San Joaquin County EEO office reports 45 active formal complaints; staff outline Rule 20 revisions, trainings and employee resource groups

San Joaquin County’s Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee on Aug. 6 heard an update from EEO manager David Davis that the county currently has 45 active formal EEO complaints and that staff are preparing revisions to Civil Service Rule 20, expanded EEO training, and a new employee resource group program.

Davis said the EEO office is investigating the 45 active formal complaints and that the office received 12 formal complaints in 2025 and handled eight informal complaints in 2025 that largely moved to the formal process. "Currently we have 45 active formal complaints," Davis said. He gave a breakdown of allegations reported in the active caseload, noting that individual complaints may include multiple allegations: 18 retaliation, 14 race, 12 age, 10 [redacted] harassment, 9 physical/mental disability, 7 color, 5 gender, 4 national origin, 2 [redacted] orientation and 1 religion-related allegation. He said the counts overlap because a single complaint can contain multiple allegation types.

Davis also summarized where complaints originated: San Joaquin General Hospital accounted for the largest share with 11 complaints, the Sheriff’s Office had five, the Public Defender’s Office and Public Works each had four, Community Development four, Probation three, and the District Attorney’s Office three; smaller counts came from HSA, Behavioral Health, Public Health, Agriculture, and other departments. "They're all being investigated, either by staff members or external investigators," Davis said.

On process and oversight, Davis told the committee that the EEO office first attempts informal resolution through an EEO coordinator assigned from the complainant’s department and escalates unresolved matters to formal investigation. He cautioned the committee that dispositions and appeal outcomes are outside the committee’s routine reporting: "The committee would not, because our current policies falls under civil service rules. Any appeal rights ... goes to our civil service commission," he said.

Rule 20 and policy updates

Davis said the EEO office is reviewing Civil Service Rule 20 and plans to recommend revisions to ensure compliance with federal and local law. He said the revisions will go through a meet-and-confer process with labor groups and then to the Civil Service Commission and the Board of Supervisors for adoption. "Our goal is to have our revisions done and submitted by the end of this year," he said.

Training and coordinator support

Staff described a plan to refresh and increase training for department EEO coordinators. Constance Bibbs, an EEO analyst who conducts training, said the coordinator training runs about three hours. "The training takes approximately 3 hours," Bibbs said; staff noted it may run longer with questions. The office plans to offer in-person sessions several times per year and to record trainings for on-demand viewing and periodic refreshers. The EEO office said materials will be updated in 2026 and that it will share revised training materials with the committee before rollout.

Employee resource groups

EEO analyst Michael Mitchell outlined plans for employee resource groups (ERGs), describing them as voluntary, employee-led groups based on shared identities, interests or experiences that are open to all county employees. "Employee resource groups are voluntary employee led, groups that are based on shared identities, interests, or experiences," Mitchell said. He said ERGs could host lunch-and-learns, observance events or other activities; the EEO office would serve as a support and point of contact, not the day-to-day organizer.

Staff acknowledged logistical questions remain, including how employees without county email will be notified. The office plans to use EEO coordinators, flyers in high-traffic areas and department leaders to reach employees who lack email access. Funding and whether ERG activities may occur during county time were left for further discussion; staff said budget and department-approval questions will be addressed as the program develops.

Diversity luncheon and awards

Staff announced the EEO diversity luncheon scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, noon–1:30 p.m., at the San Joaquin County Agricultural Center. Organizers said the event is open to county employees, will include a keynote speaker, raffles and annual diversity awards. Committee members were invited to nominate keynote speakers and to submit brief bios; staff requested nominations no later than Aug. 27 to allow time for approvals. Nominations for diversity awards will be circulated to committee members for voting; the nomination deadline stated in the meeting was Sept. 26.

(Transcript inconsistency: the meeting remarks described the luncheon both as the "fifth annual" and as a "silver anniversary." The committee did not specify which label is accurate; staff did not provide a definitive count during the meeting.)

Brown Act remote attendance and ADA accommodations

Assistant Director of Human Resources Rachel Navetsky summarized legal rules governing remote committee attendance under the Brown Act and ADA. She said 2022 amendments to the Brown Act permit members of Brown Act bodies to attend up to two meetings per calendar year remotely for non-disability reasons if a quorum of the body participates from a single public location. "...amendments to the Brown Act did allow for members ... to attend 2 meetings a year remotely via teleconference so long as the quorum of the body participates from a single location in public," Navetsky said.

Navetsky added that remote participants must provide two-way audio and video so they can be seen and heard, must disclose the identity of any adults present at the remote location and must explain the reason for remote participation when required. She also summarized an Attorney General opinion saying that the duty to provide reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to Brown Act bodies; under ADA accommodation a remote participant does not have to disclose their physical location when a local quorum is present.

Committee actions and next steps

At the meeting the body approved the minutes for the Aug. 6 meeting (motion by Chair Dominic Biles; seconded by Michael Sorensen) and later voted to adjourn. Staff committed to circulating a written report and updated materials: Davis said the monthly report will be updated for the committee's next meeting and that the EEO office will share proposed Rule 20 revisions and revised training materials prior to finalization. The committee’s next scheduled meeting is Oct. 1 in the same meeting room.

Ending

Committee members asked for written summaries of the reports and training materials in advance of future meetings so they can prepare questions. Staff said those materials and nomination packets for luncheon awards will be sent by email and included in the next meeting’s agenda packet.