Politics & Government

The Issues: Is There Enough Diversity in City Staff?

Candidates running in the Nov. 8 Benicia City Council and mayoral election answer questions posed by Benicia Patch with input from readers.

There is at least one Patch reader who believes the racial makeup of  the city work force doesn’t  adequately reflect the ethnic makeup of the city. In this Q&A with the candidates for City Council and mayor, we ask them to address the diversity issue.

The next Q&A will deal with incentives for business and homeowners to invest in renewable energy.

Today’s question: What steps will you take to insure greater diversification of city workers, especially the Police Department?

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City Council candidates:


I think in some departments there already is a fair amount of diversity. In other departments not so much. Attracting highly qualified diverse employees is going to get harder for the City because we’ve had two rounds of pay cuts in the last 12 months, and not surprisingly employee moral is low. I don’t micro-manage or meddle in department policies because it invariably defeats what you may want done. But at this time the City has no diversity policy and this would be a good time to work on developing one since we have a hiring freeze in place for what may be a very long time, so new hires will be a rarity. I think one strategy would be to develop a notice and recruitment plan that throws the widest net possible. You want the most diverse and qualified work force possible, and these are not mutually exclusive goals.


Ethnic and gender diversification is important in all aspects of society. As a Council member, I will ensure the residents that our city and its employees will reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of a town that has historic and cultural roots dating back to 1857 when it was founded.

Find out what's happening in Beniciawith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Have the Civil Service Commission review the diversity recruitment strategies used by other cities or recommended by the League of California Cities, and make a policy recommendation to the city council. Benicia City Council should not be involved, however, in the hiring of anyone except the city manager and city attorney. To do so would be micromanaging outside the council’s legal purview.


I think we need to have diversification as a priority at city hall. We can't mandate it, necessarily, but a priority so that diversification is always considered and should be part of our hiring policy.

Mayoral Candidates:


I will direct the city manager to review hiring policies to assure that there are no barriers to diversification and make changes if any are found. This would include the Police Department.


Diversification is a term that means different things to different people. For me, diversification means a broad representation of society as a whole including a range of economic classes, geographical representation, genders, people of color and ethnic backgrounds — in other words, a melting pot of Americans and especially our incredibly rich diversity in Benicia. 

To that end, the city seeks qualified employees that represent these diverse cross sections of our population. We are an equal opportunity employer and were one of the few cities in the state with a woman police chief. We recently hired a woman police officer and continue to look at all candidates for open positions in our departments, including the Police Department. I am a vocal and persistent advocate for diversity and inclusiveness in all the city’s affairs.

Nov. 8, 2011, City Council and Mayor Election Handbook: Candidate Q&As, Bios and Voter Guides

Disclosure: Patch editor JB Davis was the campaign manager for Dan Smith in his successful campaign for City Council in 2001.  He has no involvement in Smith’s 2011 campaign.


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