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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.21.24 - Equity and Public Safety Commission Meeting MinutesCity of South San Francisco Minutes of the Commission on Equity and Public Safety Monday, October 21, 2024 City Hall: City Manager Conference Room 5:30 p.m. Committee Members: Present: Arnel Junio, PaulaClaudine Hobson-Coard, Carol Sanders, Steven Yee, Ruby Harrison, Bianca Bedigian Absent: Krystle Cansino Staff Members: Present: Devin Stenhouse, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer CALL TO ORDER The Meeting was called to order at 5:39 p.m. AGENDA REVIEW There are no changes to the agenda. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. ITEMS FROM STAFF MEMBERS 1. Review Rosenberg’s Rules of Order Officer Stenhouse mentions that Commissioners had previously expressed interest in reviewing Robert’s Rules of Order. He has learned that the City adopted Rosenberg’s Rules of Order. He briefly goes over the differences and why the City opted for Rosenberg’s Rules of Order rather than Robert’s Rules of Order. Commissioner Yee asks if everyone, all commissions, have adopted Rosenberg’s Rules of Order. Officer Stenhouse says that Council adopted Rosenberg’s Rules of Order about a year ago. It is not clear if all commissions have made the switch. Officer Stenhouse presents the foundation of the Rules and defines what a quorum is. He goes over the role of the Chair. He explains the basic format for an agenda item discussion. He talks about motions and the different types of motions (basic, amended, and substitute). He goes into detail about when to debate or not. Officer Stenhouse explains the Present and Voting Rule. He also talks about the motion to reconsider. He reminds everyone of the courtesy and decorum rules and mentions the exceptions to interruptions. Chair Junio asks for confirmation on this commission’s policy regarding the Present and Voting Rule. Officer Stenhouse confirms that this commission follows the Present and Voting Rule. Commissioner Yee asks if there are any specific parts of Rosenberg’s Rules of Order that they should pay closer attention to, if there are things the Commission may have been doing that goes against the Rules. Officer Stenhouse believes the Commission have been abiding by Rosenberg’s Rules of Order. Commissioner Sanders asks for clarification between “order” and “call for order” (reference to slide 30). Officer Stenhouse explains the difference between the two. Commissioner Harrison motions to adopt Rosenberg’s Rules of Order. Commissioner Sanders seconds. Commissioner Bedigian says the Commission already follow the Rules and asks what would change if the Rules were officially adopted. Commissioner Sanders says this would put it on record officially. Commissioner Yee believes it is not necessary to officially adopt the Rules. Commissioner Bedigian fears that officially adopting the Rules would apply too many restrictions and result in consequences for not following the specific steps outlined. Commissioner Harrison asks who would police and monitor the Commission. Officer Stenhouse says he is not the City Clerk nor the City Attorney, but he would do his best to ensure the Rules are followed. The Commission votes to adopt Rosenberg’s Rules of Order 4-2 (Commissioner Bedigian, Chair Junio, Commissioner Harrison, and Commissioner Sanders voted in favor; Vice Chair Hobson-Coard and Commissioner Yee voted against). Chair Junio motions for a 10-minute recess at 7:20 p.m. 2. Training on Antiracism Officer Stenhouse gives a brief introduction to why he is providing this training and what racism is. He talks about the different types of racism (individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural). He explains what it means to be antiracist. Officer Stenhouse defines what microaggressions are. Commissioner Sanders shares a personal experience. Officer Stenhouse shares an experience he had. Commissioner Yee, Vice Chair Hobson-Coard, Commissioner Bedigian, and Commissioner Harrison also share each of their experiences. Officer Stenhouse talks about ways to combat microaggressions. Commissioner Sanders believes it is difficult to have these conversations because of misinformation. Commissioner Harrison feels that the point is to take action regardless of whether it is well received. Commissioner Yee agrees that the intention is not necessarily to convince others but to engage in the conversation. Vice Chair Hobson-Coard shares a story of an experience she witnessed. Officer Stenhouse reiterates the importance of being an antiracist is to actively call out racism when you see it, and self-awareness is an important piece of being antiracist. Officer Stenhouse talks about ways to be antiracist when it comes to institutional and structural racism. Commissioner Harrison asks if other commissions have taken antiracist training. Officer Stenhouse says no; he put this presentation together very recently. Commissioner Harrison believes this training should be for everybody, not just for this commission. Officer Stenhouse agrees. MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION 1. Approval of Minutes from September 16, 2024. Commissioner Yee motions, and Commissioner Bedigian seconds. The Commission votes to approve the minutes 6-0. 2. Priorities and Goals for this year. Vice Chair Hobson-Coard motions to table this item until the next meeting. Commissioner Harrison seconds. The Commission votes to approve 6-0. ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS There are no items from commissioners. ADJOURNMENT Chair Junio adjourns the meeting at 8:59 p.m.