2022 San Diego Equity Budget Guide

BUDGET EQUITY Guide

“Challenging power structures from the inside, working the cracks within the system, however, requires learning to speak multiple languages of power convincingly.”

- Patricia Hill Collins

Table of Contents

Letter from Mayor Todd Gloria 5 Mission of the Department of Race & Equity 6 - 7 Executive Summary 8

Equity Commitment Model 9 - 12

Learning & Development Materials………………………………………………………………………… 14 - 19

Tactical Equity Plans 20 - 21 Budget Equity Framework 22 - 23 Budget Equity Questionnaire 24 - 25

Budget Equity Impact Statement 26 Budget Equity Highlights 27

Executive Budget Review & Budget Review Committee Meetings 28 Message from Chief Race & Equity Officer ………………………………………………………………… 29

APPENDIX A: Key Terms 31 - 32

APPENDIX B: Tactical Equity Plan Template 33

APPENDIX C: Case Studies 34

APPENDIX D: Debiasing Bias Tool (Johari Window) 35 - 36

APPENDIX E: FAQs 37 - 38

APPENDIX F: Data Sources 39

Letter from Mayor Todd Gloria

Colleagues,

Every day, we serve our communities to make San Diego not just a fine city, but a great city. Together, we work toward the vision of real opportunity in every neighborhood and for every San Diegan.

Ensuring all of our residents – from youth to adulthood – are supported in their efforts to realize their full potential is a key priority of my administration, and it will only happen with intentional planning, purposeful implementation and measurable outcomes.

One of the most significant ways to show that commitment is by how we invest our resources. This Budget Equity Guide is designed to help you, our dedicated City employees, better understand how to allocate resources to achieve more equitable outcomes. We must strive to remove the racial disparities that so often are rooted in historic policies and practices.

From parks to pay for city workers and well-maintained streets to economic opportunity, we can achieve equity in our city by eliminating disparities in our systems and providing everyone access to City services and resources essential to thriving in San Diego.

Thank you for joining me as we work, together, to make real differences in our communities and build a better future for all of us.

Sincerely,

TODD GLORIA Mayor City of San Diego

EQUITY GUIDE

Mission | Vision | Purpose

The Department of Race and Equity will address all forms of disparities experienced by individuals in San Diego. The office will intentionally create a culture of inclusivity by advancing equitable outcomes; dismantling policies, procedures and budget decisions that perpetuate inequity and systemic racism.

Ordinance establishes Office (Department) of Race & Equity in Article 2: Administrative Code Division 55 of the San Diego Municipal Code

Council President Pro Tem Monica Montgomery Steppe leads the charge to establish the office in ordinance with an allocated budget

Mayor Todd Gloria launches Strategic Plan that includes an Equity Commitment

Department of Race & Equity hires two Program Managers

Department of Race & Equity launches a Budget Equity Framework to prepare City departments to systematically integrate an Equity Lens into budget proposals, adjustments and requests

Mayor Todd Gloria appoints the first Chief Race & Equity Officer, Kim Desmond San Diego City Council unanimously passes Mayor Todd Gloria’s “Ready to Rebuild” fiscal year 2023 budget, which added 4 new positions to the Department of Race & Equity

All City Councilmembers participate in “Operationalizing a Budget Equity Lens” workshop

The Performance & Analytics Department and the Department of Race & Equity launch a new Tactical Equity Plan process that merges tactical planning and equity action planning

The priorities for the Department of Race & Equity include:

Learning and Development

Design and facilitate trainings on racial equity and inclusion with a curriculum that contextualizes historic oppression, systemic racism and implicit/explicit biases to provide City departments with tools to build equitable outcomes.

Equity-Centered Coaching (ECC)

In collaboration with the Performance & Analytics Department (PandA), the Department of Race & Equity will provide Equity-Centered Coaching to direct an inquiry-driven approach that leads to action and strategy development by offering support to City departments to execute tailored Tactical Equity Plans.

Inclusive Community Engagement

The Department of Race & Equity will partner with each City department to cultivate an intentional approach to inclusive engagement by creating a space for community members to contribute their lived experience and ideas to transform local government policies, programs, practices and budget decisions. Inclusive Community Engagement includes an allocated investment to organizations through a Community Equity Fund to produce equitable outcomes to address structural neglect and institutional racism.

Creating Equitable Outcomes

The Department of Race & Equity will utilize data to measure the progress of defined equitable goals and strategies.

