HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2402-2655CITY OF PALO ALTO
Policy & Services Committee
Special Meeting
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
7:00 PM
Agenda Item
1.Race and Equity Updates and Potential Direction on the Collection and Use of Boards and
Commissions Demographic Data Presentation
Policies and Services Committee
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: Staff Report
Meeting Date: March 12, 2024
Report #:2402-2655
TITLE
Race and Equity Updates and Potential Direction on the Collection and Use of Boards and
Commissions Demographic Data
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee accept this informational update on
the City’s recent race and equity work and make a recommendation to the City Council
regarding the collection and use of Boards and Commissions demographic data.
BACKGROUND
As part of the City’s ongoing Race and Equity work, the City Council adopted a list of
assignments1 in November 2020 and most of the assignments have been completed. This
quarterly update report includes progress on the remaining two November 2020 assignments
and other efforts since the previous quarterly update reports to the Policy and Services
Committee on November 14, 20232 and May 9, 20233.
ANALYSIS
Staff continues to actively move forward with the City’s diversity, equity, inclusion and
belonging efforts. In addition to the City Council’s actions in November 2020, the City has been
actively engaged in many community initiatives, conversations, and events related to race,
equity, and culture. These updates are provided at the end of this memo. The City issued a blog
update in July 20234 to share information about updates included in the May 2023 update
1November 16,2020 Action Minutes: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/agendas-minutes-
reports/agendas-minutes/city-council-agendas-minutes/2020/november-16-2020-city-council-meeting-action-
minutes.pdf
2 November 14, 2023 Update (Item #4):
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=12180
3 May 9, 2023 Update: Meeting (primegov.com)
4 Palo Alto Race and Equity Progress Update: https://medium.com/paloaltoconnect/palo-alto-race-equity-
priorities-progress-update-5dd1f6bb697c
report. Staff will continue sharing information about race and equity efforts through the City’s
communications channels and update the Race and Equity webpage at
www.cityofpaloalto.org/raceandequity. This report focuses on a policy consideration related to
Boards and Commissions and will provide substantive updates on areas of interest for the
Policy and Services Committee and the community related to race and equity.
Boards and Commissions and DEIB
In 2021 staff conducted a demographics survey of City Board and Commission (BCC) members
as baseline information. Attachment B contains the 2021 survey results as reference. The
intention was for the survey to be annual. Staff recently distributed a 2024 survey (Attachment
C) to current BCC members and it is currently open for responses until March 15. Staff will
analyze the data thereafter.
In seeking to formalize the process related to collecting BCC demographic information, there
are two policy considerations for the Committee to explore:
1. How should the BCC demographic survey response data be shared with the full City
Council for consideration when making new appointments?
One possible approach for the Committee and City Council would be to provide
demographic data on the current composition of BCCs as a reference prior to making
new BCC appointments. Consistent with the message shared with the BCC members
when soliciting survey responses, the demographic data would be aggregated to
maintain anonymity and will not be reported on a per-commission basis. Staff
recommends that the data be used simply to provide a reference point without
suggesting any targets. Staff will also provide corresponding data on the Palo Alto
community as a whole.
2. How should the City assess BCC member socioeconomic demographics?
The previous BCC survey included an open-ended question that asked the BCC members
for their socioeconomic status. The responses varied widely (Attachment B). The
current BCC survey asks a multi-part question regarding income (Attachment C). The
intention behind asking the question(s) is to assess the level of socioeconomic diversity
within the City’s Boards and Commissions. As staff evaluates the possibility of adding
the demographic questions to the BCC application, staff seeks to confirm the way that
the City Council prefers to assess socioeconomic diversity (collecting income-related
information or some other question).
Updates on Work Assignments
The table below provides the remaining two assignments from the original 17 assignments
given by the City Council in November 2020 pertaining to the City’s Race and Equity efforts. The
status updates provided below outline the most recent action and anticipated upcoming work.
The 15 completed assignments are listed in detail in the prior update reports and are
summarized in Attachment A. There are further updates below the table, including for
Assignments C, L, and Completed Assignment D (related to mental health response programs).
Assignment Work Assignment Status
C Starting after the full
implementation of the
Records Management
System (RMS) and the
first data collection
period, direct Staff to
resume annual data
collection and analysis
of police contact data
similar to the previous
Stop Data reports.
