The Department of Race and Equity partners with all City departments to develop and sustain equity-driven strategies. The Department of Race and Equity will intentionally create a culture of inclusivity by advancing equitable outcomes; dismantling policies, procedures, and budget decisions that perpetuate inequity and systemic racism.

To achieve this mission, our department has four domains that ground our operations: 

Domain 1 - Strategic Planning and Partnerships

The Department of Race and Equity is committed to supporting and working collaboratively with internal and external entities to create a sustainable network of support and synergy towards achieving equitable outcomes that are long term and far reaching.

Domain 2 - Data Driven Practices

In collaboration with academic partners and the Performance & Analytics Department (PandA), the Department of Race & Equity uses insights from behavioral science and research-based evidence to integrate racial equity tools into policymaking, practice, and budget allocations into government decisions.

Domain 3 - Learning and Development

The Department of Race & Equity designs and facilitates expansive training modalities on racial equity and inclusion to empower city employees, departments, and our local government with the relevant tools to build equitable outcomes. Our Learning and Development curriculum contextualizes historic oppression, systemic racism, and implicit and explicit biases within the history of the City of San Diego and the United States more broadly. This suite of educational offerings equips employees and departments with the skills and an equity lens to identify, address, and eliminate disparities. Learning and Development opportunities are innovatively designed with a framework of inclusion and belonging, encompassing a broad range of modalities and various levels of depth, in order to meet the needs of all employees on their own equity journeys. As the Department of Race and Equity, we are experts from diverse backgrounds committed to life-long learning – continually developing our understanding of self, our own racial consciousness, and intersectional identities – who facilitate and support individual, group, intra and interdepartmental learning experiences. We envision Learning and Development as an integral part of the foundation for our city government’s collective commitment to equity and inclusion – re-imagining what equitable systems look like in San Diego. 

Domain 4 - Community Engagement

The Department of Race & Equity partners with each City department to cultivate an intentional approach to inclusive engagement by creating a space for community members to contribute their lived experience and ideas to transform local government policies, programs, practices and budget decisions. DRE manages a robust reinvestment portfolio to provide fiscal resources to individuals and organizations doing intentional work on the ground aimed at producing equitable outcomes.

These four domains are both distinct and interconnected. Throughout all aspects of our department’s work, we apply all four domains because they are necessary and interwoven, permeating every aspect of our work.