San Francisco Youth Commission
Minutes
Monday, May 19th, 2014
5:15pm-8:30pm
City Hall, Room 416
1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102

There will be public comment on each item.

Nicholas Persky, Michelle Kong, Joshua Cardenas, DeAsia Landrum, Angel Van Stark, Jina Bae, Anna Bernick, Sophie Edelhart, Monica Flores, Ramon Gomez, Michel Li, Lily Marshall-Fricker, Luisa Sicairos, Denesia Webb, Eric Wu, Joyce Wu, Ariel Yu

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 5:24 pm.

Commissioners present: Persky, Kong, Landrum, Bae, Bernick, Edelhart, Flores, Gomez, Li, Marshall-Fricker, E. Wu, J. Wu, Yu

Commissioners absent: Cardenas, Sicairos, Van Stark, Webb

Staff present: Allen Lu, Adele Carpenter

There was quorum.

Commissioner Van Stark noted present at 6:24 pm.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

Commissioner J. Wu, seconded by Commissioner Landrum, moved to approve the agenda. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. May 5th, 2014
(Document A)

Commissioner Li, seconded by Commissioner Bae, moved to approve the minutes. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

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

Several Everett MS students, parents, and Mission Beacon staff came to discuss concerns about the possible change of provider at the Mission Beacon. The following students, staff, and parents filled out public comment cards: Aylin Alvarez, Belen Cuevas, Grey Garcia, Marvyn Orellana, Daniel Comacho, Terrance Hall, Nathan, Zubedah Shabazz, Valerie Tulier, Arturo Lopez, Gabriella Villalobos, Michael Coleman, and other unnamed students.
An unidentified student expressed that the Beacon is a second family, if I get in trouble they will always help me out to get over it. When I heard it was closing, I felt like I was losing my family.

Nathan: Beacon is not a program, it is a family to me.

Terrance, 13: The beacon is fun and keeps me out of trouble. They tell me to do the right thing and keep me in the right spot where we need to be. There is no reason for the Beacon to be shut down. The Beacon is like family.

Belen Cuevas: My experience at Mission Beacon has been helpful and has given me opportunities to try new things and a place to go when my parents are working.

Elaine Alvarez: I feel disrespected by certain authorities not letting Mission Beacon run the summer programs and not letting us stay as a family at Everett MS.

Marvin: Beacon has helped me finish my homework and has helped me be a better student in school.

Greg: Beacon has helped me a lot with my 8th grade projects at the end of the year. When I get in trouble at school, they help me out and are always there for me. They help me do homework after school. I’m worried I won’t have the same support.

Valerie Tulier, Director for Mission Beacon at Everett MS: Our students have had the courage to come here and share their views. We got word from DCYF that Mission Neighborhood Center will no longer be the provider for the Beacon at Everett MS. There was no process and no improvement plan. All that was said was that we do not align with the school’s mission, vision, and culture. We are trying to exercise youth voice by coming here. We have tried to work with the district and DCYF, and now we are addressing this in the political arena. These youth are very distraught. We hold the contracts until June 30th but were informed today we will not be able to run the Summer programs. We have many years experience working with at-risk youth. We are concerned by what is happening at Everett and changing demographics. We feel like we are being displaced, erased, and replaced.

Gabby, a program assistant at Beacon explained that she does not understand why a program that is doing its job is being shut down. It is hard to watch students who have a connection with the program have to go through this. Things cannot be so easily replaced.

Arturo Lopez, a SFSU student who works with MNC, Homey, and Mission Beacon. The staff here are family figures as well as activists and leaders in the community. Valerie, along with great staff have established the Beacon as a real community center, first, with the focus on youth and with adult programming later in the evening, and strong community partnerships. Our programming is very diverse, just like the students are very diverse. We always put students first with love in our hearts. That is why you hear it is like a family. This is another example of people being displaced who don’t own up to corporate interests. There was no due process here and I encourage youth commissioners to inquire into this matter.

Michael Coleman: I was temporarily moved from Everett MS because of anger issues but the Beacon helped me get back on track at school and vouched for me.

Zubedah, a parent of an Everett MS student and Beacon youth: I am a big supporter of the Beacon staff. A lot of students and parents are really hurting with the decision to replace the staff. The staff at the Beacon have a strong connection. Valerie has connections with students who otherwise wouldn’t be in school. We are going to lose a lot of students. There is a feeling of instability or inconsistency. It feels like people are being ripped from their family. It is hard because youth do not have much to look forward to. The Beacon will not be the same without these staff. They are more than their title. As a parent I can trust that the staff are making sure the students are doing their work and having fun.

Unidentified Student: It takes time to build up relationships with students at school and it will be hard for students to adjust to new staff.

