SAN FRANCISCO COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

2004-2008 STRATEGIC PLAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Implementation of Women and Girls' Human Rights

II. Right to Adequate Standard of Living

A. Underserved Communities

B. Economic Development

III. Right to Bodily Integrity

A. Violence Against Women Prevention and Intervention (VAW) Grants Program

B. Justice and Courage Project

C. Family Violence Council

IV. Right to Adequate Health Care

V. Human Rights of Girls to Education and Social Services

VI. Budget, Staffing and Department Administration

II. RIGHT TO ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING

A. UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

In FY05-06, the Commission established the right to an adequate standard of living as a new area for policy development to reflect concerns brought before the Commission. Commissioner Andrea Evans has provided leadership in addressing the exploitation of the female workforce in San Francisco's adult entertainment industry, and Commission Jing Xu Lee has begun to focus on expanded language access to key city services.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Immigrant Communities - Partner with the Office of Language Services to make web and published information about the Commission and the Department available in other languages. Participate in the Immigrant Rights Summit, September 2007.

b. Exotic Dancing - Monitor progress of the legislation addressing the safety and labor conditions of exotic dancers.

c. Trafficking - Identify resources for developing a coordinated city-wide strategy.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: Andrea Evans, Jing Xu Lee.

Staff: Executive Director (as needed), 0.25 FTE Administrative Support.

Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall will monitor the draft legislation. Commission Secretary Cynthia Vasquez will staff efforts to expand language access to Commission and Department materials.

3. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(e.7), 33.4(l.1), 33.4(l.2), 33.4(p), 33.5.

4. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

a. Labor and Safety Conditions of Exotic Dancers

During FY06-07, the Department partnered with Supervisor Michaela Alioto-Pier on the legislation addressing the safety and labor conditions of exotic dancers. The Department monitored the progress of the legislation as Supervisor Alioto-Pier's Office worked with the City Attorney's Office to revise and refine the legislation. The Department is pleased to note that the Department of Public Health will be taking the lead on enforcement of the legislation once it is approved, a partnership that is in line with the Commission's and Department's goals for the legislation, namely that it is concerned primarily with the health and safety of the dancers.

b. Immigrant Communities

The Department purchased translation software in FY06-07 to assist with the translation of Departmental materials into both Spanish and Chinese.

5. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments

a. Labor and Safety Conditions of Exotic Dancers

In June 2006 and with the leadership of Commissioner Evans, the Commission adopted legislation to address the labor and safety conditions of San Francisco exotic dancers. This adoption followed intense efforts over the past year to gather testimony from dancers at public meetings and partner with local stakeholder agencies to create strong legislation. Outreach was conducted to a variety of agencies including the State Labor Commission and the State Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control, as well as public officials such as members of the Board of Supervisors. The Commission will now focus efforts on passage of the legislation by the Board of Supervisors.

b. Ethnic Media Roundtable

Commissioners Keehn and Lee led the efforts to convene an ethnic media roundtable in March 2006. The focus of the event was on Asian/Pacific Islander media outlets. Participants represented print and TV media from the Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese communities. The agenda focused on the problem of domestic violence and available prevention and intervention services. The tremendous success of the event has led plans to conduct another roundtable in July 2006, this time targeting media related to Spanish-speaking communities.

c. Language Access to City Services

For the first time, the Commission appointed a monolingual citizen to one of its committees. In October 2005, Juana Flores, Executive Director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas, was appointed to the Justice & Courage Oversight Panel. She has already contributed a great deal of her expertise in community advocacy to the Panel. At the April 2006 community meeting of the Commission, convened in the Visitacion Valley neighborhood, extensive outreach about the meeting was conducted in Spanish and Chinese. Language interpretation was also provided at the meeting. Finally, the Department secured monies to purchase language interpretation headsets and software. These tools will enable the Department to translate its brochures and other literature into Spanish and Chinese, and facilitate language interpretation at Commission meetings in the community.

6. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments

The Commission has been holding hearings since August of 2004 on the labor conditions of exotic dancers in San Francisco, who have been bringing formal complaints to the City since 1996. The Commission and the Department have enlisted assistance from other city, state, and federal agencies. The Commission has spearheaded the introduction of new legislation that would create better labor conditions for exotic dancers in San Francisco.

The Commission and Department recognize the need to develop an outreach plan that will address the needs of immigrant women in the areas of violence, trafficking, housing, economics, legal status, and other areas. The Commission and the Department will partner with ethnic media and nonprofit and non-governmental organizations to develop outreach ideas.

II. RIGHT TO ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING

B. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

With the leadership of former-Commissioner Angela Williams, the Department began work in the area of promoting the economic development for women in FY04-05. Though many goals have been met in the intervening years, the Department does not have the resources in FY07-08 to devote staff time to new work in this policy area. Instead, the focus will be on incorporating economic development issues into existing work under other headings, including CEDAW and domestic violence.

1. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: None.

Staff: None.

2. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(e.7), 33.4(l.1), 33.4(l.2), 33.4(p), 33.5.

3. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

On September 29, 2006, the Department participated in the Micro-enterprise Symposium and Women's Business Fair, an event hosted by the Women's Initiative and California Senate Speaker Pro-Tem Leland Yee, reaching approximately 60 people. On October 25, 2006, the Commission held a community meeting with the theme of Women and Economic Development. Speakers included representatives from the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector who spoke about the Bank on San Francisco campaign, the One Stop Employment Centers, the Human Rights Commission who spoke about the Local Business Ordinance, and the Small Business Commission. About 50 community members attended this meeting. Staff distributed Partner Agency rosters and the Social Services Directory to participating departments to assist with outreach.

4. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments

The Department participated in the grand opening celebration of La Cocina, a community-based kitchen incubator providing low-cost access to a commercial kitchen and technical assistance to participants (October 2005), and utilized the services of La Cocina graduates at three events. Staff attended the Women's Initiative Cheers to Our Year Breakfast in December 2005. The Department met with staff from Urban University about employment strategies and networking opportunities between business and community based organizations (March 2006). In May 2006, the Department and Commission participated with the Small Business Commission and the Chamber of Commerce in the Small Business Week Celebration. Women's Initiative presented at the May 2006 Commission meeting and the Commission presented Women's Initiative with a Resolution at their June Gala Event. Commissioner Katherine Munter and Department Secretary Jennifer Baker attended the launch of the local Dress for Success (June 2006). The Department, as a recent member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, will attend new-member orientation, identify key issues affecting women, and work collaboratively with the Chamber. Finally, Commissioner Williams was sworn-in as a member of the Sweatfree Procurement Advisory Committee that will report to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors.

5. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments

Staff began outreach to community-based organizations in August 2004. This is a new initiative.

III. RIGHT TO BODILY INTEGRITY

A. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN PREVENTION & INTERVENTION

(VAW) GRANTS PROGRAM

Historically, the vast majority of the Department's funds have been earmarked to underwrite community programs specifically designed to address violence against women. For example, in FY07-08, $2.7 million of $3.5 million (77%) of the Department's total budget is dedicated to the VAW Grants Program. Program categories include: 1) Crisis Lines, 2) Intervention/ Advocacy, 3) Legal Assistance, 4) Shelter Services, 5) Transitional/Advocacy, and 6) Prevention Education. Currently, 20 community-based Partner Agencies deliver these services. President Munter has engaged the Department in strategic planning around the VAW Grants Program.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Complete the needs assessment by September 2007 to evaluate current funding allocations to meet community needs and identify ways to strengthen the VAW Program.

b. Convene an annual conference of Partner Agencies, focused on human rights training.

c. Continue participation on the Standard Fiscal and Compliance Joint Non-Profit Monitoring Committee led by the Controller's Office in conjunction with the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF), Human Services Agency (HSA), and the Department of Public Health (DPH).

d. Monitor invoicing from and payment to Partner Agencies, including implementing an across-the-board 25% increase over FY06-07 funding levels made possible by an addback by the Board of Supervisors.

e. Design and implement the next 3-year grant cycle, including defining the funding criteria, developing and issuing the Request for Proposal (RFP), reviewing and selecting grantees, and carrying out the contracting process.

f. Data collection - Continue collecting quarterly data from Partner Agencies, analyze data, and develop annual service reports.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioners: Andrea Evans, Jing Xu Lee, Katherine Munter

Staff: Executive Director (as needed), 1.0 FTE Grants Administrator

Grants Administrator Carol Sacco will focus on all goals with the assistance of Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall.

3. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(e.5), 33.4(h), 33.4(l.1), 33.4(l.2), 33.5.

4. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

a. Annual VAW Partner Agency Meeting

On June 28, 2006, the Department hosted the annual VAW Partner Agency Meeting. The theme for this meeting was Fundraising From Individuals and Effective Board Recruitment, and it provided fundraising strategies, including major donor cultivation and planned giving. The workshop also offered advice on maximizing board involvement and recruitment.

b. Anti-Human Trafficking Education & Outreach RFP and Grant

In December 2006, Asian Pacific Islander Outreach (APILO) was selected to develop and implement a multilingual, culturally competent media campaign to inform underserved communities of the problem of human trafficking as well as the rights and protections available to trafficked persons.

c. Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute (See Justice & Courage)

The Department conducted a formal RFP process and signed a grant agreement with a program evaluator, Mark Morris Associates. The Department also signed grant agreements for the 4 community trainers (APILO, Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, Institute on Aging, and P.E. Erwin Consulting).

d. Needs Assessment

In advance of the upcoming 3-year funding cycle, the Department initiated a needs assessment in November 2006 to identify gaps and barriers faced by women and girls seeking services. Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints, a full survey of unmet needs was not possible. Instead, the needs assessment focused on feedback from existing service providers. Through a formal RFP process, Korwin Consulting was selected and, in June 2007, this firm began the process of meeting staff and clients to learn about program experiences, barriers, and unmet needs. A report and findings will guide funding priorities for the upcoming 3-year grant cycle.

e. Joint Non-Profit Monitoring Committee
The Joint Monitoring Committee meets monthly and is facilitated by the Controller's Office. Participating City departments include the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF), Department of Public Health (DPH), the Human Services Agency (HSA), and our Department. The goals of this committee are to:

1. implement City Nonprofit Contracting Task Force recommendations related to streamlining monitoring procedures resulting from the 2003 report;

2. ensure quality and consistency for the City's fiscal monitoring of nonprofit contractors by standardizing procedures across City departments;

3. maintain or increase quality of monitoring while decreasing the administrative burden; and

4. eliminate duplication of efforts for both contractors and City departments.

