Title
Receive a Presentation by the Civil Rights Office on Mandatory Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training and Civil Rights Training.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors receive a presentation by the Civil Rights Office on Mandatory Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training and Civil Rights Training.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
At its January 29, 2021 special meeting, the Equal Opportunity Committee directed the Civil Rights Office to present to the Board of Supervisors the status of training administered by the Civil Rights Office.
The Civil Rights Office administers two mandatory trainings on behalf of the County: Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training (HDP) and Civil Rights Training (CRT).
Section 12950.1 of the Government Code establishes that the County must provide classroom or effective interactive training regarding sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination to all its employees every two years. The Civil Rights Office provides the HDP as online interactive training through the County’s learning management system. Employees can access HDP from their computer and view it in several languages. On occasion, Civil Rights Office staff provides in-person classroom HDP training, as requested by County departments.
The Civil Rights Training (CRT) is a Board of Supervisors-mandated two-hour training provided to all County employees every two years. Through collaboration with County departments and employee feedback through anonymous surveys, the CRT has seen many iterations. In its current form, CRT covers implicit and explicit bias, and governing for equity. Initially an in-classroom training, the Civil Rights Office (CRO) adapted and shifted to providing live Zoom CRT sessions as shelter-in-place orders and remote work became the norm. As of December 21, 2020, CRT reached an 85% satisfactory rate from attendees, a significantly high number for a mandatory training.
The pandemic and nationwide racial equity protests provided an opportunity for the CRO. Because we had shifted to Zoom training, several outside agencies (governmental and non-profit) requested the CRO provide a version of our CRT. Generally, we offered three sessions where we talked about implicit and explicit bias, cultural competence and cultural humility, and resources on how to provide services to our residents in an equitable manner. At those trainings, the CRO was able to test new content for inclusion in County training. We believe that providing this training to outside agencies was instrumental in the CRO receiving an award from the California State Association of Counties for its CRT.
At the April 20, 2021 Board of Supervisors meeting, the CRO will provide updates on training compliance for HDP and CRT, next steps, and opportunities for future training.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
FINANCING:
There are no fiscal impacts related to the receipt of this report.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
Compliance with HDP and CRT promotes a workplace that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and trains employees to provide services to our residents equitably. Compliance with State and federal law protects County funding and decreases the County’s exposure to litigation.
Mark a check to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives
__Economic Development
X Administration
__Health & Human Services
__Infrastructure
__Public Safety
Prepared by: Leeset Torres, Associate Equal Opportunity Analyst, x6625
Approved by: Juan P. Rodriguez, Civil Rights Officer, x6614
Attachments:
Board Report