Executive Summary

This Budget Equity Guide is designed to work in tandem with trainings and tools to prepare City departments to systematically integrate an Equity Lens into budget proposals, adjustments and requests. An Equity Lens is a set of specific questions we ask to critically and thoughtfully analyze policies, programs, practices and budget decisions to achieve equitable outcomes.

To reach the outcomes we want to achieve - for both our workforce and community members - the Department of Race & Equity is partnering with the Department of Finance and the Performance & Analytics Department to roll out a robust Budget Equity Framework. This comprehensive Budget Equity Guide outlines the context and steps for integrating a Budget Equity Framework into the budget process, which will help to reach outcomes defined in the City’s Strategic Plan.

The What

The Budget Equity Framework is used to deploy an Equity Lens when evaluating Base Budgets and submitting Budget Adjustment Requests.

The How

Each City department will apply an Equity Lens when requesting budget adjustments in each budget cycle, in addition to evaluating how base budget appropriations will be utilized. The Budget Equity Framework will prompt the identification of specific disparities and the creation of Equity Highlights, which will be integrated into each department’s Executive Budget Review and City Council Budget Review Committee presentations.

A Budget Equity Impact Statement will be included in Volume II of the Proposed and Adopted Budget documents to provide a short summary describing how each Department budget will directly benefit a specific neighborhood or City employee, in addition to identifying operational impacts, potential unintended consequences and/or burdens connected to a specific budget request.

Equity Commitment Model

As noted in the City’s Equity Commitment, “Equity is an achievable outcome when disparities are eliminated in systems.” Because structural racism was, and is, intentionally designed to create disparate outcomes, we know that it will take deep care, thoughtfulness, innovation, creativity and more to achieve the outcomes we seek. The image to the right illustrates the sequence of key strategies and processes each department will engage with as the City moves the needle toward equity.

When we – City employees – identify a disparity in a policy, program, practice or budget decision, an Equity Opportunity emerges to promote equitable outcomes and inclusive access.

As you read through this guide, the magnifying glass icon will highlight where you are in the Equity Commitment model.

Step 1 Step 2

Tactical Equity Plan Budget Equity Framework

Multipurpose tool that captures each departments’ high-level goals and aspirations, key barriers to achieving those goals and the disparities that exist as a result of these barriers. Tactical Equity Plans (TEP) also hold space for empowerment- a key function of the Tactical Equity Plan is identifying discrete actions each department can take to eliminate equity gaps. The deadline for Tactical Equity Plans intentionally closes before the launch of the budget cycle so that the Budget Equity Framework can be used to inform budget decisions and actualize Tactical Equity Plan goals. More details about the Tactical Equity Plan, including the template itself, are contained within this guide.

What is Equity?

Equity occurs when we eliminate institutional racism and systemic disparities, providing everyone with equitable access to opportunity and resources to thrive, no matter where they live or how they identify.

Budget

The budget process, and resulting resource allocation, is cornerstone to a department’s ability to address disparities. With well executed Tactical Equity Plans, departments should be clear about their existing disparities and strategies to mitigate them. The Budget Equity Framework will allow departments to accurately and succinctly communicate, and advocate for, their equity needs. Amending the City’s budget process to intentionally include equity aligns with our Strategic Plan, and serves as one tool in our growing toolkit to manifest our Equity Commitment. The Budget Equity Framework contains three key deliverables. Details about each deliverable, including support services, are contained within this guide.

Step 3 Step 4

Operationalize Equity Outcomes

As a government agency, equity should be a core consideration at every level of decision-making processes. This includes thoughtfully spending down budget allocations to close equity gaps. To help with this, each department will be assigned an Equity Centered Coach (ECC) from the Department of Race & Equity who will meet with departments on a regular basis to map out and execute Tactical Equity Plans. The Department of Race & Equity will also provide robust Learning & Development opportunities to educate and empower employees to operationalize equity at all levels of the organization.

Budget

Equity Equality

Policy OPS

With support from the Department of Race & Equity and the Performance & Analytics Department, departments will utilize a data-driven approach to track and measure how their work impacts equity gaps.

Equal Opportunities Equal Outcomes

Step 5 Share

Sharing is an integral slice of the Equity Commitment Model and is utilized in two distinct ways:

What do we mean when we say share?

Definition 1: Definition 2:

Part of something that several people are involved in.

Example: Community members, departments and elected officials share the work of increasing equity in San Diego.

