Source: https://www.ada.gov/santa_rosa_pca/santa_rosa_sa.htm
Timestamp: 2016-09-27 06:59:02
Document Index: 399726455

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 12131', 'art 35', '§\n35', '§ 35', '§ 101', '§ 35', '§ 35', 'art 35', '§ 12133', '§ 35', '§ 35', '§\n35', '§ 35']

Settlement Agreement between the United States and the City of Santa Rosa, California SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
DJ 204-11-284
Release | Fact Sheet
The United States Department of Justice (Department) initiated this matter as a compliance review of the City of Santa Rosa under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134, and the Department's implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 35.
to designate a responsible employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with and carry out the City's ADA responsibilities, 28 C.F.R. §
35.107(a);
delivery of services, programs, or activities in alternate ways, including, for example, redesign of equipment, reassignment of services, assignment of aides, home visits, or other methods of compliance or, if these methods are not effective in making the programs
accessible, physical changes to buildings (required to have been made by January 26, 1995), in accordance with the Department's title II regulation, 28 C.F.R. §§ 35.150 and 35.151, and the ADA Standards for Accessible Design (Standards), 28 C.F.R. pt. 36, App. A, or the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), 41 C.F.R. § 101-19.6, App. A.
to ensure that communications with applicants, participants, and
members of the public with disabilities are as effective as communications with others, including furnishing auxiliary aids and services when necessary, 28 C.F.R. § 35.160;
to provide information for interested persons with disabilities
concerning the existence and location of the City's accessible services, activities, and facilities, 28 C.F.R. § 35.163(a); and
As part of its compliance review, the Department reviewed the following facilities, which – because construction or alterations commenced after January 26, 1992 – must comply with the ADA's new construction or alterations requirements: A Place to Play, Bellvue Ranch
Park, Bicentennial Park, Francis Nielson Park, Transit Operations Building, Nagasawa Park, Parks and Recreation Annex, Rincon Valley Library, Southwest Community Park, Bennett Valley Golf Course, Franklin
Park, Garage #12, Howarth Park, Ridgway Swim Center, and Sam Jones Community Center.
The Department's program access review covered those of the City's programs, services, and activities that operate in the following facilities: Bennett Valley Senior Center, Benton Street Clubhouse, Central Library, City Hall, City Hall Annex, Doyle Park, Finley Aquatic,
Community Center and Park, Fire Station #2, Fire Station #4, Galvin Community Park, Garage #1, Garage #3, Garage #5, Garage #9, Julliard Park, Laguna Wastewater Treatment Plant, Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, Martin Luther King Park, Municipal Service Center - North, Municipal Service Center - South, North Park, Northwest Community Park, Northwest Library, Public Safety Building, Rincon Park, Sonoma County Museum (Old Post Office), Steele Lane Community Center, and Youth Park.
The Department reviewed the City's policies and procedures regarding
emergency management and disaster prevention and sidewalk maintenance to evaluate whether persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to utilize these programs.
The Department is authorized under 28 C.F.R. Part 35, Subpart F, to determine the compliance of the City with title II of the ADA and the
Department's title II implementing regulation, to issue findings, and, where appropriate, to negotiate and secure voluntary compliance agreements. Furthermore, the Attorney General is authorized, under 42 U.S.C. § 12133, to bring a civil action enforcing title II of the ADA should the Department fail to secure voluntary compliance pursuant to Subpart F.
The parties to this Agreement are the United States of America and
the City of Santa Rosa, California.
The City has a designated ADA Coordinator who addresses grievances
and works towards a resolution of ADA matters.
In 1993, the City of Santa Rosa completed its original ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan. In 2004, the City formed its current ADA Transition Planning Advisory Committee to assist with the development of the current self-evaluation and transition plan. The City hired a consultant to assist with the development of the current plan, facilitate public meetings, and to assist with the transition of the ADA Coordinator into this committee/community group. The City published its Transition Plan Update in 2006.
The City developed a complaint procedure with citizen input through its community ADA Transition Planning Committee, and they adopted and publicized that procedure when the updated ADA Transition Plan was finalized in January 2006.
The City has developed a mechanism for getting public feedback from the community of non-profit disability services and citizens with disabilities on the prioritization of improvement for sidewalks and other City programs in an attempt to make then ADA compliant and accessible for all its citizens.
