2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997
COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
Members Present
Commissioner Nikki Calma
Commissioner Kay Gulbengay (4:40)
Commissioner Dorka Keehn
Vice President Carolene Marks
Commissioner Katherine Munter
President Andrea Shorter
Commissioner Barbara Sklar
Staff Present
Executive Director Emily Murase, PhD
Policy Analyst Ann Lehman
Administrative Analyst Laura Marshall
Policy Analyst Anu Menon
Grants Administrator Carol Sacco
Commission Secretary Cynthia Vasquez
*A transcript of this meeting is available on our website at www.sfgov.org/cosw*
I. CALL TO ORDER/AGENDA CHANGES
President Shorter called the meeting to order at 4:37 pm and welcomed all present.
Action: Approved agenda.
m/s/c (Marks/Calma/Unanimous)
No public comment.
II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Action: Approved draft minutes from February 25, 2009.
m/s/c (Sklar/Keehn/Unanimous)
No public comment.
III. EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT
A. Executive Directors Report
Dr. Murase referred Commissioners to her written report. Together with the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor's Office, the Commission and Department hosted a successful celebration of Women’s History Month on Tuesday, March 3, 2009. Commissioner Carolene Marks opened the ceremony in the Board of Supervisors chambers where the contributions of 15 outstanding women leaders were recognized. The Mayor’s honoree was Police Chief Heather Fong who also attended the ceremony in the Board chambers and received a standing ovation.
Dr. Murase further reported that Policy Analyst Anu Menon attended the meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and the United Nations Global Compact in New York. Ms. Menon's memo regarding these meetings were included in the meeting materials.
Dr. Murase stated that Commission Secretary Cynthia Vasquez organized a Shape Up San Francisco Kick Off event that was attended by over 40 city employees housed at 25 Van Ness. The Friends of the Commission met on March 24 where 2 new members where voted onto the Board: Wendy Willow Wark and Marily Mondejar. The Friends are moving forward with the Women in City Leadership Luncheon that will honor Chief Fong. The new date for the luncheon is Tuesday, June 9.
Dr. Murase reminded Commissioners that their Form 700 Statements are due to the Ethics Commission by Wednesday, April 1.
IV. CONSENT AGENDA
All matters listed hereunder constitute a Consent Agenda and are considered to be routine by the Commission on the Status of Women. They will be acted upon by a single roll call vote of the Commission. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the Commission so requests, in which event the matter shall be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered as a separate item. Members of the public may speak on each item listed on the Consent Agenda.
A. Resolution Recognizing the 30th Anniversary of Community United Against Violence
B. Resolution Recognizing Free Battered Women and the Freedom of 12 Incarcerated
Survivors of Domestic Violence
C. Resolution Recognizing Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women
D. Resolution Recognizing Gene Marie O’Connell of San Francisco General Hospital
Action: To approve the Consent Agenda.
m/s/c (Gulbengay/Munter/Unanimous).
Jovida Guevara-Ross of Community United Against Violence, thanked the Commission and expressed what an honor it is to continue to work with the Department and to serve the survivors of violence from the lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities. Ms. Guevara-Ross referred Commissioners to CUAV's website which featured the agency's strategic plan.
Emily, a coordinator with Free Battered Women, thanked the Commission for its continued support for the agency's mission to free domestic violence survivors and other women from prison. Emily invited the Commission to attend an event on Saturday, March 28 at the Women's Building where a dozen formerly incarcerated women will share their struggles and stories.
Gene O’Connell, recently retired CEO of San Francisco General Hospital, thanked the Commission for honoring her work. She explained that she came to the hospital first as a client, then became a nurse, and worked her way up. It has been her pleasure to work on women's health issues and provide services that are designed to be accessible to women from all across the City.
VI. PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS: IMPACT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S WOMEN AND GIRLS
President Shorter explained that the Commission invited various speakers to report on the effects of the current economic crisis and recommendations for the women and girls of San Francisco. This information, together with public comment, was intended to inform policy responses to ensure that the interests of women and girls would be advanced in these difficult times. President Shorter noted that President Obama created a new White House Council on Women and Girls, a move that represents a huge step forward for women and girls.
A. Speakers provided testimony on the current economic crisis, its impact on women and girls, and how fiscal stimulus dollars should be directed towards an economic recovery that will benefit women and girls.
Rebekah Krell with the Mayor’s Budget Office reviewed San Francisco’s efforts in securing fiscal stimulus dollars. She stated that San Francisco is aggressively pursuing federal stimulus money and that there were 2 major grant categories for programs that address violence against women:
1. $13 million in STOP Grants that in the past supported 2 DA prosecutors working on stalking, and
2. $50 million in transitional housing and services for which the Department on the Status of Women would lead the grant application.
