El Segundo council approves DEI committee work plan, keeps monthly meetings and lowers quorum

El Segundo City Council on Feb. 4 approved the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee’s 2025 work plan, amended the committee bylaws to require a majority of seated members for quorum and agreed to end a pilot program for school-district seats in May while keeping monthly full-committee meetings.

The vote followed nearly two hours of public comment in which multiple residents and former DEI committee members urged the council not to reduce the committee’s meeting frequency or weaken its membership. Speakers described ongoing incidents in local schools and community settings and urged continued city support for DEI work, including community education, partnerships and events.

The DEI committee chair, Christabel Valena, presented the committee’s proposed work plan and described three subteams — data and resources, community relations and city engagement — and prioritized public-safety briefings, community education events and business engagement for 2025. Vice chair Sean O’Brien and other committee members outlined specific projects, including a renewed United Against Hate Week, public panels and business recognition efforts.

Public commenters raised a series of concerns. Former committee members and residents described ongoing racial incidents at schools, argued the committee has been under-resourced, and criticized a recent proposal to reduce meeting frequency to quarterly. Genesis Puckett, a former DEI vice chair, told the council that quarterly meetings would “be a hindrance to progress” and urged requiring removal of members who miss multiple meetings. Christina Vasquez Fajardo, who served on the committee from 2020 to 2023, said the committee made dozens of recommendations posted on the city website and urged the council to implement them. Several speakers asked the council to provide clearer recruitment and onboarding practices so the committee maintains a full roster.

Council members responded at length. Council member Drew and others said the suggestion to reduce meetings had been raised to prompt public discussion rather than to “gut” the committee. Several council members said they support the committee’s mission and expressed frustration with “false narratives” that the council had tried to eliminate DEI. City staff and the council liaison to the committee said they will accelerate recruitment and the swearing in of new members to reduce vacancies.

On the issue of school-district participation, committee members said having district representatives on the committee has been valuable but that busy schedules can complicate quorum. The council agreed the current pilot program that reserved up to two seats for El Segundo Unified School District representatives will conclude in May as planned; council directed staff to advertise openings and expedite interview and appointment timelines so replacements can be sworn in promptly.

During the council discussion the city attorney advised that, because the city is involved in litigation that references police data (RIPA), the committee’s meetings with the police chief should avoid discussion of that specific dataset until litigation is resolved.

The council then moved to approve the DEI work plan as amended and the proposed bylaw changes (motion moved and seconded). The motion passed unanimously, with four ayes and no oppositions. The council also confirmed it wants the DEI committee to continue monthly full‑committee meetings and to preserve subcommittee work as the main engine of activity.

Council members and DEI leaders said they will return to the council with recruitment updates and asked staff to publish application and interview timelines on the city’s website and social media so vacant seats can be filled quickly. The committee said it will continue coordinating with public safety, schools and local businesses on public events and information-sharing.

The council did not allocate a dedicated operating budget for the committee during the meeting; several commenters had urged increased funding, and council members acknowledged the committee has not historically received the same financial support as some other advisory bodies.

The DEI committee and council will revisit follow-ups, including a recruitment push to fill open seats and confirmation that monthly meetings will continue.