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Record of Proceedings

Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee Special Meeting - October 26, 2021

Racial Equity Committee — Tuesday, October 26, 2021
BodySacramento, California
SessionRacial Equity Committee
DateTuesday, October 26, 2021
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:19

Coach or staff is ready when you are thank you, thank you, Madam Clerk.

0:26

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:28

Good afternoon to all of our communities, city staff, my colleagues on the racial equity ad hoc.

0:34

Um, this is my first time co-chairing of meeting, so I'm a little nervous, uh, but really excited to be in virtual space with all of my colleagues, city staff, and uh the public that's tuned in today.

0:46

Um, before we begin um our discussion items, um, we'll start with the consent calendar.

0:53

So can we get a motion to move item one on the consent calendar?

0:56

Co-chair may take rule so we may establish a quorum.

1:00

That that's probably really important.

1:01

Thank you.

1:02

Thank you, Councilmember Gatta.

1:06

Here, Councilmember Shaneer.

1:09

Here, Co Chair Vang here.

1:12

And Co Chair Steinberg.

1:14

I'm here.

1:15

You have a quorum.

1:17

Thanks, Madam Clerk.

1:18

I'll get better at this each time.

1:19

So you're doing great.

1:20

Just keep it.

1:21

I really appreciate this.

1:22

Just keep doing it.

1:24

Um, so with that, uh, could we let's move to the consent calendar?

1:28

Um, can I get um a motion to move item one on consent?

1:32

I'll move it.

1:34

Okay, move by Vice Mayor Shanner, second by councilmember Gera.

1:38

Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll?

1:40

Councilmember Gatta.

1:42

All right, Councilmember Shaneer.

1:44

Aye.

1:45

Co-Chair Vang.

1:47

Yes.

1:47

And Co Chair Steinberg.

1:49

Yes.

1:50

The motion passes.

1:52

Awesome.

1:53

Great.

1:53

Thank you so much.

1:55

So good afternoon, everyone.

1:57

Um, before we begin, I really want to take this opportunity again to thank everyone for tuning in today for our second racial equity ad hoc meeting.

2:05

Um, on discussion calendar, first is the land acknowledgement presentation and recommendation.

2:12

Before we begin, um, I want to take this opportunity to thank Kelly Rivas from the mayor's office, Asia Lee, and also uh Asia Lee from my office uh for the staff report.

2:22

Mayor, I also want to thank you and my colleagues, Vice Mayor, um, Vice Mayor Shanner and Councilmember Guerra for supporting uh this item to be placed on the agenda.

2:31

Um, as we embark on our mission to achieve racial equity in the city, uh, it is incredibly important uh for me that we move forward in a way that's intentional and um really holding space for healing.

2:46

And part of that work um is really acknowledging our own positions uh in a system that has contributed to the inequities and outcomes that we see today.

2:55

Um, I truly believe that we are not intentional about the ways in which we operate as a city, we may be perpetuating racial inequities that we are actually trying to address.

3:05

And so how we begin uh to build a more inclusive future truly potenti um truly depends our on our intentionality and how we set the foundation moving forward on this ad hoc and how we operate as a city.

3:19

Uh today we're going to be voting um on an item to bring to the full council for consideration, and that's adopting a formal citywide policy to include a land acknowledgement statement at the beginning of all council meetings in this racial ad hoc meeting, all council standing committees, um, the board and commission meetings.

3:39

Um, as an institution, um, and I think we've have shared this before that we too have contributed to the historical harms and displacement of indigenous communities.

3:50

Um and conducting the land acknowledgement is truly just our first step to acknowledge this harm.

3:55

Um, I also want to take this opportunity to give a shout out and acknowledge the Measure U Committee for leading on this, as they are the only committee in the city that currently opens their meeting with a land acknowledgement.

4:07

And with that, um, I would like to welcome our presenters today, Brita Guerrero, one of our incredible leaders here locally in Sacramento, who's the CEO of the Sacramento Native American Health Center to say a few words and introduce Chairman Tarango to present on this important item.

4:24

And once they do the presentation, then I would open to public comment, and then um we'll go back and have a discussion on this with my colleagues.

4:33

Thank you.

4:39

The floor is yours, Chairman and Brita.

4:42

So I will refer to Chairman.

