San Francisco Youth Commission
Minutes
Monday, December 7, 2015
5:15 pm-8:00 pm
City Hall, Room 416
1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102

There will be public comment on each item.

Jillian Wu, Lily Marshall-Fricker, Erica Kong, Stephanie Li, Cris Plunkett, Anna He, Jessica Calderon, Noah David, Giovanna Soto, William Juarez, Cecilia Nicole Galeano, Madeleine Matz, Luis Avalos-Nunez, Anna Bernick, Jarrett Mao, Grace Pating, Hatim Mansori

1. Call to Order and Roll Call for Attendance

Chair Avalos-Nunez called the meeting to order at 5:23 PM. Commissioners present: Jillian Wu, Lily Marshall-Fricker, Erica Kong, Stephanie Li, Cris Plunkett, Anna He, Jessica Calderon, Noah David, Giovanna Soto, William Juarez, Cecilia Nicole Galeano, Madeleine Matz, Luis Avalos-Nunez, Anna Bernick, Jarrett Mao, Hatim Mansori
There was quorum.
Staff present: Leah LeCroix, Adele Failes-Carpenter, Monica Guzman
Commissioner Pating requested an authorized absence. Commissioner David, seconded by Commissioner Wu, motioned to approve this absence. The motion was approved by acclamation.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

Commissioner Galeano, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, moved to approve the agenda. The motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. November 16, 2015
(Document A)

Commissioner Calderon, seconded by Commissioner Matz, moved to approve the minutes. The motion was approved by acclamation.

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

De’Anthony Jones, Project Coordinator for Magic Zone SF, invited the Youth Commission to a community forum on preventing violence and use of force on Thursday December 10th from 5:00-7:00 PM in Room 305. Food and drink will be provided.

5. Legislation Referred from the Board of Supervisors (All Items to Follow Discussion and Possible Action)

The Rehabilitation Detention Facility Project legislation, File Nos. 151174, 151175, 151180, 151184, 151185, 151187, will be heard together.

Sponsor: Mayor Lee
Presenters: Brian Strong, Director, Capital Planning Program; staff from SF Sheriff’s Department, Department of Public Health, Office of the Controller and Department of Public Works


A. [BOS File No. 151174] Authorizing Certificates of Participation – Rehabilitation Detention Facility Project – Not to Exceed $215,000,000
(Document B)

B. [BOS File No. 151175] Appropriation – Certificates of Participation for the Construction of the Rehabilitation Detention Facility - $215,000,000 – FY2015-16
(Document C)

C. [BOS File No. 151180] Amended Ten-Year Capital Expenditure Plan – FYs 2016-2025
(Document D)

D. [BOS File No. 151184] Real Property Acquisition – 814-820 Bryant Street, 444-6 Street, and 470-6 Street – Various Owners – At Fair Market Value – Not to Exceed $14,500,000
(Document E)

E. [BOS File No. 151185] Issuance of Tax Exempt and Taxable Commercial Paper Notes – Construction of Rehabilitation Detention Facility – Not to Exceed $11,310,000
(Document F)

F. [BOS File No. 151187] Accept and Expend State Bond Financing – State Public Works Board – Construction of Rehabilitation and Detention Facility - $80,000,000
(Document G)


Brian Strong, Director of Capital Planning came to present along with Jumoke Akin-Taylor, Project Manager Rehabilitation Detention Facility, Tanya Mera from the Department of Public Health, Kyle Patterson from the Controller’s Office, Chief Matt Freeman from the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.

The Hall of Justice is seismically deficient and dangerous. In a major earthquake it will be uninhabitable after people leave. This is a challenge for the city because the city has inmates there but also because if there is an earthquake there will not be a place to put them. The structural engineers who have seen it have said that it is not worth fixing. After Katrina there were situations where incarcerated people were left behind as there was nowhere to put them. There is only one other building that holds this many people and that is SF General Hospital. Only other building that has 3000+ people occupying it in any given day. The current structure of the jail is dangerous not only to current incarcerated people but also to staff working there. There is also a great need for treatment or service needs for current incarcerated people. The current facility doesn’t help with providing these treatments.

The costs of no jail are a few. One is that there might be a court order which SF has had before. If a court order is made it will be much more expensive to the City. Another cost of the jail is losing out on the $80M grant. Current incarcerated people would be moved out of county to San Bruno which could be a burden for families visiting.

