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San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission
Full Commission Meeting
Monday, June 8 2009 at 5:30 PM
City Hall, Hearing Room 416
One Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
1. Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm by Commissioner McCarthy on behalf of Interim Chair Fuentes who was excused due to illness.
Present: Commissioners Alexander, Chew, Gonzalez, Haile, Jones, McCarthy, Moses, Ng, Pérez, Ricci and Silva
Not Present: Commissioners Enssani (excused), Fuentes (excused) and Punongbayan (excused).
Staff Present: Adrienne Pon, Executive Director-OCEIA; Tomás Lee, Senior Analyst; Sally Leung, Executive Coordinator; and Whitney Chiao, Public Administration Intern
2. Announcements
The IRC welcomed their newest commissioner, Jacqueline Lingad-Ricci. Commissioner Ricci previously served on the Juvenile Probation Commission from 2001-2009 and in 2005 became the first Filipina-American president of a commission in the City and County of SF. She believes that her personal experiences will allow her to bring a better understanding of being a new American and looks forward to working with this commission.
3. Public Comment on matters appearing on the agenda
There was no public comment.
4. Approval of Minutes: Action Item
Minutes of March 9, 2009 and May 11, 2009 Meeting
Motion to adopt March and May full Commission meeting minutes with an amendment to Item 7 of the May minutes to reflect a change in the date of the Excelsior neighborhood meeting from June 8, 2009 to October 5, 2009 as discussed at the May 11, 2009 meeting, seconded and approved unanimously (Gonzalez/Pérez).
5. Election of Officers for Remainder of Calendar Year: Action Item
Discussion, Information & Action: Nominations and Election of Commission Chair and Vice Chair for terms ending October 2009
With the resignation of former Chair Jamal Dajani who was appointed to the Human Rights Commission, a special election was held in accordance with the IRC’s By-laws. Commissioner Fuentes indicated by e-mail that he wished to remain Vice Chair. Two nominations were made to fill the remaining term of Chair, ending December 2009: Commissioner Pérez (Silva/Jones) and Commissioner McCarthy (Gonzalez/Alexander). Commissioner Gonzalez motioned to close the election to further nominations, seconded by Commissioner Silva. Commissioner Pérez withdrew her name, stating that she would be unable to consider holding the position until next year. The Commission unanimously voted to elect Commissioner McCarthy as Chair and Commissioner Fuentes will remain Vice Chair. They will serve until a new Chair and Vice Chair are elected in October with terms to begin December 2009.
6. Update on September 1, 2009 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Symposium
(Commissioner McCarthy)
Information/Discussion
Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library is available from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm for the event. The Commission hopes the panel will complement the anticipated reintroduction of immigration reform in Congress in late August. Themes may include a summary of the current political environment, what should be included or excluded in new legalization, and current enforcement policies. The plan is to invite experts from the academic and activist community, especially from the City and County of San Francisco. Commissioner Pérez suggested that speakers with broader reach (state and federal) be added to the panel to increase the importance and visibility of the discussion.
The Commission needs to resolve estimated costs attached to the hearing, for example auditorium rental fees, that might be waived if the library co-sponsors the event. The estimate for hiring Spanish and Cantonese interpreters for two hours is $2680. The cost of broadcasting the event is $1520 for two hours and $1890 for three hours. The Commission understands that resources are limited and will look for ways to reduce costs. Suggestions include hiring interpreters from non-profit organizations and finding a fiscal agent if the Commission is able to raise private dollars. Director Pon will look into city funding and author a letter on behalf of the Commission requesting the library to co-sponsor the event.
7. Executive Director’s Report
Information/Discussion
a. Office Updates: OCEIA welcomed a new summer intern, Carlos Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez is a pre-law major at UC Berkeley with an interest in immigrant rights. Next week, OCEIA will begin working with a cohort group of interns from the UC Berkeley student organization Phi Beta Lambda, who will be researching how to utilize new media to communicate with the community during the 2010 Census.
OCEIA is assisting the County Clerk with community outreach and education on the City ID Card. There are plans to relieve the backlog by expediting the application process, such as teaching applicants how to fill out the form and standardizing a format to distinguish acceptable documents. The best solution with limited resources is conducting large informational events to achieve economies of scale in outreach and education. Director Pon has an informational PowerPoint for Commissioners who are interested in helping with community education and will provide a status report on the City ID results at the next meeting. In response to a question from Commissioner Pérez on the status of the Sanctuary City Ordinance, Director Pon shared that after start-up work on the census is completed, she will focus her efforts on looking at departmental compliance with Sanctuary City requirements and re-energizing constructive dialogue with the community.
b. Census Updates: The Complete Count Committee was launched on May 27th, 2009 by Mayor Newsom and four current and former IRC commissioners have been appointed to the committee: Commissioners Dajani, McCarthy, Moses and Pérez. A list of the entire committee will be sent to Commissioners. The Mayor’s Executive Order 09-02 authorizes OCEIA to oversee all census efforts. Commissioners interested in working on census-related projects may create an ad hoc committee, potentially through the Chair or the Outreach Committee, and apply for a small Census grant to fund a unique outreach project. Director Pon will guide interested commissioners as well as review project proposals.
8. Adoption of Committee Reports
Information/Discussion
a. Executive Committee –The committee is working on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Symposium, with the Chair and Executive Director spearheading fundraising efforts. Commissioner Ricci will assist Commissioner Pérez in writing resolutions from the April 13th, 2009 hearing. Since an official transcript is unavailable, resolutions will be based on unofficial notes from the hearing and presented at the next meeting.
Procedurally, the Committee asks that any documents such as letters or resolutions that Commissioners would like to present for consideration be submitted in a timely manner to the Executive Committee to allow sufficient time for review..
b. Program and Access Committee – There are currently no updates on the hearing. The Committee is planning a survey that is relevant to the IRC for the next neighborhood meeting in October 2009. The 2009 EAS Compliance Report draft is complete and all departments have reviewed their information. It is a thorough review of the data with a lot of information abstracted. It will be sent to all commissioners and will be reviewed at the next committee meeting.
c. Outreach Committee – The committee is working on the September 1st, 2009 panel, discussed in item 6.
d. Immigration Reform Committee – No new updates.
e. Procedurally, Chair McCarthy will be reorganizing committees and stressed that Commissioners review and adhere to attendance policies. Chair Alexander requested brief summaries of key events after meetings for commissioners who are unable to attend meetings. Director Pon reminded Commissioners that six Board-appointed Commissioners are up for reappointment and must complete an application to be reconsidered by the Rules Committee. Those who already reapplied should inform her so she can track the status of their applications.
9. New Business
a. Introduction of letter protesting state budget cuts to immigrant program
(Commissioner Haile)
Motion to change signature and insert the date before faxing to the Budget Conference Committee, seconded and approved unanimously (Gonzalez/Moses).
b. Status of Proposed Resolutions and Letter (Commissioner Silva)
1) Resolution Supporting the Federal Employee Free Choice Act
2) Resolution Calling for Fair, Accurate Reporting Concerning Immigrants
3) Proposal to draft a letter to President Obama calling for the enactment of immigration policies that respect American traditions of fairness and due process, and protect communities from inhumane actions
The letter to President Obama for immigration change was requested after the deadline, so no further action regarding the letter will be taken. The proposed resolutions are undergoing review by the City Attorney. Director Pon will advise Commissioners when she receives a response. The Executive Committee will review the documents before deciding to forward to the full Commission for consideration. The documents are time-sensitive, so Commissioner Silva hopes to discuss and take further action on the resolutions at the next full Commission meeting.
10. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 by Chair McCarthy.
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