December 15, 2025 — Human Relations Commission Regular Meeting

Transcript

Manually captioned by City of Boulder staff. All segments attributed to uploader — not individual speaker labels. [MM:SS] timestamps correspond to the YouTube recording.

[0:06] All right, wonderful, and welcome. It is 6.06 on December 15th. This is the Human Relations Commission. December meeting? Tonight, we have a, interpretation service. If you… Would navigate to the bottom of your screen. you should see interpretation accompanied by a globe, or you may have to click more, as we just found out. to find interpretation, click on interpretation and select the language that you would like to listen and participate in tonight's meeting in. Buenos noches a todos y bienvenidos es… Lunes… DCM Reince. Y esta es la reunion de la Comision de Relaciones humanos, esta noche tenemos un servicio de interpretacion.

[1:05] Para acceder el servicio, por favor, navegar al menu en la parte bajo de su pantalla. Haga click and interpretation que esta con un global mundial, y va a ver ingles y espanol. Y esta son nos dos riomas que ofrecemos esta noche Y puede escoger la edioma que quiere escucharra esto de reunion, o participar en esta reunion. Gracias, and Carlos, I will… Pass it over to you and get my screen shared here. Buena noches a todos, el… 15 de siemple del 925 y siendo las 6 por nocho damos inicio a nuestra…

[2:01] Preunion del dia de hoy? Tenemos una agenda… En o muy grande, yo creo que podemos acabar tempor a no hoy. Entonces, vamos a nuestro segundo punto que es… A gustas de la agenda, alguien tiene, algun punto que quiera. Agrigar, algo que quieran. A nuestra agenda? Yeah, so I have a… the, work plan, like, draft that I just had to put together, and then, me and Jorge worked a little bit on the letter to Council, and so both of those would be good for us to review. Oh, I guess that… oh, those are both. T. Sorry, I'm, I'm, I'm… disregarded. We have those listed under action items tonight as…

[3:01] the three agenda items that we have are listed under action items, because they will require a vote. We're normally… we're used to seeing Traditionally things under discussion or informational items, but we have to vote on stuff tonight, so that is why it's listed there. Great. Bueno. Entonces… No habiendo a justes el agenda. Vamos a probar las minutas del mes pasado. Necesitamos una este… una votacion para probacion de las minutas. I vote to approve the minutes. I second. You are prevo. Okay, podemos decir I, or Revantar la mano.

[4:06] Perfecto, gracias. Entonces nuestro… cuarto puntos… Commentarios abiertos de la comunidad. Tenemos algo Cristian. Yes, we do! It looks like we are joined by Dana slash Mary. So before we jump in, I see you raising your hand there. Give me one second, I have a little… Prepared script to read off before we go through, your public comment. Okay. So, the city has engaged with community members to co-create a vision for productive, meaningful, and inclusive civic conversations. This vision supports physical and emotional safety for community members.

[5:04] staff. and Board and Commission members, as well as democracy for people of all ages, identities, lived experiences, and political perspectives. For more information about this vision and the community engagement processes, please visit the website listed on your screen. The following are examples of rules of decorum found in the Boulder Revised Code, and other guidelines that support this vision. These will be upheld during this meeting. All remarks and testimony shall be limited to matters related to city business. No participant shall make threats or use other forms of intimidation against any person. Obscenity, racial epithets, and other speech and behavior that disrupts or otherwise impedes the ability to conduct the meeting are prohibited.

[6:03] Participants are required to sign up to speak using the name they are commonly known by, and individuals must display their whole name before being allowed to speak online. Currently, only audio testimony is permitted online. Okay. That being said… I am going to attempt… Married to… allow you to speak as you are an audience member. I may have to promote you to panelist if this doesn't work. It has not in the past, so bear with me. Okay, I think you're off mute, can you say something just to see? Hola, amigos! Hello, friends! Very good. Hello, my name is Mary. I am your neighbor in North Boulder. I, wrote to Christian over the weekend. I was inspired, to write, and I'll explain why. I, was

[7:10] surprised to find out that we have a Human Relations Commission in the city, and I have recently been a participant in the Elevate Boulder program. So, I've had some contact with Elizabeth, and I live right across the street from Mayor Aaron, and some contact with him as well. And I sent you an email regarding three initiatives that I just wanted you to be aware of, in case you aren't. One is the Dignity Index. The second one is Our Communities Listen. And the third one is restoring resourcefulness. Dignity Index is more on how we offer one another dignity as we communicate. Our communities listen. I provided, by the way, links in my email to you all for these things. It's more on the technical aspects of how we communicate with one another, and then Restoring Resourcefulness is intentionally designed to offer people opportunities to expand their awareness around

[8:15] a lot of somatic practices with how we relate to one another, which, personally, I feel is extremely important right now. And the reason I wanted to communicate this with you is because I saw that you're having conversations around difficult dialogues. And I'm gonna be straight up, as I have been with Mayor Aaron, we're facing unprecedented times, and even though I believe that our first responders are prepared, I'm not clear that our community as a whole is prepared for what we're going to be diving into. I was in the State of the World Forum this afternoon, and oh my, things are accelerating so quickly, as I know many of you already know. So, I have the vision Of establishing safe spaces for our community to gather and have conversations in ways that are effective, but where people can feel

[9:11] Feel and be seen and heard and feel safe about expressing, like, their fears or troubles or problems they're having with what's happening. And I'm not sure how to do that. I talked to Elizabeth about it at our final meeting in November. I'm not sure how to set that up, and I don't know what you all really do, to be honest, but you are the human resources folks, so I wanted to share that with you. And so please, I hope you'll read the email, and I hope that you'll find it informative in case you haven't heard of those entities and organizations, and just thank you all so much for your service. I really appreciate you all very much for what you do. It's really awesome. So that's it from me. Thank you so much. Thanks, Christian, for making this connection possible.

