1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES

President Andrea Shorter called the meeting to order at 4:11 pm.

All Commissioners present except for Commissioner Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez who was excused.

No changes to the Agenda.

Action: To approve the agenda.                                                                 m/s/c (Soo/Ryerson/Unanimous)

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. APPROVE AUGUST 24, 2016 MINUTES

Commissioner Julie Soo asked that a sentence on page 2 be amended to read “Commissioner Soo said that she appreciated that Department Fellow Liz Yang was present at the Summit to meet senior City women staff”.

Action: To approve the minutes.                                                                m/s/c (Zwart/Mesloh/Unanimous)

2. AMEND JULY 27, 2016 MINUTES

Action: To re-open approval of July 27, 2016 minutes.                             m/s/c (Shorter/Zwart/Unanimous)

Pursuant to San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.16 these minutes are amended to include the following written summary that was provided by John Kelly to the Commission Secretary at the July 27, 2016 meeting.

“John Kelly stated his public comment concerned his dissatisfaction with the DOSW on two important matters. First, the Department had brushed off his complaint concerning the extreme discrimination against women in admissions to senior/disabled housing of the San Francisco Housing Authority. He provided a copy of his letter to Mayor M. Edwin Lee on this issue. He requested the Commission to read his letter, direct the Department to perform an investigation, and place the issue on its agenda, asap.

Mr. Kelly’s second issue was the Department’s failure to adequately advocate for the publication of domestic violence statistics by the Housing Authority. He said that this was the second time he was presenting this issue to the Commission, and he provided a copy of his letter to the Housing Authority on the issue. He requested the Commission to direct the Department to immediately request the Housing Authority to publish these monthly statistics.”

Action: To approve the amended minutes.                                               m/s/c (Mesloh/Zwart/Unanimous)

3. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Executive Director Emily Murase highlighted aspects of her report which covered the month of September.

Dr. Murase introduced the three new fellows at the Department: Hanna Beckman, CORO Fellow; Maggie McHale, Public Policy Fellow; and Allie Walker, Gender Equality Principles Fellow. Each Fellow spoke briefly about herself.

President Shorter highlighted the upcoming Domestic Violence Awareness Month kick-off on Thursday, October 6, 5-6pm at the Polk Street Steps of City Hall. She encouraged everyone to attend the important event. Vice President Debbie Mesloh will represent the Commission for the event.

4. CONSENT AGENDA

Action: To approve the Consent Agenda.                                      m/s/c (Mesloh/Zwart/Unanimous)

1. Appointment of Luoluo Hong to the Safer Schools Sexual Assault Task Force

Tony Little, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Student Affairs, spoke on behalf of Dr. LuoluoHong who was out of town. He explained that Dr. Hong is a survivor and previously worked at a rape crisis center. In addition to her role of Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Hong is the Title IX Coordinator for San Francisco State University. He read a statement from Dr. Hong:

I especially would like to serve on this Task Force because, while I think colleges and universities should play a significant, visible, and leading role in the efforts to eradicate sexual violence in our communities, I do not believe we can do it alone. The attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that undergird sexual violence are socializing us from childhood and are embedded in many institutions in our country’s education, medical care, legal system, law enforcement, corporations, churches, and media just to name a few. It’s a matter of social justice. For our efforts to make an impact we have to encourage entire communities, not just parts of them.

Commissioners asked if Dr. Hong was prepared to reach out to parents of students about rape and if she intended to approach this work with a view to reaching families in their home languages. On behalf of Dr. Hong, Mr. Little responded with a resounding "yes."

2. Resolutions Recognizing the 2016 CEDAW Honorees

President Shorter announced the three recipients of the 2016 CEDAW Honorees:

• Amelia Ashley-Ward for Media
• Janice Mirikitani for Philanthropy.
• Congresswoman Jackie Speier for Government

Commission resolutions will be presented to the honorees at the October 17 breakfast.

3. Resolution Recognizing Founder Anne Marie Theilen on the Occasion of the 40^th Anniversary of Scroungers Center for Reusable Art Parts (SCRAP)

Ms. Theilen thanked the Commission for the recognition. She stated that she would not have been able to do her work if it were not for the support of the San Francisco Arts Commission. She also relied on a partnership with the school district to connect recycled art supplies to artists and teachers.

Public Comment:

1. Ben Delaney, Executive Director of SCRAP, expressed his appreciation to the Commission for recognizing Anne Marie Thielen who has spent 40 years of her life dedicated to SCRAP. He said, she has helped thousands of artists, teachers, and families. Mr. Delaney explained how SCRAP has created jobs in the Bayview, it works closely with the school district, and contributes to workforce development. He highlighted Ms. Thielen's strongest trait--persistence. He added that SCRAP has contributed to diverting tons of would-be trash from landfill.
2. Shawn Rosenmoss, Senior Environmental Specialist from the Department of Environment, applauded the recognition of Anne Marie Theilen. Ms. Rosenmoss stated that she was at SCRAP earlier in the day with a U.S. State Department delegation investigating sustainability and landfill diversion strategies. A SCRAP shopper for 30 years, Ms. Rosenmoss was thrilled to learn, upon joining the Department of Environment, that SCRAP was a Zero Waste Grantee of her department.
3. Kathy Looper thanked the Commission for acknowledging the work of Anne Marie Theilen. She recalled that she and her husband first encountered SCRAP in 1976. She spoke about the dedicated volunteers who staff the organization, including Founder Anne Marie Theilen. She thanked Ms. Theilen for her pioneering vision of reuse.
4. Michael Bongiorni, Board President of SCRAP, thanked Anne Marie for her vision and dedication. At the same time, he wanted to thank all the women who made the organization such a vibrant part of the City. President Shorter acknowledged Mr. Bongiorni as a key figure in the creation of one of the largest art projects ever, the AIDS Quilt Project, which she also worked on. 

