Building Inclusive Infrastructure for Underserved Populations

6 min read

ELAC, or English Learner Advisory Committee, provides a vital template for how local governance structures can center the voices of historically marginalized communities. Unique to California, ELAC is required by the California Department of Education (CDE) for any public school with 21 or more English learners. These committees must advise school administrators and governing boards on programs and services for English learners and are mandated under the California Education Code to ensure that parents of English learners have a voice in school decision-making. While ELAC focuses specifically on English learners in public schools, its principles can be applied across municipal systems to better serve underserved populations. Successful municipal engagement begins with the creation of advisory councils that mirror the demographic and cultural diversity of the community. These councils must be empowered with not only advisory capacity but also meaningful influence over policy and program decisions. In cities like Oakland and San Francisco, community-driven advisory bodies have been instrumental in shaping language access policies, affordable housing initiatives, and transportation equity plans that directly benefit low-income and immigrant residents¹.

Municipal governments must also invest in capacity building for community members. Just as ELAC organizes workshops for parents, local agencies should provide accessible training on civic engagement, budgeting processes, and policy advocacy. These efforts help level the playing field for residents who may face barriers due to language, immigration status, or systemic discrimination. For example, the City of Los Angeles has implemented community engagement academies in multiple languages to help residents understand zoning, public safety systems, and how to participate in city council meetings². This equity-focused approach strengthens democratic participation and fosters trust between underserved populations and the institutions that serve them.

Integrating Cultural Competence into Public Services

Cultural competence is essential for effectively serving diverse populations. In the context of schools, ELAC helps ensure that curricula and school environments reflect the languages, histories, and traditions of the students they serve. Similarly, municipal agencies must embed cultural competence into every facet of service delivery. This includes hiring bilingual staff, developing culturally relevant outreach materials, and adapting programs to reflect community norms. For instance, the Contra Costa Health Services Department in California employs bicultural health promoters known as “promotores” to conduct outreach in Latino communities, improving access to preventive care and mental health support³.

Training municipal staff on cultural humility and unconscious bias is another practical step. It’s not enough to translate documents or hold occasional multicultural events. Staff at all levels should understand the unique challenges faced by specific communities, such as historical trauma, fear of government authority, or housing displacement. Embedding these practices into performance evaluations, procurement policies, and community engagement plans ensures that equity is not an afterthought but a foundational element of public service. The City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative is one model for how local governments can institutionalize equity frameworks across departments⁴.

Data-Driven Equity Planning

To serve underserved populations effectively, municipalities must collect and analyze data that reflect the lived realities of these communities. ELAC committees often review data on English learner performance, reclassification rates, and parent engagement to identify areas of need. Similarly, local governments should disaggregate data by race, ethnicity, language, income, and immigration status to uncover inequities in service delivery. The City of Long Beach’s Equity Toolkit for Budgeting and Policy Decisions is an example of using data to prioritize investments in neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty, environmental hazards, and limited access to transportation⁵.

However, data collection must be paired with transparency and community input. Municipalities should present findings in community forums, translated into accessible language, and solicit feedback before finalizing policy responses. This participatory approach builds accountability and ensures that solutions are informed by those most affected. For instance, when San Diego analyzed racial disparities in policing data, the process included public hearings and community-based recommendations, which led to changes in police training and accountability measures⁶.

Strengthening Cross-Sector Collaboration

ELAC’s success is partly due to its collaborative model, where educators, parents, and community partners work in tandem. Municipal governments can adopt similar strategies by fostering partnerships between schools, health care providers, housing authorities, and community-based organizations. These collaborations help address the interconnected challenges faced by underserved populations, such as housing insecurity, food deserts, and limited access to early childhood education. For example, the Fresno DRIVE (Developing the Region’s Inclusive and Vibrant Economy) initiative brings together public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders to improve economic mobility for historically excluded groups in the Central Valley⁷.

Effective collaboration requires more than coordination; it demands shared goals, pooled resources, and clear accountability structures. Inter-agency working groups, joint funding agreements, and community benefit agreements can formalize these partnerships. Municipal leaders must also ensure that community voices are central in setting the agenda. Participatory budgeting processes, like those used in Vallejo and Oakland, California, allow residents to directly decide how municipal funds are spent, promoting civic ownership and aligning investments with community priorities⁸.

Institutionalizing Equity Through Policy and Governance

Beyond programmatic efforts, municipalities need to embed equity into the structures of governance. ELAC is mandated by state education code, which ensures its sustainability and authority within school operations. Similarly, local governments should adopt ordinances, charters, or administrative policies that codify equity goals. This might include creating equity offices, establishing chief equity officers, or requiring equity impact assessments for proposed legislation. The City of Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights is a leading example, providing citywide training, conducting equity audits, and guiding departments in applying an equity lens to their work⁹.

Policy levers can also be used to address systemic inequities. For example, inclusionary zoning policies can promote affordable housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods, while language access ordinances ensure that non-English speakers can access critical public services. These structural tools help mitigate disparities that are often reinforced by existing regulations or market forces. Municipal practitioners should regularly review their policies through an equity lens, engaging affected communities in the process and adjusting based on feedback and measurable outcomes.

Bibliography

San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs. “Language Access Ordinance Annual Compliance Report.” City and County of San Francisco, 2022.
City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. “Civic University Program.” Accessed April 2024.
Contra Costa Health Services. “Promotores Program.” Contra Costa County, 2023.
City of Seattle Office for Civil Rights. “Race and Social Justice Initiative: 2023 Annual Report.” City of Seattle, 2023.
City of Long Beach Equity Office. “Equity Toolkit for Budgeting and Policy Decisions.” City of Long Beach, 2022.
City of San Diego Office of the Independent Police Auditor. “Community Policing and Equity Review.” City of San Diego, 2021.
Fresno DRIVE Initiative. “Strategic Plan: 10-Year Investment in Inclusive Economic Development.” Central Valley Community Foundation, 2020.
Participatory Budgeting Project. “Case Studies: Vallejo and Oakland.” Accessed April 2024.
City of Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights. “Strategic Plan 2021-2024.” City of Portland, 2021.