2021-12-01 Diversity Commission PacketAGENDA
of ED4o� Edmonds Diversity Commission
Zoom Virtual Meeting (access info below) OP
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
6:OOPM-8:OOPM
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https:Hzoom.us/j/98071999699?pwd=YS9GTVdWM2VPTUtj RO VXVm56NGlaUTO
Meeting ID: 980 7199 9699 1 Passcode: 963195 1 One tap mobile: 12532158782
6:00 P.M. — Call to Order and Land Acknowledgement: "We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the
Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished,
gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their
sacred spiritual connection with the land and water." - City Council Land Acknowledgment
1. Roll Call and Absences
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of October 6, 2021 Summary & November 3, 2021 Summary (5 minutes)
4. Public Comment via Zoom (3 minutes per speaker)
5. New Business:
a. Environmental Science Associates discussion and requesting input for Edmonds' Climate Action
Plan Update - (20 minutes)
b. Grant application recommendations (10 minutes)
c. Elect Chair & Vice Chair for 2022 (5 minutes)
6. Update from the City: Patrick Doherty (10 minutes)
7. Youth Commission Update (Chelsea Beck & Audrey Lim) (5 minutes)
8. Budget Update (5 minutes)
9. Subgroup Reports:
a. Policy — Dean (5 minutes)
b. Partnerships & Outreach — Alison (5 minutes)
c. Events — Sarah (5 minutes)
10. Commissioner's Corner (10 minutes)
Adjourn — 8:OOPM
Next meeting: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 6:OOPM
Guiding Principles
To ensure we meet our responsibilities as a Commission, we agree to:
• start and end our meetings on time
• demonstrate our respect for our fellow Commissioners, the City of Edmonds, and the citizens we represent by: being present, being prepared,
actively listening, participating in meetings, completing our individual assignments, and holding ourselves accountable
• "step up and step back"
• establish goals and action plans that are results oriented
• establish subcommittees as needed
• engage in courageous, honest, and open dialogue when faced with difficult issues or questions
• utilize the "Ouch Rule' (assume positive intent; resist the temptation to be offended)
• embrace the education opportunities presented through the Commission meetings
• strive to make decisions by consensus. In a case where consensus cannot be reached after a reasonable attempt has been made, the Chairperson
may call for a majority vote.
CITY OF EDMONDS
DIVERSITY COMMISSION
October 6, 2021
Meeting conducted via Zoom
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
Ardeth Weed, Chair
Dean Olson, Vice -Chair
Mindy Woods
Alison Alfonzo Pence
Nikki Okimoto Glaros
Alberto Orejel Malfav6n
Sarah Mixson
Caitlin Chung, Student Rep
Councilmember Luke Distelhorst, ex officio
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
Sekou Kon6 unexcused
Donnie Griffin unexcused
GUESTS PRESENT
James Bloch
Jessie Owen
Patty Narvaez-Wheeler
Robert White
Eric Bidstrup
Owen Lee
Kyle
Sydney Pearson
Lisa Ayrault
STAFF PRESENT
Patrick Doherty, Director
Megan Luttrell, Program Coordinator Economic
Development & Community Services
Police Chief Michelle Bennett
6:00 P.M. — Call to Order and Land Acknowledgement: "We acknowledge the original inhabitants
of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish)people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since
time immemorial have hunted, fished, ,gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their
sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with
the land and water." - City Council Land Acknowledgment
1. Roll Call: Ardeth called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Dean read the land
acknowledgement.
2. Approval of Agenda: Agenda approved by consensus.
3. Approval of September 1, 2021 Summary: Approved by consensus.
4. Public Comment:
Jessie Owen shared that she would like to continue the conversation about Parks accessibility.
She would like to check in and see if there are plans for the Police Chief and/or the Parks and
Rec Director to come to a meeting.
Patty Narvaez-Wheeler, identifies as Latina, she's here to visit because she's interested in
applying for the Diversity Commission and would like to see if has to the bandwidth for the
commitment. She owns a DEI business, Practica Consulting and works for the City of Seattle.
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October 6, 2021
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Robert White: is interested in joining the Diversity Commission. He recently moved to
Edmonds. He has done DEI work. Identifies as First Nation, African American and European.
He is concerned about the letter that Diana White wrote that was in My Edmonds News this
morning. He would implore the Commission to look into rewriting the land acknowledgment.
He would not ask for permission on giving a land acknowledgement.
5. Presentation from Police Chief Michelle Bennett: Chief Bennett thanked Ardeth and Patrick
for inviting her to visit the Commission. She shared her background with Commission. She has
been with the City since March 18' in an interim capacity and started September 16t' as the
permanent Chief. She has had extensive experience with DEI work. She was the first LGBTQ
liaison for the King County Sherriff's Office and hired the Sherriff's Office first transgender
officer. She also started their Safe Place program. It's a program that partners with businesses to
put a decal in their window indicating that it's a safe place for people to go into if people are
victim of a hate crime or feeling unsafe in order to call the police and stay until they show up.
