2026 Language Access Compliance Summary Report

About This Report

The annual Language Access Compliance Summary Report evaluates the City and County of San Francisco’s (the City’s) compliance with the Language Access Ordinance (LAO). This year’s report covers Fiscal Year 2024-2025 (July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025), the fiscal year immediately following the passage of amendments to San Francisco’s LAO in June 2024.

As required by the LAO, the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) submits this annual report to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Immigrant Rights Commission by February 1 of each year.

Executive Introduction

San Francisco’s commitment to language access is rooted in our long-standing values of equity, inclusion, and belonging. Language access is essential to ensuring that all residents, workers, and visitors can meaningfully engage with City services and fully participate in civic life. In times of heightened uncertainty and fear for our immigrant communities, clear, accessible, and culturally responsive communication is not optional; it is critical.

Fiscal Year 2024–2025 marked an important moment in strengthening San Francisco’s commitment to Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities. The 2024 amendments to the San Francisco Language Access Ordinance (LAO), as well as the Board of Supervisor’s resolution 348-24, reaffirm the City’s dedication to expanding language access and inclusion. This year’s report demonstrates progress, including increased translation of materials and record levels of LEP interactions across City departments. The City’s language access work over the next year will be critical as Departments implement the new amendments and Vietnamese reaches the threshold to become a City-required language in 2026. Strong community partnerships, increased bilingual staffing, comprehensive training, and thoughtful planning are key strategies to fully realize San Francisco’s language access commitments in the years ahead.

As immigrant communities navigate fear, misinformation, and shifting federal policies, San Francisco remains committed to upholding our values as a Sanctuary City. With language access protections facing increasing challenges at the national level, strong local efforts are more important than ever. Language access ensures that residents feel safe seeking services, reporting concerns, and participating in their communities, all to make San Francisco a safer and more inclusive city where everyone can contribute and thrive.

Report Summary

The San Francisco Language Access Ordinance

Enacted in 2001 as the Equal Access to Services Ordinance, the San Francisco Language Access Ordinance (LAO) requires public-facing City departments to provide equal access to information and services for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The LAO was amended in 2024 to strengthen its provisions, increase accountability, and expand language access.

Among other requirements, Departments must inform LEP members of the public who seek services of their right to receive language assistance and to file a complaint. Departments must translate vital information (including public signage and digital content) into the City’s required languages and must respond to public translation requests within 48 business hours. City departments must coordinate, budget, and provision for their own language services, attend OCEIA’s annual language access training, track their language access activities, and submit a compliance report to OCEIA by October 1 of each year. Additionally, during emergency situations, all Departments involved are required to prioritize language access services.

Below is a summary of the LAO requirements. Those marked with an asterisk (*) were introduced, enhanced, or clarified in the 2024 LAO amendments.

City Department Responsibilities

• Comply with all requirements of the LAO
• Develop, implement, and maintain a language access policy specific to their Department
• Designate a language access liaison and attend OCEIA’s annual language access liaison training
• Submit an annual language access compliance report to OCEIA
• Budget and plan for the Department’s delivery of language access services*
• Coordinate and provision for all of the Department’s language access services*
• Translate vital information, including signage and digital content such as websites and social media, into the required languages*
• Respond to public translation requests within 48 business hours and provide updates on completion timelines*

OCEIA Responsibilities

• Train Departments on LAO compliance and reporting requirements
• Develop tools, style guides, and resources to assist Departments with implementation
• Provide language access technical assistance and consultations to Departments*
• Maintain a list of qualified language service providers and coordinate Citywide contracting with the Office of Contract Administration
• Investigate language access complaints, provide complaint reports to the Immigrant Rights Commission and the Board of Supervisors, and create a website to maintain summaries of investigative reports*
• Create a language access “Know Your Rights” toolkit*
• Create a best-practices toolkit for first responders*

New Language Certification Process

The 2024 Language Access Ordinance (LAO) amendments adjusted the Substantial Number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons threshold required to certify a new language in the city. This threshold changed from 10,000 to 6,000 LEP individuals, effective January 1, 2026.

Based on the 2019-2023 American Community Survey five-year data, which is the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data available as of January 1, 2026, Vietnamese has reached the 6,000 LEP threshold and will be joining Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino as one of the City and County of San Francisco’s required languages.

