2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 Ed Evans, Chair
Vincent Behan
Norma Block
Elizabeth Grigsby
Michael Kwok
August Longo
Denise Senhaux
Mayor's Disability Council
Minutes
21 March 2003
1:15 p.m.
1 ROLL CALL
Mayor's Disability Council Members Present: Vincent Behan, Ed Evans, Elizabeth Grigsby, Denise Senhaux. Quorum present.
Excused Absent: Norma Block, Michael Kwok
Absent: August Longo
Mayor's Office on Disability: Walter Park, Director; Ken Stein, Program Administrator and
Josie J. Lee, Acting Council Clerk.
Chair, Ed Evans called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. The Council Members send their deepest condolences to any military personnel that may have been injured or killed in the latest action on the war with Iraq.
2 APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda of the March 21, 2003 Mayor's Disability Council (MDC) meeting was approved.
3 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
The minutes from the meeting of February 21, 2003 were approved.
4 PUBLIC COMMENT
· Orchid Visuni, Assistant for Deaf Services at the San Francisco Public Library
commented that the Deaf Community has just begun to use a wireless email pager system to alert the community should there be a war or an earthquake. Currently, deaf people cannot hear the sirens in an emergency situation. She recommends the City install a wireless pager system.
Walter Park, Director of MOD responded that MOD would confer with the Office of Emergency Services on the type of notification system that could be implemented.
5 REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
Chair Ed Evans reported that a letter has been written to Mayor Willie Brown concerning the State and Federal budget as it affects the people with disabilities in San Francisco.
Chair Ed Evans will meet with Michael Burns, Director of Municipal Transportation Authority on Tuesday to discuss issues relating to disabled persons and funding for disabled activities in San Francisco.
6 REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR
Walter Park reported on the following:
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- MOD has been contacted by attorneys representing people with disabilities who have been cited or arrested, regarding what is being done to meet the needs of people with disabilities who are being cited or arrested. The San Francisco Police Department spent a great deal of time preparing for disability rights demonstrations that occurred in San Francisco during October, 2001, therefore are well prepared in accommodating people with disabilities.
- MOD communicated with Sargeant Mike Sullivan, ADA Coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department who provides accessible paratransit paddy wagons to the accessible detention site located at Pier 27. There is water, oxygen, accessible telephones and a TTY set up at the site. Service animals will be kept with the owner of the animal. Wheelchairs will also be kept with the person cited or detained.
- The Asian Art Museum opened on March 20, 2003. MOD has conducted architectural reviews during March and has issued a temporary certificate of occupancy and approved it for issuance by the Department of Building Inspection. MOD will work with the Asian Art Museum to clean up any remaining punch list items.
- MOD and Chair Ed Evans attended an inspection at Union Square.
- MOD is preparing recommendations on the Transition Plan for 2004. Authorization of curb ramps will be the first priority in implementing the transition plan. MOD is in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Public Works.
- MOD's assistive technology project on the accessible information kiosk in City Hall is set to open during the fall of 2003.
- MOD met with the ADA Coordinator from Seattle, Washington's County Government and noted that Seattle experiences the same problems and implements the same solutions as San Francisco. Seattle has some of the best documentation process in terms of grievance procedures and other types of policies.
- On behalf of Mayor Willie Brown, MOD welcomed The National Association of ADA Coordinators last week while they were visiting San Francisco. A reception will be planned for them at City Hall when they return to visit next year.
7 COMMITTEE REPORTS
REPORT FROM THE PROGRAMMATIC ACCESS COMMITTEE
Harry Mar, Chair of the Programmatic Access Committee reported that the Programmatic Access Committee met on Friday, March 7, 2003.
The meeting focused on website accessibility with Barbara Wenger and Tania Temkin from the UCSF Statistics Center (a federally funded rehabilitation research and training center with a focus on disability, statistical information) presenting an overview of the Center's activities. The Center provides general information and referral, technical assistance on disability statistics and have prepared numerous reports and abstracts for the community. The Center wants to be more of a resource to the disabled community by researching information needed to make a website accessible.
