CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FOURTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. F/S R-20-75 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Borrego, Peña, Sena
RESOLUTION
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F/S Strengthening And Re-Affirming The City Of Albuquerque’s Commitment To Addressing Racial And Social Inequity (Borrego, Peña, Sena)
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STRENGTHENING AND RE-AFFIRMING THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE’S COMMITMENT TO ADDRESSING RACIAL AND SOCIAL INEQUITY.
WHEREAS, Article VIII of the City Charter states that, “The Council shall preserve, protect and promote human rights and human dignity…and shall prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age or physical handicap”; and
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque City Council affirmed its commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity through passage of Ordinance 106-1973 establishing the Human Rights Board, Ordinance 2-6-5-1, et. al. seq., establishing the Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory Council, Ordinance 5-6 ROA 1994 establishing the Minority Business Enterprise act, Commission on American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs, Ordinance 2-6-6-1, et. al. seq., and R-18-7 strengthening the City’s status as an immigrant friendly city; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department in June of 2020 established the Race, History and Healing Project, steered by a community engagement team to support meaningful and difficult conversations about Albuquerque’s shared cultural resources with an open invitation to all community voices and a steadfast commitment to collective solution building; and
WHEREAS, The City of Albuquerque is committed to working toward better addressing racial disparities, and to achieving equity across all populations and indicators; and
WHEREAS, The City of Albuquerque is committed to working toward better addressing racial disparities and equity concerns in all programs, services, commissions, boards, budgets, and CIP services; and
WHEREAS, The City of Albuquerque defines inequities as disparities in health, mental health, economic indicators, housing, education, or social factors that are systemic and, therefore, considered unjust or unfair; and
WHEREAS, the City acknowledges that structural and institutional racism, have led to racially disparate outcomes in many aspects of quality of life; and
WHEREAS, for the purposes of this legislation the following definitions are adopted:
“Equity” recognizes that advantages and barriers exist and that not everyone starts from the same place. Equity means eliminating disparities in policy, practice and allocation of resources so that race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, income and zip code do not predict one’s success while also improving positive outcomes for all.
“Diversity” means the presence of different races, genders, ethnicities, religions, abilities, nationalities, and sexual orientations in decision making. Diversity exists within groups among people of color and in relationships with others, particularly people of color.
“Inclusion” means diverse people with different identities feel welcomed and valued; and
WHEREAS, race and social equity require partnership in the planning process resulting in shared decision-making and more equitable outcomes that strengthen the entire city; and
WHEREAS, because the City benefits from the diversity of its population, the city desires to incorporate the expertise of those most negatively impacted by inequity in the identification and implementation of policies, programs, and budget processes and decisions; and
WHEREAS, 59% of the residents of Albuquerque are people of color and our city is becoming more diverse, with growth driven by communities of color; and
WHEREAS, working poverty is on the rise in Albuquerque, with too many fulltime workers of all backgrounds not earning enough to make ends meet; and
WHEREAS, 18% of male and 26% of female Native American adults aged 25-64 working full time in Albuquerque still live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level; and
WHEREAS, 25% male and 18% of female Asian or Pacific Islander adults aged 25-64 working full time in Albuquerque still live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level; and
WHEREAS, 18% male and 15% of female Latino adults aged 25-64 working full time in Albuquerque still live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level; and
WHEREAS, 16% male and 18% of female Black adults aged 25-64 working full time in Albuquerque still live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level; and
WHEREAS, 8% male and 6% female White adults aged 25-64 working full time in Albuquerque still live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level; and
WHEREAS, the basic premise of equity holds that cities can attain stronger and more resilient economic growth for everyone by working toward racial and social equity; and
WHEREAS, According to the Equity Profile of Albuquerque conducted by PolicyLink, people of color pay too much for housing in Albuquerque, whether they rent or own, with Asian and Pacific Islander populations having the highest rate of homeowner housing burden, and more than half of Black and Latino renter-occupied households paying more than 30% of their incomes in rent; and
WHEREAS, For the first time in 2018, the City of Albuquerque began collecting demographic data on the ownership of companies with whom it does business; and
WHEREAS, The Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance calls for the City of Albuquerque to actively solicit information from such firms regarding unnecessary problems, requirements, or barriers involved in doing business with the city that might be ameliorated, such as the inability to obtain bonding, financing, or technical assistance; and
WHEREAS, The Minority Business Enterprise Ordinance supports the City of Albuquerque to encourage prime contractors providing goods and services to the city with regard to subcontractors involved in such work to assure a fair share of business for minority and women business enterprises; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque has begun to collect and analyze the demographic information of applicants for city jobs, new hires and incumbent employees that will be used to help guide decision making; and
WHEREAS, All persons authorized to work in the United States, regardless of nationality or citizenship, are entitled to fair and equitable access to municipal jobs, and benefits; and
