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A Message from the City Manager and HR Director

Dear Burlingame team,

 We wanted to reach out to you during this difficult time nationally and locally.  Like you, we are saddened by the tragic, senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others before them. We stand in solidarity with all who are outraged by the ongoing violence against black people. We stand with our black coworkers, one of whom recently received a threatening message from someone visiting one of our parks, and we stand with the black community here and across the world. 

 The City condemns racism and discrimination in all forms. You are safe here; you have a right to be treated fairly and equally by everyone you work with and come into contact with while at work. If you think you are not, tell us; we are one team here. This is not a political issue, but rather a basic human rights issue.

 Chief Matteucci recently issued a statement affirming that “the Burlingame Police Department strives to treat all members of the community with dignity and respect and provide everyone with equal treatment under the law, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, economic status, background, age, or culture. To that end, our officers receive a tremendous amount of training to insure this happens.” The training includes a course on bias based policing, which is designed to teach skills needed to overcome, reduce, and manage hidden biases, and one on how to train officers in the investigation of hate crimes as well as sensitivity toward victims.

 Many years ago, City staff created an Organizational Compass to guide our work.  One of the tenets of the Organizational Compass reads:

 AN ETHICAL ORGANIZATION that interacts with the public and each other in an honest and professional manner by:

  • Treating people with respect and dignity
  • Taking responsibility for our decisions, statements and actions to the organization and community
  • Dealing with differences and conflicts in a professional, respectful and authentic fashion

We hope that you will recommit to adhering to the Organizational Compass, to treating each other, and the Burlingame community, with respect and dignity, and to speaking up against racism in the workplace.

 We have a great City organization, and together, we can ensure that everyone who works here feels proud to be part of the City team.

Lisa and Sonya