San Francisco Youth Commission
City Hall, Room 345
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 415-554-6446
Fax: 415-554-6140
Website:www.ci.sf.ca.us/youth_commission
Email: Youthcom@ci.sf.ca.us

The Youth Commission advises the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors on issues concerning children and youth in San Francisco. Created by a ballot measure approved by the voters in 1996, the Youth Commission is made up of 17 members who can range in age from 12 - 23. To be a Commissioner, you must live in SF, be between the ages of 12-23 and simply fill out an application and submit it to the Youth Commission office. Projects are youth-led and any young person is more than welcome to work on projects with us or bring us ideas.

Youth Commission meetings are the 1^st and 3^rd Mondays of every month from 5 to 7pm. The meetings are open to the public and are usually held in Room 416 of City Hall. Occasionally, the Commission holds community meetings at various sites.

City Departments

Following is a listing of some youth-related agencies, contact information (numbers are 415 area code unless otherwise noted),and a description of what that department does.

Animal Care and Control
1200 15^th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Main: 554-6364
Fax: 554-9424
Website:www.ci.sf.ca.us/acc
Lost pets: 554-8738
Emergencies only: 554-9400

At the animal shelter you may adopt a pet, get your lost pet back (if it is at the animal shelter), turn in pets you do not want anymore and turn in animals you found. They vaccinate, give health treatment, sell dog licenses, spay and neuter your pets.

Arts Commission
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 252-2590
Fax: 252-2595
Website: thecity.sfsu.edu/sfa

The Arts Commission brings the arts into community life and supports the City's artists and arts organizations. The commission approves design of public structures and buildings, approves street licenses for street artists, and other responsibilities.

California Academy of Sciences
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA 94118
Main: 750-7145
Fax: 750-7367
Website: www.calacademy.org
Junior Academy: 750-7100

The California Academy of Sciences gives educational lectures. The Academy has a natural history museum, aquarium and planetarium. It also offers a Junior Academy in the summer for kids ages 6 to 15 to explore the wonderful world of animals.

Children, Youth and Their Families, Department of
1390 Market Street, Suite 918
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 554-8990
Fax: 554-8965
Website: www.mocyf.org

The Department of Children, Youth and their Families (DCYF), formerly known as MOCYF, works to improve the well-being of San Francisco children, youth and their families. DCYF works with parents, public policy leaders, businesses and community service agencies to help our neighborhoods and organizations promote the healthy development of children.

Citywatch
P. O. Box 427190
San Francisco, CA 94142
Main: 557-4293
Fax: 557-4449
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/citywatch

Citywatch, cable 54, is SF's government access television channel. It is one of three cable channels reserved for public use by the San Francisco Cable Franchise. The other public access channels are Cityvisions , cable 53 and the education access channel, cable 52. If you are a youth, between the ages of 6-23, who created a video that speaks directly to youth and would like for it to be played on channel 52, call Off the Hook Productions at 239-3887 to get it aired. For all other tapes, call the number above.

Community Health Network of San Francisco
Department of Public Health
1001 Potrero Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
Main: 206-5166
Fax: 506-4883
Website:www.dph.sf.ca.us/CHNSite.htm
24 Hour Emergency Service 206-8111

Community Health Network is the City's health system, comprised of Hospitals and community health centers. They provide a wide range of services like mental & home services, emergency services and primary care through 18 neighborhood health centers.

Family Support Bureau
617 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Main: 356-2700
Fax: 356-2774
Website:www.ci.sf.ca.us/da/famsupt.htm

The Family Support Bureau provides free services to all custodial parents. The services provided range from paternity tests to locating the absent parent to interstate cases. The Family Support Bureau is a division of the District Attorney's Office.

San Francisco Fire Department
698 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
Main: 558-3403
Fax: 558-3323
Website: none at present time
Toy Program: 777-0440

The Fire Department protects the lives and property of the people of San Francisco from fires, natural disasters and hazardous materials incidents by providing emergency medical services, preventing fires through education and prevention programs. The Fire Department also provides a toy program for disadvantaged kids.