Synonyms & Related Terms: Collaborate, Collective Ownership, Partnership

Reporting

To tell (thoughts, feelings, experiences, etc.) to others.

Example: Departments will share updates about equity outcomes to City Council.

Synonyms & Related Terms: Report Out, Inform, Give Updates

As part of the Trust & Transparency Operating Principle outlined in the City’s Strategic Plan, it is incumbent upon departments to be prepared to share the outcomes of their work. This includes providing thoughtful and ongoing communication, internally and externally, about how budget decisions impact equity gaps. A key component of this includes reporting outcomes in Tactical Equity Plans- restarting the cycle armed with tools to make incremental change year over year.

Inclusive Engagement

Multiple stakeholders share the work of moving the needle toward equity. Departments must coordinate meaningful, representative and ongoing engagement with community members, external partners, fellow departments and elected officials at various stages of decision-making processes; especially as they relate to addressing disparate outcomes. Input from these stakeholders, and the perspectives they represent, will inform Tactical Equity Plans.

Learning & Development

Introduction to Learning & Development

One of the primary focuses of the Department of Race & Equity is to develop content and facilitate trainings, workshops and programs focused on advancing racial equity and inclusion within the City of San Diego. We will help City departments develop equity-driven strategies and specific tasks for increased equity by designing content and practices that promote equitable outcomes.

(L&D)

To innovate, try a new process, or do something new requires learning. The key takeaway from our department is that learning is a continual process. Whether it is formal training, informal learning with colleagues, or learning on your own time – we are invested in the City of San Diego’s long-lasting growth and commitment to equity. As a part of our Learning & Development curriculum, we will contextualize historic oppression, systemic racism and implicit biases to guide City departments in building equitable outcomes.

“Knowledge is power - the more we know and the more we can do, the more we can contribute to being a great city. Our progress depends on our willingness to confront our history and interrupt inequitable practices at the interpersonal, institutional and structural level.”

- Salina Villegas (she/her)

Race and Equity Program Manager

Equity Lens

Our ability to eliminate institutional racism and systemic disparities as a collective is unlikely to change if we don’t have a baseline understanding around key terms.

We use an Equity Lens: a set of specific questions we ask to critically and thoughtfully analyze policies, programs, practices and budget decisions to achieve equitable outcomes.

The Department of Race & Equity uses the below key terms to guide our work

Equality means each individual, family, neighborhood or community is given the same resources and opportunities without recognition that each person has different circumstances.

Equality

An Equity Lens is a set of specific questions we ask to critically and thoughtfully analyze policies, programs, practices and budget decisions to achieve equitable outcomes.

Equity Inclusive Equity Lens Equity Opportunity

When we identify a disparity in a policy, program, practice or budget decision, an Equity Opportunity emerges to promote equitable outcomes and inclusive access.

Equity occurs when we eliminate institutional racism and systemic disparities, providing everyone with equitable access to opportunity and resources to thrive, no matter where they live or how they identify.

Implicit Bias

In order to remove racial disparities that lead to unfair racial outcomes, we must understand how individuals can unknowingly insert subjective perspectives into a process that can compound structural inequity. One of the ways we can do this is by diving into Implicit Bias. Implicit Biases are associations made by individuals in the unconscious state of mind. This means that individuals are likely not aware of how their associations and perceptions have been shaped by their experiences. These associations and perceptions can potentially result in biased thoughts and actions. (Ohio State University, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, 2018)

Definition:

Addressing Implicit Bias in Budget Equity work is a challenging but important task. All key decision-makers in the budgetary process should understand the role of implicit bias to reduce its impact. All people, even well-intentioned people, have biases that are normal to human functioning. And, since our biases are often unconscious or “implicit,” we must be diligent in how they may be influencing our choices and actions. Our individual unconscious biases, paired with subjectivity and power, can cause us to influence budget and policy priorities in subtle but consequential ways.

Implicit Biases are associations made by individuals in the unconscious state of mind.

Three factors that mask bias and promote disparities

Colorblindness (examples):

• “I don’t notice race; I treat everyone the same.”

• “I just follow the rules.”

• “We’re all just people.”

• “I don’t care if you’re black, white, green or purple-polka-dotted.”

Stereotypes (examples):

• “Older people don’t understand technology.”

• “People without college degrees aren’t smart.”

• “Wealthy people don’t care about poor people.”

• “Poor people aren’t working hard enough.”

