Alegria De La Cruz named first director of Sonoma County Office of Equity

Sonoma County supervisors on Tuesday selected former Chief Deputy County Counsel Alegria De La Cruz as the first director of the new Office of Equity.

The move makes permanent the role De La Cruz held on an interim basis since July 14.

The Board of Supervisors established the agency this summer amid a sustained period of public unrest over racial injustice and police brutality. The county charged De La Cruz with rooting out racist policies and managing efforts to address systemic inequality. The office will have a $750,000 yearly budget.

“You’re in a position that is desperately needed in our community,” Supervisor James Gore said. “I look forward to having you lead this board, lead us.”

The county’s equity office was modeled after similar efforts in San Francisco, Marin and Santa Clara counties, as well as other cities along the West Coast. The aim is to recommend new laws, build equitable internal policies and adjust how government services are delivered to prevent disparate racial outcomes.

On Tuesday, De La Cruz said she was inspired, and called her official appointment a critical step at an important time in the nation’s history.

“What we’ve done here is not only pave a path, but lighted that path,” she said.

She will get a $10,000 annual salary increase, increasing her pay to $189,468 plus benefits.

Her selection comes amid a global pandemic that has hit local Latino residents at a disproportionate rate. A few months ago, Latinos comprised 80% of local COVID-19 cases where ethnicity known, despite making up just 27% of the county’s population. That disparity has been sharply reduced to about half of known cases, but officials say there’s more critical work to do.

Supervisors said they were excited about the prospects of the equity office.

“I think it’s an exciting time to really face those things that have been systemic that need to be rooted out,” Supervisor David Rabbitt said. “I think it’s an important conversation that we continue to have.”

De La Cruz had been with the Sonoma County Counsel’s Office since 2015. Before that, she served on the Agricultural Labor Relations Board and was legal director for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.

She graduated from Yale University, and earned her law degree from UC Berkeley.

De La Cruz is a Santa Rosa City Schools trustee and is on the board of directors of Los Cien, the county’s largest Latino leadership group.

It’s unclear whether Sonoma County officials sought or interviewed other applicants for the equity office leadership position.

“Since her interim appointment, Ms. De La Cruz has proven her commitment to the Equity Office, and has shown her skill and resourcefulness for dealing with challenging inequities within the community,” according to a report compiled by County Administrator Sheryl Bratton.

You can reach Staff Writer Tyler Silvy at 707-526-8667 or tyler.silvy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @tylersilvy