Kaplan Wins City Disparity Study

Posted in Business, Community, Economic Development, Equal Rights/Equity

Study will examine city’s practices of contracting with Black- and women-owned businesses

Mayoral candidate and City Council President Pro-Tem Rebecca Kaplan has successfully fought for the City of Oakland to conduct a legally-required disparity study to protect equal economic opportunity in the community.

Even though the City Charter requires the study to be done every two years, one has not been conducted since 2007, seven years ago.

Oakland, like much of the country, has a troubling history of excluding Black-owned businesses and woman-owned businesses from an equal opportunity to participate in city-issued contracts, according to Kaplan.

The last time this disparity was studied in Oakland large gaps and inequalities were discovered.  In recent years, in spite of community concerns, no further study was conducted.

People in the city have been so concerned about this issue that voters adopted a legal requirement in the City Charter that mandates Oakland to regularly conduct disparity studies and to take action to make sure that everyone has an equal chance to participate in business, jobs and the economy, Kaplan said.

Oakland City Charter §808(b), states: “Every two years, the City shall conduct a race and gender disparity evaluation to determine if the city has been an active or passive participant in actual, identifiable discrimination within its relevant market place.

“If such disparity evaluation evidences such discrimination, the City Council, in order to remedy the discrimination, shall establish a narrowly tailored race and/or gender business participation program, as substantiated by the disparity evaluation, for the bidding and awarding of purchases and contracts.”
Kaplan sent a public letter to the mayor and administration calling for efforts to be launched immediately to deal with this disparity problem.  In addition, Kaplan fought for and won the money to begin the work that must be completed and calling for greater fairness in city contracting.

“I am very thankful that our efforts were able to help start these important steps – this problem has gone on for too long,” Kaplan said. “We need to take action to identify the disparities that exist, and to make our contracting process more fair to everyone in the community. I am glad we were able to find the money to help solve this important problem.”

The city is preparing to contract for the new disparity study, and City Administrator Henry Gardner will be in charge of that process.