The RDF project addresses several urgent needs for SF: better treatment and outcomes, safety for incarcerated people and staff, best most cost effective option.

Commissioner Galeano asked about certificates of participation and wondered how high the interest rates are on those and how that is the most cost effective option. Brian Strong stated that the interest rates are 3.2% on Certificates of Participation and that General Obligation Bonds are at 2.99% percent. These are at an all-time low.

Commissioner Bernick stated that she heard the statements that jails being at 50% capacity are actually misleading, how do you counterpoint for that? Sheriff Freeman stated that there are a number of jails with various capacities such as Jail #2 – 392, Jail #4 – 402, Jail #5 -758. He stated that at times people count Jail #6 in counting number of beds and Jail # 3 and those shouldn’t be counted because Jail #6 is not for high security incarcerated people and Jail #3 shouldn’t be filled because it is seismically unsafe. Sound jail management states that jails should only be at 85% capacity at most and the SF jails are operating at 70-80%.

Commissioner Galeano asked what would happen if there is bail reform and less need for housing people that can’t make bail. Sheriff Freeman stated that although there is litigation currently on bail reform no one can really state what the effect of bail reform would be. The jail population could be reduced with jail reform but there are other policies that could also push the number of incarcerated people. One example is an increase in police officers therefore more likeliness for people being arrested. If the jail forecast is an overestimation and there are extra empty beds, we would move people from San Bruno to the SF downtown jail, so this could be a benefit. We are replacing two jails with one jail facility so there will be some cost savings with that.

Commissioner Galeano asked what the urgency for building the new jail now as opposed to in the future or in the past. Brian Strong stated that there are a few reasons why we are choosing to do this now. The reasons are that funds are available and that there have been good studies of the population forecast and there is an opportunity to receive some funding from the state. Kyle Patterson also wanted to add that this isn’t a new proposal; it has been in the works for years but now is the appropriate time to ask for funding.

Commissioner Matz asked if there would be any budget cuts to other criminal justice programs if this were to go forward. Brian Strong stated that there are separate funds for programming and for building and infrastructure therefore this would not affect programming money.

Commissioner Galeano asked if there are any other infrastructure projects that have been waiting to be built for years now that could use this money. Brian Strong stated that there are other programs on the list but that the Rehabilitation Detention Facility is top on the list. This is mainly because the Hall of Justice has over 3000 people coming in and out of it.

Commissioner Avalos-Nunez asked how the price for this project was calculated, as $80M seems like a lot. Jumoke Akin-Taylor stated that the new RDF will be 855,000 square feet of space therefore it is a big space. In terms of cost, the construction industry is very dynamic at this point. The soft costs make up 20-30% of the costs and the hard costs (construction) is 70-80%.

Commissioner Calderon asked how this would benefit the youth of San Francisco aside from having a nicer jail. Brian Strong stated that as much as they would like the need for a jail to go away, realistically there will still be a need for it therefore we believe that the facilities should be safe and secure. The big impact on youth is that if a new jail isn’t built now there will probably be a court order for a jail to be built in a future and it will be more costly. Sheriff Freeman, stated that the TAY population is huge and the SF county jail wants to help these youth. A better facility with more services would be more beneficial to youth.

Public Comment:

Caitlin Deasy from Project WHAT stated her experience as a child of an incarcerated parent. She does no support the building of a new jail.

Roma Guy from Taxpayers for Public Safety stated that she is opposed to the building of the new jail. She stated that the Department of Public Health is offering some alternatives that should be listened to.

Valerie Axtle from Project WHAT stated her experience as a child of an incarcerated parent. She does not support the building of a new jail and is urging the Youth Commission to say no to a new jail.

Yareli Romo from Project WHAT stated her experience as a child of an incarcerated parent. She does not support the building of a new jail.

Luna Garcia from Project WHAT stated her experience as a child of an incarcerated parent. She does not support the building of a new jail.

Jana Quan from Project WHAT stated her experience as a child of incarcerated parents. She does not support the building of a new jail. She is urging the Youth Commission to say no to a new jail.

Daniel Martinez from Project WHAT stated his experience as a child of an incarcerated parent. He does not support the building of a new jail.

Tanea Lunsford a resident of San Francisco, former Youth Commissioner and child of a former incarcerated parent. She works for a program called Make it Right which is a pretrial diversion program. Although it is new in SF it has been around in Alameda County and they have had some good results.

