HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-14 Policy & Services Committee Agenda Packet1
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POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Special Meeting
Virtual Meeting
7:00 PM
AMENDED AGENDA
*all changes are denoted in red on the agenda
***BY VIRTUAL TELECONFERENCE ONLY***
Click to Join Zoom Meeting ID: 946-1874-4621 Phone: 1(669)900-6833
Pursuant to the provisions of California Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20, issued
on March 17, 2020, to prevent the spread of Covid-19, this meeting will be held by
virtual teleconference only, with no physical location. The meeting will be broadcast
on Midpen Media Center at https://midpenmedia.org. Members of the public who
wish to participate by computer or phone can find the instructions at the end of this
agenda. Members of the public may speak to agendized items; up to three minutes
per speaker, to be determined by the presiding officer. All requests to speak will be
taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Public comment may be
addressed to the full Policy and Services Committee via email at
City.Council@cityofpaloalto.org and available for inspection on the City’s
website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your
email subject line.
Call to Order
Oral Communications
Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda.
Action Items
1.Update on State and Federal Policy and Legislation
2.Office of the City Auditor Presentation of the IT Risk Management
Audit Activity Report
3.Update on Recent Race and Equity Work Since March Including an
Update on a Records Management System (RMS) Contract for Police
Data Collection and Provide any Recommendations to Council on the
City's Race and Equity Work
Presentation
2
Policy and Services Committee Special Meeting September 14, 2021
Future Meetings and Agendas
Adjournment
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
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teleconference, or by phone.
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please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted.
Click to Join Zoom Meeting ID: 946-1874-4621 Phone: 1(669)900-6833
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT (ADA)
Persons with disabilities who require auxiliary aids or services in using City facilities,
services or programs or who would like information on the City’s compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, may contact (650) 329-2550 (Voice) 48
hours or more in advance.
City of Palo Alto (ID # 13559)
Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 9/14/2021
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Update on State and Federal Policy and Legislation
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee receive a legislative update on State
and Federal bills or policy.
Background
In February 2021, the City Council adopted the 2021 Legislative Guidelines (CMR 11968) which
are on the Intergovernmental Affairs webpage on the City’s website. The guidelines provided a
baseline for the City’s legislative advocates at the state and federal level to advocate on the
City’s behalf in relation to proposed legislation.
In June 2021, the City Council reaffirmed the type of legislative program and advocacy
preferred for Palo Alto. The discussion also included direction to staff on some additional
legislation to support in Sacramento.
Discussion
The City’s legislative advocates in Sacramento, Townsend Public Affairs, will be present to
discuss specific pieces of legislation with the committee in addition to providing an update on
the coming weeks and on the session as a whole in Sacramento. The City’s legislative advocates
in Washington, D.C., Van Scoyoc Associates, will also be present to update the Policy and
Services Committee on programs, efforts, and legislation currently taking place in Washington.
Below is a high-level summary of activity at both the federal and state level.
Federal Update:
The following federal updates are relevant to the City:
Congress is in recess until mid-September. When they return to legislative session, Senators
and Members of Congress will need to immediately address a number of critical issues,
including 1) passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill before the end of September; 2) funding
the government beyond September 30; 3) increasing the federal debt limit by the end of
September; 4) begin hearings on the military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan; and 5) beginning
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debate on the President’s proposed “human infrastructure bill.”
The information below addresses current efforts and upcoming actions in the Congress and the
Biden administration (“administration”) of interest to the City of Palo Alto on infrastructure,
housing, appropriations, public safety, and the environment.
Infrastructure
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
o The Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), a $1.2
trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes $550 billion in new federal
spending.
o The bill provides increased funding for roads/bridges, transit, rail grade
separations, active transportation, broadband, airport, wildfire mitigation, and
electric grid and other energy improvements. The bill does not include
congressional earmarks.
o The House is scheduled to vote on the IIJA by September 27.
• Human Infrastructure Proposal (Budget Reconciliation)
o The House and Senate are drafting a $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure” package
that will fund health care, child care, education, and climate initiatives with a
goal of having a bill ready by September 15.
o By using the budget reconciliation process, the Senate is able to pass certain
budget bills with a simple 51-vote majority, rather than the 60-vote
threshold (e.g., Affordable Care Act).
o Despite this lower vote threshold, it is uncertain that all 50 Senate Democrats
will vote for a $3.5 trillion bill.
Housing
• Eviction Moratorium
o The Supreme Court lifted the administration’s current Centers for Disease
Control and Protection (CDC) eviction moratorium.
o The Supreme Court ruled that the CDC did not have the authority to implement
an eviction moratorium.
• Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)
o To help prevent evictions, the administration is promoting funding that is being
allocated from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
o The program helps families make rental and utility payments.
o ERAP funding is allocated through state governments for cities with populations
under 200,000 residents.
Appropriations
• FY 2022 Appropriations
o Government funding runs out September 30, 2021.
o Congress must pass fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills by October 1 or pass a
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short-term extension through a Continuing Resolution to avoid a government
shutdown.
• Debt Limit
o The debt ceiling expired at the end of July 2021; since then the Treasury
Department is using “extraordinary measures” to provide cash for the
government to function.
o The debt ceiling must be raised in order to increase the federal government’s
borrowing limit and avoid a default on its debt.
o If nothing is done, default would occur in October or November.
o Democratic leadership is hoping to increase the debt limit by attaching it to a
must-pass bill; Republican leaders have said they do not intend to vote to
increase the debt limit.
