Recommendation The Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission recommends that the “Equitable Chamber Funding Model,” developed by the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department (EDD), consider factors that do not disproportionately impact the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC) Description of Recommendation to Council WHEREAS, the Asian American Quality of Life (AAQoL) Advisory Commission was created to advise the City Council on issues related to the Asian American Resource Center and provide on-going guidance and support for the City's Asian American Quality of Life Initiatives, and WHEREAS, EDD is developing an “Equitable Chamber Funding Model” for funding Multi-Ethnic Chamber Alliance (MECA) Chambers, and WHEREAS, Asian Americans are the fastest growing population in Austin/Travis County, which should result in higher Race/Equity Factor portion of the funding model, and WHEREAS, the funding model should include a “language factor” for which the GAACC should be credited for supporting over 20 Asian languages in their operations, and WHEREAS, the GAACC is instrumental in attracting international business investment and trade to Austin, and WHEREAS, in recent years, the GAACC has helped address increasing violence against Asian Americans and Asian American businesses, and WHEREAS, many immigrants are first generation business owners in need of support from GAACC, and WHEREAS, refugees may be more likely to open businesses, instead of applying for jobs, due to hiring qualifications and language barriers, and WHEREAS, at the February 4, 2021, City Council meeting, Councilmember Alter pointed to weaknesses in the “Funding Model,” suggesting that it should be modified to include: (1) meaningful language factors, (2) updates based on current census data, and (3) no disproportionate reduction in funding existing Chambers, and WHEREAS, on March 25, 2021, Council directed City staff to consult with the Chambers in advancing economic opportunity in Austin and submit a base funding model to Council by November 2021. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the AAQoL Advisory Commission supports adjusting certain equity factors in the EDD “Equitable Chamber Funding Model” as directed by City Council to include a meaningful “language factors” and more focus on support for businesses than household income, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission recommends limiting the disproportionate fiscal impact to the GAACC, estimated to be $48,000 annually.
2020‐2021 Budget Recommendations Root Cause Analysis – Asian perspective missing from equity initiatives Story: What did you hear from the community? Recent events including the ongoing pandemic, Winter Storm Uri, and rising anti‐Asian violence have brought to the surface the many challenges facing the Asian community in Austin. During Winter Storm Uri, there were few protocols in place to get translated materials out to the community regarding cold weather resources, water and food distribution, and the recovery process. While the community volunteers stepped in to provide the much‐needed translations, much of the work was not completed until five days after the initial power outages. Issues around equity go far beyond lack of access to information and resources due to limited English proficiency of some community members. A significant percentage of Austin’s Asian American community are first generation immigrants from many disparate regions. These immigrant communities have a different set of needs, including access to legal services and navigating the health care system, from second generation+ Asian Americans. Problem: What is the problem you identify? In a few short years, the Equity Office team, in coordination with the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC), has made great strides in by providing equity training to City staff and others, implementing new equity‐ based programs, providing leadership during the Reimagining Public Safety process, and much more. However, due to a lack of capacity, the Equity Office has been unable to take on additional initiatives for the Asian American Community. Moreover, with anti‐Asian American violence on the rise, it is imperative that the City place additional focus ensuring their safety as well as all BIPOC communities in Austin. How does the problem show up in your community? Who is most impacted by the problem? Although Asian Americans are the fastest growing community in Austin, department‐level data consistently shows a low participation rate in many City programs and services. In addition, there are hard‐to‐reach pockets of immigrants that stand to benefit from increased access to City services. Lack of knowledge about City services and language barriers are contributing factors and require a set of outreach strategies to overcome. The stakes are even higher during an emergency event when a lack of access to services and information can have potentially deadly outcomes. Members of Austin’s Asian American community are also concerned about rising anti‐Asian hate. Asian American community leaders have called upon the City to track these types …
AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT D iv ersit y Rec ruit ing A U S T I N F I R E D E P A R T M E N T Our Mission Goes Beyond Our Name Our Mission Goes Beyond Our Name is the cornerstone of the Austin Fire Department (AFD). A leader in the fire service, AFD is on the cutting-edge of technology and training. A leader in the fire service, the Austin Fire Department protects lives and property through extensive fire prevention and safety education efforts, in addition to a quick and effective response to emergencies 2 Recruiting Update 2021 Hiring Process Overview Goal In 2021 AFD’s Recruiting Division faced historic challenges. Despite these challenges Recruiting was able to substantially improve on and exceed the successes and results of the 2019 recruiting cycle. The Recruiting Division strives to interest qualified, competitive candidates to participate in the Austin Fire Department’s hiring process. This is an important first step towards producing a more diverse workforce reflective of the city of Austin. Recruiting Campaign Initiatives The Global pandemic prevented AFD’s traditional recruiting approach of attending college expos, career fairs, and community events. Recruiting shifted to the following initiatives. 1. Candidate Interest Card Re-engagement 2. Texas Fire Service Recruiting Coalition 3. Digital Outreach 4. Adjunct Outreach 5. Print Outreach 6. Community Partnership Recruiting Update 2021 Hiring Process Target Candidates • Target Candidates are those who self identify as a member of an under- represented demographic group within AFD. • Under-represented groups within AFD are all minority groups, those who are multiracial, and women. • Non-target candidates are those who identify as white male or choose not to disclose their race or ethnicity. Recruiting Update 2021 Hiring Process Hiring Process Timeline Applications Written Exam Structured Oral Process Ranked List Conditional Offers April 16th – 30th June 15th – 17th July 13th – 15th August 30th Fall 2021 Recruiting Update 2021 Hiring Process 2021 Candidate Interest Cards Hiring Process 2021 • 5457 Candidate Interest Cards (CICs) 25% • 75% of CICs are from Target Candidates • A 33% increase in diversity representation when compared with 2019 CICs 75% • The most diverse pool of CICs in AFD history Recruiting Update 2021 Hiring Process 2021 Candidate Interest Cards Target Candidate Education Level 21% • 74.8% with some college background • 23.3% with a Bachelors or Masters Degree • 22% High School only background 2% 3% …
Versión en español a continuación. Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission April 20, 2021 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission to be held April 20, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (April 19, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the April 20, 2021 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at Joshua Robinson at 512-974-9006 later than noon, (April 19, 2021). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to joshua.robinson@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission FECHA de la reunion (April 20, 2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (April 19, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en Joshua Robinson at 512-974-9006 a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe …
Versión en español a continuación. Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission April 20, 2021 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission to be held April 20, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (April 19, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the April 20, 2021 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at Joshua Robinson at 512-974-9006 later than noon, (April 19, 2021). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to joshua.robinson@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission FECHA de la reunion (April 20, 2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (April 19, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en Joshua Robinson at 512-974-9006 a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe …
Form Name: Submission Time: Browser: IP Address: Unique ID: Location: Your Information Commission Budget Recommendation Form April 12, 2021 10:06 pm Firefox 87.0 / OS X 45.18.127.248 791499489 Your Name Kirk S Yoshida Your Commission Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Email bc-Kirk.Yoshida@austintexas.gov After question three, which questions from the flowchart are you prepared to answer? Is there funding? Which department holds the funding? How much funding is there? Which orgs receive it? How is success measured? What are the impacts, and gaps? Root Cause Analysis Story: What did you hear from the community? Recent events including the ongoing pandemic, Winter Storm Uri, and rising anti-Asian violence have brought to the surface the many challenges facing the Asian American community in Austin. During Winter Storm Uri, there were few protocols in place to get translated materials out to the community regarding cold weather resources, water and food distribution, and the recovery process. While the community volunteers stepped in to provide the much-needed translations, much of the work was not completed until five days after the initial power outages. Issues around equity go