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Meeting Information



Full_Commission

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MINUTES OF MAY 13, 2003  SPECIAL MEETING of the of the JUVENILE PROBATION COMMISSION

held at City Hall   Room  82  1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place   San Francisco, CA   94102

The Minutes of this meeting set forth all actions taken by the Commission on the matters stated, but not necessarily the chronological sequence in which the matters were taken up

1.

(ACTION)  Roll Call

The Chair called the meeting to order at 5:45 pm.  Comms. Chuck, Bonilla, Hale were present at the gavel. Comms. Ricci and Connolly arrived at 5:41 pm.  Comm. Richard at 5:54 pm.

 

2.

(DISCUSSION) Public Comment on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Juvenile

Probation Commission.

There was none

 

3.

(ACTION) Review and possible action on proposed process for the selection of the Chief Probation Officer

Comm. Hale reviewed what was recommended at the Ad Hoc Comm.

1) the Dept will issue a notice requesting a resume, cover letter and a max of 10 pp of supporting documents to be delivered to the JPC office by May 23, 5 pm.

2) they will be date/time stamped, and interviews will be set up thereafter.

3) the interviews would be handled in closed session. Comm. Hale will come up with a set of questions that all candidates will be asked.  Specific questions will be selected while in closed session, so no one can know them before hand.

4) while there isn’t a Masters requirement, there is a BA requirement in the job description.

5) The notice will include a copy of the job description.

Comm Bonilla asked if the announcement had already been posted.  Ans: no, it is ready for posting by tomorrow, noon,

Comm Bonilla asked if copies of that were available at the meeting.  Ans:  no.  Comm. Bonilla asked for a copy.  Comm. Hale said it was pretty standard, describing the deadline, the job description with salary range, and who and where to send the application to, what documents to submit.  The Dept mentioned various places in the Dept the announcement will be posted.

Comm. Hale reviewed that the public had expressed a desire to participate in the selection process.  He said that by Charter, the Commission is responsible for making the recommendation to the Mayor, and that required some confidentiality.  They are protected by way of their ”commissionship”, but members of the public would not be, so because of that, there could not be a joint public/commission selection/interview committee.  But it was described that the Commission knows the Mayor will be here for 6 mos, and that this position will be active for 6 mos. but that in contemplation of a full on search, should that take place, just as they did in the search that brought the current Chief, included a community component where the candidates would meet with the community. 

Comm Bonilla asked if the list of candidates could be released to the community so they could set up their process to review them?  Comm Hale said that was very possible. 

Comm. Bonilla encouraged the community to set up their own process (town hall meetings, etc.) so their input can be included in the Commission’s deliberations.

Comm Dupre asked for a clarification of what he was asking

Comm. Bonilla said that he would like the community to go through their process and keep him updated via communications with the Commission Secretary, so he could respond if need be.

Comm Dupre reviewed that the Commission could not direct the community in forming any review body. He asked if the community provider’s group would be taking that initiative.

Comm. Connolly was asked to review the timeline of the process again.   He did so.

 

(public comments)

Ray Balberan, Prog Director of Calles.  He stated that it was a slap in the face of the community to not be allowed a part in the process of selecting the Chief.  He reminded them that the community made their existence possible, and that it was their responsibility to help the community develop a process to bring on a new chief.

Norbert Taylor, PO, a 32 yr Dept veteran.  He gave his support to Lonnie Holmes’s application for the Chief’s position, and said that many of his colleagues felt the same.

Fia Valentino, of the Office of Samoan Affairs, asked the Commission to seriously consider someone who has a great familiarity with the community, and families and what they need.

N. Taylor, expressed his disbelief that in many past efforts to hire a Chief, no one local could be found that had the skills and qualities to fill this position.

Instituto Familiar de La Raza repeated her concerns from the previous meeting that the community wanted to be a part of the process, and is disappointed to hear now that that can’t happen jointly.  She threw her support of Lonnie Holmes for the position.

Comm. Dupre stated that it is not out of rudeness that the Commission doesn’t respond to questions, but under the Sunshine Ordinance that governs them, to allow the public to make comments while they attentively listen.

Comm. Hale commented that he understood the desire of those who wanted to participate, and there is a way, just not a voting position.  The question is, what is the level of trust. He said the way is what Comm Bonilla stated. The Commission will make available the names of those candidates,  (this was done in the past).  It’ll be up to the community how they want to deal with those candidates.  Comm Hale said he was counting on his relationship with the community. But politics aside. Those who want to be political, he couldn’t “give a damn”.  For those who are sincere and want to provide information about who they think is the top candidate, so be it, and he will rest on his actions in terms of trying to make the dept a better one.   The process here will work because the Commission has made it a point to make sure there is input from the community.

Comm. Connolly asked the community to indulge the Commission due to the tight timelines necessary.  He encouraged them to keep attending, giving input, encouraging who they think is qualified to apply.  This is not a national search; it is targeting employees in-house, in the Dept, or within the City and County of San Francisco. 

Comm. Richard asked for specifics of how the community could be involved.

Comm Hale said that the last time around there were 3 or 4 candidates so the community set up interviews with them.   The community knows the timeline, they can now set up when they want to see the candidates, and the candidates can be told of those times.

He said that he knows some of those responsible for the Local Action Plan were involved in the interviewing of this Chief.

Question: what would be the process for the announcement of the decision.  Comm Hale projected a scenario: review applicants, set up interview schedules, (at least 4 hrs per applicant), likewise the community sets up their interviews and candidates will be encouraged to go to those, [Comm. Bonilla asked how that input will be taken in, through public comment? An Ad Hoc agenda item?  How will it be incorporated?

