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EHRAC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Receive a Report from the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee; (2) If So Desired, Discuss and Consider Approval of the Report’s Recommendations; and (3) Determine Next Steps as Deemed Necessary.
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Meeting Date: April 23, 2024
Contact Person/Dept: Michelle Hamilton/Human Resources
Phone Number: (310) 253-5640
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (04/17/2024); (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Equity & Human Relations Advisory Committee (04/17/2024); (E-Mail) All City Staff (04/17/2024)
Department Approval: Dana Anderson, Human Resources Director (04/17/2024)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee (EHRAC): (1) receive a report from the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee; (2) if so desired, discuss and consider approval of the report’s recommendations; and (3) determine next steps as deemed necessary.
BACKGROUND
In 2021, the Culver City Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee created a Community Contributions Award to honor outstanding individuals and businesses for their contributions to equity and human relations in Culver City.
During the April 26, 2022, meeting there was clarification that the 2021 award would be issued as the “Equity and Human Relations Award.”
For the last three years, the awards recipients have been individuals, nonprofit organizations, and businesses who have embodied inclusiveness, altruism, and giving through volunteerism and public service to make Culver City a better place for all people to live. Medallions are granted to honorees from each of the categories listed below:
• An Individual - A Culver City resident or a person employed in Culver City;
• A Student - Resident of Culver City or attending a Culver City Elementary, Middle School or High School, or West LA College;
• A Culver City business owner; and
• An executive director of a non-profit organization serving the Culver City area.
At the September 26, 2023, special meeting, the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee achieved consensus to agendize this item for discussion at the January 23, 2024, regular meeting.
At the January 23, 2024, regular meeting, consensus was achieved to open the awards through January 31, 2024, and marketing with the approved flyer was slated to begin on January 24, 2024.
At the February 27, 2024, special meeting, consensus was achieved to extend the Equity and Human Relations Awards submission deadline to March 31, 2024, and for EHRAC to receive a report and update at the March 19, 2024, special meeting from the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
At the March 19, 2024, special meeting, consensus was achieved for EHRAC to receive a report and update at the April 23, 2024, regular meeting from the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee
The Equity and Human Relations Award Ad Hoc Subcommittee Report is attached for EHRAC review and approval. (Attachment 1)
Please note: Staff observed the following statements included in the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee Report that are inaccurate or misrepresentative.
1. “We ad hoc subcommittee members were contacted Tuesday, April 16, by Jeannine Houchen, who staffs our committee, and asked to meet with her and with Michelle Hamilton, who also staffs our committee, via Zoom, which we did.”
Staff Observations:
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, staff received the Equity and Human Relations Award Subcommittee Report on April 11, 2024, along with a request to include the applications for the Ad Hoc Committee selected finalists.
On Thursday, April 11, 2024, Staff replied to the Equity and Awards Ad Hoc Committee to inquire as to the releasing of nominee names prior to awardees being selected in a public setting.
On Monday April 15, 2024, Member Rona replied to staff’s inquiry with the following:
“Thanks for asking. Everything considered, please do include the finalists' names. I do suggest that Wednesday we let the award recipients know who they are as well as those who nominated them. Naturally, I will be happy to discuss this with you.”
On Tuesday April 16, 2024, in response to concerns surrounding sharing and discussing the nominees and information that may be personal to them in a public setting, in some cases without their knowledge, staff consulted the Community Contributions Awards/Equity and Human Relations Awards Guidelines (Attachment 2) drafted and shared with staff and EHRAC at the conclusion of the Award’s Inaugural year (Award for 2021 presented in 2022). This document was resupplied to staff and Equity and Human Relations Award Ad Hoc Member Moammar on February 8, 2024, by a former EHRAC Member. The document stated the following in the selection process:
Only the subcommittee members are to receive the email notifications and the nomination forms. The subcommittee is to determine the top three nominees for each award category and present them to the full committee during the April Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee meeting for a full committee vote on each award recipient.
Subsequently, after consulting with the City Attorney’s Office, it was confirmed that applications could not be shared in a public setting as they contained personal and contact information of nominees and nominators. Staff requested a meeting via email reply to Member Rona on April 16, 2024, to share this guidance discuss this issue.
2. “During this meeting we were told that because the original committee had voted in 2020 to use a rubric to evaluate the nominees, we needed to do the same this time.”
Staff Observations:
The development of a rubric had been assigned to the Community Contributions Awards/Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee in June 2022 at the conclusion of the first Equity and Human Relations Award cycle. The Guidelines and Rubric were the compilation of all the decisions voted upon throughout the inaugural year of the awards and provided to the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee and staff for use in subsequent years. The document states the following process:
“The subcommittee will use the scoring rubric to give each nomination a numeric score. The nominations will be ranked in order of the highest score. Nominations must have a minimum score of 16 to qualify. If multiple nominations have the same high score, it is up to the subcommittee to select which of those nominations are to be included in the top three.”
The criteria have been presented and re-presented to EHRAC in subsequent years for the committee to approve as changes deemed it necessary prior to the Community Contributions Awards/Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee designation of category finalists. (Attachments 3, 4, 5 and 6).
3. “It had become clear to staff during this April 2024 meeting that the ad hoc subcommittee members had selected the finalists by discussing each nominee thoroughly and reaching consensus on the top two rather than by using the rubric.”
Staff Observations:
During the April 16, 2024, meeting between staff and the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee, it had become clear that EHRAC and newer members of the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee were not advised of past practices including but not limited to the use of a rubric and the 2021 Guidelines, and it has been determined that changes to previously approved selection process for which applications were to be evaluated this year was not presented to EHRAC for review and subsequent approval.
4. During the first three years no students and no businesses were nominated and only a few individuals and a few nonprofits were nominated. However, this year the total number of nominations was 22.
Staff Observations:
2021: 23 Nominations (2 businesses, 14 individuals, 7 nonprofits)
2022: 3 Nominations (2 individuals, 1 nonprofit)
2023: 22 Nominations (5 businesses, 10 Individuals, 4 nonprofits, 3 students)
5. During the Zoom meeting on April 16, 2024, staff stated that one option is that the ad hoc subcommittee select the four award recipients in advance and present only these four to the full committee for a final vote.
Staff Observations:
In discussion surrounding anonymity of nominees, staff was asked how EHRAC could be expected to achieve anonymity of awardees until the results were made public. In response to this question, staff referred the members of the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee to the process by which the Financial Advisory Committee handles the FAC awards.
DISCUSSION
In addition to general updates, items to be discussed at the April 23, 2024, regular meeting are as follows:
• Update on nominations.
• Update on scoring criteria.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is an approximate $600.00 budgetary impact for the purchase and personalization of the award medallions.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2024-04-23_ATT1_Equity and Human Relations Awards_ April 2024
2. 2024-04-23_ATT2_2021 Equity and Human Relations Award Guidelines_06.21.2021
3. 2024-04-23_ATT3_2021 Awards Staff Report_20220322
4. 2024-04-23_ATT4_2021 Awards Award Criteria_20220322
5. 2024-04-23_ATT5_2022 Awards Staff Report_20230328
6. 2024-04-23_ATT6_2022 Awards Award Criteria_20230328
7. 2024-04-23_ATT7_Awards Subcommittee Report Outlining Award Criteria_20211019
MOTION
That the Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee:
1. Receive a report from the Equity and Human Relations Awards Ad Hoc Subcommittee;
2. If so desired, approve of the report’s recommendations; and
3. Determine next steps as deemed necessary.