Meeting Minutes - Final

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Advisory

Council on Equal Employment Opportunity

9:30 AM

Friday, August 22, 2025

2530 Arnold Drive, Martinez |

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Agenda Items: Items may be taken out of order based on the business of the day and preference of the

Committee

Roll Call and Introductions

Lynette Hart, Rameet Kohli, Leonard Ramirez, Oravanh

Thammasen, and Lauren Traylor

Present

Amrita Kaur

Excused

Absent

Late

DeVonn Powers

Roosevelt Gipson Jr.

Public comment on any item under the jurisdiction of the Committee and not on this agenda

(speakers may be limited to two minutes).

Guest Speakers: Ellen McDonnell and Brandon Banks (Office of Public Defender)

Ellen McDonnell and Brandon Banks both have over 20 years of expertise in the Public Defender's

Office. The Public Defenders represent a variety of clients from different backgrounds. The department

has 6 advancing equity programs that they actively participate in. Advancing racial equity starts

internally and expands outwardly. The department is working hard on many fronts to support their

clients and give them the attention they need to succeed.

ACEEO agreed with the Public Defender's office recommendations for the future regarding being more

competitive with attorney compensation so vacancies can be filled and retention improves. Also, moving

the interview dates after bar exam results have been dispersed has been commended for the department.

REVIEW and APPROVE the minutes from June 27, 2025, Advisory Council on Equal

Employment Opportunity meeting.

Motion:

Second:

Traylor

Ramirez

Aye:

Gipson,, Hart, Kohli, Ramirez, Thammasen, and Traylor

Absent:

Result:

Powers

Passed

25-3034

Contra Costa County EEO mission statement (OFFICIAL) 2018

Guest Speaker Outline

Attachments:

Any changes to the Bylaws and Mission Statement will need to be presented to the Equity

Committee and then to the Board of Supervisors for approval. Motion made and approved

to revise the bylaws and mission statement before next meeting replacing all mentions of

"Affirmative Action".

Motion:

Second:

Kohli

Traylor

Aye:

Gipson,, Hart, Kaur, Kohli, Ramirez, Thammasen, and

Traylor

Absent:

Result:

Powers

Passed

HR Offboarding sub-committee: Goal and Membership

Body reviewed the goal and mission statement for sub-committee. All in agreement over contents.

Members set, no new additions to the sub-committee. Topics discussed during the next sub-committee

meeting will be presented to the larger body at next month (September) meeting.

Next sub-committee meeting to be held at least 1 week prior to September meeting.

Roundtable Discussion/Public Comment

ACEEO suggests to ask if departments are similar in competitive pay and benefits or not, for hiring and

retention struggles across the county.

Adjourn

Meeting is adjourned at 11:19 a.m.

The next meeting is currently scheduled for September 26, 2025.

The Committee will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities planning to attend

the Committee meetings. Contact the staff person listed below at least 72 hours before the meeting. Any

disclosable public records related to an open session item on a regular meeting agenda and distributed by

the County to a majority of members of the Committee less than 96 hours prior to that meeting are

available for public inspection at 2530 Arnold Drive, Martinez, CA, 94553, during normal business

hours. Staff reports related to items on the agenda are also accessible online at www.contracosta.ca.gov.

If the Zoom connection malfunctions for any reason, the meeting may be paused while a fix is

attempted. If the connection is not reestablished, the committee will continue the meeting in person

without remote access. Public comment may be submitted via electronic mail on agenda items at least

one full work day prior to the published meeting time.

For Additional Information Contact: Kiara Allen, (925) 335-1417

ADVISORY COUNCIL ON EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY MEMBERS

LABOR-TRADE MEMBER SEAT:

(VACANT)

BUSINESS MEMBER SEAT:

DeVonn Powers

COMMUNITY MEMBER SEAT #1:

Rameet Kohli

EDUCATION MEMBER SEAT:

Roosevelt Gipson Jr.

COMMUNITY MEMBER SEAT #2:

Lauren Traylor

DISABILITY SEAT:

(VACANT)

COMMUNITY MEMBER SEAT #3:

(VACANT)

UNION MEMBER SEAT #1:

Oravanh Thammasen

COMMUNITY MEMBER SEAT #4:

Lynette Hart

UNION MEMBER SEAT #2:

(VACANT)

MANAGEMENT MEMBER SEAT #1:

Nicole Bilich

VETERAN'S SEAT:

Leonard Ramirez

MANAGEMENT MEMBER SEAT #2:

Amrita Kaur

STAFF TO ACEEO:

- Antoine Wilson

- Kiara Allen

ACEEO Goals

Fill vacant ACEEO seats: Labor-Trade, Community #3, Disability, Management #1, and Union

Member #2.

Schedule speakers and topics that align with the ACEEO focus on equal employment opportunities

within the County.

Establish or create a link to the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ) and Human

Resources for regular attendance.

- Attend and look for implicit bias, diversity deficiencies, and under-representation at Contra Costa

County sponsored career fairs, then report back to the ACEEO with discoveries.

- Create sub-committees to help address the goals of the ACEEO.

Create a database of departmental presentations for ease of following up the next time a department

attends as guest speakers.