city > equity plan
ATTACHMENT 1
SR City Equity Plan
contents
01 city manager’s Letter
02 acknowLedgements
city e quity taskforce committee members
fire recruitment & diversity t askforce committee members PoLice equitabLe PoLicing taskforce committee members
03 executive summary
key recommendations
05 background
santa rosa’s e quity Journey
06 aPProach
t argeted universaLism
07 due diLigence Process
interviews, f ocus grouPs, and survey
d ata coLLection and anaLysis
15 data findings
demograP hic overview
due diLigence themes
18 faciLitated grouP Process, methodoLogy, consensus decision making 28 recommendations
55 additionaL considerations
56 concLusion
a> Lessons from behavioraL economics and sociaL PsychoLogy b> techniques for overcoming bias
c> key stePs for successfuL diversity Programs
d> Terminology – diversiT y, equiTy, inclusion & Belonging SR City Equity Plan
01 letter from the santa rosa
city manager
Dear City Council Members and Employees,
I am pleased to share with you the City of Santa Rosa’s (Santa Rosa or City) Equity Plan (Plan). The recommendations included in the Plan provide guidance for creating a city where everyone belongs.
As we begin this transformative journey along a pathway to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, I want to acknowledge the valuable contributions of council members, staff, and community members to the development of the Plan and recognize the commitment necessary to implement and sustain the Plan recommendations. The Plan reflects countless hours of thought partnership, collaboration, co-creation, input, and feedback by council members, employees, and community members through involvement with individual interviews, focus groups, surveys, and group processes.
The recommendations lay out the City’s aspiration for supporting employee well-being and embedding workforce diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into the City’s culture and operations.
The City’s Equity Plan represents the consensus decisions of employee work groups to prioritize, institutionalize and operationalize:
The Plan also supports and enhances the City’s existing efforts to align DEIB with Santa Rosa’s strategic goals and priorities, and with initiatives to improve community relations, engagement, and communications, and begins to reimagine our future as a place where everyone belongs.
By advancing the Plan recommendations, Santa Rosa takes its place among a vanguard of municipalities creating belonging cities.
In closing, I am excited for all of us to begin this important work, with the understanding that change takes time, and we are investing for the long term.
Maraskeshia Smith
City Manager
Workforce
diversity
Inclusive
decision-making
models that
incorporate principles
of co-creation and
shared leadership
Center Diversity,
Equity, Inclusion
and Belonging
as core values
for Santa Rosa
Policies, practices,
procedures, and
structures that support
employee well-being
and belonging
Equitable
recruitment,
hiring and
onboarding
SR City Equity Plan
02 The City Equity Taskforce (CET) is pleased to present this Equity Plan (Plan) to the Santa Rosa City Council. The CET acknowledges the commitment of time, creativity, co-creation, shared leadership, and thought partnership that City staff and community members contributed to this Plan.
This Plan could not have been created without the active engagement and collaboration of the following staff and community members. acknowledgements
santa rosa city equity taskforce
Name positioN departmeNt
al pritchard (retired) recreatioN coordiNator recreatioN aNd parks alexa popplewell commuNicatioN coordiNator commuNicatioNs aNd iNtergoverNmeNtal
relatioNs
amy reeve director of humaN relatioNs humaN resources
BarB otis traiNiNg & orgaNizatioNal
developmeNt officer
humaN resources
Beatriz guerrero auNa equity aNd puBlic
health seNior plaNNer
plaNNiNg aNd ecoNomic
developmeNt
christopher mahuriN sergeaNt,
puBlic iNformatioN officer
police
coliN close seNior water resources plaNNer water
dave avila street maiNteNaNce
superiNteNdeNt
traNsportatioN aNd
puBlic works
felicia oNg assistaNt eNgiNeer,
plaNs examiNer
BuildiNg divisioN
gaBe osBurN deputy director -
developmeNt services
eNgiNeeriNg
developmeNt
gretcheN emmert records techNiciaN office of city clerk guerrero lopez captaiN fire
Jeff Berk chief assistaNt city attorNey city attorNey
JohN cregaN chief of saNta rosa
police departmeNt
police
kelli kuykeNdall housiNg & commuNity
services maNager
homeless services
loN petersoN commuNicatioNs director commuNicatioNs &
iNtergoverNmeNtal
relatioNs
magali telles commuNity eNgagemeNt
divisioN director
commuNity eNgagemeNt
maraskeshia smith saNta rosa city maNager city maNager office SR City Equity Plan
03 acknowledgements
santa rosa city equity taskforce (cont’d)
Name positioN departmeNt
rafael rivero ecoNomic developmeNt
specialist
ecoNomic developmeNt
ray Navarro (retired) former chief police
sara mathews assistaNt eNgiNeer traNsportatioN aNd
puBlic works
scott westrope chief of saNta rosa
fire departmeNt
fire
Beatriz guerrero auNa equity aNd puBlic
health seNior plaNNer
plaNNiNg aNd ecoNomic
developmeNt
siara goyer priNcipal humaN
resources aNalyst
humaN resources
sereNa lieNau admiNistrative service officer admiNistratioN socorro shiels
(left city)
former diversity, iNclusioN &
equal employmeNt officer
humaN resources
yuri kolseN traNsit plaNNer traNsportatioN aNd
puBlic works
recruitment & diversity taskforce
Name positioN departmeNt
cori rickert fire captaiN fire
deisy vargas srfd commuNity
eNgagemeNt specialist
fire/commuNity eNgagemeNt
guerrero lopez captaiN (promoted from
eNgiNeer siNce rdt)
fire
gwyN Buckheit admiNistrative techNiciaN fire
Jessie taiNtor fire eNgiNeer fire
Jim areNd (retired) admiNistrative services officer fire keith Jeffus fire captaiN/ uNioN director fire
kempleN roBBiNs assistaNt fire marshal fire
patrick Bradley firefighter/paramedic fire
ruBeN (Jose) alvarez firefighter/paramedic fire
scott westrope fire chief fire
socorro shiels
(left city)
former diversity, iNclusioN, aNd
equal employmeNt officer
humaN resources
SR City Equity Plan
04 acknowledgements
equitable policing taskforce
Name positioN departmeNt
allisha fix uNit 14 laBor uNit presideNt/
field evideNce techNiciaN
police
armaNdo Jauregui patrol officer police
chaNtavy torNado local activist--fouNder of love
aNd light group, soNoma couNty
director of lgBtq coNNectioN
police
chris mahuriN sergeaNt, press iNformatioN
officer / liaisoN to city equity
task force
fire
gustavo meNdoza commuNity outreach specialist city of saNta rosa violeNce preveNtioN partNership
haleigh fleck (left city) admiNistrative aNalyst /supervi- sor & peer support team memBer
police
hoNor JacksoN NoN-profit fouNder/local faith
leader/Nami Board memBer
commuNity memBer
James letasi dispatcher/uNioN rep police
Jeff woods detective, poa presideNt police
Jessica velasquez dispatch supervisor police
JohN cregaN saNta rosa chief of police
& Nami Board memBer
police
kirstyNe laNge presideNt of the Naacp saNta
rosa/soNoma couNty BraNch,
Naacp ca/hi regioNal crimiNal
Justice committee, memBer of
save your six, participaNt oN
the saNta rosa multi-cultural
roots proJect, memBer - saNta
rosa commuNity advisory Board,
Board memBer - soNoma
couNty tourism Board
commuNity memBer
luigi valeNcia patrol officer & lmft,
Justice program director
for youth diversioN at sos
commuNity couNseliNg.
police & commuNity
meNtal health provider
matthew colter records techNiciaN police
Nick gillotte detective, violeNt crimes police
NuBia padilla executive director of NoNprofit
humaNidad therapy & educatioN
services. partNer iN iNrespoNse:
saNta rosa’s meNtal health
support team
commuNity memBer
SR City Equity Plan
05 acknowledgements
equitable policing taskforce (cont’d)
Name positioN departmeNt
pam loreNce srpd admiNistrative services
officer (aso)
police
patricia seffeNs patrol sergeaNt aNd morale
committee sergeaNt
police
raiNer Navarro (retired) former saNta rosa
chief of police
police
shawNtel reece chief’s commuNity amBassador
team, couNty of soNoma
JuveNile proBatioN/humaN
services/ employmeNt traiNiNg
couNselor. memBer of greater
powerhouse church of god iN
christ, Naacp, rites of passage,
Bridge to the future,
Blacks uNited & saNta rosa
multi-cultural roots proJect.
couNtywide advocate for
youth aNd racial equity.
commuNity memBer
socorro shiels (left city) former diversity, iNclusioN, aNd equal employmeNt officer
humaN resources
tommy isachseN lieuteNaNt iN charge of
departmeNt traiNiNg aNd policy
reviews aNd helpiNg develop
implicit Bias traiNiNg. former
gaNg uNit lead sergeaNt aNd sro.
police
thanks and special recognition are also due to those staff members who contributed to the focus area working groups or the refinement committee of the cet a list including: Amanda cincera (srP d officer & Background investigator), Angela morgan (Housing Program specialist), daniel Hackett (srP d Police lieutenant), danielle garduno (c ommunity engagement, Administrative Analyst with the santa rosa v iolence Prevention Partnership), deisy vargas (srFd c ommunity outreach specialist), e ddie curiel (Public Works), Hector sanchez- castaneda (city Attorney’s office intern), Jami ross (Human resources Analyst), Jason nutt (Assistantcity manager), Jeremia mills (Human resources, left city), Jessica Jones, (deputy director, Planning division), Kevin King (c ommunications c oordinator), Kiran shah (city manager Fellow), lisa gebhart-l onghurst (Administrative service officer for the Finance and communications departments), matt White (detective, srP d), shay stykel (Hiring, srP d), Travers “T c” collins (srFd deputy Fire chief) SR City Equity Plan
06 With implementation of the recommendations included in this Equity Plan (Plan), the City of Santa Rosa (City or Santa Rosa) takes a transformative step toward realizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout the City and in its interactions with the community. Listed below are CET recommendations and foundational commitments.
the cet’s recommendations are:
> Increase diversity through the recruitment of diverse candidates and equitable hiring and selection processes.
> Create a transparent and inclusive public data dashboard to publish recruitment and hiring statistics.
> Improve and implement policies, procedures, access, and engagement to strive for belonging in onboarding of new hires, and strive for equity, transparency, and a sense of belonging for promotional hires.