The City has identified sources for the provision of sign language and oral interpreters, real-time transcription services, and vendors that can put documents in Braille. This document has existed in
the current City ADA Toolkit for the past two years. The City has a current agreement with a sign language interpreting service to provide services to the City of Santa Rosa. Each Department is able to contact this service provider directly to assure timely sign language interpreting services are provided when needed or requested.
The City has a comprehensive training and testing program for 9-1-1 Dispatch Personnel.
The City has the Guide for Law Enforcement Officers When in Contact with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Attachment D) as a part of its ADA Toolkit and on its intranet and internet sites. It
has a current Policy Statement that was updated January 16, 2009.
The City has a current Equal Employment Opportunity Policy that was adopted on February 15, 2005 and is available for public viewing on its website at http://ci.santa
-rosa.ca.us/doclib/Documents/EEO%20policy.pdf. EEOC required posters are posted on City Public Bulletin Boards.
The City has current policies in place that trigger an interactive process for an employee who may need an accommodation due to
a disability. It also has a current policy and procedure in place for providing accommodations to applicants with disabilities.
The City maintains all employee medical records separate from personnel files and in a secured location.
The City has complied with ADA regulations for curb ramps on all street and sidewalk construction and reconstruction done by the City, or
performed within a subdivision or with a building permit since 1976.
The City developed a new website in late 2007 with its implementation in early 2008. The Department's "Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities" was shared with the development team on November 5, 2007, and passed on to the web developers at that time. On April 23, 2008, the City introduced its new
website to the City's Transition Planning Committee. The meeting was publicized in the local paper and by e-mail to interested citizens three
weeks prior to the meeting. Three participants of this group have vision disabilities and look at the site periodically and give feedback to the ADA Coordinator when needed on information on the site that is not accessible to them. The City has made appropriate modifications as needed and will continue to monitor the site's accessibility and ask for
public feedback at the semi-annual ADA Transition Planning Meetings.
Within two months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will adopt the attached Notice (Attachment A);
distribute it to all agency heads; post the Notice on its Internet Home
Page; and post copies in conspicuous locations in its public buildings.
It will refresh the posted copies, and update the contact information contained on the Notice, as necessary, for the life of this Agreement. Copies will also be provided to any person upon request.
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, and on yearly anniversaries of this Agreement until it expires, the City will implement and report to the Department its written procedures for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the City's accessible programs,
services, and activities. GENERAL EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION PROVISIONS
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will implement and report to the Department its written procedures,
with time frames, for fulfilling requests from the public for sign language or oral interpreters, real-time transcription services, and documents in alternate formats (Braille, large print, cassette tapes, accessible electronic format (e.g., HTML), etc.).
The City will take steps to ensure that all appropriate employees are trained and practiced in using the California Relay Service (CRS) to
Within three months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will adapt for its own use and implement the Santa Rosa Police Department Policy Statement on Effective Communication with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Attachment C)
and distribute to all police officers the Guide for Law Enforcement
Officers When in Contact with People Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will ensure that each police station or substation is equipped with
a working TTY to enable persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or who have speech impairments to make outgoing telephone calls. Where inmate telephone calls are time-limited, the City will adopt policies permitting inmates who use TTY's a longer period of time to make those calls, due to the slower nature of TTY communications compared with voice communications.
will not ask a job applicant about the existence, nature, or severity of a disability. Applicants may be asked about their ability to perform specific job functions. Medical examinations or inquiries may be made, but only after a conditional offer of employment is made and only if required of all applicants for the position. will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee with a disability upon request unless the accommodation would cause an undue hardship on the operation of the City's business. If an applicant or an
employee requests a reasonable accommodation and the individual's disability and need for the accommodation are not readily apparent or otherwise known, the City may ask the individual for information necessary to determine if the individual has a disability-related need for the accommodation.
will maintain any employee's medical records separate from personnel files and keep them confidential. will make an individualized assessment of whether a qualified individual with a disability meets selection criteria for employment decisions. To the extent the City's selection criteria have the effect of disqualifying an individual because of disability, those criteria will be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
The Department will work collaboratively with the City to ensure that the City's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) will be in compliance with ADA requirements. The touchstone for compliance with ADA requirements relating to emergency management is Chapter
7 of the Department's ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and
Local Government (ADA Tool Kit), which addresses in detail key ADA
obligations that apply to all aspects of emergency management, including planning, preparedness, evacuation, shelters, medical and social services, lodging and housing programs, recovery, and rebuilding.