[10:10] Awesome. Thanks so much for… for talking to us, Mary. I really, really appreciate your… your care on this issue. And yeah, I think it's something we're definitely in dialogue. We can share… share a little bit more of what we're looking at there. Can we clarify where the email… I'm… Is that an email that was sent to you, Christian, that you can forward to us, or… I did ascend through the… Okay, I must have just missed it. It would have gone through the Human Relations, like, the hrc at boulder.gov. Oh, there it is, I see it. Yep. And forwarded it, and I made a minor edit and resent it along with a few more comments. Just so you know. So you'll… you might have a double copy. Thank you. Oh, wait, do I have this? No.

[11:00] How do we access that? Because I don't have it. Yeah, can you… Yeah, I don't see it, Christian. It should have already… sino lo pueden rembiar otraves. Can do. For gracias. Gracias, Mary, por esta Raqui. Y pues, vamos a darle lectura tu correo, y vamos a ser algun seguimiento, y si necesitamos comunicarnos contigo, lo vamos a ser en el futuro. Thank you so much. And feel free to stick around during the meeting. We'll be probably talking on some of those issues, and so there might be… feel free to, like, listen in, and you'll hear a little bit of what we're looking at with difficult dialogues and some things as we work out our next year plan. So if you want to stick around and keep listening, then we'd love to have you.

[12:03] Yes, thank you, I will, I'll… I'll stay tuned. El quien mas gusta agregar algo. Jorge, Emily, Mindy? No? Claremos el mele con gusto. Colaboraremos. Estamos vecinos, Mary, tambien. Agunos, no todos, pero si. He got two, yo, yada. Gee. Yeah, just echoing, thank you, Mary, for coming, and thank you for bringing us those resources, and I'm excited to hear more about your thoughts around structuring dialogue, and However, we can support you as the body,

[13:03] Looking forward to talking more about that in your own ventures, so thank you. Thank you. Perfecto, gracias, entonces vamos a continuar con nuestra agenda de esta noche. Tenemos tres puntos. Mmm… Instead… Quinto. El primero es la nominacion y eleccion del Sherri Cocher. O de el presidente el dice presidente de la comision. Aqui… Vomos a nombrar, o alguno ustedes quiere nombrara a alguien.

[14:06] Y se va a ser el votacion para esto. Yes, and I have some instructions written up as well that I pulled from the… Manual… This is in Chapter 3, Section B. Subsection, 3 nominations and elections of Chairperson and deputy chairperson. So nominations are made orally, there's no second required. Nobody needs to second a nomination if somebody comes forth to nominate themselves or another That is good enough, as long as… The person being nominated consents to the nomination, so… I could say I want to nominate myself for chair. by nominating myself, I obviously consent to it, but if I nominated Carlos, for example, or somebody else.

[15:05] These are just examples, I cannot nominate anybody. That person has to agree. To the nomination. Anybody can say, no, I would rather not, and that is okay. So, Carlos will open up the nominations. Once those have been made, we will close the nominations, beginning with Chair. Then we'll have a vote. the… Nominee receiving 3 or more votes is the person who will Assume the function of chair, or deputy chair. And once we've done share, we will move along with the same process to Deputy Chair Carlos, we'll open the… Nominations, once those have been made, we'll close that window, move right into a vote. Questions?

[16:06] Are we allowed to ask who would like either of these positions, or is it just a nomination process? I think you can certainly discuss amongst yourselves if there's curiosity who might be interested. Yeah. I guess, given the voluntary nature of this commission, I… I… I think everybody here would do a great job as chair and co-chair, and, personally would love people who have the most energy and enthusiasm for the position to take the position, so I'm… I'm curious if anybody is particularly excited about filling one of these positions. I'd be happy to play whatever leadership role the…

[17:00] Commission would like me to play. Then I would like to nominate Erin for chair. I receive a consent to not being nominated. I'm also curious, Carlos, if you have any desire to play the role of chair? El ha verdad aron me gustaria. Pero yo quisiera que se otra persona, porque a mi ya nada mas me quedada un ano. Y entonces, me gustaria que otra personas se fuera fogiando en esta posicion.

[18:01] Y y yo secundo la emocion de Emily. Alguiente algo natra. See, Jorge? Me too. Yo tambien cados. Cristiano, tres votos… Well, you gotta… we don't have any more nominations, so we can… sounds like… We can close that portion, and then go right into a vote. So, Carlos, you can… Ask for a vote. Si, vomos, entonces, los que esten de acuerdo en que Aron… Se ha el presidente de la Comision dig an ahi o levante en humano.

[19:12] Okay. Tenemos, por decision unaime, nuestro presidente. Thank you all. That's really an honor. I really appreciate that. It's unexpected. Carlos, I know that you said you didn't want to be a chair because you're leaving, but I'm curious if you are interested in serving as, deputy Chairperson. or Mindy or Jorge, if either of you feel excited about that position. Ju creo que e… Carlos, con lo que tu decias para foguer a no presidente, creo que seria es un buen apoyo para…

[20:06] Para el presidente como co-chair. Meses mi succerencia. And I just want to say, it's not that I lack enthusiasm, but this is my first meeting, so I feel a little bit intimidated to take on a leadership role, not even having gone through, really, even a full… a complete meeting yet. I would love for Carlos to take it on, because he has that experience, but Only if he wants it. Christian dijiste que no puede hacer nominado por segunda vez, o si y se puede. There's nothing… To my knowledge, nothing that would prevent somebody from Being nominated a second time.

[21:02] esta bieno puedo… Sounds like I hear a nomination for Carlos for… Deputy Chair. And nominate Carlos for Deputy Chair. And I mean, it carves for Deputy Chair. And now we get to take it to a vote. Ready for a vote, Carlos? Okay, entonces… Vicilla levantaron alguras manos. Entonces, gracias, por… What is the… Nominacion, honey. evocacion. Entonces ya tenemos presidente y se presidente Cristian.

[22:05] See you, senor, and congratulations to you both, I look forward to… working… continuing to work with you both, and supporting the Commission, and thank you for accepting the nominations and assuming these roles. Thank you. Alright… Bueno, entonces… Gracias, por… Por resto, y vamos a segundo punto. Yo creo que hoy sigo yo con la reunion cristian y la proxima ya se la pasamos aharon. Yes. Okay, perfecto. Nuestro segundo punto es… Trabajar en el plan… Enuestro plan de trabajo. Aron dijiste que tenia salgo que… Que mencionar en este punto.