Health, Department of Public
101 Grove Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 554-2500
Fax: 554-2988
Website:www.dph.sf.ca.us

The Department of Public Health (DPH) protects and promotes health. DPH has 2 Divisions - Community Health Network (CHN) and Population Health and Prevention. DPH also offers plenty of programs for youth including Wedge Program which provides education to young people on HIV prevention and Special Programs for Youth which provides health services to youth at YGC.

Human Resources, Department of
44 Gough Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Main: 557-4800
Fax: 557-4910
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/dhr
Job Hotline:557-4888

Human Resources helps people find jobs in the city government and works with people 18 years of age and older. The Department of Human Resources administers the following areas: equal employment opportunity, employee relations, compensation, merit systems service and referral, as well as health service and worker's compensation.

Human Services, Department of
170 Otis Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Main: 557-5000
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/dhs

The Department of Human Services provides employment services, emergency financial assistance, and social services to the residents of San Francisco. They run CalWORK (which use to be AFDC and GAIN), food stamps, family and children services and homeless program.

Library, San Francisco Public
100 Larkin Street, Civic Center
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 557-4236
Fax: 557-4239
Website: sfpl.lib.ca.us

The San Francisco Public Library is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning, and the joys of reading for our diverse community. They offer many programs for young people. The Teen Advisory Council (TAC) advises the Public Library on services for teens in San Francisco. The TAC helped create a SAT preparation workshop program for libraries throughout the city. There are about 8-14 members on the TAC, and anyone who is interested in helping can join. TAC members receive minimal stipends. For more information, call the Teen Services Specialist at 557-4276. Fax: 557-4237

• The Fisher Children's Center is on the second floor of the Main Library. Through services and special programs, the Center promotes children's enjoyment of literature, media and reading. For information on the center, call 557-4554, fax: 557-4424
  
  
• The Teen Center is located on the third floor of the Main Library. Its purpose is to provide and promote materials for the young people of San Francisco, ages 13-18. For more information on programs, call 557-4497, fax number: 437-4831

Mayor, Office of the
Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr.
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 554-6141
Fax: 554-6160
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/mayor

Willie L. Brown Jr.: When he was elected Mayor in 1995, Willie L. Brown, Jr. became the first African American Mayor of San Francisco. For 31 years he was a member of the Assembly of California and was speaker of the assembly for 15 years, the longest in history. He was also trustee for the California State University for 15 years. He received his B.A. at San Francisco State University in 1955 and a J.D. from the Hastings College of Law in 1958.

In the Mayor's office are many other offices including Office of Community Development, Office of Housing, Office of Neighborhood Services and many others. SF YouthWorks is a program in the Mayor's Office.

Mayor's Office

Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services
City Hall, Room 160
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 554-7111
Fax: 554-6474
Website: none at the present time

The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services is the public's primary contact with the Mayor and city government. This office coordinates the efforts of all city departments to better serve the public. It acts as a liaison between SF's many diverse communities and city government to assure the voice of each neighborhood is heard. The Office of Neighborhood Services also organizes "open door days" which allow residents to bring their concerns directly to the Mayor.

YouthWorks
City Hall, Room 443
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main : 554-7399
Fax: 554-6503
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/mayor/sfyw

YouthWorks is a program of year-round internships that partners high school juniors and senior with mentors in city government. To be eligible, you must be a junior and senior in a San Francisco high school. Also, they must commit 10 hours a week and 20 hours a week in the summer.

Community Development, Mayor's Office of
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 700
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 252-3100
Fax: 252-3110
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/mocd

The Mayor's Office of Community Development (MOCD) controls federally funded programs that help non-profit community-based organizations provide community and economic development for low income citizens. Some of MOCD's priorities include affordable housing, helping small businesses, supporting development of jobs for families needing to move to economic stability. Some categories for their funding are improving new and existing facilities and public services.

MUNI- San Francisco Municipal Railway
949 Presidio Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94115
Muni information: 673-6864
Complaints/Compliments: 923-6164
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/muni

Muni is the public transportation system for San Francisco. They have over a 1,000 vehicles to provide transportation for the citizens of San Francisco. Serving over 200 million people a year, Muni is the 7^th largest transportation system in the U.S.

