Race equity plan report on County’s agenda

A report on how well Marin County is doing on its Race Equity Action Plan Implementation will be reviewed at the Marin County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The item is expected to be taken up at about 2 p.m.

Here is the staff report on REAP:

RECOMMENDATION: Accept the report and accompanying presentation of the recommendations of the Marin County Race Equity Action Plan (REAP) Implementation Team.

SUMMARY: The Board allocated $1.7 million to fund and implement the County’s Race Equity Action Plan (REAP). This plan identifies three critical focus areas—economic opportunity, housing, and mental health—as high- leverage opportunities to advance racial equity in Marin. Implementation of the REAP is perhaps the most critical step to create positive, meaningful change over time. Key elements of successful implementation include well- resourced stewardship, strong accountability structures, and clear communications with all partners.

To support REAP implementation, the Marin County Office of Equity convened a community-centered team of local jurisdictions, non-profit organizations, and community members to guide the $1.7 million allocation. Known as the REAP Implementation Team, this body was charged with developing work plans to implement the priority actions in the plan. This included identifying accountability partners, additional funding to augment the current allocation, and performance measures to track progress.

In addition to containing the recommendations of the REAP Implementation Team, the attached report outlines the collaborative process, systems change framework, and connection to the County’s broader equity goals, embedded in the REAP implementation process.

FISCAL IMPACT: The cost allocations proposed explicitly in the implementation recommendations are drawn from $1.7 million in ARPA funds previously designated by your Board for the Race Equity Action Plan. Some recommendations from the REAP Implementation Team implicitly require future funding sources for items such as infrastructure improvements or ongoing program costs. However, any funding indicated outside of the $1.7 million allocated for REAP is not being submitted for your Board’s consideration at this time.

EQUITY IMPACT: Many indicators of well-being in Marin County show troubling disparities by race. These disparities are often created and maintained through policies and practices that contain barriers to opportunity. It’s possible—and only possible—to close racial equity gaps by using strategies determined through an intentional focus on race. The Race Equity Action Plan (REAP) Implementation Strategy outlines recommendations to address these disparities and create equitable outcomes. The community partners engaged to develop these recommendations include a cross-section of community leaders, service providers, and multi-jurisdictional stakeholders convened for the explicit purpose of embedding diverse representation in the process. Each action group of the REAP Implementation Team conducted a root-cause analysis and systematic data review to deepen understanding of equity gaps for their respective focus area (e.g., Housing, Mental Health, Economic Opportunity). The recommended strategies reflect an action- oriented approach to addressing not only the inequities defined by the plan, but also the root causes. For each action item, the Implementation Teams identified the communities that are impacted by historical disparities, the partnerships needed for implementation, and the indicators that will define success. The resulting Implementation Strategy is a clear vision and systemic approach to addressing identified racial equity gaps. In collaboration with department staff, leadership and community partners, the Office of Equity will develop detailed strategies to monitor progress, establish accountability mechanisms and provide updates to the community and your Board.