San Mateo continues Diversity Task Force plans

In 2021, the council ordered the formation of the task force to offer solutions to diversifying city boards and commissions, resource coordination around community engagement and public forums, identifying gaps in community engagement and providing input on racial equity art projects. San Mateo modeled the group after its Small Business Recovery Task Force.

Following council direction at its April 4 special meeting, city staff will now develop a strategic plan framework for applying diversity, equity and inclusion principles to city operations as part of the task force. The strategic plan would be a working document that defines terms, sets visions and goals, and determine ways to measure successful outcomes. The city will hire a consultant to create the document, with feedback from the task force and final approval from the council. The strategic plan would be modeled after Redwood City’s 2021 equity plan, which emphasizes fair outcomes around housing, public safety, civic participation, education and sustainability.

The council has also prioritized having the task force play a role in overseeing the city’s police transparency efforts, with future discussions planned at a later council meeting. The San Mateo Police Department recently posted its first data transparency portal to provide more data to the public about its practices regarding crime, traffic collisions and other information.

“This is a very complex discussion, and we want to make sure we are inclusive of all stakeholders that need to be part of that conversation. The existing task force may not include all the people at the table that you may want around the table for that particular conversation,” Assistant City Manager Kathy Kleinbaum said.

Fourteen San Mateo organizations have a representative on the task force to provide recommendations to the council and staff for improvements to equity, diversity and inclusion. Councilmembers Diane Papan and Amourence Lee serve as liaisons. Participating groups include Peninsula Solidarity Cohort, San Mateo Pride Center, San Mateo Union High School District, Samaritan House, PAL Board, Self Help for the Elderly, the Home Association of North Central San Mateo, Peninsula Family Services, the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce, San Mateo Japanese American Community Center, College of San Mateo, Caminar, Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council and the San Mateo-Foster City School Board.

Initially delayed until the completion of the switch to district elections, the first task force meeting was held in January. It focused on enhancing community engagement and civic participation from underrepresented and hard-to-reach communities. Multiple representatives favor creating actionable recommendations for the council with precise results under a clear strategic vision for diversity, equity and inclusion.

The council directed staff to reach out and add more representatives for different perspectives, as long as the task force did not become too large. Several councilmembers asked staff to reach out to the neighborhoods east of Highway 101 to ensure geographic diversity of voices. Staff will also contact neighborhood associations like San Mateo United Homeowners Association about joining.

“I would be in favor of expanding membership and seeing if we can get the underrepresented neighborhoods that don’t have well-developed neighborhood associations,” Councilmember Eric Rodriguez said.

Lee asked staff to provide the task force with detailed information on city programs and services related to diversity and inclusion, like subsidized parking programs and park services, language access efforts and police efforts at transparency.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 102