County Equal Opportunity Report, By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

FEATURED COLUMNIST

County Equal Opportunity Report

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

Recently, the Board of Supervisors received a report from the Equal Employment Opportunity Office which is charged to provide an analysis of the county workforce and how it compares to the local metropolitical statistical area.

The report looks at the County government’s workforce by gender and race/ ethnicity, identifies and describes the County’s outreach and recruitment strategies for populations where there is a gap between the available workforce and the County workforce composition, and outlines specific steps to promote equal employment opportunity for federallydesignated protected classes.

What Did The Report Show?

The report provided a detailed comparison of the demographic composition of the Countywide workforce at three points in time: 2009, 2014 and 2022.

Overall, the diversity of the County workforce continues to increase and in many categories is higher (and in some cases significantly higher) than percentage of those available in the countywide workforce composition.

Here are some specific examples.

Women constitute nearly 60% of the County workforce, far exceeding the percentage composition of women in the Santa Cruz County area workforce.

In the category of Officials and Administrators (top positions within the County), the representation of women increased from 53% in 2009 to 62% in 2022. This compares to 44% of women in those positions across all sectors countywide.

In the Protective Services category (which includes the Sheriff’s Office, for example), the representation of women has increased from 26% to 31% since 2009 - compared to 15% in those positions across all other Protective Services countywide.

Since 2009, representation of men within the County government’s workforce has remained around 41%. For specific demographic groups, the County also exceeds the local demographic makeup of the available workforce. For example, within the Santa Cruz County CoreBased Statistical Area (which is what the American Community Survey uses to determine local demographic makeups of the population and available workforce), Hispanic/Latinos made up 25% of the community/available workforce but 43% of the County workforce.

Overall, the report showed that our community consists of approximately 35% of non-white workforce composition but the County workforce consists of 52% -- significantly more.

Where Are There Needs For Improvement?

In addition, the report also looks at specific occupational categories to see how that compares.

While the overall diversity of the County workforce exceeds that of the local available workforce, there are some occupational categories in which the County falls below these groups’ representation in the local available labor market. For example, in the Service and Maintenance category, women constitute about 20% of the County

In the Protective Services category (which includes the Sheriff’s Office, for example), the representation of women has increased from 26% to 31% since 2009

workforce but 43% of the local labor pool for that category and men also fall below in multiple categories including Officials and Administrators, Administrative Support and Technician categories.

Interested In Learning More About The Report?

More information about the County’s Equal Employment Opportunity Plan and report to the Board can be found on the Personnel website — which is at www.santacruzcounty.us (click on Personnel and then EEO). n •••

As always, I appreciate your feedback. I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook.com/supervisorfriend and you can always call me at 454-2200.

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Meet Minolta!

This incredible dog who was found as a stray and brought to SCCAS by a Good Samaritan. She had been hit by a car and sustained extensive injuries to her back right leg and it needed to be amputated- but that has not slowed this sweet pup down!

Minolta is great with people and dogs — interested in other dogs but does not bark at them and is very respectful of their space. From people she wants kisses and cuddles and good company- she is affectionate and social. Currently she is in a foster home where we have learned that she is housetrained — and her foster mom describes her as “playful and friendly”.

This happy dog is recovering well from surgery and making so much progress with walking longer distances and just needs a little boost to get in the car. All in all, Minolta is a resilient dog who is sweet, loving and ready to play! We have no history of Minolta with cats, but a dog savvy cat may be a fit with slow introduction and management.

Her new adopters should be prepared to keep her physically and mentally stimulated and work with her with positive reinforcement training She may do well with children and other dogs in the home- all members of the family including dogs must meet before adoption.

This pup is a diamond in the rough and this “tri-pawed” is likely to capture your heart!

Adoptions are first come, first served! Please view available animals on our website and then visit the Shelter to turn in your application. All adoptions require proof of home ownership or landlord approval. Please have this information prepared. If an animal is in Foster Care, please bring in your adoption application and schedule an appointment to meet the animal. Call 831-454-7200 x0 during business hours or visit www.scanimalshelter.org for more information! n •••

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter:

Santa Cruz Location (Public Entrance): 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062 Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Watsonville Location: CURRENTLY CLOSED 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076 SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us

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GRIEF SUPPORT WRITING GROUP BEGINS

Time TBA, Online Meetings, Thursdays thru March 2 This virtual group is provided by the grief support team at Hospice of Santa Cruz County.

