HomeMy WebLinkAboutExecutive Summary -EnglishSouth San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 1
South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 2
Commission on Racial & Social Equity Final Report +
South San Francisco Racial & Social Equity Action Plan
Executive Summary
The death of George Floyd accelerated broader support for the Black Lives Matter movement in
South San Francisco and created an opportunity for new alliances and a call to action. The South
San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity was created to address that call. The
Commission created an opportunity to bring community members together to d etermine
priorities to advance racial and social equity. The final report chronicles the planning process
and highlights each step of the Commission’s work:
1. Launching the South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity: This step
involved convening Commissioners, reviewing the mission and planning process, confirm ing
roles and the decision-making structure, and identifying group agreements and guiding
principles. The unique composition of the Commission included members with deep
knowledge of the community of South San Francisco, as well as representatives from City
government and community leadership.
2. Creating an Opportunity to Listen and Learn: During this phase, the Commission focused
on listening to community member experiences and needs as well as to experts from other
communities to ensure that recommendations were innovative and specific to the needs of
community members in South San Francisco. Commissioners also reviewed South San
Francisco demographic and contextual data highlighting inequities.
3. Advancing Equity in South San Francisco: The Commission focused on finalizing the goals
and strategies for advancing equity in South San Francisco. This include d reviewing best and
promising practices, reviewing additional data, and gathering input from Commissioners and
community members to ensure that the strategies were tailored to meet specific needs in
South San Francisco. During the planning process, action steps were identified that included
actions to take immediately, actions that would build on work already underway, and actions
to take over the coming year and beyond.
4. Sustaining and Accelerating Change: The final phase of the Commission on Racial and
Social Equity involved developing a South San Francisco Racial and Social Equity Action Plan.
The Action Plan includes the following four goals and strategies for the first year of
implementation. Each strategy also has key considerations, desired community outcomes
and measures, and specific action steps with leads and timelines identified.
South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 3
First Year Action Plan Goals and Strategies
This Action Plan focuses on those goals and strategies that Commissioners prioritized for the
first year of implementation (August 2021-July 2022). The prioritized strategies are shown below.
GOAL 1: Ensure ongoing oversight and accountability to advance racial
and social equity in South San Francisco
GOAL 2: Ensure the safety of community members of color by
eliminating racist practices and policies in the criminal justice system
Strategy 1.1: Establish a dedicated staff position (e.g., an Equity and Inclusion
Officer) to institutionalize accountability, advance equity initiatives and
monitor equity-related outcomes throughout South San Francisco
Strategy 2.1: Create a community wellness and crisis response team for
mental health crises, substance use, and homelessness focused on conflict
management, de-escalation and linking people to supportive services
Strategy 2.2: Establish a Community Safety and Equity Advisory Board to
review data, provide recommendations, ensure accountability, and build trust
Strategy 2.3: Strengthen community cohesion through community
engagement efforts to build cross-cultural trust with a focus on residents of
color and low-income residents
South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 4
GOAL 3: Target resources and support to residents of color to reduce
gaps created by structural inequities
GOAL 4: Ensure local land use planning increases access to resources
and opportunities for people of color and other historically
disenfranchised community members
Strategy 3.1: Expand linkage and navigation support for low- income, people
of color and other historically disenfranchised community members and
build trust between community members and the City
Strategy 3.2: Expand economic opportunities for people of color and other
historically disenfranchised community members
Strategy 3.3: Expand information and support to address housing insecurity
for people of color and other historically disenfranchised community
members
Strategy 3.4: Expand educational resources for people of color and other
historically disenfranchised community members
Strategy 4.1: Leverage available land assets to expand housing affordability to
people of color and other historically disenfranchised community members
South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 5
Each strategy has corresponding considerations identified by Commissioners, outcomes,
measures, and actions. The identified outcomes for each strategy are outlined below.
GOAL 1: Ensure ongoing oversight and accountability to advance racial
and social equity in South San Francisco
Strategy 1.1 Outcomes
▪ Increase coordination and collaborations between City departments, community
organizations, and community members to address racial and social inequities in South San
Francisco
▪ Increase community engagement (especially with community members most impacted by
racial and social inequities) to advance racial and social equity in South San Francisco
▪ Increase systematic data collection and analyses related to racial and social equity in South
San Francisco
GOAL 2: Ensure the safety of community members of color by
eliminating racist practices and policies in the criminal justice system
Strategy 2.1 Outcomes:
▪ Increase timely and proactive access to appropriate behavioral health resources for those in
crisis, especially for people of color in South San Francisco
▪ Increase knowledge of mental health conditions
▪ Increase effective intervention strategies among law enforcement personnel
▪ Decrease certain types of police calls and police interactions/response with community
members when not required (e.g., decrease calls requiring police response)
Strategy 2.2 Outcomes:
▪ Increase civic engagement and sense of belonging among community members
▪ Increase community dialogue about public safety, with a focus on transparency and
accountability
Strategy 2.3 Outcome:
▪ Increase participation of people of color and residents fluent in languages other than English
in the South San Francisco Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program
South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 6
GOAL 3: Target resources and support to residents of color to reduce
gaps created by structural inequities
Strategy 3.1 Outcomes:
▪ Inform, educate, and empower the community through targeted outreach and education
efforts
▪ Ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches are used in civic engagement
opportunities
▪ Increase use of supportive services by residents of color
Strategy 3.2 Outcomes:
▪ Increase income for people of color and other historically disenfranchised community
members
▪ Increase in small, local businesses owned by residents of color (especially Latinx residents)
Strategy 3.3 Outcomes:
▪ Increase upward economic mobility for residents of color
▪ Keep people housed who are at risk of homelessness
▪ Ensure that residents can still afford to live in South San Francisco
Strategy 3.4 Outcomes:
▪ Increase enrichment opportunities for children of color in South San Francisco
▪ Increase youth development opportunities for youth of color in South San Francisco
▪ Increase participation among low-income young people and their families in enrichment
programs/leadership development programs
▪ Reduce barriers to academic success
GOAL 4: Ensure local land use planning increases access to resources
and opportunities for people of color and other historically
disenfranchised community members
Strategy 4.1 Outcomes:
▪ Decrease in costs for developing housing units that are affordable
▪ Increase in housing units prioritized for people who already live and/or work in South San
Francisco
South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity Report and Action Plan prepared by Raimi + Associates 7