Chief Bennett explained in depth what constitutes a hate crime. 3 incidents from the Bias Portal
have been reported to the PD and none have been deemed hate crimes. There was a townhall
held regarding hate.
Nikki: asked about the fire at Plum Tree Plaza, she's wondering if the arson had hate crime
motivation. Chief has not heard that hate is an element.
Dean: asked if the decals could be similar to the ones in Bremerton. He would like PD to work
with the Diversity Commission to develop a comprehensive decal for Safe Place.
Mindy asked Chief to talk about the Community Outreach Coordinator in PD. Chief suggests
that we invite Tabatha to visit the Diversity Commission. She's digging into community
engagement. The PD has a $7,000 fund from Snohomish County to be able to help the
community with emergency needs: clothes, hotel stays, meals.
Alberto: thanked Chief for the explanation of what constitutes a hate crime. He asked if PD
could share the data that they collect regarding hate incidences. Chief will double check with
legal that it's ok to share the data. He clarified that he's interested in general numbers not
specific details.
Patty asked if there's a way to look at PD data by race, gender, or neighborhood and if the
department does anything about the disparities. She will check with Assistant Chief to check on
the details of how the data is shared and used.
6. Update from the City: Patrick shared the Mayor delivered his budget message this week to
Council. Council will be reviewing, revising and approving the budget over the coming weeks.
The Mayor's priorities are building community and bringing City resources to Hwy 99; policing
Hwy 99; and climate change investment. COVID recovery is also a priority. He shared that
Edmonds is leading the way in implementing our ARPA funding programs. 96% of the funding
is going to the community. Our next Diversity Commission meeting will focus on interviews
for filling openings. Mayor's Indigenous People Day proclamation was read at Council last
night. Unfortunately, an in -person event was not able to happen this year due to COVID. There
is a robust webpage that will go live in the next day or two to honor indigenous people and will
be highlighted this month. Patrick mentioned that the letter from Diana White that was posted
on My Edmonds News and since been pulled, was pulled because it was misrepresenting what
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Diversity Commission
October 6, 2021
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the City had done. The City respects all indigenous people regardless of what tribe they identify
with. The City is continuing efforts to build community in the Hwy 99 area, we've been holding
Hwy 99 merchant meetings once a month since June of this year. Chief Bennett will attend this
month's meeting to discuss the crime issues but also as a draw to bring more businesses to the
meeting. It has not been well attended. We are officially underway with our household grants.
We've received about 70 grants applications thus far. A press release was sent out; posted on
social media; and we mailed fliers out. We can utilize Language Link services if there is a
language barrier.
Mindy shared that the Mayor has formed a Homelessness Task Force. The Task Force consists
of churches and community leaders to work to prevent homelessness; create solutions for
unhoused community members; and looking at code adjustments that may need to be made.
They will be meeting every two weeks to develop a report to give to the Mayor and Council,
hopefully in January.
Luke shared a couple of Decision Packages that are being presented in the 2022 Budget
proposal that could be of interest to the Commission: Decision Package 1, a proposal for a
Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Program Manager and Decision Package 23
ADA Transition Plan.
7. Youth Commission Update: Owen shared that he's a Senior at Edmonds Woodway High
School (EWHS) this year and introduced Sydney Pearson, another senior at EWHS who shared
the Youth Commission Update. Sydney explained that they took a break over the summer, but
they did have a retreat where they had some fun and discussed plans and goals for the upcoming
year. Their focus will be their subcommittees: Diversity and Equity; Youth in Government;
Mental Health; Environmental. Four new Commissioners will be confirmed at the October 19'
Council meeting.
8. Old Business:
a) Land Acknowledgement statement update: Patrick shared that the Council approved the
current Land Acknowledgment (LA), and they did not want city boards/commissions
varying from what they approved. He shared that there has been concern shared that the
current LA could be revised to be more inclusive. He shared the Potential Land
Acknowledgement Proposals (Attachment A) that was sent out to the Commission prior to
the meeting. He went through all the potential statements. Patrick asked if they would like
to send a memo to Council to revise the current LA to be more inclusive with the examples.
Council staff could then do a bit more research to refine and update the LA. Luke suggests
that if there's a strong opinion about any statement, the Commission should share that with
Council. Dean suggests the second variant in the document. Mindy agrees it should be more
inclusive. Alison shared that she talked to a friend about this; the friend was disappointed in
what Council adopted and felt it should be more inclusive. The term Coast Salish was
enough to be more inclusive. Luke suggests recommending the Commission's preference
and adding the research in the agenda memo or explaining it's available if requested. Mindy
made a motion to present the simplest variant to Council, Dean seconded, motion passed by
consensus.