Certification of a new language follows a three-step process:

1. Determination: OCEIA makes a determination on whether a new language has met the Substantial Number of LEP Persons threshold based on the best available data from the U.S. Census Bureau or other reliable sources. If the data shows that a language other than English has reached the threshold of 6,000 LEP San Francisco residents, the language is eligible for certification.
   
2. Notification: If a new language meets the LEP population threshold, OCEIA notifies City departments, the Board of Supervisors, and the Immigrant Rights Commission. The notification is posted on OCEIA’s website for 120 days before certification.
   
3. Certification: The certification of a new language takes effect after the conclusion of the process described above.

Once a new language is certified, the implementation period begins. An implementation plan will be published after the certification, informing City departments of the timeline, requirements, and benchmarks to achieve compliance with the new required language.

Language Access Complaints

During Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025, OCEIA enhanced its complaint reporting process in accordance with the Language Access Ordinance (LAO) amendments, increasing transparency and accountability by publishing summaries of its complaint investigations on its website. Summary investigative reports include findings and recommendations to resolve issues and improve language access. OCEIA submits reports on the language access complaints it has received to the Immigrant Rights Commission, the Board of Supervisors, and the Mayor’s Office on a quarterly basis.

Summary of Language Access Complaints 

During FY 2024-2025, OCEIA received eight complaints. Three were not investigated by OCEIA as they involved non-City agencies or matters that were outside of the LAO scope. In these cases, OCEIA referred the complainant to the appropriate agency and complaint process. OCEIA completed the investigations of the remaining five complaints and published their summary reports on its website.

The complaints received during FY 2024-2025 highlight the importance of regular internal training on Departmental language access policies and protocols for public-facing personnel, maintaining and updating Departmental language access policies, as well as translating vital digital information and signage into the City’s required languages.

OCEIA engaged with Departments to resolve the complaints by providing policy recommendations, sharing best practices for vital document translation, and providing resources for training public-facing staff, among other strategies.

Read more about OCEIA’s complaint investigations.

How to File a Language Access Complaint 

Anyone who did not receive adequate language services when interacting with the City and County of San Francisco can file a complaint with OCEIA.

Individuals may file a complaint through any of the following options:

• Fill out the form online.
• Send a complaint by email to language.access@sfgov.org.
• Call OCEIA at 415-554-0600 to share the complaint (free language assistance is provided).
• Get help from a trusted community-based organization to fill out and submit the complaint form.

The LAO complaint form is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese. Individuals can request the complaint form in another language by contacting OCEIA at the email or phone number provided above. Complaints may be filed anonymously.

LAO Compliance Reporting Process

To comply with the Language Access Ordinance (LAO), Departments must engage in language access activities throughout the year, fulfill an annual training requirement, and submit a Language Access Compliance Report to OCEIA by October 1 of each year.

LAO Compliance Cycle

• Spring/Summer: Language access liaisons attend the annual mandatory LAO compliance training
• By September 1: The digital LAO compliance reporting form becomes available
• By October 1: Departments submit their annual LAO compliance report to OCEIA
• By February 1: OCEIA publishes the Language Access Compliance Summary Report

Findings

Findings show increases in Limited English Proficient (LEP) client interactions, translated materials, in-person and telephonic language services, as well as language access budgets. These positive trends may reflect improvements in data gathering and collection as well as the City’s progress in complying with the 2024 Language Access Ordinance (LAO) amendments. For example, increases in translated materials may reflect City departments’ work to comply with the new LAO requirement to translate vital digital information and signage, as well as to prepare for the certification of Vietnamese as a required language.

Department Compliance Highlights

OCEIA received all of the required Language Access Ordinance (LAO) reports covering the language access activities conducted by 56 public-facing City departments and divisions during Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025. All 56 Departments fulfilled OCEIA’s LAO training requirement, and 52 Departments have a written LAO policy.

View all Department compliance data required by the LAO.

LEP Client Interactions 

Limited English Proficient (LEP) client interactions track the total number of LEP individuals who used the Department’s services during the fiscal year. Departments can use different methods to gather this information, such as 1) collection during the intake process for all clients (recommended); 2) conducting an annual survey of all contacts made by the Department during a period of at least two weeks; or 3) calculating the annual total number of requests for telephonic interpretation services.

Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-2021, LEP client interactions have generally trended upwards, with a five-year average (FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-2025) of 1,286,434. Departments reported a record high of 1,754,088 LEP client interactions for FY 2024-2025, a year-over-year increase of 11% and a 36% increase from the five-year average.

