REPORT TO TASK FORCE ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
SUBJECT
Title
Review and Discuss Community Listening Session Survey
Report
BACKGROUND
Charged with identifying key issues facing the City of Santa Clara (City) involving historically disenfranchised communities and making recommendations to policies that help the City achieve racial equity, the Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Task Force) is holding a series of community listening sessions. Through the community listening sessions, the Task Force will seek the community’s input on what the City can do to build a more inclusive community and invite members of the public to share their experiences and ideas. In an effort to engage the community in multiple ways, the public can attend the community listening sessions virtually on Zoom, send an email to the Task Force, or take the Task Force’s brief Community Listening Session survey at SantaClaraCA.gov/EquityTaskForce.
At the August 9, 2021 Task Force meeting, Chair Neil Datar inquired if staff could look into summarizing the responses received in the Community Listening Session survey. Suggestions for the Task Force’s consideration are discussed below.
DISCUSSION
The Task Force will review the Community Listening Session survey responses received. The survey responses received since the August 9, 2021 regular meeting through September 10, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. are included with this report as Attachment 1. Any additional Community Listening Session Survey responses received from September 10, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. through September 13, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. will be provided as post-meeting material.
It is timely that the Task Force has requested staff look at how the survey responses can be summarized and reported back to the Task Force as the Community Listening Sessions Working Group is currently revising the listening session survey.
Since the Community Listening Sessions Working Group is currently in the process revising the survey, staff suggests that the survey questions be revised so that the data gathered can be analyzed in an effective way. When revising the survey, the Community Listening Sessions Working Group may consider:
• Reducing the total number of questions in the survey; there are currently ten (10) questions in total.
• Revising questions with a focus on what data the Task Force will need to collect for informed decision making
• Revising questions to be multiple-choice, which will allow staff to summarize the results of the survey to present descriptive statistics
• For open-ended questions, staff suggests coding data during analysis to extract trends for reporting (e.g., assigning labels to words or phrases that represent important and recurring themes in responses received)
These suggestions are for the Task Force’s consideration and discussion. Staff seeks any input from the Task Force as they continue working with the Community Listening Sessions Working Group on their revisions to the survey.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This is an information report only and no action is being taken by the City Council and no environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) is required.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City other than administrative staff time.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion meeting agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov>.
Staff
Reviewed by: Genevieve Yip, Staff Analyst I
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Community Listening Session Survey Responses Received