COUNTY OF MONTEREY

							                      COUNTY OF MONTEREY
                Equal Opportunity Advisory Commission
                         2008 Annual Report

I.     Role of the Commission

       The Equal Opportunity Advisory Commission was formed and appointed by
       the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 1972. The Commission is
       guided by the policies and procedures established by the Board of
       Supervisors in the performance of its duties. Its responsibilities include:
       Reviewing the Monterey Plan and presenting proposals for modification to
       the Board of Supervisors; Recommending goals and timetables regarding
       the Monterey Plan for Departments and the County; Reviewing and making
       recommendations regarding the progress of departmental plans in
       furtherance of the Monterey Plan; Reviewing the County's recruitment,
       testing, selection, and promotion procedures; Meeting with department
       heads, appropriate employee groups, and community groups to implement
       the Monterey Plan; and, Reviewing and advising the Board of Supervisors
       on issues relating to equal access to contracting opportunities. The
       Commission conducts open meetings under the provisions of the Ralph M.
       Brown Act.

       For these purposes, the Commission is divided into two standing
       committees: the Monterey Plan Compliance Committee and the
       Departmental Review of Plan Compliance Committee. During this period,
       the Commission also established an ad hoc committee to make
       recommendations on how to address the Commission’s priorities.

II.    Meeting Dates, Time and Location

       The Commission meets on the third Wednesday of each month with a
       minimum of nine meetings per year. Meetings are held in Salinas at the
       Monterey County Administration Building, 168 West Alisal Street, Board of
       Supervisor’s Chambers, First Floor.

III.   Structure of the Commission

       The Commission consists of no more than 16 representatives:


                                                                       Rev. 24Jul2009
       One representative from each of the five Supervisory districts
       Two representatives from the Monterey County Department Heads
        Council
       One representative from the Commission on the Status of Women
       Up to five representatives of various community based organizations
        which actively advocate for civil rights and/or represent the interests of
        protected groups
       Three members from the following bargaining units
        a. One representative from the Monterey County Sheriffs Association
        b. Two representatives from the Monterey County Employees
           Association/SEIU Local 521

IV.   Membership is as follows:

MONTEREY COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS                      5 COMMISSIONERS
District 1                                                Vacant
District 2                                                Vacant
District 3                                                Vacant
District 4                                                Billy F. DeBerry
District 5                                                Kay Kirkland

DEPARTMENT HEADS COUNCIL                                  2 COMMISSIONERS
                                                          Jayanti Addleman
                                                          Virgil Schwab

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN                         1 COMMISSIONER
                                                          Dr. Bettye Lusk

LABOR ORGANIZATIONS                                       3 COMMISSIONERS
Monterey County Sheriffs Association                      Commander Fred Garcia
SEIU Local 521                                            Maria Castillo
SEIU Local 521                                            Freda Escobar

COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS                             5 COMMISSIONERS
League of United Latin American Citizens                  Martha Chavarria
National Association for the Advancement of               Dr. Kathrina Ognyanovich
       Colored People                                     (Chair)
United Veterans Council                                   Robert Greene
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Community            Vacant
Filipino Community                                        Vacant

                                                                                     2
The Commission currently has five vacancies. Information regarding commission
appointments and length of membership can be requested from the Monterey
County Equal Opportunity Office.

V.    Summary of Activities

      A.    Retreat

            During this period, the Commission held a retreat at the Monterey
            County Free Libraries Marina Branch on October 1, 2008. The retreat
            was jointly facilitated by Commission and Equal Opportunity Office.

            The retreat covered such topics as the Monterey Plan, Garza Consent
            Decree, Job Groups and Job Categories, Labor Market Analysis,
            Utilization Analysis, Selective Certification, the Ralph M. Brown Act,
            as well as the Commission’s Bylaws, Roles, Purpose and Objectives.

            As an outcome of the retreat, the Commission developed a list of one
            dozen priorities for future action. An Ad hoc Committee was
            established to review the priorities and provide recommendations for
            addressing each of the top six priorities.

            The six priorities are as follows:

            1. Garza Consent Decree – what is the status, who is responsible for
            enforcement, what is the responsibility of the EOAC relative to Garza, what
            training do departments receive on Garza, how many waivers have been
            approved?

            2. Increase emphasis on updating and implementing the Monterey Plan in a
            timely manner.

            3. Implement the EOAC Code of Ethics as recommended by the Organization
            and Development Ad Hoc Committee.

            4. Develop a suggested Diversity Policy for the County to implement.

            5. Increase the Commission’s advisory role to the Board of Supervisors.

            6. Increase emphasis on promotions in departmental reviews.




                                                                                          3
B.   The County Review of the Monterey Plan Compliance Committee

     The County Review of the Monterey Plan Compliance Committee is a
     standing committee of the Equal Opportunity Advisory Commission.
     Its primary responsibility is to review the Monterey Plan for Equal
     Access for Employment and Contracting Opportunities and to make
     recommendations to the Commission for update or revision of the
     Plan.

     During this period, as the Committee addressed its responsibilities,
     questions were raised concerning the legal status and viability of the
     Garza and Roberts Consent decrees and the Committee requested,
     through the Equal Opportunity Officer, a clarifying legal opinion.
     While that opinion was pending, the Committee suspended its efforts
     to review the Plan. A copy of the Chairman’s report is attached.

C.   Departmental Review of Monterey Plan Compliance Committee

     The Departmental Review of Plan Compliance Standing Committee
     has developed a number of recommendations to improve the current
     process of reviewing the Departments’ compliance with the Monterey
     Plan. Some of these include requesting that the annual EO report
     from departments be done at the beginning of the year, with the
     Commission scheduling reports only for those Departments with
     significant EO issues. The Committee has also developed alternative
     questions for the Departments’ reports. Any changes will be
     implemented simultaneously with the Monterey Plan revision.

D.   Election

     In January, the Commission conducted its annual election of officers.
     Commissioner Kathrina Ognyanovich was elected Chair and
     Commissioner Alejandro Hogan was elected Vice-Chair.

E.   Department Equal Opportunity Plans

     During this period the Commission met with and reviewed the
     Departmental Equal Opportunity Plans of the Monterey County Free
     Libraries, Public Defender’s Office, County Parks Services,
     Department of Social and Employment Services, Treasurer Tax


                                                                              4
     Collector, Office of the District Attorney, Emergency
     Communications Department, Elections and Natividad Medical
     Center.

F.   Other Commission Activities

     During this period, the Commission enlisted the support of the
     Commission on the Status of Women and Supervisor Dave Potter’s
     office to have the Board of Supervisors declare April 22nd as Equal
     Pay Day in the county; in August, the Equal Opportunity Officer
     provided a joint orientation for commissioners who had not received
     an orientation to their responsibilities as commissioners; the majority
     of Commissioners received the AB1234 Ethics Training; the
     Commission committed to operating in a manner that reduces the
     amount of paper used in its operations; and instituted an evaluation
     process to critique and improve on the effectiveness of Commission
     meetings.




                                                                               5