Parking and Traffic, Department of
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 345
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 554-2300
Fax: 554-2352
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/dpt
Abandoned Vehicles: 781-JUNK

The Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) does a lot more than just write tickets. DPT also coordinates removal of abandon cars, responds to traffic accidents, removal of cars parked illegally, and other related parking and traffic concerns.

San Francisco Police Department
Hall of Justice
850 Bryant Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Emergency Service only: 911
Non-Emergency Service: 553-0123
Youth Program: 558-5549
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/police

To apply for a permit to hold a parade or demonstration call 553-1527

Citizen Complaints, Office of
480 Second Street, Suite 100
San Francisco, CA 94107
Main: 597-7711
Fax: 597-7733
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/occ

The Office of Citizen Complaints (OCC) was created in 1983 by the voters of San Francisco. OCC, a division of the SFPD, investigates and resolves complaints, brought to them by citizens about misconduct by officers of the San Francisco Police Department. If you feel have been treated poorly by a police officer, call OCC and report the incident. If you witness something bad being done by a cop towards someone else, you can also report that to OCC.

Recreation and Park Department
McLaren Lodge, Golden Gate Park
501 Stanyan Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94117
Main: 831-2700
Fax: 221-8034
Youth & Children's Services: 666-7066
Website: www.civiccenter.ci.sf.ca.us/recpark

The Recreation and Park Department provides various services which are listed below. The Recreation and Park Department oversees all parks and most playgrounds in SF. Activity booklets are available through the main office.

Women, Commission on the Status of
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 130
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 252-2570
Fax: 252-2575
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/cosw

The Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) promotes the socioeconomic, political, and educational advancement of women and girls throughout San Francisco. The COSW also offers sexual harassment counseling and technical assistance, employment discrimination counseling, and violence against women statistics and information.

Youth Guidance Center (Juvenile Probation Department)
375 Woodside Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94127
Main: 753-7800
Fax: 753-7557
Website: none at the present time

The Youth Guidance Center's Community Programs funds a lot of programs that are provided by community based organizations throughout the city. These programs are designed to help prevent youth from going back to YGC and to help other youth from entering YGC. The youth in these programs are referred to them by YGC staff.

Board of Supervisors

Mailing address:
City Hall, Room 244
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main: 554-5184
Fax: 554-5163
Website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/bdsupvrs
Email: Board_of_Supervisors@ci.sf.ca.us

The Board of Supervisors is a legislative body that responds to the needs of the people of the City and County of San Francisco by establishing city policies, and adopting ordinances and resolutions. The full Board of Supervisors meets every Monday at 2pm at City Hall Room 250. (Sometimes meetings are at community sites. If Monday is a holiday, the meeting is usually rescheduled for Tuesday.) There are eleven board members elected by the citizens of San Francisco and they are as follows:

Tom Ammiano (President): He was elected in 1994 and re-elected in 1998, he is a former President of the San Francisco Board of Education. Aside from politics, he is a Humanities instructor at New College of California as well as instructor in AIDS Peer Education at City College. He is a professional standup comic.
Phone number: 554-5144,
fax: 554-5163,
e-mail: Tom_Ammiano@ci.sf.ca.us

Alicia Becerril: Appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 1999 by the Mayor, she is an attorney with a firm that works on commercial litigation, products liability, employment law, and personal injury cases. She is a past director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is a renter and a MUNI rider. She is also a member of the Transportation Authority.
Phone number: 554-6488,
fax: 554-6492,
e-mail: Alicia_Becerril@ci.sf.ca.us

Sue Bierman: A former neighborhood activist, Sue Bierman was elected in 1992 and in 1996 to the Board of Supervisors. Before joining the Board, she was on the City Planning Commission. She is a representative on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and a representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. She is a member of the Transportation Authority.
Phone number: 554-6661,
fax: 554-6685,
e-mail: Sue_Bierman@ci.sf.ca.us

Amos Brown: Appointed in 1996 and elected in 1998, he is a representative on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board and the Executive Committee of the Association of Bay Area Governments and a member of the Transportation Authority. Supervisor Brown is pastor of the Third Baptist Church and has been a leader of the largest Black Baptist Church in San Francisco.
Phone number: 554-7601,
fax: 554-7604,
e-mail: Amos_Brown@ci.sf.ca.us

