Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s past and the lives of its residents to this day. It is, therefore, not surprising that Oakland was chosen in 2017 to be among the first cohort of five cities to develop local Equity Indicators tools in partnership with the City University of New York’s Institute for State and Local Governance (CUNY ISLG) and with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Mortality is a widely recognized measure of population health. This Topic includes an Indicator on infant mortality, which is particularly important to public health and relates to other health outcomes, including access to care. The other two Indicators in this Topic, life expectancy and premature death, reveal disparities in how long individuals are expected to live and whether they are able to meet those expectations. In all three Indicators, African Americans have the worst outcomes.

Access to high quality housing is an important component of the Housing Theme. Substandard housing can have negative impacts on residents’ health and their ability to engage in different aspects of their lives outside of the home. The three Indicators in this Topic measure geographic disparities in housing habitability complaints, and racial and ethnic disparities in complete kitchen facilities and overcrowded conditions in Oakland housing units.

The Achievement Topic includes three Indicators that measure racial and ethnic disparities in 3rd grade ELA (English Language Arts) proficiency, high school readiness, and A-G completion. The first Indicator measures disparities in 3rd grade ELA proficiency between Latinos and Whites. The second Indicator measures disparities in high school readiness between African Americans and Asians. The third Indicators measures disparities in A-G completion between African Americans and Whites.

The Enrollment Topic includes three Indicators that measure racial and ethnic disparities in preschool enrollment, chronic absenteeism, and high school on-time completion. The first Indicator measures disparities in preschool enrollment between Latinos and Whites. The second Indicator measures disparities in chronic absenteeism between African Americans and Asians. The third Indicators measures disparities in how many high school students are still enrolled after four years between Latinos and Whites.

The affordable housing crisis affects communities around the country, and Oakland is no exception. While many Oaklanders struggle to afford their homes, racial and ethnic minorities face particular challenges in access to affordable housing. The three Indicators in this Topic measure access to stable housing through homeownership, access to financial resources in the form of home loans, and access to rental housing that does not cost more than 30% of household income.

This Indicator measures the median response times of calls for service that were routed to patrol. The measurement is broken down between Priority 1 and Priority 2 calls as well as by police area. Priority 1 Calls are defined as those that include potential danger for serious injury to persons, prevention of violent crimes, serious public hazards, felonies in progress with possible suspect on scene. Priority 2 Calls are defined as urgent but not an emergency situation, hazardous / sensitive matters, in-progress misdemeanors and crimes where quick response may facilitate apprehension of suspect(s). There are 5 police areas in Oakland each of which consist of a defined set of police beats and therefore cover a specific geographic part of Oakland. For more information and maps of areas, see here: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/government/o/OPD/o/BFO/index.htm

A lack of essential services can have a significant impact on the daily lives of residents. The three Indicators in this Topic measure three different types of essential services: plumbing facilities, energy (i.e., electricity, gas), and high-speed Internet. Plumbing facilities are necessary for the basic functions of a home, energy costs should not place too large a burden on households and families, and high-speed Internet has become a crucial component of work, school, and social life.

The Program Access Topic includes three Indicators that measure racial and ethnic disparities in AP course enrollment, Linked Learning Pathway enrollment, and suspensions. The first Indicator measures disparities in AP course enrollment between African Americans and Whites. The second Indicator measures disparities in Linked Learning Pathway enrollment between African Americans and Asians. The third Indicator measures disparities in suspension rates between African Americans and Asians.

The Built Environment Topic includes three Indicators that measure the safety, resilience, and quality of Oakland neighborhoods. All three of these Indicators measure geographic disparities based on the majority race/ethnicity of census tracts. The first Indicator in this Topic measures disparities in the location of streets where there have been a high number of pedestrian injuries. The second Indicator measures disparities in the location of soft story buildings, which are prone to collapse in the event of an earthquake. The third Indicator measures disparities in the location of residential addresses that have been vacant for two years or more.