Port of San Diego renames DEI team, removes language from website

Once a bedrock of the Port of San Diego’s value system, the agency’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion has quietly shifted in recent months to a philosophy that promotes belonging.

In October, the port formally renamed its DEI team the Culture of Belonging team, a spokesperson said. Then, in late January, the powerful government agency, which relies heavily on grant funding, removed most references to diversity, equity and inclusion from its website.

The latter changes followed by days President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order terminating “equity-related” grants and requiring the director of the federal government’s Office of Management and Budget to take a second look at grant recipients that advance DEI or environmental justice programs. The executive order and another like it are being challenged in court, with a judge recently blocking substantial implementation of the orders.

On Jan. 29, newly hired Port CEO Scott Chadwick communicated the agency’s DEI changes to staff in an email that the agency shared with the Union-Tribune.

“Over the past year, we have implemented several key initiatives to foster a Culture of Belonging, and we are proud of the progress that has been made. We are focused on continuously improving these efforts and creating a more welcoming environment for all,” Chadwick wrote in the email. “To be clear, our efforts are not intended to disguise or rebrand a DEI program under a new name. Rather, this is a cultural shift brought about by many thoughtful conversations and intentional planning. We are not moving away from inclusive initiatives; we are committed to making them even better.”

Formed by the state in 1962, the San Diego Unified Port District spans 34 miles of coastline from Shelter Island to Imperial Beach. The land was granted to the agency to hold in trust on behalf of Californians; it includes tidelands in San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado. The port is a self-funded, non-taxing entity governed by a board of seven commissioners who are appointed by their member cities.

The agency, which prioritizes reducing greenhouse gas emissions at its two marine terminals, is a frequent recipient of federal grant awards. The grants help to prop up total spending and other financial obligations of $350.2 million for the current fiscal year.

Around $100 million in federal grant money has been committed to the port’s park projects, electrification efforts and terminal improvements, said Job Nelson, the agency’s vice president of strategy and policy.

The sum includes a $59 million award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for zero-emission infrastructure. The port expects to soon begin purchasing costly equipment, including cargo handling equipment and heavy duty trucks, floating the upfront cost until it can submit for reimbursement, per the terms of its grant agreement with the EPA.

It’s unclear if the grant award and others like it, which are not explicitly tied to DEI initiatives, would be in jeopardy if the executive orders went into effect. However, the EPA, which put its grant programs on pause, has since started to release funds.

“So if an agency has DEI policies, even though the grant money doesn’t apply to DEI, is (the grant going to go away)? Nobody knows,” Nelson said in a Jan. 29 interview with the Union-Tribune. “We don’t know how broadly they’re going to view any of this.”

At private- and public-sector workplaces, diversity, equity and inclusion is often defined as a set of principles that promote hiring people of varied backgrounds and providing employees with equal access to opportunities. There is usually an emphasis on including populations that historically have been underrepresented or discriminated against. The increasingly common organizational framework, however, has drawn the ire of conservative leaders who believe the policies elevate people based on their race or sex over their ability.

President Trump’s Jan. 21 executive order, titled Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity, characterized DEI policies as “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral.” The executive order said the policies violate civil-rights laws, “and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system.”

The Port of San Diego has long considered DEI core to its mission, with since-scrubbed language on its website stating that the agency “values diverse backgrounds, experience, and perspectives. Embracing diverse representation is essential to innovation and the success of our organization and is why we recruit and retain motivated people with diverse knowledge, skills, and abilities.”

The same ideals continue to be “embedded and elevated” in the agency’s new, belonging-centric philosophy, port spokesperson Tanya Castaneda said. The shift took place in 2024, well before the executive orders, she said.

“In March 2024, the port focused on refining our DEI efforts. The senior leadership team convened to discuss our port values, with inclusion being one of our core values. We defined inclusion as creating a culture of belonging, which became a central focus for the port,” Castaneda said. “At our annual breakfast in July 2024, we announced the creation of a culture of belonging to all employees. We have prioritized this philosophy in the way we support our employees and serve our community.”

Then, on Oct. 16, the port’s DEI Team was officially reorganized under People Services as the Culture of Belonging team, she said.

The port later updated the language on its website, on Jan. 24 and Jan. 29, not to hide its work from the federal government, but “to reflect our commitment to a culture of belonging,” Chadwick, the CEO, said in the email to staff.

“This updated language aligns with the work we have been doing over the past year to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees,” he said.

The change was first spotted by local conservative social media influencer Amy Reichert.

There are currently two people working on the port’s Culture of Belonging team, Castaneda said.

The team, under its former name, was budgeted to include four positions and cost the agency $698,000 for the current fiscal year. The budget includes salaries, benefits and other expenses.

The port’s belonging initiative extends beyond the dedicated staff, and includes retreats, cultural awareness events, leadership trainings and what’s being called a Culture of Belonging Council. The council supports staff and helps create cultural goals and policies, according to Chadwick’s email.

In addition, the port has implemented a blind application and interview process. The practice involves removing personally identifiable information — such as names, ethnicities and educational institutions — from job applications, resumes and other documents. Only after an assessment panel has reviewed candidates based on their qualifications is the personally identifiable information made available to the hiring authority, the port spokesperson said.

The blind application process is meant “to reduce bias and promote equitable opportunities,” Chadwick wrote in the staff email.

The agency also said that it is not immediately making changes to DEI statements on agenda sheets. The DEI statements appear on all staff reports for agendized items that go before the Board of Port Commissioners. The statements identify whether or not the agenda item has a direct DEI impact on staff or contract reporting.