> Increase opportunities for employee development, training, and career growth, and implement strategies to create a culture where everyone belongs. > Develop and implement structures and standards, including policies, processes, and procedures to foster a culture of language access and justice in communications, and public participation in decision-making processes. > Implement, reexamine, and empower equitable and effective citywide external communication and engagement standards and policies using best practices to promote legitimate, transparent information and participatory processes. > Proactively identify and respond to individual and community needs, complaints, and systematic challenges through listening, empathy, honesty, and collaboration. > Establish a standing committee (VIBE1 Committee) to monitor the implemen- tation of the City Equity Plan across the City that fosters and maintains a vibrant culture of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Transformation, Bridging, and Belonging (DEI/ TBB), and ensures accountability to those values over time. > Consider making changes to the organizational structure such that the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Employment Officer (DI/EEO) position reports directly to the City Manager’s Office to ensure the position has the support needed to effectively shepherd implementation of the Plan across the City or consider alternate means executive summary
1 “viBe” – voices for inclusion, Belonging, and equity SR City Equity Plan
07 and measures to institutionalize structural best practices. > Identify resource distribution gaps and provide and distribute internal and external City resources in ways that are equitable, fair, just, and transparent. > Align the City’s mission, vision, and values to include principles of DEI/TBB2. > Develop communication policies, protocols, and procedures that advance communications that are transparent, uniform, consistent, timely, accessible, and equitable for all employees.
> Develop and implement standards, policies, strategies, and practices that value and foster a culture of employee well-being, transformation, and belonging throughout the organization, and to implement wellness strategies and trauma informed care programs to support physical, mental, and emotional health. in developing the diversity, equity, inclusion and
belonging (deib) recommendations, the cet followed
commitments to:
>
The principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging that drive innovation, productivity, employee well-being, and equitable community relations. > Establishment of universal goals for all, achieved through targeted strategies based on how different groups are situated within City structures, culture, and geographies, and informed by data.
> Centering co-creation, shared leadership, bridging and collaboration to drive consensus decisions.
executive summary
2 diversity, equity, inclusion, Transformation, Bridging and Belonging SR City Equity Plan
08 background
3 13-0644 - Presentation (srcity.org); https://www.srcity.org/346/inclusion-council 4 Joint city council letter to the community – george Floyd Protests and civil unrest, June 4, 2020 5 https://www.srcity.org/1537/community-empowerment
6 https://www.srcity.org/documentcenter/view/34217/resolution-to-delare-racism-a-Public-Health-crisis_FinAl-pub- lished
7 https://www.srcity.org/246/city-manager
8 https://www.srcity.org/2476/mission-vision-values-goals-Priorities chronology of events that contributed to
development of the plan
2001
May 2020
Oct 2013
May/June 2020
June 2020
June/July 2020
July 2020
January 2021
March 2021
November 2021
January 2022
February 2022
December 2022
Inclusion Council formed to help the City champion diversity and inclusion3 13-year-old Andy Lopez shot by Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy in the City of Santa Rosa.
George Floyd killing in Minneapolis
Racial justice/police violence demonstrations in the City of Santa Rosa City Council (Council) issues Joint City Council Letter to the Community related to the George Floyd Protests and Civil Unrest that committed to transparency, investment in mental health services, collaborative partnerships with the community and engaging “…in the difficult but necessary conversations about equity, race, privilege, and injustice ...” 4 City conducts a series of community listening sessions Community Empowerment Plan - The focus of the Community Empowerment Plan is to engage and work in partnership with the public in a way that all community members feel they have a voice and are empowered to seek and implement a better more inclusive system.5 City engages consultant to facilitate development of City-wide equity plan City hires Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Employment Officer Council approves resolution declaring racism a public health and human rights crisis in Santa Rosa
6 City Manager details organizational values7 that include: Encouraging Accessibility, Open Communication and Participation in Decision Making > Seeking and Celebrating Diversity > Developing an Environment of Mutual Trust, Fairness, Sensitivity and Dignity Council sets goals and priorities for 2022
8 to include: Achieve
Organizational Excellence - Create a high performing organization that is proactive; fiscally sound; promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion; and reliably delivers outstanding services to the community.
CET reaches consensus agreement on City-wide equity recommendations SR City Equity Plan
background
09 Santa Rosa has been actively responding to community complaints and protests related to claims of institutional racism, law enforcement use of force abuses, and divisive media images and narratives, as well as organizational challenges caused by the pandemic and employees’ desire to belong.
In January 2021, Santa Rosa engaged Seed Collaborative, LLC (Seed or Consultant) to:
> Assess individual and group perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors from a diverse representation of staff and community members related to their understanding of diversity, equity, inclusions and belonging (DEIB) and the City’s incorporation of DEIB in policies, practices, procedures, systems, structures, internal and external communications, and community outreach and engagement.
> Facilitate a group process for City staff to review and analyze data findings, identify barriers and opportunities related to DEIB, and make recommendations to improve DEIB within the organization.
> Prepare an Equity Plan that incorporates data findings from the assessment and recommendations derived from the group process.
Select City employees worked collaboratively for almost two years to develop the Plan.
SR City Equity Plan
10 9 https://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/targeteduniversalism The City’s equity Taskforces addressed barriers to DEIB through a framework of Targeted Universalism
targeted universalism
The Targeted Universalism (TU) approach was co-conceptualized by Seed co-founder john a. powell and entails establishing universal goals achieved by targeted strategies and processes.
TU recognizes that to accomplish universal goals, we must acknowledge that different groups of people are situated differently within society, structures, and institutions. This difference results from structural and systemic inequities that create different barriers and challenges and thus require different pathways for reaching a universal goal.
TU directs attention to these various barriers and pathways and suggests structural changes to reach the universal goal. Strategies are designed to accomplish a goal by considering people’s specific situations so they can get what they need when and how they need it while also moving all towards the universal goal.
TU also addresses the polarization caused by only targeted or only universal strategies. Solely universal strategies, such as social security and minimum wage that treat everyone the same fail to recognize how groups are situated differently.
These strategies will work for those considered the norm but not those with specific and unique conditions and challenges. Solely universal strategies are often perceived as overly ambitious and inadequate in helping those most in need.
Conversely, solely targeted strategies, such as the American Disabilities Act or Affirmative Action, focus on supporting targeted groups to eliminate disparities but often fail to transform structures and systems. They are sometimes criticized for unfairly helping one group over another and can be viewed as preferential, thus seeding hostility and resentment.
The CET utilized a TU
9 framework to develop a set of universal recommendations aligned with targeted strategies.
approach
SR City Equity Plan
11 TU is informed by measuring differences and understanding how different groups are situated in relation to a universal goal. For example, tracking how women perform relative to a universal goal of equitable promotions.
The City’s Project Team10, in collaboration with Seed, identified a diverse cross-section of employees to participate in the due diligence process.
Seed conducted a combination of individual interviews, focus group sessions, and surveys to better understand how different groups are situated within the City and to learn individual and group DEIB perceptions and experiences. interviews and focus groups
From July to August 2021, Seed conducted sixteen (16) individual interviews and three (3) focus group sessions that included twenty-seven (27) participants to learn more about how individuals experience working in the City. These are in addition to and distinct from the interviews and focus groups conducted in the DEIB work processes with the Santa Rosa Fire and Police Departments. surveys
Seed conducted an all-staff survey that resulted in 525 responses. Survey findings informed the identification of DEIB challenges and opportunities.
Survey methodology and demographics are provided by the charts that follow.
Of the 525 City staff survey responses:
survey methodology: self-administered online survey
> survey instrument designed around understanding dei issues among city employees > separate modules for srPd and srFd
> A survey link was disseminated to all city employees across email communications > The survey length was between 10-15 min.
data - due diligence
process
SR City Equity Plan
12 data - due diligence
process
N size:
525
SRFD
N size:
74 Water
N size:
107
Supervisor/
Manager
N size:
168
21-34
N size:
83 Female
N size:
188
White/
Caucasian
N size:
316
Non-
Supervisor/
Manager Staff
N size:
303
35-44
N size:
182
Male
N size:
270
Latinx
N size:
51 Contractor/
Temp/
Volunteer/
Others
N size:
303
45-54
N size:
150
Others
N size:
67 Mixed
N size:
45 55+
N size:
110
Straight
N size:
411
Others
N size:
37 LGBTQ/Not
Specified
N size:
114
Not
Specified
N size:
76 Transportation
/Public Works
N size:
84 SRPD
N size:
104
Departments
final results
Position
Gender
Age
Ethnicity
SR City Equity Plan
13 data - due diligence
process
respondent profile: demographics
Position
Over half are line staff, while another 31%
are those in manager/supervisor roles
employment length
One-half have been employed
in the City for 10 years or more
58%
56%
31%
8% 5%
line staff sr. dept./
manager/
supervisor
Temp./
volunteer/
contractor/
etc.
not
specified
20+ years
10 to <20 years
5 to <10 years
<5 years
19%
21%
30%
31%
age 64% between the ages
of 35-55 years of age
education 68% have a college
or advanced degree
55-72
45-54
35-44
21-34
21%
29%
16%
35%
N=74
5%
don’t know/Prefer
not to answer
some college,
trade school or
post-high school
education
23%
14%
master’s degree
or Highercollege
graduate
54%
4%
High school
graduate less
SR City Equity Plan
14 srpd respondent profile: demographics (cont’d)
> Two-thirds are White/Caucasian | 14% Hispanic/Latinx | 14% Mixed | 14% did not specify > Over one-half of survey respondents are male | 36% Female | 12% did not specify | 7% identify as LGBTQ
document review/best practice research
In addition to conducting interviews, focus group sessions, and a survey, Seed reviewed City demographic data, Council records and other City documents, investigative reports by outside consultants, and relevant press information.
Seed also conducted best/next practices research and literature review to support CET work group participants and Plan recommendations.
data - due diligence
process
36%
Female 7%
not
specified
51%
male
straight/
Heterosexual
78% Lgbtq
15%
Race/
EThNICITy
SExuAL
ORIENTATION
not specified
12%
N=104
60%
White/caucasian
14%
not specified
Hispanic/latinx
10%
mixed
9%
4%
GENDERRace/ethnicity
SR City Equity Plan
15 data findings
Data findings from Seed’s due diligence process, City data, and employees lived experience informed the CET’s identification of opportunities, challenges, and barriers to DEIB.
key due diligence themes
1 Most employees expressed positive perceptions/opinions of workforce diversity and are generally very open to DEI conversations. practices should be changed. > While largely favorable, there is a small segment of Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD) respondents who expressed some resistance with having more DEI dialogue. > A significant number of survey respondents who did not specify their race/ethnicity or gender/orientation also have greater disagreement with the need for more DEI discussions.
