Here’s who will serve on SLO City Council’s new diversity task force in wake of protests
The San Luis Obispo City Council selected the 11 community members of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Task Force at its Tuesday meeting, after receiving 95 applications were filed by prospective candidates.
The new task force features 13 members total, including representatives of the City Council and city Human Relations Commission. It will serve as part of a wider effort to help “make the city an inclusive and safe community for everyone.”
The City Council appointed the following members to the advisory body:
▪ Amman Fasil Asfaw, Black Student Life leader and engineering graduate student at Cal Poly;
▪ Dusty Colyer-Worth, San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and GALA committee member;
▪ Erica A. Stewart, San Luis Obispo City Council representative;
▪ Jenell Navarro, chair of Ethnic Studies Department at Cal Poly;
▪ Katherine Soule, GALA board member;
▪ Michael Boyer, Diversity Coalition of San Luis Obispo County founder;
▪ M’Lynn Martin, Black youth leader and youth minister;
▪ Matthew Melendrez, executive team member of Lenses DE&I Institute;
▪ Maxine Kozler Koven, director of LDR Ventures and Cal Poly Center for Innovation advisor;
▪ Oscar Velasco-Vargas, Central Coast Coalition for Undocumented Student Success;
▪ Noha Kolkailah, San Luis Obispo High School teacher and founder/president of the Peace Academy;
▪ Renoda Campbell, Human Resources Commission representative; and
▪ Vanessa Parsons, teacher and equity team member at San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
San Luis Obispo’s City Council declared racism as a public health issue on June 17 and set aside $140,000 for diversity and inclusion spending at its budget cycle this fiscal year. That was added to a previously earmarked $20,000, bringing the total to $160,000 in available funds.
Mayor Heidi Harmon and Stewart, along with city consultants, have been reviewing the applications and hosting virtual interviews to appoint members.
“I just want to reiterate what an honor it is to be part of this process already, to hear people’s stories and pains and ideas,” Harmon said. “I’m so grateful to have this money set aside, to have this Task Force and have so many people willing to step up and participate...we all know this is a long-term commitment. We don’t have any illusions about solving this in the next few months, that’s for sure.”
.jpg "Protest4 (1).jpg")
Civil unrest in SLO
The city has been rocked by numerous protests over the past three months demanding racial and social justice, resulting in the police use of tear gas against protesters who refused to disperse on June 1 and the arrest of 20-year-old Black activist Tianna Arata on July 21.
San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deanna Cantrell has defended both decisions, saying that demonstrators were putting public safety at risk. Protesters, meanwhile, have called for charges against Arata to be dropped, while charging the San Luis Obispo Police Department with having a heavy-handed approach to civil unrest.
The DA’s Office is reviewing evidence in advance of a Sept. 3 court hearing; the Police Department is recommending a total of eight charges against Arata: four felony counts of false imprisonment; one felony count of conspiracy; and three misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing a peace officer, participating in a riot and unlawful assembly.
Cantrell announced Aug. 27 that she’s leaving for a new police chief position in the city of Fairfield.
Task force members had to be 18 and older, be from San Luis Obispo County and have community ties to the city of San Luis Obispo, such as previously living or working in the city.
Of those selected most, live in SLO, except for two in Grover Beach (Martin and Navarro) and two in Arroyo Grande (Boyer and Kolkailah).
“I was just so honored to read everyone’s applications and spend time with them,” Stewart said. “They were genuinely sharing their vulnerable moments that they experienced here in this community, as well as in others. We’re definitely not going to solve racism in a couple of months...I look forward to working with this team and bringing initiatives to the council and community moving forward.”
Stewart said she expects the Task Force will help bring thorough communication from people in different neighborhoods in SLO and elsewhere in the county.
Public outreach for the Task Force was conducted between July 13 through Aug. 3.
“This council action stems from the work that began in June 2019, and is propelled by increased xenophobia, the Black Lives Matter protests, and the problems of systemic racism suffered by many, in many forms,” the council’s Diversity Task Force overview states. “We acknowledge that biases also adversely affect other marginalized groups in SLO. This Task Force is a commitment by the city to take local action on these longstanding problems by making recommendations to the City Council as outlined in this charter.”
Mission of the Task Force
The Task Force’s charter includes five key points:
▪ Focus on activities that support marginalized racial, ethnic, and cultural groups;
▪ Collect information and insight about advancing diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I) in San Luis Obispo;
▪ Develop a notice of funding availability to support the DE&I work of proven organizations and best practices for change
▪ Provide guidance and a foundation for creating a potential 2021-2023 DE&I-focused major city goal, and
▪ Strengthen the focus and role of the city’s Human Relations Commission to support the city’s vision.
The group will work with the city to further understand diversity issues and what people are experiencing in San Luis Obispo, as well as determine target areas and priorities — the needs and gaps that the city should and could begin to address and improve in partnership or support through funding.
.jpeg "image0 (1).jpeg")
The Task Force will also oversee a grant process and help city staff in developing a scope of work for a 2021-2023 financial plan.
The City Council allocated $76,025 on Aug. 18 to consultant Dale Magee, who will service as the lead coordinator for the Task Force.
Subcontractor Beya Montero-Makekau also will offer guidance, including helping lead discussions and review grant recipient selections.
Montero-Makekau is the current interim director of student diversity and belonging at Cal Poly.
“We have a tremendous amount of work ahead,” said City Manager Derek Johnson. “...I just can’t complement enough the set of applicants and what they brought to the interviews. They were tough interviews. The panel style interviews certainly afforded the mayor and council member and the team the type and caliber of applicants who came forward.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 7:32 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)