The City is committed to compliance with the ADA requirements as described in Chapter
7 of the ADA Tool Kit. Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will revise its EOP so that it conforms
7 of the ADA Tool Kit, and the City will provide a copy of
its revised EOP (including supporting documents) to the Department. The Department will review the revised EOP to ensure compliance with title II of the ADA and its implementing regulation. If the City contracts with another entity, such as the American Red Cross or another local government, to provide its emergency preparedness plans and emergency response services, the City will ensure
that the other entity complies with the following provisions on its behalf.
Within 3 months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that it regularly solicits and incorporates input from persons with a variety of disabilities and those who serve them regarding all phases of its emergency management plan (preparation, notification, response, and clean up). Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that ensure that its community evacuation plans enable those who have mobility impairments, vision impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive
disabilities, mental illness, or other disabilities to safely self-evacuate or be evacuated by others. Some communities are instituting voluntary, confidential registries of persons with disabilities who may need individualized evacuation assistance or notification. If the City adopts or maintains such a registry, its report to the Department will discuss its procedures for ensuring voluntariness, appropriate confidentiality controls, and how the registry will be kept updated, as well as its outreach plan to inform persons with disabilities of its availability. Whether or not a registry is used, the City plan should address accessible transportation
needs for persons with disabilities.
Within 18 months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City
will implement and report to the Department its written procedures that
ensure that if its emergency warning systems use sirens or other audible alerts, it will also provide ways to inform persons with hearing
impairments of an impending disaster. The use of auto-dialed TTY messages to pre-registered individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, text messaging, e-mails, open-captioning on local TV stations and other innovative uses of technology may be incorporated into such procedures, as well as lower-tech options such as dispatching qualified sign language interpreters to assist with emergency TV broadcasts.
ensure that at least one emergency shelter has a back-up generator and a
way to keep medications refrigerated (such as a refrigerator or a cooler with ice). Such shelter(s) will be made available to persons whose disabilities require access to electricity and refrigeration, for example, for using life-sustaining medical devices, providing power to motorized wheelchairs, and preserving certain medications, such as insulin, that require refrigeration. The written procedures will include a plan for notifying persons of the location of such shelter(s).
ensure that persons who use service animals are not separated from their service animals when sheltering during an emergency, even if pets are normally prohibited in shelters. The procedures will not segregate persons who use service animals from others but may take into account the potential presence of persons who, for safety or health reasons, should not be in contact with certain types of animals.
Some of the of the City's emergency shelters may be owned or operated by other public entities subject to title II or by public accommodations subject to title III and, as such, are subject to the obligation to provide program access or remove barriers to accessibility
under the ADA. This Agreement does not limit such future enforcement action against the owners or operators of these facilities by any person
or entity, including the Department.
Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement and until all emergency shelters have accessible parking, exterior routes, entrances, interior routes to the shelter area, and toilet rooms serving
the shelter area, the City will identify and widely publicize to the public and to persons with disabilities and the organizations that serve
them the most accessible emergency shelters.
Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, it will develop, implement, and report to the Department its plans for providing
equivalent opportunities for accessible post-emergency temporary housing to persons with disabilities. Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will ensure that information it makes available regarding temporary housing includes information on accessible
housing (such as accessible hotel rooms within the community or in nearby communities) that could be used if people with disabilities cannot immediately return home after a disaster if, for instance, necessary accessible features such as ramps or electrical systems have been compromised.
Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will identify and report to the Department all streets, roads, and highways that have been constructed or altered since January 26, 1992. Paving, repaving, or resurfacing a street, road, or highway is considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Filling a pothole is not considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Within five years of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all intersections of the streets, roads, and highways identified under this paragraph having curbs or other barriers to entry from a street level pedestrian walkway.
Beginning no later than three months after the effective date of this Agreement, the City will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at any intersection having curbs or
other barriers to entry from a street level pedestrian walkway, whenever a new street, road, or highway is constructed or altered.
Within six months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will identify all street level pedestrian walkways that have been constructed or altered since January 26, 1992. Paving, repaving, or resurfacing a walkway is considered an alteration for the purposes of this Agreement. Within five years of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all places where a street level pedestrian walkway identified under this paragraph intersects with a street, road, or highway.
