2023- 2024
Eq uity Pla n Up d a te
July 18, 2023
Meet the DEI Team
Lisa Parson (She/Her)
GARE
Right to Return
Pico Wellbeing Project
Language Access
Racial Equity Action Institute
Fellow
Delana G. Gbenekama (She/Her)
GARE
Belmar History & Art Project
Black History Month Committee Founder
Affinity Group Development
Interrupting Microaggressions
SaMo Mentoring Initiative
David Gardinier (He/She/They)
GARE
Founder of AWARE Santa Monica
Founder of Fund for Reparations NOW!
Out In Santa Monica
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
"All men are created equal"
Values vs. Realities
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
Tongva Land
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
Santa Monica Snapshot
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
Redlining in Santa Monica
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
Construction of the Santa Monica Freeway
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
History of Race in Government
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
Equity in Santa Monica: Our History
• From the inception of our country, government at the local, regional, state and federal levels have played a role in creating and maintaining racial inequity. A wide range of laws and policies were passed, including everything from who could vote, who could be a citizen, who could own property, where one could live and more.
• Government has the ability to implement policy change at multiple levels and across multiple sectors to drive larger systemic change.
Equity in Santa Monica
Foundational Work: 2017-2019
• Government Alliance of Race and
Equity (GARE) Participation
• Pico Wellbeing Project
• Right to Return
• Language Access Program
• Belmar History + Arts Project
• Implicit Bias, Racial Equity Training for Staff
Equity in Santa Monica
Formalization of Work: 2020 and Beyond
• Two Positions Dedicated to Equity
• Racial Equity Statement
• Racial Equity Committee
• Public Safety Reform and Oversight
Commission
• Rollout of Additional Affinity Groups, Policy
• Black Agenda and SMBLA
Equity in Santa Monica
• Bystander Intervention Training
• Racial Equity Training for City Leadership
• Expansion of Cultural Celebrations, Observances
• Reframe Initiative
Equity in Santa Monica
• SaMo Mentoring Initiative
• Bank of DEI questions
• Interrupting microaggressions: script, training
• Glossary of equity terms
• First affinity group summit
• Diversity recruitment (external) and racial / equity
training (internal)
• Training on all-gender bathrooms, associated issues
• Recruitment and retention of DOT staff through
partnerships with organizations supporting People of
Color, veterans and women; improving service in
Communities of Color
• Public Works equity plan in development
• Data collection, barrier analysis and community
engagement to ensure all community members can
utilize services, resources
• Data collection from CDD staff to identify equity gaps and develop approaches for staff advancement
• Equity-focused business license modernization and
procurement reforms
• Expanding and formalizing the City’s language access
program
• Reinstituting the Library's equity think tank
• Deepening efforts to engage the community in new
ways to reach those who most need services offered by
the Community Services Department
• Creation of Equal Employment Opportunity Policy,
designed to promote equal opportunities in the office
Racial Equity Committee Projects
What We’ve Learned
• Persistent equity gaps by race, gender, identity
• Community commitment, but patience running low for point in time projects
• Organizational commitment, but no citywide plan
Where do we go from here?
