Commission on Human Rights Meeting

Agenda

First District: Terrence-Christopher Patterson, Howard Sapper, Dmitra Smith (Vice Chair)
Second District: J. Kevin Jones, Jr. (Chair), Faith Ross
Third District: Alana Marie Bjorkquist (Officer-at-Large), Akash Kalia (Officer-at-Large)
Fourth District: Carmen Cervantes, Rocio Rodriguez
Fifth District: Marti Estrin, Christopher Kerosky, Ramon Meraz
Staff: Tracy Cunha, Deputy Clerk

1. Call to Order – Mission Statement – Introductions – Jones
2. Approval of the June 26, 2018 Agenda – Jones
• Due to Brown Act requirements, only changing the order of, or deletion of items may be allowed. New items may not be added.
3. Approval of the May 22, 2018 Draft Minutes – Jones
4. Openings & Appointments – Jones
• Chair will report out on district openings As of the printing of this agenda, there is one opening in each of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Districts
5. Public Comment on Non-Agendized Items – Jones
• Public comment is limited to three minutes per topic, unless otherwise noted.
6. Regular Calendar – Jones
   Discussion and possible action to follow on items 1 through 6
   1. Guest Speaker – Kathleen Finigan, Homeless Action – Smith – 20 Minuteses
      Kathleen Finigan of Homeless Action will present an update on the issues, and alleged human rights violations, faced by the Sonoma County homeless community. Related documents:
   • County of Sonoma Agenda Item Summary Report from the Community Development Commission (CDC) – The Sonoma County Homeless System of Care: Best Practices for Maximizing Exits from Homelessness into Permanent Stable Housing
   • Outline of Systemic Violation of Human Rights of Homeless Individuals in Sonoma County
   • Presentation: Systemic Violation of Human Rights of Homeless Individuals in Sonoma County
   • Addendum to Homeless Action Presentation: Analysis of CDC Summary by Dr. Carolyn Epple
   2. Separation of Families at the Border – Kerosky, Smith – 20 Minutes
      The Commission will be addressed by Elaine Holtz – President of the Sonoma Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) – on the actions being taken by the Federal Government at the US-Mexico border in the separation of immigrant children from their families. Commissioners to consider a statement of condemnation. Related documents:
      • Request from Elaine Holtz
      • Press release from Senator Mike McGuire – Statement on Trump Administration’s Immigration Policy Separating Children from Families
      • Statement from Human Rights Junior Commissioner, Casey Dai
      • United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child
      • Proposed Statement of Condemnation by Commission
   3. The Guerneville LGBTQ Community Experience – Jones – 20 Minutes
      Taylor Poff, a member of the Guerneville community will provide a presentation on the experience of the LGBTQ community, especially as it involves alleged threatening and hateful behavior.
   4. Change in Administrative Support of the Commission – Jones, Staff – 20 Minutes
      The 2018-19 County budget approved by the Board of Supervisors eliminates the position of support for the Commissions on Human Rights and the Status of Women. Commissioners will discuss:
      • Impact of this loss of support on the functions and priorities of the Commission
      • Interim and long term structures
      • Date of July strategy planning session
   5. Elections of Officers for 2018-2019 – Jones – 15 Minutes
      The Chair will read the duties and qualifications of Chair and open nominations for the FY2018-2019 term that begins July 1, 2018. The same process shall then follow for the nominations for Vice Chair and the two Officer-at-Large positions. Should there be more than one candidate for any position, each will be allowed three minutes to address the commission prior to the election.
      
      Currently nominations include Kevin Jones, Jr, for Chair. Dmitra Smith for Vice Chair.
      Commissioners eligible for office:
      • Cervantes
      • Estrin
      • Jones
      • Kalia
      • Meraz
      • Patterson
      • Rodriguez
      • Ross
      • Sapper
      • Smith
      Qualifications and duties are listed in Section 3. “Governance” of the Commission’s bylaws.
   6. Administrative Report – Jones, Staff – 10 Minutes
      The Chair and/or Staff may provide an update on various county-based, commission-related projects, as well as review other administrative and budgetary items, as needed, to include:
      • Review of Final 2017-18 Commission Budget
      • Determination of future storage needs and costs
        • Possible action to increase annual storage costs from $528 to $918 beginning July 2018
7. Ad Hoc, Liaison, Project Updates - All -- When Applicable - 15 Minutes
   1. Ad Hoc Committees
      • Immigrants’ Rights – Cervantes, Estrin, Kerosky, Meraz, Rodriguez
      • LGBTQI – Jones, Meraz
      • Outreach – Estrin, Kalia, Ross, Sapper
      • People with Disabilities – Sappe
   2. Liaisons & Projects
      • Homeless liaison – Bjorkquist, Kalia
      • Independent Office of Law Enforcement & Outreach liaison – Cervantes, Meraz
      • Junior Commissioner Project – Smith, Rodriguez
      • Legislative liaison – Patterson
      • Sonoma County Racial Justice liaison – Smith
8. Commissioner Announcements/Communications with Supervisors/Tabling Opportunities – All – 5 Minutes
   1. Tabling Opportunity
      • Families Belong Together Rally in Courthouse Square on June 30, 2018, 10.00AM to 12.30PM
9. Additional Agenda Items for Next Commission Meeting – Jones
10. Adjournment