At the end of February 2007, DCYF, HSA, and our department conducted a review of Asian Perinatal Advocates (APA; DOSW funding: $60,000). The exercise included a review of payroll register, subcontractor invoices, quarterly tax reports, 2006 IRS 990 Form, audited financial statements, and board minutes for the past calendar year. Since the fiscal and compliance review did not identify any issues, the status of the 3 current city contracts were deemed satisfactory. In April 2007, the Bar Association of San Francisco underwent a review by HSA, DPH, and our Department (DOSW funding: $128,000 over 2 programs, volunteer Legal Services Program and the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic). The fiscal and compliance review did not identify any major issues and the status of the current contracts was deemed satisfactory.

5. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments
For the first time in several years, the Department processed all grant agreements before the onset of the new fiscal year, affording service providers timely reimbursement for services rendered in July 2005. Staff continues to provide technical assistance to Partner Agencies in areas including budgeting, fiscal analysis, program analysis, performance evaluation, and fundraising. Staff completed a summary of 12-month performance measures by funded agencies for FY04-05 and a performance summary report through the third quarter of FY05-06.

Due to a surplus within the City's FY05-06 budget, the Board of Supervisors approved a nearly $6.4 million supplemental appropriation to fund violence prevention programming and investments across eight City Departments. Thanks to the hard work and persistence of the Domestic Violence Consortium and interventions by key Commissioners, the Department received $800,000 to distribute to its funded agencies for one-time capital costs and service augmentations. Staff established guidelines for the use of this supplemental appropriation, assembled 21 grant agreements with attachments and appendices, and successfully encumbered and posted funds prior to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006.

The Department successfully developed, issued, and implemented a sexual assault RFP, resulting in two new providers of sexual assault prevention and education services, as well as an RFP for anti-human trafficking education and outreach services. Once the Commission reviews the funding recommendation for the anti-human trafficking services, a contract is scheduled to be concluded for a November start date.

6. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments
Given the many issues that contributed to the delayed conclusion of the VAW grant agreements, the Department convened a post-mortem in November to review the issues and solicit feedback on improving the process. The Department invested considerable time into technical assistance and capacity-building with the Partner Agencies. In May 2005, the Department held a spring conference, Capacidad: Building Capacity Workshop, focusing on diversifying funding and providing an overview of available resources, including affordable healthcare and housing. Staff has provided technical assistance for individual Partner Agencies in areas including budgeting, fiscal analysis, program analysis, performance evaluation, and fundraising. Staff has eliminated an 18-month backlog of Partner Agency service data for FY04-05 and FY03-04.

III. RIGHT TO BODILY INTEGRITY

B. JUSTICE AND COURAGE PROJECT

Now 7 years since the tragic murder of Claire Joyce Tempongko, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, the Justice & Courage Project has a number of achievements to share. These achievements reflect the recommendations of the 2002 Justice & Courage Report: A Blueprint for San Francisco's Response to Domestic Violence, in-depth review of City policies and procedures within the criminal justice system that contains recommendations for improved responses to prevent domestic violence homicides. Created by the Commission to monitor reforms, the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel convened for the first time in October 2002 and initiated several working committees. Currently, Commissioner Dorka Keehn chairs the Oversight Panel and Supervisor Fiona Ma serves as an Honorary Chair. In 2006, the project entered a new phase with the completion of the Domestic Violence Safety & Accountability Audit which evaluated the reforms introduced since the release of the 2002 report.

The overarching goal of the Justice and Courage Project is to prevent domestic violence by creating a seamless system-wide response to domestic violence.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Domestic Violence Safety & Accountability Audit - Finalize an implementation plan. Oversee implementation of the Audit recommendations, particularly in stalking and batterer intervention programs.

b. Monitor implementation of the domestic violence data module of JUSTIS.

c. Implement the FY07-08 Strategic Plan for the Oversight Panel, including governance and succession plans.

d. Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute - Evaluate the first round of the Institute in order to revise the curriculum for the second round. Conduct the second set of trainings for 250 first responders. Hire a professional grant writer to seek out sources of additional funding for the Institute, and pursue institutionalization of the Institute. Begin plans for marketing the Institute to additional counties.

e. Advocate for appropriate and adequate staffing and resources to support the San Francisco criminal justice system's response to domestic violence.

f. Expand collaboration with the courts, particularly on issue of batterers' accountability.

g. Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice - Focus on data gathering around domestic violence statistics, and support the work of the Violence Prevention Coordinating Council.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: Dorka Keehn.

Staff: Executive Director, 1.0 FTE Policy Analyst, 0.5 FTE Administrative Analyst.

Senior Policy Analyst Jill Tregor is responsible for the Justice & Courage Project. Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall oversees the implementation of the Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute.

3. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(b), 33.4(f), 33.4(h), 33.4(l.2), 33.5, 33.6.

4. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

a. Justice & Courage Oversight Panel

Grant funding for the Justice & Courage Policy Analyst position concluded in September 2006. Through the leadership of Commissioner Keehn, the Department was able to secure General Fund support for this important position in the FY06-07 budget, allowing the Department to continue staffing the work of the Justice & Courage Project.

