San Francisco Youth Commission
Immigration & Employment Committee
MinutesThursday, October 30, 2014
5:00-7:00 PM
City Hall, Room 278
1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102

There will be public comment on each item.


Members: Joyce Wu, Luis Avalos, Emily Guo, Michel Li, David Zheng

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Committee Chair Wu called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. Commissioners present: Emily Guo, Michel Li, Joyce Wu. Commissioners Absent: Luis Avalos, David Zheng. There was quorum. Staff present: Allen Lu.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

There was no public comment. Commissioner Li, seconded by Commissioner Guo, moved to approve the agenda. This motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. October 16, 2014
(Document A)

There was no public comment. Commissioner Guo, seconded by Commissioner Li, moved to approve the minutes of October 16, 2014. The motion was approved by acclamation.

4. Public Comment on Items not on Agenda (Discussion Only)

There were none.

5. Business (All Items to Follow Discussion and Possible Action)

A. SF Department of Public Health’s Plan to help unaccompanied youth
Presenter: Ken Epstein, Ph.D., LCSW, Director of Children, Youth and Families System of Care

Mr. Epstein introduced himself and provided a general overview of San Francisco as a refugee and sanctuary city. He shared how many of the unaccompanied youth are from Central America, from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, etc. While the media represented the youth as children who are “unaccompanied,” Mr. Epstein talked of the reality of trauma and violence these youth face from their journey, to a new home, through arrests, and meeting/reuniting with the relatives they may not have met before.

The School District is the organization that is the first and most reliable way the City and District can track unaccompanied youth. There was an estimated increase of these students for this school year, and SFUSD did see an increase, though Mr. Epstein doesn’t have the numbers. SFDPH has created a Resource Guide with services they offer, have regularly participated in the Behavioral Health Treatment Providers Meeting to coordinate systems, and created a First Encounter Checklist for when home visits are made. SFUSD and Legal Services also have their individual guides; Commissioner Li asked if there were plans to centralize these guides. So far there hasn’t been.

All unaccompanied youth qualify, regardless of status, for the city’s health plan and primary care. A Mission Clinic and Instituto De La Raza are the primary clinic and CBO to take in the youth because they have the most fitting resources to meet the needs of Central American youth refugees. Commissioners inquired if youth who visit the Behavioral Health Clinic go there only one time or multiple times. Mr. Epstein replied that they go for as many times they need. Also the services vary across the types of help these young people need.

Glenn Eagleson, member of the public, asked for clarification about the resource guides and its content. Mr. Epstein shared that the resource guide contained only SFDPH resources. There was no further public comment.

The committee shared their work around the survey they have been working with with SFUSD and asked Mr. Epstein to provide feedback, which he gladly accepted.

B. Overview of City Administrator's Office, Relationship with Tech Businesses and CBO's in the context of Community Benefit Agreements
Presenters: Tim Ho, City Administrator’s Office; and Community Liaisons from Tech Businesses

Mr. Ho provided an overview of the City Administrator’s Office and its responsibilities to administer 27 other departments. They also staff the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Central Market & Tenderloin Area amongst 15 other commissions, committees, and task forces. The CAC advises the City Administrator on the Community Benefit Agreements for the respective area. The Payroll Tax Exclusion applies to any business who enter the area regardless of business type (tech, restaurant, furniture, retail, etc.) If the businesses had over 1 million, they would have to sign a CBA in order to take advantage of the Payroll Tax Exclusion, which is currently 1.5%.

Mr. Ho shared about the various types of benefits that have presented themselves through CBA’s, the neutral position of the City Administrator, and the number of businesses that have taken advantage of the payroll tax. Commissioners inquired if there were businesses who chose not to sign a CBA for a Payroll Exclusion Tax. This year, Uber and Square did not take advantage of the CBA’s.

Commissioners asked questions to clarify the role of OEWD, the recipients of CBA’s and the boundary map (because Bessie Carmichael is in the SOMA), the eligibility of those who apply for CBA’s, how companies and the City come to agree on a CBA, internships for youth, how smaller community organizations can connect with the tech businesses, the possibility of having the CBA’s connect with Summer Jobs+, the First Source Hiring Program, youth seats and upcoming meetings for the CAC, the best way to establish agreements, the renewal of CBA’s, and details about the Payroll Tax Exclusion dates.

Glenn Eagleson, member of the public, provided additional clarification about OEWD as a person who has previously worked in their workforce development area. He mentioned that one thing that would be great to see is for youth to be involved in the creation of the CBA’s. Ultimately, it is the City Administrator who will sign on what she thinks is fair. The three methods Mr. Ho suggested in impacting decisions around CBA are 1) directly through the City Administrator, 2) through the City Advisory Committee, and 3) the Liaisons (which he believes is the best way.) Mr. Eagleson also inquired about the specificity in which CBA’s are written, and Mr. Ho answered that the specifics are decided right before the year. There was no additional public comment.

The commissioners had a discussion on next steps which included understanding more the businesses undergoing CBA’s, going to the next CAC meeting, getting a list of schools and organizations in the area, and checking in with OEWD about those who applied for the First Source Hiring Program.

C. Committee Priority Team Updates

Commissioner Wu updated the committee about discussing with Supervisor Yee the DACA resolution and their desire to support and get involved. Questions that arose included how much it would cost, is it a rolling or one time ask, and the number of youth with DACA. Staff will explore asking the Budget & Legislative Analyst on making a report. The committee also briefly discussed the feedback received from Mr. Whipple.

There was no public comment.

6. Staff Report

Staff shared an upcoming Youth Festival event hosted by SGI, who invited the Youth Commission to come out and table. Interested commissioners will follow up with staff.

There was no public comment.

7. Executive Committee Report

Commissioner Li informed the group that a legislation, Retailer’s Workers Bill of Rights, related to employment will be coming up in the Full YC and asked her colleagues to please review it.

There was no public comment.

8. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:05pm.