Californias Efforts to Encourage Diversity

1
Californias Efforts to Encourage Diversity

• Jeanette Dinwiddie-Moore, AICP

2

• California is the largest state over 34 million
  people
• It is also very diverse
• Source US Census Bureau, CA Department of
  Finance
• Based on 2000 Population

3

• California is the largest APA chapter over 6,000
  members
• The table estimates that the demographics for
  planners in California
• Minorities are very underrepresented in the
  profession
• Hispanics and Blacks are most underrepresented
  followed by Asians
• Source APA Based on 2006 APA Membership

4
(No Transcript)
5
Comparison of of Racial Groups Population to
of Number of Planners by Section
6
So how are we trying to change this?????
7
Californias Chapters Early Efforts

• Since the 1999 State Conference debacle with Ward
  Connelly, the CCAPA Board and California
  membership have
• Appointed a minority to serve as the Chapters
  Membership Director
• Elected an Asian and Black to the Chapter Board
  in 2004
• Elected a Black as President of the California
  Foundation Board along with three other
  minorities (one Latino and two Asians) to that
  Board
• Developed a minority insert as part of the
  Chapter membership brochure to help with
  recruitment efforts and
• Provided a grant to the Planning and Black
  Community Summit held in Oakland in August 2003.

8
Californias Membership Inclusion Program

• October 2005, the California Chapter Board
  adopted a Membership Inclusion Program
• Key elements of the plan are
• Develop an outreach program to minority senior
  high students using a model similar to the Eli's
  UrbanPlan
• Develop a Planning Ambassador Program in each
  section and
• Develop networks and points of connections for
  planners of color with CCAPA leadership and
  national leadership.

9

• Additionally, the Chapter Board
• Appointed a the Membership Inclusion Director,
  serving under the direction of the President to
  coordinate the implementation of the Proposal
• Asked the eight Section Directors and Membership
  Inclusion Director to meet to develop an
  Implementation Strategy and timeline and
• Added 1,000 to the Presidents budget,
  designated to pay for the cost associated with
  development and the implementation of the
  strategy

10
Since October 2005

• Section Level Activities
• The eight Section Directors have met twice via
  conference calls.
• Each Section Director has met with their Board
• their Section Boards have adopted the Plan and
  they
• are developing an implementation strategy for
  their Sections Ambassador Program.
• Three Sections (Northern, Los Angeles, and San
  Diego) have appointed Membership Inclusion
  Directors.
• Each Section is implementing a Diversity Section
  Award

11

• CCAPA Board Level Activities
• Each CCAPA officer/portfolio manager will
  develop an implementation strategy and timeline
  for their portfolio before June.
• Each CCAPA officer/portfolio manager has
  committed to including racial/ethnic diversity as
  consideration when making appointments to
  committees or other positions.
• The CCAPA Board will encourage its affiliate
  organizations (California Planning Foundation,
  Planners Emeritus, California Planning
  Roundtable, etc.) to adopt the Membership
  Inclusion Plan and to develop their
  implementation strategies before June.

12

• Membership Activities
• Two email blasts are planned for May and June to
  send to all CCAPA members encouraging them to
  update their profiles on the APA website
  (www.planning.org) .
• An Adding Color to the Profession Minority Summit
  is being planned for the State Conference this
  October.
• A mixer/social hour to recruit minorities to
  participate in their Section Membership Inclusion
  Programs will also held after the session.

13
Additionally,

• Two Latinos in Planning organizational meetings
  were held in Los Angeles and San Jose in
  February.
• At the CCAPA Student Summit held in San Jose in
  February were over 100 students from across the
  state attended many of which were of color a
  plug for the Membership Inclusion Programs was
  made

14
California is Moving Head