Unidentified Student: before I started coming to the Beacon in 6th grade, I got arrested. I started going to the Beacon in 7th grade and got off of probation.

Everett MS students read letters of support for the Beacon written by other students.

Commissioner Persky asked what youth commissioners can do to support. Valerie Tulier asked youth commissioners to inquire with DCYF what the due process was. How many site visits were there? What did evaluations look like? Was there documentation produced by the principal with dates and times regarding a corrective process? It should be questioned why our scores were higher and we were recommended to be funded. Our competitors received a score of 43, versus our score of 85. The competitor was preferred by the principal, but didn’t qualify. Then they found obscure reasons to defund us. As part of a city body, we would like you to ask DCYF what the exact process was. The principal is producing documentation now after the fact. There was no process and no restorative process as is promoted by the school district.

Commissioners interested in learning more were: Bae, Yu, Bernick Li, J.Wu, Gomez

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

A. [BOS File No. 140442] Charter Amendment – Public Education Enrichment Fund
Sponsors: Kim; Yee, Avalos, Campos, Mar and Cohen
Presenter: Supervisor Jane Kim
(Document B)

Supervisor Kim explained she had been working on this issue since it originally passed. California is 49th in educational spending per student. The only state that spends less is Mississippi, and our state is far wealthier. We used to have one of the top public education systems in the country and there was a proposition that defunded public education in the 70’s. In San Francisco, we have the opportunity to provide a quality education, whether or not it is funded by the state, as it was originally. We can do that through the general fund. The public education enrichment fund is dependent on the baseline in the budget and originally began at 10 million dollars. It is now up to 60 million.

The achievement gap begins the day students walk into kindergarten. Part of the PEEF would be used to fund preschool for all. Pre-K is the biggest indicator for closing that gap in early education. Sports, Libraries, Arts and Music are the second third of PEEF. PEEF has funded 87 arts teachers and librarians in every elementary school. Those areas have been hard hit by budget cuts. The last third is discretionary funding and has to be approved by the City. It has funded wellness centers in the school’s restorative practice programs, and others.
The PEEF was a ten year set aside and we need to go back to voters to have it reapproved. Some changes have been made to the original legislation. We are removing the trigger. The trigger could previously be pulled to take back 25% of those dollars from the fund. It has been used both wisely and unwisely. It is important for the city to continue to support the school even in difficult times. We also took out some language regarding in-kind services. Previously, the city could provide in-kind services in lieu of funding. That would no longer be allowed. The third controversial piece is whether PEEF should have a sunset date. That is an open question and will likely be related to whether the Children’s Fund has a sunset.

Commissioner Kong asked whether the city will give back the amount of funding that was pulled under the trigger. Supervisor Kim explained that the original legislation did require that, but with the reauthorization up, it is unclear whether that will happen. Commissioner Bernick asked if Prop 30 had addressed these issues. Supervisor Kim explained that Prop 30 and PEEF are two separate funding streams. Commissioner Yu asked questions on behalf of Commissioner Sicairos. She asked whether the First Five office is prioritizing low income families. Supervisor Kim explained that preschool for all is sliding scale and people pay based on income. Supervisor Yee has been pushing to prioritize low-income four year olds. Others believe all should be accepted. This money would go to an office of DCYF, not to First Five, which is a state office, so the Board of Supervisors will have more ability to determine where that funding should go.

Commissioners asked questions about the PEEF CAC. Supervisor Kim explained that the PEEF CAC is a resolution by the BOE. It is up to the Board of Education if there is a CAC. Commissioner Yu commented that she recommends including two youth on the PEEF CAC. Commissioner E. Wu asked whether there were considerations about whether to increase the baseline. Supervisor Kim explained that the baseline goes up when there is more revenue. It will be up to 77 million dollars now. There is no limit. It is based on how much the city is getting.
Commissioner Flores asked whether the BOS can proportionally decrease the contribution. Supervisor Kim explained that the Board of Supervisors could not do that once the trigger is removed.

Commissioner Eric Wu asked whether this is the best we can do for students. Supervisor Kim asked youth commissioners what they thought. The first three years of PEEF, the trigger was not pulled for three years, but was pulled during 5 of the 10 years of the life of the legislation. Commissioner Kong asked how the effectiveness of the years of PEEF where the trigger was and was not pulled. Supervisor Kim explained that overall, with PEEF the number of high school students who received five counseling appointments at a wellness center went from 800 students to 2,143 students. It has approved physical education and resulted in higher grades. SFUSD has the 11% higher per pupil spending than the rest of the state. Pre-school for all participants had advantages over their peers when entering school.

In response to a question from Commissioner Li, Supervisor Kim explained that a sunset date will likely be instituted, but we have not settled the number of years.