SR City Equity Plan
16 data findings
B1: Please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’–where ‘1’ is not At All satisfied and ‘5’ is very satisfied
> Most employees believe DEI is supported and encouraged in their respective departments—though fewer believe previous DEI training has been effective. > Many of the respondents who failed to specify their race/ethnicity or gender/orientation expressed greater disagreement that DEI training has had a meaningful or favorable impact.
B1: individual perspectives on diversity - by key demographics > There tends to be less openness and greater dissension observed among respondents who do not specify their gender, race, orientation
N=525 agree neither disagree
FEMALE
MALE
otheR/not
SPECIFIED
ALL OThERS
NOT SPECIFIED
LGBTQ
NOT SPECIFIED
white/cauc.
MIxED
hiSpanic/latinx
STRAIGhT 71%
82%
53%
81%
72%72% 6%
10%
11%
16%
25%
76%
67%
62%
55%
65%
48%
10%
4%
8%
6%
25%
10%
30%
72%
43% 36%
76%
56%
62%
17%
33%46%
63%
22%
32%
56%
57%
46%
73%
“it is important and valuable to examine
and discuss issues related to gender
identity and sexual orientation”
“it is important to examine and discuss
issues related to race and ethnicity”
B1: [diversity personal attitudes/perspectives]
6%
13%
9%
12%
10%
13%
SR City Equity Plan
17 data findings
> In evaluating their own departments’ DEI practices, many respondents believe progress is being made more in certain areas more than others. > Most believe their departments are making progress in communicating to populations with limited English fluency.
> There is less certainty over how well departments are doing when it comes to improving access to services for diverse communities or supplier diversity practices. > About 25% of participants disagreed with whether their department represents the diversity of the communities they serve—particularly among females and Hispanic/ Latinx members.
B2: [diversity departmental attidudes/perspectives]
B2: departmental perspectives on dei by dept / key demographics > When it comes to DEI training, few agree it has generated meaningful or positive impact across all departments. Those who disagree the most are respondents who do not specify gender/orientation, race/ethnicity
N=525
B2: Please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’–where ‘1’ is not At All satisfied and ‘5’ is very satisfied
agree neither disagree
city-wide (minuS SRfd + SRpd), n=347 FEMALE
STRAIGhT
MALE
LGBTQ
otheR/not Specified
NOT SPECIFIED
white/caucaSian
hiSpanic/latinx
MIxED
ALL OThERS
NOT SPECIFIED
FIRE DEPARTMENT, N=74
POLICE DEPARTMENT, N=104
WATER DEPARTMENT, N=107
TRANSPORTATION AND PuBLIC WORkS, N=84
29% 52%
36%
36%
33%
26%
51%
43%
50%
51%
18%
12%
21%
18%
23%
26%
34%
38%
29%
24%
23%
59%
51%
46%
59%
45%
43%
15%
15%
17%
12%
31%
35%
34% 52%
33%
22% 49%
30% 49% 22%
14%
10%
29%
25% 42%
37% 53%
by key attributesby department
B2: The next set of statements are based
in your experiences and perspectives of
your specific department, particularly as
it relates to diversity, equity, and inclu-
sivity (dei). For each statement below,
please select one response based on the
following scale below from “1” to “5” -
where “1” is strongly disagree and “5” is
strongly Agree
“the dei training my department has gone through has been meaningful, insightful and has had a positive impact”
SR City Equity Plan
18 data findings
B3: departmental perspectives on servicing dei
> Employees largely agree their respective departments are making inroads to deliv- ering interpretation/translation for those with limited English. > However, while nearly half believe their department reflects the demographics of the community, over a quarter do not
my department is making progress at providing interpretation and translation services for people with limited english The background and demographics of employees within my department reflect those represented in our community my department is making progress on improving access to services for people of color my department takes into consideration the needs of a diverse array of people when it comes to contract and procurement practices The next set of statements are based on your observations of your specific department, particularly as it relates to reflecting and equitably serving the diversity of residents who are part of the city of santa rosa community. For reach statement below, please select one response based in the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ - where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly agree 64% 23%
47%
43% 40%
38%
7%
7%
6%
10%
4%
8%
26%23%
41% 13%
N=525 agree neither disagree don’t Know/nA
B3: [diversity departmental
attidudes/perspectives]
SR City Equity Plan
19 data findings
20%
> Most participants believe DEI is embraced and practiced widely across the City. > There is somewhat less agreement over whether the City is investing sufficient time/resources towards DEI, treats all employees fairly, fosters a workplace where everyone belongs, and whether the City is committed to improving the diversity of its senior leadership
B3: departmental perspectives on servicing dei (by key demographics) > There is significantly lower agreement and greater dissension about how adequately their department reflects the community among females and Hispanic/Latinx respondents 34%
28%
N=525 agree neither disagree
B3: [diversity departmental attidudes/perspectives]
“the background and demographics of employees within my department reflect those represented in our community”
city-wide (minuS SRfd + SRpd), n=347 FEMALE
MALE
otheR/not Specified
white/caucaSian
hiSpanic/latinx
ALL OThERS
NOT SPECIFIED
FIRE DEPARTMENT, N=74
POLICE DEPARTMENT, N=104
WATER DEPARTMENT, N=107
TRANSPORTATION AND PuBLIC WORkS, N=84
45% 37%
52%
54%
49%
38%
40%
57%
45%
56%
48%
51%
26% 26%
27%
33%
25%
25%
31%
30%
36%
24%
30%
20%
29% 37%
21%
13%
26%
37%
29%
13%
19%
20%
22%
29%
B3: The next step of statements are based on your observations of your specific department, particularly as it relates to reflecting and equitably serving the diversity of residents who are part of the city of santa rosa community. For each statement below, please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ – where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly Agree.
SR City Equity Plan
20 data findings
B4: dei in santa rosa community
> In looking at the City of Santa Rosa as a whole, employees largely believe DEI is embraced and practiced broadly.
> Where there is lower relative agreement and somewhat greater dissension is whether the City is investing time/resources and is committed to improving the diversity of senior leadership in the city of santa rosa, employees appreciate and interact well with other employees whose backgrounds, beliefs and experiences are different from their own The city of santa rosa values diversity whose backgrounds, beliefs and experiences are different from their own in general, city of santa rosa employees are treated fairly whose backgrounds, beliefs and experiences are different from their own The city of santa rosa respects
individuals and values their dif-
ferences whose backgrounds,
beliefs and experiences are
different from their own
The city of santa rosa’s policies,
practices and procedures encourage
diversity, equity and inclusion whose
backgrounds, beliefs and experienc-
es are different from their own
management demonstrates that diversity is important through its communications and actions The city of santa rosa invests time and resources into building a diverse team The city of santa rosa is committed to improving the diversity of its senior leadership The city of santa rosa fosters a work-
place where everyone belongs and
that allows employees to be them-
selves at work without fear whose
backgrounds, beliefs and experiences
are different from their own
70% 9%
9%
15%
12%
18%
12%
16%
19%
20%
68%
66%
65%
60%
59%
50%
44%
34%
B4: The next step of statements are based on your observations or your opinions and your perspectives for the city of santa rosa as a whole. For each statement below, please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ – where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly Agree.
N=347 / DATA ExCLuDES SRFD + SRPD agree neither disagree B4: [citywide perspectives on dei in the community]
>
>
>
SR City Equity Plan
21 data findings
B4: dei in santa rosa community - by key demographics
> While a majority of employees across a range of backgrounds believe the workplace cultivates belonging and treats everyone fairly, those who do not specify gender, orientation, race/ethnicity often disagree more
B4: The next step of statements are based on your observations or your opinions and your perspectives for the city of santa rosa as a whole. For each statement below, please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ – where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly Agree.
N=347 / DATA ExCLuDES SRFD + SRPD agree neither disagree “in general, city of santa rosa
employees are treated fairly”
“the city of santa rosa fosters
a workplace where everyone
belongs and that allows
employees to be themselves
at work without fear”
> When examining hiring and advancement issues, most participants believe their career growth is supported and people across a range of backgrounds have equitable opportunities.
> There is less agreement as to whether the process of career advancement/ promotions is fair and whether there is a career development path for all employees. > Respondents who did not disclose race/ethnicity, gender/orientation--as well as some LGBTQ and mixed-race members reflected higher levels of disagreement with the fairness of career advancement processes and the availability of career development paths for all employees.
B4: [citywide perspectives on dei in the community]
FEMALE
MALE
otheR/not
SPECIFIED
LGBTQ
NOT
SPECIFIED
ALL OThERS
NOT SPECIFIED
white/cauc.
MIxED
hiSpanic/latinx
STRAIGhT
52% 66%
69%60%
69% 70%
59%59%
50% 47%
48%
72%64%
68%50%
62%58%
59%48%
37%55%
58%
18% 13%
13%17%
30% 21%
18%23%
14% 18%
26%22%
24% 21%
22%
17%20%
19%30%
15%23%
27%28%
31%21%
17%
17% 12%
15%19%
26% 32%
30%
11%16%
13%20%
23%19%
14%24%
32%24%
25%
SR City Equity Plan
22 B5: dei hiring and recruitment
> A majority of employees believe their career growth is supported and that people across a range of backgrounds have equitable opportunities to advance their careers in Santa Rosa
> There is lower agreement and higher dissension among those who say the process of career advancement/promotions is fair and that there is a career development path for all employees
data findings
i feel supported in my career growth here in santa rosa People from all backgrounds and a range of identities have equitable opportunities to advance their careers in the city of santa rosa The process for career advancement and promotions is fair to all employees There is a career development path for all employees in the city of santa rosa The city of santa rosa takes active measures to seek a diverse candidate pool when hiring B5: For the following statements below, please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ – where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly Agree.
61%
57%
42%
39%
33%
17%
26%
26%
27%
51%
21%
18%
32%
34%
16%
N=347 / Data Excludes SRFD + SRPD agree neither disagree B5: Hiring and recruitment perspectives
> In considering personal experiences, most participants trust the City to take appropriate measures to make the workplace a safe/supportive place for diverse employees.
> However, nearly one-third say they have experienced or witnessed bullying in their team—mostly from those who are mixed race or did not disclose their demographic backgrounds.