Partially Complete: The first part related to annual data
collection is complete and information is available online at
the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) Data – City of
Palo Alto, CA 5webpage. More details are provided below
this table for reference.
Regarding the second part of this work assignment related
to analysis of the RIPA data, City Manager’s Office staff
recently finalized an agreement with the National Policing
Institute to lead in the research and evaluation of the City’s
initial RIPA data, particularly in the foundational work of
helping the City organize future ongoing analysis of this
data. The researchers will review the 2022 data and likely
the 2023 data if the DOJ finalization is completed in April).
L Direct Staff, in
coordination with the
City’s overall diversity
and inclusion efforts,
to conduct a workforce
demographic
assessment as baseline
information and to
pursue an employee
assessment to measure
City workforce culture.
Partially Complete:
The first part related to the workforce demographic
assessment is still in progress. Staff will share the
demographic summaries on a Human Resources webpage
when complete.
The second part related to an employee assessment to
measure City workforce culture is complete. Consulting
firm, Ivy Planning Group, conducted focus groups,
interviews, and document review as part of the assessment
work. Ivy identified five themes and suggestions for next
steps for the City. Staff will schedule a study session with
the full City Council to discuss the themes and share more
about next steps related to cultivating experiences and
appreciation, fostering an inclusive environment, and
applying an equity lens to service provision.
5 https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/papdripa
Further Details
Assignment C Additional Details:
The Police Department collects stop data demographics as of January 2022 and submits the
data to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) per the requirements of the Racial and
Identity Profiling Act (RIPA). As of Spring 2023, the City published the RIPA Dashboard, an
interactive site which includes the 2022 Palo Alto RIPA data. The Racial and Identity Profiling
Act (RIPA) Data – City of Palo Alto, CA 6webpage also provides a link to the raw data and other
contextual information. The 2023 data is going through the process for submittal to the DOJ for
review. The Police Department will be submitting its 2023 RIPA data to the DOJ by March 1,
2024, and anticipates that the data will be finalized by the DOJ for publication on the City’s RIPA
Dashboard in April.
Assignment L Additional Details:
One of the initial actions taken in the 2024 Equity Action Plan is related to trainings. Thus far,
Momentum for Health has offered Mental First-Aid training to City employees to expand
awareness and normalize the discussion of mental health and supporting colleagues and the
community. The second training offered has been delivered by CircleUp Education related to
unconscious bias and similar topics. More staff trainings are planned throughout all of 2024
(held bi-monthly, with both virtual and in-person options).
Assignment D (completed) Update:
Though Assignment D is formally completed, staff includes an update regularly in this race and
equity quarterly report to keep the Policy and Services Committee aware of updates related to
these key programs. Assignment D relates to the Alternative Response Mental Health
Programs. Updates:
North County TRUST (Trusted Response Urgent Support Team) is an alternative mental
health response program involving a call center and outreach team consisting of a
mental health worker, a first aid provider, and a specially trained community resident
with first-hand / lived experience related to mental health. The City of Palo Alto,
together with the Cities of Mountain View and Los Altos, began a pilot program in late
Spring 2023 to augment North County TRUST with outreach and education, case
management, and Mental Health First Aid training.
The pilot is made possible due to a $2M federal grant. This year in North County, the
augmentation pilot program has made 1,139 community contacts, trained over 45
6 https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/papdripa
community members in Mental Health First Aid, dispatched 267 field responses, and
provided dedicated case management to 31 individuals. Additionally, the City of Palo
Alto contracted with a consultant for the evaluation of the pilot and will be providing a
report after the pilot in Fall 2024. Staff does not have statistics yet on the overall North
County TRUST program but will seek those from the project managers at Santa Clara
County.
Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT): This is another alternative response
program that includes a licensed clinician partnered with a sworn police officer. With
the Memorandum of Understanding now signed by both the City of Palo Alto and the
County of Santa Clara, the County is in the recruitment process for clinicians. City staff is
awaiting the conclusion of the County’s recruitment process for clinicians. It is now
anticipated that the first clinician could be in place by mid-2024, with a second clinician
to follow for continued support of the program.
Other Citywide Race and Equity/Diversity Updates
Upcoming Independent Police Auditor (IPA) Report
The Independent Police Auditor released two regular reports in 2023 and met with the City
Council for their biannual study session discussions. The IPA’s next report is anticipated in
March 2024. The Police Department Accountability page contains a link to the previous IPA
reports. Link: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Departments/Police/Accountability.