4:45

Uh Kuji Kalupa, uh Yasa, hey, Suze Tarango.

4:51

Um, and I just want to say before I get going here, you know, again, um, and thanking um thanking you all uh for reaching out to us.

5:00

Sometimes we're the unheard, unfortunately, the original inhabitants of this land.

5:05

Sometimes our voice isn't heard.

5:06

So for you reaching out to us, being the only tribe here in the Sacramento County that's fairly recognized, it means a lot to me and our people.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Racial Equity Committee█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Native American History████████████████19%
Economic Development███████8%
American Rescue Plan Act███████8%
Procedural█████6%
Public Engagement███3%
Public Comments███3%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee Special Meeting - October 26, 2021

This special meeting of the Sacramento Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee focused on two major agenda items: adopting a formal land acknowledgement for city meetings and approving a draft American Rescue Plan (ARP) racial equity rapid response tool. The committee heard presentations from tribal leaders and city staff, deliberated on goals and metrics, and passed both action items unanimously. Public comment addressed the need for intentionality and a racial wealth-based framework.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1 (Teleconferencing Meetings During COVID-19 State of Emergency): Received and filed unanimously. The committee approved the consent calendar motion with a 4-0 vote (Councilmember Gatta, Councilmember Schenirer, Co-Chair Vang, Co-Chair Steinberg).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Corrine Macintosh (resident, Councilmember Jennings district): Called in to urge the committee's white male members (Mayor Steinberg, Vice Mayor Schenirer) to be more intentional and not interrupt or ask for unpaid labor from presenters of color. She recommended they attend Showing Up for Racial Justice meetings.
  • Chris Logston (Sag Black Biz, ARCC, CJEC): Advocated for a racial wealth-based framework for the ARP tool and Community Vulnerability Index. He agreed with the mayor and vice mayor that the current tool appears backwards-looking and recommended setting specific goals, such as decreasing the relative racial wealth gap in Sacramento.

Discussion Items

Item 2: Land Acknowledgement Presentation and Recommendation

  • Presentation: Chairman Jesus Tarango of the Wilton Rancheria and Brita Guerrero (CEO, Sacramento Native American Health Center) presented. Chairman Tarango emphasized that land acknowledgements are about respect, recognition, and showing that Indigenous people are still here. He advised against asking tribes to write the acknowledgement and instead urged the city to educate itself. Brita Guerrero highlighted moving from acknowledgement to action—including hiring Indigenous staff and engaging in government-to-government relationships.
  • Deliberation:
    • Councilmember Guerra thanked the presenters and noted his family's Indigenous roots in Michoacán. He expressed support and moved the item.
    • Mayor Steinberg seconded and suggested adding an educational component—an hour-long history lesson from Chairman Tarango or Brita Guerrero for the full council—to prevent the acknowledgement from becoming rote.
    • Co-Chair Vang supported the motion and requested that staff work with the presenters on an educational presentation for the full council.
  • Vote: Motion passed unanimously (4-0). The committee directed that the land acknowledgement be adopted for all Racial Equity Ad Hoc meetings and forwarded to City Council for citywide adoption.

