Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states: "No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity, receiving Federal Financial Assistance."
San Francisco Public Works is committed to ensuring that all its programs, services and activities comply fully with this requirement and are accessible to everyone in San Francisco.
Nondiscrimination Policy Statement
San Francisco Public Works plays a critical role in maintaining and improving the City's infrastructure and public spaces. As a recipient of federal financial assistance, San Francisco Public Works is committed to ensuring that its programs, services and activities comply fully with Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs receiving federal funds.
San Francisco Public Works prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability or income status. This policy extends to all aspects of its operations, including employment practices, public participation and the delivery of public services.
TITLE VI/NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY STATEMENT
Title VI Documents and Contact Information
Title VI Compliance Plan
San Francisco Public Works has adopted a Title VI Compliance Plan (Department Procedure 02-05-01) to implement these requirements. The full procedure is attached.
The plan assigns clear roles across the agency. The Director of Public Works provides executive oversight and signs the annual Nondiscrimination Policy Statement. The Title VI Coordinator manages plan implementation, Caltrans and FHWA interactions and annual compliance reporting. Division deputies across Operations, Engineering, Support Services, Project Delivery, Support Services and Policy and Communications monitor equitable service delivery and contractor compliance within their areas. The Civil Rights Unit, within the Public Works Planning and Performance bureau, conducts the agency's equity and demographic analysis, administers language access services, trains subrecipients and maintains Title VI records.
Core plan elements include annual equity analysis of service delivery by demographic and geographic factors; a four-factor analysis of language assistance needs conducted each year, as required by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for agencies receiving federal highway funds; document translation into Spanish, Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese; real-time interpretation at public meetings, including virtual platforms; a dedicated live-translation hotline; quarterly reporting to the Title VI Coordinator; and annual compliance reporting to Caltrans under the Local Assistance Procedures Manual, Chapter 9, including corrective-action plans where deficiencies are identified.
Related department procedures govern complaint handling (03-03-07), Title VI training (03-05-18) and public participation data collection (02-02-06).
Annual Work Plan
The annual work plan establishes goals for the Title VI program, monitors progress and reports on the program’s accomplishments on an annual basis.
Filing a Title VI Complaint
Contact information for filing a complaint under Title VI is provided on the complaint form.
Complaints also may be filed directly with any of the following:
- SFGOV EEO Helpline: 628-652-0845, TTY: 628-652-0715, DHR-EEO@sfgov.org
- Caltrans Office of Civil Rights, Title VI Branch: Title.VI@dot.ca.gov
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Office of Civil Rights: FHWA.TitleVIcomplaints@dot.gov, (202) 366-4000
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Office of Civil Rights: East Building, 5th Floor, TCR, 1200 New Jersey Ave SE, Washington DC 20590
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: (202) 514-2000, justice.gov/crt
San Francisco Public Works Title VI Coordinator
Boris Deunert, Ph.D.
Manager of Regulatory Compliance and Remediation
Project Design and Development
San Francisco Public Works
49 S. Van Ness Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94103
boris.deunert@sfdpw.org
(415) 423-4021
Equal Employment Opportunity
San Francisco Public Works also maintains an equal employment opportunity policy and related directives pertaining to sexual harassment, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodation, religious accommodation and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), which prohibits harassment or discrimination in employment because of:
- Age (40 and above)
- Ancestry
- Color
- Denial of Family Medical Care Leave (FMLA/CFRA)
- Disability (physical or mental), including HIV and AIDS
- Marital status
- Medical condition
- National origin
- Political affiliation
- Race
- Religion
- Retaliation
- Sex (gender or pregnancy)
- Sexual orientation
Who is protected by department policy and state and federal law?
- Job applicants
- Employees
- Vendors
- Contractors
- Members of the public
What is protected by department policy and state and federal law?
- Accessibility
- All terms, conditions and privileges of employment
- Compensation
- Discipline
- Harassment-free work
- Workplace environment (Including sexual harassment)
- Hiring
- Programs, activities, services and benefits
- Promotions
- Recruitment
If you believe you have experienced discrimination, contact your equal employment opportunity office at:
SFGOV EEO Helpline: 628-652-0845
TTY Line: 628-652-0715
Email: DHR-EEO@sfgov.org
EEO complaints can be filed with the City’s Department of Human Resources (DHR), the General Services Agency (GSA) Human Resources Manager or directly with the state Equal Employment Opportunity Program, Discrimination Complaint Investigation Unit.
Note: Affirmative action continues to be a federal requirement for all contractors and subcontractors receiving federal funds as well as for the employment of persons with disabilities at the state level.
