“Advisory Body” shall mean a body other than a City Board or City Commission that is created by ordinance for the purpose of providing policy advice to the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor, or City Departments.
“Annual Compliance Report” is set forth in Section 91.11 of this Chapter.
“Bilingual Employee” shall mean a City employee who is fluent in both English and a second language and who is able to conduct the department’s business in both languages. A bilingual employee shall include a City employee who (i) is in a classification that provides information or direct services to the public requiring language proficiency in English and a second language; or (ii) is either a certified interpreter or translator by the Department of Human Resources or accredited training or academic institution; or (iii) receives premium pay and regularly uses the second language in their city employment; or (iv) is self-designated as competent in a second language for purposes of sporadic translation services.
“City” shall mean the City and County of San Francisco.
“City Boards” shall mean all boards listed in Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Section 3.1-103(a)(1), as amended from time to time.
“City Commissions” shall mean all commissions listed in Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code Section 3.1-103(a)(1), as amended from time to time.
“Commission” shall mean the Immigrant Rights Commission.
“Department” shall mean any City department, agency, or office with a service or program that provides information or services directly to the public, or interacts with the public.
“Department’s Service or Program” shall mean anything a Department, agency,1
provides that involves direct services to the public as part of ongoing operations and those direct services administered by the Department for program beneficiaries and participants. Activities include, but are not limited to, information provided to or communication with the public, spaces or department facilities used by the public, and programs that provide Direct Services to the Public.
“Direct Services to the Public” shall mean any service that requires City employees to provide responses to inquiries about official documents, licenses, financial matters, and benefits that are related to the public’s health, safety, and general welfare.
“Districts” shall refer to the 11 geographical districts by which the people of the City elect the members of the Board of Supervisors.
“Emerging Language Population” shall mean any new or smaller language population that is at at1
least 2.5% of persons who share a primary language other than English, or for whom there are identified language access needs.
“First Responders” shall mean all City Departments that respond to crisis situations as set forth in Section 91.9.
“Interpretation” means a live service that communicates information from one language into another language that is provided in the moment through oral or gestured means. The live service may be provided either through simultaneous or consecutive interpretation of the original speech.
“Language Access Services” shall mean translation and interpretation of oral or spoken information that is accessible and enables communication with persons for whom English is not their primary language or for persons who have a greater capacity for speaking or writing a language other than English. This may also include, interpretation of communications provided through oral, video, remote, or telephonic mediums.
“Limited English Proficient Person” or “LEP Person” shall mean an individual who does not speak speak,1
read, understand, or communicate English, is otherwise unable to communicate effectively in English because English is not the individual’s primary language or prefers to conduct the interaction in their native language..1
“OCEIA” shall mean the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs or any successor agency.
“Public Contact or Public Information Position” shall mean a position, a primary job responsibility of which consists of meeting, contacting, and dealing with the public in the performance of the duties of that position.
“Public Service Announcement” means vital information to the public about the Department’s services or programs.
“Required languages” shall mean Language Access Services in Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, and any other language for which the requisite number of persons qualifies as a Substantial Number of Limited English Proficient Persons.
“Substantial Number of Limited English Proficient Persons” shall mean, prior to January 1, 2026, 10,000 City residents with limited English proficiency who speak a shared language other than English. The City will provide Language Access Services to a Substantial Number of Limited English Proficient Persons. OCEIA shall determine annually whether at least 10,000 LEP Persons speak a shared language other than English in order that their shared language will render them eligible for Language Access Services in that language. OCEIA shall make this determination by referring to the best available data from the United States Census Bureau or other reliable source and shall certify its determination to Departments and the Commission no later than January 31 of each year or an annual date as determined by OCEIA. Prior to certifying any new language as set forth in this definition, OCEIA shall comply with the provisions in Section 91.16(d). Starting January 1, 2026, the number 6,000 shall replace the number 10,000 as the annual threshold amount in this definition.
“Translation” means any written communication of information from one language into another language.
CODIFICATION NOTE
1. So in Ord. 116-24