LEP client interactions in Filipino, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Cantonese saw substantial percentage increases in FY 2024-2025 compared to the previous fiscal year. Departments reported 266,072 LEP client interactions in Filipino, a 1,707% increase from FY 2023-2024 and a 110% increase from the five-year average (FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-2025).

There were 335,437 LEP client interactions in Mandarin in FY 2024-2025, a 682% increase compared to the previous fiscal year and a 253% increase from the five-year average.

LEP client interactions in Vietnamese grew by about 115% compared to the previous fiscal year, totaling 60,823 in FY 2024-2025, almost doubling the average of 31,413 LEP contacts per year for the past five years.

In FY 2024-2025, there were 517,643 LEP client interactions in Cantonese, an increase of 42% compared to the previous fiscal year, and a 41% increase from the five-year average.

Meanwhile, LEP interactions in Russian, Spanish and other languages saw decreases in the last fiscal year. LEP client interactions in Russian decreased by 57% in FY 2024-2025 compared to the previous fiscal year. LEP client interactions in Spanish diminished by over 37%, though their number remains somewhat consistent with five-year trends. Languages grouped under the “other languages” category (which include, for example, Arabic, Korean, and Nepali) decreased by 77% compared to the record high seen in FY 2023-2024, though they remain consistent with their overall five-year trend. 

Translated Materials 

This indicator represents the reported number of written materials that Departments translated in FY 2024-2025. Departments submit a list of their translated documents (including applications, forms, notices of rights, program materials, web or other digital content), the languages in which they have been translated, and the names of the individuals who reviewed the translations. Translation reviewers can be bilingual staff members or employees who obtain quality checks from external sources such as translation vendors or bilingual staff from community-based organizations whose clients receive services from the Department. Translation reviews generally focus on assessing a document for grammar, meaning, and readability.

During FY 2024-2025, Departments reported a record high of 89,883 translated materials Citywide, of which 22,275 were translated into Spanish (25%); 21,215 into Chinese (23%); 15,312 into Filipino (17%); 14,270 into Vietnamese (16%); 2,464 into Russian (3%); and 14,347 (16%) into other languages.

The overall number of translated materials increased by 60% from the 56,159 translations reported in FY 2023-2024. The Citywide number reported for FY 2024-2025 represents a 160% increase compared to the five-year average of 34,581 translated documents.

All languages, except for those grouped under the “other languages” category (which experienced a 51% decrease) saw an increase compared to the previous fiscal year. Most notably, Vietnamese saw a 3,636% rise in quantity of translated materials. This may be because Departments began preparing for Citywide Vietnamese language certification, which will take place in 2026.

While there is an overall positive trend Citywide, the City Administrator’s office accounted for the largest increase in total translations, from almost 2,500 in FY 2023-2024 to about 55,200 in FY 2024-2025, a 2,123% growth. The report submitted by the City Administrator’s office includes the language access data of its Central Office and 16 of its departments, including Digital Services. The 2,123% increase reflects Digital Services’ addition of Vietnamese translations to SF.gov. The City Administrator’s office was followed by the San Francisco International Airport, with 690 translations in FY 2024-2025, a 1,468% increase from the 44 translations conducted in the previous fiscal year, and the Environment Department, with 481 translations in FY 2024-2025, a 775% increase from the 55 translations conducted in FY 2023-2024.

Telephonic Language Services 

Departments are required to report the total estimated volume of Limited English Proficient (LEP) callers, call volume by language, and the names of all language service providers used, such as bilingual staff or language services vendors.

For FY 2024-2025, Departments reported a record high of 568,739 telephonic language services provided: 371,891 (65%) in Spanish, 95,270 (17%) in Cantonese, 45,556 (8%) in other languages, 16,709 (3%) in Russian, 18,010 (3%) in Mandarin, 15,332 (3%) in Vietnamese, and 5,971 (1%) in Filipino.

This represents a 400% increase in total volume of telephonic language services compared to the previous fiscal year and a 205% increase compared to the five-year average. This increase was reflected across all languages, with Filipino and the languages grouped under the “other languages” category showing the largest year-over-year increases (986% and 893%, respectively), followed by Vietnamese, with a 689% increase in FY 2024-2025 compared to the previous reporting period.