Human Relations Commission
The Human Relation Commission (HRC) will be finalizing their report on the lived experiences of
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) in Palo Alto and present
their findings to City Council in the spring. The HRC also recently completed a series of
community listening sessions on local experiences of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. The
Commission will consider possible actions to respond to community concerns at a special
meeting on March 6, 2024.
Art Center
In Fall 2023, the Art Center hosted the exhibition, Boom Oaxaca, organized by Fresno’s Arte
Americas. The show featured exclusively BIPOC artists, showcasing the work of the Oaxacan-
based artistic collective Tlacolulokos and Oaxacan born-, Long Beach-based artist Narsiso
Martinez. More details on the exhibition here. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Art
Center hosted a free public lecture by Martinez, a former farm worker who elevates agricultural
workers in his compelling paintings, prints, and sculptures, which are exhibited nationally. And
the Art Center also hosted a free Dia de los Muertos Family Day, featuring a community altar
and a performance from LGBTQ+ ballet folklorico group, Colibri. Photos here.
The Art Center’s current exhibition, In Feast or Famine, features a wide range of artists
showcasing the power of food to connect us to identity and each other. Out of 21 artists, 13 are
Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and one has a disability. Work in the exhibition
showcases the experience of agricultural workers (through the work of Narsiso Martinez and
Abiam Alvarez), food distribution and colonialism (Connie Zheng), and much more. On view
through April 7, 2023.
Public Art
The Public Art Program held an open call for artists in January to apply to be the next King
Artist-in-Residence. Four finalists have been selected to give public presentations and a
conceptual proposal for the residency on Thursday, March 7, 2024 between 9:30am and
11:30am in the City Hall Community Meeting Room. Members of the public are welcome to
attend and submit written feedback for the selection panel.
Library
There are many activities at the Library including the following:
•Adults:
o Weekly ESL Conversation Group
o Weekly Series ESL: Beyond the Basics
o ELL Parent Tours
o Monthly Line Dancing with Kent You & Sandy Hsu
o Weekly Memory Café with topics for adults experiencing mild or early stages of
memory loss
o Weekly Tai Chi Program
o Monthly Zumba for All Ages
o Other:
▪Palo Alto Pageturners Book Club: Read and discussed Our Missing Hearts
by Celeste Ng
▪Documentary Screening & discussion with director and star of A Divine
Journey
▪Hospice Master Class
▪Art Workshop (bilingual in Mandarin and English)
•Kids:
o Sensory Storytime for neurodivergent kids and their families (4-week sessions in
November and February)
•Teens:
o January 21: Author talk on The College Student’s Guide to Mental Health
•Celebrating Cultures:
o Lunar New Year (February 10)
o January 14: Learn Chinese Calligraphy (LNY)
o February 7 & 9: Family Storytime: Celebrate Lunar New Year!
o February 10: Lunar New Year Celebration
o February 20: Family Craft—Lunar New Year Dragon Puppet
o Librarians also wrote up blog posts and book lists
o Black History Month
•February 3: Family Storytime: Celebrate Black History Month!
•February 21: Button Making Pop-up for Teens: Celebrate Black History
Month!
•Librarians also wrote up blog posts and book lists
o Diwali (November 12):
•November 8: Little Ones Storytime: Celebrate Diwali!
•November 10: Family Storytime: Celebrate Diwali!
•November 19: Festival of Lights: A Diwali Celebration
•Librarians also wrote up blog posts and book lists
o Native American Heritage Month:
•November 4: Family Storytime: Celebrate Native American Heritage Month!
•November 7: Family Storytime: Celebrate Native American Heritage Month!
•November 14: Brown Bag Book Club reading The Night Watchman by Louise
Erdrich
•November 15: Button Making Pop-up for Teens: Celebrate Native American
Heritage Month!
•Librarians also wrote up blogposts and book lists
o Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month:
▪October 5: Author Talk with Poet Antonio Lopez, East Palo Alto Vice Mayor
▪October 14: Zumba for All Ages!
