Equity SR

A Critical Organizational Development Initiative

Identified as one of the City Council’s priorities, the City of Santa Rosa seeks to establish a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. To help achieve this goal, the City has launched work with an equity and organizational development consulting team that will collaborate directly with our staff to develop the roadmap for how to get there.

Utilizing interviews with City staff and key outside stakeholders, surveys, and focus groups, this internal process will include identifying opportunities, challenges and barriers to achieving greater diversity and inclusion in the organization. The focus groups will also analyze and discuss assessment findings and build consensus around proposed recommendations.

The Process & Outcomes

The internal process will culminate with creation of a comprehensive work plan for becoming a more equitable and inclusive workplace. In addition to an overall plan for the City, specific plans for the Police and Fire departments will also be developed. This point will be the end to Seed’s contribution to the process, and from there, the City will embark on the plan implementation through structural and cultural change that moves the City on a pathway of belonging for all staff as well as the greater community.

About the Consulting Team Working with the City

The City has contracted with Seed Collaborative (Seed) for assistance with this process. A key component of Seed’s work is partnering with government agencies to strengthen equitable practices, policies, systems, and structures. Seed approaches equity through a targeted universalism lens (TU approach) with the goal of helping partners create belonging cultures. Learn more about Seed and TU by checking out the videos below.