Mayor's Task Force on Human Trafficking - February 28, 2018 - Minutes

Meeting Date: 
February 28, 2018 - 1:30pm
Location: 
1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place
City Hall, Room 305
San Francisco, CA 94102

Mayor’s Task Force on Anti-Human Trafficking Meeting

February 28, 2018                            1:30-3:30pm

1 Carlton B Goodlett Pl, City Hall, Room 305, San Francisco CA 94102

 

Attendees:

Tara Anderson, SF District Attorney’s Office; Greg Asay, Office of Labor Standards Enforcement; Lisa Marie Betancourt, Supervisor Tang’s Office; Frances Byrne, Freedom House; Frank Carrubba, SF District Attorney’s Office; Gena Castro-Rodriguez, SFDA; Rachael Chambers, Department on the Status of Women; Victoria Chan, Asian Law Caucus; Cristy Dieterich, DPH Newcomers Health Program; Darian Eastman, Not for Sale; Abigail Ellis, Senator Dianne Feinstein; Antoinette Flores, Department of Public Health; Antonio Flores, SF Police Department; Lili Gamero, Mayor’s Office; Katie Hoch, Not For Sale; Carletta Jackson-Lane, Sojourner Truth FFSA; Rita Jovick, Catholic Sisters Against Trafficking; Minouche Kandel, Department on the Status of Women; Diane Khuu, SF Police Department, SVU; Antonia Lavine, NCJW/SFCAHT; Naticia Leon, Love Never Fails; Sue Lockyer, Freedom House/SFSU; Rosalia Lopez, SFUSD; alix lutnick, RTI; Kim Maree, Arm of Care; Beverly May, CAMTC; Angie Miot-Nudel, Larkin Street Youth Services; Kristen Moore, SF Safehouse; Venus Morris, S.H.A.D.E. Project; Emily Murase, Department on the Status of Women; Kim Sandoval, SF District Attorney’s Office; Jessica Scadron, Social Harmony; Mary Steiner, UNA USA SF; Hediana Utarti, Asian Women’s Shelter; Kristen Valle, Department of Public Health; Paul Wesson, UCSF; Karina Zhang, Family and Children’s Services; Iris Zhu, Department of Public Health.

 

  1. Welcome, Introductions/Check-In

 

  1. Agenda/Minutes from Dec 13, 2017 were approved [Emily Murase/Gena Castro-Rodriguez]

 

  1. Presentation, District Attorney’s Proposed Human Trafficking Unit by Frank Carrubba, Chief of the Crime Strategies Unit,
  • District Attorney’s Office requested support from the Task Force and members to secure resources for a 10-person Human Trafficking Unit within the District Attorney’s Office. At present, there are limited tools and individuals dedicated to preventative measures in the office, so they would like to bring on a team to combat this issue more directly. Members of the task force brought up collateral consequences of full-scale investigations, and stressed conversation with massage and commercial sex industry advocates.
    • There was consensus from the Task Force to support the creation of a Human Trafficking Unit within the District Attorney’s Office.

 

  1. Approval of the 3rd Annual Human Trafficking Report [Tara Anderson/Robin Brasso]
  • General comments on the report were limited to ensuring consistent definitions of trafficking. Members were also asked to review the Recommendation Dashboard, which assigns responsible entities to recommendations from the 2018 retreat.
    • The report was approved by the Task Force for release following approval from the Commission on the Status of Women.

 

 

  1. Committee Updates
    1. Good Food Purchasing Program: Chelsea Boilard from Supervisor Sandra Fewer’s Office updated the Task Force on actions supporting the Good Food Purchasing Program at the Board of Supervisors.  On January 24th, Supervisor Fewer sponsored a hearing at the Board of Supervisors Committee on Public Safety and Neighborhood Services on the Good Food Purchasing Program, with focus on the Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Health.  There was extensive support from the community for adopting this program, and several Task Force members testified in support.  Supervisor Fewer’s office is convening work group meetings with Department of Public Health and Sheriff’s Department to work through best ways to implement the program.
    2. Prioritizing Safety for Sex Workers Policy: Minouche Kandel updated the Task Force: the policies have been finalized at the SF Police Department and District Attorney’s Office and a press release was issued in January which garnered several positive media pieces.  Assembly Member Laura Friedman read about the policy and has introduced a state bill, AB 2243, which amends the Evidence Code to protect sex workers who are victims of violence from being prosecuted for prostitution related offenses.

 

  1. Agency Presentations
    1. California Massage Therapy Council, Beverly May
    2. CAMTC provides a massage certification program that helps consumers, law enforcement, city counties, and massage schools identify Certified Massage Therapists (CMTs) and includes an assessment of sufficient training for massage professionals.
    3. CAMTC is also responsible for approving massage schools, and as of 2016, only accepts education from massage schools that are CAMTC approved.
      • This has driven certain unapproved schools out of the state, as illicit schools and programs find it challenging to get legitimate certification

 

  1. Freedom House, Frances Byrne
  2. Freedom House provides long term shelter and aftercare programs for adult survivors, noting that housing has been consistently listed as one of the most needed services for survivors; avg. stay is 10 months
    • Limited or restricted services to current substance users, active members of the commercial sex trade, and transgender women (only post-op); children not allowed to stay on-site
  3. Connects survivors to employment opportunities, healthcare, mental health services, attorneys to help with legal services, etc.
  4. The Beacon: Emergency shelter, to be opened within 2-3 years that provides similar services to a broad group of survivors seeking shelter

 

  1. Adjournment

Next General Meeting will be April 25, 2018.