Title VI Notice
The City of Redwood City hereby gives public notice of its policy to assure full compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Redwood City is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of its services on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including Limited English Proficiency) as protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and 49 Code of Federal Regulations Section 5332.
Filing complaints
Any person who believes that they, individually or as a member of any specific class of individuals, have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including Limited English Proficiency) may file a complaint with the City’s Title VI Coordinator.
Complaints must:
- Be in writing, and signed by the complainant or their representative. If assistance is needed, the complainant may call the Title VI Coordinator at (650)780-7000
. The Title VI Coordinator will interview the complainant, transcribe their allegations and provide the written complaint to the complainant for their or their representative’s signature. - Present a detailed description of the issues, including: 1) the date(s) of the alleged discrimination; and 2) the name(s) and job title(s) of the persons responsible for the alleged discrimination, if known.
- Be filed within one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of the alleged discriminatory incident.
The City’s optional Title VI Complaint forms, in English and Spanish, are available at all public access locations and on the City website https://www.redwoodcity.org/Title6. Complaints may be mailed, emailed, or submitted in person to:
City of Redwood City
Title VI Coordinator
1017 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA 94063
TitleVI@redwoodcity.org
No person who files a complaint, nor any person who cooperates in the investigation of the complaint, shall be subjected to retaliation, and the City shall take reasonable steps to protect such persons from retaliatory actions.
Every effort will be made to obtain early resolution of complaints. Prior to filing a complaint and at any time during an investigation, the complainant may contact the Title VI Coordinator at (650) 780-7000 to attempt to informally resolve the matter.
Complaints may also be filed with:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration - Office of Civil Rights. For more information, contact (202) 366-0693 or visit https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/civilrights/programs/title_vi/.
- The California Department of Transportation Discrimination Complaint Investigation Unit. For more information, contact (916) 324-8379 or visit https://dot.ca.gov/programs/business-and-economic-opportunity/title-vi.
Investigation of Complaints
- The Title VI Coordinator will assign a number to each complaint and each will be included in the City’s Title VI Complaint Log.
- Within five (5) days of receiving the complaint, the Title VI Coordinator will send the complainant a written acknowledgement of receipt.
- Within fourteen (14) days of receiving the complaint, the Title VI Coordinator will determine whether the complaint concerns matters under the City’s jurisdiction, is timely filed, and contains sufficient information. If timeliness or jurisdiction is unclear, or the complaint is insufficient, the Title VI Coordinator will contact the complainant and/or respondents to acquire additional information.
- Timely sufficient complaints concerning matters under the City’s jurisdiction will be investigated by the Title VI Coordinator. Investigations may include interviewing the complainant, City employees, and/or witnesses and obtaining records and other evidence. Prior to interviewing City employees, the Title VI Coordinator will coordinate with the Human Resources Division to ensure compliance with the applicable Memorandum of Understanding and law. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Title VI Coordinator will prepare an investigation report.
- Within ninety (90) days of receiving the complaint, the Title VI Coordinator will issue to the complainant:
- A Dismissal Letter stating that the complaint was procedurally dismissed as untimely, outside the City’s jurisdiction, and/or insufficient;
- A Closure Letter summarizing the allegations and investigation findings, and stating that, based upon the investigation, a Title VI violation did not occur, and the complaint will be closed; or
- A Letter of Finding summarizing the allegations and investigation findings and informing the complainant of any corrective action(s) the City will take.
If more time is required, the Title VI Coordinator shall notify the Complainant of the estimated time-frame for completing the investigation and issuing a determination.
- If a complaint is found to have merit, the Title VI Coordinator will work with relevant City staff to ensure corrective action(s) is/are taken.
- If the complainant is unsatisfied with the Title VI Coordinator’s determination, they may file an appeal with the City Manager or their designee. The appeal must be in writing and filed with the City Clerk’s Office within fifteen (15) days of the date of the determination. The appeal must include the complaint number, complainant’s name, address and contact information, the date of the determination being appealed, the grounds for the appeal, and any written materials the complainant wants the City Manager or their designee to consider. An appeal hearing will be scheduled within ninety (90) days of the City Clerk’s receipt of a written appeal. Written notice of the time and date of the appeal hearing will be mailed to the complainant at least ten (10) days prior to the hearing at the address provided on the written appeal. After holding an appeal hearing, the City Manager or their designee may reverse, affirm or modify in any respect the determination being appealed. The City Manager, or their designee’s, decision is administratively final and not subject to further administrative review.