Discover the quiet wisdom of writing through grief. Putting pen to paper is a pow-erful way to explore your personal journey in a manner that is both meaningful and rich with complexity — especially when talking about grief does not come easy.

You will learn creative exercises that will help you grow and heal, in new and gen-tly surprising ways. All writing levels are welcome. Advance registration is required. Call (831) 430-3000 to register.

VOLUNTEER FOR 2023 PIT COUNT

5 p.m.-10 a.m., Location TBD The County of Santa Cruz is moving to conducting the Point in Time homeless count annually and needs community support.

The 2023 PIT count will be done using an app-based data collection tool, and will cover the entire county in one morning. Sign up at https://asr.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_2f3KayP7qtQJNdk

Volunteers will work in groups, meeting their team members either at a central deployment center location or a convenient location before walking/driving their assigned routes and aiding with data collection.

Volunteers are asked to bring their vehicles to use in the count if they are able. Contact Alex Werner at alex@appliedsurveyresearch.org. for more information.

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The Housing for Health Partnership and Applied Survey Research will host community meetings to gather input and volunteers for the count Friday, Dec. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon and Thursday, Jan. 12, time TBA. Meetings will be in person. RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ santa-cruz-county-2023-point-in-time-count-planningmeeting-tickets-464743970727

THE U.S. & THE HOLOCAUST

7-8:30 p.m., Capitola Branch Library, 2005 Wharf Road The Santa Cruz Public Libraries plans a screening and discussion of the Ken Burns documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust, in partnership with Temple Beth El, the Resource Center for Nonviolence, and Santa Cruz County United for Safe and Inclusive Communities, at the Capitola Branch Library.

This is the day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day Jan. 27.

Attendees are encouraged to watch the entire 3-part documentary in advance of the discussion, which will be available to stream on the PBS website through Feb. 3. On Jan. 26, attendees will see a 40-minute screener from the series provided by PBS Books, who is supporting programming around the documentary for libraries nationwide.

Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is recommended but not required.

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

10 a.m.-4 p.m., 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga Local residents, veterans, active-duty military and their families are invited to Wreaths Across America mobile education visit 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at 13777 Fruitvale Ave., Saratoga, sponsored by the Santa Clara Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. This is the closest local stop for Santa Cruz County. Admission is free.

The exhibit educates visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes and serves as an official ‘welcome home’ station for our nation’s Vietnam Veterans.

On Dec. 17, Wreaths Across America coordinated 596 truckloads of wreaths to all 50 states and beyond, delivering to 3,702 locations a total of 2.7 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths. Sponsoring a wreath is $15 at www.wreathacrossamerica.org. Each sponsorship goes toward a live balsam wreath to be placed on the headstone of an American hero on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, National Wreaths Across America Day.

Thursday February 9

FOOLISH DOOM

7 p.m., Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center, 251B Kings Village Road “Foolish Doom” is a tragic comedy about the climate debate with Peter Sweet & Leonie Baker and directed by Matteo Destro. It will be presented at the Scotts Valley Cultural & Performing Arts Center (next to Scotts Valley Library)

This is a fantastical mix of mask theater, music, and puppetry for children and adults.

Admission: Children, $10; students & seniors $20, adults $30. For tickets see www.svctheaterguild.org

Saturday February 11

25 YEARS OF HOPE & HEALING DINNER

6 p.m. (Dinner at 7 p.m.), Cocoanut Grove, 400 Beach St., SC Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services will celebrate 25 years of hope & healing at a gala at the Cocoanut Grove. There will be food, drinks, music, dancing, and inspiring stories. Tickets are $125 per person (other options available) at https://jacobsheart.ticketspice.com/25years

Friday February 24 thru Sunday February 26

2023 BANFF CENTRE MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR

7 p.m. each night, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz Get off the beaten path, stand on the highest peaks, ski the steepest slopes, and be a part of the gripping adventures waiting for you at the 2023 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour, brought to you by UC Santa Cruz Adventure Rec.

Tickets are $23 for Aspen (Fri) and Juniper (Sun), $25 for Willow (Sat), with each night featuring completely different films. A special $10 rate is available for UCSC students for the Juniper show.

This event supports UCSC Adventure Rec student programs, affording UCSC stu-dents the chance to share in the magic of outdoor adventures.

Film ratings and advisories are included in the descriptions. Consider checking be-fore purchasing tickets for the young adventurers in your life. For tickets and list of films visit https://recreation.ucsc.edu/ adventure/banff.html n