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City and County of San Francisco
Regular Meeting
Minutes
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
5:00 P.M.
City Hall, Room 408
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
MEMBERS PRESENT STAFF PRESENT
President Dorka Keehn Belle Taylor-McGhee, Executive Director
Vice President Emily Murase Winnie Xie, Grants Administrator
Commissioner Carolene Marks Caroline Donnola, Senior Policy Analyst
Commissioner Juanita Miles Ann Lehman, Policy Analyst
Commissioner Angela Williams-Cofield Carol Sacco, Policy Analyst
Justine McGonagle, Justice and Courage Coordinator
1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
President Dorka Keehn called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Commissioners Valerie Tulier and Andrea Shorter were excused.
NO Public Comment
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
m/s/c/ (Keehn/Murase/Unanimous) To adopt the agenda for the Wednesday, June 25, 2003, Regular Commission Meeting with the stipulated amendments.
NO PUBLIC COMMENT
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
m/s/c (No Action Taken)
NO PUBLIC COMMENT
4. PRESIDENT’S REPORT
- Meeting with Mayor Brown: President Keehn reported that she and Commissioner Shorter met with Mayor Brown to discuss the Department’s budget situation. As a result of the meeting, $100,000 was restored to the Department’s budget.
President Keehn also stated that she, Executive Director Belle Taylor-McGhee and Beverly Upton of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium met with Supervisor Chris Daly regarding the Department’s budget. She stated that Supervisor Daly supported the restoration of the funds cut from the Department’s budget. Additionally, she and members of the funded agencies presented at the Board of Supervisors’ Budget Committee meeting and the Board decided to restore the Department’s full budget.
Vice President Murase stated that there is a risk that Budget Analyst Harvey Rose will recommend restoring a reduced amount.
Justice and Courage Panel: President Keehn commended Justice and Courage Coordinator Justine McGonagle for her work on the Justice and Courage Project and reported that the Department’s website now has a link to the Justice and Courage Project.
President Keehn also reported that members of the Panel met with Sheriff Hennessey to discuss funding issues surrounding the Justice and Courage Project. She stated that the Panel will investigate other systems available to replace the VINE (Victim Information Notification Everyday) System.
Commissioner Miles asked if men are also notified when their perpetrators are released from prison.
Beverly Upton of the Domestic Violence Consortium stated that the VINE system currently only notifies women. However, there has been pressure to include everyone.
Commissioner Miles asked if women are notified when a perpetrator is rearrested.
President Keehn stated that she did not believe that women were notified when a perpetrator is rearrested. She added that the Panel is investigating a system called Personal Notification. This system seems to be more effective than VINE.
President Keehn commented that Lindsay Swain of the United Way’s Girls Funders Network will hold a luncheon to discuss the findings in the Department’s Girls Report on August 14, 2003, from 12:00 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. President Keehn will send out an email to the Commission with additional information.
Public Comment:
Beverly Upton of the Domestic Violence Consortium stated that the domestic violence community should be proud of the work it has done in regards to the Department’s budget.
5. OLD BUSINESS
Senior Policy Analyst Caroline Donnola gave an update the Commission on the following legislative issues:
State Budget - Ms. Donnola reported that the Governor’s proposed revisions to the State Budget are likely to be approved, including the realignment of shifting cost from the State to the counties. She added that the amount of the funds to be shifted from the State to the counties have been reduced from $8.2 billion to $1.7 billion.
Ms. Donnola also reported that there are likely to be major cuts in MediCal and that a quarterly status report will be required for enrolled adults. She added that applicants will have to be reinstated every three months, which is a way to guarantee some attrition. However, coverage for close to 200,000 adults will be jeopardized and the majority of those in jeopardy will be women. Ms. Donnola commented that optional benefits are also likely to be eliminated. Ms. Donnola stated that families enrolled in the Transitional MediCal Beneficiaries program will not be eligible for coverage for the second year. She stated that the most significant cut will be a fifteen-percent (15%) cut to MediCal providers. Ms. Donnola stated that none of the cuts are final.
San FranciscoMinimum Wage Increase – Ms. Donnola reported that there is a coalition working to gather signatures to place an initiative on the November ballot to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour.
Vice President Murase asked if there is any indication that the business community supports raising the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour.
Ms. Donnola stated that extensive polling was conducted and that the number of businesses that are expected to oppose the increase is relatively small.
SB 921 – Ms. Donnola reported that SB 921 passed in the Senate. She added that more than 350 organizations endorsed the bill. The bill will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee on July 8, 2003.
