1. CALL TO ORDER/ AGENDA CHANGES

Vice President Breanna Zwart called the meeting to order at 5:19 pm. She excused President Debbie Mesloh and Commissioner Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz who were absent.

Vice President Zwart mentioned that Commissioner Meena Harris resigned earlier in June and thanked her for her time and contributions. She also recognized that Mayor London Breed’s Be Invincible Women’s Summit on June 14 was a success, and thanked President Mesloh and Commissioner Schwab-Pomerantz for speaking at the event.

No changes to the agenda.

No Public Comment.

Action: To approve agenda.

m/s/c(Soo/Miry/Unanimous except for Absent: Mesloh and Schwab-Pomerantz)

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

No changes to the minutes from the regular Commission meeting on May 22, 2019.

No Public Comment.

Action: To approve the minutes from May 22, 2019.        

m/s/c(Soo/Shorter/Unanimous except for Absent: Mesloh and Schwab-Pomerantz)

 

3. NEW BUSINESS

1. Ban on City Funds to States with Restrictive Abortion Laws

Shakirah Simley, Legislative Aide to Supervisor Vallie Brown, briefed the Commission on the proposed amendments to Chapter 12X that Supervisor Brown introduced on June 4. She explained that these amendments would prohibit sponsoring City travel to and City contracting with states that have enacted laws prohibiting abortion prior to the viability of the fetus. She explained that they worked closely with the City Attorney’s Office and the Office of City Administrator to craft the language of the amendments.

Commissioners discussed the language used in the legislation and pointed out that the amendment would be stronger with the language “prohibit abortion” without the phrase “the viability of the fetus.” They suggested that an alternative could be “prohibit full reproductive healthcare, including abortion.” Commissioners also requested information about the current levels of spending in state subject to the Chapter 12X provisions, specifically the number and value of contracts. Commissioners suggested language changes to improve the legislation. Dr. Emily Murase noted that there is a strong partnership with Supervisor Brown’s office on the legislation, led by Policy & Projects Director Elizabeth Newman, and said that the current language used is to help prevent legal challenges to the legislation.

Public Comment:

1. Lauren Babb, Public Affairs Director of Planned Parenthood of Northern California, stated that she appreciated the Commission’s concerns, and supported many of their recommendations. She emphasized, however, the importance of enacting legislation that will survive legal challenge as a first step. In response to the question about outreach to businesses, she reported that 180 companies have signed up to condemn anti-abortion laws, including Yelp, Atlantic Records, Square, and Bloomberg. Ms. Babb said that nationally there have been 378 abortion restrictions introduced in 2019. She thanked the Commission for its leadership on this issue.

Action: Postpone Action on Board of Supervisors Legislation to Place a Ban on City Funds to States with Restrictive Abortion Laws.

m/s/c(Shorter/Soo/Unanimous except for Absent: Mesloh and Schwab-Pomerantz)

2. San Francisco Women’s Justice Reform Initiative

Reentry Division Director Lauren Bell gave a presentation on the San Francisco Adult Probation Department’s (APD) response to the Department on the Status of Women’s Gender Analysis of their department by demonstrating the many instances of increased women’s participation and the use of a gender lens in all aspects of their Departments activities from staffing to programs level. Reentry Policy Planner Geoffrea Morris presented on the ADP’s Women’s Justice Reform Initiative. Ms. Morris was hired in 2017 and took an immersive process in outreach to the community to help drive the content and outcomes for the program. Ms. Morris reported that the program Fathers Matter, just graduated its 10th cohort of fathers on probation who are committed to restoring their families. She said that this year, APD launched Mother’s Matter on April 19, 2019. Ms. Morris stated that it became clear to her that the blueprint did not address the needs of trans and gender non-conforming people, so she consulted Compton Cultural District Director Aria Sa’id who provided technical assistance to APD so that forms would be more inclusive.

Commissioners noted the tremendous growth and evolution of gender-specific work in APD. Ms. Morris reported that APD is hiring a successor who is a formerly incarcerated individual and will be bringing her authentic experience to the position. Ms. Morris will remain at APD following state policies and legislation. Commissioners discussed the importance of language that is both inclusive but also specific in addressing the needs of women.

No Public Comment.

3. Gender Analysis of Commissions and Boards

The Department’s Public Policy Fellow Diana McCaffrey presented on the Gender Analysis of Commissions and Boards. She noted that in this iteration of the Gender Analysis of Commissions and Boards more policy bodies were added, and a larger percentage of members responded. After the presentation she told the Commission that the Department will share the analysis with the various appointing authorities and that there would be a press release the next day.

Commissioners discussed the nuances of the African American representation statistics. Commissioners noted that the gender analysis work is uniquely the provenance and legacy of the Commission and Department.

No Public Comment.

4. DIRECTOR’S REPORT

No Public Comment.

Action: Postpone Directors Report to Future Meeting.

m/s/c(Zwart/Soo/Unanimous except for Absent: Mesloh and Schwab-Pomerantz)

5. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT

Public Comment:

1. Beverly Upton, Executive Director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, reported that the Board of Supervisors were meeting that day and evening on the budget, and that the DV community was originally asking for no cuts to the current budget for Domestic Violence services and an overall increase of 20% for VAWA programs, but she noted that they had so far won a position of no cuts and a 3% increase for cost of doing business. She told the Commission that she would attend the Board meeting that night to ensure the community had a voice at the table.

6. ADJOURNMENT

Action: To adjourn the meeting.

m/s/c(Soo/Shorter/Unanimous except for Absent: Mesloh and Schwab-Pomerantz)

Meeting Adjourned at 7:21 pm in memory of Joanna Fraguli and Sululagi Palega, Sr.