Public Safety
• Police Reform
o Democrats and Republicans continue to seek agreement on broad policing
reform through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
o As discussion between Members of the House and Senate continue, negotiators
have dropped efforts to reform qualified immunity that is applied during lawsuits
against law enforcement and local governments.
Environment
• Climate Change
o Democratic leadership and the White House are seeking policies to address
climate change, including President Biden’s proposals to make significant
reductions to greenhouse gas emissions.
o Democrats are developing proposals in areas such as clean energy, electric
vehicles, environmental justice, climate resiliency, and coastal/ocean resiliency
and hope to include in the next budget reconciliation bill.
• Waters of the United States (WOTUS)
o Earlier this week, a federal district court judge in Arizona threw out the Trump
administration’s re-write of the Clean Water Act, which was an attempt to
overturn the Obama administration’s Waters of the U.S. regulation.
o WOTUS establishes the scope of federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act,
including defining “navigable waters.”
o The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers are
currently working to create an "enduring" definition of which waterways and
wetlands are subject to the Clean Water Act’s requirements.
Voting Rights
Recently, the House passed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 (HR 4)
which seeks to overhaul voting laws in the United States. Specifically, the legislation would
require federal approval before changes to voting practices could be implemented in states and
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localities with a recent history of voter discrimination. While the measure only required a
simple majority to pass the House, it would need up 60 votes to clear the Senate.
COVID Vaccine
The FDA recently granted full approval to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 and older.
This is the first vaccine to earn full approval in the U.S. Pfizer and BioNTech are studying the
shot's safety and efficacy in younger children and infants. They are expected to seek emergency
authorization for 5-to-11-year-olds this fall.
State Update:
Note, this is an update as of the end of August 2021. By the time of the Policy and Services
Committee September 14 meeting, the legislation described below will have additional
updates.
Update as of the end of August 2021: The Legislature continued its quick pace of progressing
bills in order to meet its fiscal deadline of August 27. On Thursday, August 26, there were
suspense file hearings for both the Assembly and Senate, wherein bills determined to have a
significant fiscal impact either progress, become 2-year bills, or are held under suspense and
are no longer active. As of now, a total of 740 bills await action for the final weeks of session,
with 245 awaiting consideration in the Assembly and 495 awaiting consideration in the Senate.
Priority Housing and Land Use Legislation Update
The Assembly passed SB 9 (Atkins), which would require the ministerial approval of a housing
development of up to two units, or the subdivision of a parcel into two equal parcels, by a 45-
19 vote. The bill will now go to the Senate for a concurrence vote before making its way to the
Governor’s office for a signature or veto. As of August 27, the Governor has not made any
public statements on whether he would sign it.
SB 9 is one of two high-profile bills that passed the Assembly before final concurrence. SB 10
(Wiener), which would permit a local government to pass an ordinance to rezone any parcel up
to 10 units of residential density per parcel, passed with many Democrats abstaining over
concerns with the bill’s potential impact on gentrification. Below is a brief overview of a few
housing and land use bills and their outcomes:
AB 989 (Gabriel), which would create an Office of Housing Appeals within the California
Department of Housing and Community Development to review alleged violations of the
Housing Accountability Act for specified housing development projects, passed out of
committee and will move to the Senate for consideration.
• AB 1401 (Friedman), which would prohibit local governments from imposing or
enforcing a minimum parking requirement on developments near public transit, was
held under suspense and is no longer active.
• AB 215 (Chiu), which would provide the Department of Housing and Community
Development (HCD) with additional enforcement authority for local agency violations of
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specified housing laws, passed out of committee and will move to the Senate for
consideration.
Legislature Considered a Statewide Vaccination Requirement
The legislature considered a gut and amended transportation bill as a possibility to become a
bill requiring employees and patrons of certain industries to be vaccinated. AB 455 by Assembly
Member Wicks was going to be amended to include bill language regarding statewide
vaccinations. Though still committed to the effort, Assembly Member Wicks decided to put the
legislation on hold given the short time remaining in session and the various concerns raised by
stakeholders. The bill would have required that employees and patrons of restaurants, bars,
cafeterias, gyms, hotels, indoor sports arenas, and movie theaters either be fully vaccinated or
submit to weekly testing and show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before entering the
workplace/establishment. Exemptions to the requirement would have been intended for those
who are ineligible to receive the vaccine due to age or for those who have a verifiable medical
issue or disability. The vaccination requirement would not have applied to employees working
remotely and not physically entering their workplace. This gut and amend bill is not moving
forward this session.
Brown Act Flexibility Legislation Update
In response to the pandemic and social distancing requirements, local agency meetings have
been conducted virtually and sustained under Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-08-21,
which is set to expire September 30, 2021. The surge in cases resulting from the Delta Variant
highlights the need for the continuation of Brown Act Flexibility. As of now, there are two
avenues to pursue an extension, which include another gubernatorial executive order or the
passage legislation such as AB 361 (R. Rivas), which would grant local agencies approval to
transition to remote meetings if there is a local declared emergency without having to rely on
an executive order. However, capitol staff have stated that AB 361 is set to be amended to
allow local agencies to continue with virtual meetings only if there is a state declared
emergency. Additional amendments will add an urgency clause, meaning its provisions would
take effect as soon as the Governor signs it. The new amendments were not available as of the
publishing of this report.
Golden State Stimulus Payments
Friday, August 27 marks the day for when eligible Californians began receiving the second
round of Golden State Stimulus payments as part of the $12 billion state tax rebate program
enacted by the Governor. The Program serves as a key element to the State’s goal of helping
vulnerable residents offset economic impacts brought on by the pandemic. The second round
of payments has been expanded to reach Californians making $75,000 or less.