far beyond lack of access to information and resources due to limited English proficiency of some community members. There is also a general lack of understanding in the community about the work of the Equity Office and what is specifically being done by the City to improve the lives of the Asian American community and ensure their safety. It is imperative that both the City of Austin and the Equity Office exercise leadership in addressing the needs and concerns of Asians American during this difficult time. Problem: What is the problem you identify? How does the problem show up in your community? Who is most impacted by the problem? In a few short years, the Equity Office team, in coordination with the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC), has made great strides in by providing equity training to City staff and others, implementing new equity based grant programs, providing leadership during the Reimagining Public Safety process, and many more. However, there is a general lack of understanding in the Equity Office regarding Austin's Asian American community, which is very diverse in terms of language, customs, and cultures. The Asian American Quality of Life (AAQoL) Advisory Commission is often called upon by the Equity Office and other City departments to provide the community perspective and connections to community members. While …
Asian American Resource Center / Rutherford Campus Stormwater Improvements Preliminary Engineering Summary AARC Workgroup April, 14 2021 Lee Sherman, PE, Watershed Protection Department • • Greg Montes, Parks and Recreation Department Presenters: Agenda: • Summary of previously completed work • Introduction to this project • Project Origin • Project Elements • Project Schedule • Brief Q&A (please hold questions until the end) AARC Workgroup Meeting April 14, 2021 AARC Vision Plan • Vision Plan • Stakeholder process • Approval • WPD involvement Proposed Partnership Park Improvements • Partnership City of Austin (COA) project • Builds portions of the AARC Vision Plan • Add pedestrian bridge and other recreational amenities to conserve limited bond funds • Increases traffic and community use of historically under-utilized park area • Opportunity for water quality and drainage improvement Introduction Mission: CONCEPTUAL WATERSHED Protect lives, property and the environment of our community by reducing the impact of flooding, erosion and water pollution. Reduce the damaging effects of urbanization on Austin’s watersheds WHAT IS URBANIZATION? • Paving of land surfaces via construction of roadways, parking lots, buildings… • When rain falls, less water can soak into the ground • More water runs off to fill storm drains, creeks and rivers with more flow, faster Introduction 40% Evaporates 25% Evaporates AUSTIN IS URBAN… 10% Runoff RURAL 50% Infiltrates Groundwater URBAN 32% Infiltrates Groundwater 43% Runoff Introduction Flooding Exa mple: Shoal Creek near 15th Street Introduction Erosion Exa mpl es: Fort Branch Creek, Boggy Creek Introduction Water Quality Exa mple: McKi nney Falls (Williamson Creek) Benefits Infiltrates 1.7M gallons of water annually Water Quality • • More natural and cleaner water will flow to Little Walnut Creek • • Public education opportunity for water quality and stormwater management • Improved habitat for wildlife, pollinators, etc. Litter removal Flood • Resolves a flooding issue associated with the Rutherford campus AARC Vision Plan • Provides flood detention needed for AARC expansion • Provides the permanent water feature desired in the vision plan • Pedestrian bridge to connect the Rutherford parking to the AARC • Nature play areas and landscaping consistent with Vision Plan • Trails and habitat create connection to nature • Improve aesthetics of concrete channel AARC / Rutherford Tributary Watershed • Little Walnut Creek Watershed • Top 20 Overall WQ Problem Score • Nutrients, improved riparian habitat, stream stability 132-acres Multi-Functional Green Infrastructure Guiding Project Principles 1. Improve water …
Austin Parks and Recreation Department FY 2022 BUDGET FORECAST Department Budget Overview FY 2021 Totals at a Glance FY 2021 Approved Budget FY 2021 Positions FY 2021 Sources $109.7 Million 744.75 FTEs Tax Supported: 75% Fees/Other: 22.3% Grants/Other: 2.7% FY 2021 Budget by Program FY 2021 Budget Highlights • • • $638K for Forestry Services for Parkland Acquisitions $150K for Contractual Increases $1.2M Operations & Maintenance Support Support Services 5% Transfers, Debt Service, and Other Requirements 11% Park Planning, Development, Operations and Maintenance 27% Community Services 57% 2 Department Overview Data and Highlights FY21 Expenditure Budget by Category 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 734.75 744.75 Personnel 65.3% 693.75 695.75 719.25 750 740 730 720 710 700 690 680 670 660 Contractuals 30.2% Commodities 4.5% 694.75 FTE PARD SD23 Goals and Measures • Activate and enhance urban park spaces to provide flexible and diverse programming • • • Align accessible and diverse programs and services with community needs and interests Ensure the parks system preserves recreational and natural spaces to serve as a respite from urban life Expand and improve access to parks and facilities for all 85% 75% 65% 55% 85% 