Public comment: Former Commissioner, Paul Monge-Rodriguez, congratulated commissioners on an excellent year. This version of PEEF is exceptional, especially removing the trigger. Last year when we got the entire funding we expanded afterschool, credit recovery, and restorative justice programming. This is critical and I’m happy to see this in the form it is in.

Commissioner Kong motioned to support the legislation, seconded by Commissioner Yu.
Commissioner Edelhart motioned to have a twenty year sunset date. This was seconded by Commissioner Bernick. Commissioner Edelhart suggested that twenty years would be roughly equal to the life of a young person and be a good time to assess outcomes for the legislation.

Commissioner Yu motioned to urge the Board of Supervisors to urge the Board of Education in the language for the CAC that there be a set ratio of 25% youth to adults, and that the youth who are on the CAC be supported by the SAC and the youth commission. This should be added to page five, section d. This was seconded by Commissioner Kong.

Allen Lu clarified that the language on page 5 did not concern the PEEF CAC constitution. Adele Carpenter explained that commissioners could urge the Board of Supervisors to urge the Board of Education, but that this work is always best done with members of the Student Advisory Council. Chair Persky explained that the SAC was reaching the end of session for the year, and that in addition to working with them, the commission could take action on this recommendation while the legislation is being formed. Commissioner Persky explained the current student representation on the PEEF CAC, which includes Student Advisory Council members. There is no youth requirement but student delegates have appointments to the CAC. Commissioner Kong suggested that student PEEF CAC members be supported.

Commissioner J. Wu asked whether the legislation could be changed before the sunset. Commissioner Persky explained that any legislation that goes into the charter can be brought to voters at any time.

Commissioner Li recommended that an assessment of the PEEF be done every 3-5 years.

Commissioners discussed whether the legislation should have a sunset date and how long it should be.

Commissioner Edelhart’s motion, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, to have a twenty year sunset date on the legislation failed by the following roll call vote. Ayes: Edelhart, J. Wu; No’s: Bae, Bernick, Flores, Gomez, Kong, Landrum, Li, Marshall-Fricker, Persky, Van Stark, E. Wu, Yu.

Commissioner Yu amended her motion in order to urge the Board of Supervisors to urge the Board of Education to include a 25% ratio of youth seats, supported by the youth commission and the Student Advisory council, on the PEEF CAC. Commissioner Kong seconded. The motion was passed by acclamation.

The general motion of support for the legislation, made by Commissioner Kong and seconded by Commissioner Yu, was passed by acclamation.

Commissioner Flores motioned to recommend a five year assessment of the fund. Commissioner Landrum seconded. The motion was passed by acclamation.

Commissioner Flores motioned to urge that the PEEF have no sunset date. Commissioner Landrum seconded. The motion passed by the following roll call vote. Ayes: Bae, Bernick, Flores, Gomez, Kong, Landrum, Li, Marshall-Fricker, Persky, Van Stark, E. Wu, Yu; No’es: Joyce Wu, Edelhart

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

A. [First Reading] Resolution 1314-07: Commendation for Nayad Abrahamian
Sponsors and Presenters: DeAsia Landrum
(Document C)

Commissioner Landrum gave context and overview of the resolution. She read the resolution into the public record.

Commissioner Marshall-Fricker expressed appreciation to Ms. Abrahamian. Commissioner Persky also expressed thanks for the ways that Ms. Abrahamian built his leadership through the Youth Advisory Council. Commissioner Gomez thanked Ms. Abrahamian for encouraging him to apply to the youth commission. Commissioner J. Wu also thanked Nayad for creating a youth-friendly environment in the Youth Advisory Council. Commissioner Bernick expressed support. Commissioner Flores also expressed thanks.

Public comment: Ms. Abrahamian expressed that being a youth commissioner is an extremely important job and she encouraged youth commissioners to support one another and keep up their work, and to take care of themselves. We need to make sure our leaders are in it for the long haul.

Commissioner Li motioned to support the resolution. Commissioner Marshall-Fricker seconded.

Commissioner Landrum, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, moved to suspend the bylaws and adopt upon first reading. The motion was approved by acclamation.

The motion to adopt the resolution was approved by acclamation.

B. [First Reading] Resolution 1314-06: Supporting the San Francisco Unified School District’s Disability Awareness Efforts
Presenters: Ariel Yu, Luisa Sicairos, Anna Bernick, Joyce Wu, and SAC Representatives Elizabeth Jones and Rain Talosig
(Document D)

Commissioners Yu, Bernick, and J. Wu read the motion into the public record.

The chair called a recess at 7:00 pm. The meeting was called back to order at 7:11 pm.

