April 30, 2021

Dear Atlas users,

As the Bay Area’s vaccination campaign and re-opening plans continue to ramp up, the Atlas team is working to share timely data and analyses to support an equitable recovery that centers the needs of low-income residents and people of color. Here are some updates:

You’re Invited: Introducing the Racial Equity Data Lab

The National Equity Atlas is America’s most detailed report card on racial and economic equity – and now we’re democratizing our data even further to help you build your own custom Atlas-powered data dashboards. Join us on May 6 at 12 pm PT / 3 pm ET for the launch of the Racial Equity Data Lab, a new space on the Atlas where you can create unique data displays, dashboards, and maps. The Lab has everything you need to tell your community’s equity story using Atlas data: ready-to-use datasets, data visualization basics, and a step-by-step guide to get you started. We’ll also share a starter dashboard focused on the importance of closing racial wage gaps: just six in 10 Latinx immigrant workers in the Bay Area earn at least $15/hour, compared to more than nine in 10 White workers. Join this webinar to hear more about the Lab, how we’re using it to support equity campaigns, and how to create custom data visualizations for your community. Register now!

Our New Dashboard Tracks Covid Impacts to Support Strong Renter Protections

This month we released a new data dashboard, produced in partnership with the Right to the City Alliance, to equip equity advocates and policymakers with regularly updated local data on the extent of rent debt and the characteristics of renters affected by it. In the five-county Bay Area, 58,000 households owe an average of $5,300 each in rent. About 88 percent of those behind on rent are people of color, and nine in 10 lost employment income during the pandemic. See our accompanying analysis for more insights into the data and the policy solutions that can protect impacted renters.

Sharing the Power of Equity Data and Framing with Tableau Users

We were excited to share our Equity Data Hub and Rent Debt dashboards with the San Francisco Tableau User Group this past month. We presented a live demo of the Bay Area Equity Atlas, and our partners at Tableau Foundation and Lovelytics presented on the Equity Data Hub and the development of Tableau dashboards using Atlas data. You can find a recording of the meeting here.

Equity Data On the Road

We continue to share the Atlas to advance equity across the region. On March 25, we conducted a joint training with the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, and on April 8 we led a training for UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program students. On April 28, the Atlas Team also presented equity data to inform the recovery efforts of the Contra Costa County Measure X Community Advisory Board, which is developing a list of county needs and priorities for Measure X, the half-cent, general countywide sales tax passed by voters last November.

Atlas Data Informs Efforts to Build an Inclusive Recovery in the Bay

On May 18, the Commonwealth Club will host a virtual event on Building an Inclusive Recovery Across the Bay Area. The Atlas team will share data on the state of equity in the region, and Fred Blackwell of the San Francisco Foundation will moderate a panel with Tomiquia Moss from All Home and Chris Iglesias from the Unity Council. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event, which is free and open to the public.

In the News

This month, USA Today cited the Atlas in a story on the impacts of Covid-19 in Native American communities. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on our data on low-income and very-low income families in the Bay Area. Mercury News and The Press Democrat both highlighted our rent debt analysis in their coverage of Bay Area rental assistance programs. Finally, The Daily Journal shared insights from our work on the diversity of Bay Area elected officials.

Thank you,

Bay Area Equity Atlas team