Leslie Katz: Appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 1996 and elected in 1996, she is a representative on the Peninsula Corridor Study Joint Powers Board. Before being appointed to the Board, she was president of the Community College District Board and a member of the Board of Directors of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center Project. She is an attorney.
Phone number: 554-5335,
fax: 554-5163,
e-mail: Leslie_Katz@ci.sf.ca.us

Barbara Kaufman: Elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1996, she is a representative on the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board. She is the founding Director and host of KCBS radio's "Call for Action." She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Coro Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of Jewish Family and Children's Services.
Phone number: 554-4880,
fax: 554-4885,
e-mail: Barbara_Kaufman@ci.sf.ca.us

Mark Leno: Appointed and elected in 1998, he is the owner and president of Budget Signs, Inc. He also is a representative on the Executive Board of the Association of Bay Area Governments. He has been active in the Gay and Lesbian Community, including membership on the National Gay and Lesbian Rights Task Force.
Phone number: 554-7734,
fax: 554-5163,
e-mail: Mark_Leno@ci.sf.ca.us

Gavin Newsom: Appointed to the Board of Supervisors in 1997 and elected in 1998, Supervisor Newsom is president, general partner and proprietor of a number of Northern California small businesses including restaurants, a luxury resort, a wine retail store. Before becoming a Supervisor, he was president of the San Francisco Parking and Traffic Commission.
Phone number: 554-5942,
fax: 554-5946,
e-mail: Gavin_Newsom@ci.sf.ca.us

Mabel Teng: Elected in 1994 and 1998, Supervisor Teng is a representative on the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board. She is the Executive Director of an Asian American donor program. She was the Executive Director of Career Resource Development Center and was a faculty member at City College.
Phone number: 554-4981,
fax: 554-4985,
e-mail: Mabel_Teng@ci.sf.ca.us

Michael Yaki: Appointed and elected in 1996, he is a representative on the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board, the Executive Board of the Association of Bay Area Governments. He also is Chair of the Transportation Authority. He lectures on politics at San Francisco State. He practiced law and was the chief of staff in Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's office.
Phone number 554-7901,
fax: 554-7904,
e-mail: Michael_Yaki@ci.sf.ca.us

Leland Yee: Elected in 1996 to the Board of Supervisor, he is a Psychologist and chair of the Psychology department at Lincoln University. Before becoming a Supervisor, he was the president of the SF Board of Education. Supervisor Yee is a representative on the Executive board of the Association of Bay Area Governments.
Phone 554-7752,
fax: 554-7751,
e-mail: Leland_Yee@ci.sf.ca.us

Committees of the Board of Supervisors
All Meetings are in Room 263 in City Hall
1^st named Supervisor is Chair, 2^nd named Supervisor is Vice-Chair

District Elections

• What is it?

In November 2000, there's going to be a huge change in the way we vote for Supervisors. Voters will be choosing Supervisors in district elections. Okay so what does that mean? The city has been divided into 11 districts. (See Supervisorial District Map) Each district will vote for one representative to sit on the Board of Supervisors. The person you vote for has to live in your district. For as long as a Supervisor stays in office, this person has to live in the district she/he was voted to represent.

• How will things change?

Now communities have someone in city government accountable for the issues effecting them. Each district will have someone on the Board of Supervisors to represent their issues. Whatever issues you think should be dealt with, the person elected can advocate for you on a city level. It also allows communities to hold Supervisors responsible for what actions are taken or not taken for their districts. This also means communities will be separated from each other. With focus on district issues a unified city wide voice might not be heard.

• How can you be an effect advocate in district elections?

Community organizing! Now that your neighborhood has someone elected to represent you and your district, it's time to organize your neighbors. Create an organization of youth to make your Supervisor focus on issues in your area. But you can't forget issues in other districts because remember, issues that effect your district might effect other districts as well. You can be an ally to those in other districts who need your help. You can create alliances with organization in other districts that have the same values as you or will support you in your effort to create change. Whatever the case may be, STAND UP and SPEAK YOUR MIND!