Comm Hale said that this the system that was designed, if “we” don’t respond… if “I go right, and everybody’s saying left, I’m going to get slammed.”  As long as the Commission provides “them” with input, he said he was relying on their goodwill, their relationship. “We’ve tried to respond, to be responsive, but the process does not allow them going into the closed session.” 

Comm. Bonilla clarified that he was interested in hearing how the community’s opinion would be considered and incorporated into the Commission’s actions, elevating their input to meaning more than just listening to them in public comment.

Comm Hale said it could be a letter of recommendation; it could be public comment, individual lobbying.  He said that Comm. Connolly said it correctly. Here, ultimately the Mayor will make the decision.  So everyone has to exercise his or her rights to impact that decision especially at that level (the Mayor).

Comm Richard said that whatever the community does, it needs to be a fair process.  He thought the letter of recommendation would be a good option.

Comm Dupre said that there is a time constraint.  All those things talked about previously, the community going through their own process to review the candidates, the options stated by Comm. Hale, were still available?

Comm. Hale said he was not impressed by individuals who come to him talking about they are from the community, “I’m a black man, I’m a Latino”, he doesn’t care what their ethnicity is.  He’s looking for demonstrated commitment. This position is the highest-level administrator of juvenile justice in the city. He wants to see someone who has a demonstrated commitment to this work and not someone who just comes in, and this is what he’s heard, and it’s laughable, “I grew up here”.  He pointed out that the last two Chiefs, Rudy and Ed Flowers were both home grown, and we still had problems.  The community wants to look at the individual to see if they have community ties.  But he wants to make it clear “that just because you’re black, or you belong to certain organizations that I might belong to, that buys you no favors, whatsoever.”

Comm Ricci said that it is very important to get the public’s opinion during this process, regarding the candidate they may support.  She felt that it is critical to have that in order to develop an agency that will work best for the community.

Comm Hale said that members of the community and/or the Commission felt that if at the end of the process it there was dissatisfaction with how it was done, “we’re” not bound by making the decision. It would be good to try and transition into a new Chief while Chief Williams is here, but if it needs to be extended or re done, it can be done right.  “Folks just have too many conspiracy theories going on.  If we’re going to get it right, we’ll get it right.   We got Log Cabin right, and people thought we were conspiring to close it but we figured out a way.  We’ll figure out a way to make sure that the community has input. Again, those who are sincere about protecting our kids, not those who are talking about protecting their jobs. The political agendas.  And I see two people I know who are speaking from the heart, and a third one I know is speaking from the heart, and I know another one who is interested and here because he believes he can offer this department an application that we will be impressed by, but the rest, (chuckle) and I’m telling you, I call it as I see it, and I’m gonna tell you again and again, because it works both ways, I’m not going to sit here and just take comments and crap from folks. That’s over.”

Comm Ricci asked that the process to be followed be written and presented at the full Commission so it clear to everyone what is going to happen, including the interview questions.

She felt that the questions should have the input of every commissioner, since the way one commissioner may phrase the question may not be the way another commissioner would.

She felt that this should be handled in the most professional manner, both in language and conduct of the Commissioners.  As representatives of the present  Mayor, and future Mayor, they should set the example for Commissioners. 

Her opinion was that the main goal is have someone who will serve the needs of the children /youth of SF, and bring accountability to the Dept.  If she has this outline summary in front of her, she’ll be better able to digest it and make a decision later.

Connolly summarized:  the job description for the position is not being created; it already exists and is being included in the notice.  The set of questions being created that will be used with every candidate, will be kept confidential, upon advice from City Attorney, because they are personnel issues and only discussed in closed session. No candidate should have prior knowledge of those questions, and thus have an unfair advantage.  Comm Hale was asked to draft the questions, and Comm. Chuck asked to be allowed to add input.  Comm Connolly said that input would be allowed from all commissioners.

Comm Hale said the questions are pretty standard.  He will discuss with each commissioner and show them a copy of the questions. He wants them to begin thinking of areas of the job and questions that ought to be asked.  On the day they convene for interviews, they will then select the particular questions to be asked. 

Comm. Richard asked what would happen to the position of Asst. Chief.

Comm Hale said that it was for the Chief to hire that position.

Comm Bonilla asked if there were copies of the questions used in the prior hiring of the Chief (Williams). Ans: no.  Comm Hale said the circumstance then was a new Mayor, the mandate of the Local Action Plan, which demanded a certain individual.  Now there’s the JDAI, the replacement project.  A different environment so that those questions may not be relevant to this time.

Comm. Connolly moved to approve the outline proposed by the Ad Hoc Comm for the selection of a new Chief Probation Officer.  Comm Bonilla 2nd.  The question was called and upon voice vote, carried  7-0.

 

4.

(public comment on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Juvenile Probation Commission.)

Ed Williams questioned Comm. Hale’s integrity vis a vis his comments about trust. He said Comm. Hale presents himself in a very unprofessional way, having racial overtones to his comments. He asked Hale to resign from this and all commissions, having violated ethics by controlling $1.2 mil of the YMCA. Williams referred to the files he has made with various bodies that clearly state this and other issues.  Williams asked how the Commission would respond to the documents he left with them the last time.

He also offered more documents to the Commission related to those previous charges.

He asked the Commission to investigate the charges and get back to him.

 

5.

(ACTION) Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:45 pm.