Jamie Gerber, program coordinator for Project WHAT, read testimony from a youth that she works with who is a child of an incarcerated person. She also stated that on behalf of the youth she urges the Youth Commission to say no to a new jail.

Carshell Green, a youth from San Francisco and member of the Youth Empowerment Academy, spoke against the building of a new jail.

Zoe Willmott, staff at Project WHAT, spoke against the building of a new jail.

Rachel Stober, member of Californians United for a Responsible Budget, spoke against the building of a new jail and urged the Youth Commission to oppose the building of a new jail.

Lily Haskell, member of Critical Resistance, spoke against the building of a new jail and urged the Youth Commission to oppose the building of a new jail.

Joe Calderon, a SF resident, spoke against the building of a new jail and urged the Youth Commission to oppose the building of a new jail.

Commissioner Soto asked if this proposal did not pass at the board if it would be put on the ballot. Brian Strong stated that it would not be put on the ballot as past jail proposals have not passed in the past.

Commissioner Galeano asked Project WHAT if they had a main message for the Youth Commission. A few members of Project WHAT came up to speak about their experience as youth of incarcerated parents.

Commissioner Mansori stated his concern comes to funding. He does not want people to go to jail, but unfortunately people will go to jail. He feels that if we have to do it, if it is absolutely necessary, than it should be done now instead of later when it will cost more.

Commissioner Galeano stated that the youth should not have to pay the price for decisions made by adults.

Commissioner Jaurez stated that the real issues at hands are mental health services and he feels that people with mental health issues shouldn’t be criminalized.

Commissioner Matz stated that this is a difficult decision because we do not want people currently incarcerated to be in seismically unsafe and inhumane conditions, but we also do not want to spend a lot of money to create a new jail and promote incarceration.

Commissioner Calderon thinks that the larger dilemma is that most people can’t afford to live in SF and building a new jail is not the answer. She asked her colleagues what side of history do you want to be on.

Chair Avalos-Nunez also stated that this is a difficult decision and if one of his loved ones were incarcerated he would want them to be in a safe environment with the best treatment. He stated that he does not want to support further incarceration of people but for those that are currently incarcerated better seismically safe facilities does seem like the better plan.

Commissioner Li stated that seismic renovations are needed but she’s not sure if this specific plan is the way to do it. She agrees with Commissioner Juarez that the real focus should be in mental health as a bulk of incarcerated people suffers mental health issues. There are factors of this plan that should not be the focus and are an extra expense.

Commissioner Galeano agreed with Commissioner Li and read a part of e-mail sent from Professor Craig Haney who believes this is more of a mental health issue and that should be the focus.

Commissioner He stated that although she’s heard talk of the urgency of building a new jail, housing and mental health facilities will also have to be built so the question really is what needs to be prioritized. She believes jails do not.

Chair Luis Avalos-Nunez opened up the floor for any motions

Commissioner Calderon, seconded by Commissioner Li, motioned to not support the legislation.

Commissioner Bernick suggested tabling the legislation until next month. Commissioner Marshall-Fricker stated that this legislation is being heard at the full board before the next full Youth Commission meeting.

Commissioner Matz stated that this is a very important topic that should not be rushed. Commissioner Bernick agreed with Commissioner Matz.

Commissioner Galeano, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, motioned that the Board of Supervisors have another hearing regarding these legislations that youth can attend.

Chair Avalos stated that there has already been a hearing on alternatives to incarceration and was wondering if this encompassed Commissioner Galeano’s concerns. Staff Adele Carpenter stated that the board had 2 hearings on this topic.

Commissioner Avalos-Nunez, seconded by Mansori, motioned to attach a comment requesting the Board of Supervisors work with Public Health to look at alternatives to incarceration when considering a jail project.

Chair Avalos-Nunez requested a roll call vote on the motions.

The motion to attach a comment requesting the Board of Supervisors to look at alternatives passed by the following votes:

Ayes: Wu, Soto, Plunkett, Matz, Mansori, Mao, Li, Juarez, Galeano, He, David, Bernick, Avalos-Nunez.

Noes: Marshall-Fricker, Kong, Calderon

The motion to urge the Board of Supervisors to have a hearing youth can attend failed by the following votes:

Ayes: Wu, Matz, Mansori, Galeano, He, Bernick, Avalos-Nunez.

