San Francisco Youth Commission
Minutes
Monday, November 4th , 2013
5:15pm-8:00pm
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, Eric Wu, Joyce Wu, Ariel Yu

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

The meeting was called to order at 5:20 pm.

Commissioners absent: Landrum (pre-authorized)

Commissioners present: Bae, Bernick, Cardenas, Edelhart, Flores, Gomez, Kong, Li, Marshall-Fricker, Perrsky, Sicairos, Van Stark, Eric Wu, Joyce Wu, Yu

There was quorum.

Staff present: Phimy Truong, Allen Lu, Adele Carpenter

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

Commissioner Yu, seconded by Commissioner Marshall-Fricker, moved to approve the agenda. There was no public comment. This motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item) A. October 21, 2013 (Document A)

Commissioner Bernick, seconded by Commissioner Sicairos, moved to approve the minutes. There was no public comment. This motion was approved by acclamation.

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

Iris Wong from the Dept. on the Status of Women thanked the commission for their time. She announced the Human Trafficking Teen poster contest. The submission deadline is December 16th. She shared copies of the application with commissioners. The poster must include the phrase, “No one owns me.” Winners will win iTunes giftcards and will be honored at City Hall. She also invited commissioners to the “One Billion Rising” event against violence against women and girls. She asked commissioners to save the date of February 14th.

Commissioner Eric Wu asked about the possibility of future collaboration against human trafficking. Ms. Wong provided contact information for the policy director. Commissioner Sicairos confirmed that poster applicants had to be San Francisco residents.

There were no further public comments.

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

A. [BOS file no. 130968] Administrative, Planning Codes - Ellis Act Displaced Emergency Assistance Ordinance (Primary Sponsor: President Chiu) Presenter: Amy Chan, Legislative Aide, Supervisor David Chiu (Document C)

The chair called item 6 out of order. The chair welcomed Amy Chan to present.

Ms. Chan explained that Supervisor Chiu introduced this legislation with several co-sponsors. The Ellis Act is a state law that was enacted in 1986. It has been interpreted broadly to allow landlords to evict tenants in order to leave the rental business. This ordinance would allow for preferential status in affordable housing services waiting lists for tenants who are Ellis Act evicted from homes they had occupied for more than ten years. In October 2012-October 2013 225 units were vacated. This was compared to 72 the year before. Nearly 50% of those units had tenants who had lived there ten years or more. There are over two thousand affordable housing units in the City. The legislation would charge the Mayor’s Office of Housing to administer this preference program.

The legislation does address fairness and equity issues by specifying the ordinance can only be enacted on someone’s behalf once. Not all units would be available, and tenants would still have to meet individual project eligibility requirements like income and age to qualify. The ability to benefit from the ordinance would expire in 3-6 years, depending on the project. The ordinance does not stop the Ellis Act, which is a state law, but it does ensure the City is doing everything it can to make sure tenants do not fall through the cracks when they are facing eviction.

Commissioner Eric Wu inquired into the link between relocation fees and Ellis Act evictions.

Ms. Chan explained that the relocation costs are an existing local ordinance.

Commissioner Eric Wu asked whether the relocation fees are sufficient to help with relocation.
Ms. Chan explained the relocation fees can help with immediate needs, but they are not necessarily addressing long term housing needs. Ms. Chan affirmed this was a good question to follow up on.

Commissioner Eric Wu asked what the Youth Commission can do to deter Ellis Act evictions.
Ms. Chan said that housing advocacy organizations have done a good job at pressuring landlords to prolong or cancel evictions. In order to avoid Ellis Act evictions, state law would have to change.

Commissioner Van Stark asked how the City makes sure that landlords do pay relocation fees.
Ms. Chan explained there are requirements that the landlord must file notices with the rent board to pursue an Ellis Act eviction, but tenants have to confirm with the rent board. Frequently, landlords offer buy outs instead of filing Ellis Act eviction paperwork.

Commissioner Kong asked more about what the Ellis Act is.
Ms. Chan explained the intention of the Ellis Act when passed by the state was to protect small property owners who could not stay in business any longer. In the early years, small property owners used the law to go out of business. Over time, the Ellis Act has been used by smaller property owners selling to large companies wishing to convert to TIC units or condos. It has been used by larger investors to vacate rent controlled housing.

Commissioner Eric Wu asked whether the moratorium on stopping TIC conversions has done anything to stop investors from evicting tenants.
Ms. Chan explained that Supervisor Chiu had passed legislation to stop the conversion of TIC units into condominiums. The legislation was recently enacted, so we need time to see what the impact of the legislation is. In exchange for creating a moratorium we also created an expedited conversion process for TIC owners who have been waiting to convert.

