TITLE
Recommendation to adopt resolution, which commits the City of Long Beach to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal employment in all hiring activities, and refer the proposed three-year Equal Employment Opportunity Program Plan 2007-2009 to the Personnel and Civil Service Committee for review. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The City of Long Beach actively monitors workplace hiring practices. Beginning in 1973, the City developed an Affirmative Action Plan to report on population and labor market availability by gender and race.' Numeric "goals and objectives" were established to address areas of under-representation. In the mid-1990's, changes in federal and state laws required that the City discontinue the practice of developing specific goals and objectives.
Proposition 209 (the California Civil Rights Initiative) was passed by the voters in 1996. It prohibits the City from giving preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Proposition 209 also prohibits the City from using race or ethnic-based quotas or numerical goals in our hiring practices. As a result, the City changed from establishing numeric goals and/or quotas to establishing narrative objectives to address under-representation. Examples of narrative objectives include:
. To ensure equal access to all employment opportunities and to address categories that are under-represented, the Civil Service Department staff will continue to work with City Departments to focus its outreach efforts in areas where female and minority candidates are concentrated.
. To attract a larger applicant pool, available resources throughout the Southern California region continue to be used in the recruitment and selection process. Specifically, community organizations, community colleges and universities, trade schools and professional associations with large female and minority populations are targeted for recruitment efforts. A variety of multi-me...
Click here for full text