City clerk presents 2024 diversity report for boards and commissions; council accepts report

Santa Rosa’s city clerk presented the 2024 annual diversity report for council appointments to boards, commissions and committees and demonstrated a new online data portal designed to let council members and the public explore applicant and appointee demographics.

Dina Manas, city clerk, told the council the report fulfills a charter requirement to publish data on applicants’ and appointees’ ethnicity, gender and geography. City staff said they also collected additional data on age and the appointing authority in response to council guidance. The clerk reported 81 applications in 2024 from 52 individuals and 16 appointments. The report stated women applied in nearly equal numbers but received only three of 16 appointments (19%) in 2024. Hispanic applicants received a high appointment rate (reported at 80% for the year) but still fall short of the community’s 36% Hispanic share in census data, the clerk said. The 56-and-older age bracket remained the largest applicant group; younger applicants (18–35) applied less frequently but had a relatively strong appointment rate when they did apply.

Administrative analyst Luke Fazer demonstrated an online dashboard (insights.srcity.org) that allows filtering by applicant and appointee demographics, age, district and appointing authority. The clerk’s office described recruiting actions taken in 2024, including expanded community outreach, a forthcoming targeted recruitment video for 18–35-year-olds and a distribution list of roughly 45 community partners used for outreach. Staff also noted barriers other jurisdictions and professional associations are examining — such as childcare, meeting times and compensation for volunteers — that can affect participation among working households.

Councilmember Fleming moved to accept the annual diversity report and invited council feedback on future metrics. The transcript records Fleming’s motion to accept the report as submitted; the meeting continued with council discussion praising the portal and recruitment efforts. No roll-call vote on Fleming’s motion was recorded in the transcript provided.

Councilmembers asked for continued targeted outreach and tracking, and staff said the portal would be updated annually and that recruitment would continue in partnership with community engagement staff. The clerk also listed current board vacancies and provided a QR code for residents to apply online.