Los Gatos workers will begin work on a tangible plan to bolster the city’s efforts to turn into extra welcoming and inclusive following a collection of racially motivated occasions.
City council voted unanimously Tuesday to develop a Justice, Fairness, Variety and Inclusion (JEDI) plan that units targets and lays out modifications for the city to be extra inclusive.
This effort comes after council was verbally attacked by a far proper group that made racist and homophobic statements throughout council conferences, and after anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered on the Addison-Penzak Jewish Group Middle in Los Gatos through the Jewish vacation of Yom Kippur.
The city voted final summer time to pay two advisor teams, American Management Discussion board Silicon Valley Insights (ALFI) and ReadySet, to develop the JEDI report, which audited the city’s present insurance policies and procedures and surveyed residents.
“Previously 12 months and a half, with racial justice points on the forefront of nationwide and native conversations, the city has taken a extra holistic method to JEDI work,” an August 2021 workers report learn.
From there, the teams pinpointed key modifications the city ought to think about, like growing extra reasonably priced housing, partaking with youth teams and creating ongoing engagement and secure areas, working with college districts and youth and constructing extra reasonably priced housing.
Now, ALFI and city workers will develop a plan with particular short- and long-term targets, motion objects, metrics and timelines for the city to make the recommended modifications. The plan may also create city definitions for inclusivity, belonging and different phrases.
“I believe we'd accomplish extra collectively if we have now a standard sense of the place we’re going, and that’s actually the basic cause for the advice,” city supervisor Laurel Prevetti stated. “In order that approach we will make ourselves accountable on these efforts, work with the neighborhood to outline what will we imply by variety, fairness, inclusion in Los Gatos, and the way we get there.”
The workers report confirmed residents have been supportive of growing the plan and needed Los Gatos to be an “inclusive city.”
Kylie Clark, who serves on the planning fee, stated growing reasonably priced housing was an essential aspect in fairness in Los Gatos.
“Above all, housing was the No. 1 want on the subject of genuinely making our city extra inclusive, welcoming and numerous,” Clark stated. “It's futile to plan to embrace different cultures, races and earnings ranges if they aren't in a position to dwell in Los Gatos.”
Council members have been in settlement that having a plan with motion objects would have essentially the most influence in the neighborhood.
“I actually assume for this effort to have influence and worth on the neighborhood is to be much less about elevating consciousness and extra about achievable actions,” Councilmember Matthew Hudes stated.
City workers will work with ALFI to develop the plan and current it to city council for a vote.
“The city has proven that not solely will we speak the speak, however we stroll the stroll,” Councilmember Marico Sayoc stated. “I look ahead to a plan that basically makes a whole lot of these dialogue factors tangible.”