presenter: Aimée Zenzele Barnes, Diversity and Equity Manager, 916-808-1174, [email protected], Office of Diversity and Equity Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2- Memo
Additional Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The City of Sacramento is committed to integrating race and gender equity both internally, through capacity building and workforce equity, as well as externally, through the emerging work of the Sacramento Centered on Race and Equity (SCORE) Initiative. It is important that the Council lead by example to demonstrate a commitment to this work, both for our community and our employees. As such, the need for a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) training/racial equity training for Council has become evident. The attached memo from the Co-Chairs of this Committee proposes a recommendation to develop a mandate for elected officials and their staff that is in alignment with the Race & Gender Equity Action Plan and the SCORE Initiative.
Policy Considerations: The Racial Equity Committee has directed the Office of Diversity and Equity staff to research and develop a policy/recommendation requiring the Mayor and City Councilmembers and their staff to undergo DEIB/racial equity training. This report includes a memo
File ID: 2022-02248 1/24/2023 Discussion Item 5.
outlining that recommendation, including the importance of the training along with an outline of potential topics and outcomes. This policy memo will initiate the necessary efforts to identify, organize, and plan for implementing a mandate for racial equity/DEIB trainings for the Mayor, Councilmembers and their staff that is aligned with current racial equity efforts both internal and external to the City of Sacramento.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: This action is not a project that is subject to CEQA because it is an administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines § 15378(b)(5).)
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: This report provides the draft memo language for feedback from this Committee in order to further develop a proposal/recommendation forward as a recommendation to the full City Council.
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
MEMORANDUM
DATE: __________________
TO: All Mayor/Council Offices
FROM: Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Co-Chair, Racial Equity Committee Councilmember Mai Vang, Co-Chair, Racial Equity Committee SUBJECT: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Training for Mayor, Councilmembers and their staff
Dear Colleagues,
As part of our continued efforts around race and gender equity, we are recommending a requirement for the Mayor, Councilmembers and their staff to complete anti-racist/racial equity/DEIB training on a regular basis. It is important that we, as an elected body, are aligned with both the internal and external race and gender equity work the City has committed to implementing. Through the implementation of the Race and Gender Equity Action Plan (RGEAP), each Department in the City of Sacramento has been tasked with supporting collective efforts to ensure the workforce reflects the City to better serve the City. We recognize that, as elected officials, and our staffs, we also require support and training to be effective in our roles and engage with community in a way that honors their humanity and best supports their needs and interests. Given recent meetings at the City Council level, it is evident that we all have room to grow in this area if we are to fully align ourselves with the City’s race and gender equity work.
In addition to this internal work, we are committed to moving racial equity work forward throughout the City. We have just begun the Sacramento Centered on Race Equity (SCORE) Initiative, led in partnership with the community Racial Equity Alliance and Committee, the Office of Diversity & Equity, and the Council’s Racial Equity Committee. The emerging work of SCORE Initiative will inform regular training on an ongoing basis.
It is important we lead by example, both for our community and our employees, to demonstrate that we are serious about anti-racist/racial equity/DEIB training. We recognize that we need a shared understanding of these concepts in order to move forward as a City. This training will create the foundation to have these important conversations within the City Council and with the community, in a way that uplifts their complexity and nuance and honors different lived experiences.
As such, we propose that beginning in 2023, this mandatory four-hour training, including an in-person engagement piece, will be required for all Councilmembers, their staff, and the Mayor every two years, in addition to the Sexual Harassment Prevention training required by the State. Every newly elected Councilmember or Mayor will also be required to complete the self-guided Advancing Racial Equity course through the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) online learning center, which is comprised of four 2-hour modules. Leveraging the GARE learning center provides basic equity understanding and the role of government historically and moving forward. Training will be iterative and evaluated on an ongoing basis.
Sincerely,
Darrell Steinberg Mai Vang
Mayor, City of Sacramento Council Member, District 8, City of Sacramento Background Proposed Training Content
Alignment with Current Procedures and Rules: This training will be aligned with the following existing rules on misconduct/grounds for removal for Council members, and current initiatives.
1. Chapter 3, Council Rules of Procedure
Content of Council Training: This training will be designed to meet role and function of the elected Council members and their staff, with a particular emphasis on anti-racism. This training will help develop a vocabulary, a shared understanding of core concepts described below, and skills necessary to manage change and transformation on an individual, Council, and community level.
Core topics that training intends to address may include:
Why the Council is concerned about bias in any form in public meetings, staff workplaces, and all levels of interaction with residents and community members particularly race-based bias and racism
Anti-racism/DEIB terminology
White supremacy culture
White privilege
Maintaining a respectful work environment including microaggressions Improving relationships and interactions across race, gender, and sexual orientation Valuing and not tokenizing diversity
Cultural competence and cultural fluency
Addressing bias, including implicit, explicit, and cognitive bias Anti-racism
Intersectionality
Racial identity
History of racism
The historical and current impact of racism in the Sacramento community Use of humanizing, inclusive, and just language when describing places, communities, and behavior that centers economic, social, and physical well-being The connection between race equity, decision making, and programs and services What is a race equity lens, some models and what can be accomplished Outcomes of proposed training can include:
Shared or common understanding of and familiarity with racism and racial justice terms/concepts/theories to facilitate and confidently converse in shared discussions on race, racism, and exclusion.
Helps Councilmembers develop an equity mindset to discuss and nurture racial with their staff, residents, and community.
Allows Council to further embrace a racial justice/race equity priority. Helps Council and staff to address the feelings and concerns that iteratively and dynamically come up in meetings and interactions with community and residents. Helps inform our priority setting process.
Provides clear understanding and expectations in working functions and relationships with all charter offices.
Generates ideas and possible actions for a racial justice/race equity work priority in 2023 and beyond, including assessment and recommendations for further training and skill development of Council and staff.
Implementation has a significant role for the City Manager’s Office and senior/middle management.
Project-wide curriculum to include development of shared language, terms, analytical frameworks, and basic social and historical contexts, and key factors that relate to policy, economic, legal, and social advocacy.
Develop capacity at a personal level to manage the learning, and to develop and utilize inclusive and equitable communication, conflict resolution, decision making and group norms. Providing training videos for replay.
Know the difference between equity and equality.