Melanie Nutter, Deputy District Director for the Assemblywomen Nancy Pelosi, presented a statement by Madame Speaker Nancy Pelosi recognizing the importance of tonight's Commission hearing on the impact of the economic crisis on women and their families. She further provided information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, noting that the Act is designed to save and create jobs, help the current economy, and provide growth and stability for our country. Lastly, Ms. Nutter submitted to the Commission a 7-page report by the Democratic Women’s Working Group entitled Investing in Women and Children: Key Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Elmy Bermejo, Commissioner with the California Commission on the Status of Women for 20 years, provided testimony on the impact of the economic crisis throughout the state. Last year, the California Commission held hearings throughout the state to hear direct testimony on the needs of women and girls. Ms. Bermejo provided recommendations on behalf of the California Commission, including the need to expand resources in the following areas: 1) childcare and early education, 2) healthcare benefits (specifically subsidizing healthcare premium payments for newly unemployed workers), and3) CalWorks for low-income women. Commissioner Marks expressed how important it is to have a state commission to give voice to the needs of women and girls throughout the state.
Frances Culp, Senior Health Program Planner with the Department of Public Health provided testimony on how budget cuts were affecting women and their children. She explained that in a 5 county comparison, San Francisco was demonstrated to have spent more money on women's health than other counties. She further stated that women and children are particularly vulnerable in the economic downturn due to the fact that women are often the heads of households, they earn lower wages than men, and they often have interrupted careers due to family and care obligations and are therefore the last hired and first fired. Ms. Culp shared with the Commission the following additional observations:
1. Increase in missed appointments among clients of community health clinics, possibly because service providers such as Family Mosaic are no longer able to purchase bus passes for their clients.
2. Increase in the number of child protective order reports
3. Increase in the number of babies entering the foster care system
4. Increase in WIC enrollment (WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income women, and to children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk).
Ms. Culp stated that DPH will be seeking fiscal stimulus dollars to backfill substantial budget cuts to the Health Department.
Jenny Chung, Attorney and Program Manager with Insight Center for Community Economic Development, explained that her organization represents a coalition of 400 community-based agencies that focus primarily on building economic security in vulnerable communities. In particular, Ms. Chung requested that the Commission support the Elder Economic Dignity Act of 2009 (AB324) which would require the state to adopt the Elder Economic Self-Sufficiency Index which calculates basic cost of living expenses by county (rather than rely on the artificially low Federal Poverty Index) and use it in better address the needs of seniors in the state.
Mary Huss, Publisher of the San Francisco Business Times provided data and recommendations that have been echoed her readers. She pointed out that, unfortunately, the gender wage ratio had not improved; women still make only $.77 for every $1.00 a man makes. Many women-owned and small businesses were being impacted by the economic downturn. Construction and development have stalled. A major cause has been the fact that lines of credit are drying up and credit limits are shrinking. Banks are requiring larger reserve amounts than before. She said she expected to see non-profits merge or disappear.
Ms. Huss conducted an informal survey of key non-profits and shared the following feedback:
Professional Business Women of California: Funds for professional development have dried up.
SF Chapter of Dress for Success: Clients who had secured employment recently were unemployed again. Donations reduced by 50%.
United Way: Need to invest in education.
Girl Scouts: Significant reduction to supporting environmental, technology programs.
Jewish Vocational Services: Huge increase in caseload of job seekers.
Goodwill: 500% increase in demand for services. One-stop career center serving not 200, but 2,000.
Larkin Street Youth Services: Increase in underaged girls in the street.
She offered the following recommendations:
1. Make available microloans and training to start businesses.
2. Keep small businesses afloat.
3. Support job training programs.
4. Provide guidance on how to access infrastructure process: one-stops, websites.
5. Convene a stimulus job fair.
Ms. Huss concluded by emphasizing the importance of keeping people informed of accessing stimulus funds. She stated that she receives many calls about how to access fiscal stimulus monies.
Terri Feeley a Consultant with the Family Economic Success Working Group, referenced her written testimony. Having reviewed the fiscal stimulus package very closely, she stated that, according to White House, stimulus dollars should create roughly 6900 jobs in San Francisco, and that California generally gets about 10% of federal funding that is available nation-wide. According to the California Legislative Analyst's Office, the state is expecting between $31 - $95 billion in fiscal stimulus dollars.