[23:05] Yes. Can I, let's… can I share, Christian? Share my screen? Yep, there you go. Perfect. Cool. Can everyone see my screen? Yes? Yes, we can. Great. So here's kind of what I just drafted up, just trying to kind of, like, take some of what I heard in our last meeting and just turn it into, like, a simple little work plan. I'm sure we can add more… more structure if we want to, but I just wanted to, like, kind of emphasize a little bit of what I heard, which is that it seems like For a core purpose, something like a more connected boulder where community members feel heard, supported, and able to participate, especially those who are most likely to miss, be missed. And then I was, like, kind of breaking down what it seems like are the core focus areas, which is, like, bridging the vertical gaps, like, people feeling more connected, community members feeling more connected to the city, and, like, various institutions, like, bridging those vertical gaps, which we were doing through, like, strengthening

[24:09] HRC's relationship with Citi, increasing community awareness of HRC and the human rights ordinance, help community members understand how to engage with city resources, be more present at community events, continue supporting the claims process. So it's kind of, like, looking at that as, like, one place to focus. Second one was, like, more of the horizontal gaps. This is… seems like some of the work we're trying to do with, like, difficult dialogues, but it's, like, how do we strengthen communities? It seems like one place we've been really talking about, especially with, like, Carlos' leadership, is, like, helping strengthen the connection between, like, Latinx community and the broader Boulder community, and then difficult dialogues, and just, like. Creating space for people with different perspectives. This was kind of some of the stuff Mary's. was speaking of, and it seems like that's kind of a lot of the work we're interested in. And then I heard a lot of, like, the supporting marginalized communities. Taking care of our unhoused neighbors, raising awareness of community members struggling, connecting people to resources.

[25:05] And so I kind of, like, just put this up as a structure for us to work with, just to get a sense of, like, whether this makes sense, of, like, do these feel like 3 good focus areas that can capture the things that we care about? And do some of these activities feel like the kind of work that we want to be, engaging in. So I'd love to just kind of, like, open the floor, see if this makes sense, see if there's any thoughts, if there's things we want to, like, add in here, or slim down, or if there's things we want to just, like, change entirely. So, open… open the floor. Thank you. Mary left, but just what she said, that she was not aware of, you know, the existence of the HRC, and that… it was a surprise. It just supports the… First point that we discussed, you know, a week or so ago.

[26:00] So it makes all sense to me. At least that first point, it's… that's our biggest opportunity, I think. How do you create that awareness, and then we can better help. community. Cool. Yeah, thank you, Erin, for, organizing our thoughts. I feel curious, Some of these activities feel a little bit more like goals or objectives to me. Less of, like, for example, strengthen HR relationship with City Council through more active, ongoing communication could look like a lot of different things. So I don't… I don't know if we want to have like, goals or objectives, and then activities. The activities being a little bit more, like, specific and… Cool.

[27:00] Great. I think that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Okay, so goals and objectives, maybe clarifying some goals and objectives within each of these, which helps us do that thing we were talking about, of, like, having good metrics and, like, looking at, like. the surveys the cities do, and so kind of, like, using that to shape our goals and objectives around each of these, and then specifying some objectives. I think that's a great idea. Great. Yeah, like, an activity could be reviewing the community survey. That would be… An actionable activity with the goal of understanding the baseline of community relations. You know, something like that. Yeah. Yep. Thank you. Great. And the idea of the survey actually helps with three points here, you know? We can get a lot of insight. Lord. all these, sir.

[28:01] 3 points. Cool. Yeah. Carlos or Mindy, any thoughts? I mean, I agree with what Emily said, that I think discerning between goals, objectives, and then action items to… to achieve those goals is good. I think, you know, even if you look at the bottom bullet on the first section, activities, continue supporting the claims process goal. So, like, you know, the measurable goal might be that you see an uptick in claims, you know, from one year to the next, and I'm not… I obviously wasn't at the retreat and the least well-versed, but, And then what… and then in activities, I would want to see what does… and this is, like, for our discussion, but what does supporting the claims process actually look like? Like, what is a specific thing we do that does that, versus just broadly? So, like, I think just…

[29:00] going down more, you know, I totally think this framework is great, and I know this is, like, kind of the hardest part, is just putting it out there. So, this is for us to do, but I'm… I just think, like, being as… as detailed as we can be on the action items will make it easier for us to actually Achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Great. I guess I feel curious, too, from… from the commissioners… like, how do we hold ourselves to this work plan? Like, what is this… What does using this work plan look like on a meeting-to-meeting basis, or between the meetings? Can I ask a quick question, then? Just, again? You guys, I assume, have had work plans in the past?

[30:01] And… Is that a yes or a no? I can make a message. Okay, not… Emily's been here, yeah. Okay, so… so this is a little bit more uncharted territory? Yeah, like, there's been a little bit, and there have been work plans. Christian, I think Christian's about to say something. Yeah, I was just going to say, It's a requirement that we have a work plan that sort of informs, like, what we're doing. Throughout the year. And what we hope to achieve. How, frequently that's been utilized, or how, like, Intently that's been utilized has varied, sort of, year over year. And I think… the… at least, conversation that I'm hearing right now has been more robust about it, than in years past, and so… We're trying to approve one for this upcoming year, and I think Stick to the…

[31:03] Plan where and where… where and when practicable. So, is it… possible at some point we set some time parameters on, you know, by first quarter, Q1, end of Q1, Q2, Q3, we want to have checked off 3 of the action items in each thing, or whatever, something like that, you know, that's very concrete. Yeah, we talked about it in the previous meeting. To follow up on deliverables and actions based on the timing that we may place. And we also suggested to review this with the Council. Ideally, every quarter. So we could properly communicate progress and… Ask for any support or, you know, anything we need, but… We also thought that the Council needs visibility on the work plan. Hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, part of how I'm relating to it is, like, this is just…

