Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Racial Equity Office topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
San Francisco supervisors advance plan to create Office of Racial Equity, continue for amendments and review
Summary
Supervisors introduced an ordinance to create an Office of Racial Equity housed in the Human Rights Commission, heard extensive public support and requests for stronger accountability, and voted to accept amendments and continue the item to the next Government Audit and Oversight meeting for finalization.
Supervisor Valerie Brown introduced an ordinance July 11 to establish an Office of Racial Equity within the Human Rights Commission to create a citywide racial equity framework, require departmental racial equity action plans and annual updates, and produce a biennial “report card” on progress.
Brown said the proposal is meant to address “structural and institutional racism” across housing, education, employment and health and acknowledged the ordinance is a first step that will require ongoing work with community and departments. She thanked co‑sponsors and staff who helped draft the measure and said the package includes specific amendments to strengthen accountability and transparency.
Cheryl Davis, director of the Human Rights Commission, told the committee the office formalizes decades of work but cautioned the commission lacks unilateral enforcement power unless the board and mayor back follow‑up actions. She urged the board to provide resources and to be prepared to act when the office reports policies that perpetuate disparities.
Zoe Polk, deputy director of the Human Rights Commission and citywide lead for the Racial Equity Initiative, described implementation structures the ordinance requires: departments must designate racial equity leaders, HRC will offer tailored technical assistance, and the office will use a racial equity policy tool to assess potential benefits and burdens of proposals. Polk said the HRC has trained city staff on equity work and recently trained 500 city employees.
Public comment ran long and included more than 40 speakers. City employees, union leaders and community advocates generally supported creation of the office but repeatedly asked for stronger enforcement, guaranteed funding, clear authority for equity leaders in departments, and protections against retaliation for staff who report discriminatory practices. Union leaders urged measurable allocations of staff time for departmental equity leads so those positions can do substantive work rather than token duties.
Severn Campbell of the Budget and Legislative Analyst Office briefed the committee on staffing: the ordinance would require a minimum of five staff. The office already has four positions proposed in the pending budget (three in 2019–20 and one in 2021) with an annualized cost around $600,000; HRC may request an additional position for 2021 and the Comptroller will be authorized to review the office after five years.
After discussion, Supervisor Brown moved to adopt the proposed amendments and continue the item to the Government Audit and Oversight Committee meeting on July 18 so technical and substantive changes could be incorporated and reviewed. The committee approved the motion to accept the amendments and continue the item for further consideration.
Next steps: the item will return to the GAO committee on July 18 for further amendment review before any final recommendation to the full Board of Supervisors.
