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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.16.24 - Equity and Public Safety Commission Meeting MinutesCity of South San Francisco Minutes of the Commission on Equity and Public Safety Monday, December 16, 2024 City Hall: City Manager Conference Room 6:00 p.m. Committee Members: Present: PaulaClaudine Hobson-Coard, Krystle Cansino, Carol Sanders, Ruby Harrison, Bianca Bedigian, Steven Yee (arrived at 6:04 p.m.) Absent: Arnel Junio Staff Members: Present: Devin Stenhouse, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Adam Plank, Captain Charli Prete, Mental Health Clinician CALL TO ORDER The Meeting was called to order at 6:01 p.m. AGENDA REVIEW There are no changes to the agenda. ITEMS FROM STAFF MEMBERS 1. Introduction to the City’s new mental health clinician Officer Stenhouse introduces Clinician Prete. Captain Plank reads an introduction to Clinician Prete. He gives details on what she would do. Clinician Prete explains more on what she does and provides some of her background information. Commissioner Yee asks what Clinician Prete’s definition of “safe” is. Clinician Prete explains that she sees how the City operates, how collaborative all the departments and staff are in working together. She compliments the structure of the City and says not all cities work this way. She also praises the officers she works with. Commissioner Harrison asks what Clinician Prete envisions for the future. Clinician Prete sees the clinician being a permanent position. She also believes another clinician can be added to provide more support. She says more trainings can be provided. Commissioner Cansino explains the new change in the 5150 hold that expands the criteria for the “gravely disabled.” Commissioner Cansino asks if Clinician Prete has completed certain trainings. Captain Plank lists the different trainings Clinician Prete will be going through. Commissioner Yee asks how public sentiment is affecting Clinician Prete’s role. Clinician Prete says she has to look at the situation through a different spectrum. Her focus is on how to get the individual help regardless of whether what the individual is doing is considered legal. Captain Plank says, looking at the data in previous years, there has been a reduction in the number of charges/bookings associated with the cases, with an increase in referrals. Commissioner Bedigian thanks Clinician Prete and Captain Plank for what they do. She asks if there are trainings for the public, and she suspects that many people are not aware of the clinician as a resource. Captain Plank says Clinician Prete went to multiple locations during National Night Out to introduce herself. He says the mental health clinicians attend the mental health classes offered by the City. Vice Chair Hobson-Coard asks what Clinician Prete’s hours are. Clinician Prete says she currently works 10-hour days on Tuesdays through Fridays. Captain Plank says those hours have been when they receive the most calls since the program began. If the demand changes, they will change their hours to accommodate the need. He also says there are other teams they partner with to address needs if calls happen in the middle of the night. Commissioners thank Captain Plank and Clinician Prete. Clinician Prete tells the commissioners they can reach out to her at any time. Captain Plank and Clinician Prete leave the meeting at 6:29 p.m. 2. District 5 holiday event Officer Stenhouse tells the group about the upcoming event. 3. Holiday office closures Officer Stenhouse notifies the group about office closures over the holidays. 4. Next commission meeting Officer Stenhouse reminds the group that the next commission meeting was moved to January 13 due to the Martin Luther King holiday. PUBLIC COMMENT No public comments were made. MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION 1. Review and comment on the City’s draft Administrative Instruction (AI) on Gender Inclusive Restrooms and Locker Room Policy. Officer Stenhouse gives some background information, and says the City is looking for feedback from the Commission regarding the new city-wide policy. Commissioner Cansino asks for clarification regarding the term “single-gender.” Officer Stenhouse explains that the policy will allow individuals to use the restroom of the gender they identify as. Commissioner Cansino asks if all-gender restrooms exist in the City. Officer Stenhouse says there are some. He points out that this policy only applies to City buildings, not private businesses. Commissioner Yee asks if this policy will influence the design of future buildings. Officer Stenhouse says there may potentially be more all-gender restrooms in new buildings, but nothing in the policy will dictate the design. Commissioner Harrison questions the language used in the policy compared to the example from New York that mentions gender “expression.” Commissioner Cansino agrees it is confusing. The group discusses whether the word “expression” should be removed from the policy. Commissioner Cansino explains the importance of how the word “expression” includes the queer community. Commissioner Bedigian is in favor of wording that applies to a broader group to be more inclusive. The group decides to keep the word “expression.” Vice Chair Hobson-Coard asks if there are other cities in San Mateo County that have adopted a similar policy. Officer Stenhouse does not believe so. He says the State has policy regarding restrooms, but it is very vague. The group discusses the language pertaining to proof of gender identification. The group decides to recommend replacing the phrase “may not require identification” with “shall not require identification.” Commissioner Harrison wonders if there is an opportunity to align terms and definitions with the County. The group agrees it would be helpful to know where/who the definitions are coming from. Officer Stenhouse asks the group what they think about the item regarding referencing the policy near restrooms. The commissioners think it is important to have. Commissioner Bedigian suggests referencing the policy at other high-visibility areas, like near building entrances. Officer Stenhouse confirms City staff will be notified of the new policy. 2. Update on the City’s Age-Friendly designation from AARP and apprise the commission on next steps. Officer Stenhouse provides a presentation on the City’s Age Friendly Task Force. He gives background information on AARP’s designation and what it means to be a member in the network. Commissioner Cansino leaves the meeting at 7:40 p.m. Commissioner Harrison asks if the Commission will be able to weigh in on the action plans. Officer Stenhouse says yes. Commissioner Yee asks if the City has plans to work with neighboring cities that have the Age- Friendly designation. Officer Stenhouse says no, but he can share Daly City’s action plan with the commissioners. ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS, COMMITTEE MEMBERS 1. Vice Chair Hobson-Coard invites commissioners to her band’s upcoming events. Vice Chair Hobson-Coard will be performing December 20 and 21 at Fort McKinley from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Her band will also perform on December 28 at Bistro 880 in Newark. 2. Commissioner Harrison comments on the City Council Reorganization. Commissioner Harrison says the event was great. She thinks the speeches were inspiring, and she encourages others to watch recordings online. Vice Chair Hobson-Coard agrees. She compliments the music and food. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chair Hobson-Coard adjourns the meeting at 8:13 p.m.