The LAO requires that all public-serving City departments in San Francisco provide equal access to information and services for LEP individuals . This means that Departments must inform members of the public that they have the right to language assistance and must deliver the same quality of information and services to LEP individuals as they give to English speakers . In addition , Departments must track their language access activities and report compliance data on an annual basis . OCEIA staff members are available throughout the year to provide language access tools and guidance to Departments .
City Department Responsibilities
OCEIA Responsibilities
Designate a language access liaison
Develop , adopt , and implement a Department-specific language access policy
Coordinate and provision for language services
Determine and budget for Departmental language needs
Comply with all requirements of the LAO
Train Departments on LAO compliance and reporting requirements
Develop tools , style guides , and resources to assist Departments with implementation
Identify language services vendors and coordinate Citywide contracting with the Office of Contract Administration
Provide language access consultations and technical assistance to Departments
Monitor and report compliance to the Immigrant Rights Commission and the Board of Supervisors
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