Ms. Feeley enumerated the following aspects of the fiscal stimulus package:
1. Higher Education Tax Credit
2. Child Tax Credit
3. Increases Earned Income Tax Credit
4. Making Work Pay Tax Credit
5. Economic Recovery Payments
6. Unemployment Insurance.
7. Need for additional outreach
8. Expands childcare funding
9. CalWorks
10. Homeless Prevention
11. Weatherization
12. Resources for Community Services and Community Development Block Grants
Barbara Mark with the National Association of Women Business Owners provided testimony on how stimulus funds can be used to help small business owners. She has been working in Sacramento to see how small business can be helped. NAWBO, a non-profit that provides training in small business, networking, mentorship, is also struggling. She noted that a number of women business owners have had to go out of business. Part of the reasons is that there has been a significant decrease in access to capital, a phenomena she terms the "diminishing/disappearing credit line." Meanwhile, she explained that larger businesses have had to cutback on number of employees. She pointed out that the cost of doing business in San Francisco was considerable higher than neighboring counties: higher tax burden, higher minimum wage, higher worker’s compensation.
Ms. Mark offered the following recommendations:
1. Expand access to information regarding stimulus package funding.
2. Identify which industries will be supported.
3. Explore ways to support internships to lower employment costs.
4. Increase lines of credit.
Julie Abrams, Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment, explained that her non-profit agency has, over the course of 21 years, helped over 17,000 women start their businesses, thereby creating economic security for their families. She reported that a total amount of $500,000 in city dollars dedicated for women's micro-enterprise, of which her agency received $225,000, had been eliminated altogether.
She stated that the road to economic recovery can be found in small business, noting that 70% of all new job growth is expected to be in small business. Her agency has demonstrated a $30 return for every $1 invested. She supports a gender budgeting approach to the economic recovery. She calculated that if San Francisco were to invest $20 million in women-owned small businesses, the city would see a return of $600 million.
Ms. Abrams offered the following recommendations:
1. Renew first-time leaseholder grant program for shop space.
2. Invest in microloan funds, target women of color.
3. Expand microenterprise training and growth support services.
4. Take a proactive role in decreasing fees such as business license.
5. Provide a tax incentive for façade improvement.
6. Design an overall economic stimulus strategy that supports women.
7. Provide low cost or subsidized health care and day care.
Amanda Castle, Program Officer for Public Policy with the Women’s Foundation of California, explained that her agency, which was a state-wide organization that has been in existence for 30 years, funds hundreds of non-profits. Non-profits are also being particularly hard hit by the economic downturn. According to the United Way, non-profit revenues have fallen by 65% at a time when 70% of Bay Area non-profits have reported an increase in the demand for services.
She offered the following recommendations:
1. Strengthen the social safety net
a. Increase childcare subsidies.
b. Expand affordable housing and rental assistance
c. Expand affordable healthcare.
d. Expand food stamps where a $1 investment generates a return of $1.73.
2. Employment
a. Develop specific goals for recruitment, hiring of women.
b. Provide support services, such as childcare.
Helen Smolinski, Program Director for 8 years with the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights, stated that her agency serves low-income clients through Bay Area. and provided pro bono assistance to 519 clients last year. Of these clients, half were women and a majority of these women were minorities. The number of clients represents a 16% increase in 2008 from 2007. She emphasized that people are struggling and that women and their families, in particular, need help.
She offered the following recommendations:
1. Enhance childcare subsidies.
2. Implement anti-homelessness strategies.
3. Provide support for small business, especially minority-owned.
Rebecca Rolfe, Executive Director of the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center, stated that the Center developed the world’s first economic development program for LGBT individuals 6 years ago, providing workforce development, support for small businesses, and financial literacy training. In addition, the Center pioneered the Transgender Economic Empowerment Center.
Ms. Rolfe explained that LGBT individuals face a whole host of challenges. They are more likely to leave home early, have a high rate of runaways, institutionalization, and lack family support, especially financial. They face bias in education, housing, employment, and access to healthcare. Moreover, marriage, which is denied to same sex couples in California, affords 138 federal benefits. LGBT individuals earn between 5 – 15% less than heterosexuals, are more likely to live in poverty, have low rates of homeownership, and high rates of debt and financial liability. Children of gay and lesbian couples live in poverty 2 times the national average.
She stated that sexism affects all women. Homophobia exacerbates the impact of the economic downturn on LGBT individuals and the impact is very severe for transgendered. She urged that people avoid the myth of LGBT affluence. Ms. Rolfe recommended that the Commission continue to fund LGBT-specific services and redouble its efforts to institutionalize gender budgeting within the city budget.
Senator Leland Yee presented Executive Director Emily Murase with the honor of “Woman of the Year” for his Senatorial district. He explained that Dr. Murase played an important role in supporting a historic bill the Senator authored to prohibit the jailing of domestic violence victims for refusing to testify against their batterers. Dr. Murase expressed her surprise at being recognized for this honor and acknowledged the influence of key advocates in the anti-violence against women community on her work.