CPUC Extends Comment Deadline for Broadband Infrastructure Deployment
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a ruling requesting public comment to
collect recommendations for the development of middle-mile broadband network
infrastructure. While the CPUC has already drafted preliminary maps for where middle-mile
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network fiber will be laid, the agency seeks stakeholder input before the plan’s finalization. The
agency extended its deadline for formal parties to submit opening comments on the statewide
middle-mile broadband network to Friday, September 3. The ruling was issued in response to a
request from the California Cable & Telecommunication Association. The ruling also extends the
deadline for reply comments to Tuesday, September 21. Individual members of the public are
still encouraged to file informal comments using the public comment portal at any time, with
no deadline. Instructions for submitting public comments and learning more about how to
participate can be found at the CPUC’s website.
Session Timeline
Friday, September 3 is the last day to amend bills on the floor and September 10 is the last day
of the 2021 Legislative Session.
Recap of Bills
A quick recap on the specific bills on which the City has taken positions, what they do, and
current status:
Bill Topic Position Status
AB
26
This bill specifies that law enforcement agency
policies must: (1) mandate the reporting potential
excessive force by officers; (2) prohibit retaliation
against officers that report violations; (3) require that
an officer who fails to intercede be disciplined up to
and including the same manner as the officer who
used excessive force; (4) prevent an officer who has
had a finding of misconduct for use of excessive force
from training other officers for three-years as
specified; and (5) clarify the reporting requirements
for uses of force and intervention on another officer
who uses excessive force.
Support Moving forward, on
the Senate floor.
AB
703
This bill is focused on open meetings for local
agencies and the requirements for teleconferences.
Support This bill is on hold
until next
legislative session.
AB
718
This bill would require law enforcement agencies, or
an oversight agency, to complete initiated
administrative investigations of officer misconduct
related to specified uses of force, sexual assault, and
dishonesty allegations regardless of whether an
officer leaves the employment of the agency.
Support This bill is being
held in the Senate
Appropriations
committee and is
not moving for the
remainder of this
session.
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AB
1346
This bill would the California Air Resources Board
(ARB) to adopt regulations to prohibit emissions from
new “small off-road engines” (SORE)—such as those
in lawn care equipment or portable generators—to
apply to engines produced on or after January 1,
2024, or as soon as ARB determines is feasible,
whichever is later.
Support Moving forward, on
the Senate floor.
SB 2 This bill creates a statewide de-certification process
for peace officers.
Support Moving forward
with some recent
amendments, its
on the Assembly
Floor.
SB 9 This bill requires ministerial approval of a housing
development of no more than two units in a single-
family zone (duplex), the subdivision of a parcel
zoned for residential use into two parcels (lot split),
or both.
Oppose Currently on the
Senate floor for a
final concurrence
vote, the team
worked on some of
the recent
amendments.
SB
10
This bill authorizes a city or county to pass an
ordinance to zone any parcel for up to 10 units of
residential density, at a height specified by the local
government in the ordinance, if the parcel is located
in a transit-rich area or an urban infill site, as
specified.
Oppose Currently on the
Senate floor for a
final concurrence
vote, the team
worked on some of
the recent
amendments.
SB
16
This bill expands categories of police and custodial
personnel records subject to disclosure pursuant to
the California Public Records Act (CPRA).
Support Moving forward
with some recent
amendments, it’s
on the Assembly
Floor.
SB
556
This bill requires street light poles and traffic signal
poles owned by a local government or local publicly
owned electric utility (POU) to be made available for
the placement of small wireless facilities, outlines the
rates and fees that may be imposed for such use of
these poles, and establishes the processes for
reviewing and responding to requests for placing
these facilities on these poles.
Oppose Moving forward
with some recent
amendments, it’s
on the Assembly
Floor.
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SB
591
This bill authorizes the establishment of an
intergenerational housing development for senior
citizens, caregivers, or transition age youths.
Support Currently on the
Senate floor for a
final concurrence
vote, and working
on Governor’s
signature strategy.
SB
765
This bill repeals the existing prohibition on a city or
county imposing a requirement of a setback for an
accessory dwelling unit (ADU) of more than four feet
from the rear and side lot lines.
Support This bill is on hold
until next
legislative session.
Timeline and Resource Impact
The timeline was discussed above. No resource impacts for this particular report.
Stakeholder Engagement
Staff connects with relevant stakeholders as needed throughout the legislative session.
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City of Palo Alto (ID # 13562)
Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 9/14/2021
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Office of the City Auditor Presentation of the IT Risk Management
Audit Activity Report
From: City Manager
This item has been removed from the agenda and will be heard at a future meeting.
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City of Palo Alto (ID # 13568)
Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 9/14/2021
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Update on Recent Race and Equity Work Since March Including an
Update on a Records Management System (RMS) Contract for Police Data
Collection and Provide any Recommendations to Council on the City's Race
and Equity Work
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee Receive this Update on the City’s
Recent Race and Equity Work and Provide any Recommendations to Council on the City’s Race
and Equity Work.
Background
As part of the City’s ongoing Race and Equity work, the City Council adopted a list of directives
in November 2020 (link to Action Minutes (pages 4 and 5); Report CMR 11754). The directives
and progress on each of the directives, as well as other efforts since June 2021, are detailed in
this report. Other updates that have come to the Policy and Services Committee quarterly are
as follows:
- March 2021 Update (CMR #12053)
- June 2021 Update (CMR #12342)
Discussion
In addition to the directives made by the City Council in November 2020, the City has been
engaged in many community initiatives, conversations, and events related to race, equity, and
culture. The City issued a blog update in July to share information about race and equity events
occurring throughout the months of this summer. The blog included information about many
things including the public art residency program (currently evaluating artist submissions), an
Art Center exhibition (just recently closed), Book to Action Community events about How to be
an Anti-Racist, a summary on the series of events honoring Asian American Pacific Islander
Heritage Month, and more.