[32:01] something that we can return to, so we can, like, regularly check in, maybe every month, or yeah, maybe every quarter, and just be like, how are we doing? And does it feel like we're at least tending to each of these areas, and what are some activities? I'm very open to being more structured, like, such as having, like, a specific measurable goal, Although, yeah, I question how much we… again, it's like, we're a commission that meets once a month, and I don't think the expectation is that, like, each of us is going and taking a bunch of actions. I think we're, like. Right. our purpose is to kind of stay in discussion about this and, like, make sure we have good clarity, and we're, like, connecting to the broader community and getting their perspectives to share with City Council, and so… to me, it's like, it's a thing that we return to, just to be like, how are we doing? And not just we as a commission, but we as a city. Like, how are we… how are we doing on all this? And I think if we can return to that, then it's easier for us to, like, identify, like, where are the avenues that we can be effective of

[33:01] making sure our marginalized communities are well supported, making sure that, like, we're building bridges within our community, making sure that people are aware of, like, what's happening in government, and they have access to resources, so that's kind of how I'm seeing it. Tambien hablamos de definir Pocas grandes acciones y no tender muchas acciones que no podamos este atacar, no, sis no se hace demasiado. definir claramente, no. Dentro estos tres puntos, cual una dos 3 secciones, que realmente nos pueden asegurar entregaron resultado y no llenarnos acciones. Yeah. I think that's good, and I… I think… yeah, I'm seeing it as, like, this chiseling down, like, here's a little bit, now we're, like, chiseling down to get to the essence of it, and it seems like probably trimming down a lot of these activities, getting, like, what are a few clear objectives for each of these, and what are some clear action items that we can be engaged in, so that we can be, like.

[34:08] Effective without overcomplicating our work. And be realistic. Yeah, and be realistic, 100%. No, I like that a lot. Cool. Carlos, any thoughts from you? Whoa. Yo, estoy de acuerdo en todo lo que esta en diciendo, y me gustar la idea de… de tomar este… Como dijo, Mindi, darle cierto tiempo a cada a cad accion. He is there. You see? Yo creo que seria bueno, llevar… llevar todo esto, pero tambien de vemos tomar en cuenta, que te vamos a tener este plan como base, pero… A veces, vamos a tener que incluir puntos que vienen por parte de la ciudad.

[35:00] Algunos trabajos que… que la ciudados va a este. No trabajos, pero si ciertos puntos. que vamos a tener… Que incluir por parte de la ciudad. Totally. Yeah, I think that's… that's a good thing to… To keep in mind. staying responsive to what's happening in the city, what the city council, city government is bringing to us to look at, and just staying responsive, and I think this is, like, a framework that we can hold Loosely, and if there's things that are needed, then we can make sure that we're being responsive to what What comes our way. So, I could, take all of this, into account and go and make some adjustments, and then bring it back. Next month for full approval. If that sounds good, I'm wondering if anybody would like to be somebody to riff over the next month, just so there's, like, more feedback than just me?

[36:09] So, two questions in that. And just to explain to Mindy and Jorge, since you're new, these meetings, monthly meetings, are where the Commission speaks Commission business, and where, The Commission makes decisions, discusses Work plan items, Topics, etc. What happens in between commissions due to Colorado's sunshine laws is a little bit limited. Because… There are strict definitions of what constitutes a meeting that needs to be publicly noticed. And available for observation. like tonight. So, frequently, commissioners will break out into groups of two subcommittees.

[37:08] Of no more than two commissioners, because that is the limit that we have in the state, that can work together on an item and bring it back to The group at the next month's meeting. Any more than two commissioners? then constitutes quorum, which means it's a meeting, and, three commissioners together discussing commission business needs to be publicly… Noticed and observable. Jorge. So that, that's interesting. So, shall we… Assign, like, two commissioners to each of these points, so they can work on each of them. To create the action plan and the goals. So… Next meeting, we… we really have clarity on On that level of detail.

[38:00] I mean, I think we could, if we feel like we need to have, like, all of this fleshed out, Or it's just, like… Yeah, I mean, I think that's a reasonable thing, if people want to do that. There has to be some amount of mashing it all together. And so, one way is, like, I could… if somebody wants to pick up each one of these, I can, like, work with an individual on each section, or… or again, I think we all did a lot of feedback here, and so most of the clarity is, like. I think most of what we've discussed is here, and it's just, like, updating it in the doc. So, yeah, I'm open to either… either route. I'm happy to help, Erin. Again, I'm gonna plead novice here, and, you know, I just think I'm… I need your guidance as to what are the available opportunities that would allow us to build and achieve these goals. I mean, I am happy to help, I just wouldn't… I wouldn't be able to do it on my own.

[39:08] And, I mean, I think maybe that's great. I think maybe it's, like, me and you just, like, go back and, like, go back and forth, and just, like, land something in, and we bring it. Next month, and… If we all approve, then that's great. Otherwise, we get more feedback, and then we just, like, take it back for another run. I think that's simpler. Okay. Great. Does that sound good to all the other commissioners? It does, I think… I still wanna… I know, unfortunately this is one of the last meetings I'll be at, so I don't want to harp on this too much, but just… continuing to think back towards process and how this document will be used, versus exclusively the content of the document. Like, will… will the commissioners revisit the document quarterly? Will…

[40:02] you as Chair Erin be responsible for updating the document after each meeting? Like, what that looks like, I think, will support the utility of the work plan. Versus just, like, fulfilling the requirement of having a work plan. Cool. Yeah, I think that's… that's good things to consider. I do think it's good to regularly do it. I'm hesitant to put too much structure too quick, but I'll think more about that. I think that's a great thing to consider. Yeah, totally hear that. And, otherwise, thank you again for putting this together, and thank you, Mindy, for volunteering to support. And before we… Move on, Just want to make sure, Jorge, you're not trying to say anything, your hand is still up.

