REPORT SUMMARY
Last year, the Office of Civic Engagement &
Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) transitioned to a
new online format for the Language Access
Ordinance (LAO) report. These dashboards
make it easier to visualize individual
department and aggregated data over
multiple years. Now it is possible to easily
compare and assess each department’s
annual language access progress. This
format also allows OCEIA to better analyze
LAO compliance data and patterns.
Closer analysis revealed that data reported
over the years were inconsistent due to
different data collection mechanisms used
by City departments and, in some cases,
from year to year within specific
departments. OCEIA will continue to work to
set stronger standards for citywide language
access data collection.
This year, OCEIA offered one-on-one
consultations to all language access liaisons.
From our 46 individual consultations, a pattern
emerged indicating that additional training and
resources for bilingual staff, more technical
assistance, and overall language access training
for all City staff is needed.
LEP CLIENT INTERACTIONS BY
LANGUAGE AS REPORTED BY
DEPARTMENTS FY 2017-2018*
Cantonese
Mandarin
Spanish
441,850
Filipino
Russian
Vietnamese
79,895
Other
48,257
24,195
361,653
22,352
22,425
In order to assist departments, OCEIA has
expanded its scope of services and developed
a training curriculum — the Language Access
Academy. In Fiscal Year 2018-2019, OCEIA has
also prioritized the rollout of the Community
Language Bank, to provide more culturally
sensitive interpretation support
for departments struggling with limited
language services budgets.
Department Compliance:
50
Departments
Required to File
Reports
3
48
Departments
Filed
Reports
57
Departments
Attended OCEIA’s
LAO Training
46
Departments
Had One-on-One
Consultations
with OCEIA
45
Departments
Train Staff on
LAO Policy
42
Departments
Have a Written
LAO Policy
*Numbers reported may include multiple interactions with the same client; Departments may be reporting bilingual
interactions of any duration, not just LEP interactions. Data represented does not account for the following
departments: Asian Art Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Recreation & Parks, and San Francisco International Airport.