These increases may be partly due to improved reporting of telephonic language services conducted by bilingual staff. In previous fiscal years, Departments were asked to report the numbers of telephonic interpretations conducted by staff or vendors. The 2024 amendments clarified the definition of interpretation to mean a live service that communicates information from one language into another provided in the moment through oral or gestured means. Beginning in FY 2024-2025, OCEIA changed its reporting instructions to better capture the volume and types of telephonic language services provided by the City. Departments were asked to report both telephonic interpretations provided by bilingual staff and language services vendors as well as in-language services provided by bilingual staff. These instructions were highlighted during OCEIA’s annual training for language access liaisons.

In-Person Language Services 

Departments also report the number of times their public-contact employees provided in-person interpretation or direct assistance in language.

In FY 2024-2025, Departments reported a record high of 274,043 in-person language services, including interpretations and in-language assistance. Of this total, 132,381 or 48% of in-person language services took place in Spanish; 97,971 (36%) in Cantonese; 28,132 (10%) in Mandarin; 7,160 ( 3%) in other languages; 3,626 (1%) in Filipino; 3,372 (1%) in Vietnamese, and 1,401 (1%) in Russian.

These figures represent a 228% increase compared to the previous year and an almost 170% increase compared to the five-year average. In-person language services generally increased across languages in FY 2024-2025 compared to FY 2023-2024, with the exception of Russian, which saw a 46% decrease. Mandarin and Cantonese saw the highest year-over-year increases in this category (417% and 409%, respectively), followed by Spanish (174%), other languages (107%), Vietnamese (85%), and Filipino (40%).

This Citywide increase may reflect the return to in-person services after the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with an improvement in data reporting due to clarifying language in OCEIA’s reporting instructions this year. Starting in FY 2024-2025, Departments are required to report both in-person interpretations as well as direct assistance provided by bilingual employees in language.

Bilingual Staffing 

The annual Language Access Ordinance (LAO) compliance report requires Departments to provide information about their bilingual staffing, both certified and non-certified. Certified bilingual employees are employees who have passed the language proficiency test administered by the Department of Human Resources (DHR). Non-certified employees identify as bilingual and may support with language services but have not been certified by DHR.

In FY 2024-2025, Departments reported about 3,960 bilingual employees (certified and non-certified), a 52% increase from the previous fiscal year’s estimate of 2,600 bilingual employees and a 35% increase from the five-year average of about 2,944 bilingual employees. These figures are still well below the peak of nearly 6,000 bilingual employees in FY 2016-2017.

Departments reported a total of 3,044 certified bilingual employees, which represents 77% of all bilingual employees, up from 71% in the previous fiscal year. DHR reported a Citywide count of 3,916 certified bilingual employees in FY 2024-2025. The discrepancy between DHR-provided data and Departments’ self-reported data for the LAO may be due to data reporting differences and the fact that the LAO report focuses on public-facing City departments. OCEIA will continue to work with DHR to reconcile bilingual staff and compensatory pay data for future LAO reports and provide guidance for Departments to improve their LAO data collection and reporting mechanisms.

Language Services Budgets

City departments also report the amount of money they spend on language services, including translation and interpretation services, bilingual pay and compensation for bilingual employees, multilingual community outreach efforts, production of multilingual materials, and other costs.

City departments spent a record $22.94 million on language services in FY2024-2025, a 35% increase compared to the $17.02 million they spent during the previous fiscal year. Language services budgets overall have shown a positive trend for the past two consecutive fiscal years, and the FY 2024-2025 figure represents about a 12% increase from pre-pandemic levels (FY 2019-2020) and a 25% increase compared to the five-year average (FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-2025) of about $18.28 million.

The top five City departments that showed the largest year-over-year percentage increases in language services budgets were:

• County Clerk: Increased from $464 in FY 2023-2024 to almost $6,000 in FY 2024-2025, a 1,191% change
• Department of Public Health: Increased from $3,392,942 in FY 2023-2024 to $10,307,660 in FY 2024-2025, a 204% change
• Treasure Island Development Authority: Increased from $3,511 in FY 2023-2024 to $8,569 in FY 2024-2025, a 144% change
• Port of San Francisco: Increased from $5,417 in FY 2023-2024 to $7,804 in FY 2024-2025, a 44% change
• San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families: Increased from $11,431 to $16,387, a 43% change.

LAO Compliance Data

View City departments' language access activities based on self-reported data for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025.

