San Francisco Youth Commission
Executive Committee
Minutes
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
4:30-6:30 PM
City Hall, Room 345
1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
San Francisco, CA 94102

There will be public comment on each item.

Members: Sophie Edelhart, Michel Li, Luis Avalos Núñez, Precious Listana, David Zheng

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

The meeting was called to order by Commissioner Edelhart at 4:39 pm. Commissioners present: Edelhart, Avalos, Listana; Commissioners absent: Li, Zheng; Staff present: Adele Failes-Carpenter. There was quorum.

2. Approval of Agenda (Action Item)

Commissioner Avalos, seconded by Commissioner Listana, moved to approve the agenda. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

3. Approval of Minutes (Action Item)

A. May 13, 2015
(Document A)

Commissioner Avalos, seconded by Commissioner Listana, moved to approve the minutes from May 13, 2015. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

B. April 29, 2015
(Document B)

Commissioner Listana, seconded by Commissioner Avlaos, moved to approve the minutes from April 29, 2015. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

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

There was none.

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

A. Executive officer updates, check-ins, and committee reports

Commissioners gave brief check ins about their respective committee work and updated each other about the presentation of the annual budget and policy priorities to BOS Budget and Finance committee the week before. There was no public comment.

B. Review applications for 2015 appointments to the DCYF Oversight and Advisory Committee and make recommendations for full Youth Commission

Commissioner Edelhart explained that the commission had received three applications for seat 7: Mia Tu Mutch Satya, Carmen Sosa, and Vida Bonilla; and that the commission had received four applications for seats 1 and 2: Vida Bonilla, Avi Leung, Carmen Sosa, Wang Cheng Ieong.

Commissioner Edelhart asked the applicants the following questions: How would the applicant fulfill the time requirements? What does the applicant hope to accomplish if appointed to the OAC? What perspectives, communities, and experiences would the applicant bring to the OAC, if appointed? How would the applicant reach out to and connect with other youth in order to represent their perspectives, if appointed? How is youth representation on the OAC important?

Mia Tu Mutch Satya, Carmen Sosa, Vida Bonilla, and Avi Leung were present. Here is a summary of their respective replies:

Mia Tu Mutch Satya: Mia explained that she went above and beyond the minimum hours when she was on the youth commission and that her employer supports her participation. The goal of the OAC should be to ensure accountability and transparency for how services are provided with the Children’s Fund. As a youth, she accessed DCYF services, including healthcare, education, and employment services. She has also worked as a direct service provider, mostly with young people of color and the LGBT community. She hopes to maintain an open dialogue between the OAC and the youth commission and Citywide TAY Advisory Board, as well as SFUSD student leaders. She would use social media to reach other youth, and served as the youth commission’s media and outreach officer in 2012-13. She made it her priority in 2013-14 to have strong youth representation and voice in the drafting of the Children’s Fund legislation and developed a youth engagement plan for OCOC. She believes that those most impacted by decisions should be involved in leading them.

Carmen Sosa explained that she was used to managing multiple priorities because of her work with SF Public Library and as an Exploratorium High School explainer. Next year she will be attending CCSF. Carmen explained she had undertaken advocacy in her work with Youth Advocacy Day and is dedicated to issues of equity and access. She believes everyone needs to have a say, and would reach out to other youth to hear from them, if appointed. Carmen explained that she worked at the Columbia Park Boys and Girls club, as well as with their summer camps every year. She explained that her mother, now deceased, was disabled for several years and that both of her parents were incarcerated earlier in her life. She is a first generation immigrant and her parents were monolingual Spanish speakers, which impacted her school experience and navigation of public systems as a child. She explained that these experiences had a big impact on her, and that she is a current foster youth. Carmen discussed the important of doing outreach at juvenile hall to hear from youth, as well as through social media. Carmen said she wants to stand up for and empower other youth who feel they aren’t being heard in the current system.

Avi Leung: Avi explained that he coaches basketball at Ingleside Community Center and confirmed with coaches that he may need to adjust his schedule if appointed. Avi explained that everyone’s diverse perspectives need to be heard and that representatives should have an open dialogue with the youth community throughout the city regarding the DCYF granting process. He explained that it is especially important to engage underrepresented communities, including low-income communities. He explained that he is connected to younger youth through his volunteer work with 8-10 year olds at Ingleside community center, as well as with students from across area high schools because he plays league basketball. He explained that before moving to SF, he attended a large public high school in Washington DC and saw first hand how youth can be effected when they are not offered resources and are pushed into the criminal justice system. Avi explained that it is important to have youth representation because then other youth will feel more comfortable speaking up and knowing that the OAC is there to listen to them. Avi said he wants youth to be heard and to engage in alliance-building with other youth. He would validate the concerns of youth, schedule one-on-one outreach and plan events to hear from other youth.

Vida Bonilla: Vida explained that she worked at LYRIC while in school and would prioritize this commitment, if appointed. Vida explained she had been impacted by program changes and budget cuts herself and realized youth need to be directly involved in crafting budgets. Vida explained that she is queer, low income, and Chicana. She believes it is important for youth to see other youth of color in leadership positions so that they believe they can be there and that they have a role in the decision-making process. She explained that as a service provider, she saw first hand the importance of having multilingual staff and services as she often served as a Spanish translator for youth participants. Vida explained that she is already connected to many communities and hears concerns through her work with LYRIC, CHALK, and Enterprise for HS students. Vida explained that when we talk about youth, we often talk about the future, but we should also talk about the present, and what youth are facing and need right now.

Commissioner Edelhart thanked the applicants for their time. Committee members discussed the respective merits of the OAC applicants and agreed all had strong applications. After reviewing the OAC legislation, charge of the OAC, and respective communities the applicants would help represent, Commissioner Edelhart, seconded by Commissioner Listana, moved to informally recommend Mia Tu Mutch Satya to for seat 7. Commissioner Edelhart, seconded by Commissioner Avalos, motioned to recommend to the full Youth Commission the formal recommendation of Vida Bonilla and Carmen Sosa for the OAC seats 1 and 2. There was no public comment. The motion regarding seat 7 was passed by acclamation. The motion regarding seats 1 and 2 was passed by acclamation.

C. Review process for selecting Youth Commission designee for OCOF council

Commissioners reviewed the OCOF council draft legislation and discussed how to best identify a YC representative for the position. Commissioner Avalos, seconded by Commissioner Listana, motioned to recommend the following process:

Introduce the position at the orientation retreat; Allow commissioners to self-nominate for the position; the Executive committee will elect the representative taking into account a combination of a) the desire to spread out leadership opportunities and b) the capacity of the nominee to represent the commission as a whole in high-level policy discussions. If the OCOF begins meetings before this process can be completed by the 2015-16 commission, the Executive committee will send an interim representative.
There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

D. Review of recent youth-related Board of Supervisors legislation

There was none.

E. Review plan for annual report

Commissioners reviewed the 2013-14 annual report. Commissioner Edelhart suggested that committee chairs write the respective committee write ups and that staff prepare the other portions, and that the draft report should go up for approval by the commission. Commissioner Listana seconded. There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

F. Approve Agenda for June 1, 2015 Full YC Meeting

Commissioner Listana, seconded by Commissioner Avalos, moved to approve the June 1, 2015 meeting agenda with the following non-standing items:

• Presentation by Sheriff Mirkarimi on the jail visiting policy
• Presentation from Lift a Sista Up
• Recommend applicants for OAC youth seats 1 and 2

There was no public comment. The motion was approved by acclamation.

6. Staff Report

Staff requested to confirm who would like to attend the Project WHAT event on Alcatraz in June.

7. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:28 pm.