1.1 Review and Update Existing Program Design – Consulting leading practices, the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should review and update its existing program design and then document all elements of the office — including:
- How it aligns with both Executive Order No. 146 and other citywide goals and priorities.
- Its specific goals and strategies.
- A logic model specifying office activities, staffing, resources, results, and expected outcomes.
- How it plans to monitor and evaluate the success of the office’s programs and initiatives.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 23, 2022
See page 52 for the Auditor’s Addendum.
1.2 Assess Needs the Office Should Address – While reviewing and updating its program design as part of Recommendation 1.1, the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should conduct a formal, documented needs assessment of the office and its initiatives to ensure it meets identified needs in the city. This assessment should include a clear description of the issues the office wants to address and how each issue aligns with the office’s goals and strategies as well as Executive Order No. 146.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 23, 2022
1.3 Develop and Document a Strategic Plan – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should develop and document a strategic plan that aligns with Executive Order No. 146, stakeholders’ strategic plans, and leading practices. At a minimum, the plan should include:
- Specific and measurable objectives.
- A clearly defined mission statement.
- Key performance metrics.
- An action plan detailing how strategies will be implemented — including specific activities, associated costs, designated responsibilities, and time frames.
- An effective method for analyzing outside factors and stakeholder concerns.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 23, 2022
1.4 Ensure Consistent Mission, Goals, and Strategies – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should ensure its mission, goals, and strategies are consistent across Executive Order No. 146, all strategic planning documents, and all office communications.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
1.5 Document Policies and Procedures – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should document comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure office staff and members of other agencies’ equity, diversity, and inclusion teams properly implement the office’s programs and initiatives. The policies and procedures should define key roles and responsibilities for individual staff to ensure institutional knowledge is retained.
Once approved, the policies and procedures should be communicated to office staff and members of other agencies’ equity, diversity, and inclusion teams. In addition, the office should develop and document a process to periodically evaluate these policies and procedures and revise them as necessary.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Sept. 23, 2022
1.6 Develop and Document Succession and Contingency Plans – As the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation documents roles and responsibilities through Recommendation 1.5, it should develop and document a succession and contingency plan to reassign responsibilities and minimize interruptions when a key staff member leaves.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Sept. 23, 2022
See page 52 for the Auditor’s Addendum.
1.7 Implement Performance Metrics – As the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation develops and documents key performance metrics through Recommendation 1.3, it should implement them to track the success of the city’s social equity and race and social justice efforts. The office should ensure these metrics align with its goals, strategies, and objectives.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 23, 2022
1.8 Identify Agency-Specific Equity Personnel – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should develop and document a process to identify agencies with their own equity staff members to ensure those individuals receive and communicate information consistent with citywide initiatives. The office should also work with these agency-specific personnel to develop clear roles and responsibilities that align with citywide equity initiatives.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
2.1 Review and Revise Executive Order No. 146 – As the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation updates its program design as part of Recommendation 1.1, it should work with the Mayor’s Office to evaluate Executive Order No. 146 and revise it to clarify vague wording and to better reflect Social Equity and Innovation’s existing responsibilities and initiatives. Specifically, the revised executive order should clearly define:
- Social Equity and Innovation’s authority to enforce other city agencies’ compliance with its initiatives.
- The roles and responsibilities of other city agencies in fulfilling the executive order’s requirements.
- Whether equity training offered by Social Equity and Innovation is mandatory for city staff.
- Social Equity and Innovation’s and other city agencies’ roles in the budget equity process.
- What a “citywide equity scan” is intended to be.
Once the executive order is revised, Social Equity and Innovation should ensure it fully complies with all requirements.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
2.2 Evaluate the Future of Executive Order No. 146 – As the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation works with the Mayor’s Office to review Executive Order 146 as part of implementing Recommendation 2.1, it should consider whether an executive order is the appropriate method for achieving agencies’ compliance with the city’s equity initiatives or whether Social Equity and Innovation and its efforts should be codified by other means, such as in city ordinance. Social Equity and Innovation should document its decision and the decision-making process it used.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
2.3 Ensure Agencies Comply with Executive Order No. 146 – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should work with the Mayor’s Office to obtain the support it needs to ensure all agencies under the mayor comply with Executive Order 146. The office should document these discussions and any efforts to gain agencies’ compliance.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
2.4 Explore Alternative Training Methods – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should work with the Office of Human Resources to evaluate other ways to offer training courses on equity and racial and social justice to city employees to maximize Social Equity and Innovation’s mission of achieving transformative change in city government.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Sept. 23, 2022
2.5 Identify Budget Personnel – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should work with the Budget and Management Office to develop and document a process to identify city agencies’ staff who are new to the budget equity process and ensure they understand the process and receive the necessary resources and training.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Sept. 23, 2022
2.6 Document Activities for the Budget Equity Process – As part of documenting roles and responsibilities in policies and procedures as part of Recommendation 1.5, the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should draft policies and procedures that document its roles and responsibilities specifically for the budget equity process. The office should define specific activities such as:
- Training city employees about the process.
- Reviewing and providing feedback on agencies’ budget proposals.
- When Social Equity and Innovation should be involved in the budget equity process.
- How it should work with the Budget and Management Office.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
2.7 Evaluate Staffing and Resources for the Budget Equity Process – As the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation updates its program design as part of Recommendation 1.1, the office should conduct a formal, documented evaluation of its staffing levels and resources to determine whether they are adequate for office staff to participate in the budget equity process to the extent they desire.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Nov. 8, 2022
3.1 Develop and Document a Communication Plan – The Mayor’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation should develop and document a communication plan for how it plans to communicate information with other city agencies. The plan should identify all necessary stakeholders and detail when, where, and how the office will communicate:
- Timely notification of upcoming trainings.
- The roles and responsibilities of agencies’ equity, diversity, and inclusion teams, in line with Recommendation 1.5.
- Citywide initiatives, either from Social Equity and Innovation or other city agencies.
The office should share the plan with all necessary stakeholders to ensure communication is clear and consistent.
Agency Response: Agree, Implementation Date – Oct. 14, 2022