Dear Atlas users,

Throughout 2021, the Bay Area Equity Atlas team continued to equip local community leaders working to address structural racism and the inequitable impacts of the pandemic with actionable insights and analyses, and 50,000 users turned to the Bay Area Equity Atlas to access equity data and policy tools – double the number of users in 2020. The new federal administration, with its pathbreaking day-one executive order on racial equity and the historic American Rescue Plan, offered renewed hope and resources for an equitable recovery. But delivering on equity will take continued advocacy for transformative, race-conscious policies and investments, and we are gearing up to power those efforts with relevant and deeply disaggregated data. Here are some highlights from the year.

Powering Advocacy for Eviction Protections and Rent Relief

As the second year of the pandemic unfolded, we were proud to support efforts across the region to protect vulnerable Covid-impacted renter households.

• We worked closely with local advocates fighting for eviction protections to produce resources for their campaigns, including fact sheets on eviction risk and rent debt for California, the Bay Area, and unincorporated Alameda County in partnership with the Raise the Roof Coalition, People’s Alliance of San Mateo County, North Bay Organizing Project, and Housing NOW.
• We partnered with Right to the City Alliance to build a regularly updated rent debt dashboard providing timely, local data (including for the Bay Area) on the extent of renter debt, the characteristics of households affected by it, and the distribution of rent relief.
• With Housing NOW and BARHII, we surveyed 177 workers conducting intake and outreach for California’s emergency rental assistance programs to help policymakers, service providers, and intermediaries understand the challenges renters face in accessing relief, from technological and language barriers to fear of landlord retaliation. Tenant-serving organizations have successfully advocated for the state to address some of the barriers and program flaws highlighted in our report.

Illuminating Progress – But Continued Inequities – in Local Political Representation

The Bay Area is one of the most diverse regions in the nation, but people of color still face significant barriers to accessing and exercising political power. This year’s data on the diversity of high-level elected officials in the Bay Area revealed that while the share of Black and Latinx electeds increased after the November 2021 election, our political leaders are still not representative of the region’s rich diversity: People of color make up 60 percent of the region’s population but just 34 percent of top elected officials. With Bay Rising, we hosted a panel discussion exploring the challenges candidates face and pathways for increasing political representation, where Clarissa Doutherd and Shanthi Gonzales shared their experiences as women of color running for Oakland Unified School District board. The San Francisco Chronicle, SF Gate, San Francisco Public Press, and the Daily Journal reported on our analysis.

Updating and Expanding Our Indicators

Our metrics are now updated to include the most recent data available (2019, in most cases), along with key insights from this data. In September we added Homeownership as our 22nd indicator, displaying homeownership rates by race, gender, nativity, ancestry, and geography between 2000 and 2019. We also released updated data and trends for California’s Tribal Nations to make it easy for users to access key insights for this population, as Native Americans are a relatively small share of the Bay Area population (less than ½ percent), and data availability varies across the region’s counties and cities.

Launching the Racial Equity Data Lab

As part of the launch of the Racial Equity Data Lab, we worked with Tableau expert Chantilly Jaggernauth of Lovelytics to produce “How is the Black population doing in the Bay Area?”, a regional dashboard that presents indicators of economic and political inclusion, education, and justice for the Bay Area’s Black population. We found that median wages for Black women are nearly $20,000 less than those of their counterparts. The Lab is a new feature that helps you tell your community’s equity story using custom dashboards and displays powered by Tableau software and Atlas data.

Atlas In the News and On the Road

This year, our data and analyses informed 52 print and digital news articles in outlets including the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, NPR, Mercury News and SFGate ( full list here). We presented to diverse audiences, including the Commonwealth Club of California, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, San Francisco Tableau User Group and Berkeley Opportunity Lab.

Join Our Team!

USC Equity Research Institute is hiring a one-year postdoctoral position to provide data analysis support to the Bay Area and National Equity Atlas team. The fellow will help the team design, organize, and conduct advanced quantitative analyses producing academic articles as well as popular reports. Please send experienced candidates our way!

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

Dear Atlas users,

The Bay Area Equity Atlas was developed to equip local leaders with data to advance racial and economic equity, which is especially important as the region and the nation continues to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. As a recent report by the Othering and Belonging Institute finds, the Bay Area remains highly segregated despite some improvement since 2000. In the context of entrenched racial inequities and the emerging challenges of the economic recovery, the Bay Area Equity Atlas team is looking for a senior associate to lead our work supporting efforts to foster an equitable Bay Area for all.

Join the Bay Area Equity Atlas Team

The Bay Area Equity Atlas team is actively recruiting for a senior associate to lead the strategic planning and day-to-day management of the Bay Area Equity Atlas as well as the development of high-impact quantitative and mixed-methods analyses and data tools. We are looking for candidates who are passionate about racial equity, skilled in data analysis, and have experience working in and with communities of color. This position will be based in the Bay Area, working closely with local grassroots organizations and equity campaigns.

