BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code ? 84308 Applies: Yes ? No ?
(If "YES" Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code ? 84308)
SUBJECT: Title
Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Chief Executive Officer, or Their Designee, to Sign the Equity in Infrastructure Projects Pledge on Behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
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RECOMMENDATION: Recommendation
Adopt the Resolution AUTHORIZING THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OR THEIR DESIGNEE TO SIGN THE EQUITY IN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT PLEDGE ON BEHALF OF THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT and join the other 74 private and public agencies already in the EIP coalition.
Body
SUMMARY:
The mission of the Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) is to provide safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment, and economy. To fulfill our mission, Valley Water awards and/or manages millions of dollars in infrastructure projects annually that create jobs and contribute to the economy in other ways. The non-profit Equity in Infrastructure (EIP) aims to build generational wealth and reduce the racial wealth gap by committing public agencies to develop and share policies that create infrastructure contracting opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). EIP is seeking public agencies to pledge to advance EIP's mission.
Valley Water is committed to equity contracting and has taken concrete steps to affirm this commitment and improve access for HUBs, among them small business enterprises.
On September 22, 2020, the Board approved a Resolution "Addressing Systematic Racism and Promoting Equity." The resolution, among other things, called for creating an Ends Policy relative to environmental justice.
On November 23, 2020, the Board Planning and Policy Committee (now Board Policy and Monitoring Committee) heard proposed modifications to Board Governance Ends Policy General Principles E-1 and the Glossary relative to environmental justice, which included expanding the environmental...
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