San Francisco Unified School District

Mailing Address:
135 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102
Main number: 241-6000
Fax number: 241-6060
Website: nisus.sfusd.k12.ca.us

The mission of the San Francisco Unified School District is to provide each student with an equal opportunity to succeed by promoting intelligent growth, creativity, self-discipline, cultural and linguistic sensitivity, democratic responsibility, economic competence, and physical and mental health so that each student can achieve his or her maximum.

San Francisco Board of Education
The Board of Education meets on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays at Everett Middle School in the Mission (450 Church Street).
Juanita Owens, President
Mary T. Hernandez, Vice President
Eddie Y. Chin
Frank Chong
Dan Kelly
Steve Phillips
Jill Wynns
Linda Davis, Interim Superintendent

Student Advisory Council
The Student Advisory Council is a group of student representatives from the public high schools in San Francisco. They were created to advise the Superintendent about student issues. They meet on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of every month. Please call the staff for the SAC, David Wu at 241-6478 with any questions.

Contacting a Government Official

Talking to a government official

• Speak clearly
• Talk to them with confidence
• Speak politely
• Get straight to the point of your conversation

Writing to a government official
Below is a basic format for official letters.

• This should be the first contact you have with a government official
• Your letter should be short and to the point
• Be specific about the problem. Do not say "please stop the violence," you should say "please stop the selling of automatic weapons"
• Only address one issue. Too many issues makes the letter confusing and hard to under- stand exactly what you are saying.
• Include personal experiences to make the letter a little more "real."
• Give suggestions on how to solve the problem. Do not just state what the problem is, give suggestions on how to fix it.
• Your letter you should be as accurate as possible. Know as many facts as possible about your issue i.e. laws, statistics etc. Include a space between sincerely and your name so you can personally sign it. Try to keep your letter to one page.
  After you have sent the letter, it is good to wait a week or two. If you have not gotten a response, then follow up with a phone call. If they have not received your letter, then offer to resend, fax, or hand deliver it.

Calling a government official

• The goal of your conversation is to let the government official know what you are concerned about.
• Speak loud and clear
• Introduce yourself and who you are i.e. age, school you attend, where you live etc.
• Let them know why you are calling "I was calling to…"
• Speak to them with words you feel comfort- able with. Using big words not better, if you can use them, fine; if not, it is fine.
• When you speak to people, you should take down their name, title (what they do at the office) and a phone number where they can be reached. This information will be useful when doing follow-up phone calls.

Visiting a government official

• Set an agenda of what you will talk about. The agenda will remind you of what you want to talk about.
• Introduce yourself and who you are i.e. age, school you attend, where you live etc.
• Keep eye contact when speaking. Eye contact will let the official know that you are listening and will let you know that the official is listening.
• Speak with confidence. Remember you are the expert, you have the first hand experi- ence about youth issues.
• Like a letter, do not only speak about the problem, but suggest solutions for it.
• Dress formal. This meeting should be taken seriously. Do not wear clothes that are too baggy. Also your shirts should not have too many pockets and should not have too many designs on them so you do not get dis- tracted.Understand that the government handles lots of different issues. Officials might have one of their aides help you out. Do not get discouraged, aides help out the officials in decision making. You should handle interaction with aides as if it were the official. If you do not find the help you are looking for in this guide do not assume that there is not a place for your problem. There is a body of government for all issues. Also, do not get discouraged if you do not see results right away. The government procedures to handle issues can be long and hard. So stick with it and in the end you will see results and you will be glad you made a difference. Hope this guide helped you out. Peace. Keep rocking the nation and advocating for the young citizens of this nation because youth are the future.

Below is a list of some youth related
web-pages that you might find helpful:

• www.colemansdvocates.org
  
  
• www.americaspromise.org
  
  
• www.childrensdefensefund.org
  
  
• www.4children.org
  
  
• www.cwla.org
  
  
• www.usakids.org
  
  
• www.100percentcampaign.org
  
  
• www.youthlink.org
  
  
• www.ca.gov
  (California state government's website)
  
  
• www.whitehouse.gov
  (Whitehouse website)
  
  
• www.senate.gov
  (The Senate's website)
  
  
• www.house.gov
  (House of Representative's website)
  
  
• www.theartcouncil.org/io/index.htm