People First: One California City and One Agency Eschews DEI 

The astute reader may have noticed that over the past year or so, the California Globe has been running a periodical series called “Hidden in Plain Site.”

The premise is simple: review government websites for what they are saying in public and wonder why, especially when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

There are a few exceptions – important wonderful exceptions noted further below that show that only 99% of California agencies are caught in the mindmeld trap of DEI –  but so far we have found that almost all  state and local agencies have been working diligently to remove all traces of racism from:

• Art.  “To the (California Arts Council), racial equity means that we use a race explicit and not race exclusive approach to systems change. For example, disaggregating data by race to see the real impacts of our investments across various communities. We are also learning from Disability Justice organizers and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work on intersectionality. The CAC understands that many intersecting experiences and identities contribute to a community or individuals’ experience of systemic oppression, therefore our understanding of racial equity is grounded in an intersectional approach.”  And in case you couldn’t quite follow that, here’s a handy flow chart to help guide you:

• Water.   “White supremacy is a systemically and institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of nations and people of color by white people for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of wealth, power, and privilege…race is the strongest predictor of water and sanitation access…” and the need “…to address the disproportionate effects of extreme hydrologic conditions and sea-level rise on Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities…”  For context, it should be noted – regarding the issue of sea-level rise – that Malibu is 92% white.

• Roads.   CalTrans has created an “interagency equity advisory committee,” membership of which will be limited to people who “have a history of equity-centered personal or professional experience, community leadership, or be actively engaged in transportation equity, policy, programming, advocacy, or related fields such as health, air quality, climate, housing justice, community, and socio-economic development, etc.” and should represent marginalized communities, including “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, rural communities, women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual individuals, older adults, youth, low-income, etc.”  It is currently unknown if, in the future, CalTrans will stop using the word “blacktop.”

• Air.   The California Air Resources Board has a framework that is “meant to “center” race in practically every action CARB takes, but looks beyond race at the “intersectionality” of conditions.  “This approach leads with race but is not exclusive to race. Addressing racial inequities prepares us to recognize and deal with inequities based on other forms of marginalization. This also requires an understanding of intersectionality. Religious discrimination, sexism and misogyny, discrimination against gender non-conforming and non-binary gender people, ableism, anti-multilingualism and other discrimination based on important areas of human identity must also be addressed.”

• Fish.   The California Department of Fish and Wildlife For example, the department “(R)ecognizes that predominantly Black, Indigenous, people of color, low-income, and rural communities have historically been underrepresented in the policy setting or decision-making process…” 

The sentence is rather oddly constructed – “predominantly Black”? – but you get the point.

• Teachers.   A recent California Teachers Association convention featured a “breakout session” on “Intersectionality of Identity.” It was described as follows: “I am a queer, pansexual, multicultural, multiethnic, disabled, neuro divergent, super intelligent, overweight, middle aged, pagan, educated, middle class white woman with multicolored hair who lives paycheck to paycheck. My honorific is Ms, or Mx, and my pronouns are she, her, hers or they, them, theirs. And that’s just who I am today–who knows about tomorrow!  Who are you?  Let’s explore how our multiple identities affect us in life and in the classroom.”  Not to be too mean, but that sounds like the worst date in the world.

Thankfully, a few public agencies have seemed to be able – somehow! – to make it through the day without DEI.  The California Lottery, for example, has nothing (that could be found recently) on its website about diversity, equity, or inclusion.

Of course, that makes sense, which – considering it’s a state agency – makes it all the more surprising. A lottery is, by definition, a game of chance and therefore cannot be “equitable,” let alone forced to observe diversity or inclusion rules.

The lottery, by law, must pay at least 50% of its rake out in prices.  Therefore, to be equitable, the lottery could work thusly:  by a one dollar ticket, stand in line for two seconds, and be handed back fifty cents.  Everyone’s a winner!

As to diversity, that is another impossibility…for now, at least.  Though a future where this occurs does not seem terribly far-fetched in California:

“Hi! I just won $400 million. Can you pay me?”

“Um, you would be the sixth white winner this year and California has a population that’s only half white, so, um, no.”

“Seriously?!? How can I get my money?”

“Well, are you disabled?”

“Not really.”

“Gay?”

“No.”

“Too bad – then we could have paid you even though your white.”

“What if I said I was gay?”

“Mmmmm…not sure if I really believe that…”

‘Okay – bisexual, at least?”

“Well, you do have that ‘metrosexual’ look, so that sounds fine!  But since your bi, you only get half.”

And there is at least one other government agency that appears to be taking this whole woke fervor in stride and that’s Huntington Beach.

In fact, it took a bit of hunting to find anything about DEI on the city website. Search for those three words or the dreaded GARE – the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, one of the most insidious national groups dedicated to wasting tax money on a woke world  – and you get a “no results found” response.

Now, Huntington Beach is a famously independent city, especially by California standards.  In fact, it has been sued by the state for not agreeing to add tens of thousands of low-income housing units to its general plan and for having the temerity to demand  that voters have proper ID.   

It has even been accused – not just locally but by the global media – of – how dare it! –  being a MAGA stronghold.  

Eventually one can find a single web page dedicated to the DEI topic. No massive and in the end meaningless “racial action plans” or, it appears, any dedicated staff.  The city says very simply that:  

The City continues to work towards policies and programs to meet this standard and create a welcoming environment where every resident, business owner and visitor is valued and respected with a sense of belonging. We wish to send the message that we embrace their diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender  expression, religion, age and ability.   

It continues a bit with tips on how to report hate crimes, but that is it.

No wailing and gnashing of teeth and calling for collective action and denouncing systemic whateverism – just a simple statement that the city will treat everyone like a human being.

Maybe there is a ray of sunshine in the Golden state after all.