On Nov. 17, 2020, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism a public health crisis, asserting that racism and the health inequities therefrom constitute a public health crisis affecting our entire community.
The Board directed the County to create a Racial Equity Policy Cabinet to promote strategic coordination, cooperation, and collaboration around this goal. Since that time, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Project team, comprised of leaders from several County departments, has been working with MGT Consulting on research and outreach to create the Cabinet.
Their work has included policy/procedure analysis, identifying best practices in local government, and engagement with the community and County employees to elicit feedback. The consultants held two focus groups with community-based organizations, and eight focus groups with County staff, and sent a survey to all County employees to gather feedback about the County’s approach to DEI.
The result of the analysis and the feedback from the community and employees can be found in the Sacramento County DEI Assessment. MGT and the DEI Project team recommended that the County:
- Create a DEI Cabinet;
- Establish a Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer position; and
- Expand outreach to the community to identify DEI issues and best methods for engaging with our community.
On Dec. 13, 2022, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution creating the DEI Cabinet, and the DEI Project Team created the DEI Cabinet structure and membership, which was approved by our County Executive.
The DEI Cabinet met for the first time in early May for a day-long workshop, during which Cabinet members developed the first part of the DEI Action Plan. A draft of that plan will be sent out in late June to all staff for feedback, after which the Cabinet will refine the Action Plan and establish the next steps for implementation.
Concerning the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer position, a job classification will go before the Civil Service Commission this month for approval, and then on to the Board in June for final approval. The recruitment process will begin immediately and will include a nationwide search to select the right candidate.
The DEI Cabinet is grateful for the County’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has pledged to keep county employees updated on progress to ensure transparency.
Cabinet Members:
- Phil Serna, Board of Supervisors
- Michelle Callejas, Child, Family, and Adult Services
- Ethan Dye, Human Assistance
- Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Public Health Officer
- Sylvester Fadal, Personnel Services
- Natasha Drane, General Services
- Marlon Yarber, Probation
- Amanda Benson, Public Defender
- Chief Deputy Sal Robles, Sheriff
- Sonia Satchell, District Attorney
- Kim Nava, Public Information Officer
- Rami Zakaria, Technology
- Jeneda Veale, African American caucus representative
- Allison Keene, LGBTQ caucus representative
- Liz Gomez – Homeless Services and Housing
- Mary Nakamura, Health Services
- Joycelyn Wormley, DCFAS
- Mark Slaughter, Public Defender
- Todd Smith, Planning and Environmental Review