BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code ? 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If "YES" Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code ? 84308)
SUBJECT:
Title
Adopt a Resolution Declaring Santa Clara Valley Water District's 2025 Monthly Cultural Observances.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution DECLARING SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT'S 2025 CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT OBSERVANCES MONTHLY CALENDAR.
Body
SUMMARY:
Every year, local, state, and federal agencies issue proclamations declaring monthly cultural observances. Cultural celebrations, such as monthly observances, are important as they help honor and elevate each culture's history, experiences, and contributions to the United States. Monthly celebrations provide space to teach and learn about cultural histories often omitted from mainstream narratives. These are also an opportunity to reflect on the experience of other groups and our treatment of these groups within our society to raise awareness so that we may collectively move toward a more inclusive, equitable, and just society.
Historically, resolutions to acknowledge culturally significant monthly observances were led by employee resource groups (ERGs), inadvertently leaving some observances without acknowledgment. Over the last two years, Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) has been more intentional in supplementing ERG efforts to ensure acknowledgment of all officially recognized cultural months, going from six resolutions per year before 2022 to 19 in 2023. Starting in 2024, Valley Water began adopting an annual Monthly Cultural Observances Calendar, which includes 29 cultural month observances for 2025. This approach allows Valley Water to further streamline the acknowledgment process and facilitate efforts to honor cultural months beyond adopting a resolution.
In partnership with ERGs, Valley Water will continue coordinating internal acknowledgments and activities to honor and raise awareness about monthly observances while...
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