1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES

Commission President Andrea Shorter called the meeting to order at 4:10 pm. She told the Commission that Saturday would be Women’s Equality Day. She spoke about some of the events focused on Women’s Equality Day for the weekend. President Shorter reminded the Commission that this is a time to look at how far we have come, to strengthen our networks and plan the way ahead.

She also spoke about the Patriot Prayer rally and that the Mayor had convened community leaders from throughout the City to discuss the community response to the rally that was scheduled for Saturday, August 26 at Crissy Field. She reported that Mayor Lee had asked that the public not engage with participants at that rally and, instead, find alternative events to attend. President Shorter invited everyone to attend a unity rally hosted by Mayor Edwin Lee on Friday, August 25, noon at the steps of City Hall. She announced that there would also be a peace and music festival at Civic Center Plaza on Saturday. She welcomed all to attend.

It was noted by Commission Secretary Herschell Larrick that on Agenda Item 5b General Elections, on the action item descriptions the wrong fiscal year is noted, that all 4 action items should be changed to Fiscal Year 2017-2018.

Action: To approve the meeting agenda as amended                                 m/s/c(Mesloh/Soo/Unanimous)

No Public Comment.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

No Public Comment.

Action: To approve draft minutes from June 28, 2017                          m/s/c(Philhour/Soo/Unanimous)

3. DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Dr. Emily Murase provided highlights of the Director's Report. She told the Commission that Grants Associate Elise Hansell traveled to Sacramento to testify in favor of SB785(Weiner); legislation protecting immigrant victims/witnesses from discussion of their immigration status. She spoke about Supervisor Farrell’s ordinance which would establish a City policy that at least 30% of public representations of nonfictional figures on City property (e.g., statues, buildings, and street names) be women. The proposal includes a provision that our Department report periodically to the Mayor regarding the proportion of women in each category. Dr. Murase reported that Commission Vice President Debbie Mesloh, Co-Chair of the Bay Area Women’s Summit 2018, organized a meeting with Department staff for idea generation for next year’s event. Dr. Murase informed the Commission of House Leader Nancy Pelosi’s press conference on Women’s Equality Day featuring Workplace Policy and Legislative Director Elizabeth Newman as a speaker. She described her experience of having the opportunity to focus on her new baby for 6 months that benefited not only her son, herself, but also her partner who is now on parental leave from his workplace.

President Shorter asked about Supervisor Farrell’s ordinance, and Kanishka Karunaratne, Supervisor Farrell’s legislative aide, answered Commissioner questions regarding the ordinance. President Shorter inquired on how many current statues of women are in the City. Ms. Karunaratne answered that there are 2 nonfictional statues of women out of 600 statues in the City, and that they are of Florence Nightingale and Diane Feinstein when she was Mayor. Ms. Karunaratne spoke about the importance of statues as a civic art form, noting that there is a serious lack of representation in statues as opposed to murals in which they figure more prominently.

No Public Comment.

4. CONSENT AGENDA

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

1. Resolution Recognizing Assistant District Attorney J. Michael Swart

President Shorter read the resolution honoring Assistant District Attorney J. Michael Swart who served as the prosecutor on the 2017 domestic violence homicide case against Lee Bell who was found guilty of murdering his estranged girlfriend Pearla Louis in 2010. President Shorter reported to the Commission that Mr. Swart’s skillful presentation of the facts that demonstrated Mr. Bell’s pattern of sustained and brutal violence persuaded a jury of the people to come to a verdict of murder in the first degree, bringing some measure of closure to Pearla Louis’ family after a 7-year wait since the tragic murder. President Shorter noted that some of Pearla Louis’ family attended the Commission meeting and the President requested a moment of silence to honor the family’s courage. President Shorter noted that the case offered key lessons on how San Francisco handles domestic violence homicides, including the importance of victim advocates who support the surviving family members throughout the trial proceedings and beyond. She affirmed that the Commission and Department will continue to focus efforts on ending domestic violence in San Francisco in partnership with the law enforcement agencies and community-based agencies and advocates.