Noes: Calderon, David, Kong, Juarez, Li, Mao, Marshall-Fricker, Plunkett, Soto

The motion to oppose the legislation referred today passed by the following votes:

Ayes: Wu, Soto, Matz, Marshall-Fricker, Mao, Li, Juarez, Galeano, Kong, He, Calderon, Bernick, Avalos-Nunez.

Noes: Plunkett, Mansori, David

6. Presentations (All Items to Follow Discussion and Possible Action)

A. Youth Empowerment Fund presentation on and request for support and co-sponsorship of Youth Advocacy Day 2016
Presenter: Wahid Ahmed, Community Engagement Coordinator, Youth Empowerment Fund

Wahid Ahmed coordinates Youth Advocacy Day and is here to ask for support from the Youth Commissioners. Youth Advocacy Day is about bringing a youth voice to youth from San Francisco. About 200 high school aged youth from around San Francisco will meet near City Hall. The Youth Commission understands City government better than most. They have insight they can bring to other youth. The Youth Commission has historically been a great asset to Youth Advocacy Day serving as youth leaders.

Motion by Commissioner Li, seconded by Bernick, to cosponsor Youth Advocacy Day. The motion passed by acclamation.

Commissioner interested in being a youth leader: Li, He, Wu, Matz, Juarez, Bernick, Soto, Mansori, Mao, Kong

B. Futures without Violence presentation on “That’s Not Cool”
Presenter: Sarah Hyde, Public Education Campaigns and Programs Intern, Futures without Violence
(Document H)

Eleanor Davis, program assistant for the Public Education Campaigns and Programs of Futures without Violence. She came with Sarah Hyde to speak about a campaign called “That’s Not Cool”. They focus on teen dating abuse, specifically digital abuse such as online bullying and sexting. They are hosting a Youth Summit on January 22-23rd , 2016 at their office in the Presidio. They are inviting about 50 youth leaders from around the country to join them for a peer learning exchange. They have websites and apps currently out. They’re focused on digital media and will have a lot of conversations on social media for social good, app development and youth organizing both online and offline to prevent violence in communities. The discussion of healthy relationships will also happen. They’re inviting organizations with teams to join them. Teams are typically 3-4 youth leaders with 1 adult ally. Youth that attend are committing to do work for one semester.

Commissioner interested in learning more: Li, He, Calderon, Galeano, Wu, Matz, Juarez, Soto, Mansori

Staff will send an e-mail to That’s Not Cool to follow up.

7. Youth Commission Business (All Items to Follow Discussion and Possible Action)

A. [Motion 1516-AL-01] Support and Co-sponsorship of Generation Citizen’s Forthcoming White Paper “Young Voices at the Ballot Box: Advancing Efforts to Lower the Voting Age”
Sponsor: Commissioner Wu
(Document I)

Commissioner Wu, seconded by Commissioner David, motioned to co-sponsor Generation Citizen’s white paper.

The motion to urge the co-sponsor Generation Citizen’s white paper passed by the following votes: Wu, Soto, Plunkett, Pating, Matz, Marshall-Fricker, Mansori, Mao, Li, Juarez, Galeano, Kong, He, David, Calderon, Bernick, Avalos-Nunez.

8. Committee Reports (Discussion Only)

Chair Avalos-Nunez motioned to table items 8A-F.

A. Executive Committee

B. Housing, Environment, and City Services Committee

C. Economic Justice and Immigration Committee

D. Youth Justice Committee

E. Civic Engagement Committee

F. Our Children Our Family Council

9. Staff Report (Discussion Only)

Staff Adele Carpenter-Failes asked what commissioners will not be present for the December 21st meeting. The Executive Committee wanted to suggest canceling the December 21st meeting since many people will be away for winter break. She also reminded the commissioners that Mid-Year Retreat will be on January 16th-17th.

The commissioner decided to cancel the December 21st meeting

Staff Monica Guzman reminded the commissioners to do their sexual harassment training video before the end of the month. She will send it out in the Weekly Internal Update this week.

Staff Leah LeCroix reminded commissioners that there is an outreach event this Saturday, Victory over Violence. Commissioner Avalos-Nunez, Plunkett, He and Mao are interested in attending.

10. Announcements (This Includes Community Events)

There were none.

11. Adjournment

Meeting was adjourned at 8:56 PM.