C. [Second Reading] Resolution 1314-05: Employing Undocumented Youth in SF Public Sector Youth Workforce Programs
Sponsors and Presenters: Michel Li, Nicholas Persky, Jina Bae, and Michelle Kong
(Document E)

Commissioner Li explained that the resolution stands as part of San Francisco’s continued support for under-represented communities. The City has taken a stand for communities in violation of state and federal laws in the past, including when Mayor Newsom began marrying gay couples, and the Due Process for All Ordinance which was unanimously supported by the Youth Commission in 2013. Commissioner Li read the resolution into the public record.

There was no public comment.

Commissioner Bernick, seconded by Commissioner Van Stark, motioned to support the resolution. The motion to adopt was passed by acclamation.

D. [Second Reading] Youth Commission Budget & Policy Priorities for Fiscal Years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016
(Document F)

Commissioner Kong welcomed commissioners to the second reading of the Budget and Policy priorities. It is among the commission’s chartered duties to report on its activities to the Board of Supervisors each year before July 1st.

Commissioners Kong and E. Wu gave context and overview of the Children’s Fund recommendations, Priority #1, including the recommendations to include TAY in the Children’s Fund.

Commissioner Persky gave context and overview for the Youth Voice policy, Priority #2. He explained that legislation based on this resolution would be introduced by Supervisor Mar the following day.

Commissioner Edelhart gave context and overview for the Priority #3 on investigating the needs of youth with incarcerated parents. She explained that the Police Commission had just passed DGO 7.04, a set of protocols on parental arrest.

Commissioner Yu gave an overview of the disability awareness curriculum, Priority #4.

Commissioner Li gave an overview of the Priority #5 concerning undocumented youth employment.

Commissioner Persky gave an overview of the Free MUNI for youth Priority #6. He also gave context and overview for the 18 year old youth fare Priority #7.

Commissioner Edelhart gave context and overview for Priority #8: Full implementation of the MOU signed between SFPD and SFUSD.

Commissioner Li, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, moved to approve the recommendations included from last year, including: the use of binding language, clarify respective and separate roles of involved entities, undertake concerted efforts to inform students of their rights.
Commissioner Edelhart suggested not including the binding language recommendation.
Commissioner Persky recommended taking motion all at once at the end of the document.

Commissioner Gomez gave context and overview for Priority #9, the police training priority.

Commissioner Eric Wu gave context and overview for Priority #10, the TAY housing priority. He also gave context and overview for Priority #11, the TAY service funding bridge.

Commissioner Kong gave context and overview of Priority #12, Expanding 12N implementation.

Commissioner Gomez gave context and overview for Priority #13, Urging against the arming of juvenile probation officers.
Commissioner Flores gave context and overview for Priority #14, supporting a democratic and accessible City College.

Commissioner Van Stark gave an overview of Priority #15, Ensuring respect for the human rights of homeless residents.

There was no public comment.

Commissioner Van Stark motioned to approve the budget and policy priorities document. Commissioner Edelhart seconded. The motion was approved by acclamation.

7. Staff Report (Discussion Only)

Staff gave programmatic updates and reminded commissioners to connect with their appointing officials.

8. Committee Reports (Discussion Only)

A. Executive Committee, Chair Michelle Kong

The EC has done some outreach in elementary schools and with generation citizens. They participated in next term’s youth commission applicants. The District 8 town hall and TAY housing town hall were successes! The Youth Voice resolution will be introduced by Supervisor Eric Mar.

B. Youth Justice Committee, Chair Sophie Edelhart

DGO 7.04 passed at the police commission. There is a meeting with Project WHAT Tuesday and a work meeting on the MOU priority Thursday.

C. Immigration & Employment Committee, Chair Michel Li

The committee is working on SFUSD new comer surveys.

D. Education, Health & Wellness Committee, Chair Ariel Yu

The committee is working on its resolution.

E. TAY, Housing, and LGBT issues Committee, Chair Eric Wu

The town hall is a success. Over 50 youth came. We are working on an op-ed. We will consolidate findings into a report. Last Friday, while planning for youth lobby day on the Children’s Fund. Lobby day will be held June 2nd.

F. Youth Advisory Council, Representative Joyce Wu

Commissioner Landrum explained that the YAC continued working on a report concerning the community needs assessment.

9. Attendance Authorizations (Action Item)

A. Request for authorization of absences
i. Commissioner Angel VanStark, Monday, April 7th, 2014

Commissioner Van Stark explained that he was sick on the date of his absence. Commissioner E. Wu, seconded by Commissioner Bernick motioned to attend. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

10. Announcements (This Includes Community Events)

Commissioner Wu invited commissioners to a free youth-led Chinatown alleyway tour. Commissioner Landrum informed commissioners that the Youth Warrior nominations were open.

11. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.