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COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
City and County of San Francisco
Regular Meeting
Minutes
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
5:00 P.M.
City Hall, Room 408
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
(DRAFT)

          MEMBERS PRESENT                                        STAFF PRESENT
          President Dorka Keehn                                        Belle Taylor-McGhee, Executive Director
          Vice President Emily Murase                                        Rosario Navarrette, Deputy Director
          Commissioner Julie Burton                                        Rebecca Rolfe, Policy Analyst
          Commissioner Juanita Miles                                        Winnie Xie, Grants Administrator
          Commissioner Andrea Shorter                              Carol Sacco, Policy Analyst
                    Commissioner Valerie Tulier                                        Angela Martin, Executive Secretary
                                                                                          Edward Olsen, Deputy City Attorney


1.          CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

President Dorka Keehn called the meeting to order at 5:07 p.m. She announced that a Spanish translator, Alberto Rios, was present for non-English speaking members of the public.
Commissioner Carolene Marks was excused.
Commissioner Tulier arrived at 5:08 p.m.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT
2.           ADOPTION OF AGENDA

m/s/c/ (Murase/Burton /Unanimous) To adopt the agenda for the Wednesday, October 23, 2002, Regular Commission meeting.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

3.           APPROVAL OF MINUTES

m/s/c (Murase/Burton/Unanimous) To approve the minutes for the Wednesday, September, 25, 2002, Regular Commission Meeting.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

4.          PRESIDENT'S REPORT

•          Justice and Courage Oversight Panel: President Keehn reported that on the eve of Claire Joyce Tempongko's murder, Monday, October 21, 2002, the Department on the Status of Women (DOSW) held its first Oversight Panel meeting. She stated that it was well attended by the heads of various departments who will work with the Oversight Panel. She commented that although the Panel was originally scheduled to meet on a quarterly basis, it was decided that the Panel would next meet on November 19, 2002, to make decisions regarding the nominations for the four committees outlined in the Justice and Courage Report. She added that Commission members should forward any recommendations for committee members to either she or
Belle Taylor-McGhee before the November 19, 2002, Panel meeting.

Vice President Murase asked if the Mayor or anyone from his office attended the meeting.

President Keehn stated that the Mayor was not able to attend because he gave his State of the City address on Monday, October 21, 2002. She also commented that neither of the honorary co-chairs attended the meeting.

5.           EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT

•          Domestic Violence Awareness Month/Press Conference with the Mayor and Verizon Wireless: Belle Taylor-McGhee reported that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and that the Department on the Status of Women, along with the Mayor held a press conference with Verizon Wireless on October 3, 2002, at City Hall, to announce Verizon's HopeLine program. Through the program, Verizon will donate 200 cell phones to women in domestic violence shelters in San Francisco. She commented that the Department of the Environment will also participate in the initiative and will recycle cell phones from private businesses that are participating in the program. DOSW hopes to have its distribution plan operational by the end of October.

She added that Verizon had donated a $40,000 grant to the Friends of the Commission to conduct a public awareness campaign to expand its "Respect is What's Sexy" campaign, produce a PSA and survival guide on domestic violence.

•          JUSTIS Meetings Update: Ms. Taylor-McGhee reiterated DOSW's first Justice and Courage Oversight Panel meeting was well attended. She reported that the Department is completing the final report on departmental meetings to assess data collection and management for JUSTIS. She added that the report would be presented to the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel.

•          The Status of Girls Report: Ms. Taylor-McGhee reported that she met with the key departmental staff that are working on the Report and was told that the Report will be forwarded to the members of the Commission on November 18, 2002. She stated that Vice President Murase has agreed to help edit the Report and Commissioner Shorter will work with the Department to get the Report released to the public. She also added that she anticipates all editing, revisions and rewriting to occur the first two weeks in December, at which time the Report will be sent to the printer.

Commissioner Miles asked if the Department had contacted the various high schools throughout the City so that they could alert girls of the information in the Report and if the Department was planning to conduct any public outreach to inform high school girls of the Commission.

Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that she is scheduled to meet with School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and will discuss public outreach initiatives at that meeting.

Commissioner Miles suggested putting the various City high schools on the Department's mailing list to inform them of future Commission meetings.

•          Mayor's Summit for Women: Ms. Taylor- McGhee reported that the Mayor has asked that she participate in the Summit scheduled for May 2003, and help set the agenda. No meeting has been scheduled.

•          The White House Project: Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that Marie C. Wilson, the CEO and President of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the President of the White House Project, invited her to attend their first inaugural dinner in New York City. Several stars and national public figures were present and honored at the event including Camille Cosby and Dr. Renee Poussant. She added that the idea of the White House Project is to advance women politically and to get a woman on the ticket for either President or Vice President by the year 2008.

Ms. Taylor-McGhee also added that the White House Project plans to hold a Women's Leadership Summit in San Francisco in March 2003, and has asked DOSW to serve as partners.

•          La Casa de las Madres: Ms. Taylor-McGhee commented that she has requested additional time to present findings and recommendations to the Commission regarding La Casa. She stated that DOSW wanted to ensure that the report represented all of the comments and information that the Department received. She added that the Department will present a substantive and fair report at the next Commission meeting.

•          Staffing Updates: Ms. Taylor-McGhee reported that Policy Analyst Rebecca Rolfe will be leaving at the end of October. The requisition for the Senior Policy Analyst position has been approved by the Mayor's Office and upgraded from a 2998 to an 1823. The position will officially be posted today and she hopes to fill the position as soon as possible.

Commissioner Tulier asked that the job description be forwarded to the Commissioners so that they can forward it to their respective email lists.

Ms. Taylor-McGhee also reported that the Department received a grant from the Violence Against Women Program and the Department will soon be hiring a Committee Coordinator for the Justice and Courage Project. The position will be funded for two years. The Department is awaiting notification from the Board of Supervisors for formal acceptance of the grant and as soon as the process is completed the position will be posted.

President Keehn asked about the classification of the position.

Ms. Taylor-McGhee stated that it was both an administrative and policy position.

Public Comment

Deputy Chief David Robinson of the San Francisco Police Department spoke on behalf of Police Chief Earl Sanders and stated that the Police Chief and Department were committed to allaying all factors of domestic violence. He added that he asked several members of the Domestic Violence Response Unit to be present to speak about some of the aspect of the Department's policies and procedures. He also stated that the Department has a good relationship with the District Attorney's Office, the Adult Probation Office and other units that are involved with domestic violence.

Edward Olsen, the Deputy City Attorney, stated that because the Police Department was not on the agenda no substantive discussion could occur, but they could speak during public comment.

It was agreed that the Police Department would speak during public comment after the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel discussion.

6.           OLD BUSINESS

•          Women and Girls Health Advisory Committee of the Department of Public Health

President Keehn reported that she spoke with Carlene Hanson who is the co-chair of the Advisory Committee and the Executive Director of the Women's Community Clinic regarding the status of the Committee. She reported that Ms. Hanson stated that the Committee was in the process of developing a strategic plan for next year and would keep her updated. President Keehn commented that the Department of Public Health (DPH) will be working on policy initiatives that are important to the COSW and DOSW and maybe someone should attend the Advisory Committee meetings beginning in January.

Public Comment: Maria Cora, the Coordinator of the Office of Women's Health, stated that the Women's and Girls Health Advisory Committee was hoping to have some form of direct communication with the Commissioners. She added that the Commissioners are welcomed to come to any of the meetings.

President Keehn asked Ms. Cora to speak about the two top priorities of the Advisory Committee.

Ms. Cora stated that the allotted time for public speaking would not permit her to elaborate on the priorities of the Committee. She stated that she is willing to come to another Commission meeting to speak about the Committees recommendations.

•          Nominations for the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel

Action: To approve nominations for the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel.

