Commission Meeting Minutes January 28, 2020

Attending:
First District: Dmitra Smith (Chair)
Second District: Faith Ross (Vice Chair)
Fifth District: Tamara Murrell, Christopher Kerosky, Jerry Threet

Regrets:
First District: Howard Sapper (Officer-At-Large)
Second District: Zahyra Garcia

1. Call to Order – Mission Statement – Introductions – Smith
   

   The meeting was called to order at 5:40pm

2. Approval of the January 28, 2020 Agenda – Smith
   Commissioner Kerosky moved to approve the agenda as presented.
   Commissioner Ross seconded.
   There was no discussion.
   
   In favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
   Abstaining: Smith (as Chair)
   Motion Carried
3. Approval of the November 18, 2019 Draft Minutes – Smith
   Commissioner Murrell moved to approve the November 18th minutes as presented.
   Commissioner Kerosky seconded.
   There was no discussion.
   
   In favor: Murrell, Ross  
   Abstaining: Kerosky, Threet, Smith (as Chair)
   Motion Carried
4. Openings & Appointments – Smith
   Openings in 1st, 2nd, 3rd (3), 4th (3) districts.
   Introduction of 5th District Commissioner Jerry Threet.
5. Public Comment on Non-Agendized Items – Chair Smith
   No public comment.
6. Regular Calendar – Smith
7. Discussion and Possible Action to Follow on Items One Through Five
   
   1. 2020 Women’s Suffrage Project– Smith – 15 Minutes
      The Commission heard a presentation from Berniece Espinoza on the Sonoma County Women’s Suffrage 2020 project and its Steering and Social Justice and Advocacy Committee activities. An area of partnership for the Commission was identified within the Documenting Oral Histories of Sonoma County project, with story collection dates scheduled in April, August and October 2020. Additional community resources were shared with regards to potential speakers, media partnership, and the existing budget for the program.
      
      Chair asked for a motion for 15 additional minutes of discussion.
      
      Commissioner Kerosky moved to extend time.
      Commissioner Murrell seconded.
      There was no discussion.
      
      All in favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
      Abstaining: Smith (as Chair)
      
      Motion Carried
      
      Commissioner Kerosky moved to establish an Oral History Ad Hoc Committee to accomplish the goals of the program.
      Commissioner Murrell seconded.
      There was no discussion.
      
      All in favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
      Abstaining: Smith (as Chair)
      
      Motion Carried
   2. February meeting – Kerosky, Murrell – 20 Minutes
      Commission agreed to hold off on Sebastopol Road Show meeting until a topic and speakers could be confirmed. February meeting will be at HR Training Center as scheduled but will be moved to February 18th as Commissioners Smith and Ross will be involved in Black History Month events co-sponsored by the Commission and Petaluma Blacks for Community Development on the regular meeting date of 2/25/20.
   3. Resolution: Indigenous People’s Day – Smith – 10 Minutes
      Commissioner Smith presented a proposed resolution in support of the adoption of Indigenous People’s Day in Sonoma County, and suggested changing the Board make rebranding changes in the 2020-2021 fiscal year as opposed to 2019-2020.
      
      Commissioner Kerosky moved to adopt the resolution with changes.
      Commissioner Ross seconded.
      There was no discussion.
      
      All in favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
      Abstaining: Smith (as Chair)
      
      Motion Carried
   4. Resolution: Increased Services for Homeless Youth – Smith – 10 Minutes
      Commissioner Smith presented a proposed resolution in support increased services for homeless youth, based on the recent report from Sonoma County’s Homeless Youth Task Force.
      
      Commissioner Threet moved to adopt the resolution.
      Commissioner Murrell seconded.
      There was no discussion.
      
