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San Francisco Department of the Environment lays out Phase 1 racial equity action plan, staff identify 16 recommendations
Summary
Department staff presented Phase 1 of a racial equity action plan focused on internal operations, reporting results of an anonymous staff survey and workforce assessment and proposing 16 recommendations across hiring, work environment, and staff growth; staff said Phase 2 will address external-facing programs and the plan will be submitted to the city's Office of Racial Equity.
On Jan. 28, 2020 the Department of the Environment presented the Phase 1 recommendations of its racial equity initiative to the Commission on the Environment, describing a multi-step process of assessment, staff engagement and recommended internal reforms.
Shraddha Mehta, who leads the department's environmental justice work, explained that passage of a city ordinance created a new Office of Racial Equity and requires departments to file equity action plans with measurable outcomes; the department's plan is organized into two phases: Phase 1 focuses on internal operations, while Phase 2 will address externally facing programs and policies.
Staff summarized two analyses: an anonymous staff survey and a workforce assessment using the department's employment and applicant-pool data. Key findings included: most staff (99% in the survey) agree racial equity is important, but only about a third felt current policies consider institutional racism; supervisors and staff of different races reported different comfort and competence levels on equity; there is a lack of diversity in management classifications and corresponding pay inequities; and staff retention/growth tracking is incomplete.
In response, the core team proposed 16 recommendations grouped into three opportunity areas: hiring (separating actions that the department can take from those requiring citywide DHR or union negotiations), work environment and staff knowledge/skills (training, tools and a racial-equity assessment), and staff growth and advancement. The department said it will develop an implementation plan with timelines and metrics, prioritize items that are high-impact and feasible, and present a combined Phase 1 and 2 draft to the Office of Racial Equity and the Board of Supervisors by the end of the year.
During public comment, Miriam Palmachio, a department employee and steering committee member, highlighted the 99-series job classification (an at-will entry classification) and urged the commission and the Department of Human Resources to ensure that the series supports career pathways out of temporary positions for workers of color.