President Keehn stated that the current nomination for the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel is Patti Chang, President and Executive Director of the Women's Foundation. She added that Ms. Chang is a past President of the Commission on the Status of Women and was responsible for introducing the City and Commission to the CEDAW Legislation and was instrumental in getting the legislation passed.

m/s/c/ (Murase/Miles/Unanimous) to approve the nomination of Patti Chang to the Justice and Courage Oversight Panel.

Public Comment: Inspector Antonio Flores of the Domestic Abuse Response Unit stated that the goals of the Unit are to improve the quality of service and to ensure the safety of all victims of domestic violence. He added that to improve these services, the Police Department is working with other City departments responsible for responding to domestic violence to address the way in which they communicate with each other. He added that the Department is providing sensitivity training to its officers, which will provide them with an understanding of the violence associated with domestic violence. He also stated that the Department supports and will participate in JUSTIS system and will have representatives on the four committees of the Justice and Courage Project.

Commissioner Tulier asked Mr. Flores if he had the opportunity to read the Justice and Courage Report and if the Unit has collaborated with any of the male batter organizations i.e., MOVE and P.O.C.O.V.I.

Mr. Flores responded that he briefly read the report and anyone can contact the Unit at 415-553-9225 and make arrangements for a member of the Unit to present before an organization.

Commissioner Miles thanked the Police Department for attending the meeting and suggested that the Police Department review the DOSW Violence Against Women Needs Assessment.

President Keehn asked if Police Chief Sanders had met with Clara Tempongko.

Deputy Chief Robinson stated that the Chief stated that he is willing to meet with Ms. Tempongko, but has not met with her yet.

Rachael Kilshaw of the Domestic Violence Response Unit stated that she, the Lieutenant and the Captain of the Unit have all read the Justice and Courage Report. She added that changes that have occurred in the Unit have occurred because of the recommendations in the Report. She asked Commissioner Miles to forward a copy of the DOSW Violence Against Women Needs Assessment to the Police Department.

Commissioner Tulier stated that she would like the Police Department placed on a future agenda so that the Department's hiring practices can be addressed.

President Keehn asked Commissioner Tulier to compile and forward a list of questions to the Police Department so that the Department can respond to those questions at a future meeting.

Beverly Upton from the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium stated that the Police Chief was not able to meet with Clara Tempongko, but did assign a full-time liaison to the case, Captain Keith Sanford. She added that Captain Sanford is encouraging the Consortium and the Mayor's Office to increase the amount of the award for the capture of Tari Rameriz. Captain Sanford will attempt to get the case back on America's Most Wanted program.

•          La Casa de las Madres

Action: To approve recommendations from DOSW regarding La Casa de las Madres

President Keehn stated that no action would be taken on the La Casa de las Madres issue at this time.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Elizabeth Contreras, Susan Horn, Keisha Smith, Clarissa Rojas, Martha Ryan, Veronica Perez and other women who wanted to remain anonymous gave statements and recommendations regarding La Casa de las Madres.

Commissioner Miles stated that the issues regarding La Casa have never been about La Casa closing. She stated that the Commission would consider all statements regarding La Casa and make recommendations for improvements. She added that she does not want rumors circulating regarding the closure of La Casa.

Commissioner Tulier recommended that non-English speaking woman looking for resources contact Rosario Navarrette at DOSW.

          Vice President Murase asked if there is a citizenship requirement to access shelters.

Becki Masaki, Executive Director of the Asian Women's Shelter, stated that if a shelter receives federal funding, it would be considered discriminatory to not accept individuals who are not documented. She also stated that a shelter service is considered emergency services and those are the kinds of service that must be accessible to everyone. She commented that shelters should be accountable to the women who seek its services and added that this is an opportunity to institute a system (Ombudsman or an independent board) for women to express their grievances. She added that the source for accountability and for addressing grievances should not be heard via an organization that provides funding for the agency. Secondly, she stated that the recommendations made for best practices should include other shelters.

Commissioner Tulier asked what type of outreach is being conducted to inform monolingual, immigrant women of their right to enter transitional housing regardless of their documentation.

Ms. Masaki stated that she has a letter from HUD that states that transitional housing is also considered emergency services and she attaches the letter with applications to ensure that they are accepted.