▪Librarians also wrote up blogposts and book lists
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Funding for the work described within this report has been appropriated as part of the FY 2024
Operating Budget. Funding in subsequent years is subject to Council approval as part of the
annual budget process.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Community engagement is an integral part of Palo Alto’s race and equity work. Engaging the
community at large to provide feedback for the City’s Race and Equity strategy has been a
priority throughout this process as shown in the Framework. The City continues to engage the
community through a series of Race and Equity conversations. Updates on the City’s ongoing
efforts can be found on the Race and Equity webpage on the City website
(www.cityofpaloalto.org/raceandequity). Staff is also planning an updated Community blog
with the information contained within this report. The blog will be posted on the City’s Medium
page at: https://medium.com/paloaltoconnect.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Not a project.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: R&E Assignments Completed
Attachment B: Palo Alto BCC Survey Summary 2021
Attachment C: BCC Demographic Survey, 2024
APPROVED BY:
Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager
1
Attachment A – R&E Assignments Completed as of the February 2022 Quarterly Report
(This information was attached to the June 2022 R&E Updates Report
Assignment Work Assignment Status
A
Adoption of the mission statement as a
guiding statement of the City’s commitment
to make equity a foundational principle in
the City’s operational work;
Completed: the mission statement was
adopted by City Council on November 16,
2020.
B
Expedite implementation of the new
police records management system (RMS)
with quarterly reports to Council, and to
return with the necessary agreements for
the records management system allowing
for Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA)
implementation;
Completed. A detailed update is included
below these tables.
D
Work with Santa Clara County on
implementation of participation in the
Santa Clara County Psychiatric Emergency
Response Team (PERT) program and the
Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT)
program and to return to the City Council
with any necessary agreements for program
participation;
Completed. An update on this item is
included below these tables. Staff
continues to work on alternative service
programs through partnership with Santa
Clara County.
E
Develop/update a policy on the timing of
records release related to investigations that
qualify for public disclosure under SB 1421
and AB 748;
Completed: Earlier this year staff finalized
procedures and workflow related to the
release of records associated with
investigations that qualify for public
disclosure under SB 1421/AB 748.
F
Amend and expand the current Independent
Police Auditor’s (IPA) scope of services to
include all administrative use of force reports
where a baton, chemical agent, TASER, less-
lethal projectile, canine, or a firearm is used,
and all cases where the subject’s injuries
necessitate any treatment beyond minor
medical treatment in the field;
Completed: The City Council approved a
contract amendment with the IPA on June
14, 2021 which includes this language as
part of the expanded scope of services.
The first report to include this expanded
scope will be the next IPA report. The
August 30 report was written at the same
time the contract scope was amended
thus it did not include the expanded
scope. The staff cover memo for the
August report contained the summary of
IPA contract amendment items.
G
Maintain an every six (6) months schedule
for IPA reports to City Council containing
reviews ready at the time of the report; and
for the IPA to provide an audit workplan to
the City Council for approval;
Completed: The City Council approved a
contract amendment with the IPA on June
14, 2021 which includes this language as
part of the expanded scope of services.
Attachment A - Completed Assignments
2
Assignment Work Assignment Status
This new schedule of report release
started in August 2021.
The most recent IPA reports were
published on March 22 and August 30,
2021, as informational memos. The staff
cover memo for the August report
contained the summary of IPA contract
amendment items.
H
Include use of force information to the
regular Supplemental Report submitted to
the City Council as a cover memorandum
to each IPA report;
Completed. The use of force (UOF)
information for Dec. 2020-Dec. 2021 as
an annual report of a full calendar year of
data will be released with the next IPA
report in February 2022. This information
will be shared for the year 2022 in early
2023. The report includes all uses of force
similar to the June 2020 report. The use
of force (UOF) information for Jan. 1,
2015 – June 1, 2020 is available online
(https://tinyurl.com/4kwwy6xb).
I
Refer the police reform legislative priority
thoughts and input to the Policy and Services
Committee who will be discussing the City’s
legislative priorities in December 2020;
Completed: This recommendation has
been completed; it was included in the
City Council-adopted legislative guidelines
(CMR #11968:
https://tinyurl.com/evzjwhpw) in
February 2021. Staff and the legislative
advocates continue to track bills. The City
weighed in on several police reform bills
as well.
J
Refer all race and equity work to the Policy
and Services Committee for citywide
diversity and inclusion practice areas and
policing practice areas;
Completed: The P&S Committee has been
receiving quarterly updates and discussion
items related to the City Council Social
Justice priority and Race and Equity.
Staff is working to get supplemental help
to assist the City with developing a race
and equity roadmap, training, and staff
assessments.