Beginning no later than three months after the effective date of this Agreement, the City will provide curb ramps or other sloped areas complying with the Standards or UFAS at all newly constructed or altered
pedestrian walkways where they intersect a street, road, or highway.
The City will ensure that all buildings and facilities constructed
by or on behalf of the City are constructed in full compliance with the
requirements of 28 C.F.R. § 35.151, including applicable architectural standards.
Within twelve months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will install signage as necessary to comply with 28 C.F.R. § 35.163(b), after having surveyed all facilities that are the subject of this Agreement for the purpose of identifying those that have multiple entrances not all of which are accessible.
Newly Constructed Facilities: In order to ensure that the following spaces and elements in City facilities for which construction was commenced after January 26, 1992, are readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities, the City will take the actions listed in Attachments I and M.
Altered Facilities: In order to ensure that the following spaces and elements in City facilities for which alterations commenced after January 26, 1992, are readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities, the City will take the actions listed in Attachments J and M.
Program Access in Existing Facilities: In order to ensure that each of the City's programs, services, and activities operating at a
facility that is the subject of this Agreement, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by persons with mobility impairments, the City will take the actions listed in Attachment K and M.
Facilities and Programs Not Surveyed by the Department: The City will review compliance with the requirements of title II of the
ADA for those City facilities and programs that were not reviewed by the Department. Within 24 months of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will submit for review by the Department a detailed report listing the access issues identified during its review together with the corrective actions and completion dates proposed to resolve such issues. The review conducted by the City, the access issues identified, and the corrective actions and completion dates proposed will be consistent with the requirements of title II of the ADA; the review of City facilities and programs conducted by the Department for purposes of this Agreement; and the access issues, corrective actions, and completion dates reflected in Attachments I, J, K, and M.
Whatever written information is provided regarding its Domestic Violence Programs will also be provided in alternate formats, including Braille, large print, audio recording, and accessible electronic formats (e.g., HTML), upon request.
Enter into contracts or make other arrangements with qualified
sign language and oral interpreters to ensure their availability when required for effective communication with persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The type of aid that will be required for effective communication will depend on the individual's usual method of communication, and the nature, importance, and duration of the communication at issue. In many circumstances, oral communication supplemented by gestures and visual aids, an exchange of written notes, use of a computer or typewriter, or use of an assistive listening device
may be effective. In other circumstances, qualified sign language or oral interpreters are needed to communicate effectively with persons who
are deaf or hard of hearing. The more lengthy, complex, and important the communication, the more likely it is that a qualified interpreter will be required for effective communication with a person whose primary
means of communication is sign language or speech reading. If the City's Domestic Violence Programs operate a hotline to take telephone calls of an emergency nature, the City shall ensure that it provides equivalent service for persons who use TTY's, including providing direct-connection service for TTY users with hotline operators, without requiring TTY users to call through a third party operator, such as through the state or local Telecommunication Relay Services. The City will obtain the necessary equipment, establish the written procedures, and provide the training necessary to ensure effective communication by Hotline staff with direct-connection callers using TTY's, as well as the training necessary to respond to callers who
use the Telecommunication Relay Services. Survey facilities used as shelters or designated as potential shelters – or for counseling, job training, education, clothing or household provisioning, or other aspects of Domestic Violence Programs –
to ensure that adequate arrangements are available for potential clients and family members with disabilities, including adults and children who have mobility impairments, who are blind or have low vision, and who are deaf or hard of hearing. Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, modify each such facility to remove the barriers or, alternatively, procure another, fully accessible facility to ensure that potential clients and family members with disabilities have integrated options when participating in a sheltering or other Domestic Violence program. Nothing in this Agreement requires any modifications that would compromise the confidentiality of a shelter
or counseling center. Until there is a sufficient stock of accessible housing and other facilities within the sheltering program, City will implement written procedures ensuring that it has identified temporary accessible housing (such as accessible hotel rooms within the community or in nearby communities) and other facilities that could be used if people with disabilities need sheltering or inservice access to a Domestic Violence Program. The cost to potential clients of being housed or otherwise served in alternate accessible facilities shall not exceed any costs normally attributed to clients of City's Domestic Violence Programs.