Information and suggestions on website appearance, navigation and website content offered by the committee were well received by the UCSF Statistics Center.
Chair Harry Mar would like to thank Ken Stein, MOD Program Administrator for arranging this meeting.
The next meeting is scheduled on Friday, April 4, 2003 at the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind, from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM.
REPORT FROM THE EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE
Walter Park reported for Richard Rothman that the Department of Human Resources has appointed a new person to attend the Employment Committee Meeting. The Committee has worked with the Department of Human Resources to create a new system for Rule 115 hiring. The City has frozen hiring due to the budget and will not be using the system for now.
The next meeting is scheduled on Friday, April 11, 2003, City Hall, Room 421 from
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
REPORT FROM THE PHYSICAL ACCESS COMMITTEE
Ed Evans, Chair of the Physical Access Committee reported that the Physical Access Committee met on Wednesday, March 19, 2003.
Discussion on issues and complaints related to the Department of Building Inspection included:
o Octavia Boulevard Project
o Asian Art Museum
o Recreation and Parks Department - Swimming Pools
The next meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, April 10, 2003 at the War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, Room 304 from 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
8 CONTINUED DISCUSSION OF THE IMPACT OF PROPOSED LOCAL AND STATE
BUDGET CUTS ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. REPRESENTATIVES OF
STATE GOVERNMENT HAVE BEEN INVITED TO REPORT ON THE PROPOSED
STATE BUDGET CUTS. MAYOR'S OFFICE ON DISABILITY REPORT TO BE
CONSIDERED FOR POSSIBLE ADOPTION.
· Ms. Elmy Bermejo, District Representative to Senator John Burton's Office in San Francisco reported that most of the news on a statewide level is grim. Since 1998 - 1999, the largest dollar increases have gone to K - 12 Education, Health Care, Higher Education and Tax Relief. According to the California Budget Project, nearly one fifth of the increase in general fund spending between 1998 -1999 and 2002 - 2003 have gone to reimbursing counties and cities for revenues lost because of the 1998 Vehicle License Fee reduction. Spending for CalWorks and related programs have remained at the bare minimum required by Federal law. The general fund spending for programs administered by the Resources, Environmental Protection, Transportation and Housing and Technology and Commerce Agencies actually declined over the same period despite the fact that there were 2.2 million people more in the State of California.
The Legislative Analyst Office is forecasting that tax relief will remain the fastest growing part of the budget between 2001, 2002 and through 2007-2008. It is also forcasting that the percent increase in spending for CalWorks and education will lag behind total spending growth.
Ms Bermejo is aware that the concerns of the MDC Council has been on proposed city and state cuts stating the impact on people with disabilities, especially in the reduction of SSI and Medi-Cal checks, durable medical care, hospice and funding for adult day centers. All of these proposed cuts are still under review through the subcommittee process. Senator John Burton is committed to assuring that these programs will be preserved.
Ed Evans inquired if there was support in the Senate that will allow people that are seniors and disabled to live respectively in their homes.
Ms. Bermejo responded that Senator John Burton is committed to ensuring those who are most vulnerable (seniors and disabled) will be protected from losing services.
For more updated information, please contact the following:
o Senator John Burton: 415. 557- 1300
o Assemblymember Leland Yee : 415. 557-2312.
o Assemblymember Mark Leno: 415. 557-3013
o Senator Jackie Speier: 415. 557-7857
· Walter Park stated that there are two draft documents and a letter from the Council to
Mayor Willie Brown. See attached Letter to Mayor Brown, March 21, 2003 and
"Budget Hearing Report and Recommendations". The "Summary of Testimony" is
available upon request.
· Assemblymember Mark Leno thanked the Council for the invitation to speak at this meeting.