Assistant District Attorney J. Michael Swart acknowledged the contributions of many people to the success of the case, including police officers, investigators, victim advocates, and, especially, the courageous desk clerk who came forward with critical testimony that contributed to the first degree murder conviction. He also recognized the critical support of his wife. He thanked the Commission for the recognition.

 

 

Public Comment:

1. Liz Aguilar-Tarchi, head of the Domestic Violence Unit at the District Attorney's Office, commended the work of ADA Swart and the victim advocate team. She committed to reviewing the elements of the case to further improve San Francisco's response to domestic violence.
2. District Attorney George Gascón thanked the Commission and the Domestic Violence Consortium for supporting the work of his office. He lauded the work of his team, especially ADA Swart and Aguilar-Tarchi.

2. Resolution Recognizing Victim/Survivor Advocates: Karima Baptiste, Delia Ginorio, Nancy Rock, Beverly Upton

President Shorter honored the victim-survivor advocate team composed of Karima Baptiste, Delia Ginorio, Nancy Rock, and Beverly Upton. She told the Commission that these four women supported the surviving family members throughout the trial proceedings and beyond. On behalf of the Commission, the President expressed deepest appreciation to each of them for extraordinary work of supporting the family of Pearla Louis so intensively for an extended period of time and making a significant difference in the lives of those most affected by the tragic murder.

Karima Baptiste thanked the Commission for the recognition. She spoke about the challenges of bringing justice to victims, earning the trust of the community, and acknowledged the support she received from her talented colleagues at the District's Attorney's Office.

Beverly Upton spoke about the honor of working with the family and said that they all learned so much.

Suzy Loftus of the Sheriff's Department accepted the honor on behalf of Delia Ginorio. Ms. Loftus spoke of the tremendous contributions of the victim-survivor advocate team.

No Public Comment.

3. Resolution Recognizing Rosie Rios

President Shorter read the resolution for former U.S. Treasurer Rosie Rios, who, as Treasurer, initiated a campaign that led to the announcement that, on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote in 2020, former slave turned legendary abolitionist Harriet Tubman will appear on the $20 bill. President Shorter also said that the Commission wanted to give Ms. Rios thanks for organizing the “Empowerment 2020 San Francisco Count Up Conference,” an historic gathering for women, girls, and their allies, taking place on Saturday, August 26, 2017 in partnership with the City & County of San Francisco to mark the 2017 Women’s Equality Day. The Commission expressed its appreciation to Rosie Rios for her extraordinary work advancing the stories of leading women who might otherwise be forgotten and wished her every success in fulfilling her vision of Empowerment 2020.

Rosie Rios thanked the Commission for the recognition. She told the Commission that she is a local person who was born and raised in Hayward, California. She spoke about her vision of a truly equitable world. Ms. Rios explained that out of the top 10 U.S. cities, including Houston, Washington DC, and San Francisco, there is not a single statue of a real woman in the city center. She stressed that the “Statue” effort is so important. She highlighted that the percentage of women has flatlined at 20% on corporate boards and in Congress. She noted that August 26, 2020 is the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the women's right to vote. She invited everyone to attend the Empowerment 2020 Count Up Conference for the empowerment of women and girls.

Commissioner Breanna Zwart stated that she had the opportunity to work with Rosie Rios in the Obama Administration Department of the Treasury where Rios was an inspiring mentor.

Public Comment:

1. Kanishka Karunaratne, Legislative Aide to Supervisor Mark Farrell, told the Commission that she and her colleague Margaux Kelly, also a Legislative Aide to Supervisor Mark Farrell, have been working with Rosie Rios on the representation in public spaces legislation.
2. Linda Calhoun, Founder of CareerGirls.org and President of the Friends of Commission on the Status of Women, expressed her appreciation for Rosie Rios’ tremendous dedication to lifting up women and women in history.

