The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is pleased to share updates on efforts to advance and embed racial equity throughout their work, and the work of their partner agencies. Each year, SGC compiles organizational and interagency staff updates on racial equity-focused initiatives and presents those findings as an agenda item at a public Council meeting. For 2024, highlights were presented to Council on Aug. 22.
In order for CDPH to become an anti-racist organization and embed racial equity across the department, racial equity needs to be at the center of all we do.
Directed by the 2020 SGC Racial Equity Resolution and aligned with Governor Newsom’s Executive Order on Advancing Equity (N-16-22), this year’s interagency racial equity Council item featured a practitioner panel moderated by SGC’s Deputy Director for Equity and Government Transformation, Hoi-Fei Mok. The panel was made up of staff and state government leaders who work to advance racial equity at their offices, and lead many of the initiatives referenced in the meeting materials.
Integrating tribal priorities is a key priority of the work we do at CNRA. Early, often, and meaningful consultation with tribes is how you can learn the priorities of your partners and work in partnership with tribes and tribal leaders.
The panel consisted of the following state government leaders:
- Ana Bolaños, Assistant Deputy Director of Program & Policy, Tribal Liaison, and Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative Project Director, at the California Department of Public Health
- Geneva Thompson, Deputy Secretary for Tribal Affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency
- Nailah Pope-Harden, Deputy Director of Equity and Tribal Affairs, at the California Department of Transportation
Disadvantaged communities can often be grouped together. In equity practices, we must think about each community individually. At Caltrans, projects feature community engagement coordinators who are able to understand communities at a closer level and meet their needs.
Among a variety of topics, panelists spoke to the Council about racial equity as a key priority and standard practice at their agencies. They elevated strategies developed by staff that embed anti-racism practices in their work, expand tribal engagement and access, and promote equity and belonging for staff.
SGC Organizational Updates
During the meeting, Deputy Director, Mok, provided a brief presentation on progress to advance racial equity across SGC, from August 2023 to August 2024. They also highlighted the broad range of racial equity activity happening not only across SGC’s programmatic work, but interagency coordination and institutional change as well.
SGC is unique in the way it brings together multiple sectors and organizations within government. This helps identify barriers and improve coordination around changes that must be made within government to better address inequities and meet community needs.
SGC aims to embed a racial equity approach across its initiatives and priorities, including through initiatives such as the:
- SGC Strategic Plan
- 2023-25 Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP)
- Council Priority 2: Advancing Capacity Building as a Key Equity Strategy
- California Health in All Policies Task Force
- Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity, led by State of Equity (Public Health Institute)
SGC’s 2024 staff report on organizational racial equity advancement strategies can be accessed online.
Updates from SGC Member Agencies
In addition to SGC’s organizational report, each SGC agency, the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (formerly Office of Planning and Research), and the California Racial Equity Commission also provided written updates, accessible in an additional staff report: 2023-24 Staff Report of SGC Agency Updates
Across SGC’s member agencies, highlights of emerging and ongoing racial equity advancement strategies included:
- Alignment with Executive Order N-16-22 and the California Racial Equity Commission;
- Community engagement and technical assistance initiatives aimed to increase access to resources and services, with an emphasis on underserved populations;
- Continued implementation of Racial Equity Action Plans;
- Development of equity-focused jobs, duties, and certifications;
- Greater capacity to advance racial equity and belonging via staff trainings, the Capitol Collaborative on Race & Equity, affinity groups, and more;
- Language access initiatives expanded or established;
- Metrics set and utilized for identifying at-need populations; and,
- New and diverse programs and investments prioritize racial equity and tribal engagement.
Next Steps
SGC will prepare programmatic updates guided by the SGC 2023-25 REAP, and present to the Council publicly in December 2024. The REAP is approaching the end of its second year of implementation, with a scheduled completion date at the end of 2025.
To learn more about SGC’s racial equity advancement initiatives, visit SGC’s Health & Equity Program webpage. For questions, please email HiAP@sgc.ca.gov.