Palo Alto Race & Equity Priorities: Progress Update

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PaloAltoConnect

6 min readAug 22, 2024

As part of the City Council’s continued commitment to fostering inclusion, equity, and a sense of belonging, gain the latest race and equity progress, including events and activities coming up focused on community connection, learning and more.

RACE AND EQUITY PROGRESS

The City Council continues its focus on race and equity, which was originally adopted in 2020, through ongoing updates to the Policy and Services Committee. While most of the initial work directed by the Council has been completed, the following updates on the remaining initiatives were presented to the Policy and Services Committee on August 13, 2024.

Equity Action Plan

In collaboration with Ivy Planning Group, the City developed an Equity Action Plan that outlines Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) efforts to take place throughout 2024 and 2025. This action plan provides a clear framework for actionable steps and measurable outcomes and the City hired its first Equity & Inclusion Program Manager, who leads the City’s DEIB efforts with stakeholders to create systematic changes.

Alternative Mental Health Support Update

Psychiatric Emergency Response Team (PERT)

The PERT program has been very successful in teaming up police officers with licensed mental health clinicians to provide rapid intervention to people in a mental health crisis, diverting them away from hospital emergency rooms or jail whenever possible. On June 19, 2023, the City Council approved funding for two more clinicians to allow PAPD to have seven-day-a-week coverage. Although the City has been actively recruiting since then, the City has been unable to fill these positions to date.

Trusted Response Urgent Support Team (TRUST) Update

North County TRUST (Trusted Response Urgent Support Team) is an alternative mental health response involving a call center and outreach team consisting of a mental health worker, a first aid provider, and a specially trained community resident with first-hand experience with mental health challenges. The City of Palo Alto, together with Mountain View and Los Altos, conducted a pilot program, made possible through a federal grant, from Spring 2023 through Summer 2024 to augment North County TRUST with outreach and education, case management, and mental health first aid training. Additionally, the City of Palo Alto contracted with a consultant to evaluate the pilot program. Evaluation findings included:

Community members, Police Departments, and staff from the three Augmentation Cities have developed new and enhanced awareness of how to respond in a mental health crisis, including awareness of the availability of TRUST as a resource.
Utilization of TRUST steadily increased throughout the Evaluation period.
Case Management services resulted in positive client outcomes.

The County continues to offer a Countywide TRUST program, which the community can access by calling 800–704–0900 and press 1, or call 988 for local 408, 650, and 699 area codes.

Mental Health First Aid Training

Held in partnership with Momentum for Mental Health, this program trained 125 staff on recognizing signs of a mental health crisis. This program, funded by a federal grant secured by Congresswoman Eshoo, as part of the abovementioned TRUST augmentation, resulted in outreach to 246 individuals throughout the community. The current contract ends this August, as do the current series of trainings.

DEI Training

In partnership with CircleUp Education, City staff have been receiving bi-monthly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion trainings on a variety of topics, such as Cultural Competency and LGBTQ+ sensitivity.

Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) Data

The Police Department released the updated RIPA Dashboard in June 2024, reflecting both 2022 and 2023 data.

ONGOING CITYWIDE PROGRAMS SUPPORTING DEIB

The Art Center recently hosted two exhibitions fostering cultural appreciation through the universal language of food. The “Feast or Famine” show, which ran Jan. 20-April 7, 2024, highlighted the role that food plays in connecting people to culture and each other through art. The “What’s Cookin?” juried show featured 60 diverse artists showcasing their own individual and cultural connections to food from June 22 to Aug. 18.

Don’t miss the next show, “Grow!” open Sept. 21-Dec. 15, 2024. Explore gardens through the eyes of 21 artists in diverse mediums focusing on labor equity, history and memory, sustainability, climate change and wellbeing.

Palo Alto’s 2024 King Artist in Residence Alma Landeta — a trans and mixed-race visual artist and educator — hosted a free workshop on June 12 focusing on observation through creating portraits, and on June 20, Alma hosted an open studio for community members to connect and learn more.

Palo Alto City Library

The library offers a variety of programs and reading lists for all ages to foster inclusion and belonging, ranging from weekly ESL Conversation Group and Tai Chi to monthly Zumba classes, documentaries, and more. For the Palo Alto library event calendar, go here. Find the following book lists on the library website:

Anti-Racism

Black History Month

Women’s History Month

For more resources and booklists celebrating different heritage months, please see our blogs:

UPCOMING EVENTS CELEBRATING EQUITY & INCLUSION

Community Events

Moonlight Run & Walk 2024

Sept. 20, 5:30 p.m., Palo Alto Baylands
This Palo Alto Weekly event benefits local non-profits supporting kids and families! Learn more here.

Education

ESL Conversation Group

Next Dates: August 28, Sept. 4, Sept. 11, Sept. 18, Sept. 25, 11 a.m. — 12 p.m.
Join the Library’s ESL (English as a Second Language) weekly conversation group to practice your English in a friendly environment. Learn more here.

Community Emergency Response Team Training

Sept. 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 6:30–9:30 p.m., Mitchell Park Community Center
Learn basic training how to become a resource in your neighborhood following a disaster. Learn more here.

Mental Health & Wellness

Mental Health First Aid Training: Part 2

August 24, 10 a.m. — 2 p.m., Downtown Library, 270 Forest Ave., Palo Alto, CA, 94301
Learn how to support your loved ones and neighbors by becoming certified in Mental Health First Aid. Learn more here.

Zumba for All Ages with Alicia Gnam

Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2, Rinconada Library
Join instructor Alicia Gnam for a monthly Zumba® class. Learn more here.

7th Annual Palo Alto Community Health Fair

Sept. 21, 11 a.m. — 2 p.m., Mitchell Park Community Center
Meet mental health and wellness experts from local organizations that support seniors, teens, and families. Learn more here.

Financial Health and Wellness with Brad Hamada

Next Dates: Sept. 28 & Oct. 5, 2:30–4 p.m., Mitchell Park Library
Financial wellness instructor Brad Hamada provides financial education so that everyone may enjoy a more secure future.

Beyond the Books: A Teen Mental Health Summit

Oct. 5, 10 a.m. — 3 p.m., Mitchell Park Community Center
This event encourages teens to engage in intergenerational conversations to support their academic, social and mental wellbeing. Learn more here.