Institutional and Structural Racism (examples):

See diagram on page 18.

BUDGET EQUITY GUIDE

Provided by the National Equity Project

Structural Racism

Making progress on equity will require us to both mitigate our own biases and change structures. For example, structural inequities in the way we fund our policies, programs or practices means that constituents living in affluent communities have highly-resourced recreation centers, while constituents living in neighborhoods in which we have disinvested have recreation centers that are underfunded and offer fewer opportunities. (National Equity Project, 2019)

This is an insidious cycle whereby structural inequities produce inequitable outcomes; which then reinforce harmful racial stereotypes; which are then used to justify inequitable regulations, policies, programs and practices that fail to account for the unique barriers faced by structurally-excluded communities.

“If racism is based on fear and ignorance, then one way to help move the needle toward equity - and change people’s hearts and minds - is through education. We need a big toolkit to address all the different types of racism that exist in San Diego (and our country), let’s get to work — together.”

- Helen Weldeghiorgis (she/her) Race and Equity Program Manager

Tactical Equity Plans

A city is measured by how effectively it can deliver services to its residents. In response to internal stakeholder feedback, the Performance & Analytics Department and the Department of Race & Equity launched a new Tactical Equity Plan process that merges tactical planning and equity action planning.

By bringing these two processes together, departments can better integrate equity into how they operate both now and in the future. The new Tactical Equity Plan structure enhances department capability to think through the necessary operational, policy, program, practice and budget conditions needed to create equal and equitable outcomes for inclusive City services.

The Tactical Equity Plan is made up of two components: the Tactical Plan and the Equity Action Plan. Details for both components can be found below and on Page 21.

Tactical Plan Component

The Tactical Plan is a near-term planning document that outlines a department’s key strategic priorities over a 2- to 5-year horizon. The plan creates alignment between the department’s operational needs, the City Strategic Plan and the 5-Year Financial Outlook. It also details specific goals, objectives and measures of success for the department.

An effective Tactical Plan allows departments to answer the following questions:

What is the department’s vision for success/what does success look like over the next five years?

What actions are necessary in order to succeed?

How will the department know their actions are moving them closer to their goals?

What important staff, resident or customer needs are there in specific operations or services?

How does the department know what those needs are? What methods can they use to find out?

What is the department doing to address problems identified by customers and feedback shared by employees?

How successful has the department been in solving problems and meeting needs?

Equity Action Plan Component

The Equity Action Plan provides accountability for addressing disparities in department operations and services. This plan identifies current inequities the department faces in how it serves residents and supports our workforce, detailing specific actions the department intends to take to reduce disparities and promote the City’s commitment to equity and inclusion.

An effective Equity Action Plan will allow the department to answer the following questions:

What disparities currently exist in the department’s operations or services?

How does the department know what the disparities are, or what methods can be used to find them out?

How does the department use data to set equality-driven metrics and identify disparities?

What is the department going to do to address disparities identified by staff, community members or customers?

How successful has the department been in reducing disparities and/or promoting equity and inclusion?

Budget Equity Framework

With support from the Department of Race & Equity and the Department of Finance, each department will analyze Base Budget and submit Budget Adjustments through the application of an Equity Lens. Once departments have submitted their Base Budgets, the Department of Race & Equity and the Department of Finance will review the submittals and give feedback on how departments can create equitable outcomes. The first step in addressing disparate outcomes is identifying where, and for whom, disparities exist. By filtering budgets through an Equity Lens, known and unknown disparities will emerge. Departments can then wield their budget as an Equity Opportunity to intentionally craft requests that address disparities and move the needle toward equity.

Equity-Centered Coaches

Equity-Centered Coaches should be treated as key advisors in this process. It is not their responsibility to complete the document, but they should advise decision-makers on opportunities to enhance equity in decision-making, which will inform the completion of the tool.

Timeline

Budget Equity Questionnaire: Budget Adjustments will be submitted in the budget application (PBF), along with responses to the Budget Equity Questionnaire (December 12 - January 6).

Departmental Support for Budget Equity Framework

Deliverables:

1. Budget Equity Guide

2. Department of Race & Equity and Department of Finance Budget Equity Training

3. Technical Sessions

Budget Equity Impact Statement: Will be developed and submitted to Performance and Analytics along with the Department Budget Narratives and Key Performance Measures (KPIs) (February 1).

