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Our Purpose
Our vision is a City of San José in which all people in our community and organization thrive and where no racial disparities exist.
Our mission is to support the City to embed a racial equity practice and embody a culture that sustains it.
Our Objectives
1. Normalize and culturalize racial and social equity, inclusion and belonging principles in the City Organization.
2. Establish and maintain infrastructure and organizational capacity to support City's commitment to eliminate inequities.
3. Establish equity practices that create a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible environment that enables all people in SJ to thrive.
4. To remove barriers, improve access and strengthen engagement for and from immigrant communities, people with disabilities, women, and other underserved groups.
Our Work
ORSE builds organizational capacity and community trust by helping departments strengthen inclusive public service delivery, improve coordination, and create more accessible and responsive systems for residents and employees. Here’s what some of our work looked like in FY 2025-2026.
For further information, visit us online at http://bit.ly/sanjoseorse or reach out to us at [email protected].
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Trainings
Inclusive leadership • Digital Accessibility • Deescalation • Community engagement 10 unique trainings delivered across City
departments.
707 staff trained, all levels of the organization
84% reported learning a new skill applicable
to their work.
Consultations & Technical Assistance
Policy guidance • Accessibility support • Operational
coaching
109 consultations and technical assistance
sessions provided to 35 City
offices/departments
11 external governments consulted ORSE on
San José’s inclusive policies and practices
Tools, Processes, Procedures
Workforce tools • Shared learning • Operational
alignment
18 City departments fully incorporated a
Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) into their
budget development memo through the
Budgeting for Equity process.
Developed digital accessibility tools and
resources to help departments ensure
websites, documents, and social media
content are accessible to the disability
community.
70 City Staff participated in Data Storytelling
to build skills in interpreting and
communicating equity-related data that
inform programs, policies, and services.
100% of staff reported stronger crossdepartment connection and collaboration.
Information Sharing
Community outreach • Legal resources • Regional
coordination
4,154 Rapid Response Network hotline calls
and 1,311 outreach contacts supported
(reporting period July ‘25-March ‘26)
Established Community Engagement: The
CSJ Way Framework and handbook for staff.
42 staff trained across 12 City departments in
the inaugural training for equitable
community engagement
Participated in 6 funder coordination
convenings
419 legal consultations, 71 legal applications,
and expanded pro bono and volunteer legal
support networks (reporting period July ‘25-
March ‘26)
Policy & Practice Review
Welcoming practices • Accessibility • Peer
accountability systems
Achieved a 4-star Certified Welcoming
designation through cross-department and
community-wide collaboration involving 37
stakeholders and 80 Welcoming criteria
All 24 Departments have established Racial
Social Equity Action Plans (RSEAPs).
Over 236 equity action items completed
Citywide.
77% of departments participated in
Accessibility Liaison meetings to advance
best practices, share resources, and
strengthen coordination on accessibility
initiatives
18 State bills advanced and passed due to
ORSE technical assistance with the IGR
team.
Inclusive Community
Engagement & Feedback
Community voice • Civic participation • Cross-sector
partnerships
Launched a new SJ4All Advisory Committee
with 12 active members
Continued collaboration within IPEN across
10 cross-sector partner networks
Co-delivered 7 Civics Master Class sessions
in 7 languages reaching approximately 595
residents
More than 800 community members
engaged in the General Plan Four Year
Review outreach process, with ORSE
providing technical assistance and equitycentered guidance throughout the effort.
Co-facilitated 4 community focus groups
with PBCE to engage community in the
General Plan Four Year Review