74% 70% 64% Residents satisfied Residents with access 2020 Actual 2021 Goal 3 AARC Budget Overview Operating Budget AARC FY21 Approved Total Budget $1.24M Total FTE’s 10 Capital Improvement Project Asian American Resource Center Phase II Improvements – $6.9M For more information: capitalprojects.austintexas.gov How Funds are Allocated 4% 20% Personnel Contractuals Commodities 75% 4 Department Budget Overview FY 2022 Proposed Total PARD Budget Forecast FY 2022 Proposed Budget FY 2022 Proposed Positions $110.9 Million* 744.75 FTEs FY 2022 Sources Tax Supported: 75% Fees/Other: 22.3% Grants/Other: 2.7% FY 2022 General Fund Highlights General Fund Budget Increase - $1.1M** Standard City-Wide Cost Drivers - $457k • • • Employee Wage Adjustment Increases Fleet Maintenance and Fuel City Support Services Requested Department-Wide Cost Drivers - $660K Increases to accommodate items previously authorized by Council Operations & Maintenance Support Forestry • • Aquatics • Grounds/Facility Maintenance *Includes Enterprise Golf Fund **Estimate only. FY22 Budget is still under development, pending City Council approval. 5 General Fund Department Revenue Forecast FY21 Budget Revenue of $14.5 million FY21 Projected Revenue of $4.2 million The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on PARD’s FY21 revenue budget. FY22 Proposed Revenue : $8.5 million The growth estimate factors in elements, such as (but not limited …
M E M O R A N D U M TO: Austin Mayor, City Council Members, and City Manager FROM: Central Health Equity Policy Council - Pandemic Equity Committee DATE: XXXXXX, 2021 SUBJECT: XXXXXXXXXXX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As we begin to approach the end of this global pandemic, we’d like to recognize the work that has been done by the City of Austin in sailing us through this storm as well as the strong collaboration that has taken place between community organizations and disaster responders. The nation was hit last year with a crisis we were not prepared for and the healing ahead of us will be another mountain to climb. In addition to showing us how interconnected our lives are, this pandemic has shown us the dire issues our society is facing. Our community reflects those same issues, which is why we need local solutions to address them. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inequities Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPoC), and other marginalized populations (including the elderly, remote geographically, people living with disabilities, etc.) experience daily and the opportunities for the City to adequately prepare for disasters, which must be addressed prior to any subsequent catastrophe. To ensure the aforementioned communities have equitably and readily accessible resources that address the uniquely heightened stressors during and after a disaster, equity must be centered on all aspects of resource allocation and policy. By centering equity, we will provide solutions and support the most vulnerable, which improves conditions for all Austin residents. In December 2020, Central Health’s Equity Policy (CHEP) Council convened the Pandemic Equity Committee to propose improvements in disaster preparedness, response, and post-event healing by centering equity. After several months of research, discussions, information interviews, and gathering community input, the CHEP Council urges the City of Austin to implement the following recommendations: (cid:404) Disaster Preparedness 1. Include equity and public health crises in the City of Austin Emergency Operations Plan and make this an evergreen document. 2. Improve data collection to more quickly respond to BIPoC, and other marginalized populations. (cid:404) Disaster Response 3. Designate a community voice who will be activated at the beginning of a disaster to inform the process at the highest level of the Incident Command System and the Emergency Operations Center. This person will be determined by the groups who are involved with revising and continuously updating the Plan and who represents BIPoC and other …
ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION (AAQOLAC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 The AAQOLAC convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 Chair Yoshida called the Commission Meeting to order at 6:08 p.m. Commission Members in Attendance: Vince Cobalis, Sarah Chen, Hanna Huang, Kirk Yoshida, Nguyen Stanton, Pramod Patil, Shubhada Saxena, Pooja Sethi, and Debasree DasGupta. Staff in Attendance: Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager Joshua Robinson, Interim Senior Executive Assistant (Office of the City Manager) Citizen Communication: Council Member Fuentes – Introduction 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Commission moved to approve minutes from AAQOLAC meeting on December 22, 2020 with minor changes. Chair Yoshida motioned. Commissioner Cobalis seconded. Vote was 9- 0. 2. OLD BUSINESS a. Workgroup Reports: 1. Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Workgroup: Commissioner DasGupta and Commissioner Cobalis provided an update. 2. Health and Community Engagement Workgroup: Update provided in the backup documents. 3. Arts and Culture Workgroup: Commissioner Patil provided an update. 