SR City Equity Plan
23 data findings
B6: Personal experiences in santa rosa
> A large majority of employees grasp procedures for inappropriate behavior, believe the City takes appropriate action against discrimination and believes it is a safe/supportive workplace for diverse employees. Most also express comfort in discussion DEI topics and believe their background/identity are valued by their colleagues. > However, nearly one-third say they have either experienced or witnessed bullying within their team
i am aware of, and understand, the procedures for reporting incidents of inappropriate behavior including discrimination, harassment, harm and/or bias in the workplace
i believe the city will take appropriate action in response to incidents of discrimination,harm and/or bias i believe the city of santa rosa is a safe and supportive workplace for people of color i feel comfortable talking about topics of race, gender, and sexual orientation on my team my background and identity are valued by my colleagues
i have experienced and/or witnessed bullying within my team B6: For each statement below, please select one reposes based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ - where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly agree
82%
70%
69%
59%
56%
31%
9%
16%
26%
25%
32%
12%
9%
14%
5%
16%
11%
58%
N=347 / DATA ExCLuDES SRFD + SRPD agree neither disagree B6: [Personal experiences]
> While a large majority believe the City’s culture and management upholds DEI, there tends to be lower agreement that its environment is open to the different expression of ideas, opinions, and beliefs.
> There is also a higher relative proportion of those who disagree that employees of different ages are valued equally in the City—especially from those 55+ years and those who do not disclose race/ethnicity, gender/orientation SR City Equity Plan
24 data findings
B7: inclusion in santa rosa - by key demographics
> Those who disagree the most that ‘employers of different ages are equally valued’ includes nearly one quarter of employees 55+ years of age Similarly, many who do not specify gender, orientation, race/ethnicity also have approx. one quarter who disagree B7: For each statement below, please select one response based on the following scale below from ‘1’ to ‘5’ - where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly Agree
N=347 / DATA ExCLuDES SRFD + SRPD agree neither disagree B7: [inclusion]
FEMALE
STRAIGhT
MALE
LGBTQ
otheR/not Specified
NOT SPECIFIED
white/caucaSian
hiSpanic/latinx
MIxED
ALL OThERS
NOT SPECIFIED
21-34 yeaRS
OF AGE
45-54 yeaRS
OF AGE
35-44 yeaRS
OF AGE
55+ yEARS
OF AGE
59%
63%
50%
61%
63%
55%
23%
20%
21%
20%
30%
20%
18%
17%
29%
19%
7%
25%
63%
58%
58%
66%
47%
19%
27%
19%
17%
27%
18%
15%
23%
17%
26%
15%
16%
24%
18%
62%
64% 58%
58%15%
20%
18%
24%
SR City Equity Plan
25 group process
city equity
task force
24 Staff Members
total of 41 including
Committee participants
19 Meetings employee lifecycle
[ 16 Staff ]
20 Meetings
04 Focus Areas
1 Recruitment 2 hiring
3 Retention 4 Professional
Development
culture
[ 12 Staff ]
16 Meetings
03 Focus Areas
1 Culture 2 Inclusion
3 Belonging
community engagement
[ 13 Staff ]
19 Meetings
03 Focus Areas
1 Communications
2 Community Engagement
3 Recruitment
facilitated group process
refinement
committee
[ 11 Staff ]
4 Meetings
SR City Equity Plan
26 group process
In December 2021 the CET first met for an Orientation and overview of the work ahead. The CET was formed by the Project Team in collaboration with Department Directors and Seed. The Project Team was guided by the goal of being inclusive in selecting staff member participants. The CET included diverse representation from field, line, and management staff, as well as employees that represented various tenures with the City, and diversity of age, gender, cultural ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Data presentation and focus areas for subcommittees followed in the new year.
The CET formed three subgroups focused on: 1) culture, 2) community engagement and communications, and 3) recruitment, hiring, retention and professional development. The CET decided on focus areas based on findings from the due diligence process. It is important to note that the CET opened participation on the subgroups to other employees to expand opportunities for participation in the group process. A total of thirty-seven (37) staff members participated in the CET or its subcommittees.
The CET met monthly between January and March 2022 before moving to biweekly meetings for the subcommittees to report out and get feedback as they began devel- oping recommendations. The subgroups met as needed in between meetings of the CET. The CET convened nineteen (19) taskforce meetings and many subcommittee meetings, along with countless hours of work in between meetings. The subgroups developed fourteen (14) recommendations, along with strategies for consideration and approval by the CET.
Seed facilitated meetings of the CET and provided thought partnership. City employees led the subgroup work supported by Seed and identified project leads to facilitate the subgroup meetings.
Sub-groups discussed and analyzed focus area data findings along with employee lived experiences, and then informed by the findings reached consensus on focus area recommendations and strategies. The sub-groups’ recommendations were uplifted to the CET for discussion, clarification, and consensus agreement. The CET paused meetings after the subcommittees presented the rationales and thinking behind their recommendations to the larger group. Meanwhile, in September, a Refinement Committee was convened with participants from each subcommittee to find alignment between the recommendations of the three subcommittees and streamline the recommendations and make sure the language was coordinated across not only the CET’s work but the recommendations that emerged from the EPT and RDT group processes as well.
The CET reached consensus agreement on all the recommendations included in this Plan.
The CET engaged in a group process that centered the following principles:
SR City Equity Plan
27 > Data and lived experience informed recommendations > Co-creation and shared leadership
> Consensus decision-making
> Support of safe spaces
> Everyone belongs
The CET group process was grounded by a collaborative learning exchange, trust among participants and in the process, staff inclusion, transparency, and consensus decisions. CET members and other City staff spent a tremendous amount of time preparing for and participating in meetings and conferring with key stakeholders and peers. A key takeaway was that CET members valued the opportunity to get to know participants from other departments on more personal and relatable level, which contributed to a sense of belonging.
The recommendations included in this Plan were approved by consensus decision of the CET.
group process
SR City Equity Plan
28 culture, inclusion and belonging
guiding Statement-Structure: The City has an opportunity to increase resource allocation and enhance organizational structure to foster belonging, maintain a vibrant culture of DEI/TBB 11, and to ensure
accountability to those values over time.
recommendation 1
Establish a standing committee (VIBE12 Committee) to monitor the implementation of the City Equity Plan (Plan) across the City that fosters and maintains a vibrant culture of DEI/TBB and ensures accountability to those values over time. VIBE will have a formal connection with the SRFD and the SRPD Standing Committees.
VIBE will work collaboratively with the SRFD and SRPD Standing Committees to monitor the implementation of the Recruitment Diversity Taskforce (RDT) and the Equitable Policing Taskforce (EPT) equity plans and report to Executive Staff.
rationale for recommendation
Without institutional structures that support DEIB, transformative change is not sustainable. The City’s DEIB recommendations may be unsustainable without an organizational structure that supports the work, uplifts its value, monitors success, and provides for accountability.
findings:
> Among the critical success factors of DEI is Sustainable Infrastructure – “By making sustainable infrastructure a part of an initiative, organizations ensure that they maintain the ground they gain and march forward from there.” (See Exhibit A for critical success factors)
recommendations
11 “dei/TBB” – diversity, equity, inclusion/Transformation, Bridging, and Belonging 12 “viBe” – voices for inclusion, Belonging, and equity SR City Equity Plan
29 recommendations
Considerations:
> VIBE membership include a broad and diverse group that is inclusive of all levels and positions within the City, including but not limited to diversity based on tenure, age, gender, ethnic and cultural background, and sexual orientation. > VIBE committee include a connection with the Standing Committees of Fire and Police.
> VIBE review and monitor all policies, practices, procedures, and protocols related to the City equity plan.
> VIBE create an annual workplan for the Plan and review associated metrics focused on fostering and maintaining a vibrant culture of DEI/TBB and ensuring accountability to those values over time.
> VIBE report out at least once per year in coordination with the Fire and Police Standing Committees on progress with implementation of Plan recommendations and accomplishment of Plan metrics. Reports (oral and written) be provided to all staff, Executive Staff, and Council.
> The Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Employment Officer (DIEEO) lead the formation of VIBE with the following requirements.
>The DIEEO will work with the City Manager and Executive Staff to determine participation and selection criteria
>VIBE will include a set number of members with an established process to select and onboard members with defined term limits that are rotational to ensure continuity >VIBE shall be empowered to add additional members on a temporary and limited basis for an established purpose and specific goal >VIBE time commitments should ensure primary job duties are prioritized and fulfilled according to established workplans continuity >VIBE will have a workplan to further strategies identified in the Plan and will engage employees across the City.
>VIBE and Police and Fire Standing Committees shall work in collaboration and align around city-wide recommendations. Such joint efforts help prevent siloed results, redundancy, and ensure uniformity.
> VIBE work collaboratively with the Fire and Police Standing Committees to monitor implementation of the Fire and Police Equity Plans and report out to Executive Staff. > The DIEEO will be tasked with the formation of the VIBE committee and will serve as staff liaison.
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
SR City Equity Plan
30 recommendations
13 dvi_19_report_FinAl_web.pdf
14 https://www.chezie.co/bluepages/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-should-not-be-under-hr; https://medium.com/swlh/dei- does-not-belong-under-hr-4ee25493fb66
guiding Statement-deib Structure: The City has an opportunity to implement organizational structure best practices to ensure the implementation and success of DEI/TBB initiatives.
recommendation 2
The City Manager may want to consider making changes to the organizational structure such that the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Employment Officer (DI/EEO) position reports directly to the City Manager’s Office to ensure the position has the support needed to effectively shepherd implementation of the Plan across the City or consider alternate means and measures to institutionalize structural best practices.
rationale for recommendation
Advice, counsel, and support of senior leadership is critical to: 1) ensuring implementation of Equity Plan recommendations, 2) allocation of resources to DEIB initiatives, 3) messaging the importance of DEIB recommendations, and 4) accountability. findings:
> Diversity Value Index Finding: at 31.9% of respondent organizations, the head of the diversity function reports directly to the CEO versus 27.7% who report to the CHRO.13 Considerations/Questions
> DEI can be viewed as a business strategy and a separate function that impacts all departments and organizational operations. It has a broader span of influence beyond employee well-being.14
> The DEI function should look beyond human resource practices to products, partners, vendors, processes, customer service, marketing, communications, organizational structures, and more.
