Tools
In order to become an anti-racist Los Angeles County, County workforce and residents need tools to strengthen our current capacity to identify and combat institutional and structural racism. Specifically, the tools listed below can help administrators, planners, service providers, and advocates apply a racial equity lens that maximizes their impact on many current social, economic, and political challenges. Some areas include: Applying Geospatial Data to Equitable Program Planning, Development, and Resourcing; maximizing stakeholder and community engagement (e.g. Language Justice, Stakeholder Compensation), and Incorporating an Equity Lens into Contracting and Budgeting Initiatives. Many of the tools listed can be modeled for other jurisdictions, as well.
Applying Geospatial Data to Equitable Program Planning, Development, and Resourcing: Equity Explorer Mapping Tool
ARDI developed the Equity Explorer mapping tool in partnership with ISD, which uses a COVID-19 Vulnerability and Recovery Index to indicate areas of highest, high, moderate, low, and lowest need so Departments can geographically identify communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, based on their communal risks of COVID-19 infection, vulnerability to severe illness if infected, and the ability to recover from the health, economic, and social impacts of the pandemic. Using this information, Departments can target their program funding and resources toward communities with the greatest need.
While the Equity Explorer was created to help direct investments to stimulate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the tool can also assist users in exploring areas of need by census tract to support planning decisions for other County efforts. These efforts may range from distributing cannabis business licenses in unincorporated areas to addressing the sexually transmitted disease epidemic in Los Angeles County. Using the map and a series of relevant filters, users can leverage the Equity Explorer to prioritize locations, targeted outreach, and service areas for strategic initiatives implemented through their respective Equity Action Plan. The Equity Explorer Tool is publicly accessible for use by all.
Incorporating an Equity Lens into Contracting and Budgeting Initiatives: The Policies, Procedures and Practices (PPP) Assessment Tool
The PPP tool was designed to support County departments in analyzing the impacts that structural racism and biases have upon their operations, programs, and services to close racial disparities and advance positive life outcomes. The tool specifically cover areas such as: communities actually impacted, how decision-making is shared with impacted communities, changes needed to advance racial justice, and Department’s commitment to implementing those changes.
Applying Geospatial Data to Equitable Program Planning, Development, and Resourcing: American Rescue Plan Act Projects Map
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Projects Map features the service areas and locations of ARP projects that have been contracted to launch. Additionally, the map includes the COVID-19 Vulnerability and Recovery Index to indicate areas of highest, high, moderate, low, and lowest need for the geographies the project touches. This tool provides transparency in understanding if contracted projects are impacting the communities most in need and can be a model for departments to incorporate this practice for other contracts and initiatives. Additionally, community partners can identify projects that exist in their service areas and begin developing/strengthening partnerships with County departments to expand or sustain those existing efforts.
