News Flash

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Posted on: July 31, 2023

City DEI Initiatives Update - July/August 2023

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - Colorful Hands Together

We are more than halfway through the calendar year, and we thought it would be a good time to update community members on the City’s 2023 DEI initiatives. 

DEI planning and initiatives are at the forefront of our agenda, and we remain steadfast in implementing them as a top priority. The City Council's 2023 Work Plan, adopted in March, places significant emphasis on DEI initiatives, with 15 specific priorities aimed at fostering an equitable and diverse environment. 

Here are  some recent City actions that align with the City Council’s Work Plan DEI objectives. 

Completed: 

  • East Blithedale Avenue Project* - Road and sidewalk rehabilitation designed under the “Complete Streets” policy, which ensures roadways and public rights of way are planned, designed, operated, and maintained to be safe and comfortable for everyone, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, income, or chosen travel mode.
  • Downtown Project* - The project furthers the City’s goal to provide safe, equitable and accessible use of our public right of way.
  • Community Engagement - The City recently hired a Senior Management Analyst to focus on strategic planning and community engagement.
  • Flag Policy and Pride Month Flag Display - The City Council approved a Flag Policy and all City facilities displayed the Pride Flag in the month of June, for the first time in the City’s history.
  • Soft Story Ordinance - Council approved the ordinance, which is important both for public safety and for preserving the diversity of housing options in Mill Valley, including workforce and affordable housing.
  • Events - The City commemorated Black History Month and Fair Housing Month, hosted the Juneteenth Freedom Festival and Pride Flag Raising and other events throughout Pride Month, The Mill Valley Library offered a myriad of events and programs as well.
  • Community Chats - The Mayor, Vice Mayor and City Manager have conducted two chats in May and June that were well attended by community members, and we plan more for the future.
  • Bias By Proxy Education Campaign - The education campaign in collaboration with local community members, has had a successful launch, and the City is working on future outreach and engagement. 
  • Heritage Month Celebrations in After School Teen Program - Recreation staff launched a new monthly rotating Heritage Month Celebration program which includes art, photographs, descriptions, movie screenings, and an interactive quiz geared toward raising awareness about a selected heritage, culture, community, or service.
  • PAASS - Recreation staff continue their collaboration with Project Awareness And Special Sports (PAASS) to provide an array of adaptive needs programming throughout the year.
  • SOMA Aquatics - Recreation staff continue their collaboration with SOMA Aquatics and Play Marin to offer free transportation and pool access for SOMA programming and Lifeguard supervision of on-site swim lessons.
  • Complaint Process - The Mill Valley Police Department (MVPD) has improved community access to the complaint process by updating the complaint form online and providing paper copies in the lobby of the Police Department and City Hall. All officers carry complaint packets and business cards with a link to the online complaint form.

Underway and Ongoing:

  • Housing Element - The revised Housing Element was sent to HCD and is now pending 60-day review.
  • Affordable Housing - 1 Hamilton - The July 11 public meeting gave the project team input to assemble an updated set of application materials for further evaluation as part of the development review process. 
  • Paid Internship Program - The program is underway and has already led to a Full Time Hire for one of the program participants.
  • Human Resources: Staff continues to work on issues related to recruitment, retention, succession planning and employee wellness.
  • RIPA - Data collection and reporting to the DOJ is ongoing. MVPD is looking into grants to support analyst services for small jurisdictions. 
  • Schools - MVPD is working with Tam High and the Mill Valley Middle School on supporting students and families.

Upcoming

  • DEI Consultant Services 
    • Context Assessment
    • Training Program for Staff 
    • High level strategy and programmatic level consultation 
  • Continued Community Engagement/Events 
    • National Night Out (8/1/23)
    • Family Fun Fest (8/21/23)
    • Elder Fraud Event (8/23/23)
    • Hosted in partnership with the Mill Valley School District DEI Committee: 
      • November Harvest Festival (11/8/23) 
      • Black Excellence/History Month (1/30/24)
    • Hosted in partnership with the Marin City Community Center:
      • Silent Disco (12/8/23)
  • Employee Engagement Survey
  • ADA Transition Plan and ADA Coordinator

At the City of Mill Valley, we affirm our Core Value of creating a livable community designed to be sustainable, accessible and inclusive, that meets the needs of all. We are committed to act and encourage community action towards eliminating racial disparities, both inside government and in the community.

* These projects are substantially complete and now in final punchlist phase.

Learn more:

Visit the City of Mill Valley DEI Webpage

Email us at dei@cityofmillvalley.org

Join our email list: Sign up to receive DEI updates.

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