The problem confronting the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission was daunting. How does a small human relations commission with less than a dozen professional staff improve intergroup relations and
respond to conflicts in a megalopolis composed of millions of people spread over hundreds of square miles? Ron Wakabayashi and his staff proposed the formation of a "Human Relations
Mutual Assistance Consortium" (HRMAC) comprised of representatives of the eighty- eight cities in the county to identify local intergroup issues and design strategies to respond to them. Two program staff were
assigned to notify local municipalities of the formation of HRMAC and invite them to send representatives to the meetings.
The representatives ranging from administrative and middle management city
staffers to human and community relations commissioners meet monthly in locations throughout the county to discuss local issues, training needs, and to share information about programs they are developing to deal with
intergroup conflict resolution. Currently twenty cities are participating in HRMAC and the meetings are chaired by elected officers. The 1996-7 Co-chairs are Edie Dougherty, Commissioner for the City of
Gardena, and Marsha Ramos, Chair of the Burbank Human Relations Council.
Typical of membership benefits is the sponsoring of conferences by the County Human Relations Commission to meet the needs they
identify. Last fall, for example, the Human Relations Commission sponsored a training conference for HRMAC members on intergroup conflict resolution. The City of Santa Monica hosted the event and the
participants took part in lectures, discussions, and interactive exercises to help them understand the various types of conflict resolution processes, common barriers to negotiation, the use of mediation in multi-party
intergroup disputes, and resources that are available. Costs for the conference were kept low to allow for broad participation of the membership.
Another advantage of being a member of HRMAC is the
opportunity it affords to create a mutual assistance agreement with the county that spells out roles for the member city and the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission in the event of a crisis in intergroup
relations. Thus far, eleven cities have formed such partnerships.
For further information contact: Frankie Maryland at the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, (213) 974-7630.