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
SR City Equity Plan
31 recommendations
15 https://www.adweek.com/agencies/why-your-chief-executive-officer-should-also-be-your-chief-diversity-officer/ 16 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225864568_modeling_equity_for_Allocating_Public_resources > Placing DEI within HR signals to non-HR people that DEI isn’t their job, implies that there is nothing that other business functions can do to promote DEI, and it de-prioritizes DEI metrics, goals, and progress.
> Improving DEI often requires systemic change, and it can be more difficult to drive change across an organization from a single department. > To be effective, DEI should be established as an organizational priority. > DEI needs a seat at the executive table to ensure accountability. > Efforts to boost DEI may fail if they are kept at a distance from the key decision-makers in the organization.
> City Manager/CEO should be able to assess and support their diversity leaders, while acting as internal DEI champions.15
guiding Statement-reSourceS: The City has an opportunity to improve the equitable and transparent distribution of resources both internally and externally.
recommendation 3
City will identify distribution gaps and provide and distribute internal and external City resources that are equitable, fair, just, and transparent. rationale for recommendation
Fair, just, and transparent resource allocation and distribution contributes to belonging and helps ensure that a rising tide lifts all boats.
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Strategies
> Modeling Equity for Allocating Public Resources - Equity is a critical and controversial factor when deciding how to allocate public resources (Stone 2002).16 SR City Equity Plan
32 17 diversity, equity, inclusion, Transformation, Bridging and Belonging recommendations
Considerations
> Departments review their policies, procedures and practices relative to the equitable allocation and distribution of public resources and provide updates as part of Departmental annual reports.
> Departments should evaluate and provide for:
> Equitable distribution of resources internally and externally > How to identity, address, and resolve (to the extent possible) historic and current inequities, for review and implementation by Exec Staff. > Development of targeted strategies to provide equitable, fair, just allocation and distribution of public resources
> Evaluative metrics and measures
Considerations/Questions
> The City should ensure that policies and processes concerning Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals statements (at all levels of the organization) integrate the principles of (and metrics for measuring) diversity, equity, inclusion, and transformation, bridging and belonging.
guiding Statement-miSSion, ViSion, ValueS: The City’s
Mission, Vision, and Values can be enhanced by inclusion of principles of DEI/TBB17.
recommendation 4
The City align its mission, vision, and values to include principles of DEI/TBB. rationale for recommendation
Alignment of mission, vision, and values with principles of DEI/TBB contributes to supporting a culture of belonging.
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
SR City Equity Plan
33 recommendations
> The City should ensure that internally focused Mission and Vision statements provide a north star for our day-to-day work. Additionally, it is recommended that the Basic Principles and Values statements be updated to be relevant to today’s workforce and DEIB/TBB.
> The following considerations should be included within the VIBE’s annual and long-range workplan and performance measures.
> Citywide internal Mission and Vision statements that align with City Council’s established Mission, Vision, and Values
> Updated Values and Basic Principles to reflect the principles and practices of DEITBB
> Establish policies and procedures for ensuring that all City Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals statements integrate principles of DEITBB and provide metrics for measuring alignment over time.
guiding Statement-communicationS: The City has an opportunity to enhance transparent, uniform, consistent, timely, accessible, and equitable communication for all employees at all times.
recommendation 5
The City develop communication policies, protocols, and procedures that ensure internal city communication is transparent, uniform, consistent, timely, accessible, and equitable for all employees.
rationale for recommendation
Communication that is transparent, consistent, timely, accessible and equitable contributes to a culture of belonging.
SR City Equity Plan
34 recommendations
18 https://workplace.msu.edu/transparent-communication/#:~:text=Benefits%20of%20transparent%20communica- tion%3A%201%20increases%20collaboration%202,6%20Allows%20the%20workplace%20to%20be%20more%20informed findings:
> “A workplace with transparent communication is a more collaborative and trustworthy workplace, with information being openly shared between employees and across levels of the organization (Hutchison, 2020, April 8).
Transparent communication also allows employees to be more innovative since they are more informed. Additionally, transparent communication encourages others to communicate openly and increases the sharing of ideas (Hutchison, 2020, April 8). Essentially, transparent communication allows the workplace to be collectively informed about the true happenings within the organization and align their actions accordingly.”
18 recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Considerations/Questions
> VIBE or other entity identified by the City review communication policies, practices, procedures, and protocols for consistency with Plan recommendations. guiding Statement-belonging/Well-being: The City has an opportunity to improve the well-being and morale of employees, foster a culture of belonging, and bridge the cultural, physical, and logistical barriers that can create isolation of individuals, teams, divisions, and job classes. recommendation 6
The City develop and implement standards, policies, strategies, and practices that value and foster a culture of employee well-being, transformation, and belonging throughout the organization, and to implement wellness strategies and trauma informed care programs to support physical, mental, and emotional health. rationale for recommendation
Organizational environments that support employee belonging and well-being improve productivity, retention, performance, and employee satisfaction.
SR City Equity Plan
35 recommendations
findings:
> Research states that belonging is not only good for workers but for business too. Belonging can lead to a 56% increase in job performance, a 50% reduction in turnover risk, a 167% increase in employer net promoter score, 2X more employee raises, 18X more employee promotions, and a 75% decrease in sick days. All this alludes to the positive impact that ‘belonging’ has on workers leading to employee engagement and enhanced workers’ experience. 19 > Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions twice as fast with half the meetings.20
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
19 https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/blog/human-capital-blog/2021/what-is-belonging-in-the-workplace.html/#:~:text=- Belonging%20can%20lead%20to%20a%2056%25%20increase%20in,promotions,%20and%20a%2075%25%20decrease%20 in%20sick%20days
20 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/09/the-benefits-of-creating-a-diverse-work- force/?sh=61925f42140b
21 culture of Belonging Toolkit (2).pdf
Strategies
> Ten principles of belonging21
> DEIB Toolkit22
> City encouraged to consider strategies such as:
> Creating affinity groups
> Refreshing and reimagining the City’s mentoring program and embedding DEIB values and metrics in that effort
> Creating “collaboration” check lists that remind organizers to include and actively engage a broad range of stakeholders
> Establishing avenues for regular feedback and reporting out findings > Celebrating what works
> Conducting audits to evaluate progress based on metrics > Creating an ongoing Citywide Social Committee
Considerations/Questions
> There are cultural, physical and logistical barriers that create isolation of individuals, teams, divisions, and job classes. This impacts/limits collaboration, participatory decision making, cross-pollination, and lack of resilience and belonging. Barriers include, but are not limited to, different work schedules, accessibility to technology, location of worksite, job classifications, and office vs field duties.
SR City Equity Plan
36 23 https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/transportation/access-equity-mobility/equity-priority-communities - census tracts that have a significant concentration of underserved populations, such as households with low incomes and people of color. 24 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/santarosacitycalifornia - 2021 census data recommendations
communications and community engagement
guiding Statement-acceSS to information: The City can
improve equitable access to information with intentional processes to fill in the information and language diversity gaps and meaningfully engage the community in City projects, programs, and services. This includes providing opportunities to participate, educate, and empower community members to be a part of decision-making that impact their lives, health, and their community.
recommendation 7
Develop and implement structures and standards, including policies, processes, and procedures to foster a culture of language access and justice in communications and public participation in decision-making processes by using the most accessible language possible and addressing the language diversity and rights of Santa Rosa residents, defining, and focusing on specific strategies for the unique needs of districts, vulnerable populations, and Equity Priority Communities
23. rationale for recommendation
Access to information is critical to an informed citizenry and participatory democracy. findings:
> Only 86.2% of residents over 25 years old have graduated from high school27. > Only 34% of residents over 25 years old have a bachelor’s degree.
SR City Equity Plan
37 25 https://www.srcity.org/1326/Public-Participation-Plan 26 https://www.srcity.org/1326/Public-Participation-Plan recommendations
> 34% of Santa Rosa residents speak a language other than English, and there are more than 15 different languages spoken in the city.
> Over 85% of the residents who speak another language speak Spanish, and a high percentage of them are not English speakers. More than 46,000 people in the city speak Spanish.
> “It is the policy of the City Council to actively solicit the involvement of citizens in the public decision-making process, through public notification, media exposure, neighborhood meetings, and public hearings.”
25 > “…it is the policy of the City of Santa Rosa Transit Division to offer early and continuous opportunities for the public to be involved in the identification of social, economic, and environmental impacts of proposed transportation decisions. This includes seeking out and considering the viewpoints of minority, low-income, and limited English proficiency (LEP) populations (as well as older adults and people with limited mobility) in the course of conducting public outreach activities, consistent with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Circular 4702.1B (“Title VI Requirements and Guidelines for Federal Transit Administration Recipients”). 26 recommended strategies/actions:
> Integrate a Language Access and Justice Working Group that includes the DIEEO, the Community Engagement Director, the Communications Officer, and at least one bilingual representative from each City department to foster a culture of language access and justice in communications and public participation in decision-making processes.
> Each department should identify all public facing documents and/or events that require translation and/or interpretation and develop a budget estimate for the 23/24 fiscal year, including staff time for those who provide these in-house services. > Develop Santa Rosa Language Access and Justice Plan that recognizes, identifies, and addresses the language diversity and rights in our community through the Language Access and Justice Working Group. The plan will be comprehensive and clearly define policies and practices for translation and interpretation requirements for every department and the City. The Language Access and Justice Working Group will identify key stakeholders to create the Plan.
SR City Equity Plan
38 recommendations
27 u s. census Bureau, 2015-2019 American community survey 5-year estimates 28 ibid
29 ibid
30 ibid
31 Pew research center, July 2019, “Trust and distrust in America” https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/07/22/trust- and-distrust-in-america/
guiding Statement-external communicationS: The City
can build trust and enhance relationships with its residents by becoming more effective, accountable & transparent, and responsive to serve all residents, including the unique needs of districts, vulnerable populations, and Equity Priority Communities.
recommendation 8
Implement, reexamine, and empower equitable and effective city-wide external communication and engagement standards and policies using best practices to promote legitimate, transparent information, and participatory processes.
rationale for recommendation
Fostering trust in Santa Rosa’s government through transparent and consistent communication and engagement practices citywide enhances participatory democracy and resident satisfaction.
findings:24
> Only 86.2% of residents over 25 years old have graduated from high school27. > West Santa Rosa and Southeast Santa Rosa census tracts concentrate some the highest percentage of limited English proficient (LEP) Spanish speakers (24% to 44%)28 > 10.3% of the Santa Rosa residents live with one or more disabilities: ambulatory difficulty (5.5%), cognitive difficulty (4.0%), hearing difficulty (2.8%), self- care difficulty (2.8%), and vision difficulty (1.8%).
