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Office of Racial and Social Equity

Codifying Equity in the City Organization
 
On May 14, 2024, the Mayor and City Council unanimously adopted the Racial and Social Equity Ordinance and the Equity Values and Standards Policy, which codifies the promise of a just and equitable San Jose. It reinforced the City of San Jose's commitment to creating the conditions in which all people can thrive and have opportunities to live well in San Jose. It also fortified the importance of collective responsibility - among elected officials, City Administration, boards, and commissions - to make decisions that move the City towards equity.

Ordinance No. 31076

Equity Values and Standards Council Policy 0-22 

Resolution No. RES2024-140

Historical and current indicators across many governmental systems show disproportionality and inequitable outcomes for people of color and other groups such as persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+. The City of San Jose acknowledges that these inequities were created and are sustained by structural racism and systems and patterns of exclusion.

We believe that the solution to remediate this problem is for the City workforce to adopt an equity mindset, skills and practices necessary to address and eliminate racial inequities.

In 2015, the City of San Jose increased focused efforts to become more welcoming to the nearly 40% of our City residents who were born in another country. The City's first Welcoming San Jose Plan (second edition here) was developed in coordination with community organizations and representatives from immigrant communities which resulted in a set of strategies that would create an inclusive place for immigrants – in words, action, policies, and programs. It became evident that prioritizing communities that had been historically underserved was a necessary shift to advancing equity. In, 2020, the Office of Racial Equity was created to expand the focus to address the needs and aspirations of Black, Indigenous, Communities of Color.

 We envision a City of San Jose in which all people in our community and organization thrive and where no racial disparities exist.

 Our mission is to support the City in embedding a racial equity practice and embody a culture that sustains it.

 

Desired Outcomes:

  • Race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes, and everyone can prosper and thrive.
  • People from all racial groups and identities feel that they matter and belong.

We lead with race but don't end with race. Intersectionality requires systems to consider race and other social identities and how they are related to oppression and patterns of exclusion.