M
Policy and Services CEDAW
recommendation: Direct Staff to proceed
with a community summit on gender equity
issues and next steps in Palo Alto;
Completed: The Palo Alto Summit on
Women and Girls took place on June 12,
2021 with keynote speaker Lori Nishura
Mackenzie. Information online at:
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/Events-
3
Assignment Work Assignment Status
Directory/City-Manager/Summit-on-
Women-Girls. Potential additional steps
and other recommendations are included
in this staff report.
N
If the County does not assign a resource to
Palo Alto in the next six months, refer to
Policy and Services Committee the
exploration of the feasibility of a CAHOOTS-
type program;
Completed: The County has assigned a
PERT resource to the City of Palo Alto.
O
Amend the contract to require the
Independent Police Auditor (IPA) to meet
with the City Council in open session twice a
year with each report;
Completed: The City Council approved a
contract amendment with the IPA on June
14, 2021 which includes this language as
part of the expanded scope of services.
The first of these meetings with the IPA
will occur on September 13, 2021.
P
Refer to the Policy and Services Committee
consideration of the Independent Police
Auditor (IPA) oversight of internal complaints
regarding misconduct related to harassment,
discrimination, or retaliation resulting in city
investigation of uniformed officers.
Completed: The Policy and Services
Committee fulfilled this City Council
referral and had this discussion at the
April 13, 2021 meeting. The staff report is
online as well as the action minutes. The
Committee voted to recommend the City
Council direct Staff and IPA to include
harassment, retaliation and discrimination
claims within the IPA scope; and research
best practices to balance the needs of
transparency and public oversight while
preserving the anonymity of
complainants, witnesses and the subject.
The City Council approved a contract
amendment with the IPA on June 14, 2021
which includes this language as part of the
expanded scope of services.
Q
Direct Staff to work with IT to streamline
publishing police policy updates to the City
website on a quarterly basis.
Completed: The Police Department found
a solution to streamline the redaction
process to make quarterly updates. The
policy was last updated on May 1, 2021.
Attachment A
1
Palo Alto Boards, Committees, and Commissions
Demographic Data Survey 2021
Conducted Summer 2021
A total of 34 participants responded to the survey. The survey was shared with members of all of Palo
Alto’s Boards, Committees, and Commissions (BCCs). The results reflect aggregate voluntary information
shared from BCC members. Most questions show the table and chart results as percentages.
Survey Results:
Years Percent
0-5 years 3%
6-10 years 9%
11-15 years 9%
16-20 years 6%
21+ years 71%
Not a Palo Alto
resident 3%
Grand Total 100%
Reason Percent
I (or my partner) moved here to
attend Stanford 12%
Just liked the community 3%
Moved here to live near family* 9%
Moved here to live near work 32%
Moved here to raise a family 18%
Not a Palo Alto Resident 3%
Palo Alto is my hometown (I was
born or raised here as a child)* 18%
Schools* 6%
Grand Total 100%
*Palo Alto as hometown also includes spouses, "Schools" was a written-in response, “Moved here to live with family”
also includes one "other" who said they moved here to live near friends.
3%9%9%6%
71%
3%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
0-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21+ years Not a Palo
Alto
resident
Question 1: How many years have you lived
in Palo Alto?
12%3%9%
32%
18%
3%
18%
6%0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Question 2: What is the primary reason
you initially located to Palo Alto?
Attachment A
2
Question 3: Housing - Do you own or rent your current residence? (For the purpose of the survey,
you own your home even if you have an outstanding debt that you owe on your mortgage loan).
Own/Rent Percent
Own 85%
Rent 12%
Not a Palo Alto
Resident 3%
Grand Total 100%
Gender Percent
Female 50%
Male 50%
Non-binary 0%
Decline to state 0%
Grand Total 100%
Not a Palo
Alto
Resident
3%
Own
85%
Rent
12%
Question 3: Rent, Own, Other
Female
50%
Male
50%
Question 4: What is your Gender?
Attachment A
3
Age Group Percent
25-39 15%
40-59 35%
60+ 47%
Decline to state 3%
Grand Total 100%
15%
35%
47%
3%
Question 5: What is your age group?
25-39
40-59
60+
Decline to state
Race / Ethnicity Percent
American Indian or Alaskan Native 0%
Asian 9%
Black or African American 0%
Hispanic or Latino/Latinx and White 6%
Multi-racial 3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific
Islander 0%
White 71%
Decline to state 12%
Other 0%
Total 100%
0%9%0%6%3%0%
71%
12%0%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%
Question 6: Race and Ethnicity (check all
that apply).
