1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES

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

A quorum of six Commissioners was present. Commissioner Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez was excused.

It was proposed that Item 5B New Business: UN Commission on the Status of Women 61st Session be postponed until the April meeting.

No Public Comment.

Action: To approve the meeting agenda as amended.                 m/s/c (Soo/Schwab-Pomerantz/Unanimous)

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Explanatory document: Draft Minutes from February 25, 2017.

Commissioner Julie Soo asked that the minutes be amended such that the note under Item 7 Adjournment will now read: “Note: Commissioners Soo and Zwart excused themselves at 6 pm before this vote was taken, but quorum remained.”

 

Action: To approve draft minutes from February 25, 2017 as amended.           

                                                                                                         m/s/c (Zwart/Schwab-Pomerantz /Unanimous)

 

3. DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Dr. Emily Murase provided highlights of the Director's Report. Dr. Murase spoke about the successful Women’s History Month Awards event at City Hall and thanked all who came. She told Commissioners about the unprecedented police training that Women's Policy Director Minouche Kandel and Grants Associate Elise Hansell are giving to the Bayview Police Station as part of the Domestic Violence High Risk Team pilot project. President Shorter thanked Associate Director Carol Sacco for her work organizing the Women’s History Month Awards event.

Public Comment:

1. Beverly Upton, Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Consortium, concurred with President Shorter that the Women’s History Month Award event was very well attended and organized. Ms. Upton also thanked Ms. Sacco for her work on the event. Ms. Upton gave President Shorter a Certificate of honor from Assemblymember Phil Ting. She said that President Shorter is a bridge between the first generation of women leaders who founded the Commission and the current generation of leaders. Ms. Upton said that the Domestic Violence Consortium has met with Mayor Lee and they asked him for a 3% increase to domestic violence program budgets over the next 3 years.

4. CONSENT AGENDA

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

1. Resolution Recognizing Midge Wilson

President Shorter recognized Midge Wilson for being a champion for children’s well-being. She said that Ms. Wilson, the Founding Director of the Bay Area Women’s and Children’s Center which focuses entirely on the needs and issues of low-income children and their families in the multi-ethnic neighborhood of the Tenderloin, began improving the lives of families in the Tenderloin in the early 1980s when children and families moved into the Tenderloin by the thousands. At that time, she informed the meeting, there were no playgrounds, parks, or schools. She continued to recount Ms. Wilson’s history and said, that in 1984, the Center completed the first Tenderloin Kids Count, documenting nearly 4,000 children living in small Tenderloin apartments and hotel rooms. She relayed how Ms. Wilson used that data to launch many initiatives, including the building of the Tenderloin Children’s Playground and Recreation Center and four additional playgrounds, and eventually the building of the Tenderloin Elementary School which has since become a model for community schools in the San Francisco Unified School District. She concluded that Ms. Wilson has transformed a whole community of children and families to pave the way for generations of students to lead better, more impactful lives as adults.

Midge Wilson expressed her appreciation for the recognition. She explained that she has been a long-time resident of the Tenderloin, raising her daughter there. She said how years ago, when she founded the Center, there was only a single childcare center with 25 slots for the 4,000 children living in the neighborhood. She recalled organizing dozens of mothers to attend a hearing at City Hall and, as a result, a new neighborhood childcare center was funded. She thanked all her supporters for coming to the meeting and acknowledged their contributions to her work.

Public Comment:

1. Anastasia Shattner, Principal of the Tenderloin Community School, explained that the Tenderloin Community School is a unique institution that is located in a highly diverse community, and the school provides wrap-around services to many immigrant and low-income students. She told the Commission how the partnership with the Bay Area Women's & Children's Center has flourished to include tutoring, dental and medical services, afterschool clubs, and other enrichment activities for these students, and that none of this would have been possible without Midge Wilson's extraordinary leadership.
2. On behalf of Supervisor Jane Kim, Bobbi Lopez, Legislative Aide, expressed her appreciation for Midge Wilson's tireless work in the community.
3. Din Trinh, a 9th grader at Stuart Hall High School, explained that he is now a nationally ranked figure skater competing for a spot on Team USA, the U.S. Olympic team. He said he was first introduced to ice skating when Midge Wilson funded skating lessons for students of the Tenderloin Community School where he went to school. He explained that without Ms. Wilson's support, none of this would have been possible.
4. Dr. Kara Wright, Bay Area Women’s & Children’s Center, is a pediatrician who has worked with the Center for 20 years. She expressed her heartfelt thanks to Midge Wilson for her tremendous dedication to the Tenderloin community and the students of the Tenderloin Community School in particular. Dr. Wright told the Commission that she first worked with the Center when she was in training and the partnership has continued ever since.
5. Kara Whiston, a teacher at Tenderloin Community School, recounted how she heard about the new Tenderloin Community School 20 years ago while she was pursuing her teaching credential. She said she was very excited to join the faculty of the school the year it opened and she has been there ever since. She stated that Midge Wilson's contributions to the school community have been essential to the success of the school.

2. To make the following changes to the 2017 Commission meeting schedule:

May Commission meeting change Wednesday, May 24, 2017 to Wednesday, May 17, 2017

November Strategic Planning Meeting change from Friday, November 17, 2017 to Thursday, November 9, 2017

Both meetings to be held at 25 Van Ness, room 610.

No Public Comment

5. NEW BUSINESS

1. Lactation Accommodation Legislation

Ashley Summers, Legislative Aide to Supervisor Katy Tang, explained the numerous benefits of breastfeeding. Yet, the percentage of women who breastfeed exclusively long-term is low in San Francisco, and is particularly depressed among minority and low-income women. The proposed ordinance requires 1) an employer policy on lactation, 2) newly constructed or renovated buildings to include lactation spaces, and 3) model policies created by the Department of Public Health. It represents the most sweeping proposal on lactation in the workplace in the nation.

Discussion focused on the importance of outreach to employers. Commissioners asked what the reaction has been from employers. Ms. Summers explained that many employers have been supportive and further outreach will be conducted. She stated that the Healthy Mothers Workplace Coalition recognizes employers who go above and beyond minimum requirements. Dr. Curtis Chan, Director of Maternal Health at the Department of Public Health, spearheads the Coalition and he acknowledged the leadership of the Department on the Status of Women on promoting family-friendly policies.

Ms. Summers reported that the city has acquired lactation pods from Mamava, a woman-owned start-up, that provides private spaces for lactating mothers to nurse or pump. These are located in City Hall, the Hall of Justice, and the Human Services Agency. Two additional pods will be located at city agencies.

Public Comment:

1. Katie Wutchiett of Legal Aid at Work spoke in support of the proposed legislation. At Legal Aid at Work, staff help employees advocate for their rights as new and lactating mothers. The agency also works with expectant mothers on parental leave issues and women re-entering the workforce after childbirth who need assistance raising the issue of lactating in the workplace.

Ms. Summers reported that the proposed legislation will be heard at the Small Business Commission on April 10, the Planning Commission on April 19, and the Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee on April 24.

Commissioner Soo moved to support the proposed lactation in the workplace ordinance, and Commissioner Zwart seconded the motion. The Commission adopted the motion unanimously.

Action: To support Supervisor Katy Tang’s Lactation Accommodation Legislation.

m/s/c (Soo/Zwart/Unanimous)

2. UN Commission on the Status of Women 61st Session

Postponed to the April Commission meeting.

3. 40^th Anniversary Video                                                            

Videographer Anna Marks was not able to come to the Commission meeting, but the Department played her short video on the 40^th Anniversary of the Commission on the Status of Women. Dr. Murase said that the video will be posted on the Department website.

6. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

Public Comment:

1. Roberta Guise, Founder and President of Fem Resources, told the Commission that she attended the Life Video Stream Conference on Women, Girls and STEM. She learned three main things: 1) most accessible STEM jobs (80%) are in IT and engineering, 2) strategies were needed to educate girls and keep them in STEM careers, and 3) there is a large need for mentors of women both male and female mentors. She asked the Commission to think about these questions: What policies do we need to support women and girls to enter STEM? How do we educate the parents to encourage their girls in STEM?

7. ADJOURNMENT

Action: To adjourn the meeting.                                                                m/s/c (Zwart/Ryerson/Unanimous)

President Shorter adjourned the meeting in memoriam for Aileen Clarke Hernandez and Natalie Berg. Commissioner Soo added Philip Choy.

Meeting Adjourned at 6:11 pm.