Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Warren Slocum, District 4
Subject: Adopt chapter 1.50 of the San Mateo County ordinance code to promote racial and social equity, inclusion and belonging, and establish key responsibilities for County officers and employees discharging their public responsibilities
RECOMMENDATION:
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Introduction of an ordinance adopting Chapter 1.50 of the San Mateo County Ordinance Code to promote racial and social equity, inclusion and belonging, and establishing key responsibilities for County officers and employees discharging their public responsibilities, and waive the reading of the ordinance in its entirety.
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BACKGROUND:
The County is committed to advancing equity by creating the conditions that allow all County residents to fully participate in the economic and social opportunities of the county and prosper. Yet, the statistics indicate troubling limitations to shared prosperity in the Bay Area and San Mateo County, with the San Francisco-San Mateo-Oakland-Berkeley metropolitan area ranking first for economic prosperity, out of 56 large metropolitan areas in the nation, but ranking 46th on racial inclusion in that prosperity, as analyzed by the Brookings Institute's Metro Monitor 2023. In addition, San Mateo County residents show disparities in health, education, and economic outcomes based on race/ethnicity and other demographics.
In the United States, including in San Mateo County, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experienced centuries of inequality and systemic, institutionalized racism that have created a degree of racial inequity that cannot be remedied without deliberate, conscious efforts. Government agencies have played a painful and significant role in creating and maintaining racial and social inequities through explicit and implicit policies and practices. Intentional and explicit institutional commitme...
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