•          COSW November 16, 2002 Retreat Agenda

President Keehn stated that the Retreat date has been change to Saturday, December 7, 2002.

Action: To approve the COSW Retreat Agenda.

No action will be taken on the Agenda at this meeting.

Commissioner Miles would like to add to the Retreat agenda the Commission's 25th Anniversary and the outreach to girls in high schools.

Commissioner Tulier would like to add the root of domestic violence and the batters issue to the agenda.

Adoption of the Retreat Agenda will be done at the next Commission meeting.

•          Mayor's Summit for Women 2003

Executive Director Belle Taylor-McGhee reported that the Mayor has asked her to participate in the Summit.

President Keehn stated that the roles of DOSW and COSW relative to the Summit should be discussed at the Commission Retreat.

•          Pedophilia and Clergy
m/s/c/ (Tulier/Tulier/Unanimous) To accept the resolution on Pedophilia and the Clergy.

7.          New Business

•          The White House Project

Executive Director Belle Taylor-McGhee reiterated the goals and objective of the White House Project and added that the Project mirrors the work of COSW.

Action: To write a letter of support for the White House Project.

m/s/c/ (Tulier/Miles/Unanimous) To approve the letter of support for the White House Project.

NO PUBLIC COMMENT

•          Joanna Hernandez- Mission Neighborhood Center

Joanna Hernandez, the Intervention Services Director for Mission Neighborhood Centers, and members of a support group she manages gave a presentation regarding teenage prostitution in the Mission District.

          Commissioner Tulier commented that the support group is welcomed at the Commission Retreat and encouraged them to contact Executive Director Belle Taylor-McGhee regarding the details of the Retreat.

Commissioner Miles stated that she would like to speak with the support group, and they should attend future Commission meetings.

President Keehn informed Ms. Hernandez that the Commission could assist the group in their efforts to secure funding by writing a letter of support.

Belle Taylor-McGhee invited Ms. Hernandez to make a presentation before the End Exploitation of Youth Taskforce.

Gloria Romero stated that various groups from the Mission Neighborhood Centers would like to give presentations before the Commission and asked if the Center could be added to the November Commission Agenda.

8.          REPORTS

•          Convention to Eliminate all Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

Vice President Murase stated that the Task Force is renewing legislation relative to CEDAW and Supervisor Sophie Maxwell has agreed to sponsor the legislation. One of the changes that the Task Force wants to institute is having City departments use a budget that reflects CEDAW principles. The Task Force is hoping to make the issue the responsibility of the Controller. She added that South Africa uses a gendered budget and the Ford Foundation will sponsor a two-day seminar that will include a presentation by a representative from South Africa.
She also stated that it does not appear that the CEDAW legislation will come up for a national vote in January 2003. If the Senate remains Democratic, the legislation may come up for vote next year; however, if the Senate becomes Republican there is no incentive for the legislation to come up for vote in the Senate.

Also, the Task Force that has been working on the CEDAW legislation for the past five years, will sunset at the end of December 2002 and has proposed an oversight committee to continue its work. However, the legislation will not be in place before the end of the year and they are contemplating asking the Board of Supervisors for an extension of the Task Force or asking the Commission to appoint the Task Force members to a transition committee until the full committee can be appointed.

Vice President Murase recognized Policy Analyst Rebecca Rolfe for her dedicated work on the CEDAW Task Force.

•          Sexual Assault and Rape Task Force

Policy Analyst Rebecca Rolfe stated that the Task Force is dealing with some transitional issues and the Commission may want to ask them to give another report in a few months. She stated that the Task Force has identified three primary goals: 1) Public education around drug facilitated sexual assault; 2) A city wide sexual assault conference/agenda setting day; and 3) A comprehensive resource list for sexual assault services.

          NO PUBLIC COMMENT

9.          PUBLIC COMMENT

10.          ANNOUNCEMENTS

11. ADJOURNMENT

m/s/c (Keehn/Miles/Unanimous) The meeting was adjourned at 7:11 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