WHEREAS, the strategies necessary to address racial and social equity transcend any one department and require intention and action at the policy, process, program and service delivery levels of municipal government; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of racial equity goals and action plans by each department serves to catalyze the actions necessary to achieve those goals and objectives; and
WHEREAS, applying a racial equity analysis may assist departments in examining the distribution of benefits and burdens of municipal decision-making processes; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of the Office of Equity and Inclusion as a Director level Department demonstrates the City of Albuquerque’s commitment to advance racial and social equity; and
WHEREAS, the Office of Equity and Inclusion’s role is to inspire and equip city government by providing education, training, data, analysis, tools and other support necessary to achieve equity goals; and
WHEREAS, The Office of Equity and Inclusion has been established to provide technical assistance, training and tools to all City of Albuquerque departments and divisions to ensure inclusive outreach and equitable opportunities for all people.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
Section 1. The City of Albuquerque Office of Equity and Inclusion shall recommend to the Mayor indicators related to equity and inclusion to be included in the City's five-year goals, guided by the following principles:
Committing to Equity, Embedding Equity: Performing an equity analysis prior to executing decisions;
Ensuring Equity in Resource Allocation: Equitably distributing resources and services to vulnerable groups;
Striving for Equity and Inclusion in Public Messaging: Conducting targeted outreach, in languages accessible to non-English speakers and other marginalized groups;
Being Transparent and Using Data in Decision-making: Capturing and analyzing data and using it to help guide decision making that would aim to reduce disparity;
Involving persons and communities of color and social diversity in the decision-making processes: Using equity analysis as put forth by the City of Albuquerque to endeavor to meaningfully involve persons and communities of color, those experiencing poverty, and people living with disabilities and of social diversity in the decision-making process while abiding by process transparency and responding in a way that is accountable to all communities.
Section 2. The City of Albuquerque shall use Racial Equity Toolkits and other best practices and technical assistance to understand the distribution of benefits and burdens of policy, process, program and budget decisions wherever practicable.
Section 3. The City of Albuquerque Office of Equity and Inclusion shall conduct targeted, mandatory trainings for City of Albuquerque administrators including the Mayor's Office, City Councilors, Department Heads and other staff as appropriate, to include, but not be limited to, curriculum developed by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Racial Equity Tool Kits and other best practices, subject to budget, and time constraints and staffing availability, and endeavor to provide trainings to other non-mandatory staff as budget, time, and staffing allow.
Section 4. The City shall support the start-up and growth of businesses owned by people of color and women through inclusive contracting and creating equitable business support systems, intentionally seek to remove barriers for entry and build capacity within the small business community.
Section 5. The City shall prepare youth and workers of color for tomorrow’s jobs by growing local talent through education and workforce strategies that equip youth and workers with the skills and encourage but not fund postsecondary education or credentials needed for careers in growing industries.
Section 6. The City shall ensure equal access to affordable and quality housing by following goals, policies, and actions included in the City of Albuquerque & Bernalillo County (ABC) Comprehensive Plan that are intended to help expand housing type options, ensure affordable housing in rural, suburban, and urban locations, and address housing and related services for vulnerable populations and those experiencing homelessness.
Section 7. The City, shall begin to complete a data collection plan and shall consult with the City Attorney or their designee prior to finalizing such plan. The plan shall include a process to begin collecting and reviewing demographic and geographic data in the delivery of programs and services and in community engagement processes. The Office of Equity and Inclusion shall regularly review and provide recommendations on indicators of important community conditions related to equity and inclusion, for the City's five-year goals. The Mayor’s Office and City Council shall receive annual reports from the Office of Equity and Inclusion outlining the results of demographic and geographic data to inform future decision-making regarding policies and practices. The Office of Equity and Inclusion may propose to the Mayor ways to arrange for statistically sound analysis to identify trends in the data that encompass both historic and future impacts. During the pendency of United States v. City of Albuquerque, 14-cv-1025, no City department, other than as identified in a court order, shall collect data from Albuquerque Police Department or make recommendations to the Albuquerque Police Department based on a data analysis. Each Department shall identify an equity liaison who shall report directly to the head of the Department and who will be responsible for managing and reporting on that Department’s equity assessment program.
Section 8. With the assistance of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, each Department shall conduct a racial equity assessment and develop a racial equity action plan of that Department’s practices, policies, expenditures, and distribution of resources which will be included in the budget process.
Section 9. During the City’s annual budget review process each agency shall include in its report to City Council an equity note for internal review; and City Council may ask questions as needed.
Section 10. The Mayor’s Office and City Council will endeavor to work with the Office of Equity and Inclusion to review the City’s Public Boards, Commissions, and Committees Ordinance and explore opportunities for furthering the City’s commitment to racial and social equity and inclusion on local advisory boards.
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