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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.04.23 - Equity and Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes (1)City of South San Francisco Minutes of the Commission on Equity and Public Safety Monday, December 4, 2023 City Hall Conference Room 6:00 pm Committee Members: Present: PaulaClaudine Hobson-Coard, Alan Perez, Arnel Junio, Steven Yee, Carol Sanders, Salvador Delgadillo (arrived at 6:24 p.m.), Krystle Cansino (arrived at 7:26 p.m.) Absent: none Staff Members: Present: Devin Stenhouse, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Others: Present: Guest (arrived at 7:26 p.m.) CALL TO ORDER The Meeting was called to order at 6:22 p.m. AGENDA REVIEW There are no changes to the agenda. ITEMS FROM STAFF MEMBERS DEI Officer Stenhouse made announcements: 1. Plug a GIS company. I am part of National League of Cities Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) consortium. August meeting representatives from ESRI (mapping and analytical company, GIS software). Their services make it easier to identify and provide geographical information. • Commissioner Yee: What kind of geographical information? • Officer Stenhouse: Race, social related, education, socio economic status, etc. Councilmember Flores also sat through presentation. Both of us agree we can benefit from their services. Beneficial to have them present. 2. Going into this commission’s 3rd year. Encourage commissioners to read the handbook. Attendance policy, within every calendar year, each commissioner is allowed up to 3 excused absences and 2 unexcused absences. After 2nd unexcused absence, City Mayor may send a letter to commissioner, which the commissioner can respond to. Then the mayor can go to Council to determine if the absence is considered excused or unexcused. Any notice given more than 24 hours prior to the meeting is excused. There needs to be a reason for the absence. City Clerk keeps track of attendance. Any absence with less than 24 hours notice is unexcused. • Vice Chair Junio: The Clerk sees X number of absences, is it then elevated or goes by wayside until it becomes a squeaky wheel? • Officer Stenhouse: If a commissioner is out of the country and has communicated with the CMO, City Clerk, and City Council in advance, then those absences won’t apply. • Commissioner Hobson-Coard: Start January 1st? • Officer Stenhouse: Yes. After 12 months it resets. • Commissioner Hobson-Coard: What happens if it’s an emergency we can’t plan for. • Officer Stenhouse: That’s where the letter comes in. You have the opportunity to respond and explain the emergency. Then the Mayor will take it to Council to decide if that warrants an excused absence. • Commissioner Yee: So 24 hours before the meeting? • Officer Stenhouse: Yes, and you’ll notify me, not Council or the Mayor. Sunday night at 6 p.m. would be 24 hours beforehand. Send an email so that it would be timestamped. • Commissioner Yee: What if you’re not here? • Officer Stenhouse: It would be on me. If I’m not here, then I would notify the City Manager or have someone cover for me. Or the meeting would be canceled. • Commissioner Hobson-Coard: What about tardiness? • Officer Stenhouse: There is nothing in the handbook about being tardy. We have bylaws, but we didn’t write anything in the bylaws about being tardy. If the commission wants to come up with a policy, we can add to the bylaws. • Commissioner Hobson-Coard: What about leaving early? Officer Stenhouse: It’s not in the bylaws; it’s not in the handbook. If the commission wants to create a policy, that can be added. Commissioner Yee: What about the meeting start time? • Officer Stenhouse: That is an ordinance approved by the City Attorney, City Manager, and City Council. This is just an update on the larger topic of the handbook. The next conversation could be on motions. • Commissioner Yee: Now a good time to agendize? • Vice Chair Junio: Is there something we can look at to help us on how to motion? • Officer Stenhouse: I can send out the handbook. All the policy and practices surrounding how commission meeting should be conducted. I haven’t reviewed the handbook with this commission. • Commissioner Hobson-Coard: Can we do that? • Officer Stenhouse: Has everyone received the handbook? New commissioners should have had to take an oath and received the handbook. I can email the handbook. Then you can review and ask questions at the January meeting. • Officer Stenhouse: Topics for discussion need to be agendized and approved by the chair. It’s a good idea to review the handbook once a year so that bylaws can be updated. 