Building Inspection Commission reviews racial-equity action-plan duties for boards and commissions

The Building Inspection Commission on May 18 reviewed its responsibilities under the Department of Building Inspection's Racial Equity Action Plan, saying the commission is in phase 1 of the plan and must finalize internal procedures aimed at improving accessibility and diversity.

"In July 2019, the Office of Racial Equity or ORE was created by ordinance and adopted by the Board of Supervisors," Commissioner Alexander Toot said, describing ORE's authority to require departments to implement racial-equity action plans and to make budget recommendations when measures are not met. "The ORE is a division of the Human Rights Commission."

The commission's assigned section (Section 7) concerns boards and commissions. Staff and commissioners said progress has been made: bylaws and rules were reviewed through a racial-equity lens, and the commission has adopted the land acknowledgement used at the meeting. Commissioners identified two outstanding items they plan to address: creating standardized accommodation protocols that center people with disabilities, working parents and others needing access supports, and completing required racial-equity training for commissioners.

Commissioners urged the department to seek input from the communities most affected by access barriers. "I would welcome input," one commissioner said, encouraging outreach to people who would directly benefit so the commission can better frame accommodation protocols and remote-access options such as translation and ASL.

Staff said the current REAP work is primarily internal (phase 1) with an external-facing phase to follow; implementation steps and reporting will be brought back to the commission. The discussion concluded with agreement to continue working on the goals and to report progress at future meetings.