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6.1. B. - Page 6 <br /> Attachment 2 <br /> City of Redwood City Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Implementation Plan <br /> Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides that no person in the United States shall, <br /> on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including Limited English Proficiency), <br /> be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to <br /> discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. <br /> Individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited <br /> ability to read, write, speak, or understand English can be Limited English Proficient and <br /> therefore are entitled to language assistance with respect to a particular type of service, <br /> benefit, or encounter. Recipients of federal funding must take reasonable steps to <br /> ensure meaningful access to their programs and activities by Limited English <br /> Proficiency (LEP) persons. <br /> The City of Redwood City's (City) contact with LEP persons may include those persons' <br /> daily or occasional use of City services, in-person visits to City facilities, attendance at <br /> City-sponsored community meetings and public hearings, telephone contact with City <br /> employees, use of electronic materials and media provided by the City, and other forms <br /> of contact. The frequency of contact with LEP individuals varies significantly, so a <br /> scaled or flexible approach is used by Redwood City. A frequency-of-contact system is <br /> based on review of historical access, demographic data, and other community factors. <br /> Data was gathered from the 2010 U.S. Census and from City-Data.com to collect <br /> information on persons who speak languages other than English at home and who <br /> speak English less than "very well' and who would be classified as limited English <br /> proficient or "LEP". A review of this data concludes that in Redwood City approximately <br /> 32% of the population speaks Spanish at home, and approximately 19% does not speak <br /> English very well and would constitute the LEP population of Redwood City. Less than <br /> 4% of the Redwood City population speaking English less than very well speaks <br /> languages other than Spanish. <br /> Redwood City has had a large Spanish-speaking population for many years and this <br /> population has many and frequent contacts with City staff, programs, and activities. <br /> The City has focused on ways to enhance participation within LEP communities. In <br /> addition to the traditional methods of offering translation services, Redwood City <br /> provides the following services: <br /> • Including a Spanish-language notation regarding available translations in Land <br /> Use Public Hearing Notices when applicable <br /> • Providing bi-lingual City employees who can act as interpreters <br /> • Providing notice of language assistance through means such as language <br /> identification cards or posting of signs in select public areas <br /> • Offering interpretation services for citizens at select public hearings and meetings <br /> • Providing a link on the City website to one or more online services that provide <br /> free and instant language translation of text and web pages <br />