[41:02] Sorry. All good. Just an observation from the peanut gallery, as Elizabeth would say. But… the… I think to Mindy's… point. I don't think… the, It's possible yet to know necessarily, like, all of the action items or activities that are going to… happened throughout the course of the year, and also to Carlos, what Carlos said at the beginning of this discussion. There are going to be opportunities, and… Events, happenings, goings-on that present themselves throughout the year. The work plan can help you all determine as a commission if said activity or event will support your goals, that you've set forth in the work plan. So just…

[42:00] Throwing that out as, hopefully some helpful framing when, You all are fine-tuning the… Document here. Perfect. So… Entonces, acordamos en que vamos a este… analyzar este documento y vamos a probarlo para la siguiente reunion. Estan todos de acuerdo. Yes. Okay, perfecto. Entonces, pasemos a nuestro tercer punto, Que es la carta? Al consejo de la ciudad. Great. So, For this one, Jorge put together a really nice first draft, and then I brought some of the things that I'd been thinking about and put it into

[43:03] a second draft. Unfortunately, we just didn't quite play email tag well enough, and so we haven't had as much back and forth, so mine hasn't been reviewed by Jorge yet, but we can take a look at what we have here. I'm wondering, should we just read aloud both… both what Jorge has and then… and then my version? Does that seem like a… Or anybody have thoughts about how they want to move through this section of the meeting? If folks want to… read aloud, that's fine. I'm also, aaron, you can send that, and I can get it out to… everyone pretty quickly. Also, if you'd rather. The one I have is in, like, the one you sent out to everybody, it is there. Oh, wonderful. Mine's just scrolled down, and it was… I got it in there right as soon as you said that thing, and so if somebody clicked on it, they might have already read mine, but…

[44:01] Gotcha. I guess before we move on to reading, are we looking to do… Are we looking to see if we want to send Jorge's letter or your letter, Aaron, or are we looking to do some live edits to combine them, or what is… what's kind of our goal here? I gave it a first shot, then Aaron jumped in, so I think it's just merging. Yeah, and I attempted to take what I heard. Normally less. And put it in mine. Sorry, Carlos. No, no, esta bien. E yo lei las dos partes, y las dos me parecieron interesantes, y no se me gustaria que pudieramos de una forma Mez carlo incluir las dos. O algunos puntos tomar de… De Cada carta?

[45:07] Yeah, so… How about we… read them aloud. Jorge, if you want to read yours, otherwise I'm happy to just read. Yep. Dear members of the Boulder City Council, we're writing to you today as members of the HRC in response to your invitation to share the top issues on our minds. We thank you for the opportunity to weigh in before City Council's upcoming annual retreat. As the HRC continues to engage with the Boulder community in pursuing the improvement of social conditions, alleviate social problems, fostering positive relations among all segments of Boulder, and assisting the protection on human rights, continued flow of communication and interaction with the Major and City Council is of paramount importance to properly transmit the Commission advice and recommendations that accurately reflect the need to achieve our goals and work plan.

[46:03] Having said that, we see two priority points to be considered in the City Council 2026 Sup Work Plan. If I can just jump in real quick, we have a note from the interpreters, if you could read, a little slower as they are trying to interpret what you're saying and you're reading off of the screen. Ugh. But just a good reminder to all of us, yes, they are doing… Fantastic work, and we get very excited, and it's difficult for them to do the work when we speak super fast, so… Clearly and slowly, please. Thank you. A. Lack of engagement with City Council. Engagement with City Council has been minimal, a situation we find problematic, considering that one of our top tasks is described as advising City Council or the City Manager.

[47:00] City Council has not proactively and constantly reached out to the HRC for the HRC perspective. Despite Boulders experiencing a number of stark events that have deeply affected human relations in the city. On the occasions that the HRC has proactively reached out to City Council, there has been no response or feedback beyond acknowledgement of the receipt or of communications. In the short term, we urge City Council to seek input from the AHRC on relevant policy proposals early in the process. And to provide clear directives on how our time and resources should be allocated to align effectively with city goals. In the longer term, we urge City Council to assess whether the municipal code needs to be revamped to better define the relationship and expectations between City Council and Boards and Commissions. We propose frequent quarterly meetings to promote this communication and interaction, but mostly to ensure alignment in priorities and actions.

[48:08] B. Lack of clear impact. We deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve our community through the AHRC, yet there's a prevailing sentiment among us that we may not be making the impactful strides we have You had hope for. While each of us have been very willing to volunteer our time and offer our perspectives, we are beginning to question whether our efforts are being utilized optimally for the betterment of the city in a tangible way. Our concerns stem from a perceived lack of clear goals and measurable outcomes. In conclusion. A more robust interaction and collaboration is needed to better use the HRC and Council resources to tackle our Boulder community needs. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

[49:00] I… I took from what we discussed in our last meeting. Together with the previous letter that was sent 2 years ago. Because the first point was, one that was highlighted in that letter, so I made, like, a… A combination of what we discussed on the previous letter. Do people want to give feedback directly, or should we read this second and then discuss both together? I think it'd be good to read the second and then discuss them. Great. Dear members of the Boulder City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to share our priorities ahead of your 2026 retreat. our focus. The Human Relation Commission sees our core purpose as fostering a more connected Boulder, a city where community members feel heard, supported, and able to participate, especially those most likely to be missed.

[50:02] We're focused on 3 areas. Bridging vertical gaps. Many community members feel disconnected from city government. They don't know how to participate, aren't aware of resources available to them, or don't feel their voices can reach decision makers. We want to help close that distance, including by raising awareness of the human rights ordinance and the claims process it provides. Bridging horizontal gaps. Boulder is diverse, but our communities don't always connect well with one another. We're exploring initiatives like difficult dialogues to create spaces where people with different perspectives And from different backgrounds can better understand each other. Centering those who get missed. Whether it's unhoused neighbors, our Latinx community, or others who face barriers, we want to ensure our work prioritizes those most in need of support and connection. a request. We appreciated the recent opportunity to share our perspective with Council, and we welcome building on that with a more ongoing relationship.

[51:00] Rather than occasional check-ins, we see value in more active communication, being consulted early when policy discussions touch on human relations, and hearing from you about where our efforts might align with city priorities. We see ourselves as a potential bridge, not just advocates for community needs, but partners in helping Council stay connected to the experiences of Boulder residents who might otherwise go unheard. We look forward to continuing to build that partnership in the year ahead. So, my goal with this was to kind of just, like, point towards what we care about and what we're doing, to kind of, like, let our priorities be City Council's priorities. The thinking behind this was, like, by pointing out kind of where we're tending to, it, like. helps them see, like, see through our eyes, so then they kind of have that prior… that lens when they're making their own priorities, but then to, like.