      All in favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
      Abstaining: Smith (as Chair)
      
      Motion Carried
   5. Resolution: Carotid Artery Hold Ban – Smith – 10 Minutes
      Commissioner Smith to present a proposed resolution urging the ban of the carotid artery hold by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
      
      Concerns were discussed regarding specific language references to ongoing cases in which there may be legal action and liability involving the county and/or law enforcement. Commission agreed to table the resolution until the February meeting to allow for text adjustments and for an update on the official coroner’s report yet to be released.
   6. Additional Resolutions to Consider in Alignment With Recently Adopted Human Rights Related Legislation Examples From Bay Area Sister Cities – Smith – 5 minutes
      Chair Smith gave examples of recent legislation addressing human rights issues in other Bay Area cities and encouraged Commissioners to propose resolutions on issues specific to Sonoma County. Recent examples included:
      1. Ban on city/county use of facial recognition surveillance technology due to disproportionate bias issues affecting people of color (SF, Oakland)
      2. “Fair chance housing” ordinance that bars landlords from conducting criminal background checks on prospective tenants (Oakland, Berkeley)
      3. Other ideas
   7. Brochure – Smith – 20 Minutes
      The Commission discussed the proposed revision of the CHR brochure. Text was largely approved and a suggestion was made to include the image from the “Safe Sonoma County” campaign/CHR Facebook page banner. Brochure to be reviewed with these changes in February.
   8. Administrative Report – Smith – 15 Minutes
      The Chair provided an update on the following budgetary items:
      • Budget review and funding requests
        1. Black History Month speaking event, Sonoma State University
           Commissioner Murrell moved to approve up to $400 for lodging and travel/meal expenses for Ericka Huggins event co-sponsored with Sonoma State University on Feb. 25th.
           Commissioner Threet seconded.
           There was no discussion.
           
           All in favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
           Abstaining: Smith (as Chair)
           
           Motion Carried
        2. 2020 Women’s Suffrage Project
           Commissioner Kerosky moved to approve a $500 sponsorship of the Sonoma County Women’s Suffrage 2020 project.
           Commissioner Murrell seconded.
           There was no discussion.
           
           All in favor: Kerosky, Murrell, Ross, Threet
           Abstaining: Smith(as Chair)
           Motion Carried
        3. Other requests
           The Commission may consider additional funding requests from My American Dreams later in the year. Commissioners Smith and Kerosky discussed the recent La Prensa article on the Trans Latina project and noted an interest in featuring the intersection of immigration and gender in an upcoming film.
8. Ad Hoc, Liaison, Project Updates – All – When Applicable
   1. Standing Committees
      • Immigrants Rights – Kerosky
        The committee has been making multiple presentations county wide starting in January and has additional upcoming dates from Feb-May 2020. Will partner with the Junior Commission for screenings on May 2nd at Glaser Center.
      • LGBTQ+ Rights – Murrell
        Commissioner Murrell will review the results from former Chair Jones’ climate survey. Commissioner Threet noted a lack of LGBTQ+ representation in politics and suggested advocacy in this area.
      • Outreach
        Chair Smith will add Commissioners Murrell, Ross and Threet to the FB page editor roles.
      • Rights of People with Disabilities – Sapper (not present)
   2. Liaisons & Projects
      • Homelessness Liaison – Commissioner Threet agreed to take on this liaison position.
      • Independent Office of Law Enforcement & Outreach liaison – open
      • Junior Commissioner Project – Smith, Murrell
        Commissioner Smith discussed possible hold on Junior Commission program due to lack of resources. A discussion with regards to additional commission support for the program was had and the importance of the program for Sonoma County youth was noted.
      • Racial Justice Liaison – Smith
        Commissioner Smith reached out to the Sonoma County Office of Education for results of the November Title VI training for superintendents and to inquire on a training for teachers in the spring.
9. Commissioner Announcements/Communications with Supervisors/Tabling Opportunities – All – 3 Minutes
   None reported
10. Additional Agenda Items for Next Commission Meeting – Smith
    Mental Health Funding Tax
11. Adjournment
    The meeting was adjourned at 7:50pm