Attachment A
4
Question 7: Education - What is your highest level of school completed? If currently
enrolled, mark "Student".
* No respondents chose “Student” so it is not
listed in this chart.
Question 8: How do you identify your socioeconomic status?
(Note: this was an open-ended question; answers were coded/tallied)
Self-Described
Socioeconomic Status Percent
Upper Middle Class 29%
N/A 29%
Middle Class 26%
Adequate 3%
Lower Middle Class 3%
Secure 3%
Upper Class 3%
Do Not Understand
Question. 3%
Grand Total 100%
Question 9: What is your Employment Status
Status Percent
Employed full-time 35%
Retired 35%
Employed part-time 15%
Seeking opportunities 9%
A homemaker 3%
Self-employed 3%
Grand Total 100%
Education Percent
Bachelor's degree 21%
Master's degree 44%
Doctorate degree (e.g. PhD, EdD, MD,
etc.) 32%
Decline to state 3%
Grand Total 100%
21%
44%
32%
3%0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Bachelor's
degree
Master's
degree
Doctorate
degree (e.g.
PhD, EdD, MD,
etc.)
Decline to
state
Question 7: Education
Attachment A
5
Question 10: Employer Type: Please Describe Your Work
Employer Type Percent
Employee of a for-profit company or of an individual, for wages, salary, or commissions 35%
Self-employed 24%
Government employee 12%
Retired 12%
Employee of a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, or charitable organization 6%
Decline to state 3%
Self-employed and Employee of a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, or charitable organization 3%
Self-employed and Employee of a for-profit company or of an individual, for wages,
salary, or commissions 3%
Currently not working 3%
Working without pay in family business or farm 0%
Total 100%
Question 11: Employment Location – Note the general area in which your employer is located.
Location Percent
Palo Alto 26%
San Jose or Silicon Valley outside of Palo
Alto 21%
N/A 18%
San Francisco 18%
Decline to state 3%
Home 3%
Out of State 3%
San Mateo County 3%
Santa Clara & San Mateo County 3%
Southern California 3%
Grand Total 100%
Attachment A
6
Question 13: How did you hear about the opportunity to join your current Board/Commission/
Committee? (Check all that apply)
Question 14: Are you a member of a Board/Commission/Committee that conducts
quasi-judicial hearings (Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources
Board, or Planning Transportation Commission)?
No 68%
Yes 32%
Grand Total 100%
65%
26%
9%
Question 12: Number of children under the age
of 18 live in your household?
0
1-2
3-4
Attachment A
7
Question 15: Do you have any additional comments? [Open-ended responses are provided below]
Council should appoint the best candidates available at the time there are openings. Do not set up a
quasi-quota system to mandate diverse candidate membership.
The HRB needs to hire a Historic Planner. HRB has been without a historic planner for several years.
This has had a major impact on the ability of the HRB to function.
It is an honor to serve the City of Palo Alto!
Thank you!
Thank you for gathering this information. It is my hope that our boards and commissions are
represented by all people of Palo Alto. A diverse board brings more conversation and better
decisions.
The real diversity problem on our b&c’s is a diversity of expertise. Too many under qualified
individuals without proper knowledge making recommendations.
Retired, but employer was initially in Palo Alto, then Santa Clara, then Cupertino, then SF
It has been an honor to serve
Thanks
Thank You!
Glad you are doing the survey. It seems to be very tough to find folks to serve currently
I am in favor of the new policy limited individuals to two terms on boards and commissions.
Palo Alto Boards, Committees and Commissions
Demographic Data Survey 2024
Question 1: How many years have you lived in Palo Alto?
0-5 years
6-10 years
11-15 years
16-20 years
21+ years
Not a Palo Alto resident
Question 2: What was the primary reason you initially located to Palo Alto?
I (or my partner) moved here to attend Stanford
Liked the community
Moved here to live near family
Moved here to live near work
Moved here to raise a family
Palo Alto is my hometown (I was born or raised here as a child)
Schools
Not a Palo Alto Resident
Question 3: Housing - Do you own or rent your current residence? (For the purpose of the survey, you
own your home even if you have an outstanding debt that you owe on your mortgage loan).