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Subgroup Reports:
a. Policy Dean
i. Proposal of Ranked -Choice Voting: Dean feels this course will help elections be more
democratic. This is currently not allowed by State law but it will be revived in the next
legislative session. Council will be reviewing the City's 2022 legislative agenda prior to
the December meeting; therefore, it is imperative to take action tonight. Alberto moved
to recommend to Council; Alison seconded. Approved by consensus.
ii. Proposal of District -Based Council Elections: Alison shared that there was an Issue
Statement sent out prior to the meeting (Attachment B). District based elections
separates the City into several different districts, electing one representative from each
district and then two at large members. This seems to make sense to make sure all of
Edmonds is being represented equitably. Dean suggests discussing this further at the
December Commission meeting. Patrick shared this is currently allowed by State law.
b. Partnerships & Outreach — Alison shared the committee met last month. They discussed
what the next steps will be to research an office of civil rights. They agreed it's time to
work with other organizations to collaborate, including Edmonds College. The DEI
intercity (Lynnwood, Shoreline, Kenmore, Edmonds) group met yesterday. Mindy suggests
having a Diversity Commissioner to regularly attend the meeting; Alison volunteered.
Nikki will also get the details from Mindy. Nikki has been sitting on the ECA's inclusion
group and they're looking to partner with Diversity Commission and the intercity DEI
group. She would like to connect the groups. Alison met with Edmonds School District
retiree to work the ESD to change their curriculum to include indigenous history. Alison
shared that the Waterfront Center contacted her to ask for assistance with some DEI issues.
c. Events — Sarah shared that they met and focused on the new film series. The poster is great
and getting a lot of attention. The first film might bring some of the actors up as this is the
first showing of it. The film might be too long to have a Q&A as we won't have the theater
long enough. The poster will be made into a flyer to pass out at the showings. ECA is also
having a film series for Arts and they would like a plug it at our showings as they are a
sponsor of the Diversity Commission film series. Sarah & Ardeth will be hosting the first
film. Dean asked if we want to require proof of vaccination for entry. Sarah said ECA has
the policy or a proof of negative test, the feedback has been mostly positive. According to
Dean, Chris at the theater would support it. Patrick shared that this policy is generally led
by the venue or the government. In this case, the venue isn't requiring it and the City hasn't
made a stance one way or the other. This could pose a legal issue. Alberto shared his
concerns about requiring proof of vaccine. Dean made a motion to require a vaccine card;
Mindy seconded. Of the Commissioners present the following voted in favor of the motion:
Dean, Mindy, Sarah, Alison, Nikki. The motion is contingent on the Mayor and legal
approval.
10. New business:
a) New Commissioner Recruitment process: Ardeth shared that the recruitment process has
started. She asked that everyone reach out to your contacts. Ardeth asked that two
Commissioners volunteer to review the applicants to determine interviewees. Interviews
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will be held at the November 3' Commission meeting. Nikki, Ardeth and Dean volunteered
to review applications. Staff will send a PDF of the applications on or around noon on
October 22nd and will schedule a meeting to go over recommendations. Nikki can't meet
until October 26t''. We will plan to meet at lunch time or 4pm on October 26th. Come with
your top 6 to the meeting.
11. Commissioner's Corner:
Alberto — hopes everyone is staying healthy ... his family has had a COVID scare.
Dean — stay safe.
Luke — shared that 10/22-29 no driving week challenge in support of disability rights.
Alison — she will be out of town for the next meeting but will have her computer with her to
participate in the Zoom.
Nikki — thank you to the City staff who's working to move out the Federal funding.
Sarah — having trouble getting into City email. Looking forward to the film series.
Mindy — Stay healthy and safe!
Caitlin — Going to school during COVID is scary. Apologized for missing meetings during
summer.
Adjourn — 8:05 PM
Next meeting: Wednesday, November 3, 2021, at 6:00 PM, Zoom
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Attachment A
POTENTIAL LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PROPOSALS
Current Land Acknowledgement from Edmonds City Council:
"We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Sdohobsh
(Snohomish) people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since
time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these
lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self -
Simplest Potential Changes:
"We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Coast Salish
peoples, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered on,
and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty and their right
to self-determination, and we respect their sacred spiritual connection with
the land and water."
Variant:
"We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Coast
Salish peoples, including the Suquamish, Snoqualmie, and Jamestown
S'Klallam tribes, and the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and their
successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have
hunted, fished, gathered on, and taken care of these lands. We respect
their sovereignty and their right to self-determination, and we respect
their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water."
From Sarah through ECA:
"We begin our meetings and events by acknowledging that we are seated
on the traditional, culture -rich indigenous homelands of the Coast Salish
people. We celebrate the Coast Salish, who represent a large collection of
many tribes with distinct cultures and languages that have been stewards
of the land and sea in the Pacific Northwest for 14,000 years. At ECA, we
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October 6, 2021
Page 6
are committed to working with local tribes to acknowledge and honor their
ancestral lands."
