Commission Meeting Minutes October 22, 2019

First District: Howard Sapper (Officer-At-Large), Dmitra Smith (Vice Chair)
Second District: Faith Ross, Zahyra Garcia
Third District: --
Fourth District: --
Fifth District: Christopher Kerosky, Tamara Murrell

Call To Order – Mission Statement – Introductions – Smith
Each Commissioner will be invited to introduce themselves and to share an act of kindness that they offered in the past week or will commit to in the coming week.
The meeting was called to order at 5:46pm
Approval of the October 22, 2019 Agenda – Smith
Due to Brown Act requirements, only changing the order of, or deletion of items may be allowed. New items may not be added.
Motion: Commissioner Murrell, Second: Commissioner Ross.
Ayes: 5; Noes: 0; Absent: 0; Abstained: 0. Commissioner Smith abstained as chair. The motion passed.
Approval of the September 25, 2019 Draft Minutes – Smith
Motion: Commissioner Murrell, Second: Commissioner Sapper.
Ayes: 3; Noes: 0; Absent: 0; Abstained: 2. Commissioners Garcia and Ross abstained due to absence at September meeting. Commissioner Smith abstained as chair. The motion passed.
Openings & Appointments – Smith
Openings in 1st, 2nd, 3rd (3), 4th (3), and 5th
Public Comment on Non-Agendized Items – Jones – 15 Minutes
Due to Brown Act restrictions, Commissioners will be able to ask clarifying questions but will not be able to take specific action until a future date, if and when the topic is added to a regular agenda.
No public comment on non-agendized items.
Regular Calendar – Smith
1. Nominations for the 2019-2020 Officer positions – Smith – 15 Minutes
  The Chair will read the duties and qualifications of Chair and open nominations for the FY2018-2019 that begin July 1, 2018. The same process shall then follow for the nominations for Vice Chair and the two Officer-at-Large positions.
  Qualifications and duties are listed in Section 3. “Governance” of the Commission’s bylaws.
  Commissioner Kerosky nominated Commissioner Smith for Chair
  Commissioner Murrell nominated Commissioner Ross for Vice Chair
  Commissioner Smith nominated Commissioner Sapper for Officer-at-Large
  
  Motion: Commissioner Kerosky. Second: Commissioner Murrell
  Ayes: 5; Noes: 0; Absent: 0; Abstained: 0
  Commissioner Smith abstained as Chair. The motion passed.
2. Strategic Planning – Smith – 60 Minutes
  Smith will speak to the needs of adjusting various operational functions of the Commission in light of no clerical staffing. In addition. Discussion and possible vote on restructuring commission meetings to six public meetings and six working sessions per year.
  Meeting Calendar: The Commission voted to organize the monthly meeting structure going forward to encompass six working(public) meetings at the County HR Training Center and six public outreach/road show meetings at various free and/or low cost venues in rotating county locations(libraries, community centers, etc). The Road shows will focus on topics of interest to different areas of the county.
  Motion: Commissioner Kerosky. Second: Commissioner Garcia
  Ayes: 5; Noes: 0; Absent: 0; Abstained: 0
  Commissioner Smith abstained as Chair. The motion passed.
  Road Show: the next public outreach meeting will be January 22nd at the Sebastopol Regional Library. Commissioners Kerosky and Murrell volunteered to organize speakers and confirm the venue. The Commission will plan for public outreach meetings every other month in 2020—e.g Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov(Road Show) and Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec(County)
  Vacancy Analysis: Commissioners are encouraged to engage their personal networks and supervisor relationships to fill vacant positions in all five districts. It was noted that the Road Show meetings are an effective outreach tool for reaching potential new applicants. A member of the public who attended the Guerneville meeting in September was in attendance at tonight’s meeting to gain more information on Commission activities and is considering applying to serve on the commission.
  Ethics training: Chair Smith has requested the Ethics Training link from Human Resources department to distribute to all commissioners who have not completed the training.
  2020 Commission Project Proposals:
  Human Rights Film Festival: curating documentary films on various human rights issues and topics related to commission work on areas such as Disability Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights, Indigenous People’s Rights, Educational Equity, Racial Justice, Immigrants’ Rights, etc. Chair Smith to reach out to 3rd Street Cinemas and Summerfield to confirm a possible venue location. Commissioner Sapper suggested working with existing film festivals like SIFF and others to co-sponsor films with a human rights focus and show the 1 minute PSA “Safe Sonoma County” at screenings(and at all public meetings).
  Educational Advocacy and Equity: Commissioner Ross spoke about the growing success of the Petaluma TIDE(Team for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity) educational advocacy group. Chair Smith inquired about ways that the Commission can support and elevate the work of TIDE so that other chapters can be formed county wide.
  Community Partnerships: Commissioner Garcia suggested deepening partnerships and working relationships with community and social justice organizations like North Bay Organizing Project and Latinx Student Congress, sharing ideas on new outreach campaigns and working together on human rights projects.
  Human Rights Music Festival: Commissioner Sapper expressed interest in a Human Rights Music Festival in 2021 modeled after Harmony Fest.
  Fundraising: Commissioner Kerosky discussed creative ways to utilize non profit fundraising avenues for media projects requiring additional funding, similar to the My American Dreams project.
  Newsletter: Chair Smith would like to publish a quarterly newsletter on human rights issues and Commission activities.
  Committees and Projects: The Commission reorganized the current committees to reflect the current roster and workload capabilities as follows:
  - Immigrants’ Rights Standing Committee – Commissioner Kerosky
  - Junior Commission Project – Commissioners Smith, Murrell
  - LGBTQ+ Rights Standing Committee – Commissioner Murrell
  - Outreach – All commissioners to rotate as neede
  - Rights of People with Disabilities – Commissioner Sappe
  - Racial Justice – Commissioner Smith
  - IOLERO Liaison – open. Commissioner Garcia to request monthly meeting agendas and minutes from IOLERO for review.
Commissioner Announcements/Communications with Supervisors/Tabling Opportunities – All – 3 Minutes
Additional Agenda Items for Next Commission Meeting – Smith
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:50pm.