29 > 21% of Santa Rosa residents are immigrants.30
> And nationally, only 33% of people consider the government to be their go-to source for accurate information.31
SR City Equity Plan
39 recommendations
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
guiding Statement-cuStomer SerVice: The City can enhance its user experience to better meet the needs of its stakeholders, or any person interacting with the City—whether online, digitally, in-person, or over the phone. Residents should feel understood and treated with empathy and respect when interacting with the City.
recommendation 9
Proactively identify and respond to individual and community needs, complaints, and systematic challenges through listening, empathy, honesty, and collaboration; then build, assess, and reassess how to structure citywide responsive customer service framework, systems, and principles (people, processes, procedures, training, etc.) to meet Santa Rosa residents’ needs and challenges. rationale for recommendation
By enhancing the resident user experience, Santa Rosa can improve the quality of its information and services by making it more useful and usable. Residents should be able to easily access, understand, and use the information provided.
Strategies
> Integrate a Communication and Public Participation Working Group that includes the Communication Officer, the Community Engagement Director, the DIEE Officer, and all the staff in the different departments who develop actions related to communications and community engagement (inform, consult, involve, collaborate, and empower).
> Develop Santa Rosa communication standards and style guide. The guide will include writing style and translation style, including guidance for the web, social media, and documents. This Guide will be developed by the Communication Office and reviewed by the Communication and Public Participation Working Group and the Language Access and Justice Working Group to guarantee equitable language standards.
SR City Equity Plan
40 33 https://www.srcity.org/1326/Public-Participation-Plan recommendations
findings:
According to a national report from Accenture32:
> 36% of people believe that government agency processes and interactions are intuitive
> 41% think that government processes are clear and understandable. > 46% of respondents said they would be more likely to use digital technology to access government services if the technology was easier to use. > 53% of respondents stated that they would share more personal data with government agencies if it meant more convenient and efficient government services recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Strategies:
> Gather qualitative and quantitative data on how people perceive and interact with the City’s customer service-facing staff and online tools, apps, websites, and communications —while building an internal logistical framework to capture, monitor, and track the user experience from pre- to post-interaction with the city—to provide a high-quality customer service experience. > Develop training materials to engrain a Resident-Centered Approach into the City’s culture.
> Each department should develop an analysis on how they provide services and programs to the residents and identify how to make the processes and information used more transparent, participatory, responsive, and equitable. > Programs and services provided by the city should start requiring and collecting residents’ information disaggregated by gender, race, ethnicity, income, or any other demographics that can let the city, departments, and employees make more equitable decisions in their daily processes.
Considerations/Questions
> Public Participation Plan33
> Public Involvement Principles
> Targeted Outreach to Minority and Limited English Proficient Populations SR City Equity Plan
41 34 How diversity, equity, and inclusion (de&i) matter | mcKinsey 35 https://www.hult.edu/blog/benefits-challenges-cultural-diversity-workplace/ 36 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/09/the-benefits-of-creating-a-diverse-work- force/?sh=61925f42140b
37 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/09/the-benefits-of-creating-a-diverse-work- force/?sh=61925f42140b
recommendations
recruitment, hiring, retention & professional development guiding Statement-recruitment/Hiring: The City has an
opportunity to increase diversity through the recruitment of diverse candidates and equitable hiring and selection processes. recommendation 10
The City will increase diversity through the recruitment of diverse candidates and equitable hiring and selection processes.
rationale for recommendation34
Research has established that diverse teams are more productive and innovative and enhance belonging.
35 findings:
> There is a great deal of research showing the benefits of diversity in companies.
A 2017 Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study identified diversity as a key driver of innovation, finding that diverse teams produce 19% more revenue. Results showed that these companies develop more relevant products because they are more in tune with the customer’s changing needs. Their adaptability is a byproduct of varying backgrounds and perspectives generating an array of insights, ideas and solutions.
36 > 41% think that government processes are clear and understandable. > Decisions made and executed by diverse teams delivered 60% better results.37 SR City Equity Plan
42 recommendations
> Benefits to organizations - Diverse employees have different talents, experience, and skill sets, to help organizations develop creative and inventive solutions. Supporting diversity in the workplace helps attract and retain talent.
Benefits to employees – Diverse teams offer employees a richer experience. 38 > Evidence shows that job seekers want to join inclusive companies whose workforce is made up of individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
By uplifting and celebrating current staff from diverse backgrounds, more candidates will be interested in applying.
39 recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
38 https://onlinemba.wsu.edu/blog/10-benefits-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/ 30 2021 srPd Annual report 39 Harvard Business school “recruiters: Highlight your company’s diversity, not Just Perks and Pay” november 2022 https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/recruiters-highlight-your-companys-diversity-not-just-perks-and-pay Strategies:
01 Increase internal marketing and promotional recruitment strategies to include:
> Public Involvement Principles
> Signage on city vehicles, wrapping buses and trucks to fill gaps finding drivers, for example
> Bulletin boards
> Newsletters
> Discuss at meetings
> EE incentives
> Using Neogov site features such as drop-down menu asking “How did you hear about us?” and trying to include and pioneer new ways to determine Return on Investment to see where success on recruiting and hiring applicants from 02 Modernizing approach:
> For each department to be innovative and attract great candidates despite the great resignation
> DEIB will help Santa Rosa be a step above in a competitive hiring market SR City Equity Plan
43 recommendations
> “Know your Why” and share Santa Rosa’s “why” widely
> Increase and widen the City’s social media presence
> Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat
> Brochures included in job postings so candidates can click on them and see images showing diversity among existing staff on display organically. > Using QR codes to recruitment campaigns.
> Explore other ways that appeal to young candidates who might make a career in public service if they starteds
> Open to new ideas, videography, etc.
> Offering guidance in the form of webinars or orientations which can be accessed asynchronously on how to complete complex applications, the steps in the process, the need to be detail oriented in completed them rather than simply uploading a resume. Some jobs require more and some write brief paragraphs and others extensive descriptions. Considering the candidates as trainable rather than expecting perfection upon arrival. 03 Launch a public recruitment outreach campaign and target various segments of the community and beyond
> Schools, colleges, tech schools, adult education, trades > Universities
> Civic groups
> Rotary Clubs
> Diverse groups and clubs
> Organizations working with specific underrepresented populations on City staff (i.e., CAP Sonoma, SAY, others)
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44 recommendations
> When folks see others with their background it can be encouraging. Remind people that all positions are available to everyone and celebrate the diversity that exists in the City and in the Community.
> Showcase Santa Rosa has a work environment conducive to all. Example: to signal LGBTQ+ candidates it is a safe space maybe need to show pride flag, or interview people with similar life experiences so they can hear and share their journey with potential candidates throughout the community. > Consider making Spanish language materials, trainings, hiring process available 04 Explore a mentoring component as part of the hiring process:
> Assign contacts to potential applicants so they can serve as mentos > Create testimonial short videos and play them on social media and other outlets > Hold workshops on City Application 101
> Participate in Recruitment Expos and Fairs
> Demonstrate that all positions can be part of a career ladder within the City with paths to promote or change focus or departments with guidance and training. > Putting together diverse hiring panels is easier in virtual interview space, can get more female panelists from diverse backgrounds, same level and maybe not in same department, but from elsewhere showing career investment and growth paths for women.
> In parts of the city there is trouble filling supervisor and sergeant level positions.
Needs to be a plan to develop them to take those opportunities, those that want 05 Maximize the power of word-of-mouth recruitment from existing City staff to promote need mentorship and growth support.
> Most members of the working group first came to the City or their current position by learning of the opening from an individual at the City or in that department. Empower staff to comfortably share the processes for applying to openings knowledgeably
> Educate staff about employee lifecycle processes so each knows they will be helped to prepare to achieve their goals and be ready to apply for opportunities within the organization that appeal and can speak highly of positions with potential candidates.
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45 recommendations
06 Look at citywide recruitment practices with DIEE officer > Reflect the vision of the culture wanted in the organization and messaging around hiring and lifecycle of the employee from the outset > Looking at language with an eye to welcoming wide array of candidates. For example, less jargon, more inclusion, note mentioning on the job training, considering non-English campaigns or ones that note that second languages are appreciated in all positions
> Making clear statement of desire to reflect community and celebrate diversity:
population demographics? Latino 30-35%, Black 2-4% to overcome the critique that City staff doesn’t reflect the community and isn’t yet as diverse a workforce as it could be.
> Make sure hiring panels have diverse representation, building the roster of qualified panel participants
> Rebranding recruitment materials to signal welcoming to candidates from diverse backgrounds
> Continuing to build the already pretty robust list of groups City partners with on a regular basis, looking at recruitment openings at different levels in divisions, sending to los Cien and NAACP and other local groups to post City openings. Jami Ross has a list now of over 100 different outlets to advertise open positions which has grown over the last year.
> Become recognized as an employer looking for diverse and qualified candidates.
Making sure specialty groups are included when postings sent out, sending intentionally to groups featuring many people of color, women and other underrepresented groups from the community in the City
> Attending job fairs and recruitment meetings where City hasn’t been in the past. Example: Subject-matter expert groups may know a women in a Sonoma county engineers affinity group looking for employment who might apply for an open position.
> Continue with DIEE Officer and VIBE Committee to look at each part of application process to try and simplify and prepare quality candidates so they don’t fail due to lack of preparation. For example, in SRPD the report writing section was examined to seek common mistakes and they have begun offering informational meetings to motivated candidates to give people tips on how to write a quality police report, a different set of skills than used in college essays. Looking at common trends, those can be addressed to give tools to pass that and encourage quality applicants unfamiliar with the system and procedures so they can prepare adequately.
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46 recommendations
07 Rise up to the challenge of recruiting and retaining differently, more inclusively, by building belonging.
> Hiring/recruitment very related recruitment how to get people interested, in the door and hiring from that group of recruits
> Figuring out the barriers to hiring and retaining candidates from diverse backgrounds, people of color and from lower income neighborhoods as examples rather than lowering standards.
> Going to new sources to promote working for City as career growth path and contributing job with fantastic benefits
> Labor unions as partners in recruitment
> City needs to prioritize what it values most in candidates and expand from there > Look at the long term potential of employees and help them develop and grow skills over time
> Since women and people of color tend to only apply if they meet most or all desired requirements, explicitly note to potential applicants that they are encouraged to apply even if not sure they fit all criteria.
