Policy Text
CITY OF OAKLAND
ADMINSTRATIVE INSTRUCTION
SUBJECT Cit y Race and Equit y NUMBER 580
REFERENCE Ordinance 14-0457, OMC EFFECTIVE June 14, 2021
SUPERSEDE None
I. PURPOSE
The Oakland City Council established the Departme nt of Race and Equity (DRE) in 2015 with the
mission to intentionally integrate, on a Citywide basis, the principle of "fair and just" in all the City does
to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities in Oakland. The purpose of this
Administrative Instruction is to provide guidance to the City De partments and staff for city-wide
implementation. II. POLICY BACKGROUND
The 2018 Oakland Equity Indicators Report documented that, as in the entire U.S., race matters; almost
every indicator of well-being showed troubling dispar ities by race for Black, Indigenous, People of color
(BIPOC) in Oakland, with Black residents fairing the worst, followed by Latinos in most cases. The
history of the U.S. documents the countless ways in which the disparities have been created and
maintained, often inadvertently, thro ugh institutionalized policies and prac tices that contained barriers to
opportunity for BIPOC populations. B ecause of this history and its im pacts, the focus of the City’s
equity activities is on race and its intersections with other identities. Since r ace is the most consistent
predictor of life outcomes it is necess ary to focus on racial disparities, and their root causes, to close
equity gaps. As the City makes changes in polic y, spending and programs that removes barriers to
equitable access, and addresses the root causes of hist orical inequity, more equitable results will follow.
While the pervasiveness of inequity caused by the racially targeted denial of access to opportunity
throughout U.S. history creates the mo ral imperative for addressing barriers to wellbeing for all residents
of the Oakland, there is also a powerful economic argument for ending racial inequity. In the Business
Case for Racial Equity , funded by the Kellogg Foundation, “The Altarum [Institute] analysis found that,
by 2030, closing the minority earnings gap would incr ease federal tax revenues by over $1 trillion and
that even a 10% reduction in fe deral Medicaid and income suppor t would reduce these safety net
expenditures by nearly $100 billion. The increase in tax revenues and decrease in outlays would
combine to produce over $1.1 trillion do llars annually that coul d be used to reduce the debt, lower taxes,
or shift spending to other priorities.” i This impact would translate to significant increases in state and
local revenues as well. The Department of Race and Equity was established to support all city departments with the right
messaging, analysis and tools that enables the staff of the City to work to advan ce racial equity and close
disparities in life outcomes. DR E is responsible for delivering programming that expands capacity to
apply equity and social justice practi ces to City actions. Through this acti vity the City stri ves to integrate
these practices into the City's strategic, operatio nal and business plans; management and reporting
systems for accountability and performance, and budgets to eliminate inequities and create opportunities
for all people and communities.
Administrative Instruction 580 – Race and Equity
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III. Race and Equity Theory of Change
A. Vision – To create a city where the diversity of Oakl and has been retained, racial disparities have
been eliminated and racial equity has been achieved.
B. System Change Process – Cultivate advocates and their cap acity to focus on equity, build
infrastructure and political will to support the change, employ new skills/tools to make changes,
track and recognize progress.
C. Action Areas
1. Increase awareness of racial inequity, it’ s root causes and ho w it is perpetuated by
institutions and systems.
2. Mobilize advocates to organize s upport for furthering a shared vi sion of racial equity through
institutional leadership, equity teams a nd staff engagement in change efforts.
3. Develop strategic plans and tools for analysis and resources for advancing racial equity goals,
including specific racial equity outcomes.
4. Train staff to apply pro-equity tools to change structures, poli cies, practices and procedures
to further institutional transformation.
5. Establish baseline disparity data, targets/be nchmarks and processes to track and report
outcomes.
6. Collaborate with community and other institutions/partners to identify and address
cumulative impacts of institutional and structural inequity in Oakland.
D. Strategic Goals - City departments are directed and s upported by DRE to focus their efforts and
resources in the following key areas:
1. Eliminate systemic racism in City governme nt that contribute to disparities in life
outcomes for Oakland residents.
By effectively identifying outco me disparities and removing barri ers to opportunity for those
most impacted by disparities, other disadvantaged groups who share similar obstacles and have
been historically marginalized due to the pervasive and systemic nature of racism will also benefit. The result will be th at all people in the City of Oa kland, including people with low
incomes, people with disabilities, LGBTQ comm unities, women, older adults and young people,
will experience better outcomes when City systems remove barriers.
2. Promote inclusion and full participation for all residents of the City.
By effectively removing barriers to participation that may have previously prevented residents
from successfully working with City government. Inclusive Engagement involves consulting all commun ities in ways that build