Fines and Fees Task Force Meeting Minutes February 16, 2017

Attendees:

Task Force Members Present:

Anne Stuhldreher (SF Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector), Dion Libutti (Community Housing Partnership), Scott Nelson (Coalition on Homelessness), Diana Hammons (MTA), Kendra Amick (Bay Area Legal Aid), Jim Whelly (HSA), Ruth Sappelt (Office of Economic and Workforce Development), Elisa Della-Piana (Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights), Tara Anderson (District Attorney’s Office), Carmen Aguirre (Public Defender’s Office), Lee Ann Hudson (Adult Probation)

Members of the Public:

Tanea Lunsford (SF Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector), Asher Waite-Jones (Legal Services for Children), Anna Arevalo (SF Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector), Christa Brown (SF Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector), Amanda Fried (SF Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector), Tara Agnese (SF Adult Probation Department), Sacha Steinberger (Project Legal Link), Erica Finkle (SF Mayor’s Office), Tara Agnese (SF Adult Probation),  Alexandra Bastien (PolicyLink), Tara Landstrom (Judicial Council), Martha Wright (Judicial Council), Jamie Austin (Tipping Point), Susie Smith (HSA), Mark Culkins (SF Superior Court), Janice Li (SF Bicycle Coalition), Amabel Akwa-Asare (OEWD), Shawnee Keck (Citibank)

1. Agenda Review and Approval

Amanda called the meeting to order at 3:00pm. She reviewed the agenda and background materials. The agenda was approved by Task Force Members. Updates and announcements were shared with Task Force members.

2. Group Agreements

Tanea reiterated the Group Agreements as best practices for ways of being together during Task Force meetings. No one added to the living document.

3. Transportation Related Fines and Fees

Group Updates/ Perspectives

• The following updates were given from stakeholder perspectives:
• Diana Hammons (Municipal Transportation Agency) presented on SFMTA’s Discount and Alternate Payment Programs.
• Kendra Amick (Bay Area Legal Aid) shared her experiences of working with low-income legal clients on transportation related citations.
• Asher Waite-Jones (Legal Services for Children) shared his experiences of working with youth and clients under 21 years old and the burden of fines and fees on low-income youth. 
• After these presentations, Task Force members discussed Potential Task Force Recommendations to reform Transportation Related fines and fees.

4. Ability to Pay

Group Updates/ Perspectives

• Elisa Della Piana (Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights) presented on the California landscape on Ability To Pay
• Martha Wright (Judicial Council) presented on The Price of Justice grant and efforts to create Ability To Pay Pilots across the state in Superior Courts.
• Beth Colgan (UCLA School of Law) joined us via phone to present on Day Fines and their trials in the United States context.
• Susie Smith (Human Services Agency) presented on the possibility of using benefits cards to prove Ability To Pay and streamlining verification of ability to pay payment/nonpayment.
• Erica Finkle (SF Mayor’s Office) presented on shared data agreements and their potential role in allowing departments to share information to determine Ability To Pay in San Francisco.

After these presentations, the Task Force discussed Potential Task Force Recommendations.

5. Public Comment

The public participated throughout agenda item discussions.

6. Closing

The meeting was adjourned at 5:00pm