FINDINGS
In the decade that OCEIA has been tracking the City’s progress
on language access, there has been heightened awareness of
the language access needs of the City’s Limited English
Proficient (LEP) population. OCEIA uses the data submitted in
the LAO report to identify areas of improvement for each
department and develop customized goals and plans. In
addition to reporting department-specific data, the
LAO Summary Report displays general trends across the City.
There have been improvements in employee training, increased
spending on language services, and greater LEP engagement in
City services.
There appear to be adequate levels of bilingual staff to provide
language services to City residents. However, the collection of data
on LEP clients continues to vary across departments. Further
analysis of data indicates that although there is a high number of
overall client interactions reported, the actual proportion of LEP
clients served is only 8 percent* of total client interactions, while
the LEP population in the City is 21 percent (44 percent of the total
population over age 5 speak a language other than English at
home, 21 percent are Limited English Proficient). In order to
resolve this discrepancy, City departments can implement more
inclusive outreach methods to better engage LEP residents.
$8.1
BILLION
The City's Operating Budget
†
for FY 2017-2018
$12.4 MILLION
†
SF Residents
Who Identify
as LEP
21%
8%
LEP Client
Interactions
Reported
in SF*
As a general trend, City departments have increased
their budgets dedicated to LEP outreach and
engagement. However, greater budgetary support is
still warranted. In FY 2017-2018,
departments reported
†
spending $12,600,868 to provide language services.
When compared to the City’s overall operating budget
†
of $9,415,980,284 , the language access budget still
represents less than 1 percent of the City’s overall
budget. Increasing the budget for language access
services and public education on the availability of
these services will likely increase the number of LEP
individuals seeking City services.
Language Access Budget for
FY 2017-2018
*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.
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