4. Resolution Recognizing the Horizons Unlimited 50^th Anniversary

Horizons Unlimited Executive Director Celina Lucero stated how excited she was to celebrate the agency's 50 years of providing services to the community. As a former participant in the program, Ms. Lucero explained how transformational the program has been for young women, including herself. She expressed what an honor it has been to serve as Executive Director of such an important organization for girls.

Natalie Arias, Program Coordinator of Females Against Violence, stated that the program supports young women throughout the community. She noted that her program is supported by the Department.

Valeria Romo told the Commission that she started as a participant at age 16 and is now a student at San Francisco State University who serves as a college intern at Horizons. She explained how important the program was to her when she was in high school and how appreciative she is for the opportunity to continue working with the program.

Shirley Maciel, in charge of Substance Abuse Treatment and Gender Specific Programs, explained the value of a program that focuses on the development of young women in particular. She stated that she looks forward to another 50 years of programming for young women.

Participants in the Females Against Violence program introduced themselves and the school they attend: Christine and Wendy, Balboa students; Lela and Cynthia, City Arts & Tech; and Charlie, KIPP San Francisco Academy.

Commissioners spoke in support of the work of Horizons Unlimited.

5. Resolution Recognizing the Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center 100^th Anniversary

Sharon Terman explained that Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center(LAS-ELC) is the oldest legal services organization in the Western United States, founded in 1916 to address abuse of migrant agricultural workers. The agency has since evolved to serve a variety of worker issues, including, for example, wage theft, discrimination, unlawful termination for hundreds of vulnerable workers, including women, people of color, undocumented workers, veterans, and invidious with disabilities.

6. Resolution Recognizing the National Domestic Violence Hotline 20th Anniversary

The President noted that Department staff will present the resolution to hotline staff at the 20^th anniversary event on October 13.

7. Resolution Recognizing the Planned Parenthood 100^th Anniversary

Susannah Delano, Public Affairs Director, thanked the Commission for the recognition. She noted that compared to the time of its founding 100 years ago, abortion, once a crime, is now safe and legal. Planned Parenthood has provided comprehensive health services to the San Francisco community for many years.

Commissioners expressed support for the work of Planned Parenthood.

5. NEW BUSINESS

Health & Employment Resources for Women

1. Planned Parenthood Returns to San Francisco       

Susannah Delano provided an overview of the agency, including its history and currently available services. She explained that while there was a transition when Planned Parenthood Golden Gate closed, services were never interrupted. The facility on Valencia Street has been open since 2011.

The Commissioners asked Ms. Delano about the organization’s operations in San Francisco. The Commissioners were curious how the planned parenthood staff deals with the clinic protests. Ms. Delano replied that its very wearing on the staff, but it helps that the community is very supportive of the clinic. The Commissioners also asked about the different sexual health education programs they conduct in san Francisco.

2. Violence Against Women Prevention & Intervention Grants Program     

         Partner Agency Spotlight: Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center                                    

Sharon Terman explained that Project Survive is dedicated to protecting employment rights of low wage survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and stalking. She further detailed that they provide free legal advice, a toll free help line for survivors, free legal representation, and outreach and education. She said, 74% of survivors remain in abusive relationships due to financial concerns. Ms. Terman said that Project Survive strives to both protect survivor’s employment and educate survivors and advocates of their rights. She said, the project has many helpful resources in many different languages for accessibility.

The Commissioners engaged Ms. Terman in a discussion about workplace issues.

3. Dress for Success Program               

Program Coordinator Amy Lynch told the commission that Dress for Success began in New York City in 1997. She said that Dress for Success is a national network of affiliates, and,in addition to San Francisco, there is an office in Milpitas. Ms. Lynch offered four main programs that serve women entering the workforce for the first time or returning to work after an absence:

1.         The suiting program offers professional dress to women who couldn't otherwise afford it. To be eligible for this program, women must have a scheduled job interview, or an internship, or court date. The youngest clients were 15-16 years old and needed professional dress to attend a Model United Nations conference;

2.         The 10-week job search program is conducted 3 times per year. The first 4-weeks of the program focus on interview skills and mock phone interviews, while the final 6-weeks are dedicated to resume review, job search, mock in-person interviews, and LinkedIn strategies. The goal is 100% employment for job search candidates;

3.         The Career Center offers 1 on 1 resume counseling, and accepts appointments once a week;

4.         The Professional Women's Group meets once a month with about 40 women as part of this group. The discussion focuses on 5 topics: Health & Wellness, Leadership, Written & Unwritten Rules, Work-Life Balance, and Financial Planning.

Ms. Lynch went on to say that Dress for Success is on track to see 900 women this year. She explained that 70% of the program’s clients live under the poverty line, many with children. Ms. Lynch told the Commission that Clients are accepted primarily by referral, but there is a way that Clients can self-refer or they may be directed to a drop-in center.

Commissioners asked if clients included formerly incarcerated women. Ms. Lynch said yes they do. Commissioners asked about coaching clients on how to conduct themselves at interviews and once they are on the job. Ms. Lynch explained that women are coached when they come in for appointments.

Commissioner Soo offered to participate in the program as a volunteer. Commissioner Zwart, a donor of clothing in the past, expressed her appreciation for the organization.

Public Comment:

1. Roberta Guise, Founder of FemResources, discussed current women’s clothing and style in the technology sector. She expressed her appreciation for the Dress for Success program.

6. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT  

No Public Comment.

7. ADJOURNMENT

Commissioner Soo asked that the meeting be adjourned in memory of political activist Rose Pak.

President Shorter adjourned the meeting at 6:19 pm.