San Francisco Language Access Ordinance 2018 Report San Francisco Language Access Ordinance 2018 | Page 10

LANGUAGE ACCESS IN SF
OCEIA created the Language Access Community Grants
program in 2012 to improve outreach and education to
the general public about language rights and services.
This program supports the enforcement of the LAO
policy by engaging and involving community
organizations in educating their own communities, as
well as informing City departments of community
language needs and gaps. Direct feedback on the
experiences of immigrant and LEP populations helps
improve overall language services delivery.
Although the fight for language rights dates back to the
1970s, it has been a key priority in San Francisco since 2001,
when community-based organizations led by Chinese for
Affirmative Action and the San Francisco Immigrant Rights
Commission (IRC) advocated for and secured language access
laws. Since that time, these laws have been strengthened and
expanded, and the City’s LAO remains the strongest local
language access law in the nation.
In 2009, San Francisco created the Office of Civic Engagement
and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) to consolidate language access
policies and services, integrate immigrant assistance
programs and grants, and increase civic engagement
programs under one department. OCEIA manages citywide
implementation and compliance of the Language Access
Ordinance (LAO)  1 and continues to improve the provisioning
of language services by offering training, tools, templates,
standardized reporting, and other support to City
departments.
Today, San Francisco requires all vital documents and
City service information to be available in four
languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino. City
departments employ a combination of strategies to
reach LEP communities, including multilingual signage,
pre-recorded multilingual announcements, translated
brochures and forms, bilingual staff, telephonic
interpretation, and in-person interpretation.
Departments are given a certain amount of flexibility in
how best to provide these language services based
upon their unique needs and programs. However, the
most effective way to ensure accurate service delivery is
through bilingual staff. This method helps eliminate
misinformation and decreases wait times for LEP
individuals.
OCEIA is charged with monitoring compliance and
educating departments on how to provide residents
with equal access to services, regardless of language
ability. In collaboration with community and City
partners, OCEIA will continue to advance the
implementation of the LAO to ensure quality, culturally
competent, and readily available services for all
residents in San Francisco.  
[1] http://sfgov.org/oceia/language-access-services