Pacific Grove task force picks a consultant to guide the city toward more equity.

In its nearly two years of work, the Pacific Grove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force has made headway in its mission to make the small town a more welcoming place for underrepresented groups – it’s biggest accomplishment to date is the creation of a formal apology for the 1906 burning of a Chinese fishing village. Last year, the P.G. City Council approved that apology by a vote of 7-0. The council also directed the task force to find a DEI consultant to assist the group and on June 12, the task force recommended hiring Seed Collaborative, LLC, pending council approval.

The Black-owned, women-led firm based in Inglewood was selected after a task force subcommittee reviewed the three top firms that submitted proposals. The firm has worked with other cities including Alameda, Sunnyvale and Santa Rosa. The consultants add a “B” for “belonging” to the acronym DEI, a trend in the DEI consulting industry as it evolves.

In their proposal to P.G., Seed consultants suggested they assess the city government and community through individual and group interviews, as well as surveys, in order to develop a strategic plan and training strategies. The cost estimate for the full menu of services, including working with the city for over 30 months, was $356,256. The council could opt to select only a few services.

The proposal is being met with stiff resistance from a few residents who have opposed the DEI Task Force from its inception, regularly voicing objections to its existence and at times insisting that racism does not exist in P.G. One man on June 12 argued, “If we have these great problems and it’s so obvious to everybody, why do we need a consultant?” A few others argued against spending money, suggesting the volunteer task force members do the work.

Task Force Chair Kim Bui said the subcommittee’s initial research looked to the City of San Luis Obispo as an example, three times the size of P.G. but with a similar racial makeup. (P.G. and SLO are 75-percent and 70-percent white, respectively.) That city spent $270,000 on a different consulting firm in 2021, which produced 40-50 recommendations, some since implemented. Professionals have the time, Bui said. “They were of course able to do much deeper demographic work than any community member could do,” she added.

There was at least one resident who spoke in favor of the proposal, Sue Parris, former director for the Monterey Bay Chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute. She hoped the council would find the money to pursue the consultant’s proposal and noted the city has more work to do in light of continuing opposition comments by some residents. “It’s so clear to someone who has some compassion how much need there is for figuring out how to make this city more welcoming and more inclusive,” Parris said.

The task force’s recommendation to hire Seed is under review by the City Attorney’s office and may come to the council for consideration in August.