The City is currently planning a Town Hall event for early this fall focused on Community Unity
in light of recent hate crimes and hate incidents that have taken place, especially against Asian
community members. More details on that Town Hall event will be provided as event planning
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continues.
Update on Work Assignments
The tables below provide updates on the 17 assignments given by the City Council in November
2020 pertaining to the City’s Race and Equity efforts. The first table details updates assignments
in progress (6 of 17) and the second table details assignments that have been completed (11 of
17). Where necessary, further information is shared on the assignments following the two
tables.
Updates on Remaining Directives
Directive Work Assignment Status
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;
This work is underway. A detailed
update is included below these tables.
C
Starting after the full implementation of the
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;
This will occur upon completion of RMS
implementation (item B above).
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;
Staff has made further progress on this
directive since June. An update on this
item is included below these tables.
H
Include use of force information to the regular
Supplemental Report submitted to the City
Council as a cover memorandum to each IPA
report;
The use of force (UOF) information for
Jan. 1, 2015 – June 1, 2020 is available
online (https://tinyurl.com/4kwwy6xb).
The next UOF report will be shared in
January 2022 to include a full calendar
year of data. The report will include all
uses of force similar to the June 2020
report.
K
Return in the fall of 2021 with parameters,
proposals, and strategies prior to engaging in
Palo Alto Peace Officers’ Association
negotiations;
This will occur prior to negotiations in
2022.
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Directive Work Assignment Status
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;
Staff has begun this analysis. Staff has
developed a framework for the data and
is working on an updated form to collect
current demographic data from staff.
Staff also began a demographic
assessment of the City’s Boards,
Committees, and Commissions (BCC).
The survey is anonymous and not linked
to specific BCC members.
Staff is working on a citywide climate
survey. The Police Department worked
with Stanford SPARQ for a recent
survey. More information about this
survey is below these tables.
Completed Tasks and Assignments (Note, some include recent updates)
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.
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.
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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. 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.
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-
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.
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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.
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Further Details:
Directives B and C: Expedite implementation of the new police records management system
(RMS) and resume collection of stop data:
RMS – Staff is in the middle of configuring the RMS program and that includes many 4-6-hour
meetings to set the system up. The go-live date is now December 1, 2021; due to coordination
issues with the consortium partners this is slightly later than the original mid-November date.
The vendor will work with staff on-site for four days during the system transition week. Staff is
mapping out multiple train-the-trainer sessions and will begin training the whole Police
Department in mid-October through mid-November. Staff is setting up the RMS file transfer
process with the Department of Justice (DOJ). The process will have to be tested before the
switch to RIPA entry formats which will occur further down the line.
Race and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) Data – All of the Police Department trainers have
completed the train-the-trainer session for the DOJ hosted website. Staff created employee
lists with unique ID numbers for each employee and DOJ is working on getting the accounts
created by mid-October. Staff will proceed with the training once the accounts are created and
plan so far for an Oct 1 start date for entering data into the DOJ website. On DOJ’s end it will
only be considered “test” data as this time since they are not starting real data collection for
agencies Palo Alto’s size until Jan 1. By the Police Department starting data entry now, the City
will have three months to practice and resolve any implementation issues with the data entry
and approval process before the official data entry timeframe begins. As a reminder, the Police
Department will be submitting stop data, as required by AB 953, beginning January 1, 2022. The
DOJ does not want formal data submissions before that date because the mandate calls for
annual data reporting. Given that a year of data will be collected starting in January 2022, the
first annual stop data report for the Palo Alto Police Department is anticipated to be available
from the DOJ in 2023.
Directive D: Direct Staff to 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:
Staff continues to move on this directive since the last update to the Policy and Services
Committee in June this year. The three updates are as follows:
1. County PERT Program: Santa Clary County Behavior Health Department has been
leading the effort to hire clinicians for the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT)
program. After the R&E report in June 2021, the PERT program for Palo Alto has
continued to progress and is on track to be launched later this year. The County hired
the clinician to be assigned to the Palo Alto Police Department. The Police Department
has assigned an officer to partner with the clinician. The Police Department officer and
County clinician will begin their in-house training together soon. The internal
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administrative tasks needed for the program launch are being finalized now. The Palo
Alto Police Department will become the second law enforcement agency in Santa Clara
County to field a PERT unit to assist people who are in mental health crisis. At this time,
Santa Clara County Sheriff Department is the only other agency with a PERT unit in
Santa Clara County. More program information about Palo Alto PERT will be shared in
the coming weeks. The County is preparing the draft Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU), for the City’s review, to move forward with this partnership.
2. Santa Clara County’s new Community Mobile Response (CMR) Program: The CMR
program has been branded as the Trusted Response Urgent Support Team (TRUST).
Santa Clara County’s Behavioral Health Department made a presentation to the Policy
and Services Committee in March 2021 (CMR #12051) about their new alternative
response program. As discussed then, the TRUST program is a non-law enforcement
response resource for lower-level mental health crises based on Eugene, Oregon’s
CAHOOTS program and other alternative response program. Following that
presentation, Palo Alto successfully advocated for inclusion of a third north county site
in addition to the two originally proposed in East San Jose and Gilroy.