• We have built a strong foundation from the city over the last 5 years
• We can learn from other municipalities and consider what is possible here
• We are ready to bring city together and establish priorities for large scale change
Lessons from across the country
CITY OF EVANSTON RESTORATIVE HOUSING PROGRAM
Goals
• Increase Black homeownership and build generational wealth • Improve Black homeowner retention rate
• Revitalize Black owner-occupied homes
• Build intergenerational equity among Black residents
Reparation
$25,000 toward one of the following areas:
• Down payment/closing cost assistance
• Home improvement
• Mortgage assistance
• Direct cash payment
Funding Sources
• Recreational cannabis tax of up to 3% of retail price • Real estate transfer tax on properties > $1.5 million Lessons from across the country
CITY OF SAINT PAUL INITIATIVES
Goals
Meet basic needs to pave the way for economic prosperity while investing in savings for child education
Reparation 1: CollegeBound Saint Paul
• Savings for each child born to a resident on/after Jan. 1, 2020 • $50 seed deposit
• $10 bonus deposit monthly
Funding Sources
Variety, including:
• City funds and staffing
• Local community foundations
• Corporate foundations and donors
• Individual donors
Lessons from across the country
CITY OF SAINT PAUL INITIATIVES
Reparation 2: People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot • Open to CollegeBound Saint Paul enrollees
• $500 monthly payment for essentials
• 18-month duration
• 150 families served
Funding Sources
• Mix of public and private dollars
Lessons from across the country
CITY OF SAINT PAUL INITIATIVES
Reparation 3: CollegeBound Boost
• Open to CollegeBound Saint Paul enrollees
• $500 in guaranteed monthly income payments for two years • $1,000 deposits in each child’s CollegeBound Saint Paul college savings account
• 333 low-income families served
Funding Sources
• $4 million in American Rescue Plan funds
• $1 million in charitable funds
Lessons from across the Country
CITY OF DURHAM EXPUNCTION AND RESTORATION (DEAR) PROGRAM Goals
Provide relief from court debt to people whose drivers’ licenses were suspended because of inability to pay traffic fines and fees Reparation
• Free legal assistance with license restoration and expunctions • Helps individuals with drivers' license suspensions for at least two years
• Waived $2.7 million in fines and fees over a two-year period • More than 11,000 people had suspended drivers' licenses restored Partners
District Attorney's Office, North Carolina Justice Center, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Durham County Criminal
Justice Resource Center, and more.
Lessons from across the Country
CITY OF LONG BEACH CANNABIS EQUITY PROGRAM
Goals
Provide equitable opportunities for individuals who have been negatively affected by the criminalization of cannabis
Reparation
Provide opportunities in three areas:
• Business ownership
• Employment opportunities:
• Community reinvestment
Considerations in Santa Monica
ADULT-USE CANNABIS AND EQUITY PROGRAM
June 2023 Council Direction
• Draft ordinance to allow the conversion of the existing medicinal cannabis retailers to adult-use later this year • Commence cannabis equity study to help inform future
policy options for promoting opportunities so those negatively impacted by federal and state enforcement policies can benefit from the newly legalized industry
Moving Forward In Santa Monica - Now
Equity touches everything we do, but ”do everything’ is not a feasible plan.
Strengthen
Staff
Expertise
Assess Our
Impact
Grants For
Equity
Moving Forward In Santa Monica – 23-24
MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE OUR
COMMUNITY AND HONOR
THEIR COMMITMENT TO
EQUITY
IDENTIFY SHARED, AND
URGENT PRIORITIES
CREATE A CITYWIDE EQUITY
PLAN
Equity touches everything we do, but ”do everything’ is not a feasible plan. Our goals this year are to:
Phase 1: Community Engagement
City Kickoff Panel Discussion: focused
on strategic allyship, with breakout
sessions by identity to dig deeper into
unique concerns with representation from
all race/ethnicities, identities, and abilities
Collective Issue Identification: a series
of meetings aimed at collecting
information from residents about their
equity priorities and challenges.
Stipends provided to community hosts along
with standard documentation packet so the
discussions can be incorporated into equity
team analysis.
Council encouraged to host or attend
Phase 2: Analysis
DEI team reviews
input from
community
Team identifies
frequently named
issues
Shares top
concerns with
departments to
collate existing
programs and
policies that
address
challenges.
Prepares briefing
report detailing
community
priorities and
related programs
Phase 3: Collective Solution Building
• City hosted community meeting to share most frequently named challenges (in person and virtual)
• Offer stipends to community groups to host meetings and document solutions generated by residents, along with a briefing document that includes existing city programs and priorities.
Phase 4: Council Direction and Implementation
• DEI team presents priorities and proposed solutions to Council for their direction and prioritization • Equity Task Force created with staff from relevant departments meeting monthly, workplan created with milestones and timeline. This will evolve into the City’s first Equity Plan, to be approved by Council in 2024
• DEI team available to embed in departments for 3-month rotations to assist with R&D • Community Equity Coalition created to provide body for continued discussion, to stay aware of emerging equity concerns, and to keep the DEI team accountable.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council review and comment on the FY 2023-24 Equity Plan for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team in the City Manager’s Office and direct staff to proceed with the implementation of the plan.