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City and County of San Francisco

Meeting Information



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Ed Evans, Chair
Vincent Behan
Norma Block
Elizabeth Grigsby
Michael Kwok
August Longo
Denise Senhaux

Walter Park
Council Secretary

Mayor's Disability Council

Minutes
21 February 2003

1:10 p.m.

1 ROLL CALL

Mayor's Disability Council Members Present: Vincent Behan, Norma Block, Ed Evans, Elizabeth Grigsby, Michael Kwok, Denise Senhaux.

Absent: August Longo

Mayor's Office on Disability: Walter Park, Director; Susan Mizner, Deputy Director; Ken Stein, Program Administrator; Josie J Lee, Acting Council Clerk.

Chair, Ed Evans called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m.

2 APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

The agenda of the February 21, 2003 Mayor's Disability Council (MDC) meeting was approved.

3 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

The minutes from the meeting of January 17, 2003 were approved.

4 PUBLIC COMMENT

No Public Comment.

5 REPORT FROM THE CHAIR

Chair Ed Evans requested a new Mental Health Committee be formed under the chair of Norma Block to address mental health issues at the council meeting.

    Norma Block accepted.

    Ed Evans stated that members of the public who would like to call in their comments may reach the meeting via the bridge phone (415) 554-9632.

6 REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR

Walter Park reported on the following:

  • MOD has been discussing budget revenues and expenditures with various City departments, which is a main item in today's meeting.

  • MOD is working with two consultants to update the transition plan and database.

  • MOD, Department of Telecommunications and MIS Administrative Services is currently working with Quad Media Hardware to install an accessible kiosk in City Hall.

  • MOD, Mayor's Office on Housing and Department of Public Works has been working together in code compliance procedures and documentation of city funded construction projects for accessibility in speeding the process of reviews through written communications and fewer meetings.

  • MOD's Complaint Division is currently updating a database to better track complaints and services requested from citizens.

  • MOD has returned $1.1 million to the general budget fund this month.

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, February 7, 2003.

Harry expressed his appreciation to Linda Crawford, Assistant ADA Coordinator from the

Department of Elections for providing an overview of poll sites and election materials accessible to the disabled community. Ms Crawford welcomes public comments and plans on providing updates in the future.

Harry would like to recognize and thank individual members who work on the committee which include: Regina Bruckner, Bill Bruckner, Jerry Grace, Jul Parsons and Denise Senhaux.

The next meeting is scheduled on Friday, March 7, 2003 at the Rose Resnick Lighthouse for the Blind, from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM and will include a representative from the UCSF Statistics Unit, who is embarking on an effort to make their website accessible. Interested parties are welcome to attend.

REPORT FROM THE EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE

Richard Rothman, Chair of the MDC Employment Committee apologized for not attending previous MDC meetings but has been meeting with the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation in implementing Rule 115 (a City Charter Amendment under Civil Service Rule that provides certified people with disabilities to bypass the exam process and become permanent employees after a year of successful employment). The City is not hiring at this time but will do so in a year or two with the implementation of Rule 115.

The next meeting is scheduled on Friday, April 11, 2003, City Hall, Room 421 from

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Walter Park thanked Richard Rothman for his work on the Employment Committee.

REPORT FROM THE PHYSICAL ACCESS COMMITTEE

Ed Evans, Chair of the Physical Access Committee reported that he has been working closely with Kevin Jensen, ADA Access Coordinator, Department of Public Works on the following: downtown sidewalks, curb cuts, Union Square Facility and Recreational Parks in San Francisco.

The next meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, March 19, 2003 at the War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, Room 304 from 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

8 IMPLICATIONS AND IMPACT OF PROPOSED LOCAL AND STATE BUDGET

CUTS ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE

DEPARTMENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES, AGING AND ADULT

SERVICES, AND MUNI HAVE BEEN INVITED TO PRESENT INFORMATION ON

PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM PLANNING FOR

ELDERS IN THE CENTRAL CITY WILL REPORT ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF

PROPOSED CITY AND STATE BUDGET CUTS. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

ARE WELCOME

Please see attached Summary of Testimony.