Commissioner Li asked what research has been done to track whether evicted tenants can afford market rate housing.

Ms. Chan explained that the rent board does not track that information to her knowledge, but that it could likely be extrapolated based on their incomes and the cost of market rate housing.
Commissioner Edelhart asked if the legislation addresses the wait time of residents who are waiting for affordable housing but were not Ellis Act evicted.

Ms. Chan explained that the priority is to house vulnerable evicted tenants, but that they want to make sure they are being fair to people who have already applied, which was the reasoning for the sunset for eligibility, among other restrictions. This is an urgent need, but we want to make sure we are not monopolizing the resource, which is why there is a cap on 20% of the total affordable housing stock.

Chair Persky called for public comment. There was none. He reminded his colleagues the process for handling legislation referred. He explained that staff will note the discussion and people can additionally make formal motions, but please make them specific and clear, and write them down if they are lengthy.

Commissioner Van Stark asked how the legislation would affect youth.

Ms. Chan explained you need to be an adult to apply, but a household facing eviction, including the entire family would have preference.

Commissioner Wu explained that he requested this legislation be referred so that commissioners can learn about the housing crisis and how it contributes to family flight. He said he thinks this legislation is a great step towards considering the needs of low income tenants and families.

Commissioner Eric Wu, seconded by Commissioner Edelhart, motioned to support the legislation. This motion was passed by acclamation.

Ms. Chan explained that if commissioners would like follow up, they are welcome to contact her.

5. Consent Calendar (Action Item)

All items hereunder constitute a Consent Calendar. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner so requests. In that event, the item will be removed from the Consent Calendar and considered as a separate item immediately following the vote on the rest of the items.

A. Referral from the Board of Supervisors, File No. 131044: Hearing to evaluate the status of San Francisco’s Afterschool for All Initiative and to examine access to afterschool programs for all students in the San Francisco Unified School District.
(Document B)

The chair then resumed the normal order of the agenda. There was no public comment. Commissioner Marshall-Fricker, seconded by Commissioner Yu, moved to approve the consent calendar. The motion was approved by acclamation.

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

A. Presentation on Bay Area Video Coalition’s Next Gen Youth Programs
Presenter: Ingrid Dahl, Director, Next Gen Programs
(Document D)

Ms. Ingrid Dahl, Director of Next Gen Programs; and Aisha Fukushima, Youth Coordinator at Next Gen Programs, spoke about their work at BAVC, the Bay Area Video Coalition’s Next Gen Youth Programs. BAVC has been around in the community for over 30 years, through technology, education, and arts programming. BAVC has a strong workforce development; this chapter works directly with the City, under TECHSF – working with underemployed or unemployed youth and adults, to make sure they have the training they need to be employed in the tech sector. Currently about 75% of the people served are low and extremely low income, 73% are people of color, and about a 50/50 gender split. BAVC tries to serve mainly people who are traditionally underserved (foster care, undocumented, between systems, etc.)

Ms. Dahl went on to explain that every youth who enters BAVC youth programs is placed in a paid internship or a dual-enrolled course at city college for credit. The pay is minimum wage for 96 hours. The program has an 86% success rate. Some internship sites include: Clear Channel, Zynga, Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, and Mozilla. BAVC works with a variety of technology companies within San Francisco to connect youth participants to meaningful internships.

Ms. Dahl also spoke about the Trax program, which is 140 hours of media arts training. The program has three main categories – web code and design, film, and audio engineering. Youth learn how to make films, create music, and websites. They also provide skills based workshop to provide experience for youth participants to get placed. Every youth participant can also enroll in a free class offered at BAVC.

Next Gen programs include the Bridges program (for 18-26 year olds). Funding comes from the National Science Foundation. The program links students with classes and STEM experiences, BAVC provides the technology and skills-training. Students in this program come to a semester career intensive led by peer mentors in a cohort where they are able to develop a network.

Ms. Fukushima then went into detail about the TECH-SF program, which works with participants to develop their skills as young professionals entering the tech field. Ms. Dahl then asked commissioners to help with outreach for the employment programs available at BAVC.

Chair Persky called for a recess at 6:30 p.m. The meeting was then resumed at 6:36 p.m.
The presenters then showed three videos which showcased BAVC programming and services in San Francisco. After viewing three videos, presenters asked: Having learned about BVC, how can we better support young people?

Commissioner Marshall-Fricker suggested the programs could go to schools and reach out through school newspapers.

