1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES                                    

President Andrea Shorter called the meeting to order at 3:15 pm.
She explained that Commissioner Breanna Zwart was traveling for work, and asked that she be excused.

Action: To excuse Commissioner Zwart.                                                   m/s/c (Soo/Mesloh/Unanimous)

Action: To reorder the agenda to move up items 3B, 6A, and 5.                  m/s/c (Kirshner-

Rodriguez/Mesloh/Unanimous)

Action: To approve the meeting agenda.                                                    m/s/c (Shorter/Mesloh/Unanimous)

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES                                                                    

Commissioner Soo corrected the minutes to reflect Sarah Choy’s proper designation.

Action: To approve minutes from August 26, 2015.                                    m/s/c (Shorter/Mesloh/Unanimous)

3. NEW BUSINESS                                                                        

2. Violence Against Women Prevention & Intervention Grants Program Funding for October 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 and July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017                   

Associate Director Carol Sacco presented the proposed Violence Against Women Prevention & Intervention Grant Program funding for October 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 and July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 for prevention and education services targeting Filipina and LGBT domestic violence survivors.

Action: To approve the funding of Violence Against Women Prevention & Intervention Grants Program to selected applicants for October 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 and July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. 

m/s/c (Soo/Mesloh/Unanimous)

6. OLD BUSINESS

1. Family Violence Council Report                                             

Women’s Policy Director Minouche Kandel presented the final FY2014 Family Violence Council Report for approval. Ms. Kandel provided an overview of the report's recommendations which were approved on September 2 by the Family Violence Council. Discussion focused on comparative data with other jurisdictions in California.

Action: To approve the FY2014 Family Violence Council Report.                                       m/s/c (Soo/Kirshner-

Rodriguez /Unanimous)

5. CONSENT AGENDA                                                                  

Action:  To approve the Consent Agenda.                                                   m/s/c (Shorter/Mesloh/Unanimous)

1. Resolution Recognizing Susan Gard for Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Ms. Gard thanked the Commission for the recognition and she expressed her appreciation for the role of Minouche Kandel in establishing this program. Commissioners thanked Ms. Gard for her dedicated service to the City and County of San Francisco.

2. Resolution Recognizing Nancy Goldberg

Ms. Goldberg expressed appreciation for the recognition. She acknowledged the efforts of the Commissioners and others present at this meeting for their contributions to furthering the awareness of human trafficking. The Commissioners recognized Ms. Goldberg’s dedication and perseverance in combatting human trafficking.

Antonia Lavine of the National Council of Jewish Women and SFCAHT thanked Commissioners for recognizing Ms. Goldberg and their work on this issue.

Carletta Jackson-Lane of the Sojourner Truth Foster Family Service Agency expressed gratitude for Ms. Goldberg’s leadership.

III. NEW BUSINESS CONTINUED

1. Proposed Resolution on Comfort Women                           

President Andrea Shorter gave remarks on the resilience of women from many backgrounds (African American, Native American) who have endured adversity. She stated that she was looking forward to hearing about the experiences of our Asian sisters.

She welcomed Victor Lim, Legislative Aide to Supervisor Eric Mar, who delivered remarks on behalf of Supervisor Mar who had a family emergency to attend to. Mr. Lim explained that an estimated 200,000 women and young girls were kidnapped and forced into sexual slavery during World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army. He stated that his office is working with a growing coalition of community leaders and that the goal is to erect a memorial on public property.

Mr. Lim introduced Ms. Yong Soo Lee, a "comfort women" survivor from Korea who was the first to bring global attention to the kidnapping and sexual abuse of women by the Japanese Imperial Army. She was kidnapped from her home and taken to Taiwan, to a "comfort station" serving Japanese kamikaze pilots. She survived electric shocks and knife wounds she suffered for refusing to work. At 88 years old, she is among 48 survivors in Korea. She has come to the US to share her story of the atrocities committed by the Japanese military during World War II. She has become an advocate so that other women would never have to suffer in the same way again. President Shorter thanked Ms. Lee for her powerful testimony.

Public Comment

1.      Caryl Ito, former Women's Commissioner and President of the Commission, expressed surprise that Supervisor Mar did not consult with Japanese American leaders about the resolution, leaders such as Sandy Mori and Steve Nakajo. There is concern that the memorial will lead to divisiveness, not healing. Ms. Ito submitted to the Commission amendments to the resolution proposed by Supervisor Wiener.

2.      David Monkawa of Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress from Los Angeles talked about the struggle for reparations for the Korean comfort women. He discussed the opposition to the current monument located in Glendale (near Los Angeles). In response to the concern that there will be a backlash to the Japanese and Japanese American communities, and he said this was not an issue when the comfort women monument was erected in Glendale.

3.      Judge Lillian Sing, the first Asian American woman judge in Northern California, explained that she retired as of yesterday, following 32 years of work as a judge. She was representing the Rape of Nanjing Redress Coalition and expressed disappointed at the Commission for not taking a position on this important issue.

4.      Michael Wong of Veterans for Peace of San Francisco asked the Commission to stand up for the Korean comfort women. He emphasized the need to speak the truth.

5.      Judge (ret.) Julie Tang expressed disappointment that the Commission has not taken a position on this issue. She stated that apologies should be defined by the victims. She urged support of the resolution as written, without amendment.

6.      Nancy M. Lee stated that San Francisco stands for fairness. She urged the Commission to remember history. She expressed support for the memorial.

7.      Judith Mirkinson of the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom. Expressed shock that the Commission has not taken a position on this issue. She explained that the comfort women broke the silence around sex trafficking, and she urged support for the memorial.

8.      Kathy Masaoka, Co-Chair of the Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress of Los Angeles, explained that NCRR supported the Glendale monument and expressed support for the memorial to help educate others around issues of sex slavery.

9.      Miho Kim Lee of the Japan Multicultural Relief Fund said she represents 20 organizations, some of which are located in Japan. She explained that her grandfather was forced to work in southern Japan and that as a person of Korean descent, she was not entitled to education in Japan.

10.   Joe Tomsick read a statement by Dr. Rachel Pfeffer, who could not attend the meeting. Dr. Pfeffer emphasized "moral courage" and urged support for the memorial. 

Dr. Murase suggested that the community could tie the comfort women issue to modern day slavery with a living memorial, a shelter for human trafficking survivors. Commissioner Soo thanked the public for sharing their comments on the matter and expressed support for the resolution. Commissioner Kirshner-Rodriguez stated that she supports the comfort women. President Andrea Shorter urged the audience to think broadly about the issue.

VIII. ADJOURNMENT                                                                      

Action: To adjourn the meeting at 5:05 pm.                                                      m/s/c (Soo/Shorter/Unanimous)

Due to time limitations, the Executive Director’s Report and General Public Comment were not taken up by the Commission.