COUNTY, COLLEGES EXPECT NO CHANGE FROM 209 RULING.

Byline: Deborah Sullivan and Douglas Clark / Daily News Staff Writers

The Supreme Court's rejection Monday of the challenge to California's Proposition 209 won't stop local agencies in Ventura and Los Angeles counties from monitoring, recruiting and encouraging diversity in hiring or school admission, officials said.

For instance, in Ventura County, the Sheriff's Department and the Community College District monitor minority and female hiring. But officials said none of the agencies has ethnic or gender-based quotas that might be barred by Proposition 209.

``The county does have an affirmative action plan, which outlines what the composition of each department is, and compares it to what the composition of the work force is,'' in compliance with federal law, said Barbara Journet, acting human resources director for Ventura County. ``We don't have any court orders or goals or timetables that require us to hire by race and sex.''

Specific programs likely will stay in place until they are challenged in court. But the initiative puts a legal cloud over many affirmative action efforts - even those that don't set absolute quotas, legal experts said.

``My guess is, goals and timetables are troubling under 209, because you're required to have race and sex in mind when you make individual hiring decisions,'' said Evan Caminker, a University of California, Los Angeles, professor of law who helped with the legal challenge to the initiative.

The court let stand a lower court's ruling that said the anti-affirmative action measure violates no one's constitutional rights. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in April that Proposition 209, adopted by a public initiative in 1996, is a neutral measure that promotes equality.

While legal experts question the ruling's impact on existing affirmative action programs, local officials said they do not plan any reviews that could result in program changes.

Nona Young, Simi Valley deputy director of human resources, said the city has a five-year affirmative action plan for 1996 to 2000 that outlines hiring goals but does not set quotas.

``It's kind of a moot point for us,'' she said. ``We don't work in the area of quotas. But we want to be sure we have a diverse group in the applicant pool. What we feel we have to prove is that we had a fair and open process.''

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton said the city's affirmative action plan is nothing more than a status report required by federal law.

``It says, this is what we think the numbers should look like and this is what they do look like,'' he said.

Also, while Simi Valley has an aggressive outreach program that alerts various underrepresented groups of job vacancies, minority candidates are not given ``preferential treatment'' when interviewing for work, Stratton said.

A report released by the Simi Valley Human Resources Department in December 1996 notes that six goals of the five-year affirmative action plan ``were met or exceeded'' in the previous year. This means a total of nine of the 26 minority employees the city hoped to hire by 2000 were added to the payroll.

County and both sheriff's and college district officials all strive to attract the best qualified employees regardless of race or gender.

But the Sheriff's Department actively seeks applicants from diverse communities, said Capt. Keith Parks, the department spokesman.

``We want the best candidates, both male and female, and from all ethnic groups. We go out to different areas in the county, in the community, to different schools . . . and market ourselves as a career opportunity,'' he said.

For instance, the department may recruit at a women's school, or within a particular ethnic community. Those applicants, however, are not given preference over other job candidates, Parks explained.

The Community College District's local hiring policy stresses equal opportunity over affirmative action, and therefore is basically in line with the initiative, said Chancellor Philip Westin.

``As I understand, the equal opportunity (policy) says we will provide equal opportunity for all employees regardless of age, gender, creed,'' Westin said. ``Affirmative action goes a step beyond that in some cases where race or gender become a criteria. That is not in place in this district.''

Thousand Oaks has a policy of equal employment opportunity, but no quotas or preferential treatment for any group, said Denese Wilson Cox, the city's deputy human resources manager. The Supreme Court ruling therefore would not affect the city's policy, she said.

With a staff of only 20 employees, the city of Agoura Hills has not established any diversity guidelines in its hiring practices, said City Manager Dave Adams.

``We do not consider race or ethnicity or gender, and we have no quotas,'' he said.

In its contract bidding process, Adams added, the city does require businesses that apply to comply with state and federal hiring requirements.