Not a Palo Alto Resident
Own
Rent
Question 4: What is your gender identity?
Woman
Transgender Woman
Man
Transgender Man
Genderqueer/gender-fluid
Non-binary
Two-spirit
Prefer not to answer
Other
Question 5: Please identify which of the following describes your sexual orientation.
Asexual
Bisexual
Heterosexual
Lesbian
Gay
Pansexual
Queer
Questioning or unsure
Prefer not to answer
Other
Question 6: What is your age group?
18-24
25-39
40-59
60+
Prefer Not to Answer
Question 7: Race and Ethnicity - Please specify your race and ethnicity (check all that apply).
Hispanic or Latino/Latinx
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Two or more races
White
Prefer not to answer
Other
Question 8: Education - What is your highest level of school completed? If currently enrolled, mark
"Student".
GED
Some college
Associate’s Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's degree
Doctorate degree (e.g. PhD, EdD, MD, etc.)
Student
Prefer not to answer
Question 9: What is your employment status?
Employed full-time
Retired
Employed part-time
Seeking opportunities
Homemaker
Self-employed
Question 9.5: If you are retired, what was your income during the last 12 months of employment?
$150k or less
$150k-$250k
$250k-$350K
$350k or higher
Question 10: What is your household income?
$150k or less
$150k-$250k
$250k-$350K
$350k or higher
Retired
Question 11: Do you own properties other than your primary residence?
Yes
No
Question 12: How many children (if any) under the age of 18 live in your household?
0
1-2
3 or more
Question 13: How did you hear about the opportunity to join your current Board/Commission/
Committee? (Check all that apply)
City Clerk
City Council member
Social Media
Nextdoor
City’s website
Newspaper or other media
Word of mouth
Newsletter
Other
Question 14: Are you a member of a Board/Commission/Committee that conducts
quasi-judicial hearings (Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources
Board, or Planning Transportation Commission)?
Yes
No
Question 15: Do you have any additional comments?
Question 16: Which Board, Commission or Committee do you represent? (this is for statistical
counting purposes only: your anonymity will be maintained)
Architectural Review Board
Historic Resources Board
Human Relations Commission
Parks and Recreation Commission
Public Art Commission
Planning and Transportation Commission
Stormwater Management Oversight Committee
Utilities Advisory Commission
March 12, 2024 www.cityofpaloalto.org/raceandequity
RACE AND EQUITY QUARTERLY UPDATE –March 2023Policy and Services Committee
Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager
Kojo Pierce, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager
Topics to Review
Brief Status Update on the Remaining Council Assignments
Overview of Board and Commission Survey
Discussion Questions Regarding Boards and Commissions Survey Results
Overview of Other Updates Shared in Staff Report
OVERVIEW
2
In November 2020, the
City Council assigned 17
tasks as part of the Race
and Equity work. The
City has completed 15
of the 17 tasks to date.
2 remaining tasks,
partially completed,will
be discussed tonight.
STATUS UPDATES –REMAINING ASSIGNMENTS
3
History of Survey
Conducted first survey in 2021
Intended to be an annual survey to assess change over time
Survey results were shared with Policy and Services Committee and posted online
Current Survey
Survey is currently open soliciting responses; closes on March 15
Sent to all current Board and Commission Members
Survey is anonymous and is only reported in the aggregate
Survey used a different set of questions to assess socioeconomic status
OVERVIEW OF BOARD AND COMMISSION SURVEY
4
Screenshot of the First Page of
the survey. The Survey questions
are in the staff report as an
attachment.
OVERVIEW OF BOARD AND COMMISSION SURVEY
5
1.How should the BCC demographic survey response data be shared with
the full City Council for consideration when making new appointments?
Recommendation: Provide demographic data on the current
composition of BCCs, and corresponding data for Palo Alto as a whole,
as a reference prior to making new BCC appointments
2.How should the City assess BCC member socioeconomic demographics?
6
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS REGARDING BCC SURVEY RESULTS
SUMMARY OF OTHER UPDATES
For Reference
(packet pages 8-10)
3/12/2024 www.cityofpaloalto.org
Staff recommends the Policy and Services Committee accept this report including the
plans to bring a study session to the City Council in Q2 and for the Committee to make
a recommendation to City Council regarding Boards and Commissions including the
following:
When results should be shared to Council
How the City should assess BCC member socioeconomic demographics
8
RECOMMENDATIONS