1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES

President Debbie Mesloh called the meeting to order at 4:21 pm. President Mesloh excused the absences of Vice President Breanna Zwart, Commissioner Meena Harris, and Commissioner Marjan Philhour.

President Mesloh acknowledged that June was both LGBTQ Pride Month, and Elder Abuse Awareness Month.

President Mesloh announced that the regular Commission meeting on Wednesday, July 25 was canceled, and that instead there will be a Strategic Planning meeting on Tuesday, July 17 from 2 – 5 pm at the Sunnyside Conservatory at 236 Monterey Blvd.

No changes to agenda.

Action: To approve agenda                                                            m/s/c(Schwab-Pomerantz/Soo/Unanimous)

No Public Comment.

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

No Changes to minutes.

Action: To approve draft minutes from May 23, 2018 Commission meeting
m/s/c(Schwab-Pomerantz/Shorter/Unanimous)

No Public Comment.

 

3. DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Dr. Emily Murase provided highlights of the Director's Report.

(See document: DOSW Directors Report 6 28 2018 FINAL)

No Public Comment.

4. CONSENT AGENDA

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

1. Resolution Recognizing Dixie Horning

For LGBTQ Pride Month, Commissioner Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz presented the resolution for Dixie Horning. (See document: Resolution Dixie Horning 062718).

Dixie Horning thanked the Commission for honoring her for a career and work that she loves.

Public Comment:

1. Baylee DeCastro, a member of the leadership team of the UCSF Child Heath Equity Institute, explained that she first met Ms. Horning when she was a headstrong teenager participating in the Young Women's Health Leadership Summit. Since that time, she said that Ms. Horning has served as a leader and friend who has played a critical role for her mentorship.
2. Judy Young, Executive Director of the UCSF National Center for Excellence in Women's Health, stated that Ms. Horning has mentored many people to "be their best selves." Ms. Young told the Commission that Ms. Horning is a recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Public Service, and Ms. Horning has been recognized widely for her many contributions. Ms. Young considers Ms. Horning to be a "candle" who brings light to everyone she meets.

Commissioner Soo thanked Ms. Horning for her leadership on health issues. Commissioner Shorter recounted Ms. Horning's pioneering work to serve the health needs of lesbians.

2. Resolution Recognizing Denise Schmitt

In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, President Mesloh read the resolution for Deputy Police Chief Denise Schmitt. (See document: Resolution Denise Schmitt 062718)

President Mesloh recognized members of Deputy Chief Schmitt's family, her mother, her son, and her wife who were in the audience.

Deputy Chief Schmitt thanked the Commission for the recognition. She acknowledged the role of her mother who moved to San Francisco after completing a nursing degree and has been a lifelong role model. She also thanked her wife Sandy Tong, a retired Police Commander, for her steadfast support, and recognized her colleagues in the audience for their tremendous support. Deputy Chief Schmitt thanked the women and men of the Police Department and stated that San Francisco had the best police force in the country.

Public Comment:

1. Deputy Chief Michael Redmond stated that Deputy Chief Schmitt is the most senior member of the Police Chief's command staff and has the distinction of having served in each of the positions possible on the command staff. He expressed appreciation for the coaching he received from her when he first joined the command staff.
2. Police Sergeant Tracy McCray stated that she has known the Deputy Chief since high school and that the Deputy Chief has always been a role model for her. Sgt. McCray said she has watched Deputy Chief Schmitt move through the ranks of the Police Department with exceptional grace, so that she is universally respected and loved.
3. Police Sergeant Rachael Kilshaw thanked the Commission for recognizing Deputy Chief Schmitt. She spoke about the Deputy Chief's commitment to her colleagues at the Police Department and the tremendous amount of mentoring she has conducted with junior officers over her long career with the Police Department.

Commissioner Andrea Shorter recognized the many contributions of Deputy Chief Schmitt that have paved the way for women coming up through the ranks. President Mesloh acknowledged the Deputy Chief's wife Sandy Tong, the first captain of Domestic Violence Unit, now retired. Commissioner Soo thanked Deputy Chief Schmitt for using kindness a way of treating people. Dr. Murase thanked Deputy Chief Schmitt for her leadership, and announced that she is very excited to be working with Police Chief William Scott on a gender analysis of sworn women officers.

3. Resolution Recognizing Teresa Ewins

Also for LGBTQ Pride Month, President Mesloh read the resolution for Commander Teresa Ewins of the San Francisco Police Department’s Municipal Transportation Task Force. (See document: Resolution Teresa Ewins 062718)

Commander Ewins thanked the Commission for the resolution, and she thanked all the women who came before her. She relayed a story of when at the beginning of her career, her first working partner was Deputy Chief Schmitt and the many lessons she learned through that partnership.

Public Comment:

1. Deputy Chief Michael Redmond stated that Commander Ewins served as a lieutenant when he was Captain of Southern Station. He reported that Commander Ewins brought leadership to the Tenderloin Station when she became its Captain.
2. Former Treasurer and Supervisor Susan Leal thanked the Commission for shining a light on all three of these accomplished women doing extraordinary work. She stated that the recognitions of exceptional women were a welcome relief from the challenging news at the national level.
3. Police Sergeant Tracy McCray stated that she worked with Commander Ewins at the Bayview Station. She expressed her admiration for the Commander’s tenacity and skill when taking on challenges.
4. Police Sergeant Rachael Kilshaw thanked Commander Ewins for her thoughtful leadership and for being a great role model.
5. Deputy Police Chief Denise Schmitt stated that she learned a great deal when she and Commander Ewins were partners. She discussed the Commander's numerous skills, and recounted a meeting with the LGBT community on hate crimes where Commander Ewins demonstrated exceptional leadership. Deputy Chief Schmitt spoke about the Commander’s leadership as Captain of the Tenderloin Station in organizing officers for the first National Night Out to bring the community together

Commissioner Julie Soo recognized Commander Ewin's work at the Tenderloin Station. Commissioner Schwab-Pomerantz commented that she was thoroughly impressed with the meeting's honorees and thanked them for their tremendous work in the community. Commissioner Shorter stated that the Commission was recognizing Commander Ewins on the occasion of LGBTQ Pride Month for her leadership. Dr. Murase expressed her appreciation for the hard-working women and men of the Police Department who ensured a safe Pride Parade that attracted over 2 million people on Sunday.

4.  

(No presentation)

No Public Comment.

5. NEW BUSINESS

1. Girl’s Report

MSW Public Policy Fellow Galina Yudovich presented the 2018 Update on Girls in San Francisco: Resiliency in a Changing City. She was joined by Alezandra Melendrez, Director of Research & Policy at Young Women's Freedom Center.

Ms. Yudovich stated that the original Girl’s Report was published in 2003, and the version before the current one was published in 2012. She informed the Commission that a new section titled “Housing” has been added, and that this version is different in that it includes interviews with community leaders who work with girls. Ms. Yudovich thanked the people and organizations who collaborated on this report, especially the Young Women's Freedom Center and the Alliance for Girls Young Women’s Initiative which connected Ms. Yudovich to Mission Girls and Oasis for Girls. Ms. Yudovich outlined the strengths and challenges of the report. She projected the demographic data onto city areas. She also said that the report focuses on the most marginalized youth in the city, and that by leveraging resources for that group, all girls will be supported.

Ms. Melendrez discussed her work in the context of the report.

Ms. Yudovich listed these recommendations:

1. Housing for foster families
2. Eviction protection policies for families
3. Bilingual, culturally responsive, affordable mental health services
4. CBO service expansion, collaborations
5. Universal legal representation for asylees
6. Support girls facing immigration status challenges
7. Engage girls as stakeholders
8. Collect intersectional data.

Commissioner Soo suggested looking at how non-profits that serve girls are also affected by the rent increases. Commissioner Schwab-Pomerantz said that she appreciated the details and the snap shots of the presentation. Commissioner Shorter shared insights with Ms. Yudovich from the Commissioner’s past involvement with working on girls issues.

No Public Comment.

2. Community Needs Assessment Presentation

Dr. Annie Isabel Fukushima, the project's Principal Investigator, presented the findings from the San Francisco Violence Against Women Community Needs Assessment. Dr. Fukushima stated that she was part of a three person team and that they worked with 32 organizations through interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Dr. Fukushima reported the following seven recommendations made with regards to intervention, prevention, and policy as outcomes of the Community Needs Assessment:

1. Increase economic resources to grow existing intervention & advocacy efforts
2. Increase economic resources to grow housing support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking
3. Increase resources to innovate crisis-line services to adapt in technology
4. Increase resources to implement a Trauma Informed Systems Approach in all VAW Programs
5. Increase resources in prevention, education and awareness in high incident report neighborhoods and fund prevention efforts
6. Advocate for new policies that will lead to an investment in alternatives to justice system responses to violence
7. Continue to strengthen partnerships with the court system, educators, housing, law enforcement, medical services, and the private sectors, as a means to improve services and support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking.

President Mesloh invited Dr. Fukushima to return in the Fall to a future Commission meeting and present the final report.

Public Comment:

1. Emberly Cross of the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, stated that in light of these recommendations, Beverly Upton was at that moment in the Budget hearing attempting to increase the City’s funding allocation for Violence Against Women service providers.

6. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

Public Comment:

1. Faye Mellos, Senior Vice President of The Mellos Group at Morgan Stanley, and is on the Board of Directors at the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women, gave a brief overview of the Friends of the Commission on the Status of Women’s project 20,000 Women by 2020 which is a collaboration with AAUW to train women on salary negotiations. She reported that Morgan Stanley provided seed money of $10,000 to help jump start the program, which will help fund 20 workshops.

7. ADJOURNMENT

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

Meeting Adjourned at 6:34 pm