The overview for the program can be found here:
https://mhsoac.ca.gov/sites/default/files/MHSOAC_Materials_05272021_0.pdf
beginning on page 101 and the latest update made by the county to stakeholders can be
found here: https://bhsd.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb711/files/documents/MHSA-
CMR-meeting-Update-8.10.2021.pdf. Next steps for the County include the
development of a ten-digit phone number, obtaining and provisioning vehicles, and the
evaluation of responses to the Request For Proposals to select the Community Based
Organizations that will provide services through TRUST. The County hopes to begin
administering the TRUST program at the beginning of calendar year 2022.
3. Requesting funds for an alternative mental health response program: In order to ensure
adequate coverage of a mental health alternative response program for Palo Alto, the
City also submitted for federal Community Project Funding (earmarks) for financial
support for this type of program in partnership with the City of Mountain View and the
City of Los Altos. The City received many letters of support for this type of program to
accompany the application. Congresswoman Eshoo pushed forward the City’s request to
the subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and it moved all the way through
the House of Representatives. The City is now waiting upon approval of the earmark by
the US Senate as part of the appropriations process. Until that point, there is no
certainty of receiving the funds but the City is proud to have made it this far in pursuing
additional funds to complement any mental health alternative response program in
North County and ensure adequate coverage of Palo Alto’s needs.
Directive 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:
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Stanford SPARQ: Between July 25 and July 28, Dr. Rebecca Hetey and her team of researchers
from Stanford SPARQ worked with the Police Department to conduct a survey of sworn
personnel. During this time, the SPARQ team also participated in ride-alongs and patrol
briefings to gain a better understanding of Department personnel and operations. The
voluntary survey covered a spectrum of contemporary police issues both nationally and specific
to Palo Alto with the goal of eliciting feedback for improved relationships within the
Department and the community. Sworn personnel throughout the department participated in
the survey, which provided a broad range of responses and data. Overall, the survey was well-
received by participants and the Department looks forward to reconnecting with Dr. Hetey in
the coming months to discuss survey feedback.
Workforce Demographic Assessment: Staff has been in the process of creating a dashboard to
show a point-in-time snapshot evaluation of City workforce demographic data regarding
race/ethnicity, age, and gender. Staff also compiled other jurisdiction reports and dashboards
that provide additional context for the workforce data (including Santa Clara County
demographic data). In the process of evaluating the data, staff realized that more work needs
to be done to get an accurate baseline of this important data. As a next step, staff is developing
an updated form to collect annual demographic data from staff which will allow the workforce
to properly reflect any changes as opposed to the time-of-hire employee information.
Additionally, the current information has very limited categories not consistent with
contemporary best practices for demographic data, such as requiring employee to choose from
two identities for gender (male and female) and requiring employees to select only one racial
identity from a limited non-contemporary list of options. By improving the form to collect data
and refreshing this data annually, the City can better assess trends in workforce demographic
data. The data will also share this data across types of work and management levels at the City.
Boards, Committees, and Commissions (BCC) Demographic Assessment: Staff conducted a
recent survey of the BCC demographic information in spring/summer 2021 shortly after a
broader BCC training. The summary data is provided in Attachment A. The survey for BCC
members was shared with them as part of the Citywide Race and Equity work. Staff shared that
the data collected in aggregate is not planned to be reported out on an individual BCC basis.
Staff intentionally created two separate surveys, one for the demographic information, and one
for counting the number of participants by Commission. There is no way to link individual
responses between the two surveys or to identify specific individual survey respondents.
Quick summary survey data shows that 77% of respondents have lived in Palo Alto for over 16
years. Of respondents, 85% are homeowners, 50% identify as female and 50% identify as male.
The majority of respondents (71%) identify as White for racial group (and an additional 6%
identified as Hispanic/Latinx and white) and 9% identify as Asian. Also 47% of respondents are
age 60 or over. When looking at the demographics of the respondents who stated participation
on one of the City’s quasi-judicial BCCs (Architectural Review Board, Historic Resources Board,
or Planning Transportation Commission), 73% of respondents have lived in Palo Alto for over 16
years; 100% of respondents are homeowners; 64% of respondents are male and 38% are
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female. Over two-thirds (64%) of respondents on the quasi-judicial BCCs identify as White for
racial group, 18% identify as Asian, and 45% of respondents are age 60 or over.
According to recent 2020 US Census data, 49.9% of Palo Alto residents identify as White and
35% identify as Asian. Staff will get more summary information about the 2020 Census data for
other demographic categories (gender, home ownership, etc.).
Staff continues to work on internal equity efforts and has coordinated a trainer for a
microaggression training for BCC members. Staff is also working on a contract for a consultant
to assist the City with workforce climate information as well as working towards an equity
roadmap.
Directive M: Policy and Services CEDAW recommendation: Direct Staff to proceed with a
community summit on gender equity issues and next steps in Palo Alto
Staff conducted the Summit on Women and Girls in June this year. Attachment B contains the
summary of the summit and detail on the suggestions from Summit participants. Some issues
identified during the Summit for potential consideration by the City Council are as follows:
• Should the notes from the Summit breakout sessions and Jamboard of Summit
participants on affordable housing and the ways that it specifically affects women be
referred to the City’s Housing Element Working Group for consideration?
• Should the City Council initiate additional work on an ordinance addressing topics
related to the United Nation’s CEDAW initiative?”
• Should the City conduct a review of the City’s Recreation Division in collaboration with
the Park & Recreation Commission in order to better understand programs and services
equity?
• Should the City share the findings regarding youth with the City’s Teen Advisory Council
for consideration of further action including training on microaggressions and youth
mentorship programs?
• Should the City host an annual convening through the Office of Human Services to work
to address issues related to greater opportunity and equity for women and girls?
Human Relations Commission 100 Conversations on Race and Lived Experiences in Palo Alto
Building on the feedback shared with the City Council in January 2021 in the Black and Brown
Palo Alto – History and Current Experience (CMR #11911) Report, the Human Relations
Commission is led initiative intended to encourage the community to have conversations about
race in small groups to grow Palo Alto into a community characterized by belonging, vested in
diversity, inclusion, and equity and committed to putting words into action.
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More information is on the website at: https://www.100conversations.net/. Attachment C,
from the Human Relations Commission Chairperson contains the summary of the effort and
detail the high-level recommendations. The HRC Chair is asking the Policy and Services
Committee to recommend presentation of the full report to the full City Council as a next step.
The full report contains many recommendations related to the topics of police, housing,
education, and community engagement.
Upcoming event: The City has historically supported the United Nations Association Film
Festival (UNAFF) which is based in the Palo Alto area and is a partnership with neighboring
communities. The 24th UNAFF will be held from October 21-31, 2021. This year’s theme
MOVING FORWARD continues the over two-decade-long celebration of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, emphasizing the UNAFF’s readiness to resume resolute strides
towards lasting solutions. A link to the event information is available at:
http://www.unaff.org/2021/special.html. The UNAFF is one of the oldest solely documentary
film festivals in the US. In addition to providing early outlets for films, many of which later went
on to win major awards and accolades, UNAFF prides itself in creating a community forum with
year-round programs facilitating education and dialogue about different cultures, issues, and
solutions.
Timeline, Resource Impact, Policy Implications
Resource requirements for the topics and recommendations within this report vary widely. If
particular items are proposed to move forward, staff will further assess and describe resource
impacts.
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).
Attachments:
• Attachment A-Palo Alto BCC Survey Summary 2021
• Attachment B - Equity and Inclusion for Women and Girls
• Attachment C-100 Conversations Memo-9-14-2021
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Attachment A
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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?
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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
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Own
85%
Rent
12%
Question 3: Rent, Own, Other
Female
50%
Male
50%
Question 4: What is your Gender?
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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).
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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
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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%
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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
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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.
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Attachment B – Equity and Inclusion for Women and Girls (Including CEDAW)
The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was
last discussed at the Policy & Services Committee on November 10, 2020. The following
recommendations were made by the Committee.
1. Accept the status report regarding the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
2. Direct Staff to proceed with a community summit on gender equality issues and next
steps in Palo Alto;
3. Direct Human Resources Staff to publish City of Palo Alto workforce
gender demographics; and
4. Include gender equity as an integral element of the City's Diversity and Inclusion
initiative.
The following work has transpired since that meeting:
Summit on Women & Girls
With broad representation from nonprofits, women’s organizations, business, government, and
residents, the Summit on Women & Girls * on June 12, 2021, served as a vital touchstone in
understanding the strengths, barriers, challenges and opportunities for women and girls.
The keynote speaker was Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, Co-Founder Women’s Leadership
Innovation Lab and lead strategist, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Stanford Graduate
School of Business. She spoke (link to video of her speech) on the topic of Intersectionality and
COVID. She shared the general impact that COVID has had on women, noting that COVID has
exacerbated existing economic tensions - women were already economically oppressed, and
COVID is just bringing these stresses to light and making them worse. She encouraged
attendees to more deeply explore the concept of intersectionality and how ones overlapping
identities and experiences informs and impacts one’s outcomes. Using unemployment as
an example, Mackenzie challenged attendees to take a more intersectional approach to these
problems to understand the full scope of the issue, and with this and other issues, reflecting on
the people they have relationships within their personal
lives. Mackenzie ended her presentation by stating that she would love for the City to consider
naming a street in Palo Alto after a woman of color as an inspiration to young girls.
Attendees were able to choose to attend two of five breakout session topics presented by
various panels of experts including; Recreational opportunities/sports/Title IX; Impact of COVID
on Women, Representation, Elevating the Experience of Important Voices, and Youth
Experiences. There were notetakers in each breakout session and the key themes are included
in this summary document.
The key areas of need facing local women and girls as voiced by the breakout session
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panelists and/or the attendees include:
o Affordable Housing –The housing affordability crisis has impacted women in
particular. Many single mothers are economically disadvantaged and are less likely to
access housing stability in Palo Alto. High housing costs affects their ability to pay for
child care and be involved in other areas the of community.
o CEDAW ordinance – There were a strong recommendation voiced by many attendees to
pass a local CEDAW Ordinance.
o Child Care –Need for quality, affordable and available child care as a tool to women’s
economic empowerment and community recovery to the COVID pandemic, but that
many child care providers are struggling due to lost income and highly reduced
enrollment during the pandemic. The pandemic has highlighted the need for more early
education workers and the struggle that many providers are having in finding new
staff. Lower wages for this sector compared to K-12 teachers was also mentioned.
o Recreation & Sports – Despite Title IX, there is still a great deal of disparity in
opportunities for woman and girls. 40% of teen girls nationally do not participate in
sports. Majority of athletic coaching staff at local schools are still men. Coaches play a
significant role in the lives of young people; that imbalance can have an impact. There is
a need for more adult women sports opportunities.
o Representation – Greater diversity needed in the decision-making bodies of the City in
both elected and appointed positions. More women are needed at the table, but we
also must work with those who are not women to have allies. Data collection and use is
important when working on issues of equity. Need to dig deeper into women
and intersectionality and how issues of race, gender identity, religion, education,
income, etc. affects their opportunities and experiences in life.
o Girls & Teens - COVID was challenging, being with family all the time and limited time
with friends. Mentorship opportunities needed for K-12 girls so they feel confident
pursuing all kinds of degrees. Need to educate students and staff and educators on
microaggressions. Need expressed for better policies to deal with sexual assault
on school campuses. Wellness programs for women and girls that are a safe
space. Need to ensure that period product dispensers on PAUSD middle/high school
campuses are filled.
