Hello Council, Thank you for last night's discussion. I'm writing to clarify some of my suggestions related to increasing diversity across the City's workforce, especially at the management-level. One cannot help but observe that there are few (if any) Black or Latino employees in the management-level ranks. For example, last I checked, the Police Chief and his three commanders are all white males. Some comments: * I recommend a demographic and ethnic group breakdown of the City staff employees that specifically detailed how many Blacks and Latinos work in Menlo Park. I also recommend breaking this out for the management and supervisory levels. I think we need both breakdowns (i.e. rank-and-file and senior/management-level) as an overall one will not show the kind of data that Council needs to consider next steps. * I would like to see at least a "level-playing field" when it comes to hiring Blacks and Latinos, especially for the management- and supervisory-level positions. For years, most of these positions have been filled by internal promotions and/or by a City Manager appointment. This doesn't give possible Black and Latino applicants an opportunity to learn about these positions and to then apply. It is not "affirmative action" to ask for equal opportunity. While I believe in affirmative action, I think the City should first establish fair and open hiring practices as their initial step towards increasing diversity. In short, I would like the City to at least follow the Institute for Local Government https://www.ca-ilg.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/checklist_v4.pdf?1417723125 > (page 17) suggestions in their "minimal" category: * Agency has fair and merit based processes in place for hiring and advancing employees * Agency consistently makes a concerted effort to advertise widely for open positions * Elected officials generally play a role in selection of chief executive, department heads, agency counsel, and non-elected or appointed staff and provide regular guidance and feedback to those employees * Affordable housing in Menlo Park. I recall that the City's affordable housing funds are partly earmarked for staff. I do not remember the particulars or the staff report that details these. However, I know of at least one senior-level employee in BMR housing and there may be others. Seems to me that these policies could help with the recruitment of Black and Latino candidates for staff positions. Council may also wish to consider the demographics and ethnic backgrounds of those who have benefited from the City's BMR housing Fund for the Staff to see if certain populations have tended to benefit. * Percentage of Blacks recruited for Senior positions. The City's land use policies in Belle Haven have resulted in serious displacement of the Black population. Instead of using the current figure of Black population in Menlo Park, I suggest that the City use the Black population before the displacement as the desired total. For example, take the population in 1960 (or some other suitable year) and make that the desired end goal. For example, if the City's Black population was 15% in 1950 -- I would use that as the targeted goal. To me, this would be a fairer way to establish a representation goal. Lynne Bramlett Received on Fri Jul 17 2020 - 13:44:51 PDT
