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    6.    
PUBLIC PROTECTION COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: 12/02/2019  
Subject:    Draft Racial Equity Action Plan 2019-2024
Submitted For: PUBLIC PROTECTION COMMITTEE
Department: County Administrator  
Referral No.: 2019-29  
Referral Name: Draft Racial Equity Action Plan
Presenter: L. DeLaney and D. Blue Contact: L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information
Referral History:
At its November 19, 2019 meeting, the Board of Supervisors referred the matter of a Draft Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) to the Public Protection Committee for their consideration and action, as requested by District I Supervisor John Gioia (C. 56).
Referral Update:
Contra Costa County staff in a variety of departments have participated in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) since 2016, working to develop and achieve racial equity outcomes in Contra Costa County. 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. Advancing racial equity is to our collective benefit.

GARE is a national network of governments working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all. GARE is supported by the Center for Social Inclusion, Race Forward, and funded by the California Endowment/Building Healthy Communities, with technical assistance and academic research from the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society and members of GARE's Technical Assistance Advisory Group. GARE was launched by the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at the University of California Berkeley in early 2014.

Government agencies participating in GARE were required to establish a "cohort" of six to 15 individuals, which was ideally comprised of staff and leadership committed to advancing racial equity. The cohorts participated in a year-long training of monthly sessions that included skill building and strategy development, an "Advancing Racial Equity" speaker series, and peer-to-peer networking and problem solving opportunities.

In 2016, the Contra Costa County cohort was comprised of:

1. Philip Arnold, Jr., Community Advocate
2. Harlan Grossman, Superior Court Judge (ret.)
3. Ron Martin, contracted Trainer for Risk Management
4. Antoine Wilson, Contra Costa County EEO Officer
5. Robin Lipetzky, Public Defender
6. Sharon Hymes-Offord, Director of Risk Management (ret.)
7. Mickey Williams, EHSD Personnel Manager

In 2017, the Contra Costa County cohort was comprised of:

1. Philip Arnold, Jr., Team Lead/Community Advocate
2. Elvin Baddley, Probation Manager, Probation Department
3. Donte Blue, Deputy Director, Office of Reentry & Justice
4. Cedrita Claiborne, Contra Costa Health Services
5. Lara DeLaney, Senior Deputy County Administrator, CAO
6. Dianne Dinsmore, Director, Human Resources
7. Michelle Fregoso, Personnel Services Assistant, Employment and Human Services (EHSD)
8. Yolanda Harrell-Jones, Staff Development Specialist, EHSD
9. Connie James, Manager, Health Services (HSD)
10. Jaime Jenett, Planning and Policy Manager, HSD
11. Shannon Ladner-Beasley, Manager, Public Health Solutions Projects, HSD
12. Sharron A. Mackey, Chief Operations Officer, CC Health Plan
13. Daniel Peddycord, Public Health Director, HSD

In 2018, the Contra Costa County cohort was comprised of:

1. Brandon Banks, Deputy Public Defender, Public Defender's Office
2. Donte Blue, Deputy Director, Office of Reentry & Justice
3. Illiana Choate, Staff Development Specialist, EHSD
4. Cedrita Claiborne, EHSD
5. Lara DeLaney, acting Director, ORJ
6. John Ebrahimi, Probaton Manager, Probation Department
7. Marta Goc, Senior HR Consultant, Human Resources
8. Michelle Krasowski, Librarian Specialist, Contra Costa County Library
9. Venus Johnson, Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney's Office
10. Joshua Sullivan, Health Services Administrator, HSD
11. Melvin Russell, Probation Department

As a result of participation in the GARE cohort, each jurisdiction received tools and resources including:
  • A racial equity training curriculum;
  • A Racial Equity Tool to be used in policy, practice, program and budget decisions (see Attachment B);
  • Example policies and practices that help advance racial equity; and
  • A Racial Equity Action Plan template/framework, and development support.

Implementation of these tools and resources varied, depending on the opportunities and resources within individual organizations.

Technical assistance was generously provided to Contra Costa County by Philip Arnold, community advocate and leader; Dwayne Marsh, Vice President of Institutional and Sectoral Change, Race Forward; and Leslie Zeitler, California GARE Project Manager, Race Forward.

Contra Costa County's participation in GARE has resulted in the following initiatives:

1. A Draft "Office of Human Rights & Equity" proposal, from the 2016 GARE Cohort
2. A Resolution adopted by the Board of Supervisors affirming the County's "Commitment to Racial Equity, Diversity, and the GARE Initiative." (Nov. 14, 2017, C. 15)
3. Development and implementation of Implicit Bias and Procedural Justice training programs in the County
4. Participation by Contra Costa County in "United Against Hate Week" in 2018 and 2019
5. Development of a Contra Costa County Position Statement on Racism, offered to the Board of Supervisors from the 2017 GARE Cohort
6. Development of a Draft Racial Equity Action Plan (see Attachment A).

The Draft Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) was developed by GARE Cohort participants, other County staff, and assembled by the staff of the Office of Reentry & Justice (ORJ). GARE Cohort participants from 2016, 2017, and 2018 were invited by the ORJ to form a "Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL)" Team, to assist in the drafting of the REAP, utilizing the template provided by GARE. Other County staff contributors included:
  • Jody London, County Sustainability Coordinator
  • Ali Saidi, Public Defender's Office/ Stand Together Contra Costa
  • Sonia Bustamante, District I Chief of Staff
  • Devorah Levine, Policy and Planning, EHSD
  • Paul Burgarino, Elections Division

The Draft REAP is offered as a framework to continue to advance the development and maintenance of the necessary County infrastructure, policy and resources to ensure racial equity and immigrant inclusion. The Draft REAP recognizes the community engagement process required to inform the infrastructure, policy, and resources, which must be conducted in order for the Board of Supervisors to adopt a Racial Equity Action Plan by 2021. The ORJ will support the community engagement process, as needed. ORJ staff is in the process of identifying resources to translate the Draft REAP into multiple languages for greater language accessibility.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
PROVIDE input and direction to staff on the draft Racial Equity Action Plan.
Attachments
Attachment A: Draft REAP
Attachment B: GARE Racial Equity Toolkit

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