Equity steering committee helped draft naming and memorial policies; council adopted them Jan. 6

Gabriela Sableavieres, the city’s equity and inclusion coordinator and staff liaison to the Equity Steering Committee, told the March 10 study session that the ESE reviewed the city website for accessibility, drafted outreach materials (stickers, postcards) and prioritized engagement pathways. She said ESE’s membership is about 10 and that the group provides advisory feedback to the council and city staff.

Sableavieres reported that a temporary subcommittee (two ESE members and two parks and recreation board members) met monthly beginning in February 2025 to update procedures for naming city facilities. The work produced two separate documents — a naming policy and a memorial and donation policy — and, she said, the council adopted that policy on Jan. 6, 2026. Sableavieres stressed that adoption is not the end of work: the naming‑review subcommittee will reconvene in late April to consider park renamings and will include ESE, parks and library board members.

She summarized recent ESE activity: a presentation from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde about placemaking and naming (recorded and to be posted on the city’s YouTube page when editing finishes), the group’s role organizing a Juneteenth event when a prior organizer fell through, and coordination with the Milwaukee police department on training (a fair‑and‑impartial policing training was postponed).

Sableavieres said ESE will continue work this year on equity performance metrics and data analytics for the Milwaukie community vision (work paused earlier pending fiscal‑year funding) and is preparing engagement materials to finalize outreach plans.

The naming and memorial policies move to a review phase in April with a subcommittee that will include representatives from ESE, parks and recreation and the library board.