Equity Highlights: Will be included in each Department’s EBR Presentations (early February) and Budget Review Committee Presentations (early May).

The next three pages include the actual Budget Equity Questionnaire and Budget Equity Impact Statement each department will use. These two tools are inextricably linked - the Budget Equity Impact Statement is a summation of answers from the Budget Equity Questionnaire.

Budget Equity Questionnaire

Department budgets will be filtered through the Budget Equity Questionnaire pictured on the following page. For ease, departments have the option to download the Budget Equity Questionnaire Responses spreadsheet and store answers for internal use. Answers from the questionnaire will be used to inform each department’s Budget Equity Impact Statement. Answers related to Budget Adjustments will also be input into the Public Budget Formulation.

Instructions

The Budget Equity Questionnaire operates as an if/then sequence.

• Step 1: Identify Request Type

o Identify the request type as either Base Budget or Budget Adjustment.

• Step 2: Respond to Disparity Questions

o Base Budget Question: “Is there an opportunity to adjust the department’s ongoing Base Budget to address a disparity?”

o Budget Adjustment Question: “Does your Budget Adjustment address a disparity?”

• Step

3: Take Action Based on Response

Response Key

N/A

YES NO

The line item does not have an equity dimension

The line item will actively address a disparity

The line item will not address a disparity

Disparities are unknown - so the line item may or may not address them

Do nothing Answer follow-up questions to inform Budget Equity Impact Statement

Identify strategies to bolster equal outcomes

Answer follow-up question to inform Budget Equity Impact Statement

Base Budget

Is there an opportunity to adjust the department’s ongoing Base Budget to address a disparity?

N/A UNSURE

NO

Identify strategies to bolster your equal outcomes. What Equity Opportunities exist to clarify equal and equitable outcomes?

Response Meaning Action

How does this budget allocation directly benefit specific neighborhoods and City employees?

What are the operational impacts to policy, programs or practices?

What are the potential unintended consequences and/or burdens to specific neighborhoods and City employees?

Does your Budget Adjustment address a disparity?

This request will NOT address a disparity, because:

Budget Equity Impact Statement

The Budget Equity Impact Statement (BEIS) is a brief, public-facing summary of how your budget addresses identified disparities. It is a summation of your responses to the Budget Equity Questionnaire that will be described in Volume II of the Proposed and Adopted Budget documents. Below is the template departments will use to fill out their BEIS.

Budget Equity Highlights

Purpose:

We acknowledge the hard work and strides our City workforce has made to begin addressing disparities - Equity Highlights serve as an opportunity for departments to showcase this aspect of their work. Wins at the department level are wins for the City and our residents, so whether it’s incremental progress or sweeping change, we’re intentionally carving out space in the Budget Cycle for departments to proactively communicate and celebrate such victories.

Function:

A look back at equity successes from the current fiscal year - meaning that for the current fiscal year, Equity Highlights will reflect funding from each department’s existing budget. Equity Highlights, to be included in EBR presentations and Budget Review Committee Presentations, will also capture suggested changes to a department’s existing Base Budget to enhance equity.

Instructions:

Any asset investment, policy, program, practice, service or other initiative that moves the needle toward equity could qualify as an Equity Highlight. Departments can select up to three examples of self-identified Equity Highlights to include in their budget request presentations. See below for both the slide template and an example slide sourced from Economic Development’s FY ‘23 budget presentation.

Template

and Example (see page 39 for an expanded version):

Executive Budget Reviews (EBRs) & Budget Review Committee Meetings

Each February, department EBRs are conducted to inform what Budget Adjustments are included in the proposed budget each year. In EBR meetings, Department Directors and department support staff meet with the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Chief Operating Officers, Mayor’s Office Policy Director, and the Department of Finance Director to discuss strategic priorities. The Chief Race & Equity Officer for the Department of Race & Equity and Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Performance & Analytics will also participate in EBRs to integrate equity and data-driven metrics into development of the proposed budget.

City Management will review departments’ budget proposals and ensure that requests align with the City’s fiscal policies, Tactical Equity Plans and Strategic Plan.

The Budget Equity Framework will be integrated into EBRs and City Council Budget Hearings to capture how Budget Adjustments and Base Budgets address identified disparities. Each department will utilize a provided template to guide EBR presentations and City Council Budget Hearings. If departments identify an opportunity to address a specific disparity with Budget Adjustments, an Equity Lens is used to provide guidance through the Budget Equity Framework to inform the completion of a Budget Equity Impact Statement.

