AgdaPkt 2020-10-05 Special Study Session

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4.A. - Page 13 of 98 8. Desire for Community Awareness of Racism Some community members expressed a desire for increased community awareness of racism. Redwood City Public Library staff have been immersed in racial equity work with the community since the fall of 2019, when the Library was selected through a competitive application process to be one of the pilot libraries for the California State Library's California Libraries Cultivating Race, Equity and Inclusion (CREI) Initiative. The Library's Cultivating & Advancing Racial Equity Systemically (RCPL CARES) program has curated anti -racism reading lists, hosted programs and events designed by community members from underserved or under -represented populations, featured events to reflect Redwood City's diverse cultures, and promoting learning for all ages through discussions such as the program on "How to Talk to Kids About Race." The Library has also offered Bystander Intervention Training. Redwood City Parks, Recreation & Community Services preserved the street art associated with the June 2, 2020 Black Lives Matter protest and presented the murals with contextual information as an art exhibit from July 1 through August 14 in the parking lot of the Downtown Library near Courthouse Square, accompanied by Library-curated resources on racism for community learning. On August 10, the City Council directed the Arts Commission to develop a work plan to create a mural or monument to reflect the City's commitment to racial equity and inclusion. The Arts Commission will be considering the elements of the work plan over the next several months and will be seek community input. They will then bring their recommendation back to the City Council for discussion once that process is completed. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the community input received over the last four months and consideration of the City's resources as well as broad community needs, the Committee recommends that the City Council endorse the concept of developing a multi-year Equity Workplan with three focus areas: equity in public safety, equity in all other City services, and equity in the community as a whole. The Workplan would be developed over the course of the fiscal year, and include both immediate steps, and actions that will require time to develop. While the City Council will not make a final decision on October 5, as the meeting is a Study Session, the Committee seeks City Council feedback on this concept. If the City Council supports this concept, staff time required to create an Equity Workplan would be included in the Revised Fiscal Year 2020/21 Budget the City Council will consider on October 26. The Committee recommends the following activities in each of the focus areas. Page 13 of 17 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore 15