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C. 15
To: Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisors John Gioia and Federal D. Glover
Date: November  14, 2017
The Seal of Contra Costa County, CA
Contra
Costa
County
Subject: Contra Costa County Resolution Affirming the County's Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, and the GARE Initiative
APPROVE OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
Action of Board On:   11/14/2017
APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:
John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
ABSENT:
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor
Contact: L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED:     November  14, 2017
David Twa,
 
BY: , Deputy

 

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Resolution No. 2017/415 which affirms Contra Costa County's commitment to racial equity, diversity, and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) initiative, as recommended by Supervisors Federal Glover and John Gioia.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None

BACKGROUND:

The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) is working to advance racial equity and increase opportunities for all communities. GARE is building the field of practice to advance racial equity within and through government.  
  
BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)
    GARE was launched by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society (HIFIS) at the University of California Berkeley in early 2014. In the Fall of 2015, GARE was established as a joint project of HIFIS and the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI), with GARE formally establishing itself as a program of CSI. CSI is a national tax-exempt non-profit organization that catalyzes community, government, and other institutions to dismantle structural racial inequity and create equitable outcomes for all. CSI crafts and applies tools and strategies to transform our nation’s policies and practices, in order to achieve racial equity.   
      
    GARE leverages a multi-sector approach to addressing racial inequity. GARE proactively integrates areas of expertise of each of the partners, working intentionally to build the movement for racial equity across multiple sectors, including academia, government, and community-based organizations. In addition, a Technical Assistance Advisory Group is made up of national leaders on racial equity. These leaders are experts in topics, and provide issue and practice expertise to GARE.  
      
    GARE recognizes that racial inequities currently exist across all indicators for success, including in education, criminal justice, jobs, housing, public infrastructure and health, regardless of intent, region of the country or size of jurisdiction. GARE also recognizes the reality that government played a central role in the creation and maintenance of racial inequity, and did so explicitly for centuries and has done so for 50+ years implicitly via policies and practices that perpetuate inequities, even when they are color-blind or race-neutral. Government will continue to perpetuate racial inequities unless there are intentional and strategic interventions that lead to transformation.   
      
    Many current inequities are sustained by historical legacies, structures and systems that repeat patterns of exclusion. Government has the ability to implement policy change at multiple levels and across multiple sectors to drive larger systemic change.  
      
    Racial equity means we eliminate racial disproportionalities so that race can no longer be used to predict success, and we increase the success of all communities. We set goals and measures to track our progress, with the recognition that strategies must be targeted to close the gaps. Systems and structures that are failing communities of color are actually failing all of us, economically and psychologically. Advancing racial equity is to our collective benefit.  
      
    GARE's focus is on normalizing conversations about race, operationalizing new policies, practices and organizational cultures, and organizing to achieve racial equity. We are seeing more and more jurisdictions that are making a commitment to achieving racial equity, focusing on the power and influence of our own institutions, and working in partnership across sectors and with the community to maximize impact. There is an increasingly strong field of practice. We are organizing in government with the belief that the transformation of government is essential for us to advance racial equity and is critical to our success as a nation.  
      
    GARE’s strategies include:  
    1. Organizing a membership network of jurisdictions that are working to advance racial equity
    2. Expanding pathways for new jurisdictions to begin doing racial equity work via work with individual jurisdictions
    3. Supporting and building local and regional collaborations that are broadly inclusive and focused on achieving racial equity.
    Government’s proactive work on racial equity has the potential to leverage significant change, setting the stage for the achievement of racial equity in our communities. Supporting targeted cohorts of jurisdictions and providing best practices, tools and resources is helping to build and sustain current efforts and build a national movement for racial equity.  
      
    What is an Advancing Racial Equity cohort?  
      
    Over the last decade, a solid field of practice has developed that advances racial equity and transforms government. Government will not be able to advance racial equity without a fundamental transformation into an effective and inclusive democracy. The field of practice is based on the experiences of early adopters of racial equity within government. Cities and counties across the country have developed and are implementing racial equity initiatives or agendas and using racial equity tools. GARE cohorts will implement proven practices and replicate success, changing the norm of what is expected and possible from government and will increase our collective impact.  
      
    New jurisdictions can make use of the field of practice and begin and expand work on institutional and structural equity. Based on the experiences of leaders, the new cohorts will participate in a structured curriculum that focuses on strategies that normalize conversations about race, operationalize new policies and cultures, and organize to achieve racial equity.   
      
    What does a jurisdiction get out of participating in a cohort?  
      
    As a result of participating in the cohort, each jurisdiction will receive tools and resources, including:  
    • A racial equity training curriculum, with cohort participants who are equipped to implement the training with other employees,
    • A Racial Equity Tool to be used in policy, practice, program and budget decisions,
    • A capacity building plan and organizational structure to institutionalize equity within their own jurisdiction,
    • Example policies and practices that help advance racial equity, and
    • A Racial Equity Action Plan
    Implementation of these tools and resources will vary depending on the opportunities within individual jurisdictions. Technical assistance will be provided by GARE to ensure responsiveness to the local conditions of each jurisdiction.  
      
    Contra Costa County has participated in GARE during 2016 and 2017 with two cohorts. The 2017 Cohort is comprised of the following:  
      
    Phil Arnold, Volunteer Team Leader  
    Elvin Baddley, Probation Department  
    Donte Blue, Office of Reentry & Justice  
    Cedrita Claiborne, Health Services Department  
    Lara DeLaney, Office of Reentry & Justice  
    Dianne Dinsmore, Human Resources Director  
    Michelle Fregoso, Employment & Human Services  
    Yolanda Harrell-Jones, Employment & Human Services  
    Connie James, Health Services Department  
    Jamie Jenett, Health, Housing, Homeless Services Division  
    Shannon Ladner-Beasley, Health Services Department  
    Sharron Mackey, Health Services Department  
    Daniel Peddycord, Public Health Director  
      
      
      
      
      

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