CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The City of Chula Vista kicked off a series of roundtable discussions Wednesday evening with a focus on how to make the city more diverse and inclusive.

It was a lively discussion at the first meeting in the Rolling Hills Ranch neighborhood as groups engaged in conversations about justice, equity, diversity and inclusion to help shape how the city operates.

“Not only in terms of racial and ethnic diversity and justice and everything like that, but there’s also issues in regards to affordability who is owning homes, who is renting homes and what are the differences there,” said Victor Mora.

The initiative by city leaders is also referred to as “J.E.D.I.” for short.

“We just want honest feedback on how we can do better as a city, how we can do better collaborating with each other,” said Mayor John McCann.

The city partnered with a consulting firm to help gather the feedback from residents, then bring that data and information back to the city.

“Better education, better facilities, a lot of programs, programs for the homeless, more police presence. Many things that I think would add value to our city,” said Gloria Vazquez.

Residents also commented about how the city’s effort to hold workshops like this is already a  step forward.

“There were many different opinions from different aspects of life and to hear each other, and to be educated by each other, I think that is a very positive thing,” said Vazquez.

There are three more workshops between Thursday and Saturday.

— Thursday, April 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in District 2 at the Civic Center Library, located at 365 F St.

 — Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in District 3 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, located at 2800 Olympic Pky.

 — Saturday, April 29, from noon to 2 p.m. in District 4 at South Chula Vista Library, located at 389 Orange Ave.

You have to be a Chula Vista resident to attend these sessions.