4. Human Resources Workgroup: Chair Yoshida provided an update. 5. Business Planning Workgroup: No update provided. b. Update on the Joint Inclusion Committee Meeting– The JIC meeting was not held in the month of January. c. Follow-up Items: 1. Update on the AARC Master Plan 2. Update on the FY 2020 Budget Recommendations 3. STAFF BRIEFING None this month. 4. NEW BUSINESS a. Update on the AACHI Community Navigator Program (Hailey Easley) - Executive Director of the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative Hailey Easley provided an update on the AACHI Community Navigator Program. Presentation is in the back up materials. b. Update on the American Gateways 2020 City Contract for Immigrant Legal Services (Edna Yang) - Co-Executive Director of Legal Advocacy for Immigrant Survivors Edna Yang provided an update on the American Gateways 2020 City Contract for Immigrant Legal Services. c. Discussion and Possible Action on a Resolution in Support of the City of Austin’s 2020 Legislative Agenda – The Commission voted to approve resolution in Support of the City of Austin’s Legislative Agenda. Moved by Commissioner Cobalis, Seconded by Commissioner Chen. Unanimous on a 9-0 vote (Commissioners Huang, Chen, Yoshida, DasGupta, Cobalis, Saxena, Sethi, Stanton, and Patil) 5. INFORMATION SHARING a. Commissioner Cobalis and Saxena 6. FUTURE AGENDA 6. ADJOURN Chair Yoshida adjourned the meeting without any objections at 8:20 p.m.
‘Arts and Culture’ workgroup report -April 2021 Attendee: (a) Pramod Patil (Chair) (b) Shubhada Saxena (c) Hanna Huang (d) Laura Esparza (AARC) Date: 04/15/2021 Meeting minutes: Here are the notes from Arts and Culture workgroup meeting in April-2021. This meeting was mainly focused on learning various avenues for displaying Asian art at various public places. • Laura Esparza – the division Director of Museums and Cultural Programs Division shared different programs and process around this. Most of the details are available the arts in public places are at the link below http://www.austintexas.gov/department/art-public-places • Laura also went over some of the specifics around the timeline, donation and curation process etc. We also learned that we need to have an artist involvement for the arts in public places even if you are working as an organization for the art donations. Airport Exhibits: We discussed about options for Airport exhibits and Laura to explored and provide specific contact for the same. • Overall the team learned a lot during this meeting about arts in public places and have good data to share with the community.
Form Name: Submission Time: Browser: IP Address: Unique ID: Location: Your Information Commission Budget Recommendation Form April 12, 2021 10:06 pm Firefox 87.0 / OS X 45.18.127.248 791499489 Your Name Kirk S Yoshida Your Commission Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Email bc-Kirk.Yoshida@austintexas.gov After question three, which questions from the flowchart are you prepared to answer? Is there funding? Which department holds the funding? How much funding is there? Which orgs receive it? How is success measured? What are the impacts, and gaps? Root Cause Analysis Story: What did you hear from the community? Recent events including the ongoing pandemic, Winter Storm Uri, and rising anti-Asian violence have brought to the surface the many challenges facing the Asian American community in Austin. During Winter Storm Uri, there were few protocols in place to get translated materials out to the community regarding cold weather resources, water and food distribution, and the recovery process. While the community volunteers stepped in to provide the much-needed translations, much of the work was not completed until five days after the initial power outages. Issues around equity go far beyond lack of access to information and resources due to limited English proficiency of some community members. There is also a general lack of understanding in the community about the work of the Equity Office and what is specifically being done by the City to improve the lives of the Asian American community and ensure their safety. It is imperative that both the City of Austin and the Equity Office exercise leadership in addressing the needs and concerns of Asians American during this difficult time. Problem: What is the problem you identify? How does the problem show up in your community? Who is most impacted by the problem? In a few short years, the Equity Office team, in coordination with the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC), has made great strides in by providing equity training to City staff and others, implementing new equity based grant programs, providing leadership during the Reimagining Public Safety process, and many more. However, there is a general lack of understanding in the Equity Office regarding Austin's Asian American community, which is very diverse in terms of language, customs, and cultures. The Asian American Quality of Life (AAQoL) Advisory Commission is often called upon by the Equity Office and other City departments to provide the community perspective and connections to community members. While …