· He reported the following:
o His office is to serve the people with disabilities as we go through this budget crisis over the next few months.
o During his first fourteen days in office, the budget deficit grew by $14 billion.
o The deficit is somewhere in the neighborhood of $26 - $34 billion. After the April income taxes have been received, there will be the May revision.
o The nature of the deficit is based on whether there is enough revenue to meet the expenditures.
o The big battle over the past few months has been over the Vehicle License
Fee. Of the City's $320 million deficit, $120 million (a third of the total deficit) is represented in these fees. For 50 years (1948-1998), the tax, which is 2% of the purchase price of the car, was paid by the purchaser. In 1998, in good economic times, the State passed legislation to use its general fund to cover 2/3 of the 2% tax. The purchaser only had to pay 1/3 of the 2% tax. The 1998 legislation included language that in hard economic times, the entire 2% would have to be paid by the car owner. But the Governor's proposed budget not only did not restore the requirement for the entire 2% to go back to the car owner, but also, it did not propose to continue the backfill to local governments of the State's General Fund, which would represent a $120 million loss to local coffers.
o A few proposals in the Governor's January budget was the elimination of the Senior Companion Program, Brown Bag Grocery Program to Low Income Seniors, the reduction of services by15% to the Adult Day Health Centers and the reduction of the grants from $778 to $708 per month but these actions were not taken.
o One approach to saving billions of dollars would be the early release of offenders of non-violent, non-serious, non-lifers and non-strikers (people who commit crimes such as petty theft, driving under the influence or forgery and fraud). Redefining sentencing structures so that non-violent and non-serious offenses would be paroled rather than being sent to the State Penitentiary would save another $50 million. Releasing the aged population of those over 55 or 65 would save $25,000 a year. Looking at these and other cuts could help save the social services necessary for seniors and the people with disabilities to sustain their quality of life.
o Other approaches to raising revenue would be to increase the sales tax by one percent; restoring the upper income tax rate from 9% to 11%; adding $1.10 on each package of cigarette; allowing cities and counties to vote on consideration of a local income tax.
o It is critical that waste be eliminated and revenue be increased to balance the budget.
· Ed Evans asked if there was a way that Assembly Members and the Senate could
join together to preserve the present ability to serve fragile members of the
community who may lose their In-Home Support Services or a portion of their SSI
(which will put them into nursing homes costing the State more money).
Assemblymember Mark Leno responded that when incomes go up, more tax dollars
are received, when incomes fall, tax dollars fall. One would need to look at the
structural tax system on these volatile incomes.
· Ed Evans stated that he was against a sales tax increase due to the fact that it would
affect the seniors and the disabled population. He favors taxing luxury items such as
cigarettes, cars, boats and RV's.
· Ed Evans pointed out that many seniors and people with disabilities are not able to
get out of their homes, thus do their shopping on the Internet. Taxing people who
shop on the Internet would pose a huge problem for them.
· Ed Evans suggested some type of legislation be made to require cable companies
and satellite companies operating within San Francisco and the State of California,
to carry Local, State and Federal government channels.
Assemblymember Mark Leno recognized Chair Ed Evans's suggestions and
replied that his staff is currently working on the government channels.
· Ed Evans thanked Assemblymember Mark Leno for attending the meeting.
· Assemblyman Mark Leno's office is available for assistance at: 415. 557-3013.
9 BEAUMONT FOUNDATION COMPUTER GRANTS: ALMOST $400 MILLION IN
COMPUTER EQUIPMENT IS AVAILABLE. ANY INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
MAY APPLY DIRECTLY BY TELEPHONE AT: 1-866-505-2677. ORGANIZATIONS
MAY APPLY THROUGH THE WEBSITE AT: http://www.bmtfoundation.com/grants
GRANT APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED UNTIL MARCH 31. HURRY!
· Walter Park urged interested participants to take advantage of this offer.
10 CORRESPONDENCE
No correspondence.
11 PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment.
12 MEMBER REQUESTS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
No requests.
13 COUNCILORS' COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
See adjournment.
14 ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m. in honor of Jim Donald, a disability leader who
successfully fought for accessible public transit, accessibility regulations and inclusion of
persons with disabilities in international human rights.