SONOMA COUNTY - File #: 2026-0639

File #:

2026-0639

Type:

Regular Calendar Item

Status:

Agenda Ready

File created:

5/21/2026

In control:

Office of Equity

On agenda:

10/13/2026

Final action:

Title:

Racial Equity Action Plan Update

Department or Agency Name(s):

Office of Equity

Attachments:

1. Attachment A_Summary Report.pdf, 2. Attachment B_Informe Resumido .pdf, 3. Attachment C_Racial Equity Analysis.pdf, 4. Attachment D_PowerPoint.pdf, 5. Attachment E_REAP Implementation Progress.pdf

Text

To: Board of Supervisors

Department or Agency Name(s): Office of Equity

Staff Name and Phone Number: Melissa Valle (707-565-8631) and Dora Estrada (707-565-8632)

Vote Requirement: Informational Only

Supervisorial District(s): Countywide

Title:

Title

Racial Equity Action Plan Update

End

Recommended Action:

Recommended action

Accept staff report on the Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) update

end

Executive Summary:

The Office of Equity (OOE) began implementing the Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) shortly after its adoption by the Board of Supervisors in May 2024 <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6690571&GUID=84C66534-588D-49BF-BECF-ED31CF64F0AB&Options=&Search=>. Two years later, the OOE launched a second Core Team cohort, charged with implementing the REAP across the County; executed Partnership Agreements with participating departments to establish a shared foundation for cross-departmental collaboration; and began translating REAP strategies into actionable initiatives.

As directed by the REAP, this update marks the first public report on implementation, outlining the Office of Equity’s efforts to normalize, organize, and operationalize the REAP, based on nationally adopted best practices from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) <https://www.racialequityalliance.org/home>. Under the “Operationalize” section, the Office presents an implementation framework to take the REAP from strategy to practice across the County over the next two years through three main initiatives: (1) rolling out a cross-departmental culturally responsive mentorship program; (2) actively using equity-centric hiring practices and removing artificial barriers in minimum job qualifications (MQs); and (3) establishing equity-centric competencies, training, and evaluation standards for management.

Discussion:

After launching the implementation of the Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) shortly after its approval by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in May 2024 <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6690571&GUID=84C66534-588D-49BF-BECF-ED31CF64F0AB&Options=&Search=>, the Office of Equity (OOE) began moving the REAP from concept to action and toward Countywide implementation.

Despite ongoing federal challenges to racial equity work, capacity constraints across the organization, and competing priorities, the Office of Equity (OOE) has made steady progress over the past two years in leading and supporting the implementation of nine of the ten strategies outlined in the Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP). For a snapshot of implementation progress by sub-strategy, see Attachment E.

Through the work of the Core Team, the OOE has identified that County departments are contributing to the implementation of 120 racial equity initiatives, defined as efforts that change a policy, practice, budget, process, or service and are intentionally designed to improve conditions, access, experience, or outcomes for staff, clients, or communities disproportionately impacted by systemic inequities. These efforts showcase the breadth of racial equity work underway across the County and the continued willingness of County department leadership and staff to integrate REAP strategies into their priorities and initiatives with the support of the OOE.

By leveraging nationwide best practices, including the Government Alliance for Racial Equity (GARE) model <https://sonomacounty.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/OOEExternalSharing/IQCjMXpoSbdnRJ36RGnWxfl-AevjOrdOkpuKjjqftBnUEek> to Normalize, Organize, and Operationalize, the OOE’s first public REAP report highlights key implementation milestones over time and a proposed framework to expand the REAP implementation beyond the OOE and toward a coordinated “One County” approach through three key initiatives presented in the “Operationalize” section of this report.

Normalize:

“Cultivating a shared understanding and common language around race and equity through ongoing learning and intentional dialogue.” - GARE

In the Fall of 2024, following minor Board-approved <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6819789&GUID=91DC25BC-AD19-42BC-99AD-33277A5787E0&Options=&Search=> revisions to the REAP, the Office of Equity partnered with the Human Resources Department (HRD) to co-design and launch the workforce development program: Leaders Engaged in Authentic Development (LEAD). Launched in December 2024, the first LEAD cohort was designed to equip department representatives with the skills, knowledge, and partnerships needed to coordinate the REAP implementation in their respective departments.

Twenty-six participants, representing twenty-one departments, participated in the six-month program and in May 2025 during the LEAD graduation participants showcased their final projects through a gallery walk open to all department heads and County leadership. The final project required participants to assess their department’s REAP implementation readiness by engaging key staff, work groups, executive teams, and department heads in identifying existing strengths and opportunities for equity across three key areas: vision, staff, and budget. The gallery walk provided a first-of-its-kind opportunity for department staff and leaders to discuss their findings with one another, creating a shared understanding of starting points and surfacing opportunities for collaboration across the County in preparation for the “organizing” phase.