RESOLUTION WHEREAS, the Asian American Quality of Life Commission was created in 2014 to represent the growing Asian and Pacific Islander Community and provide on-going guidance and support for the City of Austin’s Asian American Quality of Life initiatives; and WHEREAS, Austin residents who trace their ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands have contributed much to the City with talents and hard work adding to the cultural fabric of our society; and is the fastest growing demographic group, the City of Austin's population; and, WHEREAS, Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of reported and unreported acts of discrimination, violence, and hate crimes committed against Asians Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States; and WHEREAS, for too long, violence affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has been overlooked or even dismissed. Barriers, such as language or cultural differences, distrust of police, or fear of repercussions, has created reluctance in reporting hate crimes within our communities; and WHEREAS, During Asian Pacific American Heritage Month we celebrate Austin’s AAPI communities by honoring the many contributions they’ve made over the years to our city’s culture and economy; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission, recommends that The City of Austin affirm its commitment to the safety of its Asian American community and that we are committed to ending the spread of all forms of hate and bigotry; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Austin, as a welcoming city, denounces hate against Asian Americans and all communities of color and understands that we must work together to fight against it; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Austin hereby acknowledges April 17, 2021 as Stop Asian Hate Day and May 2021 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION (AAQOLAC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021 The AAQOLAC convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 Chair Yoshida called the Commission Meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. Commission Members in Attendance: Vince Cobalis, Sarah Chen, Kuo Yang, Kirk Yoshida, Hanna Huang, Pramod Patil, Shubhada Saxena, Pooja Sethi, Ketan Patel, Molly Wang, and Debasree DasGupta Staff in Attendance: Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager Joshua Robinson, Interim Senior Executive Assistant (Office of the City Manager) Citizen Communication: N/A 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2. OLD BUSINESS The Commission did not take action on the meeting minutes from January. a. Workgroup Reports: 1. Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Workgroup: Update provided in the backup document. materials. 2. Health and Community Engagement Workgroup: Update provided in the backup 3. Arts and Culture Workgroup: Update provided in the backup materials. 4. Human Resources Workgroup: No update provided. 5. Business Planning Workgroup: No update provided. b. Update on the Joint Inclusion Committee Meeting – The next JIC meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 31. c. Follow-up Items: 1. Update on the AARC Master Plan Update on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Budget Recommendation Process 3. STAFF BRIEFING None this month. 4. NEW BUSINESS a. Discussion and possible action on equitable funding for the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (Fang Fang) – No Action Taken. b. Discussion and possible action on priorities and recommendations for the City of Austin FY 2022 budget – Commissioners voted on their 2022 Budget Recommendations, which can be found in the back up materials. The Commissioners voted on the 2022 Budget Recommendations, which can be found in the backup materials. Commissioners vote in be found in the audio recording on the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission webpage. c. Discussion and possible action on the selection of a Community Stakeholder Commissioner – No Action Taken. 5. INFORMATION SHARING a. Commissioner Saxena, Cobalis and Chen 6. FUTURE AGENDA 6. ADJOURN Chair Yoshida adjourned the meeting without any objections at 8:30 p.m.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: (20210420-04d): Stop Asian Hate Proclamation Denouncing Hate Crimes and Acts of Bigotry against Asian Americans. WHEREAS, The Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission was created in 2014 to represent the growing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and provide on-going guidance and support for the City of Austin’s Asian American Quality of Life initiatives; and WHEREAS, Austin residents who trace their ancestry to Asia and the Pacific Islands have contributed much to the City with talents and hard work, adding to the cultural fabric of our society; and WHEREAS, The Asian American and Pacific Islander community is the fastest growing demographic group within the City of Austin; and WHEREAS, Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of reported and unreported acts of discrimination, violence, and hate crimes committed against Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States; and WHEREAS, For too long, violence affecting Asian American and Pacific Islanders has been overlooked or even dismissed; and WHEREAS, Barriers such as language or cultural differences, distrust of police, or fear of