HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-11-30 City Council Agendas (17)
City of Palo Alto (ID # 11796)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Information Reports Meeting Date: 11/30/2020
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Downtown Streets Team
Title: Downtown Streets Team Response to City Request for Information on
Harassment Allegations
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Recommendation
This is an informational report and no Council action is required.
Background
This report transmits the Downtown Streets Team’s (DST) response to the City Council’s request
for a report on the harassment allegations by former employees of DST against executives at
the firm and covered by local media. On June 15, 2020, the City Council adopted the
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) draft 2020-2025 Consolidated Plan and draft
2020-21 Annual Action Plan. The Council also discussed the sexual harassment allegations
against DST and directed staff to request a report on the harassment allegations by the end of
August.1
Staff reached out to DST and received the first of two letters included in Attachment A. After an
initial review, staff communicated to DST that the letter did not appear responsive to the
Council’s request for a report and sought additional information. A second letter was
transmitted to the City by DST, which is also attached. Following receipt of the second letter,
the City’s Human Resources Director engaged the DST’s Director of Human Resources, Chief
Operating Officer, and Board Chair to encourage the agency to submit a more comprehensive
report. The DST maintains it has been responsive to the City Council’s request and transparent
about the harassment allegations. As such, DST’s position is that the attachments are sufficient.
These letters are being transmitted to the City Council for its consideration; no further staff
1 Action Minutes from City Council Meeting:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?t=48693.29&BlobID=77871
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action is anticipated on this matter.
Attachments:
Attachment A: Correspondence Provided By Downtown Streets Team (PDF)
Downtown Streets, Inc. is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit corporation | Tax ID: 20-5242330 | Streetsteam.org
Headquarters: 1671 The Alameda, Suite 306, San Jose, CA 95126
Downtown Streets Team builds Teams that restore dignity, inspire hope, and provide a pathway to recover from homelessness
September 16, 2020
Dear Palo Alto City Councilmembers,
I am writing to address your request for a response to the allegations made against the
organization.
Downtown Streets Team has always taken all claims seriously. The allegations are the first of its
kind in our history. The Board of Directors proactively hired a top investigatory firm to launch a
comprehensive, independent, and confidential examination of the claims. Their findings were
that most of the claims were completely unfounded, and the others were greatly exaggerated.
Furthermore, a clear and confidential internal reporting process was in place during the time of
the allegations, which was not accessed by the claimants.
The allegations are many years old, and Downtown Streets Team has made many organizational
changes to ensure we are above reproach and that each employee’s experience is a positive
one.
Since then, we have hired a Director of Human Resources with direct access to the Board of
Directors and a Board-level HR governance committee. Furthermore, we’ve signed up as a co-
employer with the top professional services provider in the Country, Insperity. This partnership
comes with increased HR resources and training for each employee and the organization as a
whole. Lastly, we’ve updated our employee handbook with high professional standards and two
avenues to report complaints anonymously.
Our Board and leadership team are confident that these changes will provide more layers that
this type of allegations will not happen again. As an organization, we have improved as we have
grown from two employees to eighty.
As the hometown of Downtown Streets Team, we are incredibly grateful for the City of Palo
Alto’s continued support of our mission, which is more critical than ever. Please reach out if you
have any questions or need anything else from us.
With our deepest thanks,
Elfreda Strydom
Chief Operations Officer – Downtown Streets Team – www.streetsteam.org
(650)504-6565 • elfreda@streetsteam.org
Attachment A Response # 1
Downtown Streets, Inc. is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit corporation | Tax ID: 20-5242330 | Streetsteam.org
Headquarters: 1671 The Alameda, Suite 306, San Jose, CA 95126
Downtown Streets Team builds Teams that restore dignity, inspire hope, and provide a pathway to recover from homelessness
October 15, 2020
Dear Palo Alto City Councilmembers,
1.In regard to the investigation conducted by an investigatory firm:
a.What was the scope of the investigation and/or specific charges being
investigated as stated in the investigatory report?
DST retained the services from Law Offices of Amy Oppenheimer to investigate a
complaint DST received from five former female employees with various
concerns stemming from their time at DST.
b.How many interviews were conducted?
1)An online survey was sent to all employees to assess the current work
environment after many changes and updates to the policies, procedures and
practices to address some of the concerns.
2)Twelve individual employee interviews were conducted.
c.How long did the investigation take?
Approximately 11 months.
d.How many hours of work went into the investigation?
Law Offices of Amy Oppenheimer spent 250 hours on the investigation
e.How many pages was the final report?
44 pages
f.What standard was used for the outcome or finding? (This is typically stated in
the written investigatory report.)
The investigator analyzed the facts and determined whether the allegations
were with or without merit under a preordinance of investigation standard.
“Preordinance of the evidence”, for the purpose of this Report, means that the
evidence on one side outweighs, or is more than, the evidence on the other side.
This is a qualitative measure, not a quantitative standard.
2.In addition to the appointment of a Human Resources Officer, what changes have been
implemented (e.g., new or changes to policies, practices or other organizational/systemic
changes)
In addition to appointing a Director of Human Resources, the Board has created an HR
governance committee to oversee all policies and procedures. Furthermore, DST signed
up as a co-employer with the top professional services provider in the Country, Insperity.
This partnership comes with increased HR resources and training for each employee and
Attachment A Response # 2
Downtown Streets Team, Inc. is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit corporation | Tax ID: 20-5242330 |
Streetsteam.org 2
the organization as a whole. We’ve updated our employee handbook with high
professional standards and two avenues to report complaints anonymously.
3.What tangible outcomes have been achieved since the appointment of a Human
Resources Officer and other changes described in #2?
The HR Director has been educating DST management on HR best practices such as the
employment life cycle, evaluating performance, developing employee relationships, and
incorporating different perspectives and views. Lastly, the HR Director has been
responsible for building and managing a new system to recruit, attract, hire, train, and
motivate DST’s employees.
The change in policies and training motivates DST staff to perform at the highest level
possible and maintain an organizational culture of high morale.
With our deepest thanks,
Elfreda Strydom
Chief Operations Officer – Downtown Streets Team – www.streetsteam.org
(650)504-6565 • elfreda@streetsteam.org
Attachment A Response # 2