To: Mayor Taylor, members of the City Council, City Manager Robinson-Jerome and Senior Staff Re: Staff Report: 20-150-CC: Add “institutional bias reform as a top priority…” The Staff Report includes three main categories for reform. I will focus on the “elevate the conversation on racial equity” proposal. Please see my attached Word file with public input, which I will paste below. I am very concerned with the vague language, unspecified desired end state, and the lack of measurements. Vague words “Elevate” and “conversation” are vague words with different meanings to different people. At minimum, precise definitions should be given. No desired end state The proposal lacks a desired end state. What will the staff DO differently as a result of the “elevated conversation”? How will this translate into improvements in the lives of residents of color? What will “success” look like? All this should be specified. Vague goals The vague goals for years 3-5 include “process reengineering” and “organizational change” with no specifics, such as examples. The vague phrases conjure up the idea of action, but there is no real action proposed. These terms remind me of the Connect Menlo Guiding Principles. Those sounded like safeguards, but they weren’t. They did not protect the Belle Haven residents from the Connect Menlo-related decisions. I’m also concerned about the focus on expensive training during a time of serious budget cuts. Training may not lead to change. Students can be in class with their minds elsewhere. Or they can outwardly appear to conform, but inwardly not change and then revert back at the earliest possible moment. Expensive training The GARE training, at $400 per person, is also very expensive. Lower-cost options, such as online anti-bias training, were not detailed in the Staff Report. Most importantly, I think that Policy Changes would lead to quicker and more long-lasting changes. Staff Diversity Policies The City of Menlo Park Staff lacks racial and ethnic diversity, especially at the senior or management levels. A more diverse workforce would lead to more long-lasting change. The Staff could cost-effectively prepare an in-house report with the Staff organization’s demographics. Then diversity goals could be set. Consulting firms also do diversity audits. http://www.egcitizen.com/news/city-council-authorizes-k-for-diversity-audit-of-city-staff/article_71c56fde-e5b0-11e7-ad68-47b74e03a11f.html > Commission Diversity Goals Council could also set diversity goals for those serving on the City’s advisory Commissions and Committees. Council input into hiring decisions For years, most hiring of key managerial roles has been by appointment or internal promotions. There has been little effort to post positions, conduct wide searches, and use the openings as a way to increase diversity. Generally speaking, the City has not followed the hiring practices recommended by the League of Local Government in their Good Governance Checklist https://www.ca-ilg.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/checklist_v4.pdf >. Change Union Contracts The Union contracts also offer opportunities to include diversity goals. Please see attached May 2019 memo to Council on the topic. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did not request training for the whites who opposed civil rights for Blacks. Instead, I have read that the Civil Rights Movement used a strategy of advancing the rights of Blacks through incremental policy changes that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Of course, so much more is still needed. The Courts then and now also did not always afford the desired protection. Policy changes were instrumental in advancing the rights of Blacks in America. Policy changes are needed in Menlo Park. The City’s residents of color have made serious complaints about the City’s treatment of them and their community. I also have personally observed racist and dismissive attitudes towards the concerns of the Belle Haven residents. I have also observed unequal city service levels. The problems have been serious enough, and of such a long-standing nature, that quicker action is needed to address the wrongs and to get us on a better path. Instead of this vaguely worded proposal with its emphasis on training, I ask Council to push for policy changes that will change the staff organization culture. Lynne Bramlett application/pdf attachment: CC_July_16_institutional_Bias_Reform_V2.pdf