5. NEW BUSINESS

1. Key Issues in Domestic Violence in San Francisco

Beverly Upton of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium introduced her co-presenters: Emberly Cross of the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, Saara Ahmed of the Asian Women's Shelter, Mari McKeever of the Justice & and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco, Yulanda Kwong of Cameron House, and Arathi Vasan of the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach.

Before her formal remarks, Ms. Ahmed shared that the Asian Women's Shelter will be honoring the children of Pearla Lewis at a gala on September 9. She indicated that the top 2 issues her agency faces are language access and housing that is safe and affordable. Ms. Ahmed recounted a case where a child was inappropriately used as an interpreter in a domestic violence case. She also commented on the impact of anti-immigration sentiment on the children housed at the Asian Women's Shelter.

Ms. Cross distinguished the treatment of domestic violence in the criminal-legal system vs. the civil-legal system. Ms. Cross told the Commission that after a long battle by victim/survivor advocates, domestic violence restraining orders were established in 1978 and the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic was launched in 1984. She pointed out that while housing and job protections have expanded, it has become increasingly difficult to get victim protections. Ms. Cross informed the Commission that the court system cut CROC's funding by $60,000. She said that this budget cut will mean longer uncompensated hours for staff.

Ms. McKeever who directs the pro-bono program of the Bar Association of San Francisco, discussed the complex challenges of victim/survivors of domestic violence who, in the civil-legal system, are not entitled to representation by an attorney. As an example, she said that if a perpetrator with an attorney files a modification on a custody case, the victim/survivor without an attorney is at a severe disadvantage.

Ms. Kwong provided an overview of the 143-year-old non-profit Cameron House. She reported that the agency offers a variety of non-residential programs, and said that through these programs, participants often come forward with stories of domestic violence. Ms. Kwong explained that the agency's ability to foster deep and lasting client relationships has led to its crucial role of connecting clients to social services.

Commissioners discussed the presentation with the speakers, and expressed interest in gaining an ever greater understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence at a separate time.

No Public Comment.

2. General Elections:

Action: To nominate a Breanna Zwart as Vice-President for FY 2017 – 2018

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

Action: To nominate a Debbie Mesloh as President for FY 2017 – 2018 

m/s/c (Shorter/Schwab-Pomerantz/Unanimous)

Action: To elect a Breanna Zwart as Vice-President for FY 2017 – 2018
and to elect a Debbie Mesloh as President for FY 2017 – 2018.

m/s/c (Philhour/Schwab-Pomerantz/Unanimous)

Public Comment:

1. Linda Calhoun, President of the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women, thanked President Shorter for her tremendous service and congratulated Vice President Debbie Mesloh on her election as President.

6. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

Commissioner Soo read the poem “Women” by William Golding.

On behalf of the Commission, Vice President Mesloh presented President Shorter with a bouquet of flowers in appreciation for her leadership and service to the Commission.

Public Comment:

1. Roberta Guise, Founder of FemResources, announced that the Women's Intercultural Network is hosting a Women's Equality Day conference on Saturday, August 24 from 4 - 7 pm at the African American Art & Culture Complex.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Action: To adjourn the meeting.                                                    m/s/c (Soo/Schwab-Pomerantz/Unanimous)

Meeting Adjourned at 6:23 pm

Meeting adjourned in memory of:

The mother of Vice President Debbie Mesloh Johanna Thomsen Mesloh and for all mothers. Vice President Mesloh told the Commission that her mother, a native of Wyoming, always reminded people that Wyoming was the first territory to adopt the 19th Amendment and had the first woman governor in the country.

Mariam Mirzakhani, first woman to win the Fields Medal, the top honor in mathematics awarded to individuals under the age of 40 at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union that meets once every 4 years.

Marina Ratner, UC Berkeley mathematician.

Marian Diamond, brain researcher at UC Berkeley, UCSF

Heather Heyer, paralegal and activist, who was killed by a driver who intentionally drove a car into counter-protestors for the August 12 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA.