San Francisco Language Access Ordinance Report 2018 San Francisco Language Access Ordinance Summary Re | Page 9

FINDINGS In viewing individual departmental information over a three-year period, it becomes clear that many departments need to improve their data collection. The tools and methodology used from one year to the next are inconsistent, making it difficult to obtain a complete picture of how language access improvements and changes are progressing. This inconsistency is likely due to a number of factors, including the high turnover of department LAO coordinators, the lack of citywide standards for data collection, the loss of historical knowledge when longtime City staff retire, and less than adequate resources for both data collection and language services education for staff. In addition, the documentation and collection of LEP data and language services usage is not tracked in a uniform way from department to department. Data also show that efforts to educate LEP populations about the City’s language access laws are working. Overall, language services provisioning remained steady over the last two fiscal years and more people are seeking services in language. In-person interpretation increased by 27% between FY 2015-2016 and FY 2016-2017, with Spanish language services representing 46%, Chinese 42%, and Filipino 6% in FY 2016-2017. Telephonic interpretation increased by 5% between FY 2015-2016 and FY 2016-2017, with Spanish representing 50%, Chinese 36%, and Filipino 1% in FY 2016-2017. Despite these challenges, it is still possible to cull useful information about citywide trends and departmental improvements. For example, although the City has decreased the overall number of public contact staff since 2014 and, consequently, has seen a decrease in the number of clients served, the City’s commitment to its LEP community remains strong. During this reporting period, service to the LEP community as well as the number of bilingual staff increased: Reported data show a 35% decrease in overall public contact staff since FY 2014-2015 even though an additional 26 departments started reporting in FY 2015-2016. Total clients served decreased by 6%.  Bilingual public staffing increased by 11% in FY 2015-2016 and 5% in FY 2016-2017. LEP clients served increased by 3%.  47 Departments Have Training for Public Contact Staff 48 Departments Attended OCEIA's Mandatory LAO Training  48 Departments Have a Written LAO Policy