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2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
City and County of San Francisco
Regular Meeting
Minutes
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
5:00 P.M.
City Hall, Room 408
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

MEMBERS PRESENT                              STAFF PRESENT
President Carolene Marks                              Belle Taylor-McGhee, Executive Director
Vice President Dorka Keehn                              Rosario Navarrette, Deputy Director
Commissioner Julie Burton                                        Carol Sacco, Policy Analyst
Commissioner Emily Murase                              Winnie Xie, Grants Administrator
Commissioner Andrea Shorter
Commissioner Valerie Tulier


1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
President Carolene Marks called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Commissioner Juanita Miles excused.
Commissioner Emily Murase arrived at 5:10 p.m.
Vice President Keehn left at 7:05 p.m.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA

m/s/c (Burton/Shorter/Unanimous) To adopt the agenda for the Wednesday, May 22, 2002 Regular Commission Meeting.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

m/s/c (Keehn/Burton/Unanimous) To approve the minutes for the Wednesday, April 24, 2002, Regular Commission Meeting.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

4. PRESIDENT'S REPORT

          Potluck with Friends: President Marks stated that the Commission would like to hold a potluck with the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Commissioners agreed to hold the potluck on Thursday, June 27, 2002 in the late afternoon.

          Reception for new Department on the Status of Women Executive Director: President Marks suggested holding a reception for the new Executive Director of the Department Belle Taylor-McGhee. President Marks will contact the Mayor's office to inquire about his interest in sponsoring the reception..

          Association of California Commissions for Women (ACCW): President Marks reported that Belle Taylor-McGhee, Rosario Navarrette, and she attended the ACCW Quarterly Meeting held at the San Francisco International Airport on Friday, May 17, 2002. The ACCW annual meeting and convention will be held August 18, 2002 to August 20, 2002 in Sacramento at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento.

          CEDAW Training: The Commissioners discussed possible dates for a CEDAW Training and it was agreed to hold the training on Friday, June 28, 2002 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

          President Marks, on behalf of the Commission, officially welcomed Belle Taylor-McGhee to the Department and stated she is looking forward to working with her. She also thanked and expressed deep appreciation to Rosario Navarrette for her dedication and work over the years.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

5. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

          Department Priorities: Belle Taylor-McGhee stated that she has been meeting with staff and friends of the department to get a sense of what the department needs vis-à-vis the mission of the Commission and Department.

          Budget Meetings: Belle Taylor-McGhee stated that the Mayor has recommended a three percent cut across the board for our department. Commissioners are continuing to meet with Supervisors regarding the budget and Ms. Taylor-McGhee would like to attend those meetings as her schedule permits.

          Department Capacity Building: Belle Taylor-McGhee reported that there are inadequate staffing resources for the department and we need to address this in order to carry out the mandate. She stated that she is in the process of hiring an executive secretary, as well as, looking into the possibility of a full time receptionist. Ms. Taylor-McGhee also indicated that there are areas of assessment and training that need to be addressed within the department, such as ergonomic issues.

          Performance based Evaluations for Funded Programs: Ms. Taylor-McGhee reported that she has been talking with staff about how to measure effectiveness within funded programs. She and staff feel it would be helpful to provide them with technical assistance and support as appropriate. Commissioners requested that we not make additional or duplicative work for the agencies.

          Domestic Violence Initiatives: Belle Taylor-McGhee announced that there is a meeting for the 24-hour Crisis Line tomorrow. The work of the Sexual Assault Task Force is continuing.

          Convention to End All Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Belle Taylor-McGhee stated that the CEDAW Task Force is working on a 5-year action plan and she participated in a conference call this morning discussing U.S. ratification of CEDAW and the upcoming CEDAW Hearing with Senator Boxer. Commissioners expressed great interest in the CEDAW ratification and would like the San Francisco Commission and Department to support these efforts. They suggested having a representative attend the Senate Hearings, as well as write letters of support. Commissioners feel that San Francisco is in a unique position as it is the first City and County to adopt and implement CEDAW in the United States. Ms. Taylor-McGhee thought this would also be a good opportunity to rally media attention around the department's work and perhaps write an Op-Ed piece. Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that the department would continue to monitor other departments around CEDAW. Commissioner Shorter stated that Ms. Taylor-McGhee should attend the CEDAW hearing in Washington, D.C. and it was agreed by the Commission.

          Special Projects: Belle Taylor-McGhee stated that the Status of Girls Report is in the preliminary stages and coming along. The Women Who Make a Difference event will most likely be postponed this year until further discussion with the Friends of the Commission.