> Try to eliminate barriers.
> Extending hiring and diversity statements in the application process to encourage more diverse applicants to all positions in the city again, even is someone doesn’t fit all criteria at the outset. Someone with the motivation to learn can go farther in the organization than another who has experience but lacks the commitment. > Community engagement officer is perhaps best if they reflect and connect with the community. Can require a bilingual candidate for job-related needs in positions > Evaluate where desired candidate pools are and post openings there through more community partners, perhaps posters in parks in Roseland and seek places in the city where can reach a broad array of residents or targeted groups want to bring into City fold. > Shorten recruitment to hire timeline, many people can’t go long without employment and pay rent.
> To accompany advertising changes, shift and broaden outreach and communication vehicles.
> Returning to pre-covid outreach campaign strategies
> Consider mentors in hiring process, which SRFD is pioneering someone guiding candidates through, keeping them interested, engaged through lengthy process though building relationships.
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47 recommendations
guiding Statement-data: The City has an opportunity to improve data collection and publishing of recruitment and hiring statistics. recommendation 11
City will create a transparent and inclusive public data dashboard to publish recruitment and hiring statistics.
rationale for recommendation
Targeted universalism, like many approaches to equity, is data-driven. Data supports and guides change and supports development of targeted strategies. recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Strategies:
01 Need to better understand where there are gaps, where are losing candidates and new hires and existing staff who might otherwise stay and grow within Santa Rosa
02 Create a dashboard on City website with statistics, demographics, number of applicants beginning applications, getting to each stage of recruitment and determining where viable candidates drop out
> Some departments don’t work through Neogov which is the system of record, and this prevents Human Resources from seeing the big picture in data of the diversity of applicants in terms of qualifications, skills, gender, ethnicity etc. and of those who complete the steps to become candidates how many are being offered jobs, how many are hired, how many stay and for how long. > This data is important, it’s important to do this work and need it to formulate goals > Can ask people to Self-ID if Santa Rosa can signal it is a safe space to do so40 > Look to cities such as Sacramento, Oakland with good examples of dashboards on their websites and see what the right fit would be for Santa Rosa 40 The private sector has a “self id” movement focused on having employees share invisible disabilities, veteran status, gender and sexual identities voluntarily. lgBTq+ self-identification is offered where there is a safe environment for the purpose of tracking deiB success. Here’s an overview of such programs: https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/ legal/outlaws-lgbtq-self-identification/
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48 recommendations
41 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvXmbint80w&t=1303s
03 Be willing to set numeric targets. “Failing” to reach a goal is less significant than establishing the goal and making progress towards that increase in equity, inclusion, diversity, or for a particular category of employee, racial background, linguistic ability, or percentage of staff with invisible disabilities working in an inclusive culture.
04 the IAFF Human Relations Conference held a workshop called “Building an Inclusive Workforce: Reflecting the Communities We Serve.” They talk a lot about the importance of having a diverse workforce that represents the community. Definitely informative. I think we can use some of the ideas from the workshop. 41 05 Bolster recruitment strategies to counterbalance outside forces such as cost of living increases in Sonoma County
> Comparative data on complete compensation will allow for a total compensation sheet showing that once people take into account the value of their benefits and retirement plans their compensation and salary may be significantly higher in the short term and the long term than private sector jobs. Santa Rosa pays 35% on average to true up someone’s salary, up to 50% above their salary once the value of the total compensation is factored in, so can show that data. 06 Onboarding, retention, and promotional process needs more research and information to adjust to post covid times.
> Need to overcome perception that people must leave the city to achieve their career goals
07 The problem is the lack of data: data may not show problems trying to solve, but opportunities to improve, offering an asset framework. Absent data phrase the statement around the system of record improvement.
> Who tends to make it to hiring? Who tends to be successful when they get into the pool?
> What lessons can be learned on reducing cost of recruitment/retention? > What can support certain candidates, data meets what we want to do, or possibly move through the data and there will be no problem found with hiring for example. > We have a hunch that low-income people work and can’t interview Monday through Friday 9am-5pm and if the data supports that, then could open up interviews on weekends or via Zoom.
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49 recommendations
42 https://www.c-q-l.org/resources/guides/12-reasons-why-data-is-important/ > The data or personal reflections contributed would need to meet the issues. For example, it can be tough for females in the city in male-dominant departments and spaces. In hiring process once have pool, one thing that may happen is that women applying for male-dominated roles may drop out if don’t see women in the hiring process, may feel unsupported. If you know that, then important for them to see folks that look like them, then recommend that the women who do work in those spaces, are part of interview panels, mentorship program, check in monthly with women in the department throughout the process.
> One woman in SRPD applied and happened to have women and women supervisors on hiring panel and went through the interview process and saw it was an opportunity in front of her unavailable in her other municipality. Unintentional, but it was impactful and she made the lateral move.
> Within the Targeted Universalism frame point, identify the general issue, collect data, experience so the strategy emerging may be field/department specific, with TU made the general universal goal, and then targeted strategies. > For hiring looked at applicant pools and demographics and looked at barriers for specific groups, for example Latinos from SR, where are they failing out o the process and came up with tactics to overcome those obstacles > Need to look at generational diversity as well, possibly reaching out to semi-retired candidates as well as youth
> Celebrate the wins, if goal is 40% and get to 30% need to celebrate that. No legal challenges to setting diverse hiring goals. Just need to hire the best fit qualified candidates from the pools applying
> Consider ways to use the VEO questionnaire which must be filled out on behalf if left blank to collect data
> Use data to see if perception that promotions in certain departments such as Police are inequitable or show favoritism bears out and requires a strategy do address. > Look at data on benefits use, such as mental health benefits, veterinary coverage and other perks to see which ones are most valued/used and should be promoted Considerations/Questions
> 12 Reasons Why Data is Important42
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50 recommendations
guiding Statement-onboarding: The City has an opportunity to adopt onboarding processes, procedures and practices that create a sense of belonging for new hires.
recommendation 12
City will improve and implement policies, procedures, access, and engagement to strive for belonging in onboarding of new hires. rationale for recommendation
Onboarding that supports belonging leads to employees feeling inspired, valued, included, and motivated.
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Strategies:
01 Onboarding process needs more research and information to adjust to post covid times.
> Onboarding is important in terms of getting and keeping employees. > Consider changing the 3-day orientation when folks come on, and instead try and check in at appropriate intervals, maybe 3 and 6 months to retain staff and see what the needs are.
> Look at what onboarding should be done by HR. and what by the departments or teams
> HR. can develop the tools and ask department heads to do check in work and create feedback loops at different points
> Jobs can be training grounds and launching points, so need a new template with development plan discussion every year so supervisors and staff can talk about training opportunities, stretch assignments so can work on getting staff to achieve their goals, would help retain staff if knew there was an interest in helping them achieve their goals and helping achieve their goals together.
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51 recommendations
> Staff can list trainings desire to attend for professional development but need supervisor permission to attend and perhaps need a mechanism, so staff held accountable for attending at least one of the desired trainings listed. > Need to institutionalize the conversation around goal setting as part of evaluation for every position and department and staff member
> Line staff inclusion in retention strategies and conversations will give feeling of belonging and ownership of people to stay when helped to think through strategies for people in their positions to stay and grow.
> In employee’s self-generated work plan they come up with strategy with supervisor on what position aiming for in or outside of the city. All levels of the organization could benefit, including line staff. Could aspire to move to another division where there is more room for growth over time.
> Need to overcome perception that people must leave the city to achieve their career goals
> Mentorship programs don’t need to be limited to management bound folks, can offer chance to work in a department for 6 months as Fellow’s program, gets individuals different exposure and helps retain people knowing they have those opportunities and fosters bridging across departments so they can better work together and break silos
> Cross-departmental training with rotational programs, can even for example in LA County new engineers try 3 divisions for 6 months each and then rank them and are placed. Attracts many new engineers, not all will get their first choices, but lots of networking with other groups provides better respect and understanding of what other divisions are working on.
> An engineer rotational program is a great strategy to put forward for specific need in attracting engineers.
> Can add training modules related to DEIB topics
> An engineer rotational program is a great strategy to put forward for specific need in attracting engineers.
> Can add training modules related to DEIB projects
> Recommend reinstating old programs under the new CM leadership > Pairing new employees with a buddy at same level instead of a supervisor SR City Equity Plan
52 43 https://www.perrinefarque.com/post/why-equitable-promotion-is-key-to-diversity-and-inclusion 44 https://www.perrinefarque.com/post/why-equitable-promotion-is-key-to-diversity-and-inclusion guiding Statement-PromotionS: The City has an opportunity to improve promotional hiring processes, procedures, and practices to increase transparency and equity and enhance a sense of belonging. recommendation 13
City will improve and implement policies, procedures, access, and engagement to strive for equity, transparency, and a sense of belonging for promotional hires. rationale for recommendation
Impartiality in promotional hires leads to employees feeling a sense of belonging.
findings:
> Employers failing to promote their people in a fair, equitable way risk losing talent, lower morale, and productivity and even lawsuits.43
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Strategies44
> Have conversations with all your employees about their career aspirations before a new role opens. When there is a promotion opportunity available, encourage every employee to apply and don’t wait for specific employees to apply.
Once a decision has been made, be transparent about why the person who got the promotion deserved it.
> Actively mentor all employees. Every employee in the organization should have a mentor or a sponsor in a leadership role. The mentor should act as their personal coach throughout their career.
recommendations
SR City Equity Plan
53 > Create opportunities for exposure to senior leadership for everyone. Arrange formal one-to-one skip-level meetings, organize breakfasts with the CEO, offer different opportunities for all employees to build a relationship with senior leadership of all departments, not just for a certain group of people. To find out more about how to create an inclusive workplace, read my book: Inclusion: The Ultimate Secret for an Organization’s Success.
> Encourage cross-department shadowing for people to develop new skills.
Invite all employees to consider a career change in a new department. This will give all employees equal opportunities to enhance their education and cross-train to make progress towards their career goals.
> Create a solid promotion policy and share it with employees. Managers and hiring decision makers should be trained on promoting without bias. Hold managers accountable for following the promotion process properly and audit the process to make sure it is fair and nondiscriminatory. > Communicate clearly and often. Ensure that all employees are familiar with the promotion process. This knowledge helps diffuse potential problems.