The National Equity Atlas team is also expanding. We’re looking for a director to lead the team, a senior associate to conduct research and analysis, and a senior communications associate to lead all of our media and dissemination activities. Learn more about these positions here and please share with your networks.

The California Immigrant Data Portal: A Powerful Tool to Advance Immigrant Integration

For a great resource and progress tracker for immigrants and those serving immigrant communities in California, check out the California Immigrant Data Portal (CIDP) developed by our partners at the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI). CIDP provides data and case studies to better understand and promote the well-being of immigrants, their families, and their communities, including indicators and insights not available in the Atlas, like Recency of Arrival, Linguistic Isolation by race, and immigration status, including Mixed-status Families. Current and historical disaggregated data is available for counties, sub-county areas, cities, and the state. Learn more about the California Immigrant Data Portal here.

Updated Data for Native American Populations Now Available on the Bay Area Equity Atlas

The Bay Area Equity Atlas recently released updated data and trends for California’s Tribal Nations reflecting the latest available data. Native Americans are a relatively small share of the Bay Area population (less than ½ percent) and the population varies in size across counties and cities within the region. Because data on the Atlas is limited for smaller populations, we’ve included an analysis of key trends for Native Americans so you can easily find this data. You can also review an updated table detailing data availability for Native American communities.

The Atlas Team Presents at the Northern California Grantmakers 2021 Corporate Philanthropy Institute

On October 13, the Atlas team presented the Bay Area Equity Atlas and National Equity Atlas tools at the 2021 Corporate Philanthropy Institute, a conference to help companies use their voice, leadership, philanthropy, and power to address racial inequalities and other long-term societal challenges. Atlas team members Jamila Henderson and Abbie Langston shared how companies and funders can leverage the Atlas tools to drive investments in communities across the Bay Area and nationally.

In the News

San Francisco Public Press covered our recent analysis of the diversity of Bay Area elected officials and lifted up our data illustrating that district-based elections can improve representation for communities of color. The article features an interview with Atlas team member Michelle Huang that aired on KSFP.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

 

Dear Atlas users,

We are excited to announce that the National Equity Atlas team is expanding! While the movement for racial equity continues to gain momentum across the nation, it is critical to center people and communities of color in our economy’s recovery and in our systems and policy change efforts. This additional staffing will allow us to take on more data requests from community leaders and organizers, conduct more original analyses, build more responsive data tools, and dedicate more time to supporting equity advocates and campaigns.

The National Equity Atlas Team Is Growing

The Atlas team is actively recruiting for three new positions: a director to lead the team, a senior associate to conduct research and analysis, and a senior communications associate to lead all of our media & dissemination activities. These are dream jobs for people who love data, use mixed-methods approaches, and want to produce innovative research and partner with grassroots organizations advancing racial and economic equity. We have a preference for Bay Area-based candidates, but encourage applicants from anywhere in the US who are passionate about racial equity and have experience working in and with communities of color. Learn more about the positions here and please share with your networks!

Atlas Featured in “How to Build an Inclusive Economy”

PolicyLink CEO Michael McAfee was included in Freethink’s recent video series on how to build an inclusive economy and lifted up the role of the Atlas in advancing the equity movement by highlighting key data insights that validate the experiences of communities of color and providing fuel to advance equity campaigns. “The National Equity Atlas,” he explained, “will give you a sense of how much a region, a city, a county, a state, would benefit by closing gaps in racial disparities.” Watch the video.

Racial Equity in Entrepreneurship Is Crucial for an Inclusive Recovery

At the recent Institute of Governmental Studies Research Symposium, Sarah Treuhaft joined a keynote panel to share key Atlas data and insights on the state of racial equity in entrepreneurship, noting that in the 10 most populous US cities African Americans remain underrepresented in business ownership. Removing barriers that prevent people of color from starting and growing successful businesses is a crucial inclusive growth strategy as entrepreneurship is an important pathway for building wealth and addressing the racial wealth gap and also creating jobs for workers of color.

In the News

This month, our Rent Debt Dashboard was covered by the Los Angeles Times, Cal Matters, Maryland Matters, CBS8, Mendocino Voice, and the Sahan Journal. Our study of California rideshare driver healthcare access under Prop 22 was covered by LawyersAndSettlements. You can find a complete list of news coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)
 

Dear Atlas users,

As evidenced by our most recent rent debt analysis, low-income people of color in the Bay Area continue to suffer from the devastating impacts of the pandemic even as other aspects of the economy return to ‘normal.’ Local governments as well as the state government must do more to ensure these communities have access to stable housing and a just economy — through continued eviction moratorium and targeted economic recovery programs. The Atlas team is committed to supporting Bay Area residents to realize these policy wins through disaggregated equity data and research support. Here are some updates:

