Equity Initiatives

“Alameda CTC recognizes inequities in marginalized communities and is committed to advancing racial, socio-economic, and environmental justice in order to maintain the diversity of our communities. Alameda CTC adopts and implements deliberate policies, systems and actions to deliver transportation funding, projects and programs that result in more equitable opportunities and positive outcomes for marginalized communities.”
– Alameda CTC Equity Statement, adopted September 2022

Equity is a foundational element of Alameda CTC’s work and is prioritized throughout our planning, funding, and delivery of transportation projects and programs. At the Commission Retreat in March 2022, equity was one of the key areas of focus and the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Ad Hoc Committee was formed to explore how Alameda CTC can more deeply infuse equity into the agency’s work, including the development of an agency equity statement.

The JEDI Ad Hoc Committee is focused on developing specific deliverables to further institutionalize equity throughout the agency that results in measurable outcomes. The key deliverables the committee will work towards are:

  • Alameda CTC Equity Statement to explicitly state our commitment to equity and define what equity means to Alameda CTC. This will be informed by best practices research, demographic analysis of the county to both better define what is meant by the term “equity” and how the agency is committed to centering our work on equity.
  • Race and Equity Action Plan (REAP) to outline concrete actions that agency leadership and staff can take to advance race and equity in their respective departments, operations, programs, and policies.
  • Agency-wide Inclusive Engagement Report and guidance to delineate goals, objectives, actions, and desired outcomes with respect to equitable engagement across all agency-led projects, programs, and plans.
  • Annual Equity Report to annually report back to the Commission and the public on progress toward implementing the recommendations of the JEDI Ad Hoc Committee. The format and details will be the focus of discussions towards the end of the year.

Defining Equity in Alameda County

Alameda CTC currently uses MTC’s Equity Priority Community (EPC) framework to identify disadvantaged communities. EPCs are census tracts that have a significant concentration of underserved populations, such as households with low incomes and people of color. A combination of additional factors helps define these areas.

By identifying which Alameda County communities are or have been historically underserved, as well as which are disproportionately impacted by socioeconomic, public health and/or climate change impacts, Alameda CTC can better direct funding, projects, planning, and programming to enable equitable opportunities and outcomes for all in Alameda County. Being clear on what equity means in Alameda County is a critical companion to adopting an equity statement and acting on Alameda CTC’s equity commitments.

Race and Equity Action Plan

Alameda CTC adopted its first Race and Equity Action Plan (REAP) at its December 1, 2022 Commission meeting. The REAP is an action plan that begins to fulfill the agency’s commitment to the equity statement and includes actions that implement the equity statement across Alameda CTC’s diverse functions and workplan.

Alameda CTC staff will work to implement the recommended actions as noted in the REAP, conduct the annual progress reporting process, and report out to the Commission annually. The REAP 2023 Annual Progress Report was presented to the Commission at the April 25, 2024 meeting.

Additional Resources