9 APPROVAL OF MDC LETTERS TO GOVERNOR GRAY DAVIS AND ATTORNEY

GENERAL BILL LOCKYER REGARDING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA'S FILING

    A MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA v HASON APPEAL TO THE U.S.

SUPREME COURT WITH A PETITION TO THE COURT TO DECLARE THAT

TITLE II OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) IS

UNCONSTITUTIONAL

· Josie Lee, Office Secretary, MOD, read two letters written from Ed Evans, Chair of

the Mayor's Disability Council on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco:

one letter addressed to Attorney General Bill Lockyer and the other letter addressed

    to the Honorable Governor Gray Davis.

· The letters were approved by the Council Members with Michael Kwok abstaining.

10 COMMUNITY VOCATIONAL ENTERPRISES - PRESENTATION BY STEVE

POULIN, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, REGARDING JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES

FOR PERSONS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES

 

· Norma Block introduced Steve Poulin, Program Director of CVE or Community

Vocational Enterprises, a community based nonprofit organization that provides

training programs, seminars and workshops to help clients feel prepared to work.

    Since 1986, the program has helped hundreds of people with disabilities, including

Norma, find jobs, maintain their identity and to keep their jobs.

· Steve Poulin stated that it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to present the

program.

· Steve Poulin explained that CVE operates with a cooperative contract with the City

    and County Community Mental Health, soon to be Behavioral Health Agency and

    the Department of Rehabilitation (State Agency). Last year, the program served approximately 300 residents of San Francisco recovering from mental illness and

    employed 198 workers into their transitional business after graduation from one of the business programs (janitorial, business, food and mailer), which makes CVE unique.

· For the past two years, CVE has been a partner with an organization called The

Roberts Enterprise Development Fund which creates a web-based tracking and

outcome management system. Approximately 70% of the individuals who found jobs

through the program are still employed.

· Qualifications for persons wishing to enter the program are: Age 16 or older and a

resident of San Francisco receiving Mental Health Services.

· Orientations on CVE services are held twice a month. Interested parties may call for

    dates, times and registration at 415. 544-0424. The website address is:

    www.cve.org.

11 CORRESPONDENCE

No correspondence.

12 PUBLIC COMMENT

· Bob Planthold gave a personal and informal update on a topic from January's

meeting regarding the failure of the City to hire people with disabilities to enforce

aspects of fines, revenues and access enforcement with the Department of

    Parking and Traffic.

· Bob reported that he had sent an email to many City Hall staff and other City Departments outlining the fact that if anybody would hire people with disabilities it could bring in substantial revenue. There has been no official response to his email.

    · Ed Evans commended Bob Planthold on this activity and pointed out that City Officials should consider the fact that many seniors and people with disabilities would be willing to volunteer their time and services to tag violators parking on sidewalks, blocking curb cuts, parking illegally in white zones and in front of senior and disabled building.

13 MEMBER REQUESTS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

· Norma Block suggested that follow up on the Budget issues presented at this

meeting should become an action item for the next meeting.

· Elizabeth Grigsby announced that a Conference on Social Work and Disability

at San Francisco State University will be held April 2, 2003 from 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM.

    Topics include disability history, culture and perspectives, disability policies, disability

issues across the life span; disability hate crimes; the deaf community and disability

culture. Admission is free but seating is limited. Registration is required by March 7,

2003. Additional information is available at: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swdconf/.

Another conference to take place will be the International Conference on Abuse of

Children and Adults with Disabilities, sponsored by the Department of Justice,

Office of Victims of Crime to be held on March 10 -12, 2003, Riverside Convention

Center in Riverside, California.

    · Denise Senhaux supported Norma Block's suggestion to consider the testimonials given today and to make recommendations to the Mayor.

14 COUNCILORS' COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

· Ed Evans expressed the need to revisit some of the departments in relation to

revenue, such as the Department of Parking and Traffic and the Department of Public

Works to discuss the issues related to cuts and how more revenue could be achieved.

15 ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 3:55 p.m.