In Case You Missed It: Check Out Our Recent Conversation with Local Leaders on Fostering Increased Diversity Among Local Elected Officials

The Bay Area is one of the most diverse regions in the nation, but our recent analysis finds that while people of color make up 60 percent of the Bay Area region they are just 34 percent of top elected officials. In a September 9 webinar, we dug into these findings and pointed to potential pathways to increase representation — such as through district-based elections — with a great panel of local leaders. Clarissa Doutherd and Shanthi Gonzales shared their experiences as women of color running for Oakland Unified School District board. Other featured speakers include Bay Rising Executive Director Kimi Lee, Urban Habitat Executive Director Ellen Wu, and Atlas team member Michelle Huang. You can find a recording of the webinar here as well as our op-ed.

Our New Homeownership Indicator Reveals Persistent Racial Gaps in Access to Wealth-Building Opportunities

This month, we added Homeownership as the 22nd indicator on the Bay Area Equity Atlas to democratize data on homeownership rates by race, gender, nativity, ancestry, and geography between 2000 and 2019, the most recent year for which this data is available. We also highlight key insights from this data for the Great Recession through the long economic recovery until right before the Covid-19 pandemic. Find the analysis of the new homeownership indicator here.

Bay Area Renters Still Owe Millions in Pandemic-Related Rent Debt

Our updated Rent Debt Dashboard reveals that thousands of Bay Area renter households are behind on rent payments. In Santa Clara County alone, we found that 23,504 households owe rent, totaling more than $109 million dollars. Despite the need for immediate assistance, rent relief distribution lags behind in the region: just 6 percent of relief funds have been distributed in Santa Clara County. The Raise the Roof coalition and other community advocates cited data from the dashboard to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors September 21 in their fight to protect low-income tenants at risk of eviction, temporarily limit the scope of just cause evictions, and allocate county funds for expanded tenant legal services. The Atlas team also provided public comment and cited the dashboard during the Board of Supervisors meeting to make the case for stronger renter protections during the pandemic.

In the News

Our analysis on the diversity of Bay Area electeds was featured in the SF Chronicle, SF Gate, Post News Group, and the Daily Journal. Check out a complete list of our coverage here.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

Dear Atlas users,

The Supreme Court’s rejection of the federal eviction moratorium threatens to push millions of renters out of their homes. As our Rent Debt Dashboard shows, over 6 million renters —  overwhelmingly low-income households of color who have recently lost employment — owe more than $21 billion in back rent, putting them at immediate risk of eviction. Just 10 percent of state rental assistance funds have been distributed, while many who have applied wait in limbo. The Atlas team continues to equip local advocates with data and research to make the case for robust renter protections. We’re currently analyzing the newest rent debt data and will release our findings and analysis on Monday, August 30. Here are some more updates: 

New Report: Most California Rideshare Drivers Are Not Receiving Health-Care Benefits under Prop 22

Nearly a year after tech industry giants won passage of a law that exempted them from classifying millions of their drivers as full-time employees, we produced a study in partnership with Rideshare Drivers United to analyze the impact of Prop 22 on rideshare and delivery drivers’ access to health care. Our survey of drivers found that just 10 percent of respondents are receiving health insurance stipends from Uber or Lyft, and 16 percent have no insurance — double the national uninsurance rate. We also found stark racial inequities: Latinx respondents are less likely to know about the stipends and are also more likely to be uninsured. With Prop 22 ruled unconstitutional last week, our research underscores the need to overturn this harmful legislation and prevent its spread to other states where Uber and Lyft are already campaigning for identical legislation. 

New Analysis Finds that Bay Area Residents of Color Remain Underrepresented in Elected Positions

Centering the experiences of the people most impacted by structural racism is an essential component of equitable policymaking. The Bay Area Equity Atlas team and Bay Rising are excited to share our latest analysis on the diversity of elected officials in the region, which shows that the region has seen steady growth in electeds of color, but people of color remain highly underrepresented. Strategies like campaign finance reform, leadership development programs, district-based elections, and expanded voter education and voting options can also foster a fairer and more inclusive Bay Area. Join us on September 9 for a webinar to learn more about this research and hear local leaders — like Shanthi Gonzales of Oakland Unified School District and Kimi Lee of Bay Rising — discuss strategies to build political power among communities of color in the region. You can register here. 