3. According to handbook and ordinance, chair and vice chair are to be voted on in the first meeting of the year. So in January’s meeting, the commission should be voting for the new chair and vice chair. • Commissioner Yee: Do we have to? • Officer Stenhouse: One year is the term limit for chair and vice chair. I believe our chair and vice chair have served for more than a year. In January, this commission should be voting on a new chair and vice chair. If the current chair and vice chair want to run again, they can. No action steps need to be taken, but it will be on the agenda to vote for new chairs. If you’re curious about either position, it’s not a violation of the Brown Act to reach out to the current chair or vice chair with questions. The process of voting for chair and vice chair is not in the bylaws but something to consider if you want to add to the bylaws. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION 1. Approval of Minutes from October 16, 2023. Commissioner Perez motioned and Commissioner Sanders seconded. The Commission voted to approve the minutes 6-0. • Vice Chair Junio asked for clarification for what would happen if someone said nay. Officer Stenhouse confirmed that majority vote is needed to approve. If the minutes were not approved, changes will be made prior to the next meeting where approval of minutes will be taken to a vote again. 2. Discussion Regarding Potential Goals and Objectives for the 2024 Calendar Year. Officer Stenhouse: Thank you everybody, we received a lot of feedback. Commissioner Yee introduces the main categories: Education, Age, Events/Awareness, Individual, Miscellaneous. Education (within realm of SSF) a. Title 1 schools and age gaps. • Officer Stenhouse: Los Cerritos, Spruce, Martin, Parkway are the 4 schools. You’re looking to connect with those schools. Is there a way for the commission to focus and help? • Commissioner Yee: What do you see us achieving? • Officer Stenhouse: Let’s take a step back. Where is our power? The commission is the advisory. Advise Council to decrease the equity gap. This commission would not be able to work directly with any school or school district, but the commission can volunteer at events and programs. • Officer Stenhouse: We’re not hands on with the school, but there’s something that can directly impact students at those schools. There are a lot of opportunities. b. Develop relationship with schools, attend school board meetings, interact with student groups, revisit discussion of school resource officer on campus. • Officer Stenhouse: The goal might be to develop relationships. The objective may be to attend school board meetings. The school board does have an equity component. Community Engagement a. Initiate interaction with Old Town community and gather thoughts on public safety. • Officer Stenhouse: This sounds like a forum or town hall meeting, specific to Old Town. b. Ensure all residents are engaged in discussions that impact their lives. • Commissioner Yee: I tend to default to the General Plan. c. Promote community awareness to participate in opportunities that build a greater sense of belonging. • Officer Stenhouse: Sounds like marketing. We would be promoting events that build a greater sense of alarm. He’s speaking to inclusion. d. Ethno-Cultural Diversity and Inclusion: Create opportunities for members of different groups to identify and share their similarities/differences. • Officer Stenhouse: I’m creating a calendar for 2024—a diversity schedule. What cultural awareness month/week is this? There is a Diversity Awareness Month. We’re celebrating our differences and our similarities. Create opportunities—the initiatives, the programs. How much effort are we making to make sure everyone in the community is reached? Age a. Need for public parks and spaces. • Commissioner Delgadillo: I was just in San Mateo and saw multiple parks close to the neighborhood. The few that we have should be made more accessible. For example, Sign Hill Park does not have restrooms. • Commissioner Yee: Is there something with Parks and Rec we should think about? • Commissioner Delgadillo: I don’t know who to go to. • Officer Stenhouse: This is a reference to open space. • Commissioner Perez: I think that South City needs more green space. In terms of actionable items, one thing here is to make a recommendation to Council. How do we make more green spaces? Identify funding opportunities. • Commissioner Yee: Could we make this a safety/accessibility issue? • Officer Stenhouse: There is the Lindenville project. Have you seen any presentations on Centennial Way? There is a plan to renovate a large section of Centennial