Recommendations

Looking Back

In last year’s Language Access Compliance Summary Report, OCEIA recommended that City departments:

• Plan a language services budget for successful implementation of the Language Access Ordinance (LAO) amendments, and in preparation for implementation of a new required language
• Train City staff on the LAO and its new amendments
• Recruit, hire, and retain bilingual staff

During the first reporting period after the passage of the LAO amendments in June 2024, Departments showed positive trends in implementing the new requirements. For example, they reported increases in translation, including web content and signage, and dramatic increases in Vietnamese translation in preparation for the certification of Vietnamese as a required language. The passage of the LAO amendments also may have brought renewed attention to the importance of language access, as OCEIA trained City​ departments on new requirements and clarified the role of Departments in provisioning for these services.

At the same time, the upcoming certification of Vietnamese as a required language highlights the importance of recruiting and hiring bilingual staff, conducting staff training, and leveraging internal and external resources for successful implementation.

Looking Forward

City departments’ efforts to increase language access budgets, implement the LAO amendments, and improve LAO reporting practices are encouraging trends that underscore their focus on language access at a critical moment.

Given the shifting federal policy landscape, the need to uphold and fully implement local language access laws is more important than ever. It is also critical to invest in City and community-based efforts to increase linguistically accessible services for San Francisco’s Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations. Despite budgetary constraints, the City has an opportunity to continue showing leadership and innovation in language access and centering the communities it serves.

Recommendations

Budget for language services and plan for the implementation of a new required language. 

In order to comply with the LAO and effectively serve all San Franciscans, City departments should plan ahead to deliver language access services by leveraging their internal resources, using vendor services when needed, and developing and maintaining community partnerships. Planning ahead is particularly important during a difficult budget year.

Departments should continue planning for progressive implementation of Vietnamese as a required language. This includes translating vital information into Vietnamese, giving highest priority to vital information that affects benefits, eligibility, public safety, health, and critical services. During 2025, Digital Services made Vietnamese translation available across SF.gov. This important step means that City departments on SF.gov now have the technological tools and translation support needed to comply with the LAO’s digital translation requirement in the new required language.

The implementation of Vietnamese as a required language also involves making updates to Departmental language access policy, protocols, and public meeting notices, among other steps. OCEIA will provide more guidance and instructions as the implementation phase begins in Fiscal Year 2026-2027.

Support City and community-based language access services.

Amid changes to federal immigration and language access policy, the need to support local language access services has become increasingly important. Developing community partnerships and strengthening City and community-based language capacity are important strategies to lift barriers to City services, build trust, and ensure that City information and programs reach all San Franciscans in culturally and linguistically responsive ways.

Recruit, hire, and retain bilingual staff.

Increases in LEP client interactions across multiple languages and the upcoming certification of Vietnamese as a required language underscore the importance of recruiting and hiring bilingual staff. Bilingual employees are Departmental subject-matter experts who are uniquely positioned to ensure City services and information reach all San Franciscans in the languages in which they feel most comfortable. Departments should maintain and share with their staff a list of their bilingual employees to help ensure effective and timely access. While budget constraints currently limit the City’s capacity to hire, filling bilingual staff positions is an effective way to increase the City’s long-term capacity to effectively serve LEP populations.

Leverage community-focused use of technology with qualified human oversight.

Advances in machine translation and artificial intelligence (AI) position these technologies as helpful tools to aid bilingual staff and help Departments augment existing language services. At the same time, these technologies may pose risks to the public and the City and may erode trust in public services if not used responsibly. San Francisco has developed Generative AI Guidelines (updated in 2025) to help City personnel use this technology safely and effectively. In alignment with these guidelines and best practices, it is imperative that AI and machine translation outputs be reviewed by a qualified human translator who can assess translation accuracy, completeness and appropriateness, and take cultural and social context into account before the translation reaches the public, especially whenever vital information is involved. OCEIA will partner with City departments to identify tools and best practices and continue to share guidance on responsible use of these technologies to supplement language access activities.

Train public-facing staff.

Staff training is an essential strategy to continue building City departments’ institutional knowledge on LAO requirements, best practices, and effective implementation. OCEIA’s annual LAO training for liaisons offers attendees an opportunity to learn about the LAO and its amendments, tips for working with interpreters and translators, LAO reporting instructions, OCEIA resources, and more.