AB 292 – Ms. Donnola reported that AB 292 passed in the Assembly and is due to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 1, 2003. She stated that in the Assembly, the bill was amended several times and that one of the amendments is to allow children to respond to simple inquires in emergency situations on behalf of their parents. She also reported that the age of children prohibited from translating for their parents has been reduced from 16 to age 14 and under. The bill also now includes children of deaf parents.
Commissioner Miles asked if guidelines were available that determined what constitutes an emergency.
Ms. Donnola stated that she was uncertain.
President Keehn stated that a letter of appreciation was sent by Assemblymember Leland Lee thanking the Commission for its support.
Commissioner Marks asked if the legislation applied to hospitals.
Ms. Donnola stated that the legislation applies to any agency that accepts state funding.
AB 1342 – Ms. Donnola reported that AB 1342 is a bill introduced by Assemblywomen Hanna Beth Jackson to enact legislation to adopt CEDAW on a State level. She added that this is a two-year bill and no action has taken place on the bill.
m/s/c (Murase/Williams-Cofield/ Unanimous) To approve writing a letter thanking the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors for restoring funds to VAW programs.
No Public Comment
6. New Business
Consent Calendar: President Keehn stated that Deputy City Attorney Paul Jesson provided the Commission with two samples of a consent calendar. One of the samples was taken from the Board of Supervisors calendar.
m/s/c (Murase/Marks/Unanimous) To adopt the consent calendar format used by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors with the provision that agenda items submitted by Commissioners be flagged for the consent calendar and that agenda items originating outside of the Commission be flagged for the consent calendar at the discretion of the President, the Vice President, and the Executive Director when they set the meeting agenda.
Commissioner Williams-Cofield recommended that the Commission obtain a list of the funded agencies that will participate in the United Way’s luncheon and invite them to the public hearings.
m/s/c (Murase/Miles/Unanimous) To approve the holding of a joint hearing with the Juvenile Probation Commission in so far that it makes sense with plans to roll out the Girls Report.
SAGE Director Norma Hotaling gave a presentation regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Ms. Hotaling stated that San Francisco is in a crisis situation as well as most major cities throughout the United States. She stated that San Francisco is a receiving city for children used in prostitution and that once children are recruited, they are put out on the streets or used in brothels. Ms. Hotaling contends that the labeling of children as prostitutes is the cause of this crisis situation and that this also makes it socially acceptable to abuse and statutorily rape children and get away with it. She added that when you arrest a child for prostitution, society is saying that the child has consented to their own sexual abuse and should be arrested and jailed. She commented that 200 children were arrested for prostitution in San Francisco last year. However, no men were arrested for sexually abusing or statutorily raping a child. She added that the laws that are currently in place are not being applied to the abuse that is happening to children. She stated that when children are taken into the juvenile justice system they may or may not receive services. Ms. Hotaling added that the children are not being interviewed as witnesses and are not treated as victims. She commented that she and SAGE are working to redefine the issue. Ms. Hotaling added that funds allocated for victims of sexual abuse cannot be used for children designated as prostitutes. She stated that the only way sexual abuse funds can be used for a child arrested for prostitution is to prove that they are actually victims of sexual abuse. Ms. Hotaling concluded by stating that when children enter the juvenile justice system no one in authority reports the child as a sexual assault victim. She believes that this is a violation of the law, and that the criminal justice system must stop treating children differently.
Commissioner Miles asked if children are tried as adults when they are arrested for prostitution.
Ms. Hotaling stated that they are not tried as adults.
President Keehn asked about the response has been from the Chief of Police and the District Attorney.
Ms. Hotaling stated that it is very difficult to get the Chief of Police involved in the issue. She stated that the San Francisco Police Department’s Crimes Against Prostitutes works on various cases. Ms. Hotaling added that she would like to see men arrested and not children.
Commissioner Miles asked if the Police Department is being educated by SAGE regarding how to handle a child arrested for prostitution.
Ms. Hotaling stated that the Police Department has not been reeducated and that the only place to take the child is to the juvenile probation department.
Commissioner Miles asked how the Commission could support SAGE and its efforts.
Ms. Hotaling stated that the Commission and SAGE should work together to figure out a plan of action.
Vice President Murase stated that the Commission could create a resolution. She stated that the Commission would need two or three recommendations from the End Exploitation of Youth Task Force. She added that the issue could also be taken to the Youth Commission and the Commission of Children Youth and Families.
President Keehn stated that at next month’s meeting she would like the Department to advise the Commission on how it can collaborate with SAGE on the child prostitution issue.
m/s/c/ (Miles/Williams-Cofield/ Unanimous) To postpone the action of writing a letter for Thier PR until the July Commission meeting.
7. REPORTS
