San Francisco Youth Commission
Planning, Land Use & City Services Committee Minutes
Monday, September 14, 2009
City Hall, Room 278
5:00-7:00pm
There will be public comment on each item.
1. Call to Order
Julia Sabory, Youth Commission Director, called the meeting to order at 5:18 pm.
Commissioners present: Quesada, Marshall-Fricker, LaCroix, Hernandez, Quintero
Commissioners absent: None.
Staff present: Julia Sabory, Mario Yedidia
2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)
Agenda was approved unanimously by acclamation.
3. Public Comment on Items not on Agenda
There was no public comment.
4. Business
A. Crafting a Policy Agenda for this Year: Focusing our Energies (Discussion and Possible Action)
Julia Sabory facilitated a conversation where the Commissioners present discussed the areas of policy and legislation in which they are interested. This group discussion yielded the following results:
Commissioner Marshall-Fricker expressed interest in working on public transportation, in particular, issues of accessibility (with respect of ADA requirements), affordability for young people and waiting time.
Commissioner Quintero also said she was concerned about public transportation, especially the issue of affordability for young people.
Commissioner LaCroix said she wanted to work on housing issues as they relate to rent control, development and redevelopment, and affordable/subsidized/below market rate housing.
Commissioner Hernandez explained his interest in zoning in District 10, especially as it relates to the lack of healthy grocery stores in that District and the demographic and environmental effects of the redevelopment of the Third Street Corridor.
Commissioner Quesada expressed a desire to continue the Committee’s work begun last year on HOPE SF—the massive redevelopment of eight public housing developments in San Francisco—and to begin a project on below-market rate housing.
B. Using the Fall 2009 YouthVote Survey to Further Our Policy Agenda (Discussion and Possible Action)
Commissioners suggested the following questions: In general, how often is the bus you take to school late? Do you feel safe in your neighborhood? Would you like to have more Ethnic Studies classes at your school?
C. Proposed Resolution 091045 [Suspension of converting natural turf playing fields to artificial surfaces] (Discussion and Possible Action)
At the request of Commissioner Marshall-Fricker, the Committee heard this proposed resolution, which would stop the Recreation and Park Department from converting natural grass playing fields to “FieldTurf” brand artificial turf.
Commissioner Marshall-Fricker explained that she wanted to discuss this resolution because she’d heard from her friends—student athletes in San Francisco—that FieldTurf is good to play on, and this proposed resolution would stop the installation of field Turf.
Commissioner Hernandez, a former football athlete at Galileo, said he very much agreed with Marshall-Fricker’s friends, because in his experience, playing on artificial surfaces was often preferable to playing on poorly maintained grass fields.
Commissioner Quesada argued that artificial surfaces, including, possibly, “FieldTurf,” were potentially hazardous to one’s health.
Public comment neither in favor nor against the proposed resolution was then offered by
Bill, Commissioner Marshall-Fricker’s father, who explained that this resolution was part of a political battle between the Mayor and certain Supervisors, as the “FieldTurf” had been sold to the City at a great discount. He concluded by saying that the foregoing conversation between Commissioners—based, as it was, on the interests and experiences of youth athletes in San Francisco—had been lost in the larger political and legislative fight over “FieldTurf.”
Finally, the Commissioners decided to have Mario Yedidia synthesize their various—and sometimes opposing—thoughts on this issue in the form of a memo that should be sent to Supervisor Mirkarimi, the sponsor of the proposed resolution.
5. Election of Chair (Action Item)
Commissioner Hernandez was elected chair and Commissioner LaCroix was elected vice-chair, unanimously by acclamation.
6. Adjournment
Chair Hernandez adjourned the meeting at 6:58pm.
Supplemental documents for agenda items are available for review at City Hall Room 345. Minutes are also available on the Youth Commission Website at www.sfgov.org/youth_commission