In the News

This month, our report on the impacts of California’s Prop 22 were featured in the SF Examiner, KQED, The American Prospect, Bloomberg Law, and Law360. Our rent debt analysis were featured on KMOV4, Multi-Housing News, Catholic Herald, BollyInside, WOSU Public Media, Northern Nevada Business Weekly, ABC Baltimore, PolitiFact, NBC5, Maryland Matters, Texas News Today, The Current, Market Watch, the Nevada Independent, and News Nation, among others. See the complete list of media coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)
 

Dear Atlas users,

As recent weeks have shown, the Bay Area’s struggle to recover from the Covid-19 crisis is far from over. The Bay Area Equity Atlas and our community partners are equipping equity advocates with data and research to support an equitable recovery and build back a more just economy. Here are some updates:

New Analysis Finds that People of Color Remain Underrepresented in Elected Positions

Centering the experiences of the people most impacted by structural racism is an essential component of equitable policymaking. The Bay Area Equity Atlas team and Bay Rising are excited to share our latest analysis on the diversity of elected officials in the region, which shows that the region has seen steady growth in electeds of color, but people of color remain highly underrepresented. For the first time, we also examined how the switch to district-based elections may increase the diversity of candidate pools. Other strategies like campaign finance reform, leadership development programs, and expanded voter education and voting options can also foster a fairer and more inclusive Bay Area. You can find the analysis here.

You’re Invited to "Rep the Bay": A Conversation on Diversity in Bay Area Politics

Join us on September 9 at 11am PT / 2 pm ET for a webinar to learn more about this research and hear local leaders discuss strategies to build political power among communities of color in the region. Speakers include Shanthi Gonzales (Oakland Unified School District), Kimi Lee (Bay Rising), Ellen Wu (Urban Habitat), and Michelle Huang (Bay Area Equity Atlas). Register for the webinar here.

New Homeownership Indicator: White Households Are 28 Percent More Likely than Households of Color to Own Their Homes

Homeownership remains one of the most widely available and effective ways to increase wealth over generations — yet Bay Area residents of color remain far less likely to own a home than their White counterparts. We added the Homeownership indicator to the Atlas to better understand inequities in ownership by race, nativity, ancestry, geography, and gender, and how homeownership rates are changing over time.

Updated Data Now Available for 14 Indicators

We have also updated the following indicators to reflect the most recent available data: Nativity and ancestry, Educational attainment, Disconnected youth, Median earnings, Income growth, Police use of force, Extreme commuting, Housing burden, Gentrification risk, Diversity of electeds, Voting, Linguistic isolation, Economic gains: eliminate rent burden, and Economic gains: racial equity in income. Stay tuned for more data updates coming soon!

Fact Sheet: Rent Debt in Unincorporated Alameda County

Analyzing rent debt in unincorporated communities in Alameda County. We found that 2,200 renter households—13 percent of renter households— across Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview, Castro Valley, and San Lorenzo are behind on rent and at risk of eviction when the statewide eviction moratorium expires, currently set for September 30. This amounts to an estimated $12 million in rent debt or about $5,500 per household. In addition to eviction protections and debt relief at the state and federal level, local policymakers should protect these renters by passing just cause eviction protections, rent stabilization, proactive rental inspections, and a fair chance ordinance. Find the analysis here.

In the News

Last month, the San Francisco Chronicle cited our data in a story on reparations and jury reform.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team

Dear Atlas users,

Even as stay-at-home ordinances end and businesses reopen, communities across the country continue to struggle with the health and economic impacts of Covid-19. With nearly 9.5 million people still unemployed, targeted solutions for those most impacted by the pandemic are as crucial as ever. The Atlas team is focused on supporting advocates to advance an equitable recovery and shared prosperity. Here are a few updates:

New Ready-to-use Tableau Workbooks on the Racial Equity Data Lab

We’re excited to announce the addition of four new Tableau-ready datasets on the Racial Equity Data Lab: Poverty, Car Access, Working Poor, and Educational Attainment. Each workbook has built-in features that allow you to access and explore Atlas data in Tableau Public, customize your own data charts, and create a Tableau dashboard or factsheet for your community. Visit the Lab to learn how to access Tableau Public for free, check out our gallery, and explore resources to help you craft your own equity data visualizations. Stay tuned for additional tools and updates from the Lab!

Updated Rent Debt Dashboard Supports State and Local Efforts to Protect Covid Impacted Renters

Last week, we released new national and local data on our Rent Debt Dashboard, produced in partnership with with Right to the City Alliance. As of the beginning of June, 5.8 million renters — overwhelmingly low-income households of color who have recently lost employment — owe more than $20 billion in back rent. With the federal eviction moratorium scheduled to expire at the end of July, clearing this debt is urgently needed to prevent an eviction crisis and make equitable recovery possible. See the data for your community on the dashboard and check out our updated analysis.

In the News

Dozens of news sources covered our Rent Debt Dashboard this month, including San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, NBC News, Mercury News, BET, KQED, and more. Augusta Chronicle, Journal of Olympia, Lacet, and Tumwater, and St. Louis American lifted up findings from Atlas indicators. Finally, SF Public Press highlighted findings from our report on California rental assistance, produced in partnership with BARHII and Housing Now. See a full list of media coverage here.

- The National Equity Atlas team at PolicyLink and the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI)