HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: City Council Goal - Enhance Understanding of Race Issues
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Work Session: City Council Goal - Enhance Understanding of Race Issues and
Improve Race Relationships Action Plan Update
Meeting Date: October 10, 2007 Agenda Item Number: B
Department: Human Resource and Risk Services Staff Contact: Lauren Chouinard
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5663
ISSUE STATEMENT
The purpose of this work session is to review a more detailed version of the action plan for the
council goal on race. Staff is requesting assistance with prioritization and funding options.
BACKGROUND
The Race Action Plan was developed by a staff team and adopted by the City Council on May
14, 2007. It is included as Attachment A. This action plan identifies outcomes for prioritization,
progress to date, action steps, resources needs, and an option for evaluation.
After adoption of the plan, staff developed a more detailed work plan to assist in moving forward
on the action items. This more detailed action plan is included as Attachment B. Over the past
five months, work has been progressing on the plan but there is a need to have the council assist
with setting priorities for the action items. Staff also discussed the value of having a “Council
Champion” selected for each of the action items and is requesting input on this idea and
identification of champions for each of them.
Last, staff developed estimated costs to complete each of the action items. Staff needs input
from the council on these estimates and direction on a funding source(s).
RELATED CITY POLICIES
Issues of race in the community are related to the “Safe Community” focus of the council’s
vision which emphasizes a safe community where people feel secure and respected.
COUNCIL OPTIONS
The council is asked to:
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Give input on prioritization of action items.
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Decide whether to identify City Council champions for each of the action items.
?
Eliminate mid-long range action item #4 and drop the work session associated with it.
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Discuss a funding source(s).
F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071010\S071010B.doc
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends the following actions by the council:
1. Identify highest priority action items.
2. Assign champions to each of the action items.
3. Eliminate mid-long range action item number four and drop the work session associated with it.
SUGGESTED MOTION
Move to direct the City Manager to consider funding the action items of the race goal in the
FY09 budget process and eliminate the works session associated with action plan item #4.
ATTACHMENTS
A.Enhance Understanding of Race Issues and Improve Race Relationships Action Plan
B.Race Goal Council and Staff Work Plan
C.August 6, 2007, Memo to Council on Race Goal Action Items
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Lauren Chouinard, Human Resource and Risk Services Director
Telephone: 682-5663
Staff E-Mail: lauren.d.chouinard@ci.eugene.or.us
F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071010\S071010B.doc
ATTACHMENT A
Council Priority
Enhance Understanding of Race Issues and Improve Race Relationships
Action Plan
A. Planning Horizon and Focus
Although this action plan is developed for a 3-5 year horizon with a specific focus on the
first 18–24 months, working on race relations is a long term, ongoing commitment where
progress is measured in decades versus a few years.
By acknowledging and illuminating instances of bias in the community and making a
commitment to change, the City Council is in a unique position to set the tone for race
relations in Eugene and the broader metropolitan area. This plan outlines actions that the
council as a body, and the mayor and councilors as individuals, can engage in to build a
better understanding of race issues among themselves and improve race relations in the
community at large.
B. Priority Issue Outcomes
3-5 year outcomes:
Enhanced council and community awareness of race issues
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Increased understanding by council and the community about the affect race
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relations has on community members’ perception of safety and quality of life
Effective race relations becomes a priority the whole community will actively
?
embrace
People of color in the community feel they are respected, engaged, and have a
?
voice in community affairs
Issues of race are engaged proactively versus reactively in time of crisis
?
Eugene will begin to forge a national reputation as a community that actively
?
supports an environment that is viewed as welcoming by all races and cultures.
18-24 month outcomes:
Informed and educated mayor and councilors on the nature and status of race
?
relations in the community
Mayor and councilors articulate their collective philosophy and commitment
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regarding race, racism, and race relations
Mayor and councilors act collectively and swiftly against acts of racism in the
?
community
Mayor and councilors enhance existing, and forge new, relationships with
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communities of color and other race relations allies in the community
Mayor and councilors explore areas of personal growth related to issues of race
?
Last Updated May 6, 2007 1
C. Progress to Date
The following short term action steps from the original work plan have been completed
or are ongoing:
1. Facilitated Training on Race and Diversity – Hold a facilitated training with the
City Council. One option for this training would be “Privilege” training.
Result: The Mayor and all Councilors attended “Privilege” training in 2005
with other local elected officials of participating Diversity and Human Rights
Consortium (DHRC) organizations.
2. Facilitated Dialogue on Race –Hold a facilitated session on race with the City
Council. One outcome of this session would be a Council Resolution stating the
council’s collective perspective and commitments on race. Council would
contract with a skilled facilitator for this event.
Result: In 2006, the Mayor and Councilors reaffirmed a 2002 resolution
pertaining to human rights, acknowledging Eugene’s history of discrimination
and resolving to increase public awareness of racial discrimination. In January
2007, the Council held a facilitated workshop with the Human Rights
Commission (HRC) at which they discussed issues of race and reviewed a draft
of a Hate Incident Response Plan.
3. Racism Response Plan – Develop an integrated, rapid response plan outlining
actions to be taken by council when acts of racism happen in our community.
Result: In January 2007 the Council held a facilitated workshop with the Human
Rights Commission in which they discussed issues of race and reviewed a draft of
a Hate Incident Response Plan. Staff is currently revising the plan to include
input from that meeting and will return to HRC and Council for adoption of the
plan.
4. Communities of Color Outreach - Set a meeting between Council and
representatives of the communities of color to listen to their issues, needs, and
suggested strategies around community race relations.
Result: The Mayor and Councilors met with 65 members of the communities of
color for a facilitated dialogue on race in July 2006. One result of that meeting
was the formation of the Community Committee on Race (CCR) which was
formed to distill the input from the communities of color meeting into a set of
recommendations for Council.
5. Continue Mayor One-on-Ones – Continue to locate the mayor’s one-on-one
meetings in various neighborhoods of the community and invite comments on
issues of race relations.
Result: The Mayor has continued to meet with community members in various
neighborhoods.
6. Direction to Human Rights Commission – Set a meeting between Council and
HRC to explore strategies for Council, the HRC, and the City organization to
more effectively assess, manage, and support issues of race and diversity in the
community.
Result: In January 2007 the Council held a facilitated workshop with the Human
Rights Commission in which they discussed issues of race and reviewed a draft of
a Hate Incident Response Plan.
7. Refocus the Diversity Manager Role – Re-emphasize outreach recruitment to
candidates of color and employee retention strategies as priorities for the new
Diversity Manager.
Last Updated May 6, 2007 2
Result: The City’s new internal Diversity Consultant has been concentrating on
helping both internal Human Resource recruitment and selection staff as well as
department diversity committees to focus on recruitment and retentions issues.
He also sits on many City hiring panels.
8. Endorse Current Race Initiatives – Communicate endorsement of the work of the
DHRC, racism study circles, and other race related work in the community.
Result: Council has communicated appreciation for race related work in the
community informally. They have also tasked the ad hoc Community Committee
on Race to make recommendations to Council.
The following mid to long term action steps from the original work plan have been
completed or are ongoing:
1. Meet as a full council with community ally leaders on race issues.
Result: The Mayor and Councilors met with 65 members of the communities of
color for a facilitated dialogue on race in July 2006.
2. Attend awareness and skill building trainings as they are offered locally and
regionally.
Result: The Mayor and all Councilors attended “Privilege” training in 2005 with
other local elected officials of participating Diversity and Human Rights
Consortium (DHRC) organizations. The Mayor and several councilors attended
a Perspectives in Profiling workshop in November 2006.
D. Action Plan
Action Steps – The following action steps have been divided into short term and mid to
long term items. They have further been divided into three sections:
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Uncompleted actions items from the original priority action plan
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Items recommended by the Community Committee on Race already in progress
?
Items recommended by the Community Committee on Race that the Council or
organization have not begun to implement
Short Term (6-9 months)
Uncompleted Items From Original Action Plan:
1. Participate in Racism Study Circles – The Mayor and individual Councilors may
join one of the community Racism Study Circles currently planned to begin in
late September.
Status: To date there have been three rounds of Racism Study Circles. One
Councilor has participated in the first round. The next round is scheduled for the
fall of 2007. The multi-week and evening scheduling of study circles makes
participation challenging.
2. Boards and Commissions Diversity – Enhance outreach efforts to our
communities of color to increase ethnic and racial diversity on City boards and
commissions.
Status: Staff enhanced the outreach efforts but it did not result in an increase in
ethnic and racial diversity on City boards and commission.
Last Updated May 6, 2007 3
CCR Recommendations Already In Progress:
3. Create an over arching strategic plan for the organization that addresses diversity
and human rights which includes defined mission and goals.
4. Publicly respond to critical issues of race that happen in or affect the community.
This includes making public statements through various channels including the
media and opposing state or federal legislation that have racist or anti-civil rights
implications.
Mid to Long Term (10-24 months)
Uncompleted Items From Original Action Plan:
1. Meet individually with communities of color members (other than leaders) to
better understand their issues.
Status: Some Councilors have met with individual people of color in their wards.
2. Hold a Council worksession to examine key high profile race related incidents
and issues from the past.
Status: Nothing scheduled yet.
3. Add race relations as an ongoing topic of joint elected officials meetings.
Status: This has yet to be added as a topic to joint elected official meetings.
4. Identify opportunities for joint public/private forums for working on race issues
within area organizations.
Status: This has been discussed by the Community Committee on Race but no
actions have been planned at this time.
5. Bring up the topic of race, and discuss the Council’s Resolution on race, when
meeting with individuals and groups of constituents such as neighborhood
groups.
Status: Unaware as to whether individual councilors have brought this up as a
topic of discussion with constituents.
6. Identify gaps in service delivery to communities of color. Develop and
implement solutions.
Status: A few City departments are addressing this in their department diversity
plans and are actively conducting gap assessments.
CCR Recommendations Already In Progress:
7. Support existing efforts within the communities of color financially.
CCR Recommendations Not Implemented
8. Create an annual report card for City programs and services in which
departments report on their diversity program progress to the community. This
may be a component of the diversity and human rights strategic plan.
9. Lead the effort with the other Diversity and Human Rights Consortium (DHRC)
member organizations to publicly fund the racism study circles.
10. Offer diversity trainings across companies and institutions that contract with the
City.
11. Provide annual diversity training for the Mayor and Council with an emphasis on
local community and city history.
12. Regularize conversations on race between Council and the community.
13. Support existing efforts within the communities of color financially.
14. Explore the creation of a community cultural center.
Last Updated May 6, 2007 4
15. Create a comprehensive media and communication strategy which includes
utilizing the City’s DiverCity Calendar and intervening when media or others
perpetuate stereotypes.
The lead staff for all action steps will include Human Rights staff, Human Resource
staff, and the Council Coordinator, in collaboration with the mayor and councilors.
E. Resource Needs
The mayor and councilors will need to devote some worksession and individual time to
meet the commitments of the action plan. Staff time will also be needed to coordinate
some of the activities. While costs of individual action plan items can be estimated, the
total cost of the action plan would be dependent on the final package of items chosen by
council to be included in the plan.
F. Monitoring and Evaluation
It will be critical to revisit the workplan on a semi-annual basis. This could be
accomplished through a worksession discussion. Further evaluation of outcomes may be
accomplished by engaging feedback from community stakeholders.
Last Updated May 6, 2007 5
ATTACHMENT B
Race Goal: Council and Staff Work Plan
All items marked with an asterisk were recommended by the Community Committee on Race.
Short Term (6-9 months)
1. Create an over arching strategic plan for the organization that addresses diversity and
human rights which includes defined mission and goals.*
Status: Members of the Diversity Advisory Council and others are engaged in the design
work of a diversity strategic plan. They finished a pilot of a community input process with a
combined group of City staff and representatives from the disability community.
Action Steps:
A. Continue work on the plan to include outreach to stakeholders and the formulation of
vision, goals, strategies, action steps, and a method to monitor and report on progress.
B. Ensure that the plan addresses service gaps to the communities of color.
C. Develop plan for reporting progress to internal and external stakeholders.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $50,000
2. Enhance outreach efforts to our communities of color to increase ethnic and racial
diversity on City boards and commissions.
Status: Staff enhanced outreach efforts last time but it did not result in more diverse
appointments. For the current selection process taking place in early October 2007, a memo
to Council on August 6, 2007 (attached) recommended an increased emphasis in the selection
process on racial and ethnic diversification.
Action Steps:
A. Develop mechanism to ensure that ethnic diversity is weighted in selection of
members of boards and commissions.
B. The goal team needs to do more extensive outreach with HRC, Diversity Advisory
Council, and the communities of color group.
C. Create a “Boards and Commission Night” modeled after the career night concept or
invite boards and commission members to a ”First Fridays” evening focused on
public involvement.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $3,500
1
3. Publicly respond to critical issues of race that happen in or affect the community. This
includes making public statements through various channels including the media and
opposing state or federal legislation that have racist or anti-civil rights implications.*
Status: In January 2007, staff brought a draft of a Hate Incident Response Plan to Council for
their input. Council has also reaffirmed resolutions opposing anti-immigration laws.
Action Steps:
A. Revise the Hate Incident Response Plan and forward the plan to Council for
adoption.
B. Pursue the adoption of hate speech legislation which would require legal research.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $20,000 (for legal research and legislative effort)
Mid to Long Term (10-24 months)
1. Meet individually with communities of color members, in addition to those the City has
already heard from, to better understand their issues.
Status: Some Councilors have met with individual people of color in their wards.
Highlighted in August 6, 2007 memo to Council.
Action Steps:
A. Include as an emphasis in memo to Council.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: None
2. Bring up the topic of race, and discuss the Council’s Resolution on race, when meeting
with individuals and groups of constituents such as neighborhood groups.
Status: Unaware as to whether individual councilors have brought this up as a topic of
discussion with constituents. Highlighted in August 6, 2007 memo to Council.
Action Steps:
A. Include as an emphasis in memo to Council.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: None
3. Add race relations as an ongoing topic of joint elected officials meetings.
Status: This has yet to be added as a topic to joint elected official meetings. Highlighted in
August 6, 2007 memo to Council.
Action Steps:
2
A. Include as an emphasis in memo to Council.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: None
4. Hold a Council worksession to examine key high profile race related incidents and
issues from the past.
Status: The Councilor that proposed this action item is no longer on Council and there may
not be sufficient interest by current Councilors for a worksession. Most of the incidents of
interest are either current or pending litigation cases which should not be discussed outside of
Council executive session.
Action Steps:
A. Recommend dropping this item from the action plan.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: None
5. Regularize conversations on race between Council and the community.*
Status: The last conversation with Council was the July 2006 meeting with communities of
color.
Action Steps:
A. Design a world café or open space Community Summit on Race and Ethnic Relations
with invites to Diversity and Human Rights Consortium partners, civic leaders,
elected officials, business leaders and communities of color members. Connect it to
the National League of Cities Inclusive Communities Week model. Look for grant
and corporate funding sources.
B. The world café may provide ideas for implementing action item six below.
C. Ensure inclusive participation in the “Human Rights City” summit on November 9,
2007.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $50,000 (would include any grant or corporate subsidies)
6. Identify opportunities for joint public/private forums for working on race issues within
area organizations.
Status: This has been discussed by the Community Committee on Race but no actions have
been planned at this time.
Action Steps:
A. Seed this concept at the Community Summit on Race and Ethnic Relations.
B. Connect with the Chamber of Commerce and CVALCO.
C. Invite Chamber and other civic leaders to First Fridays.
3
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: None
7. Support existing efforts within the communities of color financially.*
Status: The organization currently supports various community fund raising events on a
departmental basis. The Council and HRC also support various needs and events.
Action Steps:
A. Engage community in dialogue about support needs and opportunities.
B. Develop criteria and a process for disbursement of funding.
C. Identify funding sources (e.g. council contingency or line budgets).
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $50,000
8. Lead the effort with the other Diversity and Human Rights Consortium (DHRC)
member organizations to publicly fund the racism study circles.*
Status: This has been talked about by the Interagency Diversity and Equity Coalition (IDEC)
but no action has been taken.
Action Steps:
A. Make a formal request of IDEC members to discuss minimal funding from all DHRC
agencies of study circle efforts.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $5,000
9. Assist companies and institutions that contract with the City to provide diversity
training for their employees.*
Status: No action has been taken on this item.
Action Steps:
A. Review contracts over a certain dollar amount (e.g. $50,000) and inquire if the
companies currently do any diversity or cultural competence training.
B. Develop RFP selection criteria that assesses a contractor’s competence regarding the
triple bottom line of sustainability with an emphasis on diversity.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $5,000
10. Provide annual diversity training for the Mayor and Council with an emphasis on local
community and city history.*
4
Status: The mayor and several councilors have been to “privilege” training as well as
trainings on profiling.
Action Steps:
A. Continue to send invites for selected trainings to council via e-mails from the City
Manager and include information in their council packets (e.g. training on “forced
journeys”).
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: $5,000
11. Explore the creation of a community cultural center.*
Status: Discussed at Community Committee on Race but no action taken on this item.
Action Steps:
A. Could be a topic of discussion at the Community Summit on Race Relations.
B. Could be an outcome of the Community Summit on Race Relations assuming a
number of business leaders showed interest and financial support for its development.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete: Unknown
12. Create a comprehensive media and communication strategy which includes utilizing the
City’s DiverCity Calendar and intervening when media or others perpetuate
stereotypes.*
Status: The City’s DiverCity Calendar is currently maintained by City staff (Jason) and is
available to the community. Media intervention has happened in the past mostly coming
from individual parts of the community but never a consolidated effort by multiple
organizations.
Action Steps:
A. Work with the Community Committee on Race to develop a comprehensive media
and communication strategy.
B. Present the media strategy to council for adoption.
Council Champion:
Estimated Cost to Complete:
Phase One – Support to Community Committee on Race for exploration - $2,000
Phase Two – Media materials and possible media buys - $25,000
TOTAL ESTIMATED COSTS: $215,500
5
ATTACHMENT C
Central Services
Human Resource
Services
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 101
M
Eugene, Oregon 97401
EMORANDUM
(541) 682-5061
(541) 682-6831 FAX
www.eugene-gov.org
Date:
August 6, 2007
To:
Mayor Piercy and City Council
From:
Race Goal Staff Team
Subject:
Race Goal Action Items
The staff team for the Council goal “Enhance Understanding of Race Issues and Improve Race
th
Relationships” has been busy working on the updated action plan that Council adopted at a May 14
worksession. The team met several times to further prioritize the action items and to estimate the funding
needed for each item.
Significant progress is also being made on a first draft of the organization’s Diversity and Equity Strategic
Plan by an additional, cross departmental, staff team. The Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan is one of
the most important action items of the overall plan as it will serve to connect the Council’s work on race
with the organization’s work on diversity. This action item was one that was recommended strongly by
the Community Committee on Race.
While many of the action items in the plan require significant involvement and implementation effort
from staff, we need your help with the following four items:
1. Meet individually with communities of color members (other than leaders) to better understand
their issues.
2. Bring up the topic of race, and discuss the Council’s perspective on race, when meeting with
individuals and groups of constituents such as neighborhood groups.
3. Add race relations as an ongoing topic of joint elected officials meetings.
4. Enhance outreach efforts to our communities of color to increase ethnic and racial diversity on
City boards and commissions.
The first one requires that each of you proactively reach out to people of color in your wards to learn
more about how issues of race affect them. The emphasis here is to find a broader range of voices beyond
the group that regularly steps forward to assist the City on issues of race and diversity.
Number two requires that each of you make an effort to continuously probe for people’s thoughts and
issues around the topic of race and race relationships, whether one-on-one or in group settings.
Number three requires a content addition to your joint elected officials meetings. It may be in form of a
periodic check in on issues of race and race relationships or it may be the addition of a standing agenda
item for each meeting.
Number four will require a collective commitment by the Mayor and Council to change the selection
process for boards and commissions. While the Council and the organization has been successful in
increasing the number of people of color who apply for the various boards and commissions, few people
of color are being selected other than for the Human Rights Commission. Increasing the number of
people of color on boards and commissions will require efforts in two areas:
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Recruitment - We know from past experience that word-of-mouth is the most powerful and
successful strategy we can use to increase the diversity of the applicant pools for the boards and
th
commissions. As the application deadline is just around the corner on September 7, now is the
time to reach out to people of color in your wards about applying for one or more of the 38
positions to be filled. Interviews are scheduled for the first week in October.
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Selection – After completing applicant interviews, we recommend placing a higher value on
racial and ethnic diversification when discussing selection criteria and making appointments to
the boards and commissions.
Thank you all for your continued support and work on this important Council priority. Once the staff
team has completed its work on prioritizing the action plan items and estimated the funding needed for
implementation, we will find time in a Council worksession early this fall to provide you with a mid-year
update on the action plan and ask for further input. If you have any questions or concerns please contact
Lauren Chouinard at 682-5663.
Race Goal Staff Team:
Angel Jones – Interim City Manager
Lauren Chouinard – Human Resource Manager
Greg Rikhoff – Human Rights Program Manager
Jason Mak – Manager, Office of Diversity and Equity
Francisco Gutierrez – Library Assistant
Lynne Reeves – Police Technical Services Division Manager
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