Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor David J. Canepa, District 5
Supervisor Warren Slocum, District 4
Subject: Resolution to Advance San Mateo County’s Racial Equity Efforts
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution to advance and improve San Mateo County’s racial equity efforts.
body
BACKGROUND:
In the United States, including 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 efforts.
In June 2020, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 20-394 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Also, in August 2020, this Board adopted Resolution 20-584, which recognized racism as a public health crisis. The goals of these resolutions included the promotion of anti-racism, fairness and justice, and recognition of the need for more resources and aid to our most impacted communities. On both the local and national level, numerous data sources reveal inequities in life outcomes by race, ethnicity, and national origin. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these racial inequities.
DISCUSSION:
“Racial equity” occurs when institutions, systems, and structures create the conditions needed for all people, including people of color, to reach their full potential, and when race and ethnicity no longer determine life outcomes. To combat racial inequity and ensure accountability, short and long-term measures must be developed and regularly reviewed, especially by government agencies, in collaboration with the broader community.
To promote racial equity in our community, we believe that the County of San Mateo must work to adopt the following:
a) An accountable structure for community and stakeholder engagement to support and inform equity efforts in the County; and
b) Sustainable structures to support the County in operationalizing equity, including (1) funding the chief equity officer position; (2) establishing an Office of Racial and Social Equity; and (3) developing a Racial and Social Equity Action Plan with countywide and departmental actions and other structures and systems, and inclusion of equity impact analysis and statements in policies presented to the Board, similar to financial impacts; and
c) A County workforce training program, equity data profile, and development of equity performance metrics as part of the County budgeting process; and
d) Strategies to support the alignment of workforce demographic representation across classifications with County and/or client demographics.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None