From Arwen & Diana White:
"The City of Edmonds acknowledges we are on the land of the Coast
Salish people, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered,
and honored these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-
determination and their sacred spiritual connection with the land and
water. We commit to consulting with these Nations, so that we too may be
sustainable stewards of this place for future generations."
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Attachment B
Issue Statement:
State law currently requires that city elections be non -partisan, and whenever three or
more candidates file for an office, a primary election is held on the first Tuesday in
August. The top two candidates in the primary election go on to the November general
election. Voter turnout in primary elections historically has been much lower than for
general elections. Concerns over equitable geographic and demographic representation
remains. Cities who adopted rank -choice voting saw increases in the number of
candidates of color and other minorities running for office and increased likelihood of
winning elections and representing sectors of the city whose issues have been ignored:
• One alternative to our "top two" primary system is rank -choice voting, whereby
instead of choosing just one candidate to support in a given race, voters rank the
candidates running in the order of that voter's preference (e g. 1 st choice, 2nd
choice, 3rd choice, etc). Using ranked -choice voting means that a separate primary
is no longer necessary.
• More than twenty U.S. jurisdictions have adopted some version of single -winner
ranked -choice voting, including New York City (NY), Santa Fe (NM). Minneapolis
(MN), Memphis (TN), Oakland (CA), Payson (UT), Takoma Park (MD), Benton
County (OR), and the State of Maine. Many jurisdictions including Cambridge
(MA), Eastpointe (MI), and New York City (NY) either currently or in the past used
ranked -choice voting to elect their entire city council.
• Potential benefits of rank -choice voting include less contentious political
campaigns. Candidates are more likely to get a high ranking on voters' ballots by
playing nice with other candidates.
• When used in multi -member body, the result can lead to a more diverse city
council. A single voting faction can no longer elect all councilmembers. Election of
a member from rank -choice voting should lead to an increased voice by
communities who have traditionally not had representation eg. Highway 99
Corridor.
• Current Washington law does not permit rank -choice voting. Instead it mandates
the top -two primary and the use of numbered positions when multiple elected
officials represent the same geography.
• There is a bill in the Legislature, which would allowed local jurisdictions to adopt
rank -choice voting. The bill is permissive— it would allow but did not require local
jurisdictions to adopt rank -choice voting. The bill is being lobbied by FairVote
Washington, a statewide non -partisan organization. Although this bill did not pass
in the last Legislative Session, it is expected to be taken up again in the next
Legislative Session.
Proposal:
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The Diversity Commission requests that the City Council review and support SHB 1156
on its Legislative Agenda in the 2022 Legislative Session and consider a briefing from
Lisa Ayrault, Director of FairVote Washington.
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CITY OF EDMONDS
DIVERSITY COMMISSION
November 3, 2021
Meeting conducted via Zoom
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
Ardeth Weed, Chair
Dean Olson, Vice -Chair
Mindy Woods
Alison Alfonzo Pence
Nikki Okimoto Glaros
Alberto Orejel Malfav6n
Sarah Mixson
Sekou Kon6
Donnie Griffin
Caitlin Chung, Student Rep
Councilmember Luke Distelhorst, ex officio
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
GUESTS PRESENT
STAFF PRESENT
Patrick Doherty, Director
Megan Luttrell, Program Coordinator Economic
Development & Community Services
6:00 P.M. — Call to Order and Land Acknowledgement: "We acknowledge the original inhabitants
of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish)people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since
time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their
sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with
the land and water." - City Council Land Acknowledgment
1. Roll Call: Ardeth called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Ardeth read the land
acknowledgement.
2. Approval of Agenda: Ardeth asked for the 30 minutes to be added to the agenda if needed,
with that addition the agenda was approved by consensus.
3. Approval of October 6, 2021 Summary: moved to December's meeting.
4. Public Comment: Due to interviews, there will be no public comments tonight.
5. Update from the City: No update due to interviews.
The group took a few minutes to thank Arwen and Luke for their work with the Diversity
Commission.
6. Interviews applicants for commissioner (three open positions): Ardeth led the interviews
and questions were asked in a round robin style.
a)
Elaine Helm
b)
Jessie Owen
c)
Ralph Sanders
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Diversity Commission
November 3, 2021
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d) Gracelynn Shibayama
e) Robert White
f) Wendy Zieve
7. Recommendation to City Council for confirmation of appointments to Commission: Upon
discussion among the Commissioners after the interviews, Elaine Helm, Gracelynn Shibayama,
and Robert White were selected and their appointments will be forwarded to City Council for
confirmation.
Adjourn — 8:28 PM
Next meeting: Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at 6:00 PM, Zoom
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Diversity Commission
November 3, 2021
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