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Supervisors Hear Gaps and Proposals in City’s Language Access Implementation
Summary
City departments and community advocates told the Board’s Government Accountability & Oversight Committee that San Francisco’s Language Access Ordinance is broadly effective but needs stronger enforcement, better data collection, funding for quality translation/interpretation, and improved outreach to emerging language communities.
SAN FRANCISCO — City officials and community advocates said Wednesday that San Francisco’s Language Access Ordinance (LAO) has created a strong foundation for serving residents with limited English proficiency, but they urged the Board of Supervisors to strengthen enforcement, improve data collection, and fund higher‑quality interpretation and translation.
Chelsea Boyard, staff for Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, opened the committee’s item noting that “San Francisco first passed the language access ordinance in 02/2001” and that the hearing was intended to begin a longer discussion about service gaps and improvements.
Adrianne Pond of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) told the committee the city’s law is “probably the strongest in the nation,” but said departments must do more to ensure “timely, accurate, and…
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