Sacramento County EEOAC Discusses DA Office Diversity on May 22, 2024

The Sacramento County Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee (EEOAC) met on May 22, 2024, at 3:30 PM. The primary agenda item was a presentation and extensive dialogue with Chief Deputy District Attorney Phil Wood and Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Rochelle Beardsley regarding the office's workforce diversity, community outreach efforts, and recruitment challenges. The committee also handled consent calendar items and a procedural discussion on evaluating departmental statistics.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Absences: The committee approved the absences of Jennifer Avallo and Lieutenant Hodgkins.
• Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the previous meeting were approved. The roll call vote was: Annette (yes), Patrick (yes), Hang (yes), Patrice (yes), Martin (yes), Paula (yes). Motion carried.

Public Comments & Testimony

• An individual on the remote conference line attempted to provide public comment but was unable to be heard due to recurring technical issues with their microphone. Chair Martin Ross requested that the attendee try calling back in or type their comments into the meeting chat.

Discussion Items

Presentation by the District Attorney's Office on Diversity and Recruitment

Chief Deputy District Attorney Phil Wood and Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Rochelle Beardsley presented on the DA office's workforce composition and outreach initiatives.

DA Office Positions:

• The presenters highlighted that the office's Black/African American workforce composition (4.2% overall, approximately 6% of attorney ranks) must be considered in the context of an extremely limited eligible candidate pool.
• They cited California State Bar data showing that Black/African American students make up only 5% of enrollment at ABA-approved law schools and have a first-time bar passage rate below 50%.
• Beardsley detailed extensive community outreach programs, including the Youth Academy, Citizens Academy, iSmart social media awareness presentations, and crime lab shadow days aimed at demystifying the profession.
• Wood and Beardsley noted that the office faces significant challenges recruiting minority candidates, citing instances where Black law students reported being "vilified" by peers for interning at the DA's office.

Committee Positions and Dialogue:

• Patrick: Expressed concern about the lack of parity for African Americans. Questioned the level of follow-up on outreach to high schools and emphasized the need to engage African American communities specifically, including reaching non-attorney candidates.
• Martin: Focused on innovative approaches to break historical barriers, specifically suggesting the DA's office consider offering bar exam mentorship/tutoring, outreaching to HBCUs and the new HBCU program at Sacramento State, and partnering with faith-based organizations.
• Paul and Patrice: Recommended focusing on community colleges as a pipeline for a broader range of positions.
• Hang: Praised the presentation for revealing the "story behind the story," such as the stigmatization of Black law students who pursue prosecution careers, which contextualizes the low applicant numbers.
• Annette and Paula: Thanked the presenters for demystifying the DA's role and highlighting the passion and work of the office.
• The committee as a whole expressed strong appreciation for the candid and informative presentation.

Protocol and Procedure Discussion

• A brief procedural discussion occurred regarding meeting decorum, specifically the use of side comments versus raising hands to be acknowledged by the Chair.

Use of Workforce Statistics for Department Evaluations

• The committee debated how to best use the Workforce Statistics Report (WFSR) data to determine which county departments to invite for presentations.
• Hang suggested reviewing the narrative reports provided by departments before inviting them in, to understand their specific context and strategies.
• Martin (Chair) expressed the opinion that both positive and negative statistical outliers warrant a deeper investigation by calling departments in, but that the narrative is an essential first step.
• The committee signaled it would continue to refine this evaluation process, with potential adjustments to the statistical report format before the November meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Formal Letter to the DA's Office: The committee members were asked to submit their recommendations and suggestions (e.g., mentorship programs, HBCU outreach, faith-based partnerships) to staff lead Richard for compilation into a formal letter. The draft letter will be circulated to the full committee for review before finalization.
• Request for Non-Attorney Data: The committee voted to include a specific request in the letter asking the DA's Office to provide detailed workforce diversity data and recruitment plans for non-attorney positions.
• Evaluation Process: The committee agreed to continue incorporating departmental narratives alongside raw workforce statistics when deciding which departments to invite for future presentations, with the aim of revising the process before the next meeting in November.