Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, San Francisco, California

This initiative has been identified as a good immigrant integration practice by the NLC. Click here to find all about the other programs!

San Francisco has a total population of 789,176. Thirty-six percent of this population is composed of foreign-born individuals.

The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) promotes civic participation of all San Francisco’s residents and seeks to bridge linguistic and cultural barriers to ensure that these residents have equal access to critical city services.

Equal Access to Language Services Ordinance

To address linguistic barriers, in 2001 the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco established the Equal Access to Services Ordinance that today is known as the Equal Access to Language Services Ordinance (EALS). EALS compels city and county departments to provide their services in English and in the languages spoken by substantial populations of limited English-speakers. All departments with a high volume of interaction with the public, such as emergency communications and the housing authority, must comply with EALS.

City and County of Refugee Ordinance

In 1989, San Francisco passed the City and County of Refuge Ordinance, also known as the Sanctuary Ordinance. This ordinance prohibits city employees from helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement with immigration investigations or arrests unless such help is required by federal or state law. In 2007, Mayor Gavin Newsom reaffirmed San Francisco’s commitment to immigrant communities by issuing an executive order that called on city departments to develop protocol and training on the Sanctuary Ordinance.

Immigrant Rights Commission

Created in 1997, the 15-member San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission (IRC) advises the mayor and board of supervisors on issues and policies related to immigrants who live and work in San Francisco. The IRC also works to:

• Promote civic participation among city immigrants
• Hold public hearings to obtain input from the immigrant community
• Cooperate with other city departments that enforce regulations relating to immigrants
• Evaluate programs and services in place for immigrants
• Increases public awareness of the contributions made by immigrants to society

Day Laborers Program

OCEIA also oversees the city’s Day Laborers Program, first established in 1991 to provide structure, job training and support for day laborers and employers in San Francisco. OCEIA recently announced the availability of funds for this program and is now seeking proposals from organizations that have services for day laborers.

SF City ID Card

San Francisco residents can obtain the SF City ID Card, which streamlines access to city programs and connects residents to local businesses. This ID card serves as proof of residency, includes medical information about the card holder, list emergency contacts and serves as a form of identification to open a checking account at participating banks.

For more information about the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs, please contact Adrienne Pon, executive director of OCEIA, at (415) 554-5098 or civic.engagement@sfgov.org.