On Nov. 17, 2020, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism a public health crisis, asserting that racism and the health inequities therefrom constitute a public health crisis affecting the entire community.
As a result of analysis and feedback from the community and employees, a professional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion firm with experts in the field recommended the County create a DEI Cabinet and establish a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer position.
Organizational Priorities
Building Inclusive Leadership Capabilities
- Create and implement a DEI training plan for employees
- Develop inclusive leadership toolkit for managers and supervisors
- Leverage Lunch & Learns to accelerate adoption of common language and DEI principles
- Embed accountability of DEI principles in relevant policies, programs and processes
- Empower leadership to create departmental and personal DEI goals
Create a Culture of Belonging
- Establish countywide employee resource groups
- Implement listening sessions (Culture Cafes, Town Halls)
- Develop powerful storytelling
- Create an Employee Resource Group (ERG) position that manages a library of curated resources, authentic conversations, and oversees ERGs
- Launch an employee belonging survey and index to measure employee sense of belonging year-over-year
Develop Strategic Talent Priorities to Attract, Retain and Develop Talent
- Embed inclusion in onboarding plan for new hires
- Develop recruitment goals based on department need utilizing inclusive hiring practices
- Develop Internship and Mentorship initiatives that create diverse pipelines for talent and build skills to address talent gaps for underrepresented groups
Community Priorities
Create Community Racial Equity Committee
- Update bylaws to include Committee roles and responsibilities
- Establish and implement a community-led racial equity committee
Establish Community/County Feedback Loop
- Establish forum and format for listening, providing feedback, and sharing ideas/best practices
Collaborate with Constituent Groups to Assist Building the Community Racial Equity Action Plan
- Identify community organizations to hold focus groups
- Determine programs, policies and processes to evaluate and assessment methods to identify structural barriers, systemic inequities, measure progress and establish a mechanism for reporting.
Plan Community Engagement Activations that inform, educate, empower and inspire participants.
- The T.H.R.I.V.E. Summit is a community engagement activation that is rooted in the County's core purpose “Enriching Communities to Thrive" and the vison of being a “Premier, trusted employer and organization, serving our communities with transparency, courage and innovation." The Office of DEI's mission is to connect our purpose and vision to how we work and serve.
- The objective of the event is to engage with the community to acknowledge the disproportionate outcomes that effect our most vulnerable communities, inform County employees and community members of our intentions and efforts toward closing the gaps, educate on why we center race, activate allyship and advocacy, and share our commitment to consider public feedback and input to inform our decision making
- The components of the summit will align to these tenants:
- T. transparency and trust building
- H. hearing all sides
- R. respect
- I. innovating equity
- V. valuing diversity and inclusion
- E. empowering allyship and advocacy
