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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 08161994 - IO.3 (2) i. TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS I .O.-3B ...... Contra !' FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa ;z County DATE: August 8/ 1994 'y SUBJECT: REQUEST THAT THE INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE BE GIVEN JURISDICTION TO STUDY THE COMPOSITION AND PROCESS FOR APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS : 1 . DIRECT the County Administrator to obtain from County staff the ethnic, sexual and physically-challenged distribution of the members of all County advisory boards, committees and commissions at a point in time, along with the nomination and appointment process, and report this information to the Internal Operations Committee. At the time that this report is before the Internal Operations Committee, the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council, Human Relations Commission, Mexican American Political Association, The Rev. Curtis Timmons and other interested individuals and organizations should be invited to join the Internal Operations Committee for a discussion of this data. 2 . AUTHORIZE the Internal Operations Committee to investigate any allegations of racial or ethnic bias or other forms of discrimination which may appear to prevent any of the County's advisory boards, committees or commissions from accurately reflecting the racial, ethnic, sexual and physically challenged distribution of the general population in the County and AUTHORIZE the Internal Operations Committee to make such recommendations to the Board of Supervisors as it finds appropriate to insure that such a balance is achieved or maintained on any or all advisory boards, committees and commissions . CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNA URE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINIST R RECO M ATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER JEFF SMIT MARKDneSSAULNIER SIGNATURE(S) ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER, ' Aurora Rodriguez a geared and commented on the process and appointments of Boards and Commissions . VOTE OF SUPERVISORS yI HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE '\ UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED U123 9TA Contact: PHIL BA HELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: See Page 2 SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY Ill tA� DEPUTY I .O.-3B 3 . In regard to Recommendation #2, AUTHORIZE the Internal Operations Committee to evaluate the size, composition or appointment process for any advisory board, committee or commission .and provide its recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for ways in which the size, composition or appointment process for any advisory board, committee or commission could be altered in order to insure that no element of racial, ethnic, sexual or physically-challenged discrimination is allowed to influence the composition of any County advisory board, committee or commission. BACKGROUND: The 1993-94 Grand Jury issued a report on appointments to advisory boards, committees and commissions . The proposed response to that report is on the Board's agenda for consideration today. At the time our Committee considered this proposed response, testimony was provided to our Committee by The Rev Curtis Timmons to the effect that achieving and maintaining racial and ethnic diversity is a problem on many County advisory boards, committees and commissions . Staff noted that in some cases this may occur because of the recruitment, screening and nomination processes which are in use which encourage a variety of groups in the community to have designated seats on some advisory boards . In other cases, State or Federal statutory provisions restrict the ability to reflect the community' s diversity on a given board, such as LAFCO. Rudy and Aurora Rodriguez also testified to our Committee regarding a specific problem they had with one advisory board on which Mr. Rodriguez had been serving. In view of the comments made by Mr. and Mrs . Rodriguez, we have formulated the above recommendations . We are not interested in undertaking any wholesale investigation of appointment processes for all advisory boards, committees and commissions . However, in view of the past problems which occurred with the Substance Abuse Advisory Board and the current allegations raised by Mr. and Mrs . Rodriguez regarding the Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee, we do believe that we need to have some forum and process by which these complaints can be aired, investigated and resolved in a satisfactory manner. cc: County Administrator Emma Kuevor, Affirmative Action Officer and staff to the Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Council Olivia Tafolla-Moritz, Chair, Human Relations Commission Rudy Rodriguez, Chair, MAPA, 1894 Cannon Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94596 The Rev. Curtis Timmons Selected Department Heads (Via CAO) 2 J , Contra. ° Human Relations Commission Costa Administration Building A . �. ' ' 651 Pine Street, Room 103 County " " o �; J¢ Martinez,California 94553 x •� (415) 646-2013 „ •" o a o O` UU �, N U S o o rn July 29, 1994 y .. .. .. O .� o Q 9,0 0 CU Mr Rudy Rodriguez N C9 1894 Cannon Drive U Walnut Creek, Ca 94596 c 0 ° °a , 8. Dear Mr. Rodriguez ¢ x A UM The Human Relations Commission after receiving a complaint from committee member of the Community Development Block Grant Committee, Rudy Rodgriguez regarding a remark by another A o o 0 .° committee member, Mr. Wayne Price, met with you to establish ID the facts and circumstances surroundingthis incident which occured on December 1 , 1993. o ¢ 3 °�° UCU CU A Our recommendations regarding this compliant are as follows: C? o El 1. That all members of the CDBG=-.Pommittee receive a letter 0 > o .5 from the Human Relations Commission stating our belief x A that the remark made by Mr. Price was inappropriate, °' a particularly in a public meeting. CZ 2. That Mr. Price apologize to the committee. 0 3a 3. That a letter be sent to all members of publicly appointed ti 3 Boards, Commissions, and Committees of this county advising UO; H them of the need for all members to be more culturally sensitive to the language they use in public meetings. o 10-, We are hoping that the members that were involved in the o o interview will be willing to meet with members of the Human Relations Commission committee that did the investigation N in the near future so that some common understanding of the o language used in public meetings can be developed and also � •° 0 0 seek ways to prevent future incidents from occuring. x - IND The committee wishes to thank you for your willingness to participate although we understand that it may have been .- ,U; N uncomfortable. Thank you for your time. " o ow Yours truly, ° N N David Orona �' o o U N U Commission says racial . fie vvas o a.t Of line 0 _Times staff� - �- � � - � Thee joke; ab out bleaching a black staff member white,provbked.a Latino committee member to ask for The county Human Relations Commission has de cid- a grand jury and Human Relations Commission investi- E committee sever'S ed that a racial al monthoke s ago was inappropriate a member of a county matttee said he did olt find theack joke offens ve. com- o g pp l? This week the Human Relations Commission unan- U The commission is.recommending that Wayne Price, imously made the recommendation. They also recom- TO r a member of the Housing and Community Development mend the county send letters to members of all county �m Advisory Committee, make an apology for the com- committees reminding them of the need to be culturally (j ment, made at a meeting in December. sensitive, said commission Chairwoman Olivia Moritz.