City leader expands equity offices amid police cuts, tax hikes

Even as municipal authorities describe portions of their spending proposal as “actions of last resort,” the city’s leader is reportedly directing millions toward an expanding racial equity bureaucracy and six-figure diversity positions, according to local sources.

To finance the $127 billion agenda, observers note the plan carries steep trade-offs—higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, a potential 9.5% property tax increase if regional lawmakers decline to act, and a 5,000-officer reduction in the police department’s ranks.

The leader’s budget is far from inconsequential, analysts say. In a city of nearly 9 million people that represents the center of global finance, this sweeping progressive agenda isn’t merely a local policy shift. Critics describe it as a high-stakes experiment that could reshape the nation’s largest urban economy.

Under the plan, the city’s Office of Racial Equity would reportedly receive $5.6 million annually, while the Commission on Racial Equity would be allocated $4.6 million—a combined total of $10.2 million. The new figure represents roughly a $3 million increase, or about a 42% jump from the approximately $7.2 million allocated last year, according to budget documents.

Together, the allocations support what observers describe as a growing racial equity apparatus within the municipal government. The Office of Racial Equity, which reportedly employs a staff of 38, serves as the administration’s operational arm, coordinating and implementing racial equity policies across agencies.

The Commission on Racial Equity, made up of 16 paid positions, functions as a separate advisory and analytical body, conducting research, developing recommendations and providing oversight related to racial equity policy, according to sources familiar with the structure.

Beyond the $10.2 million allocated to these offices, the budget also funds several high-level diversity positions across city agencies. The Department of Education reportedly budgets more than $260,000 for a chief diversity officer. Meanwhile, at the fire department, three civilian chief diversity inclusion officer positions are funded at just over $301,000 in combined salaries, along with nearly $230,000 in associated overtime, bringing the civilian unit’s total to about $531,000.

The fire department also funds a separate uniformed chief diversity inclusion officer position at just over $118,000, pushing the department’s total diversity leadership allocation to roughly $649,000, according to budget documents.

Additionally, the city will reportedly funnel more than $835,000 for the Commission on Gender Equity, an advisory body dedicated to analyzing legislation and developing positions on gender-based equality.

This expansion of social equity programs comes as the municipality faces what officials describe as fiscal constraints, leading to reductions in traditional law enforcement staffing—a move that has drawn criticism from various quarters in this sprawling urban center.