Another insight into local issues faced by women and girls was through an online “Jamboard”
that participants were asked to contribute to at various times during the event. The following
questions were asked. 1) What are the most critical issues facing local women and girls in our
region? 2) What are ideas to address these critical issues? 3) What are your ideas for
collaborations on how to move forward on topics discussed today.”
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The Summit was an excellent opportunity to understand several of the critical issues facing
woman and girls in our community from the lens of the panelists and attendees. In addition to
the key suggestions listed below, Office of Human Services staff will continue to look for ways
to follow up on the issues and information provided at the Summit.
Staff is sharing the following suggestions from the Summit. These were key areas of needs
identified at the Summit as potential actions for the City.
• Should the notes from the Summit breakout sessions and Jamboard of Summit
participants on affordable housing and the ways that it specifically affects women be
referred to the City’s Housing Element Working Group for consideration?
• Should the City Council initiate additional work on an ordinance addressing topics
related to the United Nation’s CEDAW initiative?”
• Should the City conduct a review of the City’s Recreation Division in collaboration with
the Park & Recreation Commission and Community Services Department Staff in order
to better understand programs and services equity?
• Should the City share the findings regarding youth with the City’s Teen Advisory Council
for consideration of further action including training on microaggressions and youth
mentorship programs?
• Should the City host an annual convening through the Office of Human Services to work
to address issues related to greater opportunity and equity for women and girls?
It should be noted that follow up on one key area of need listed above is already slated to be
heard by the Council:
Child Care – The Palo Alto Early Care and Education Committee, an advisory committee to the
city manager on issues related to childcare (ages 0 -12) and early learning, is scheduled
to present a report to the Council on September 27, 2021 that will include an update on local
child care, an recent assessment on the needs of families with young children and childcare
providers along with their recommended areas of action for the coming year. The notes from
the Summit that pertain to childcare have been shared with the committee.
* Women and girls - This refers to a gender expansive and inclusive definition
Gender Demographics
A demographics analysis of City Boards and Commissions will be presented to the Council as
part of September Race & Equity Update Report. The analysis for City staff is still being
conducted.
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Attachment C – Memo about the 100 Community Conversations from the HRC Chairperson
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TO: Policy & Services Committee
FROM: Kaloma Smith, Chair
Human Relations Commission
DATE: August 27, 2021
RE: 100 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE --STATUS AND OVERVIEW
Background
In response to a June 15, 2020 staff report on an initial framework and workplan to
address systemic racism, Council directed the Human Relations Commission (HRC) to
produce a report on the “Black and Brown Palo Alto - History and Current Experience.”
HRC Chair Kaloma Smith and then Vice Chair Valerie Stinger convened to research and
write the report, with much community input, and the final report was presented to the
Council on January 19, 2021. From the written and spoken retelling of personal lived
experiences, four themes evolved. These were:
• Persistent
o We have been doing this a long time and we still don’t get it done.
• Consistent aggressions
o It’s the DAILY microaggressions that hurt.
• Positive role models absent
o Young people don’t have positive role models in their curriculum or
around town.
• Housing denied
o Awareness of de jure discrimination limiting access to housing as well as
evidence of de facto discrimination
As the HRC believed that the Commission could play a vital role in addressing issues
related to equity and inclusion in the community, they identified an action plan that
centered on partnering with 100 community leaders to lead community circle
conversations that would meet to discuss race and belonging over the next 12 months.
They committed to making this moment a pivot point and commit to be a model for
diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging.
Project Planning
Buoyed by the success of Palo Alto Unified School District’s successful community-wide
21 Day Racial Equity Challenge, Chair Smith and Stinger began the work to create the
framework for the 100 Conversations. With key contributions from Inclusion and
Diversity leaders at Stanford University, including Mohammed Soriano-Bilal, Associate
Dean and Director, Office of Inclusion, Belonging, and Intergroup Communication,
Inclusion and Diversity Education and Shalia Kotadia, Director of Culture and Inclusion,
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Attachment C – Memo about the 100 Community Conversations from the HRC Chairperson
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School of Medicine and additional input and review of a Community Advisory Committee
consisting of representation from the City, community, academia, the arts, and
nonprofit, a detailed Toolkit was created, website launched outreach conducted to
recruit conversation leaders, and training sessions held to equip each conversation
leader to utilize the toolkit.
The Conversations were designed with this context:
• Vision
• Palo Alto is a model for equity and belonging, vested in diversity,
inclusion, and equity, and committed to putting words into action
• Goals
• Engage in brave and honest conversation
• Identify personal behaviors and make a personal commitment to change
• Identify root causes and specific local initiatives/policy to reshape our
community and address structural racism
• Inclusion Criteria
• Live, work, study, worship, shop in Palo Alto
• The aim was to generate many different ideas. Diversity was sought;
representative sampling, which is relevant for quantification and
projections, was not sought.
• Conversations were to be held between May 25 and Juneteenth. That time
frame was extended to allow for graduations, summer vacations, and year end
activity.
Implementation
The Conversations were structured in two parts, allowing for participants to give value
to the process as well as the time answering questions.
• ‘Experience with Race’, the first part, used open-ended questions and activities.
The host could tailor the mix for the group. Situations and statements were
prepared to promote deep and brave discussion. The examples were local and
current.
