San Francisco Youth Commission
Housing, Environment, & City Services
Minutes
Thursday, February 5, 2015
5:00-7:00 PM
City Hall, Room 345
1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102

There will be public comment on each item.

Members: Rosa Chen, Anna Bernick, Noah David, Lily Marshall-Fricker, Precious Listana, E’mani Davis

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Chair Chen called the meeting to order at 5:08 pm. Commissioners present: David, Davis, Bernick, Marshall-Fricker, Chen. Commissioners absent: Listana. Staff present: Allen Lu. There was quorum.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

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

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. January 22, 2015
(Document A)

Commissioner Marshall-Fricker, seconded by Commissioner Bernick, moved to approve the minutes from the last meeting. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

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

There was no public comment.

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

There was none.

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

B. TAY Housing Goal Updates

This item was called out of order to accommodate expected members of the public. Commissioner Davis and Listana are working on a draft resolution and aim to present to the committee on February 19th.

There was no public comment.

A. Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights Recap & Follow-Up

This item was called out of order to accommodate members of the public.

Three members from the Mission community joined the meeting. After a round of introductions where people shared their thoughts on the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights presentation at the Full Youth Commission meeting, Commissioner Chen updated everyone that the tentative date for the hearing at the Board of Supervisors’ Neighborhood Services & Safety Committee on March 5th during after school hours (as requested by the Youth Commission).

Edwin, member of the public, inquired about the format of the hearing. Chair Chen and staff shared that the hearing will be similar to other hearings led by the Supervisors, with the Youth Commission helping to provide context.

The committee then discussed the spirit of the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights and agreed that it had a good intention: to provide children the opportunity to experience nature. They have also realized that in order to ensure that these rights are truly for every child, and since the R&PD is the biggest provider of open space in the city with 200+ parks, these spaces need to be more accessible and safer.

The committee pointed out a few of the rights such as “Splashing in the Ocean or Bay” and “Climb a Tree” and highlighted the need for more supervision in order for all children to fully experience these rights.

Edwin suggested that the Youth Commission could present a letter on what they have heard throughout the process of the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights discussion. Commissioner Davis shared that safety and lighting, but not permitting, were concerns she has consistently heard. Commission Chen highlighted that this is not a hearing on the Recreation and Park Department, and that it is on the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights. The group then discussed their primary concerns which included safety through supervision and staffing, accessibility through the Language Access Ordinance and public knowledge of the rules, and cleanliness.

Hugo, member of the public, shared that accessibility was not only a matter of the fields, but also other resources such as swimming pools. The community youth can’t go swimming because there are always private lessons going on. He also commented on how dirty the parks were with the increase of homelessness and gun violence.

The committee then discussed about an upcoming training opportunity on Youth Participatory Action Research with the Youth Leadership Institute, and shared the opportunity with the members of the public. They also discussed outreach for the hearing and next steps including fliers, formulating talking points, and contacting others.

Commissioner Chen finally shared the committee’s strategies to policy approaches and people were enthusiastic about having the R&PD do an equity analysis as well as extending Mission Playground rules to other parks.

There was no additional public comment.

7. Executive Committee Report

There was none.

8. Staff Report

The committee discussed the possibility of having an earlier committee meeting two weeks away. Staff asked Chair Chen to update the committee on Vision Zero. Staff shared an upcoming Vision Zero Outreach meeting as well as Commissioner Listana’s D6 Youth Forum.

There was no public comment.

9. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:58pm.