Item 3: Draft American Rescue Plan (ARP) Racial Equity Rapid Response Tool

  • Presentation: Aimée Z. Barnes (Manager, Office of Diversity and Equity) reviewed the tool's three components: guiding principles, driving questions, and a Community Vulnerability Index (CVI) with six indicators (no health insurance, education, gross rent as percentage of income, poverty, unemployment, disability status). She reported two practice sessions with economic development and IT teams, showing how the tool can identify shared root causes of racial inequities.
  • Deliberation:
    • Vice Mayor Schenirer questioned how goals would be set and measured, emphasizing that the tool should be forward-looking to set targets (e.g., number of jobs created) rather than only measuring past outcomes.
    • Mayor Steinberg agreed, stressing the need for specific, measurable goals tied to dollar amounts (e.g., helping a certain number of at-risk small businesses). He argued that setting benchmarks would excite the community and drive accountability.
    • Councilmember Guerra supported requiring disaggregated data from external partners but cautioned against setting up community organizations for failure; he advocated for capacity-building assistance.
    • Co-Chair Vang noted the tension between urgency to deploy ARP funds and the need for council consensus on goals. She suggested a full council workshop on racial equity to build shared understanding before setting council-level goals.
    • ACM Laney and Aimée Barnes confirmed that the tool would be used iteratively for each project, that data disaggregation is being operationalized, and that external partners will be required to report demographic data. They are developing a shared repository for tool assessments.
  • Vote: Motion to authorize the City Manager to use the draft ARP racial equity rapid response tool and the CVI metrics passed unanimously (4-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Land Acknowledgement: Adopted for Racial Equity Ad Hoc meetings; recommendation forwarded to City Council for citywide adoption (all meetings, committees, boards). Staff to coordinate an educational presentation for the full council.
  • ARP Racial Equity Tool: Approved for use in evaluating ARP funding decisions. Staff to continue applying the tool to all ARP projects and report back. The committee requested that the working definition of racial equity (as presented by staff) be used for ARP deployment until a community-informed definition is developed through the Race Forward process.
  • Future Meetings:
    • A presentation from Race Forward on their community engagement process will be scheduled for the next Racial Equity Ad Hoc meeting.
    • Staff will work with the committee to develop a full council workshop on racial equity, including a shared definition and goal-setting for ARP and future investments.
  • Public Data Collection: Confirmed that all ARP-funded programs and external partners will be required to collect and report disaggregated data by race, ethnicity, gender, and other demographics, with opt-out allowed but the question mandatory.

Next Steps

  • The committee adjourned at approximately 4:00 p.m., with members noting they would proceed to a closed session.

Meeting Transcript

Coach or staff is ready when you are thank you, thank you, Madam Clerk. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon to all of our communities, city staff, my colleagues on the racial equity ad hoc. Um, this is my first time co-chairing of meeting, so I'm a little nervous, uh, but really excited to be in virtual space with all of my colleagues, city staff, and uh the public that's tuned in today. Um, before we begin um our discussion items, um, we'll start with the consent calendar. So can we get a motion to move item one on the consent calendar? Co-chair may take rule so we may establish a quorum. That that's probably really important. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Gatta. Here, Councilmember Shaneer. Here, Co Chair Vang here. And Co Chair Steinberg. I'm here. You have a quorum. Thanks, Madam Clerk. I'll get better at this each time. So you're doing great. Just keep it. I really appreciate this. Just keep doing it. Um, so with that, uh, could we let's move to the consent calendar? Um, can I get um a motion to move item one on consent? I'll move it. Okay, move by Vice Mayor Shanner, second by councilmember Gera. Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll? Councilmember Gatta. All right, Councilmember Shaneer. Aye. Co-Chair Vang. Yes. And Co Chair Steinberg. Yes. The motion passes. Awesome. Great. Thank you so much. So good afternoon, everyone. Um, before we begin, I really want to take this opportunity again to thank everyone for tuning in today for our second racial equity ad hoc meeting. Um, on discussion calendar, first is the land acknowledgement presentation and recommendation. Before we begin, um, I want to take this opportunity to thank Kelly Rivas from the mayor's office, Asia Lee, and also uh Asia Lee from my office uh for the staff report. Mayor, I also want to thank you and my colleagues, Vice Mayor, um, Vice Mayor Shanner and Councilmember Guerra for supporting uh this item to be placed on the agenda. Um, as we embark on our mission to achieve racial equity in the city, uh, it is incredibly important uh for me that we move forward in a way that's intentional and um really holding space for healing. And part of that work um is really acknowledging our own positions uh in a system that has contributed to the inequities and outcomes that we see today. Um, I truly believe that we are not intentional about the ways in which we operate as a city, we may be perpetuating racial inequities that we are actually trying to address. And so how we begin uh to build a more inclusive future truly potenti um truly depends our on our intentionality and how we set the foundation moving forward on this ad hoc and how we operate as a city. Uh today we're going to be voting um on an item to bring to the full council for consideration, and that's adopting a formal citywide policy to include a land acknowledgement statement at the beginning of all council meetings in this racial ad hoc meeting, all council standing committees, um, the board and commission meetings. Um, as an institution, um, and I think we've have shared this before that we too have contributed to the historical harms and displacement of indigenous communities. Um and conducting the land acknowledgement is truly just our first step to acknowledge this harm. Um, I also want to take this opportunity to give a shout out and acknowledge the Measure U Committee for leading on this, as they are the only committee in the city that currently opens their meeting with a land acknowledgement.

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