San Francisco Youth Commission
Monday, May 18, 2009
5:30-8:00pm
City Hall, Room 416
There will be public comment on each item.
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 5:35 pm.
Commissioners Present: Tsibulskaya, Marshall-Fricker, Liang, Lau, Jones, Carlson, Lobo, Recinos, Frierson, Balcazar, Davidson, Lunsford, Quesada
Commissioners Absent: Erlikh, Kupu, Castaing, Martinez
Staff Present: Peter Lauterborn, Gillian Bogart
2. Approval of Agenda
Motion to approve the agenda made by Quesada, with a second by Marshall-Fricker and unanimous commission approval.
3. Approval of Minutes
Motion to approve the minutes made by Frierson, seconded by Tsibulskaya with unanimous commission approval.
4. Public Comment on Items not on Agenda
Jennifer Collins of the SF Public Library told commissioners about the Teen Summer Read Program starting on June 12th. By registering at a local library youth can have a reading log filled out and signed to win prizes and rewards. Awards include bicycles, books, and an iTouch. It is an easy program to register for and youth can also get credit for volunteering with partner organizations.
She also told commissioners about an upcoming event on October 16th: LITquake, a literary festival. She said that the city wants to have a teen planning committee made up of youth between 13-18 and that she would share information about that opportunity closer to the time of the festival.
5. Staff Report
Peter Lauterborn, staff informed commissioners of a School Alliance event that was open for their attendance.
Gillian Bogart, staff, informed commissioners that the application deadline for the 09-10 Youth Commissioner term was extended to June 1st, in hopes of receiving a more diverse applicant pool. She also asked commissioners to save the date for an end of term gathering after the meeting on June 15th.
6. Policy Report
New Items
A. Referral, BoS file 090581. Hearing on the SFUSD policies designed to make college a more viable option for every student. Examination of efforts to align district graduation requirements with A-G requirements. City and School District Select Committee.
Motion to support the hearing made by commissioner Lunsford, seconded by Quesada. Full commission approval
B. Referral, BoS file 090399. Hearing on the school crossing guard program, the process to request and assign crossing guards, a breakdown of the distribution of crossing guards citywide, and the effect of pending budget cuts and layoffs on the program. City and School District Select Committee. Motion to support by Frierson, second by Carlson. Carlson will be meeting with the SomCan folks who proposed the SoMa Youth and Family Zone, which included posting more crossing guards in areas with high rates of pedestrian traffic. After meeting with SomCan, Carlson will draft a statement in support for this hearing.
7. Past Items
A. BoS file 090532. Resolution supporting Senate Bill 782 to provide stable, safe housing for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Sponsor: Carmen Chu.
Gillian Bogart, staff updated the commissioners to let them know that the Board of Supervisors voted to support SB782 on May 5th.
8. New Business
A. Presentation and discussion by Tobacco Use Reduction Force (TURF), by Fahad Qurashi.
TURF representatives Carlos Figueroa, Cecilia Ramirez, Brian Stegner, Hector Echererria, Jesus Sicairos, Joshua Pooner, and Fahad Qurashi presented their work and stated that they would be meeting next week with supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.
Joshua and Carlos told personal stories, Carlos stating that he lives in the Tenderloin and spoke about the difficulty of having to travel using public transportation to get fresh food. They used a map showing where tobacco outlets are in SF which revealed that there are more outlets in neighborhoods with people of color, low-income residents, and high numbers of youth. They spoke about legislation proposed at the state level, SB 603 which highlights the correlation between access to tobacco and use. TURF's has a goal of having a maximum of 5 tobacco outlets per 10,000 residents in supervisorial districts. Their areas of focus for research have been the Inner sunset, Marina, Mission, SoMa, and Chinatown.
Commissioner Lobo commended their work and asked if other jurisdictions have tried to do this. TURF responded that they have used the alcohol model as the one to follow, since this initiative is innovative in terms of application to tobacco products. It has been seen that similar policies have lowered alcohol use among youth. They informed commissioners that no stores will have permits removed, but they will not be reissued through transfers. Also, it is hoped that having fewer vice options will lead to lower rates in health problems.
Lunsford recommended looking at the Walgreens model, since they no longer sell cigarettes, but have made up for lost revenue by selling muni passes.
Frierson recommended their not only taking population into account, but to also taking into population of young people in each.
Tsibulskaya asked about enforcement. TURF said that they would not be involved with enforcement of sale to minor but with number of vendors in the supervisorial districts.
Motion to endorse their campaign made by Tsibulskaya, seconded by Frierson. Unanimous commission support. Jones said that he was also working on writing a resolution.
TURF representatives will be meeting on May 27th with Ross Mirkarimi.
9. Unfinished Business
A. Discussion and possible action re: Resolution Confirming That The San Francisco Unified School District Maintains That Students Must Take Three Year Of Social Sciences To Graduate From High School.
This will be discussed at the BOE next Tuesday, May 26th, 6pm. Commissioners will make an effort to support the resolution.
10. Announcements (This includes Community Events)
Commissioner Quesada told the commissioners about the Board of Supervisors potentially rejecting the MTA budget. Gillian Bogart, staff, encouraged commissioners to speak to their appointing officers about their positions regarding the MTA budget.
11. Adjournment Adjourned at 6:48pm.
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
ACCESSIBLE MEETING POLICY
The Youth Commission meeting will be held in City Hall Room 416 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA. The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at the United Nations Plaza and Market Street. Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: MUNI Metro Lines J-Church, K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, M-Oceanview, N-Judah, and T-Third Street at Van Ness and Civic Center Stations; 9-San Bruno, 19-Polk, 47-VanNess, and 71-Haight Noriega. For information about MUNI accessible services call 923-6142.
The Commission meeting room is wheelchair accessible. Accessible curbside parking spaces have been designated on the corners of McAllister and Polk, and Grove and Polk. There is accessible parking available within the Civic Center Underground Parking Garage at the corner of McAllister and Polk Streets, and within the Performing Arts Parking Garage at Grove and Franklin Streets.
If you require the use of an American sign language interpreter, a sound enhancement system, or a reader during the meeting, Calendars and minutes of the meeting in alternative formats; such arrangements can be made by calling Gillian Bogart at (415) 554-6446, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. Late requests will be honored if possible.
Individuals with severe allergies, environmental illness, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities should call our accessibility hotline at (415) 554-8925 to discuss meeting accessibility. In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate such people, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products. Please help the City to accommodate these individuals.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE SUNSHINE ORDINANCE
(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)
Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decision in full public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people's business. The Ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City Operations are open to the people's review.
For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance, or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact Frank Darby by mail to: Administrator, Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, City Hall Room 224, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102; by phone at (415) 554-7724; by fax at (415) 554-5163; or by e-mail at frank.darby@sf.gov.org
Citizens interested in obtaining a free copy of the Sunshine Ordinance can request a copy from Mr. Darby or by printing Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code on the internet, at http://www.sfgov.org/bdsupvrs/sunshine.htm