Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sb 515 Demographic Data topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Advocates tell Inglewood council SB 515 will require expanded race/ancestry categories for employees starting 2027
Summary
A statewide coalition briefed the Inglewood City Council on SB 515, saying the bill would require cities and counties to add ancestry categories for employees who are descendants of U.S. chattel slavery and to align local HR data with state Government Code categories starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Tiffany Quarles of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California told the Inglewood City Council on Dec. 9 that Senate Bill 515 would require cities and counties to expand employee ancestry and ethnic categories to better identify descendants of persons enslaved in the United States.
"Beginning 01/01/2027, every city, including charter cities, and every county in California will be required to update the way they collect demographic data for city employees," Quarles said, and she added the bill "requires the city to include additional categories for the Black or African American groups" to mirror categories already used in the state under "government code section 8,310.6." Quarles said the law aims to "enhance accuracy, comprehensiveness, and consistency of demographic data."
Quarles said SB 515 targets data collection for employees who are descendants of persons enslaved and emancipated in the United States (sometimes described in the presentation as "American freedmen") and stressed the bill includes privacy protections. "The bill also emphasizes the importance of protecting privacy and ensuring any collected data is handled securely and in accordance with state law," she said.
The presenter described practical implications for the city: Inglewood would need to update HR data systems, align employee demographic categories with the new state-mandated structure, and prepare for a "potential state mandated cost reimburse[s] process if applicable," though the presentation did not specify what reimbursements, if any, the state would provide. Quarles offered the Coalition's assistance to the city, saying the organization could help "understand the new data categories, prepare HR staff for the transition, [and] community and employee education" ahead of the 2027 deadline.
The council did not take action on the bill at the meeting; the presentation provided the council with the opportunity to ask questions and to request follow-up from staff. The presentation cited Senator Laura Richardson as the bill sponsor.
What happens next: Councilmembers may request staff analysis of system costs and data-collection impacts; Quarles invited the Coalition to meet with city staff to support implementation planning.
