Americans with Disabilities Act Complaint Process

The City of Santa Rosa is dedicated to ensuring that all City programs, services, benefits, activities and facilities operated or funded by the City are fully accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

The Risk Management Department oversees the implementation and local enforcement of the City’s obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and other federal and state disability civil rights laws and accessibility laws.

This Grievance Procedure is established to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It may be used by anyone who wishes to file a complaint alleging discrimination on the basis of disability in the provision of services, activities, programs, or benefits by the City. The City’s Personnel Policy governs employment-related complaints of disability discrimination.

The complaint should be in writing and contain information about the alleged discrimination such as name, address, phone number of complainant and location, date, and description of the problem. Alternative means of filing complaints, such as personal interviews or a tape recording of the complaint, will be made available for persons with disabilities upon request.

The complaint should be submitted by the grievant and/or his/her designee as soon as possible but no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation to:

Service Requests

Individuals who need a modification or reasonable accommodation to a program, service, or activity of the City of Santa Rosa may file a written Request for Accommodation or Barrier Removal (PDF) with either the particular department or with the City’s ADA Coordinator. In addition to requesting modifications or accommodations, individuals should use the same form to request the removal of a physical barrier. If your request is urgent and you need a response immediately, please indicate that in your request and we will do our best to respond as quickly as possible. If your request is not urgent, the City will contact you to acknowledge receipt within 2 business days after we receive your request.

After reviewing the situation, if the City needs time to provide the service or barrier removal that you request, the City will notify you of what action the City proposes and in what time frame.

Requests or complaints relating specifically to curb ramps can be made directly to Dave Montague of the Public Works Department at (707) 543-3860 or by email. Requests or complaints relating to sidewalk call 707-543-3881 or TTY 707-543-3827.  Requests or complaints relating specifically to CityBus facilities, fixed route service or Paratransit eligibility and service can be made directly to CityBus at 707-543-3333.

Informal Complaint Process

If you feel that the City has not responded satisfactorily to your request, you may contact Risk Management/ADA Coordinator by phone at 707-543-3024 to advise the City of any accessibility problems, need for accommodation or request for service. Or, you may address such requests to Risk Management/ADA Coordinator in writing at 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, Room 1, Santa Rosa, California, 95404. Finally, you may email the ADA Coordinator directly.

Formal Complaint Process

If informal efforts to remedy accessibility or services issues are not successful, formal complaints should be addressed in writing, if possible, to Risk Management/ADA Coordinator at:
100 Santa Rosa Avenue
Room 1
Santa Rosa, California 95404

The official Formal Written Complaint (PDF) may be used. If assistance in the filing of a complaint is needed, contact the ADA Coordinator.

Dominique Blanquie
City of Santa Rosa
100 Santa Rosa Avenue
Room 1
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Phone: 707-543-4656
Fax: 707-543-3035

Response & Resolution

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the complaint, Dominique Blanquie or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and the possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days of the meeting, Dominique Blanquie or designee will respond in writing, and where appropriate, in format accessible to the complainant, such as large print, Braille, or audio tape. The response will explain the position of the City and offer options for substantive resolution of the complaint.

If the response by Dominique Blanquie or designee does not satisfactorily resolve the issue, the complainant and/or his/her designee may appeal the decision within 15 calendar days after receipt of the response to the City Manager or his designee.

Within 15 calendar days after receipt of the appeal, the City Manager or designee will meet with the complainant to discuss the complaint and possible resolutions. Within 15 calendar days after the meeting, the City Manager or designee will respond in writing, and, where appropriate, in a format accessible to the complainant, with a final resolution of the complaint.

All written complaints received by Dominique Blanquie or designee, appeals to the City Manager or designee, and responses from these two offices will be retained by the City for at least three years.
There is a separate complaint procedure for ADA issues relating to employment issues. Please contact the Human Resources Department for further information.