• ‘Ideas for Building a Climate of Belonging’ were sought in the second part.
Discussion was specific to Palo Alto. Different groups were at different stages in
their understanding and reaction to local racism. Some had very specific ideas;
others, more general. Taken together, they give a sense of Palo Alto’s thinking.
To date, 33 conversation circles have taken place attended by over 212 individuals.
Most conversation circles had between 4-8 participants, a few were larger. 100
conversations was an aspirational goal. Sixty-four people were trained to be hosts.
Some held conversations but did not record them. Some chose to co-host with another
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Attachment C – Memo about the 100 Community Conversations from the HRC Chairperson
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or chose not to host,. Their reasons were anecdotally that they thought they would
have help recruiting, that their neighborhood group was more advanced in their study
of race, that the focus was too narrowly focused on race excluding questions of Asian
experience or anti-semitism; and some ran out of time.
It was noted that the period that the conversations took place was a busy one,
competing with graduations, year-end school activities and summer vacations and while
many local individuals whose efforts were pulled towards working for an extension of
the Statewide eviction moratorium that was scheduled to end on June 30th. While
advertised by the City, program volunteers and discussion leaders, there was not a
greater push due to limited volunteer capacity and budget.
Outcomes and Key Learnings
The conversations offered an opportunity for those who participated to have a
significant conversation on race. Approximately 30% of attendees had never had a
conversation about race in Palo Alto before.
Outcomes of the conversations were categorized into three areas: 1) Learnings 2)
Experiences and 3) Emotions. An activity called Four Corners in which one had to
reflect on a situation from the perspective of the target/victim, committer, supporter
(one who speak up) and bystander was found to be especially helpful in understanding
the impact of racist acts.
Two outcomes are particularly important. First, many attendees expressed concern
that classicism may compound the problems of racism faced by Black, Brown and
Asians in Palo Alto. Racism is further compounded by increasing economic disparity
and a lost sense of place. Second, white privilege, which so frames the lived
experience of Black and Brown citizens, is barely understood by the dominant local
population.
Some other learnings, emotions, and experiences, which were important to the
discussions, were captured in the summaries. These include:
• Experiences in Palo Alto reflected a changing Palo Alto, where economic
disparity compounds racial privilege and lessens a sense of place; DIE
programs that were not uniformly staffed and funded; and a Police
Department that was often, but not consistently sensitive to the community.
• Racist incidents, for example in rental, job or automobile negotiations
• Experiences with and profiling by the Police Department that have led to
distrust among some people of color (POC). Racist treatment from realtors,
educators and general community members who resorted to cultural
stereotypes and ignorance
• Experience of neighborhood watch
• Inadequacy of under-resourced DIE programs
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Attachment C – Memo about the 100 Community Conversations from the HRC Chairperson
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• Experience of surveillance
• Strong emotions including anger and sadness, but also led to the start of
understanding
• Dismay that we still face so much racism, ‘even’ in Palo Alto
• Differing expectations of teachers
• Learnings centered on white privilege
While each of the conversations lasted about 90 minutes, participants left with a sense
of personal commitment to continue to work on issues of equity and inclusion in Palo
Alto and shared these during the survey process. Individuals expressed their personal
commitment to understand more deeply the lived experience of Black and Brown Palo
Alto, to advocate change and to learn helpful behaviors. More specifically, this included
commitments to:
• Be in further conversation with each other on this important topic, to continue
the dialogue about local, systemic racism
• Advocate for progress, improve justice in policing
• Building Community, push Council to create real community; change how one
welcomes marginalized communities
• Learning and understanding, lobby our educational institutions to present an
accurate picture of our history
• Being an ally, learn and read more to understand how people of different races
feel; learn how to be an upstander
The way in which this program was designed, as a collaboration with a diverse group of
professionals and community members, and the toolkit that was created, serves a
model for continued and future action on inclusion and belonging in Palo Alto. It is not
too late for conversation circles to still occur, starting the process of listening and
understanding, expanding to include others in the community. The feedback of those
who did participate, along with their suggestions for next steps, were brought back to
the Community Advisory Committee for review and discussion, before being included in
a report back to the HRC.
While the conversations were a valuable and personal complement to a year of study of
literature and history, follow through is anticipated. ‘The key now is for the HRC to
actually roll the output into an executive summary of findings and to use that to create
and drive a ‘”change agenda”’. It’s worth noting that interest and good will of
community partners exists now and can be leveraged to realize the vision crafted at the
outset.
Palo Alto is a model for equity and belonging, vested in diversity, inclusion, and
equity, and committed to putting words into action
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Attachment C – Memo about the 100 Community Conversations from the HRC Chairperson
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Next Steps
A recap of the project and its finding was presented to the HRC at their August 12,
2021 meeting by Chair Smith and former Vice Chair Stinger, the two principal leaders
of the project. The Commission discussed various options for reviewing and
considering the next steps presented to continue focusing on inclusion and belonging,
but in the end voted (Vote 5-0) to recommend forwarding the following general
category of recommendations to the Council first for initial review, comments and
direction.
To enhance inclusion and a sense of belonging, these recommendations are made to
the Council:
• HRC Convene Civic and Community Partnerships around
• Policing
• Education
• Housing
• Community Engagement
• HRC Propose Belonging as a City Priority in 2022
The HRC will utilize the findings from the conversations, along with the feedback and
direction for the Council, to further refine its continued work on inclusion and belonging
in the community. As they were designed to do, the conversations provided numerous
and rich suggestions from the community for implementation. Participants were
thoughtful. They expect, in turn, to see the how the work on inclusion and belonging
will continue.
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