The Oversight Panel's Protocols Committee continued to assess the progress of various criminal justice agencies in carrying out the recommendations of the original Justice & Courage Report. The Committee found that, though gaps still exist, all City departments had made significant progress towards implementing domestic violence protocols.

b. Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute

In January 2007, 4 Community Trainers began the process of building a curriculum for the Institute. Following formal bidding procedures, the Department awarded the contract for professional evaluation services to Mark Morris Associates, and that organization began building tools for evaluating the Institute in February 2007. The Department launched the first session of the Institute on May 3, 2007, and held a total of 10 sessions between May and August 2007 (with 5 occurring within FY06-07). In total, approximately 205 participants from the Police Department, Sheriff's Department, Adult Probation Department, Department of Emergency Management, and the District Attorney's Office attended 1 of the 8-hour, interdepartmental sessions. The Institute received positive informal feedback, and preliminary results from Mark Morris Associates indicated that participants benefited from the Institute.

c. Domestic Violence Safety & Accountability Audit

The San Francisco Domestic Violence Safety & Accountability Audit occurred in September 2006, with analysis of the results continuing into the winter. The Audit asked,  If we believe that certain factors make a particular victim more vulnerable, how do we identify the presence of those factors and how then do we adapt our response? To answer this question, an Audit Team composed of criminal justice and community-based representatives conducted site visits, read police and probation reports, read 911 transcripts, and interviewed staff, focusing primarily on 3 areas of the criminal justice response: (1) 911 calls through the arrest decision, (2) felony investigation through re-booking, and (3) the "motion to revoke probation" proceedings by Probation or the District Attorney. The Audit identified the following system-wide gaps:

1. The criminal justice system is not organized to help practitioners identify key factors of safety and danger in domestic violence cases on a consistent basis, and therefore information is not available for practitioners to assess dangerousness in cases throughout the criminal justice system;

2. Stalking is not understood in the criminal justice system and is therefore there is not sufficient investigation, documentation, or response;

3. Limited English Proficient victims face multiple barriers, including limited access to interpretation, translated materials, pertinent information about the criminal justice process, and culturally competent workers;

4. Criminal justice system efforts to hold batterers accountable to complying with court orders are lacking and therefore compromise victim safety; and

5. The criminal justice system response does not account for the complexity of risk encountered by victims of battering from various social and cultural positions.

The Department briefed criminal justice department heads about these gaps and the Audit Team's recommendations in January 2007. In June 2007, Mayor Newsom issued an Executive Directive, mandating that all departments comply with the Justice & Courage Oversight Panel in implementing several key recommendations, including attending the Cross-Training Institute and signing a City-wide memorandum of understanding on domestic violence response protocols.

5. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments

a. Departmental Justice & Courage Progress Report

The Protocol Committee reviewed the domestic violence protocols and procedures of each of the following City departments: Adult Probation, District Attorney, Emergency Communications, Human Services, Medical Examiner, Police, Sheriff, and Superior Court. The Protocols Committee began work on a progress report on the implementation of recommendations. The report will outline the areas in which departments have made progress and areas that need attention and/or improvement.

b. Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute

Following a Funders Summit in early 2005, the Department submitted a proposal to the Blue Shield of California Foundation to fund a Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute for first-response criminal justice personnel. The proposal of $200,000 to fund the development and implementation of the institute over 2 years was awarded to the Department in March 2006.

c. Domestic Violence Safety & Accountability Audit

After submitting an unsuccessful proposal to the National Institute of Justice for funding to support the Domestic Violence Safety & Accountability Audit, the Department secured $59,900 from the General Fund per approval of the Mayor's Office. The Department received approval for a sole-source contract with Audit Coordinator, Dr. Trish Erwin. The Department is working in coordination with Dr. Erwin to conduct the Audit. All of the relevant public safety agencies, including Adult Probation, District Attorney, Emergency Management, Police, and Sheriff are all fully committed to the Audit process and have assigned staff resources. Additionally, the Audit Team is beginning to gather text for analysis. The Audit Week will be held during the week of September 18, 2006.

e. Justice & Courage Committees Sunset

Both the Protocols and Resources Committees of the Justice & Courage Oversight Panel sunset in July 2006. The Committees were created in 2002, and were charged with specific goals set forth by the Justice & Courage Report. The Protocols Committee will issue its final progress report in August 2006. The Resources Committee, after submitting a successful proposal to the Blue Shield of California Foundation, will transition into a Training Institute Working Group to be convened in the fall of 2006.

f. Arrest of Tari Ramirez

In July 2006, Tari Ramirez, the suspected murderer of Claire Joyce Tempongko, was apprehended in Mexico and is scheduled for extradition. The continued focus on the Tempongko domestic violence homicide by the Justice & Courage Project was a key element in the arrest. The Justice & Courage Oversight Panel increased the reward money from $10,000 to $25,000 under the leadership of Commissioner Keehn and then Co-Treasurer Susan Leal. Later, Commissioner Keehn worked with Supervisor Fiona Ma to double the reward to $50,000. Tari Ramirez was one of San Francisco's most wanted fugitives from the law.

g.  It's Never This Obvious Conference on Domestic Violence

With support from the Department and in coordination with the School of Social Work at San Francisco State University, Graduate Intern Lisa Sapiro organized a successful conference on domestic violence in March 2006. The conference was attended by over 200 service providers, students, advocates, and survivors and included presentations by La Casa de las Madres, Asian Women's Shelter, Communities United Against Violence (CUAV), and the Domestic Violence Consortium. Additionally, Assemblymember Leland Yee addressed attendees and invited them to join his White Ribbon Campaign, which encourages men to actively participate in the movement against domestic violence.

6. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments

As of September 2006, the federal grant from the Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office will conclude. This grant has funded 1.0 FTE at the 2998 classification for a Justice & Courage Policy Analyst. In order for the policy reform of San Francisco's response to domestic violence to continue, it is essential that this position remain funded. Therefore, the Commission is identifying this as an area requiring additional budgetary resources. Specifically, we would request that the position be funded for the entirety of FY06-07. The position, including benefits, is roughly $100,000. Since the first quarter would be grant-funded, the request would be for the remaining $75,000, to be annualized to $100,000 in FY-07-08. Key components of this work include the following projects:

a. Domestic Violence Query and Reporting Service

A key recommendation arising from the 2002 report was to create a seamless response system to domestic violence among City agencies. A major milestone was achieved when, in August 2004, the Department of Telecommunications and Information Services demonstrated a working model of the Domestic Violence Query and Reporting Service, a subproject of the multi-agency JUSTIS computer program. This service, scheduled to be deployed in early 2006, will greatly enhance the Department's ability to focus the investment of public monies to those areas in greatest need. For example, based on statistical data generated by the service on specific variables such as past history of domestic violence, stalking, and firearms possession, the Department can better understand the causes and effects of domestic violence.

b. Domestic Violence Training Consortium

To address the fact that key law enforcement agencies, among them the District Attorney, Adult Probation, and the Sheriff's Department, have all lost most, if not all, of their training budgets, the Justice & Courage Oversight Panel proposed a training consortium including all relevant agencies be convened. Private monies would be solicited from foundations to underwrite this training consortium. A Funders Summit was convened in April and a proposal has been submitted to local funders. The training consortium would enable district attorneys, probation officers, and sheriffs to comply with existing laws governing training requirements, thereby reducing the City's liability. More importantly, the training consortium affords law enforcement officials who do not normally train together the opportunity to sit side-by-side and acquire the same basic information. This could serve as a national model for training of law enforcement officials.

c. Safety & Accountability Audit

Cities such as St. Louis, Knoxville, and Colorado Springs have undertaken a cutting edge approach to evaluating the criminal justice system as it relates to domestic violence in their respective cities by employing a safety and accountability audit. This innovative approach, pioneered by veteran domestic violence advocate Dr. Ellen Pence of Praxis International, requires a systematic, not episodic, evaluation of the institutions and practices that surround the handling of domestic violence cases from beginning to end. In January, the Department submitted a concept paper to the National Institute of Justice for funding to support this project. The Institute requested a full proposal in April, signaling that the proposed audit passed the first hurdle towards funding. However, in September, the Department was notified of a denial of funding. Implementing a safety and accountability audit in the City and County of San Francisco would be a major undertaking, involving roughly $260,000 to complete.

d. Evaluation of Batterer's Programs

Dr. Joanne McAllister, who has over 10 years of experience in the development and evaluation of prevention and intervention programs for domestic violence offenders, completed a report, funded in part by the Department, that examined batterers programs contracted by the City and County of San Francisco. This study revealed that over 60% of those mandated to complete batterer's programs fail to do so and that efforts to track non-compliant offenders are ineffective.

e. Filipina Advisory Council

The Department partnered with West Bay Multi-Services to convene a working group of community members from the Filipino community which has met 3 times. The working group is in the process of detailing goals and strategies in the effort to combat domestic violence, in light of recent high-profile domestic violence homicides of Filipina women.

III. RIGHT TO BODILY INTEGRITY

C. FAMILY VIOLENCE COUNCIL

Mandated by the California Attorney General's Office, county Family Violence Councils focus primarily on coordinating government and community responders to domestic violence. However, San Francisco's already well-organized community of domestic violence service providers made the work of the Council redundant. In 2005, the domestic violence community requested that the Commission and Department work with them towards creating a new Council with a wider scope. Since then, a group of City representatives and community providers in the domestic violence, elder abuse and child abuse fields, with leadership from Commissioner Andrea Evans, have collaborated to revise the legislation to create a Council that will address cross-cutting issues affecting all three separate but related groups. After 2 years of intensive planning, the new San Francisco Family Violence Council legislation was approved by the full Board on August 14, 2007. The interagency Council that includes community stakeholders will begin holding quarterly meetings in October 2007. The Department will provide staffing, and the Commission holds 1 seat on the 21-member Council.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Convene 4 quarterly meetings of the full Council (21 members).

b. Establish committees to address priority issues.

c. Engage community members to participate in committees.

d. Support committees in carrying out at least 1 short-term project each during the first year of the Council.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: Andrea Evans.

Staff: Executive Director, 0.25 FTE Administrative Analyst.

Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall will provide staffing for the Family Violence Council and its committees.

3. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(b), 33.4(f), 33.4(h), 33.4(l.2), 33.5, 33.6.

4. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

The Department convened monthly meetings of the planning group to revise the original Family Violence Council ordinance. In February, Mayor Newsom agreed to sponsor the legislation and members of the planning group, including Commissioner Andrea Evans and Executive Director Murase, attended a meeting with Supervisor Maxwell wherein she agreed to co-sponsor the legislation. On June 12, 2007, President Munter and Commissioner Evans spoke at a press conference with Mayor Newsom, Supervisor Maxwell, and District Attorney Kamala Harris to announce the introduction of the legislation to the Board of Supervisors. Also in attendance were Beverly Upton of the Domestic Violence Consortium and Mary Twomey of the Institute on Aging, 2 of the 3 initial co-chairs of the Council. Later that day, when the legislation was introduced to the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Alioto-Pier also agreed to sponsor the ordinance. The Rules Committee reviewed the legislation on August 2, 2007, and the Board approved it without opposition on August 14, 2007.