Way. There is also a plan to further develop Orange Memorial Park. b. Ageism: To change older adults’ broader physical and social environments to enhance their capacity to function in their own homes and communities. • Commissioner Hobson-Coard: Changing people’s perspectives and how they view older people. Awareness. Certain things they need like transportation, nutrition, and socialization. c. Health Equity: Closing gaps in coverage, access, and quality of care among people who are Medicaid/Medicare eligible. • Officer Stenhouse: The City was certified by AARP as an Age-Friendly City. Access to transportation and healthcare. If the commission is interested, we could work with our seniors program. • Chair Cansino: It seems like accessibility should be the focus. • Officer Stenhouse: Communication. • Commissioner Sanders: I have elderly parents and trying to get them to use technology is challenging. • Officer Stenhouse: We would identify who is in communication with the largest population of seniors. There are different groups out there. • Commissioner Yee: Just because someone is old does not mean they are not tech savvy. It’s about education. Individual Commissioner Goals a. Table at an event • Vice Chair Junio: We’re promoting ourselves (the Commission). • Officer Stenhouse: This is an objective that can satisfy multiple goals. b. Attend a workshop or conference related to equity council and/or public safety. • Officer Stenhouse: If this is something commissioners are interested in, I can forward events to you. Other a. Non profit desert in North County when compared to other parts of the County. Collab with community colleges to find solutions. • Officer Stenhouse: There are less nonprofits per capita in this general area compared to South County. It’s not like we can go create nonprofits, but perhaps the goal is awareness and promoting nonprofits that are successful, specifically in South San Francisco. What do you mean by “find solutions?” • Commissioner Delgadillo: We have to find solutions around reaching those who are on the edge. For example: Star Vista is concentrated in South County. They have contracts with schools. We’re not receiving as much of the services. • Officer Stenhouse: Identifying nonprofits where the commission can assist in some way. We can ask nonprofits to come in and speak about their struggles. • Chair Cansino: Do a resources assessment. What resources do we have in South San Francisco? Both from the City and from nonprofits. • Officer Stenhouse: A resource assessment would be beneficial. b. Reconvene data committee. Discuss possibility of adding police incident data to City’s Open Data Portal. Discuss and inquire about role of data in promoting equity in police practices. • Officer Stenhouse: I go back to ESRI. That’s something they can provide. That is valuable data. c. Establish recognition as a trusted forum for equity considerations regarding city policies, programs, practices, and procedures. • Commissioner Yee: There are two parts to this. It’s baked into the description of this commission. • Officer Stenhouse: That sounds like self promotion, promoting the commission. d. Make a recommendation to Council • Officer Stenhouse: This is another objective. That is the power of this commission. It lies in the recommendation. e. Outreach activities • Officer Stenhouse: This can be grouped with tabling. We should have a schedule. f. Review other city agencies DEI policies • Officer Stenhouse: It sounds like more our recommendation for internal staff. There are some cities that are just starting to talk about a plan. There are cities that have a plan for every department. • Chair Cansino: Visibility. Opportunities to help with closing the knowledge gap. I think that would be good. After we do the resource assessment. Officer Stenhouse: We should touch base again and reorganize these before the next meeting. At the next meeting everyone will have a better idea of our focus. Again, reminding you that at the next meeting, we will be voting for a new chair and vice chair. Does everyone know when their term ends? You can look on the Commission’s web page. If you would like to reapply, let us know. ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS Commissioner Hobson-Coard: I have a show Saturday, March 23, at Fort McKinley right here at South City. It’s free. You can eat. Check out the music. Bar opens at 8, but we go on at 9. The group discusses how to be inclusive of children at similar events. Stenhouse explains what the Council Reorg entails. Encourages commissioners to attend more City events. ADJOURNMENT Chair Cansino adjourned the meeting at 8:13pm.