Emylene Aspilla Director of Client Services with the Jewish Vocational Services, explained that her agency, founded in 1973, focuses on disabled youth, foster youth, and refugees and that 60% of all clients are women. She reported on a marked increase in clients: in 2008, there were 4.1 job seekers for every job whereas now the number of job seekers has doubled. Jewish Vocational Services partnered with the LGBT Center to create the Transgender Economic Empowerment Center. Ms. Aspilla advanced a recommendation for the city to invest in workforce programs such as her agency's Leap program which includes internships and leads to full-time administrative position. Among the program clients, 85% are women. A total of 140 women have participated in the program and 80% of them are still employed after 3 years.
Catherine Dodd, Deputy Chief of Staff for Health and Human Services with the Mayor's Office, explained that the City is aggressively pursuing fiscal stimulus dollars. She noted that Vice President Joe Biden issued a letter emphasizing that fiscal stimulus dollars will be directed to the neediest populations. This would include senior women. She explained that San Francisco is expected to get $4 million in formula funds.
On the issue of childcare, Childcare block grant based on vouchers, not slots and relies on disbursement from the California Department of Education. The problem with Early Headstart is that San Francisco doesn’t have appropriate facilities to accommodate expansion. Therefore, focus needs to be directed at the state level.
F-Map is the federal matching funds for Medicare, fostercare, and in-home supportive services. Large sums of money are expected to come to San Francisco, but will be focused on backfilling cuts to the Human Services Agency and the Department of Public Health.
Regarding layoffs, Dr. Dodd explained that , to date, unions representing employees in social services, where women are heavily represented, have not been willing to make concessions to protect positions.
Nurse managers did agree to forgo their raise for $800,000 in savings. Other unions, representing male-dominated fields, have negotiated labor contracts to protect positions.
Action: To submit a report to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors summarizing the findings of the public hearing, including public comment, and request that the Board of Supervisors hold similar hearings to expand the findings.
m/s/c (Shorter/Keehn/Unanimous).
Public Comment on the motion/action:
Beckie Masaki, Executive Director of Asian Women's Shelter, requested that testimony on behalf of the Violence Against Women programs and the effect of the economic downturn on their clients, be included in the final report.
Kathy Perry, Editor of the Western Edition Times, thanked the Commission for holding the hearings and allowing a space for the voices of women and girls to be heard. Ms. Perry suggested creating working groups to work with the Board of Supervisors when allocating stimulus funding.
BREAK – The Commission reconvened following a 10-minute break.
B. Public Comment
*A transcript of public comment is available on our website at www.sfgov.org/cosw*
The following members of the public provided public testimony:
Kathryn Johnson Democratic Women in Action
Dr. Renne Golanty-Koel Democratic Women in Action
Kelly Lee Young Asian Women Against Violence/Sisters Against Violence Empowerment Project
Dr. Jane Bernard Powers Democratic Women in Action
Vicky Hamlin Tradeswomen, Inc.
Molly Martin Tradeswomen, Inc.
Charlene Clemens San Francisco Family Support Network
Caitlin Chan Women's Community Clinic
Kathy Piccagli Older Women's League
Jody Schwartz LYRIC
Vanessa Flores Asian Women's Shelter
Beckie Masaki Asian Women's Shelter
Victoria Hernandez Mujeres Unidas Y Activas
Emma Delgado Mujeres Unidas Y Activas
Andrea Bible Free Battered Women
Laura Guzman Mission Neighborhood Resource Center
Montaira Warren Gum Moon Residence Hall
Emberly Cross Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic
Beverly Upton Domestic Violence Consortium
Roberta Toomer WOMAN, Inc.
Bonnie Henriquez Tradeswomen, Inc.
Kathy Perry Western Edition Times
VIII. PUBLIC COMMENT
President Shorter announced that Commissioner Nikki Calma was resigning from the Commission and thanked her for her work with the Commission.
Commissioner Calma thanked the Commission for the opportunity work with such a dedicated group and stated that she looked forward to continuing to hear about the Commission's important work advancing the status of the women and girls of San Francisco.
IV. ADJOURN
Motion to adjourn meeting in memory of Shyamala G. Harris, mother of District Attorney Kamala Harris, and in memory of the 4 Oakland police officers who were recently killed in the line of duty.
m/s/c (Shorter/Marks/Unanimous).
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Know Your Rights under the Sunshine Ordinance(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)
Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decision in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review. For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance, or to report a violation of the Ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force at 415-554-7724. To obtain a free copy of the Sunshine Ordinance contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, City Hall, Room 244, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102-4689, phone: 415-554-7724, fax: 415-554-7854. Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can also be obtained from the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s website at www.sfgov.org.