repercussions have created reluctance in reporting hate crimes within our communities; and WHEREAS, During Asian Pacific American Cultural Heritage Month we celebrate Austin’s AAPI community by honoring the many contributions they have made over the years to our city’s culture and economy; and NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission, recommends that the City of Austin affirm its commitment to the safety of its Asian American and Pacific Islander community and that we are committed to ending the spread of all forms of hate and bigotry; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Austin, as a welcoming city, denounces hate against Asian American and Pacific Islanders and all communities of color and understands that we must work together to fight against it; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Austin hereby acknowledges April 17, 2021, as Stop Asian Hate Day and May 2021 as Asian Pacific American Cultural Heritage Month in the City of Austin. Date of Approval: April 20, 2021 Record of the vote: Moved by Commissioner Stanton, Seconded by Commissioner Patil. Unanimous on a 8-0 vote (Commissioners Yoshida, Cobalis, Stanton, DasGupta, Saxena, Patil, Huang, and Chen) Absent: Commissioner Wang and Sethi Attest: _____________________________________________
ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION (AAQOLAC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021 The AAQOLAC convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 Chair Yoshida called the Commission Meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. Commission Members in Attendance: Vince Cobalis, Sarah Chen, Kirk Yoshida, Hanna Huang, Pramod Patil, Shubhada Saxena, Molly Wang, Nguyen Stanton, and Debasree DasGupta Staff in Attendance: Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager Joshua Robinson, Interim Senior Executive Assistant (Office of the City Manager) Marion Sanchez, Public Information Manager (Communication & Public Information Office) Houmma Garba, Language Access Coordinator (Communication & Public Information Office) Vanorda Richardson, Financial Manager (Parks & Recreation) Nicholas Johnson, Financial Analyst (Parks & Recreation) Citizen Communication: N/A 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES The Commission moved to approve minutes from AAQOLAC meeting on January 22, 2021 and March 16, 2021, with minor changes. Commissioner Chen motioned. Commissioner Huang seconded. Vote was 9-0. 2. OLD BUSINESS a. Workgroup Reports: document. materials. 1. Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Workgroup: Update provided in the backup 2. Health and Community Engagement Workgroup: Update provided in the backup 3. Arts and Culture Workgroup: Update provided in the backup materials. 4. Human Resources Workgroup: No update provided. 5. Business Planning Workgroup: No update provided. b. Update on the Joint Inclusion Committee Meeting – Commissioner Stanton provided an update. c. Follow-up Items: 1. Update on the AARC Master Plan – Update provided in the backup materials. 2. Update on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Budget Recommendation Process 3. STAFF BRIEFING 4. NEW BUSINESS a. Update on language access from the Communication & Public Information Office (Houma Garba & Marion Sanchez) b. Presentation by Parks and Recreation Department concerning the department’s proposed budget a. Discussion and possible action on withdrawing the AARC Master Plan Phase 2 Community Engagement Consultant for Design Phase from the Commission's FY 2022 budget recommendations. - The Commission voted to withdrawal the AARC Master Plan Phase 2 Community Engagement Consultant for Design Phase from the Commission's FY 2022 budget recommendations. Moved by Commissioner Cobalis, Seconded by Commissioner DasGupta. Unanimous on a 9-0 vote (Commissioners Huang, Chen, Yoshida, DasGupta, Cobalis, Saxena, Stanton, Wang, and Patil) b. Discussion and possible action on an additional FY 2022 budget recommendation for a Business Process Consultant position at the Equity Office - The Commission voted to include an additional FY 2022 budget recommendation for a Business Process Consultant position at …
ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION Community Interest Announcement Rally to #Stop Asian Hate April 17, 2021 4:00 P.M. Huston-tillotson University 900 Chicon St, Austin, Texas 78702 A quorum of Commission members may be present. No action will be taken.
Versión en español a continuación. Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission March 16, 2021 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission to be held March 16, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (March 15, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the March 16, 2021 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at Joshua Robinson at 512-974-9006 later than noon, (March 15, 2021). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to joshua.robinson@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission FECHA de la reunion (March 16, 2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (March 15, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en Joshua Robinson at 512-974-9006 a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe …
