Justice, Equity & Diversity: Equity and Inclusion Officers implement projects in 2024
December 6, 2024 2:41 PM
by Lisa Parson, Delana Gbenekama
Santa Monica is committed to addressing past harms, breaking down systemic barriers and advancing equity for all our community members. One important aspect of this work is the city’s Equity and Inclusion Officers program.
Equity and Inclusion Officers, or EIOs, are a diverse group of city employees who serve as departmental liaisons and ambassadors, promoting and sharing opportunities to effectuate systemic and sustainable change. They work with their department’s leadership to identify equity priorities and then develop actionable policy recommendations and trainings.
EIOs apply and are then appointed to serve a one-year term, during which they spend 10 to 15 hours per month on equity activities, including representing their department at monthly Racial Equity Committee meetings, participating in required training and working with their department leadership to move equity forward within their department.
Each year brings a new group of EIOs and new projects dedicated to advancing equity.
Below are some of the projects the EIOs have worked on in 2024.
Complete
- Improved language equity for customers contacting the city via 311 by:
- updating phone recording prompts to be in English and Spanish
- creating a dedicated queue for Spanish speakers to speak with one of 311’s two bilingual team members
- implementing a process for accessing translation services to assist customers in-person and over the phone in any language.
- Enhanced the quality of Big Blue Bus services for all stakeholders through the “Brighter Blue” project.
- Conducted extensive service analysis and community outreach
- Based on the analysis and outreach, developed a five-year plan that was adopted by the City Council in July.
- Installed a new system in the City Council Chambers to allow for hybrid meetings to expand access to public meetings.
- Next up: expanding access to Board & Commission meetings
- Rolled out a limited use library card that provides access to library resources for individuals lacking the required government-issued ID or proof of current residence.
- Increased accessibility of housing services by offering in-person assistance in the Housing Office, launching a dedicated phone line, extending office hours, hiring multilingual staff, holding bilingual information sessions, and translating commonly used forms into multiple languages.
- Also implemented new customer service protocols and introduced a new Pilot Program that expands eligibility for rental assistance for Santa Monica Priority Populations.
Ongoing
- Expanding the reach of City Clerk services to non-English speakers and getting more people involved with the city. Examples include sharing information about voter registration, vacancies on Boards & Commissions and passport services.
- Progress so far: The department tabled at 12 community events in the last eight months
- Next up: continuing to reach out to 18- to 22-year-olds and to new citizens through English as a Second Language, or ESL, classes
- Developing a more equitable framework for landmarks review.
- A working group made up of city staff and landmarks commissioners conducted outreach and developed a series of recommendations for how to:
- Develop a cultural context
- Ensure all histories are revealed and honored
- Conduct additional public outreach
- Provide DEI training for commissioners
- Next up: The Landmarks Commission will submit recommendations to the City Council
- Creating a training program for staff that will help bridge the gaps between retention, promotional opportunities, succession planning, and a better understanding of the services provided by Finance to the community and to other departments in the city.
- Encouraging middle school through college students to explore a fire service career
- Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) held station tours, special events, block parties, engine visits and a teen camp, and chartered a Fire Explorers Committee
- Increased SMFD participation at community events
- Next up:
- Working to create a Fire Explorers Youth Program and exploring an Ambulance Operator/Cadet Program
- Partnering with California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee for future women and veteran-focused events
- Increasing recruitment of disabled candidates and improving the retention rate of existing disabled city employees through partnerships, statistics tracking, and implementing best practices.
- Working toward the 30x30 initiative in the Police Department, with the goal of having 30 percent female recruits by 2030.
- Assessing Recreation & Arts programming and permits to find underserved areas of the city.
- Adding more cultural heritage proclamations and commissioning art for them.
- Next up: Commissioning an artist for the Black History Month proclamation
- Creating a DEI Action Plan for the Public Works Department
Citywide, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team is nearing completion of the city's first Citywide Equity Plan. The plan, built from a foundation of community input and informed with departmental resources and priorities, will be presented to the City Council for adoption in early 2025.
Learn more about the city’s equity work here.
Authored By
Lisa Parson
Project Manager
Delana Gbenekama
Equity and Communications Program Manager