Commissioner Bernick suggested reaching out through social media, facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Commissioner Sicairos asked how young people are elected to the positions. The presenters explained that 160 apply every summer, BAVC interviews them, they undergo a rigorous intake process, and the program accepts 12 in each track, with up to 30 youth.

Commissioner Van Stark asked about the cost per youth participant. The presenters explained the program spends $11,000 per young person.

Commissioner Sicairos asked whether the program has worked with the Academy of Art? She asked if youth participants have a higher chance of getting into arts school.

The presenters explained that a number of youth participants have received scholarships for their portfolios.

Commissioner Flores suggested that as a matter of supporting youth, the program look at how low-income youth are supported in the program and how they fit in to tech culture.

The presenters explained they have parent engagement events to demystify media and tech. They use films and educate employers in the industry to break down the barriers.

Commissioner Van Stark shared his excitement about the Gig Union as a way for young people to build their portfolios and gain jobs. He explained he believed the Gig Union provides good opportunities for low income and minority youth to get involved in tech.

The presenters asked how they can improve outreach efforts.

Commissioner Sicairos affirmed she would help spread the word by word of mouth.

Commissioner Yu suggested further outreach to area CBO’s.

Commissioner Li explained that Lowell High School posts internship opportunities for students, and that it could be a good platform for announcing the opportunity for high school age youth.

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

The chair tabled item 7B for the time being and moved on to item 8. There was no Youth Commission business.

9. Staff Report (Discussion Only)

Director Truong provided a detailed update on programming within the YC office, upcoming community events, and administrative-related issues.

10. Committee Reports (Discussion Only)

A. Executive Committee, Vice Chair Michelle Kong, Legislative Affairs Officer Joshua Cardenas, Outreach Officer DeAsia Landrum, Media & Public Relations Officer Angel VanStark

Chair Persky and Vice Chair Kong updated the commissioner about the Executive Committee’s intention to have one on one check-ins with commissioners. Commissioner Cardenas talked about having Supervisor Wiener’s soda tax legislation referred at the following meeting. As well, Supervisor Farrell’s hearing on the plan to abolish chronic homelessness will be referred at an upcoming meeting. Commissioner Cardenas reminded his colleagues that the charge of the commission is to give feedback from a youth perspective. Commissioner Persky shared that 50-60 youth came out for Free MUNI lobby day. Commissioner Van Stark explained the second outreach plan presentation was postponed until Commissioner Landrum returned.

B. Youth Justice Committee, Chair Sophie Edelhart

Sophie Edelhart explained that the last committee meeting had been cancelled to allow commissioners to attend Coleman’s Solutions Not Suspension event. Commissioners heard from students experiencing suspensions and the disproportionate impact on African American males. She explained she thought this was a good issue for the education committee to look into as well.

C. Immigration & Employment Committee, Chair Michel Li

Commissioner Li explained the committee had received a presentation from OCEIA and learned more about the DACA program. They had worked towards clarifying their goals and researching programs that work with immigrant youth.

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

Commissioner Yu explained the committee had met with the Student Advisory Council members and dedicated the meeting to doing research on special education and defibrillators. They also made a list of speakers they would like presentations from.

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

Commissioner Eric Wu explained the committee had received a presentation about TAY SF’s policy priorities. They were seeing movement on 12N and receiving a presentation from Mayor’s Office of Housing at their next meeting. The committee hopes to discuss how to support quality services in TAY housing. They also want to learn about trafficking from DOSW and alternative educational options for TAY.

F. Youth Advisory Council, Representative Joyce Wu

Commissioner Joyce Wu explained that the council had learned to review mini-grants and will begin the upcoming grant reviews.

B. Presentation on California’s Homeless Bill of Rights and Request for Support
Presenter: Nick Kimura, San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness
(Document E, F)

11. Attendance Authorizations (Action Item)

A. Sophie Edelhart, for 11/18/13 meeting

Commissioner Edelhart requested an approved absence for the November 18, 2013 meeting on account of her obligation to appear in her school play. There was no public comment. Commissioner Marshall-Fricker, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, moved to approve the upcoming absence. This motion was approved by acclmation.

B. Other Upcoming Absences

There were none.

C. Explanation(s) of Past Absences

There were none.

12. Announcements (This Includes Community Events)

There were none.

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

B. Presentation on California’s Homeless Bill of Rights and Request for Support; Presenter: Nick Kimura, San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness (Document E and F)

The chair then returned to item 7B. A short recess was called at 7:16 pm to see if the presenter could contacted. The recess ended at 7:17 pm. The item was tabled.

13. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:17 pm.