Several major items on Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ legislative agenda were introduced during Atlanta City Council’s two-day meeting regarding public safety, LGBTQ affairs, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and mayoral transition.

Public Safety:  Legislation to establish the Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction was introduced to City Council yesterday. The creation of the office, which was one of the recommendations made by Mayor Bottoms’ Anti-Violence Advisory Council, puts a dedicated focus on crime-prevention efforts squarely in the Mayor’s office. The office is charged with using community-based intervention, gun violence reduction and other mitigation efforts to stem violent crime in the city.

LGBTQ Cultural Humility Training: In keeping with Mayor Bottoms’ vision of creating One Atlanta – legislation fostering a safe and inclusive culture requiring all City of Atlanta employees to undergo LGBTQ cultural humility training advanced. With a growing number of Americans identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ), the training intends to introduce policies and procedures that will educate employees about pronoun usage and increase knowledge on important topics relating to the LGBTQ+ community.

Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: As the administration continues to work towards being a more affordable, resilient and equitable city, legislation was introduced to establish the Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (One Atlanta) as a separate department organization. The legislation also authorizes the Chief Financial Officer to provide necessary funding and the Commissioner of the Human Resources Department to transfer positions currently assigned under the executive branch.

Mayoral Transition: In an effort to support a seamless transition for the next administration, legislation was introduced to authorize the Chief Financial Officer to create a funding account for the mayoral transition and inauguration. When Mayor Bottoms took office in 2018, no such account existed. This legislation will provide security services to the mayor-elect and outgoing Mayor.