IV. RIGHT TO ADEQUATE HEALTH CARE

The Commission recognizes the importance of health in the lives of women, and Commissioner Carolene Marks has played a lead role in this issue area. Together with the Department, the Commission has initiated important new partnerships in the healthcare field.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Partner with the Komen Foundation for the Cure and UC San Francisco SPORE Breast Advocacy Program to convene a town hall meeting of healthcare providers in October 2007 to address the disproportionate mortality rate among African American women with breast cancer.

b. Continue to participate as a member of the Healthy San Francisco Task Force to oversee the implementation of San Francisco's landmark universal health care access plan.

c. Continue to collaborate with Universal Healthcare Working Women's Group to promote the passage of universal health care at the state-level. Monitor state legislation.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: Carolene Marks.

Staff: Executive Director (as needed), 0.25 Policy Analyst.

CEDAW Policy Analyst Kim-Shree Maufas will staff this area.

3. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(c), 33.4(e.3), 33.4(h), 33.4(l), 33.4(p), 33.5.

4. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

a. Universal Health Care

The Commission and the Department worked within the various universal health care/access working groups, including participation at the Healthy San Francisco/HAP Task Force meetings, and collaborating with the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, and other community-based agencies. This work focused on the roll-out of the City's Healthy San Francisco Program, in addition to support for Senate Bill 840 (Kuehl), the Single Payer Legislation, which establishes universal health care state-wide.

b. Partnership with UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health

The Department and Commission partnered with the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health Women's Working Group to plan for the 2007 Women's Health Advocacy Day in Sacramento, California and the 2nd Annual Women's Health Summit in San Francisco held on May 10, 2007 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church. The summit addressed ways to support immigrant, low-income, and disabled women in accessing health care.

c. African American Women's Breast Health

The Commission and Department sustained our mature relationships with community-based agencies to address the incidence of breast cancer and lack of services in the Bayview/Hunter's Point neighborhood. Commissioner Marks, Ms. Julia Brucker (UCSF Spore Breast Advocacy) and staff have held the African American Breast Advocacy Group Meetings monthly in planning for a town hall style meeting to be held in October 2007 and sponsored by Komen Foundation for the Cure. The primary topics will be access to screening and early detection of breast cancer among African American women. It is the ultimate goal of the group to work towards ways to decrease the mortality rates of women touched by this disease via this advocacy.

d. Additional Health-Related Relationships

Staff attended a series of seminars hosted by the Department of Public Health. The first workshop, held on March 28, 2007, focused on Minute/Quick Clinics, healthcare facilities that address minor health issues in order to take the burden of large caseloads off of primary care practitioners. The Department continued its partnership with the California Breast Cancer Research Program, attending an April 2007 workshop that brought together community stakeholders to brainstorm tangible answers to the questions, What breast cancer research would you fund with $18 million?

The Commission and Department have begun to partner with Asian Week Foundation and its editor Ted Fang in the San Francisco Hep-B-Free campaign, is a citywide effort to turn San Francisco into the first hepatitis B-free city in the nation. This unprecedented 2-year campaign will screen, vaccinate, and treat all San Francisco Asian and Pacific Islander (API) residents living with hepatitis B (HBV) by providing convenient and free or low-cost testing opportunities at partnering health facilities and events.

5. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments

In January 2006, Mayor Gavin Newsom convened a Universal Health Care/Access Task Force composed of a variety of health care professionals from city government, community organizations, as well as union and small business owners. Separately, Supervisor Tom Ammiano drafted legislation that would require small businesses with more than a 20 employees to pay for health insurance to cover those employees. These proposals were merged into the San Francisco Healthcare Security Ordinance. The Department monitored the development of this legislation.

6. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments
In September 2004, the Department sent materials to Partner Agencies informing them of health insurance through the City and County of San Francisco's San Francisco Health Plan which offers 3 plans to meet the needs of no- and low-income families and individuals. The Commission also released the 2005 Social Services Directory for Women, an update of the 2000 Directory. This has been distributed to over 100 local organizations.

V. HUMAN RIGHTS OF GIRLS TO EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES

The holistic policy approach of the Commission is to address not only the needs of women, but also girls. In 2003, the Commission released A Report on Girls in San Francisco: Benchmarks for the Future (Girls Report). With the leadership of Commissioner Andrea Shorter, strategic plan goals in this area are based on the work of the 2003 report. A major new development has been the launch of the Commission's Girls Committee in January 2007.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Girls Committee - Convene monthly meetings of the Girls Committee. The Girls Committee will review the findings of the Girls Report, publish the Girls Services Directory, support girl-focused programs, and partner with other agencies such as the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). The Department will oversee this work, recruit new Girls Committee members, and mentor candidates for and members of the Girls Committee.

b. Update the sexual harassment curriculum and develop a plan for implementation in the SFUSD.

c. Solidify long-term partnerships with both the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health and Assemblyman Mark Leno through memorandums of understanding that will help institutionalize year-round girls programming.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: Andrea Shorter

Staff: Executive Director (as needed), 0.25 FTE Policy Analyst

CEDAW Policy Analyst Kim-Shree Maufas will work in these areas.