In addition to this annual training, Departments should conduct periodic training and reminders on Departmental language access policy and protocols. This will increase their public-facing staff’s awareness of language access requirements and help them feel empowered to provide language access services in concrete scenarios. Departmental language access policies should be reviewed and updated annually as required by the LAO.

Department Feature

Video series on overdose awareness and response in Mayan-speaking communities.
A partnership between the Department of Public Health’s Population Health Division and Instituto Familiar de la Raza’s Indígena Health and Wellness Collaborative

The Department of Public Health (DPH)’s Population Health Division, together with the Indígena Health and Wellness Collaborative (IHWC) at Instituto Familiar de la Raza developed an innovative video series on overdose awareness and response in four widely spoken Mayan languages in San Francisco: Maya Yucateco, Mam, K’iche’, and T'zeltal.

To learn more about this example of a community-focused approach to language access, OCEIA interviewed Isela Ford, director of the Office of Equity and Community Engagement at DPH, Carlos Izaguirre, program director of IHWC, and Francisco Icala Tiriquiz, case manager for IHWC and K’iche’- Spanish interpreter.

How did this project come to be? What gap or need did you identify in the community?

Isela: Our collaboration with IHWC started during the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed that the information we were sharing in Spanish around COVID-19 testing and vaccines was not reaching those who identify as Indigenous within the Latino community in San Francisco. So, we explored what were the best ways to make this information accessible for these communities.

How did you customize your message to the community you were trying to reach?

Francisco: The Department of Public Health initially reached out to us to translate written materials into Mayan languages. In my experience as an interpreter, Mayan-speaking communities do not often read and write in their native languages, so we shared that using audio and video to reach this audience would be a better use of resources.

What was the goal of the campaign and what languages did you use to reach community members?

Francisco: This collaboration with the Department of Public Health addressed the high number of opioid overdose deaths in our communities. As part of this project, we recorded educational videos on overdose awareness and response in two Mayan languages from Mexico (Maya Yucateco and T’zeltal) and two from Guatemala (Mam and K’iche’). We hope that we can continue developing videos in additional Indigenous languages spoken in the Bay Area, such as Kaqchikel, Triqui, Mixteco, Zapoteco, Quechua, Kichwa and Shuar.

What messengers did you use to convey this information to community members?

Francisco: The Indigenous community is the most vulnerable and forgotten due to stigma and discrimination. It is difficult for these communities to trust the public health department, or to trust medications given the history of doctors going to Guatemala to conduct medical experiments on the population. So, seeing a public health campaign created by Indigenous people in their own languages has a positive impact and helps build trust.

What was the impact of the campaign?

Carlos: The results of these campaigns have been very positive. It is difficult to measure impact due to how demographic data is collected. Indigenous people within the Latino community are often grouped as Hispanic/Latino, and our people may not be prepared to talk about identity. But while we are having this conversation on how to better measure impact, we know that awareness is growing as we see the engagement with our videos on social media.

What did you learn from the campaign?

Carlos: We learned that it is important for the community to know that they are recognized. Representation in public health campaigns lets them know that they belong in the city, and that there are health resources available for them.

Isela: For us, language access is fundamental. When a health issue has a disproportionate impact on a community, we must better understand their needs. In terms of reaching the Latino community in San Francisco, we have done a lot of work to increase messaging in Spanish, but we also need to understand the complexity within the community. We can start with language access compliance, but it is our responsibility as City workers to go beyond so that we can reach everyone.

What recommendations would you give to other City departments interested in bringing a community-focused approach to their language access work?

Isela: My recommendation would be to recognize that the community has expertise and should be recognized as an equal partner. Our collaboration with IHWC has been built on mutual trust from the beginning. As the Department of Public Health, we have expertise and knowledge of the public health issue, and we ensure that the information they share is accurate. On their end, they are the experts in reaching their community and have thorough knowledge of the barriers they face. This equal partnership elevates the work and the educational videos, and this can only happen when you trust one another.

This interview has been translated from Spanish and edited by OCEIA.

Watch the multilingual videos on overdose awareness and response.

Language Access Spotlight

Language Access Community Grants

OCEIA’s Language Access Community Grants are part of a strategic effort to advance language access in San Francisco. Since 2012, this grant program has funded non-profit activities to increase community and City capacity to meet the language access needs of San Francisco’s underserved monolingual and Limited English Proficient (LEP) community members.

