Human Relations Commission sets timeline and nomination rules for Tomáh‑Kái Winn awards

The Davis Human Relations Commission on Jan. 23 approved the nomination categories, guidelines and timeline for the annual Tomáh‑Kái Winn awards and authorized staff to open the nomination period and begin community outreach.

City staff presented the proposed schedule and nomination materials, and commissioners discussed minor wording and process questions before voting to move forward. Under the approved plan, nominations will open in early February, remain open through March 17 and the awards will be presented at a city-council meeting in May.

Carrie, the staff liaison, said the process used in 2023 and 2024 reduced the number of categories to three (under-18, over-18 and community/organization) to increase the likelihood of a strong pool of nominees per category. "Part of the update was purposely to make fewer broad categories precisely because there were some questions and concerns around getting enough nominees for each of the several very specific categories," Carrie said.

Commissioners asked procedural questions about how nominations are distributed to subcommittee reviewers and what the full commission sees. Carrie said the subcommittee will review nominations and the commission will receive a summary in its meeting packet about a week before the March 27 meeting; full nomination materials will be summarized rather than included in entirety.

Several commissioners offered drafting suggestions to clarify pronouns and conflict-of-interest language in the form; the commission directed staff to update language to use gender-neutral pronouns and to add city-council members to the list of officials who should not nominate family members or close partners. Commissioner Kevin Baker moved to approve the materials; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

The commission also agreed to form a nomination-review subcommittee. Commissioners discussed membership and noted that an absent returning member, Edgar, had offered to serve; the commission deferred finalizing the subcommittee roster until the February meeting to give Edgar a chance to confirm. Staff will publish a press release and post nomination information on city channels when the application period opens.

Commissioners and staff emphasized outreach to broaden nominations and asked staff to share a feedback email after the event to gather suggestions for next year.