PBF Entry Title: Description 0.00 $5,880,000

PBF Entry Title: Description 0.00 $3,000,000

PBF Entry Title: Description 0.00 $3,000,000

PBF Entry Title: Description 0.00 $3,000,000

PBF Entry Title: Description 0.00 $3,000,000

Message from Chief Race & Equity Officer

Colleagues & Friends,

The Department of Race & Equity was built on a vision and promise to foster the audacity to bring liberation to a government system that historically thrived on institutional racism. There is a lot to unpack in this Budget Equity Guide. The road to dismantling institutional racism, structural inequity, and injustice is a long one, and one that we will have to travel together to address disparities to redesign equity into local government. Your experiences and expertise as a City employee are essential in creating equitable outcomes for both our team members and our community members. Our collective humanity, paired with our institutional knowledge, can help transform the City of San Diego.

This opportunity is exciting, and it is also explicitly connected to an unwavering commitment to inclusive change. It is not a zero-sum competition where one person can only win if another loses. The work is both hard and meaningful and, above all, I want to thank you for having conversations, creating connections, and working together with us to solve complex problems.

Race and equity work is a historic journey that connects our collective humanity beyond the aspiration of justice, which relies on charting a deliberate path toward creating equitable and inclusive systems without disparities...we will do this together, one step at a time, as we are the solution for tomorrow.

Kim Desmond (she/her) Chief Race & Equity Officer Department of Race & Equity

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Key Terms 31 - 32

APPENDIX B: Tactical Equity Plan Template 33

APPENDIX C: Case Studies 34

APPENDIX D: Debiasing Bias Tool (Johari Window) 35 - 36

APPENDIX E: FAQs 37 - 38

APPENDIX F: Data Sources

39

APPENDIX A: Key Terms

Please refer to the following definitions in reflecting on and answering the questions in the Budget Equity Framework. Feel free to use these terms and concepts in your response.

BUDGET: For the purposes of this tool, the term budget includes your entire Departmental funds, including funds from all sources such as the general fund, restricted funds, grants, etc.

CLIMATE EQUITY INDEX: A tool to measure the level of access to opportunity residents have within a census tract and assess the degree of potential impact from climate change to these areas. Source: City of San Diego

COMMUNITIES/PEOPLE OF COLOR: A term used primarily in the U.S. to describe communities of people who are not identified as white, emphasizing common experiences of racism.

COMMUNITIES OF CONCERN: A census tract that has been identified as having very low or low access to opportunity as identified in the San Diego Climate Equity Index. Source: City of San Diego

DISPARITIES: A measure that indicates a difference between specific groups or populations; the difference is usually unfair.

EQUITY: Occurs when we eliminate institutional racism and systemic disparities, providing everyone with equitable access to opportunity and resources to thrive, no matter where they live or how they identify. Source: City of San Diego

EQUITY LENS: A set of specific questions we ask to critically and thoughtfully analyze policies, programs, practices, and budget decisions to achieve equitable outcomes. Source: City of San Diego

EQUITY OPPORTUNITY: When we – City employees – identify a disparity in a policy, program, practice or budget decision, an Equity Opportunity emerges to promote equitable outcomes and inclusive access. Source: City of San Diego

IMPLICIT BIAS: Stereotypes or attitudes toward marginalized populations that unconsciously impact one’s understanding, actions or decisions. Acting without implicit bias does not equate to acting equitably.

INCLUSION: The action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure. More than simply diversity and numerical representation, inclusion involves authentic and empowered participation and a true sense of belonging.

BUDGET EQUITY GUIDE

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM: Policies, practices, and procedures that work better for white people than for people of color, often unintentionally or inadvertently.

Source: National League of Cities

INTERSECTIONALITY: An approach largely advanced by women of color, arguing that classifications such as gender, race, class, sexual orientation, nationality and others cannot be examined in isolation from one another; they interact and intersect in individuals’ lives, in society, in social systems and are mutually constitutive.

Source: Hollins and Govan: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

MARGINALIZED: A reference to a person or group who have been systemically isolated from resources necessary to thrive, often by means of segregation, separation, and lack of access.

POWER : Implies possession of ability to wield force, authority or influence.

RACIAL DISPARITY: A significant difference in conditions between a racial group and the white population that is avoidable and unjust. Source: OEHR

RACIAL EQUITY: A process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing policies, practices, systems and structures by prioritizing measurable change in the lives of people of color. Source: Race Forward

STRUCTURALLY EXCLUDED COMMUNITY: A shift from labeling a community as underserved to structurally excluded places the focus on systems intentionally created to exclude, marginalize and oppress instead of the individuals or people living in their communities. The term structurally excluded community takes into consideration how racial disparities are often connected to place and are rooted in historic racialized policies and practices that created and maintain unfair racial outcomes. A structurally excluded community takes into consideration how systems interact with racial and ethnic differences to design disparities and shape racial biases which impact access to health, education, economic capital, social position, safety and opportunity. Source: Social Inclusion Theory

STRUCTURAL RACISM: A history and current reality of institutional racism across all institutions, combining to create a system that negatively impacts communities of color. Source: Race Forward

UNDERSERVED: Refers to people and places that historically and currently have not had equitable resources or access to infrastructure, healthy environments, housing choice, etc. Disparities may be recognized in both services and in outcomes.

Source: OEHR

APPENDIX B: Tactical Equity Plan Template

APPENDIX C: Case Studies

Below are case studies to help inspire curiosity and ideation for how departments might wield their budget to address disparities. These examples are for training purposes only. Consider the following questions as you read the Case Studies below:

• What disparities can you identify?

• How might you adjust your Base Budget to address disparities?

• How might you make Budget Adjustments to address disparities?

Environmental Services Department:

In their Tactical Equity Plan, ESD reported that one of their goals is to “maintain a safe and innovative workforce (place).” One activity to help carry out this goal is “access to training, education, industry specific knowledge.” Because the department is understaffed, and with the high demand for services, sick and vacation leave requests are not always able to be accommodated, let alone requests for training. Staff are feeling overworked and stressed by the mounting workload. Additionally, with the increase and dependence of virtual trainings, it’s logistically challenging for field employees and many field supervisors to engage in training offerings. Leadership has observed low engagement for trainings, and decreased engagement overall.

Transportation Department:

In their Tactical Equity Plan, Transportation established a goal to “Improve the quality of the City’s street network.” In their current model, potholes are repaired as residents call in to request service. Because resident engagement varies widely across the city, some City Council Districts get a disproportionate amount of repairs. Below is a quick snapshot of estimated pothole repairs by Council District. It’s based on historical repairs in each district. The average cost to fill a pothole is about $40/per.

Planning Department:

Council District Pothole Repairs 1 $3,300 2 $5,200 3 $3,600 4 $3,600

$40,000

Please review Parks Tour: One City, Two Realities published by the Planning Department on May 6, 2021. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7c3d568b4470408580cd7311af7c2c9b

APPENDIX D: Debiasing Tool

Johari Window

Even though we all have our own biases, we must work hard to dismantle them. Biases can be addressed and unlearned. It takes time, effort, constant learning, self-criticizing and reflection to keep track of our motives and progress.

The Johari Window model was developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955 to assist in developing self-awareness and mutual understanding in a group. It is a four-square grid that is comprised of the following four sections:

• Open Area: (Biases) Known to both Self and Others

• Blind Spot: (Biases) Unknown to Self but Known to Others

• Hidden Area: (Biases) Known to Self but Unknown to Others

• Unknown: (Biases) Unknown to both Self and Others

Known to Self

Known to Others

Unknown to Others

OPEN SELF

Known to both Self and Others

HIDDEN SELF

Known to Self but Unknown to Others

Unknown to Self

BLIND SELF UNKNOWN SELF

Unknown to Self but known to Others

Unknown to both Self and Others

The four Johari Window perspectives are called ‘regions’ or ‘areas’ or ‘quadrants’. Each of these regions contains and represents the information - feelings, motivation, etc.known about the person, in terms of whether the information is known or unknown by the person, and whether the information is known or unknown by others in the group. The four regions in the model have been outlined in the chart above.

Open: (Biases) Known to both Self and Others

The first pane in the window is referred to as the ‘open’ area. This quadrant represents information or behavior that you already know about yourself and those known about you. This could be facts, skills, talents, communication style or attitude. Ideally the things you add in this quadrant should not be surprising for the individual or the group, which makes it the ideal place to start the exercise.

Blind: (Biases) Unknown to Self but Known to Others

The second pane is referred to as ‘blind’, indicating blind spots. This quadrant is for listing actions, behaviors, traits and skills that others see, but the individual doesn’t. These can be positive or negative, such as hidden strengths or unknown character flaws. These blind spots may be hard to hear, but they should be used for personal development.