Language access community grantees:

1. Build community-based knowledge, capacity, and leadership on language access through outreach and education;
2. Work collaboratively to assess and address language access needs in the community;
3. Ensure City departments are effectively communicating with and delivering services to residents who speak languages other than English; and
4. Build capacity to deliver community-based interpretation and translation services.

Grantees must demonstrate cultural and linguistic competence as well as extensive knowledge of neighborhood services, issues, and resources. They must have a history of assisting and serving San Francisco communities as well as credibility and capacity to reach underserved LEP populations. 

Activities

During FY 2024-2025, Language Access Community Grantees educated and informed over 10,700 LEP residents about their language access rights. They distributed more than 15,630 educational written materials and organized a total of 250 events and workshops about language access. Grantees provided 2,945 people with language assistance through over 2,994 hours of interpretation services. Over 80% of these interpretation hours were related to helping community members access City services.

Grantees informed City stakeholders about community language needs through sharing best practices with Departments at OCEIA’s annual language access training for liaisons and other forums, engaging in City advisory committees and working groups on language access, and partnering with the Immigrant Rights Commission (IRC). Through these activities, grantees supported the City’s language services infrastructure and helped ensure a feedback loop between the City’s language access efforts and the needs of San Francisco’s LEP communities during the fiscal year following the passage of amendments to San Francisco’s Language Access Ordinance.

Language Access Grantees

Asociación Mayab: Asociación Mayab received a grant to strengthen local indigenous language services capacity by conducting community interpreter trainings for speakers of Mayan and Central American indigenous languages.

Self-Help for the Elderly (SHE): SHE received a grant to explore models of community interpretation service delivery and address community needs through partnering with OCEIA on citizenship workshops.

Southeast Asian Community Center (SEACC): SEACC received a grant to strengthen Vietnamese language assistance in San Francisco through building the capacity of Vietnamese interpretation and translation services, community education and outreach, and assessment, evaluation and documentation of local Vietnamese language access needs.

South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN): SOMCAN received a grant to strengthen Filipino language assistance in San Francisco through building the capacity of Filipino interpretation and translation services and training, as well as community education and outreach.

Language Access Network (LANSF): LANSF assessed community needs and language access services by conducting spot checks, collecting narratives, and identifying and sharing best practices. LANSF also participates in language access advisory committees, serving as a resource and thought partner to agencies seeking to improve language access provisioning and helping to address emergency language access situations.

LANSF consists of:

• Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) - lead and fiscal agent
• African Advocacy Network (AAN)
• Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC)
• Central American Resource Center of San Francisco (CARECEN SF)
• People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER)
• South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN)

Language Access Network: Department Spot Checks

LANSF continued conducting spot checks during FY 2024-2025, which provide information about the state of language access compliance in San Francisco. As part of the spot checks, members of LANSF community-based organizations navigate Department offices, phone trees, and websites to evaluate the language accessibility of City programs, services, and information.

From July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, LANSF conducted 68 spot checks of Departments. Of these, 33 were completed in person, 24 were done telephonically, and 11 were conducted online. When asked to rate the overall quality of language services received, approximately 77% of respondents rated their interactions with Departments as Fair/Neutral, Positive, or Very Positive and 23% of respondents gave Negative or Very Negative ratings.

When rating the customer service provided during interactions, 80% of respondents scored Departments as Fair/Neutral, Positive, or Very Positive and 20% gave a rating of Negative or Very Negative.

The spot checks were spread across 20 City departments and were conducted for the three required languages (Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino), as well as Arabic.

San Francisco Language Diversity Data

View the San Francisco Language Diversity dashboards, based on 2019-2023 American Community Survey (ACS) data.

Note: Due to the federal government shutdown, the release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Estimates was postponed to January 29, 2026. OCEIA will update its Language Diversity Dashboards once its analysis of the newly released data is complete.

Acknowledgements

Executive Introduction

Jorge Rivas Jr., Executive Director

Content

Ana I. De Carolis, Language Access and Policy Manager

Compliance Data

Theresa Nathan, Language Access Data and Research Specialist

Copy Editing and Production

Elena Shore, Senior Immigrant Affairs Advisor

Hellena Ruiz, Language Services Supervisor

Jamie L. Richardson, Senior Communications Specialist

Melissa Chan, Operations and Grants Administrator

OCEIA would like to thank Erin Renshaw, Julia Isabel Rivera, and Rich Whipple for their contributions to this report.