Communicate the opening within the organization before posting it externally. guiding Statement-ProfeSSional deVeloPment: The City has an opportunity to improve professional development, career growth, and retention.
recommendation 14
Increase opportunities for employee development, training, and career growth, and implement strategies to create a culture where everyone belongs. rationale for recommendation
Employees who feel a sense of belonging have higher levels of satisfaction and employers see increased rates of retention.
recommendations
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54 recommendations
recommended strategies/actions/considerations:
Strategies
01 Bolster retention strategies to counterbalance outside forces such as cost of living increases in Sonoma County
> Monthly team lunch, don’t have to pay for lunch, but offer 30 extra minutes to charge to team overhead to give the extra time with the team and build connections, belonging and the organic relationships that lead to better workflow and innovations and efficiencies. Since most have 30 minute lunch, teams use overhead for the longer lunch monthly
> Referral bonuses for promotions
> Food or jeans day allowances as in TPW
> Extra floating holiday or birthday off or half days
02 Rise up to the challenge of recruiting and retaining differently, more inclusively, by building belonging.
03 Build a culture of surveys to get stronger handle on retention tools. > Can ask whether employees feel their department is diverse over time, whether they feel practices are equitable, offer the chance for feedback and input. > Strategies are important to consider implementation and see how to change numbers around retention. Give thought to prioritization or what have tried and has or has not worked or thoughts on likelihood of success, cost of the approach.
Building DEIB is an issue to struggle with a number of years until economic dynamics in this country change. For now focus on beating the agencies and employers in the region.
> IT, HR and CIBO should partner to figure out best ways to collect and use the data for the dashboard
SR City Equity Plan
55 additional
considerations
implementation – success factors
As the City begins to implement the Plan and associated strategies, the following factors are important to take into consideration:
01 Incorporate and detail DEIB metrics and success indicators, along with an implementation timeline and budget implications.
02 Executive leadership invests in understanding the Plan and buying in and taking ownership of DEIB recommendations.
03 Executive leadership should encourage participants in this process to continue to dedicate time and share their understanding and lessons into the implementation phase of the recommendations.
04 City partnership with an entity familiar with implementation of equity plans for guidance is essential for success.
SR City Equity Plan
56 conclusion
In December 2021, the Project Team convened the City Equity Taskforce (CET) to develop recommendations to improve DEIB within the City of Santa Rosa.
The CET agreed on a methodology that incorporated concepts of shared leadership, co-creation, and trust and implemented a process grounded by consensus decisions. The methodology and group process contributed to a sense of co-ownership of the Plan that will sustain our joint efforts to implement the strategies outlined in this Plan and ensure that we hold ourselves accountable for the desired outcomes.
The Plan is a continuation of the City’s efforts to centers employee well-being, collaboration, productivity, retention, and service to residents, and focuses the City on bridging to the diverse communities of Santa Rosa towards becoming a place where everyone feels they belong.
The recommendations included in this Plan uniquely position Santa Rosa to integrate enhanced equity and build a culture of belonging.
The City’s commitment to sustainable change, informed by the awareness that transformation happens over time and requires patience and perseverance, underpins all the DEIB recommendations and strategies included in this Plan.
This Plan represents a continuation of the City’s journey toward Equity and Belonging for all and is supported by city-wide interest in achieving Plan outcomes.
SR City Equity Plan
57 lessons from behavioral economics and
social psychology45
Recent developments in behavioral economics and social psychology help explain why diversity is lacking in organizations and what methods can be used to increase it.
1 underlying reasons for bias
A body of research in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics over the past 40 years has established that human behavior is heavily influenced by subconscious, instinctive, and emotional “System 1” responses rather than being under the exclusive control of rational, deliberate “System 2” thinking. As a result, behavior and attitudes in the workplace are influenced by an array of cognitive biases that affect decision-making. The most relevant for diversity are:
> Implicit stereotypes (sometimes called “subconscious bias”) are the association of groups of people with certain traits or activities, such as men with science and mathematics and women with arts and languages. Without our awareness, these associations can powerfully influence decisions such as which candidate to hire. > Ingroup favoritism: a preference for people who are like us so that an individual might choose to work with someone of the same nationality, gender, and race. > Outgroup homogeneity bias: the tendency for an individual to think that the group of people they belong to (their “ingroup”) is more diverse. In contrast, their “outgroup” is more homogeneous, with members who appear alike or even interchangeable.
exhibit a
45 diversity matters.pdf (mckinsey.com), vivian Hunt dennis layton sara Prince, February 2, 2015 SR City Equity Plan
58 46 diversity matters.pdf (mckinsey.com), vivian Hunt dennis layton sara Prince, February 2, 2015 exhibit b
techniques for overcoming bias46
Behavioral insights can be harnessed to increase diversity in three main ways:
by training and educating people to reduce personal biases, by changing organizational processes to take bias out of decision-making, and by incorporating behavioral principles in the design of programs and communications to spur action.
Educating and training people to reduce personal biases key success factors for raising awareness and building capability include:
> Tailoring delivery to the audience. For example, one engineering company used a computer simulation to show how a systematic 1 percent bias against women in performance evaluation scores caused women to be underrepresented in top positions. > Getting people to experience bias personally. At Google, for instance, staff are encouraged to take a test that measures biases.
> Reminding people about biases at key moments, such as before reviews > Helping people to focus on differences to reduce homogeneity bias and stereotyping. In one experiment, French students discriminated against potential employers who were Arabs but stopped doing so if asked to describe the differences between their photos.
> Fostering empathy training and taking the side of the target group—a practice proven to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Simply asking, “How would I feel in this situation?” can be enough to have a positive effect.
SR City Equity Plan
59 47 source: scott Keller and colin Price, Beyond Performance: How great organizations build ultimate competitive advan- tage, Wiley, 201
key steps for successful diversity programs47
As SRPD continues its implementation of the Plan and associated strategies, the following factors are important to take into consideration:
1 define a clear Value proposition
> Create a clear value proposition for having a diverse and inclusive culture. > Set a few clear targets (not quotas) that balance complexity with cohesiveness.
Define a clear value proposition
2 Establish a fact base
> Understand the current situation regarding statistics and mindsets and learn from external best practices. Understand root causes and underlying mindsets 3 Create targeted initiatives
> Differentiate initiatives by diversity group, for example, gender initiatives do not always resonate with other minorities. Lead from the top 4 define the governance model
> Define the rollout strategy for all initiatives. Launch 1-2 highly visible flagship projects at the beginning of the effort. Monitor rigorously
5 Build Inclusion
> Continuously address potential mindset barriers through systematic change management. Link diversity to other change management efforts exhibit c
SR City Equity Plan
60 48 source centering equity in collective impact by sheri Brady, Junious Williams, mark Kramer, Paul schmitz, John Kani, https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/columns/ssir-pnd/centering-equity-in-collective-impact 49 https://belonging.berkeley.edu/bridging-belonging
exhibit d
diversity refers to a broad range of differences and variations in identifying individuals’ characteristics, both visible and invisible. Any human dimension used to identify groups of people can be represented in a diverse group. For example, a diverse organization may be comprised of individuals with different and intersecting inherent and acquired identities.
> Inherent identities: Traits one is born with, such as skin color, gender, sexual orientation, and abilities
> Acquired identities: Traits gained through life experiences such as cultural background, religion, education, citizenship status, and cognitive diversity (political views, perspectives, ideas, etc.)
“equity is fairness and justice achieved through systematically assessing disparities in opportunities, outcomes, and representation and redressing [those] disparities through targeted actions.”
48 inclusion is the act of being included, e.g., you are invited to participate according to the rules and norms previously set.
belonging means more than just having access or being included; it means having a meaningful voice and participation in co-creation and shared leadership.
It involves trust, transparency, and co-ownership. It describes values and practices where no person is left out of the circle of concern.
49 SR City Equity Plan
61 srpd policies
Banned Carotid Restraint: SRPD’s existing policy does not authorize the use of chokeholds or bar arm restraints. As of June 9, 2020, we no longer allow the use of Carotid Restraint.
Require De-escalation: SRPD existing training includes de-escalation techniques to reduce the use of force during encounters. We incorporate ongoing de-escalation in our Firearms training, Force Options Simulator, Tactical Communication, Taser, and Defensive Tactics. We strive for de-escalation in the field whenever possible, only using force as necessary.
Policy 300
use of Force Continuum: SRPD existing policy divides the use of force into low, medium, and high levels. Officers shall use only the amount of force that reasonably appears necessary given the facts and totality of the circumstances known to or perceived by the officer at the time of the event to accomplish a legitimate law enforcement purpose (Penal Code 835a). Our training outlines factors used to determine the reasonableness of force, such as the age of the individual, disability, the seriousness of the crime, mental state, intoxication, and proximity of weapons. Officers provide verbal commands and warnings when possible before using force. When force is used, medical attention is immediately sought out for subjects with any injury or complaints of pain or discomfort. Our ultimate objective for every encounter is voluntary compliance and to avoid or minimize injury when applying reasonable force.
Policy 300.5
Requires Warning Before Shooting: Per 835 PC, officers will, when reasonable, identify themselves as an officer and warn before use of force, including firing a weapon. This warning is incorporated into our ongoing firearms training.
Restricts Shooting at Moving Vehicles: We do not allow shooting at moving vehicles unless it is in defense of life. This training is part of our ongoing firearms training.
Policy 312.7
Exhausts All Other Means Before Shooting: The use of force is a critical concern and serious responsibility. Deadly force will only be used when necessary, and employees understand and respect the value of all human life and dignity without prejudice.
Officers are entrusted to use well-reasoned discretion to determine the appropriate use of force and are trained in a variety of less-lethal tools and tactics.
Policies 306, 308, 309
Duty to Intercede: Our existing policy reads, “Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, intercede to prevent the use of unreasonable force. An officer who observes another employee use force that exceeds the degree of force permitted by law should promptly report these observations to a supervisor.” We are all informal leaders and should work to support each other and hold each other accountable so that we learn and correct our behavior in all aspects of our career.
Policy 300.7
Requires Comprehensive Reporting: All incidents involving the use of force are documented.
Officers are required to immediately report the use of force to a supervisor and required to document the use of force in a report. The supervisor then conducts a Use of Force investigation, which is reviewed by the chain of command. Our Department utilizes IAPro, our Internal Affairs software, to track the use of force incidents. (Policy 300.8) The Department
reports the required information to the Department of Justice. We also meet transparency and reporting mandates per California Law SB 1421 and AB 748. SRPD posts information required to be released by law on our transparency page.
exhibit e