3. Administrative Code Requirements

This work meets the following areas of the San Francisco Administrative Code:

33.4(a), 33.4(e.7), 33.4(l.1), 33.4(l.2), 33.4(p), 33.5.

4. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

a. Girls Committee Formation

Launched in January 2007, the Girls Committee is composed of 6 girls (ages 13 to 17 years old) from across San Francisco, with 3 members representing the SFUSD Student Advisory Council (SAC), Center for Young Women's Development, and the San Francisco Youth Commission, in addition to 3 Members-at-Large. Each committee member is committed to serving for one year, in staggered terms, to offer a consistent voice for girls and young women. The Committee convened regularly on the first Monday of the month (with a few exceptions) at City Hall to discuss, inform, and advocate for policies on social, economic, educational, health, and criminal justice issues that directly affect girls in San Francisco. The Committee also addressed girl-specific issues and supported girl-focused events and collaborative group get-togethers with other girls and young women in local schools, neighborhoods, and in other youth organizations in San Francisco.

b. Girls Committee Partnerships

In January 2007, the Committee wrote a resolution to commend the Department of Recreation and Parks' opening of new division for Girls and Young Women's Sports. The Girls Committee also supported other organization's youth activities, such as the Mo' MAGIC Western Addition Spring Dance at the African American Arts and Cultural Center. Girls Committee members participated in the SFUSD SAC Youth Summit, which was held on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at Fort Mason Center. On behalf of the Girls Committee, the Department attended Partner Agency LYRIC's, Unchained Queer Youth Conference and Young Women's Health Conference. LYRIC's youth filmmakers also presented their latest project on the realities of being a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT) youth in San Francisco at the June Commission hearing.

c. 2007 GiRLFeST Bay Area

The Girls Committee served as the Youth Steering Committee for the 2nd Annual 2007 GiRLFeST Bay Area event, which occurred in July. In April, committee members participated with members of the Young Women's Health Conference Youth Steering Committee, Mo' Magic, the San Francisco Youth Commission, and the SFUSD SAC in a discussion to create workshops for the Young Women's Health Conference component of the 2007 GiRLFeST Bay Area. In the latter half of May, members of the GiRLFeST Planning Committee met with DCYF, the National Center of Excellence in Women's Health and our Department to finalize funding for GiRLFeST Bay Area and other collaborations in the future. Girls Committee members participated in this workshop as partial facilitators, offering a welcome message, and assisting with participant packages. The committee wrote letters to all Bay Area elected officials requesting support for 2007 GiRLFeST Bay Area. In all, GiRLFeST was a successful event that touched hundreds of girls and young women in the San Francisco Bay Area. GiRLFeST has agreed to partner with the Department to work towards a leadership development model that will cycle throughout the year, connected to and through the Girls Committee's work.

d. Girls Services Directory

The Girls Committee and staff developed a Girls Services Directory during the spring of 2007. Assembly-woman Fiona Ma generously offered to cover the entire cost of printing the directory, in color, up to 5,000 copies, for distribution to organizations throughout the City. Due to the State budget impasse, the directory's original release date was rescheduled to later in the fall of 2007.

e. Anti-Girlie Drinks Activism

The Girls Committee successfully advocated for policy change related to "Alcopops," alcoholic beverages targeted at young women. In July, committee members Eileen Li and Melissa Padilla participated in the Anti-Girlie Drinks/ Alcopops rally at the State Building in July. They prepared for this event by studying literature forwarded to them from the Marin Institute, which led the advocacy effort to change misleading beverage classification that resulted in Alcopops retailing for less than non-alcoholic sports drinks. As a result of a state-wide youth-led effort, the State Board of Equalization adopted measures to appropriately tax Alcopops as hard liquor and not beer. The Girls Committee also supported the Marin Institute in its efforts to pass Assembly Bill 346, the Alcopops Warning Label Bill, and Assembly Bill 345, which would increase the tax on these drinks if AB346 passes, and earmark the additional revenue to programs addressing under-aged drinking.

3. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments

a. Girls Committee

The Department reprinted copies of the Girls Report and provided over 300 copies to school district administrators and principals in August 2005. Beginning in fall 2005 and with the leadership of Commissioner Andrea Shorter, the Department began the groundwork for convening the Girls Committee to follow-up on the work of the Girls Report. The Department conducted targeted outreach to identify girls normally not associated or affiliated with the Department and/or other traditional outlets for youth advocacy. The Committee, chaired by President Shorter, consists of 3 seats designated for the Center for Young Women's Development, the school district's Student Advisory Council, and the San Francisco Youth Commission, with the remaining 3 seat reserved for members-at-large. The Committee is scheduled to begin meeting in City Hall once a month before the Commission meetings.

b. Partnering with the San Francisco Unified School District on Sexual Harassment

The Commission and the Department met with members of the school board and school district to discuss sexual harassment and violence prevention programming. In April 2006, staff accompanied 2 Partner Agencies to the sexual harassment trainings given by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights to the school district. The purpose was for administrators and principals to receive training that they were expected to use in training teachers, support staff, and students at their home schools or work environments. In response to this imperfect process, the Department embarked on distributing curriculum developed by Student Leaders Against Sexual Harassment, which had already been approved by the school district, to Partner Agencies who provide direct services to San Francisco schools.

4. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments
In June 2005, the Department reprinted copies of A Report on Girls in San Francisco, Benchmarks for the Future and provided over 300 copies to San Francisco Unified School District's administrators. The Commission and the Department met with members of the school board and school district to discuss sexual harassment and violence prevention programming.

VI. DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION

Beginning in FY07-08, the Budget and Staffing sections of this plan will be combined under a new Department Administration section (formerly Section VII), as the goals and accomplishments for both sections all fall within the administrative area.

1. Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Goals

a. Staffing – Conduct annual performance evaluations for all staff. Promote professional development of staff. Increase capacity of the Department to host interns and volunteers. Fill the CEDAW Policy Analyst position.

b. Work Environment – Redesign workstations for staff. Pursue strategies for maximizing existing space within the office or retaining larger office space through an increased rent budget. Maintain a safe and healthy work environment for all staff.

c. Performance Measures – Continue to track data that reflects the status of women in San Francisco and the quality of work carried out by the Department. Staff will attend training on the new Performance Measures Tracking System, and use the system to discover trends and highlight areas of progress or those needing improvement.

d. Public Interface – Continue to provide high quality customer service by responding to constituents, including members of the public and members of other City agencies. Continue to maintain a paper-based job-library and resource area for the public.

e. Public Outreach – Complete a major update of the Department's website, and develop a media plan for the Department and Commission.

f. Budget – Pursue strategies to increase departmental resources necessary for addressing the needs of women and girls. Resources include increased physical space for staff, increased staffing, and increased capacity to engage interns and volunteers.

2. Resources & Assignments

Commissioner: None.

Staff: 0.75 FTE Executive Director, 0.75 FTE Administrative Staff.

Executive Director Emily Murase, Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall, and Commission Secretary Cynthia Vasquez will ensure that the goals in this section are met.

3. Fiscal Year 2006-2007 Accomplishments

a. Budget

The overall Department budget was $3,143,103, of which $2,328,717 (74%) was allocated to the VAW Grants Program. The Board of Supervisors signed an Accept and Expend Resolution to allow the Department to begin receiving payments totaling $100,000 in FY06-07 from the Blue Shield of California Foundation for the Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute. During the spring of 2007, the Domestic Violence Consortium advocated for, and the Department received, $500,000 in add-backs from the Board of Supervisors to go towards the VAW Grants Program, as well as an additional $15,000 allocated to the Department for staffing costs for FY07-08.

b. Staffing

In FY06-07, the Department filled 2 open positions. Laura Marshall was appointed to the Administrative Analyst position in May 2007, and Jill Tregor was appointed to the Senior Policy Analyst position beginning in July 2007. Dr. Emily Murase completed all necessary annual performance reviews of staff. During FY06-07, the Department hosted 1 graduate intern and 2 high school interns. Then-graduate intern Laura Marshall completed over 700 hours of service from September 2006 through May 2007, supporting the budget process, the Justice & Courage Project, the Family Violence Council, and other administrative tasks. The Department hosted 1 Youth Works high school intern, Rebecca Tang, for 8 weeks during the summer of 2007. The Department formed a new relationship with Enterprise for High School Students through its Career Exploration Program, hosting a second high school intern, Victoria Lee, for 7 weeks. Both interns supported the work of the Girls Committee, and completed other administrative tasks.

c. Office Environment

The Department had no worker's compensation claims during FY06-07, maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for the past several years. To ensure that this pattern continues, the Department worked with the Mayor's Budget Analyst and the Board of Supervisors' Budget Analyst during the spring of 2007, and received approximately $32,000 in the FY07-08 budget to be used for new office equipment and furnishings. A large portion of this funding will be used to redesign the existing office space.

4. Fiscal Year 2005-2006 Accomplishments

a. Budget and Additional Monies Secured

The overall Department budget was $2,575,456, of which $1,858,361 (72%) were allocated to the VAW Grants Program. During the fiscal year, the Department augmented its budget in the following ways:

1. $59,900 for the Domestic Violence Safety Audit,
2. $800,000 in a one-time supplemental appropriation,
3. $200,000 for the 2-year Blue Shield Foundation Grant to develop the Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute

b. Additional Staffing Secured

With the leadership of Commissioner Keehn, the Department secured permanent funding for the Justice & Courage Policy Analyst and Department Secretary positions, bringing the staff total to 7.0 FTE.

c. Performance Measures

The Department worked closely with the Controller's Office to complete an overhaul of the annual performance measures required as part of the budget process. The revised measures reflect the 5 key CEDAW principles that organize the work of the Department.

d. Office Environment

The Department continues to distinguish itself as one of the few departments without any worker's compensation costs. In order to keep this record, staff is engaged in a "Healthy Workplace" effort that included the purchase of new ergonomic chairs.

e. Performance Reviews

As part of a new mandate, the Executive Director completed initial work plans for all permanent staff that form the basis for an annual performance review.

5. Fiscal Year 2004-2005 Accomplishments

The overall Department budget was $2,421,235, of which $1,761,255 (73%) were allocated to the VAW Grants Program. The Department successfully secured $123,000 in addback monies from the Board of Supervisors in order to 1) restore $35,000 cut from the VAW Grants Program, and 2) fund, for the first time ever, a Department Secretary position, and 3) restore funding for the CEDAW Policy Analyst position.

[1] Underlined text indicates FY07-08 goals that are new or changed from the FY06-07 Strategic Plan.