MILLBRAE, CA – On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, Millbrae City Council adopted a resolution approving the Social Equity Framework as part of the City’s Social Equity Plan.
The Millbrae City Council has made a substantial investment in equity and inclusive opportunities for Millbrae’s current and future residents, business owners, visitors, and employees. Council recently adopted policies, such as creating a Social Equity and Cultural Inclusion Subcommittee, reaffirming the City's unwavering commitment and vision to building a more robust, equitable, and inclusive community.
The City has identified Environmental Justice Solutions (E/J Solutions), a reputable local firm that provides extensive specialized experience in the Environmental Justice field and has entered into a professional services agreement with them to develop a Social Equity Plan for the City of Millbrae.
E/J Solutions created a framework specifically tailored to Millbrae’s needs, goals, and objectives. This framework is a critical instrument that is designed to define what equity means for the City and strives to make tangible the City’s foundational guiding principle of equity during the Social Equity Plan’s development through the Council's adoption of the City of Millbrae’s Social Equity Plan. The framework is necessary to bring everyone in Millbrae onto the same page about what the social equity planning process will entail.
E/J Solutions shared a draft vision statement with the City Council that stated, “Achieving social equity means eliminating disparate outcomes and removing all barriers that prevent full civic participation so that nobody is left behind, individually, collectively or culturally. Everyone who works, lives or goes to school in Millbrae can meet their priority needs in all of the key determinants of social well-being. Identity is not a factor in determining access to resources. Millbrae is a place where everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.”
The Social Equity Plan addresses disparities, promotes fairness, and ensures equal access to opportunities and resources within the Millbrae community. The primary objective of this project is to deploy meaningful community engagement throughout Millbrae to develop a consensus-based mandate for closing social equity gaps. E/J Solutions states that “Inclusivity does not mean one size fits all. We will deploy strategies that expressly reach and serve historically marginalized communities, including single parents, young people, elders, indigenous groups, small immigrant and refugee communities, people with disabilities, and the unhoused.” The plan that they have proposed is a multi-pronged strategic approach that ensures an inclusive process and build a truly collective vision that leaves no one behind.
E/J Solutions will return to Council in November to present their recommendations for community committee members. They are currently recruiting members, with the deadline for applications on October 15, 2023. The Committee will participate in workshops over the course of two years. The final social equity plan will touch on all aspects of social equity that are important to Millbrae and is projected to go to the Council for approval in March of 2025.
Committee members will receive a stipend of $50 per meeting. If you are interested in being considered for this committee, please use the following links to apply, https://tinyurl.com/millbraeequity (English), https://tinyurl.com/Shehuigongyi (Chinese), https://tinyurl.com/equidadsocial (Spanish). If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact E/J Solutions at inbox@ej.solutions or colin@ej.solutions.