San Francisco Language Access Ordinance Report 2018 San Francisco Language Access Ordinance Summary Re | 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. 10 | LAO 2018 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