Filipino Language Access to City Services Still Lacking in San Francisco

SOMCAN director Angelica Cabande (right) stands with Mary Jane Zambrano (left), an immigrant mother of four who has relied on community-based organizations for translation support.
Photo by Jeantelle Laberinto

On April 2, 2014, under the Language Access Ordinance, the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) officially certified Filipino as San Francisco’s third language spoken by a “Substantial Number of Limited English Speaking Persons.” All City Departments providing information or services to the public were expected to fully implement required Filipino Language Access Services by December 31, 2015.

In partnership with SOMCAN and the OCEIA, a press conference was held on October 25, 2019 to relay the important findings of the new report by Dr. Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, "Speaking up Speaking out," that had found that five years after Filipino Language Certification in San Francisco, Filipinos are still in dire need of Language Access Services.

The new report include the findings that there are institutional barriers at play and that community workers are bearing the brunt of interpretation and translation services for San Francisco residents.

If you would like a digital copy of the report, please click on this link: somcan.org/campaigns

Read more about the report and the press conference in 48hills and Inquirer.