2-4-100 Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice.

   (a)   For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

   "Equity" means outcomes and processes that result in fair and just access to opportunity and resources that provide everyone the ability to thrive.

   "Racial Equity Action Plan" means a multi-year strategic plan aiming to achieve equity and racial justice.

   "Racial justice" means the elimination of racial inequality and advancement of collective prosperity for communities that have been most negatively impacted because of their race or ethnicity.

   "Sister agencies" has the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 1-23-010.

   (b)   There is hereby established the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice, which shall have the mission to:

      (1)   provide oversight and guidance for systematic reform of processes, practices, and functions for the City aimed at advancing equity in service delivery, resource distribution, policy creation, community engagements, and other government business on behalf of residents;

      (2)   build capacity of City employees to advance equity in their core work by developing, utilizing, and promoting best and promising practices and strategies; and

      (3)   strengthen, repair, and empower relationships between community members, private sector stakeholders, and government officials by developing, implementing, and leading engagements and initiatives aimed at advancing equity.

   (c)   The Office of Equity and Racial Justice shall be led by a Chief Equity Officer, who shall direct the Office in carrying out the following duties and responsibilities:

      (1)   to develop and coordinate the implementation and maintenance of:

         (A)   a coordinated and comprehensive equity and racial justice strategy for the City aimed at combating systemic racism and addressing the root causes of racial and social inequity throughout the City's government and across the City;

         (B)   racial equity action plans created by each City department to articulate and guide strategy aimed at advancing equity and making it a permanent pillar in all departmental workstreams;

            (i)   All departments, unless directly exempted by the Chief Equity Officer, shall complete a racial equity action plan and report progress annually to the Chief Equity Officer;

         (C)   trainings, professional development, and technical assistance on equity and racial justice for City staff;

      (2)   to enter into grant agreements, cooperation agreements, and other agreements or contracts with governmental entities, private business, and civic and community groups to implement social and racial equity programs;

      (3)   to research and plan processes, resources, and practices that will advance equity in how the City provides services and resources to residents;

      (4)   to educate and communicate to City departments, other governmental bodies, advisory councils, community and civic organizations, and the public regarding the status and progress of the City's equity efforts, as well as opportunities available to advance progress and innovation;

      (5)   to monitor and provide written annual status and progress reporting of City departments' racial equity action plans to the Mayor, City Council, and residents as part of the City's budget process each fiscal year;

      (6)   to collaborate and partner with sister agencies, advisory councils, community and civic organizations, and the public in developing policies, initiatives, and planning efforts aimed at advancing equity and racial justice;

      (7)   to collaborate with relevant departments and entities as needed. Non-limiting examples of such collaboration include:

         (A)   the Office of Budget and Management to obtain relevant departmental data and information, and produce and publish reports to the Mayor, City Council, and members of the public;

         (B)   the Department of Public Health to secure relevant research and data, collaborate and develop research and analysis, jointly seek federal and philanthropic resources, and develop and implement of tools and best practices, such as health and racial equity impact assessments;

         (C)   the Department of Human Resources to access and analyze workforce data for equity dashboards and reporting, and develop workforce diversity and inclusion strategies;

         (D)   the Department of Procurement Services to access and analyze contracting data as it relates to diversity of contractors and vendors, particularly M.B.E. and W.B.E., as these terms are defined in Section 2-92-420 or Section 2-92-670, as appropriate, data and information, and in partnership with the Contracting Equity officer support the development and execution of procurement diversity and inclusion strategies;

      (8)   to hire additional officers and employees according to applicable City hiring laws.

   (d)   The Mayor shall ensure sufficient funding for the Office of Equity and Racial Justice to faithfully and fully execute these requirements.

(Added Coun. J. 11-7-22, p. 54948, Art. I, § 1)

Editor's note – Coun. J. 10-3-01, p. 68130, § 1, repealed former § 2-4-100, which pertained to city newspapers furnished to mayor.

2-4-110 Coordinator of emergency activities.

   The mayor shall be ex officio coordinator of activities in cases of emergency resulting from any explosion, fire, flood, riot, storm or other cause requiring concerted measures for the maintenance of public peace and order, the preservation of life and property and the relief of suffering, or for any of these purposes. He shall formulate, and, as occasion therefor arises, he shall execute plans for the prevention of such emergencies so far as possible and for meeting them effectively when they arise. Obedience to his orders in executing such plans and meeting such emergencies is obligatory upon all departments and heads of departments and upon all other officers and employees of the City of Chicago.

(Prior code § 3-11; Amend Coun. J. 12-4-02, p. 99026, § 8.3)

2-4-120 Gender-based violence task force.

   (a)   The Mayor shall create a gender-based violence task force. The purpose of the task force is to build a whole-of-government approach to address the pervasiveness of gender-based violence and human trafficking. The task force shall advise the Mayor on how to:

      (1)   increase capacity and expertise within City departments to address gender-based violence and human trafficking; and

      (2)   enhance coordination of prevention and intervention efforts among City departments and with key outside organizations focused on preventing gender-based violence and human trafficking; and

      (3)   improve law enforcement response to gender-based violence; and

      (4)   shift cultural norms on what constitutes gender-based violence and human trafficking and its acceptability; and

      (5)   collect, analyze, and use data and research to enhance gender-based violence and human trafficking intervention efforts; and

      (6)   create alternate responses to gender-based violence and human trafficking outside of the criminal justice system; and

      (7)   reform policies that perpetuate or create opportunities for gender-based violence and human trafficking.

   (b)   The task force shall be made up of a minimum of 10 members and a maximum of 21 members. The Commissioner of Family Support Services and the Commissioner of Public Health shall serve ex officio as members but shall not be counted toward the maximum number of members. One member shall be a member of the Advisory Council on Women and one member shall be a member of the Advisory Council on LGBTQ+ issues as those councils are established under Section 2-120-500. The Mayor shall appoint the membership and shall prioritize representatives from community-based organizations that focus on one or more of the following areas to be members on the task force:

      (1)   Sexual assault; and

      (2)   Domestic violence; and

      (3)   Human trafficking; and

      (4)   Sexual harassment and workplace violence; and

      (5)   Indigenous populations; and

      (6)   Immigrants; and

      (7)   People with disabilities; and

      (8)   LGBQTIA+ communities; and

      (9)   Philanthropy.

   The Mayor shall designate a chairperson and vice-chairperson for the task force. Members shall not be compensated by the City for their service on the task force. Except for the ex officio members, appointees shall be appointed and hold office for two years. Vacancies on the task force shall be filled within 90 days.

   The task force shall meet at least quarterly. Additional meetings may be called by the chairperson of the task force or by a majority of the members of the task force. A majority of members of the task force shall constitute a quorum.

   (c)   When appropriate, the task force may invite others, such as representatives of other governmental units and subject matter experts, to assist the task force in carrying out the duties of subsection (a).

(Added Coun. J. 4-19-23, p. 62493, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 10-4-23, p. 3653, § 1)