Organize:

“Trust must be built, and partnerships developed, to collectively address root causes of inequity.” - GARE

In June 2025, the OOE launched the second Countywide Core Team Cohort with the graduating LEAD participants. Designed and facilitated by the OOE, monthly Core Team workshops, focused first on strengthening relationships among Core Team liaisons, deepening the shared understanding of the “why” behind each key REAP strategy, and outlining the work ahead to develop actionable implementation steps. With its members' active participation of up to 16 hours per month, the Core Team has evolved into a cross‑departmental community of practice, where members learn from one another, share resources, insights, and emerging practices from their departments, and identify practices that can be adapted and replicated across the County.

In the late fall of 2025, the OOE launched Core team workgroups aligned with three of the REAP’s strategic focus areas, professional and leadership development, inclusive hiring and recruitment and racial equity competency development for management. Since then, workgroups have identified, researched, and evaluated promising practices connected to these focus areas and translated those findings into actionable initiatives with implementation goals, taking the first steps toward moving the REAP from strategy to consistent practice.

An initial key factor identified for successful hands-on implementation was the need to formalize departmental commitments to the work ahead. In Spring 2026, the Office of Equity introduced Partnership Agreements between the OOE and Core Team participating departments to establish a clear and agreed-upon foundation for cross‑departmental collaboration.

Operationalize:

“Operationalizing racial equity means embedding it into the core of your organization’s work. This involves using and adapting racial equity tools to critically evaluate policies, practices, and service delivery, ensuring they align with equity goals.” - GARE

With a mature Core Team cohort, established Partnership Agreements, and defined initiatives, the OOE has built a strong foundation to advance from concept to action, recognizing that a successful “One County” implementation requires sustained engagement, coordinated action, and shared accountability across all partners. We all have a role to play: the OOE serves as the main steward and strategic lead for the implementation of the Racial Equity Action Plan; the Board of Supervisors (BOS) and the County Executive’s Office (CEO) endorse the proposed work and bolster organizational support for these efforts; County Counsel ensures alignment with legal requirements; County departments advance implementation through Core Team participation and adoption of department-level initiatives; and the Human Resources Department plays a key role in sustaining long-term efforts, given the REAP’s primary focus is advancing racial equity within the County workforce.

From Strategy to Practice

The OOE is adopting a phased implementation framework to ensure thoughtful execution of REAP strategies and resulting practices, including co-designing initiatives with Core Team members, testing and rolling them out across a select number of departments, learning from early implementation, and refining the approach before expanding to a coordinated “One County” implementation. The final phase will evaluate countywide outcomes and identify opportunities for continuous program improvement.

The following outlines high-level milestones for operationalizing the REAP sub-strategies across the County over the next two years. All three initiatives are in the design phase and are planned to launch in the Spring of 2027.

One-County Practice: Cross departmental Culturally Responsive Mentorship Program

REAP Sub-strategy 1C - Professional and Leadership Development

This initiative is designed to meet the needs of a diverse workforce. Seeks to expand the County’s ability to offer professional development opportunities across departments, areas of expertise, and shared identities. The program will be intentional in its design and in the selection of mentors and mentees by establishing training requirements and a vetting process that fosters meaningful professional development and high‑quality connections. Additionally, it will provide a framework and toolkit to guide consistent implementation across departments.

Key Milestones:

• April 2027: Limited Department Rollout

• July 2028: Full County Implementation

One-County Practice: Active Use of Equity‑Centric Hiring Practices and Removal of Artificial Barriers in Minimum Job Qualifications (MQs)

REAP Sub-strategy 1D - Inclusive Hiring and Recruitment

Led by HRD, in partnership with the Core Team, this initiative seeks to develop and redesign recruitment tools and strategies that promote the adoption and active use of equity‑centric hiring practices Countywide. This work will integrate equity practices into training, guidance, and outreach materials, and incorporate these updates into the Hiring Toolkit to promote Countywide adoption. In addition, HRD will continue efforts to remove artificial barriers across minimum job qualifications.

Key Milestones:

• May 2027: Limited Department Rollout

• July 2028: Full County Implementation

One-County Practice: Establishment of Equity Centric Competencies, Training, and Evaluation Standards for Management

REAP Sub-strategies 2A and 2B - Equity Competencies for Management

This initiative seeks to better equip managers with the skills and tools to support all employees, with particular attention to the experiences of staff of color, including developing a competency‑based curriculum and related resources to support the application of racial equity principles in day-to-day leadership. Additionally, the OOE will support the Human Resources Department in evaluating current performance evaluation practices across departments, with the goal of establishing a standardized process that incorporates these competencies as core expectations for management across the organization.

Key Milestones:

• April 2027: Limited Department Rollout

• June 2028: Full County Implementation

Strategic Plan:

This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.