Hidden: (Biases) Known to Self but Unknown to Others

The third pane is the ‘hidden’ quadrant. It should contain things that the individual knows about themselves, but others don’t. This may be things like prior expertise, ambitions or dreams, or personal opinions and views. By sharing this private information, it can help develop trust between members of the group, who may, in turn, reveal things they previously kept hidden — Unequal Opportunities.

Unknown: (Biases) Unknown to both Self and Others

The fourth windowpane contains information that is simply ‘unknown’. This means information, character traits or skills that are unknown to both the individual and others. It’s hard to find this information, so you may want to think back.

The Johari Window is used to see how others perceive you. In this context, we will use this feedback tool to help us assess how we are doing and how we might improve our performance. The important thing to remember is you can’t complete it alone. You will need input from others to help you gain understanding.

APPENDIX E:

FAQs

Purpose

1) What is the purpose of using this tool?

The Budget Equity Framework has the following intended purposes:

• Make explicit the intentional connection between Tactical Equity Plans and our budget process. We cannot sufficiently embed equity throughout our organization if we do not think critically about how we invest the City’s budgets into our physical assets, programs, resources and services.

· Explain why we must keep equity in mind to guide important decisions regarding financial investments and disinvestments.

· Spur conversation on topics related to the strategic focus areas among department leaders and employees, so we are all challenging ourselves to think critically about how budget investments address disparities.

2) What other jurisdictions have used a budget equity framework? Where did the budget equity questions come from?

The City of San Diego’s Budget Equity Framework builds on the success of other jurisdictions in implementing a budget tool. Jurisdictions the City of San Diego looked to for guidance include: the City of Denver (Colo.), the City of Seattle (Wash.), the City of Portland (Ore.), King County (Wash.) and the City of San Antonio (Texas). Resources from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) were also used to inform the Equity Lens questions.

3) How does this tool work when departments are requesting Budget Adjustments to address a disparity?

Budget decisions that are made with equity at the forefront of decisionmakers minds will create an opportunity for departments to address disparities in specific communities. The Budget Equity Framework will be integrated into EBRs and City Council Budget Hearings to capture how Budget Adjustments and Base Budgets address identified disparities. Each department will utilize provided templates to guide EBR presentations and City Council Budget Hearings.

BUDGET EQUITY GUIDE

Process

4) Who is responsible for filling out the budget tool?

The department head is ultimately responsible for the content in the Budget Equity Framework. It is up to department leadership to determine who in their department is most appropriate to be involved in completing questions in the tool, which is going to differ from department to department. Likely people to include are department leads, administrative staff, your designated Equity-Centered Coach from the Department of Race & Equity and Department of Finance.

5) Is there a standard approach all departments are expected to take to answer the questions?

No. Answer the questions based on the approach your department currently takes on these items. Equity Lens responses rely on departmental expertisedepartments are encouraged to use their best judgment when it comes to the style, scope and content of their answers.

6) What if I have more questions?

If you have difficulty determining how to answer a question, an EquityCentered Coach from the Department of Race & Equity and a representative from Department of Finance will be assigned to work with you to problem solve (email provided below)

In addition, trainings and technical sessions will assist departments with completion of the Budget Equity Framework. Questions related to racial equity components (glossary, concepts, etc.) should be sent to your respective Equity Centered-Coach from the Department of Race & Equity. Questions related to the Public Budget Formulation and other technical elements of the budget process should be sent to your respective Budget Liaison Analyst from the Department of Finance.

APPENDIX F: Data Sources

Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. (n.d.). Implicit Bias Module Series. Retrieved from https://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/implicit-bias-training

Luft, J., & Ingham, H. (1955) The Johari Window: A Graphic Model of Interpersonal Awareness. Proceedings of the Western Training Laboratory in Group Development. University of California, Los Angeles, Extension Office.

Strategic Plan Dashboard. The City of San Diego’s Strategic Plan Dashboard, https://performance.sandiego.gov

Vasquez, H., & Osta, K. (n.d.). Implicit Bias and Structural Racialization. National Equity Project. Retrieved from https://www.nationalequityproject.org/frameworks/implicit-bias-structural-racialization

“What is Racial Equity? Understanding Key Concepts Related to Race.” Race Forward. https://www.raceforward.org/about/what-is-racial-equity-key-concepts