Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission - May 27, 2020
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Special Called Meeting of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission - Will be held virtually and recorded
Special Meeting of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission Wednesday, May 27, 2020 3pm-5pm Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission to be held May 27 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (May 26 by Noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the May 27th Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at Amanda.Jasso@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9107 no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start 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 Amanda.Jasso@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 this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Font Size: 12; Font: Times New Roman; Font Style: Regular HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 AT 3PM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING (RECORDED) Jovita J. Flay Felicia Peña Ricardo Garay Lourdes Zuniga Sharon Vigil AGENDA CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Amanda Afifi, Chair Angelica Erazo, Vice-Chair Diana Salas Melissa Ayala Zaira R. Garcia Maria C. Solis CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3. NEW BUSINESS 1. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON SUSPENSION OF ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER a. Discussion and possible action regarding Austin Independent School District and community letter regarding superintendent search and the district’s commitment to equity b. Discussion and possible action regarding the Austin Police Department and community letter outlining demands of City leadership in response to the shooting and killing of Michael Ramos c. Discussion and possible action regarding COVID-19 and resources needed for the Latinx community and other people of color d. Discussion …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission Recommendation Number: 20200527-003c – Covid-19 and Disparate impacts for Latinx and other People of Color in Austin WHEREAS, recent data as of May 28th, 2020 from Austin Public Health (APH) shows Latino/Hispanics represent 76 % of all COVID-19 hospitalizations in Austin; and WHEREAS, Latino/Hispanics now represent 55% of all COVID-19 cases, and 38% of COVID-19 deaths; and Latinos positivity rates for COVID-19 is 3.5 times higher (25%) compared to non-Latinos averaging 7%; and WHEREAS, according to recent information from Central Health & CommUnityCare Latino/Hispanics positive testing rate was 24.55% (3.5 times greater than the average test rate of 7% for non –Latinos); and WHEREAS, Latino/Hispanics are often essential workers, uninsured, susceptible to chronic diseases and live in multigenerational households which allows for more spread of the virus; and WHEREAS, Latino/Hispanics residents fear that getting tested for COVID-19 could expose their immigration status; and Whereas, Latino/Hispanics communities continue to express concerns on the devastating impact of COVID-19 disproportionately affecting our community and that they are not receiving enough bilingual, culturally sensitive educational materials regarding public health, safety and prevention about COVID-19; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Equity Office requests a racial equity lens in all of Austin/Travis County Emergency Operation Center’s practices, policies, and procedures; and WHEREAS, the Austin community values equity and ensuring that all our vulnerable communities are protected and sufficiently served; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Commission requests concrete actions to address disparate outcomes for our Communities of Color, including: Address Digital access and technology barriers. Make self-assessment and A. enrollment available through a multilingual call center or phone line. Provide confirmation for the appointment and results of testing via phone or in some way that does not require moderate access to technology. Create mobile site-based testing focusing on both identified clusters and potential B. areas of high risk. For example, go out to those living in Public Housing, temporary homeless shelters, and/or construction sites. C. Request that Austin Public Health and the Emergency Operations Center to prioritize, if not allocate all tests, from the IAmAware contract to perform mobile testing in priority zip codes of concentrated poverty and LatinX, Black, and Asian American communities. If the contract is successful, we urge that Council continue funding this contract and prioritizing zip codes of concentrated poverty and the LatinX/African/Asian American communities. Prioritize City Social …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: 20200527‐3a: Support of Community Letter Regarding Austin Independent School District’s Superintendent Search and the District’s Commitment to Equity WHEREAS, the Austin Independent School board made a bold and courageous decision to create the district’s equity office, yet the equity office is often missing from the table during the most important public board discussions; and WHEREAS, there continues to be disparate access to academics, a lack of vertical alignment of the dual language programs, and lack of investment in the special education services; and WHEREAS, Austin ISD has previously closed historically Black and Hispanic/Latino schools and continue to close schools although AISD Chief Equity Officer, Dr. Stephanie Hawley, stated, “… the map that you have of the [school] closures, is a map of what 21st Century racism looks like…;” and WHEREAS, actions by the AISD Board of Trustees and the administration have left many feeling shut out and marginalized; and WHEREAS, previous AISD superintendent searches took nine months during a non‐pandemic situation and allowed for an interim superintendent; and WHEREAS, the pandemic underscores Austin’s digital divide and greatly limits the public’s ability to participate in important decisions and the district has decided to undertake the superintendent search in a drastically shortened time frame during an unprecedented pandemic; and WHEREAS, regarding the superintendent search, two weeks for Zoom meetings with community groups is insufficient and limits input to those with access to technology; and WHEREAS, the website superintendent survey is misleading and employs a confusing scale 1‐5 scale, with 1 counterintuitively meaning the highest score; the questions were not approved by the full board; and the survey is only available in English and Spanish, rendering it inaccessible to those speaking the other nearly 90 languages represented in AISD; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission supports the AISD Community Request Letter, and recommends that the members of Austin City Council submit a request for the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees and/or the Superintendent to: 1. Increase transparency in all activities and decision‐making by opening all meetings to the public, including those of the executive board and board committees, and ensuring all meetings are broadcast; 2. Lead with an equity lens in decision‐making and resource distribution by: a. Commissioning a third‐party equity audit immediately and using these findings to drive the district’s …
