City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: July 14, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Oliver Chi, City Manager, City Manager's Office
Subject: Award Bid #4468 and Authorize City Manager to Enter into Agreement With Cal Interpreting & Translations for Citywide Language Access Program Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines;
2. Award Bid #4468 to Cal Interpreting and Translations Corporation for translation and interpretations services for the City Manager’s Office Citywide Language Access Program;
3. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Cal Interpreting and Translations Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $500,000 for five years, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
According to the American Community Survey, more than 27 percent of Santa Monica residents speak a language other than English, and nearly a third of those residents speak English “less than very well.” This language barrier often creates a strong sense of isolation not only for individuals but for entire communities who end up struggling to navigate City services or other day-to-day tasks where English is required.
In May 2024, the City instituted a new Language Access Policy Administrative Instruction to further our work in the area of justice, equity, and diversity. This policy set new standards for when translation and interpretation are required for customer-facing documents and public meetings, with translation into Spanish required for most documents the public uses to do business with the City. To implement this policy 2 of 5
successfully, continued vendor support is required in order to meet increased demand for high-quality translation and interpretation services for Citywide projects.
Discussion
In 2022, it became a part of the CMO Work Plan to pursue the development of a translation and interpretation policy, which resulted in a community engagement process of over 150 non-English-speaking community members on their language access needs, and the subsequent Language Access Policy. Within that policy, all customer-facing documents are required to be translated into Spanish, and instructions on how to request interpretation are to be offered for all Council and Board and Commission meetings, in addition to all public hearings. In order to meet the increased demand for translation and interpretation generated by the Language Access Policy, a formal agreement with a professional translation and interpretation provider is necessary.
In our community outreach efforts leading up to the development of the Language Access Policy, we heard from many community members who were eager to engage with the City but found existing language barriers difficult or impossible to navigate across communities. Many community members described their frustration at receiving a legal notice, citation, or other time-sensitive information from the City that they did not know how to respond to in time, because they did not know what they were. Many were also frustrated by the City’s reliance on staff for translation and interpretation needs, given the technical and jargon-heavy nature of City business that often exceeds staff’s command of their non-English language—if staff who could speak their language were available. Many of the staff that we engaged internally shared these frustrations, and voiced a lack of capacity for tedious translations projects on top of heavy workloads.
To address these issues, the Language Access Policy calls for professional translation for any City documents that explain a City process, require a signature, have legal consequences, contain advanced technical terminology, and/or are longer than two pages. The Policy also offers professional on-demand interpretation services for public meetings. Concurrently with implementing the Language Access Policy, Cal Interpreting 3 of 5
& Translations won bid #4468 and has been successfully providing these services through Professional Services Agreement 4021. Given that Council authority is needed for the extension of that agreement and the valuable services they provide, staff recommends that Council approves a five-year agreement with Cal Interpreting and Translations to provide translation and interpretation services.
Vendor/Consultant Selection
Bidder Recommendation
Best Bidder Cal Interpreting and Translations
Evaluation Criteria
(include all that
apply)
Price; the ability to provide translation and interpretation into Spanish, Mandarin, Farsi, Russian, Amharic, in addition to interpretation in American Sign Language; American Translators Association certification
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.180
Submittals Received
Bidder Spanish Translation
Cost (per word)
Other Language
Translation Cost (per
word)
Minimum Spanish Interpretation
Cost (per hour)
Cal Interpreting and
Translations $.12 $.13 $35 $90
Daniel Shamebo
Sabore $.10 $.15 $65 $100
Datagain $.14 $.16 N/A $120
Focus Language
International Inc. $.12 $.14 - $.20 $45 $75
Health Plus Trans,
LLC $.25 $.27 N/A $115
Interpreters
Unlimited, Inc. $.11 $.17 $50 $125
Language Network
Inc. $.18 $.28 - $.37 N/A $94
LinguaLinx
Language Solutions $.12 $.12 - $.18 N/A Not Offered
Officemotive, Inc $.06 $.08 $50 Not Offered
Powerling Inc. $.12 $.15 - $.21 $30 $110
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
01/19/2024 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily Press 11 01/19/2024
Best Bidder Justification
Cal Interpreting and Translations was the best bidder, since they offer all of the services 4 of 5
required; offer the lowest priced combination for Spanish translation, minimum translation cost, and Spanish interpretation; and retain American Translators Association Certification.
Environmental Review
The Agreement is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA guidelines, which states that CEQA does not apply “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. The Agreement would provide translation and interpretation services and would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award a five-year agreement with Cal Interpreting and Translations to provide translation and interpretation services.
Agreement Request
FY 2026-2027
Request Amount
Future Years
Request Amount Department Account #
Total Contract
Amount
$50,000 $450,000 01200009.552010.99900 $500,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: David Gardinier, Equity & Communications Coordinator Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Language Access Policy Administrative Instruction
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B. Contract #4021 Executed
C. Levine Act Disclosure Form 2025_3-27-25
D. OAKS INITIATIVE FORM