          Media and Public Relations Plan: Belle Taylor-McGhee stated that a media and public relation plan is imperative for the department and she is developing some ideas around newsletters and quarterly publications. Commissioner Murase stated that she appreciated the inclusion of the letter to the funded agencies in the packets. President Marks stated that she would like to continue to receive announcements and invitations to events.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Linda Alexander of the San Francisco DA's Office announced that SAGE Project, Inc. held a vigil for Tiffany Mason, a 15-year-old child prostitute who was murdered. This vigil was also held in conjunction with the five part series on Tiffany Mason and a seven-month investigative article that ran in the San Francisco Examiner. One of the purposes of the vigil was a call for change and to identify what is going on with youth in the city. Ms. Alexander suggested contacting her or the SAGE Project for more information.

6. NEW BUSINESS

          Training by Edward Olsen on Sunshine Law: Edward Olsen, Deputy City Attorney gave a presentation on the Sunshine Laws and the obligations and requirements of the Commissioners and Executive Director. He reviewed the California Public Records Act, the Brown Act and the Sunshine Ordinance.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

          CARAL: Women of Color Reproductive Health Summit: The Commissioners discussed the pros and cons of writing letters of support for events and organizations. Commissioner Tulier suggested developing criteria for writing letters of support.

m/s/c (Burton/Keehn/Unanimous) To write a letter of support for the CARAL Women of Color Reproductive Health Summit.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

          Affordable Home Ownership Opportunity for Everyone (HOPE): Commissioners discussed the importance of establishing criteria for evaluation of supporting events and organizations. Commissioners discussed the impact of HOPE as it directly relates to women's economic and employment issues. It was decided to not take action on this item at this time and rather have a Pros and Cons presentation at the next Commission meeting, also allowing the Commissioners time to review the legislation.

          Men's March for Responsible Fatherhood: Rosario Navarrette stated that this was part of P.O.C.O.V.I, Antonio Ramirez's program, which holds a rally annually to highlight men's roles as positive role models. Ms. Navarrette stated that perhaps we would be able to share our resources on a table with another organization. Commissioner Keehn added that this falls under the Commission and Department's Strategic Planning goals to have men take responsibility for their roles in violence against women.

m/s/c (Keehn/Tulier/Unanimous) To sponsor in name only, with no financial commitment, P.O.C.O.V.I's Fourth Annual Men's March for Responsible Fatherhood on June 15, 2002.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

          Pedophilia and clergy: Commissioner Tulier reported that a draft resolution clarifying myths about pedophilia was not available at this time.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

7. OLD BUSINESS

          Exhale from April COSW Meeting: Commissioner Keehn stated that she suggested Aspen Baker, Founder/Director of Exhale request a letter of support at the April Commission meeting. Commissioner Burton asked how other organizations felt about Exhale. Belle Taylor-McGhee responded stating that Exhale is a pro-choice organization and sees the opportunity to support them; she also stated that it fills a need. President Marks suggested changing the address line in the draft letter to: Aspen Baker, Exhale rather than To Whom it May Concern.

m/s/c (Keehn/Shorter/Unanimous) To write a letter of support for Exhale, changing the address line to Aspen Baker, Exhale.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

8. REPORTS

          Justice and Courage Oversight Committee: Vice President Keehn reviewed the diagram for the Oversight Panel. She stated that subcommittees with specific responsibilities would meet on a regular basis. The department is working on an application process and criteria in an attempt to have these drafts at the next Commission meeting.

PUBLIC COMMENT

Beverly Upton of San Francisco Partners Ending Domestic Abuse wondered if the criteria were for department heads and community members' participation. Rosario Navarrette stated that the procedure has not yet been established. Vice President Keehn stated that subcommittees are open to the community. Commissioner Shorter requested that all members of the Board of Supervisors receive a copy of final Justice and Courage report.

m/s/c (Tulier/Murase/Unanimous) To adopt the structure and membership of the Domestic Violence Oversight Panel for the implementation of the Justice and Courage Report recommendations.

          Women Who Make a Difference: This year the event will be postponed due to circumstances beyond our control.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

9. PUBLIC COMMENT

          Beverly Upton of San Francisco Partners Ending Domestic Abuse distributed invitations to the Partners Ending Domestic Abuse and San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium's 10th Anniversary Dinner Gala on Wednesday, June 5, 2002.

10. ANNOUNCEMENTS

          Commissioner Murase expressed an interest in meeting with the new Executive Director soon.

          Commissioner Tulier stated that she was very appreciative of the bullet points the staff prepared in preparation for the Commissioners' meetings with members of the Board of Supervisors. Commissioner Shorter agreed and expressed her thanks as well.

          Commissioner Murase thanked Rosario Navarrette again for her work during this time.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

11. ADJOURNMENT

m/s/c (Tulier/Shorter/Unanimous) Motion to adjourn the meeting in memory of Tessa Thomas Newsom. The meeting was adjourned at 7:12 p.m.

Explanatory documents: For copies of explanatory documents listed in this agenda, and other related materials received by COSW, please contact the Department on the Status of Women at 25 Van Ness Ave, Suite 130, San Francisco, CA 94102; phone: 415-252-2570, fax: 415-252-2575. Also, to the extent possible, documents will be available on the COSW website at http://www.sfgov.org/cosw/

Meeting Information