[52:00] be very specific about, like, wanting this more active relationship, but to want to, like. doing it with, like, a nice, gentle approach, like, seeing that they're active in wanting to build that relationship, and wanting to acknowledge their, like, efforts by, like, making time with us, but really wanting to emphasize that we want to, like, continue doing that. So that was kind of how I was thinking about this letter. I wouldn't… I appreciate both, your letter, Jorge, and your letter, Aaron. I wonder, I don't know, especially Carlos, like, if there's anything else we want to say about why a closer connection with City Council is important. I… I, like, I… I've experienced and definitely understand that part of our role is to support City Council priorities, and if they're not giving us priorities, it's like, what are we… what are we doing?

[53:05] So, I don't… that's… that's one question I have, Erin, on yours. Just almost kind of where your cursor is, if there's anything else… We want to add about, like… In order to… Fulfill our, part of our mission to support City Council priorities, or… Yeah, just curious if there's anything else we want to say more specifically about what that Connection could facilitate. Hmm. Right, because this is saying, like, we can… helping council stay connected to the experiences of Boulder… yeah, and so it's, like, there's kind of, like, that's emphasizing one… one flow of the information, and we want to, like, make sure there's that. Like, we also really want to hear from you of, like, what your priorities are, and, like, how you can utilize our experiences and our connections to support those priorities.

[54:07] Something like that sounds good. Carlos, I see you unmuted. No, yo estoy de acuerdo con lo que dijo Emil, y podemos agregar eso que… Yeah. cuales son las expectativas que tienen el consejo de la ciidad hacia nosotros. Que eslo que ellos necesitas de nosotros y que es lo que nosotros necesitamos de ellos.

[55:02] Something like that? Yeah, go crazy. He says… Anything else? just the… I… I think, with… with communicating our priorities, I think there's… I see benefit to that in that now City Council is required to review this letter, and so they're required to understand our priorities for the year, which is already facilitating

[56:00] more understanding that City Council has of our work than they did last year, because they didn't receive a letter with our priorities. So I… I appreciate that you included those, Erin, and I think that's a… a positive step forward of building more communication. Can you, Erin, scroll back up to Jorge's letter? I'm just trying… I didn't… see these letters ahead. So, I just, wanted to see what from Jorge's, like, how we want to mesh them together. And what might be missing from yours that we might want to include? I think one thing… oh, Jorge, you have your hand up, I don't want to speak before you. Sorry. I think, you know, thanks, Aaron, I think… Mine is a bit more aggressive, because I took it from the previous letter.

[57:01] And I think it's nice that you are now Mixing our work plan proposal into the layer and say, okay, this is what we want to focus, and… get better alignment with you guys. Probably more specific on what we Or how we want to get that engagement with the Council, you know? Last time, we said, okay, we want to have quarterly meetings, or, you know, what specifically we want to do. to build that communication and engagement with them. Because I think if we just say, well, we need more communication, and then we leave it, you know, open. I don't know if they're gonna come back to us and actually suggest. Maybe it's us suggesting them how to do it. and be, you know, very clear on our expectations. Yeah, I mean, I think part of it is that I'm just… I'm, like, very sensitive to how much work our city council people do, and, like, how much, like, there are 9 people, and they're working, like, 20, 30 hours a week.

[58:04] And, like, adding an expectation of them, like, meeting with our commission, which, like, if they're meeting with our commission, then, like, every commission wants to meet with them, and, like, for council to, like, have these quarterly meetings with every commission, I'm just like. I love the aspiration of it, and, like, doesn't feel totally realistic, and which is kind of why I was, like, I wanted… I, like, was thinking the invitation could be, like, a little softer, and kind of, like, speaking on, like, hey, you already did this great thing of, like, meeting with us, and I think that was really great. But yeah, I could see value of, like. dropping in some… some specifics. I'd be curious to hear others' thoughts on that. Jorge, my comment was going to be, I felt like the major difference was the tone of the two letters as well. From my perspective.

[59:00] I like a more balanced approach that's offering how we're aiming to reach out a hand, and how we're aiming to serve our mission. I think, Especially later in the letter, when you point out… you, and I know the former letter pointed this out too, talks about lack of impact. personally, I think… given the reality of our lack of interaction with City Council, we've… we also have some more flexibility and freedom of what we've been taking on as a commission in the last few years, and so… we can take… I feel better about us taking some accountability for what we can do as a commission, even without… interaction with City Council, because realistically, I've… I guess… I hope that they read this generously, and is an outstretched hand, and as Erin said, I don't…

[60:02] I don't know their capacity to really proactively engage with us. So, I guess my preference, although I… emotionally, I understand, Jorge, where the letter you wrote comes from, I appreciate the gentler tone, because I think it takes into consideration more of the holistic picture of what City Council Has to navigate, And although I wish we had more interaction with them, I also can understand some of the reasons we don't have direction from them. Do we know what was the reply or reaction to the previous letter? It was, like, 2 years ago, I think. Yeah. I think only Carlos was around there, I'm not sure if you know anything, Carlos. No? No reaction.

[61:00] No. We are joined also by… No, no tuvimos nincome eleccion. Yeah, I was gonna say, we're also joined by Elizabeth as well, who might… recall, I think it may have just been a… letter from City Council outlining What they determined, what their, priorities to be for… That year. Yeah, that's… hi everyone, good to see you. Yes, I think we talked about this a tiny bit at the retreat, but… but the City Council sent a letter out to all of the boards and commissions, just outlining what their The priorities that they had determined at their, retreat. And so it was, kind of a standard response that they provided to all boards and commissions at the time. Yeah, and I think my understanding is, like, this letter is not so much, like, hey, like, come and do a bunch with us. I think it's, like.