Implement written procedures and modify, as appropriate, eligibility criteria, to ensure that no person with a disability is turned away from a shelter or otherwise denied the opportunity to benefit from the services of the City's Domestic Violence Programs on the basis of disability. Implement written procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities who use service animals are not denied or discouraged from participating in Domestic Violence Programs, are able to be housed and served in an integrated environment, and are not separated from their service animals while participating in the City's Domestic Violence Programs even if pets are normally not permitted in the facilities where
such programs are conducted. The procedures will not unnecessarily segregate persons who use service animals from others but may take into account the potential presence of persons who, for safety or health reasons, should not be in contact with certain types of animals. If the
City's Domestic Violence Programs require clients to make any payments for shelter or other services they provide, clients shall not be required to make additional payments because they or their family members use service animals.
Implement written procedures to ensure that reasonable modifications are made to City's Domestic Violence Programs when necessary for a client or family member with a disability to participate
in such Programs, unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the program. Implement written policies to ensure that despite any "drug-free" policy of City's Domestic Violence Programs, persons with disabilities who use medication prescribed for their use are able to continue using such medication while participating in such Programs or being housed in a shelter.
If the City contracts with another entity to provide or operate programs that provide shelter, counseling, or other assistance or supportive services to victims of domestic violence or abuse and their families (hereafter referred to as "Domestic Violence Programs"), it will ensure that the other entity complies with the preceding provisions
on its behalf. If that entity will not comply with the following provisions, the City will nonetheless take all necessary steps to ensure
that its program is accessible to persons with disabilities.
Except as otherwise specified in this Agreement, at yearly anniversaries of the effective date of this Agreement until it expires, the City will submit written reports to the Department summarizing the actions the City has taken pursuant to this Agreement. Reports will include detailed photographs showing measurements, architectural plans, work orders, copies of adopted policies, and proof of efforts to secure funding/assistance for structural renovations or equipment.
Throughout the life of this Agreement, consistent with 28 C.F.R. §
35.133(a), the City will maintain the accessibility of its programs, activities, services, facilities, and equipment, and will take whatever actions are necessary (such as routine testing of accessibility equipment and routine accessibility audits of its programs and facilities) to do so. This provision does not prohibit isolated or temporary interruptions in service or access due to maintenance or repairs. 28 C.F.R. § 35.133(b).
Within one year of the effective date of this Agreement, the City will deliver its training program to all City employees who have direct contact with members of the public. At the end of that period, the City
will submit a copy of its training curriculum and materials to the Department, along with a list of employees trained and the name, title, and address of the trainer. IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT
If at any time the City desires to modify any portion of this Agreement because of changed conditions making performance impossible or
impractical or for any other reason, it will promptly notify the Department in writing, setting forth the facts and circumstances thought
to justify modification and the substance of the proposed modification.
Until there is written Agreement by the Department to the proposed modification, the proposed modification will not take effect. These actions must receive the prior written approval of the Department, which
The Department may review compliance with this Agreement at any time. If the Department believes that the City has failed to comply in a
timely manner with any requirement of this Agreement without obtaining sufficient advance written agreement with the Department for a modification of the relevant terms, the Department will so notify the City in writing and it will attempt to resolve the issue or issues in good faith. If the Department is unable to reach a satisfactory resolution of the issue or issues raised within 30 days of the date it provides notice to the City, it may institute a civil action in federal district court to enforce the terms of this Agreement, or it may initiate appropriate steps to enforce title II.
For purposes of the immediately preceding paragraph, it is a violation of this Agreement for the City to fail to comply in a timely manner with any of its requirements without obtaining sufficient advance
written agreement with the Department for an extension of the relevant time frame imposed by the Agreement.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties on the matters raised herein, and no other statement, promise, or agreement, either written or oral, made by either party or agents of either party, that is not contained in this written Agreement (including
its Attachments, which are hereby incorporated by reference), will be enforceable. This Agreement does not purport to remedy any other potential violations of the ADA or any other federal law. This Agreement does not affect the City's continuing responsibility to comply
with all aspects of the ADA.
This Agreement will remain in effect for five years or until the parties agree that all actions required by the Agreement have been completed, whichever is later. The person signing for the City represents that he or she is authorized to bind the City to this Agreement.
The effective date of this Agreement is the date of the last signature below. For the City of Santa Rosa:
CAROLINE FOWLER, City Attorney
Date: ___________________________ THOMAS E. PEREZ, Assistant Attorney General
By:_____________________________ NAOMI MILTON, Supervisory Attorney
By:_____________________________ AMELIA EDUARDO, Investigator
Date: 12/16/2009 Project Civic Access | ADA Home Page