[62:06] The City Council is looking to all of its boards and commissions. to help it understand what we should prioritize. And so us saying, like, here's things we find valuable, like, us looking at things, we think it's important to address these gaps, it's important to support our marginalized communities. It's like. what we're doing is we're advocating for our worldview in Council, and then Council is kind of taking all of these letters into account, and then using that to shape their priorities at their… at their retreat. And so this is, like. advocating for the perspectives that we, as the members of Human Relations Commission, think that City Council should be. Should be, like, tending to. Oh, in that previous letter, it kind of… complaints that… constantly acknowledges

[63:02] You know, what the HRC says. But that's it. We're looking… To get that? Just acknowledgement of what we're gonna tell them? Or we're looking to get a reaction to what we're proposing? For me, what I care about is that we're moving towards A boulder that actually is more connected, and like… tends to… is inclusive and fosters more community and tends to our marginalized communities and those who get missed. Like, that's, to me what… what I care about. And so, to me, this letter is less… something that we get from City Council, but more of just, like, how are we as a commission influencing? And so, that's how I'm relating to it. So is it… more just an informative letter towards City Council that we're not really expecting a response to, and I'm asking as a complete, like, ignorant in this process,

[64:03] Or, like, here is where we are, we want to keep you informed, and, you know, as our paths cross, let's help each other out, kind of thing. Like, we're not expecting a real, actual, like, written response, or just… right? It seems like the response we get is that after this retreat ends, we hear what the city is prioritizing, and we get to hear, like, we can kind of listen for, like. did the things we say land in there? And is the city prioritizing something differently because we we spoke to that. That's kind of how… I think that's the main response. Maybe there will be a personal response of, like, and we directly took what you said here into account. But I think it's very much, like, they have 30 different boards and commissions who are all writing and expressing their priorities, and then they're doing this thing of, like, hearing what everybody cares about. Now we're figuring out what we 9 people care about, and using that to direct the city.

[65:03] Okay, that's helpful. Thank you for that context. So we're saying that once the Council sets their own priorities. We will need to align to their priorities, because otherwise. We may come up with any advice. Or any proposal, but if it's not in their priorities, it's just not gonna fly. I mean, I think we are seeking to, like, harmonize with their priorities. We're seeking to, like. 10 countries. what they're doing, but it's, like, it's not so much that, like. what they say is, like, we just have to obey what they say. It's like, the purpose of the Human Relations Commission is because we're listening to what they're doing, but then we're forming our own perspectives and, like, putting that in relationship. So they have more power, but part of our power is in influencing them. Okay. I'm sorry to ask a question… make a lot of questions. I must be learning and… Try to understand. Okay. Great, appreciate it.

[66:05] So, so I would just say, with… with that kind of context, I think that your letter Aaron makes, for the most part, it sits with me, like, it makes more sense, and… And I do think the tone is probably a little more of, cooperative, kind of. Relationships, so… I agree. That's my two cents. I think the essence of improving communication is there. Love the idea of including the work plan points, and… Yep. Cool. Any more thoughts, or do we feel good with approving this letter to send? I'm okay. Cool.

[67:00] Estoy de acuerdo tambien. Same. Hey. Same, and just want to acknowledge Jorge again, thank you for writing the letter as well, and for doing the work of looking at the previous letter and all that context. Yeah, I really appreciate that. Yep. It's a learning for me now, so… thanks. Yeah. Entonces… Vamos a hacer un amocion y una votacion por la… Carte de Aron para que seman el consejo de la ciudad. True. Okay.

[68:18] Well, I think that's all good. I guess you take it from here, Christian? Yep, as long as… You will learn. Voting, I think we need, just to raise our hands, or… Aye. As, Carlos, if you want to… Just call that out formally. Si e toces. Pues, y vimos que todos levantamos la mano, entonces esta probada la carta. Okay. Y gracias por el trabajo de… Vieron de Jorge, gracias a… Por realizar este… esta gran elaborate.

[69:12] Entonces, continuamos con nuestros siguiente. discusiones informales, y no tenemos Ningo una discusion informal. Entonces, vamos el punto Siete. Que son las actualizaciones del personal de la ciudad. Yep, and… Okay. So, huh? Up on my screen here, we are coming up on… This is the end of 2025 already, which means we're moving into January. We have, the following…

[70:02] Events that… the Human Relations Fund, is funding for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Some of the… information here is incomplete as, like, the final details are still being worked out. I will send you all, with my usual meeting follow-up. Links to the different organizations that are, Holding these events, but we have, first. Celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Dr. King's everlasting message. This event will include vignettes performed by local actors, music by local youth honoring jazz legend George Morrison. film excerpts and speeches that bring Dr. Martin Luther King's message of justice, love, and nonviolence to life.

[71:00] Through storytelling, music, and reflection, both in person and online, the program will invite participants to connect Dr. King's legacy to today's challenge, and to reflect on their own responsibility in building a more just and united community. And this event… It's brought to us by the Second Baptist Church of Boulder, but will be held on January 18th at the Jewish Community Center. Second up, we have… The MODIS theater. MODIS theater presents in honor of Dr. MLK Jr. Day, Youth Beyond and Beyond Bars, Stories from the Front Lines. of the juvenile justice system, with the guest, the reminders. I know Emily is excited to hear that. And, Dr. Rylan Rabaca. This event will include an autobiographical performance created with African American and Afro-Latinx adults formerly incarcerated as youth, featuring music by the Reminders and opening marks by Dr. Alan Rabaca.

[72:07] Through storytelling, poetry, and music, the event honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s fight against racial and economic injustice, while highlighting inequities in the juvenile justice system. And inspiring community support for equitable, restorative, youth-centered solutions. And that will take place on January 19th at the Gordon Gam Theater, of the Dairy Arts Center. And last but not least, the El Hill Organization, Event Community Action Celebrate Diversity and Champion Equity. And this event will include educational presentations and a keynote honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Followed by film viewing youth storytelling, and interactive discussions centered on justice, equality, and civil rights.

[73:04] Through song, dance, art, prayer, and community-led cultural experiences, including South Sudanese and East African food and crafts. The event creates a welcoming space for reflection, dialogue, and collective action toward a more inclusive and equitable Boulder. I mean, this event is… will take place on January 24th, at Congregation Har Hashem. That is all I have for you all. on… upcoming events, if I have any more between now and Thursday, I will include those. Otherwise, I will send them out as

[74:01] I become aware, in the new year. Okay, gracias, Christian. Entonces, vamos a al punto numero 8, actual actualizaciones de los comisionados. ustedes tienelco que… Commentadar, o que nos quiera… Family. I have just a couple things I'd like to share with you all. First, something that came across my LinkedIn feed today was that the Boulder Comprehensive Plan survey results came through, so I'm gonna put those in the chat, and then Christian, if you wouldn't mind sending,

[75:00] those out with the meeting minutes. It looks like there could be some valuable results, results on housing choice and opportunity, multicultural, multi-generational community. Of course, Boulder Valley is bigger than just Boulder. The Boulder Valley plan is, I think, Boulder County-wide, so it's not… just Boulder, but still some food for thought. And then the second thing is that that MLK performance that MODIS is doing, which will be incredible, and it sells out every year, It's during our meeting time next month, so… It starts at 7pm, I believe. Which is actually… A great thing that you're bringing it up, because that… is the… the third Monday of… January is MLK Day, which is a day that is… the city offices are closed, so we would need to… we will need to adjust our

[76:09] Meeting time. Due to that, and because… And so that, you all. Or those who choose may go to the, event. But we can do that after… Other commissioners. Share any updates, if there are any. Bueno, yo nada mas les quiero comentar que tuve participacion en dos eventos este sabado pasado. Isimos una… una incomivio unaideno para los ninos. Donde repartimos fuguetes. estuvo Santa Claus. Y serio comida gratis para los participantes para la gente que asistio.

[77:06] Esto fue donde se va a construir del parque de primos aqui en la bayole y la diesic y la 18ve. Hay estuvimos el sabado por la manana. Y por la tarde participate, buenos, con la tienda con la que trabajo la kis, este participo en el desfile… Navideno de las luces. este fin de semana. I have nothing on my side. This year? Nope. Perdon porque. No, de ser me parteno. No. Tengo nada.

[78:09] Okay, entonces… Cristian vamos a lo que nos decias de… Vero dia de la… de la reunion del mesquentra. Sure thing. So… We have decided as a group… had decided as a group to switch our meetings from third Thursday to… from third Tuesday to 3rd Monday. That is gonna conflict with… MLK Day and President's Day in the immediate future, which, we are both… the City of Boulder's offices are closed for both of them. So needing to reschedule those two. meetings and… Wanting to, just do that while we're all together, if that would be… Possible.

[79:06] We don't have anything in our… Handbook or anything that says hard and fast, we need to meet. on a Monday or a Tuesday, so… or a specific Monday or Tuesday, so we could… theoretically do the second, Monday, or a different day on the third week of January, Just want to get an idea of what folks' calendars look like. January 12th works for me. Yeah, that worked for me. It's better for me because I'm gone the end of the month. It's okay for me. Do we like Mondays in general? Is that something we're all clear on, though? Christian, I had mentioned that I will have conflicts on Mondays, because that's when I have other board meetings, are always on Mondays.

[80:02] I can go through and just… they just set them for 2026, and just see if there are any conflicts, but that is a potential conflict for me. then it seems like we could just do January 12th, if that works for everybody else, and then, like, figure out if there's conflicts going forward. gonna offer Mindy the reason we met on Mondays was because of me, so I… and I… my last meeting, I believe, will be in February, so, What? I won't advocate for Mondays after that. Generally, I like Mondays, but it's just… I just don't know if I can juggle both. But, January 12th is great for me, so we can at least check that one off. Does that work for Carlos and Jorge? Great. Thumbs up, thumbs up! Para mi este bien el 12. And then maybe we, like, figure out what the ongoing thing is come, like, March, once Emily's transitioned out, and whoever the new person is has transitioned in.

[81:06] Cool. Yes. And I would be remiss, actually. If I can back up as huge, Carlos, I left this out of the staff update, but I did send this to you all. We are… As we are saying goodbye to you, Emily, who I believe it is either the February or March meeting, I think your term may go through the end of March, but I can… clarify that and, with you. the… application round for boards and commissions, not only for the Human Relations Commission, for our, open seat, that we will have, but for other boards and commissions is now until January 25th, I believe, if I'm remembering correctly, so…

[82:01] There will be an open house, event on January 5th. That Emily and Mindy have so graciously volunteered to. Attend with me. Thank you both. Doesn't mean they have to be the only ones, who attend, but it will be from 4 to… 7.30, I believe. I can get the exact, times and send that as well in my… Email there. But… Puede me darle informacion, gracias. Yes, but we have a flyer, that went out as well. Please share with, your network so we can get A wonderful new applicant for our OpenSea. Thank you. Okay, gracias, Christian.

[83:01] Entonces… Y quedamos que nuestra proxima reunamba a serotose. los puntos de seguimiento. Christian. the… Only point that I… was tracking tonight, or I have tracked tonight, correct me if I'm wrong, is… Aaron and Mindy are going to, work on the work plan, we will review it at the January 12th. Finalizing the work plan, we'll review it at the January 12th meeting. Perfect. Did I miss anything? Cool. Cero que estamos vien. Entonces… Si no tenemos mas por el momento, que pro que nuestra renegon… Stefan Alizaba?

[84:03] Entonces siendo la 73 del Dia 15 diciembre del 55, Me puedender un emocion para dar, por finalizada la reunion. Motion to adjourn. in that motion. Click on that. Enton. Votamos? Gracias a todos. Entonces, no vegos para enero, que tengar una feliz na vidad, y un bonito ano nuevo. Gracias. At least not with that. Thank you, Carlos. Thank you, everyone. Carlos, thanks everyone, happy holidays. That is also the first night… Monica, I want to say. Gracias, my gracion. Oh my god. Thank you, Mindy, for bringing that to our attention. They just lit the Hanukkah candle over on Pearl Street, right over there.

[85:00] Fantastic, thank you! Mmm. Bye, thanks everyone. Hi, everyone.