csfn newsletter 2 · csfn newsletter june 2019 young people who get in trouble with the law....

CSFN Newsletter June 2019

CSFN NEWSLETTER

Save the Youth Guidance Center by George Wooding

Do not close down San Francisco’s Youth Guidance Center (YGC). San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Shamann Walton, and Matt Haney are drafting legislation that would close the YGC by the end of 2021. It has 150 beds but typically has fewer than 50 youths held inside.

CSFN Newsletter, Volume XLV, NO. 5. June 2019 �1

Do we want our youth to be placed in adult prisons where they can become better criminals?


I do not want juveniles who commit violent crimes to be placed in halfway houses nor do I want them to be placed in adult prisons where they will learn to become better — or worse — criminals.

San Francisco should keep the YGC and repurpose it by offering services to nonviolent youth offenders while continuing to incarcerate separated violent juveniles.

The relatively small number of youths for whom confinement is justified need facilities that can provide a humane and developmentally appropriate setting in which their delinquent behaviors can be treated effectively.

Margaret Lemus, a concerned Miraloma Park resident received this response from Supervisor Norman Yee’s Legislative Aide, Ivy Lee regarding the potential closure of the YGC, “Supervisor Yee is in agreement with you completely that there must be a fully-informed and thoughtful development of alternatives. It’s very easy to simply call for tearing something down – it’s much more difficult to do the work of examining the issue from all sides, determining what is in the best interest of both the youth in custody as well as the best interest of true public safety improvements, and then

coming up with a concrete plan of action to execute an alternative. Further, “Under state law, there are certain criminal charges that result in mandatory detention or at least the possibility of detention in the interest of public safety. Without a brick-and-mortar facility in the city and county, we would be forced to send youth charged with certain crimes out of county. That’s not an ideal outcome preventing recidivism.”. It is likely to be both more expensive as well as less effective actually.”

A change is underway in San Francisco’s approach to dealing with


I question the Supervisors and City Hall’s motives for getting rid of the YGC. Their legislation should be thoroughly vetted by the neighborhoodsand their good intentions should be questioned.

In every year for which data is available, the majority of youth are held for nonviolent crime.


young people who get in trouble with the law. Although the United States still leads the industrialized world in the rate at which we lock up young people, the youth confinement rate in the United States is rapidly declining.

In every year for which data are available, the overwhelming majority of confined youth are held for nonviolent offenses.

The current YGC rebuild was completed in 2007 at a cost of $45.9 million — at least $9 million over budget. It was designed to house 150 minors.

Work on the new juvenile hall on Woodside Avenue began in 2003, paid for partly with a $15.1 million state grant. The old hall then located next door was more than 50 years old and still housed youths. It was considered so outmoded and rundown that a civil grand jury once called it “unfit to house the city’s children.”

The old YGC had 104 beds and today’s YGC has 150 beds, another source of controversy in a city where youth advocates want fewer juvenile delinquents locked up and more sent to alternative programs within the community.

“I don't intend to fill the beds in the new facility at all,” said former Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Bill Siffermann, who was appointed to the job in 2005 by Mayor Gavin Newsom based on Siffermann’s efforts to reform juvenile justice programs in Chicago and reduce the number of kids in lock-up.

Mayor Newsom and Sifferman wanted to house no more than 78 juveniles at any time in the new YGC.

Now we have three City supervisors basing legislation on the difference between 150 beds and the number of beds currently being used.

Perhaps the Supervisors should work with the Community Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) — a Department of Public Health division — to help promote wellness among San Francisco’s children. CBHS provides mental health prevention and early intervention through partnerships with community-based agencies, schools, health centers, shelters, child care centers and family care providers. Services may include outreach, assessment, child/classroom observation, screening, clinical/program consultation, individual/family therapy, parent support groups and other related activities and training. This would be time well spent.

This is a quote from an anonomous former YGC member who was 12 years old and stayed at the facility for one month, “Nothing humbles you more than a tragic loss or when something doesn’t go as expected. But my experience at YGC was quite humbling, for the better.”

“Growing up as an angry misguided youth, I was caught up in the wrong crowd, making bad choices. My time in YGC was very short lived but fortunately it taught me to learn from my


http://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom/


mistakes. It wasn’t exactly the environment I wanted to be in, but it was well needed, meeting a few other kids who had gone through nearly the same situation I have and learning their motives as to why they were at YGC. I tried to look at their stories from both perspectives. I can remember the food wasn’t the worst.”

Further, “The worst thing I remember is when a fight broke out for some reason I can’t recall. I made a few friends there, but I’ve never kept in touch after that. All in all, my experience at YGC was one of my wake-up calls and my opinion on why YGC should not be closed, but rather transformed into a youth center so that kids can learn how to deal with their problems in a more positive and beneficial course of action.”

“They [YGC] should open up programs such as cooking classes, movie nights, video game lounges, study halls, health and wellness classes, psychological evaluations with counselors and licensed therapists. Just anything that will benefit the youth and keep them out of the streets.”

There are two other reasons the City might want to close the YGC. The Fiscal Year 2018–2019 YGC budget is $40.4M. This would be a large sum to hijack for other budgetary uses.

The YGC is built on Laguna Honda Hospital property. Will the city demolish, remodel or refurbish the fairly new building and build and/or fund a new housing project that may feature homelessness-, mental health-, or low-income housing?

Alan Nance, the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer at YGC said, “In accordance with your [city] priorities with this funding, the Department and Commission have engaged in conversations to create up to three dedicated beds in an appropriate psychiatric setting for this vulnerable population.”

Nance added, “The [city] Policy staff and the Department of Public Health should explore flexible opportunities to provide dedicated beds for youth requiring acute psychiatric care in custody of the Juvenile Probation Department, but whose needs cannot be met within the secure facility of the Department.”

I question the Supervisors and City Hall’s motives for getting rid of the YGC. Their legislation should be thoroughly vetted by the neighborhoods, and their good intentions should be questioned.

Let’s keep the YGC.

On Tuesday, May 9, 2019, six of the 11 Supervisors agreed to close the YGC by 2021.

George Wooding, Coalition For San Francisco Neighborhoods



CSFN GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING AGENDA

Tuesday, JUNE 18, 2019 / 6:30 PM / Northern Station

6:00 pm Sign in and refreshments.

6:30 pm I Call to Order / Ascertain Quorum 1) Introduction of Delegates and Guests 2) Midtown Terrace Homeowners Assoc. (MTHA) Host

6:40 pm II Special Order Inauguration of Officers by Sheriff Vikki Hennessy

7:15 pm Iii Officers Reports President Vice President Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Treasurer

7:30 pm IV Committee Action Items 1) Executive 2) Bylaws 3) Government and Elections 4) Land Use and Housing 5) Open Space 60 Newsletter Committee

7:45 pm V Approval of May 21, 2019 Minutes

8:00 pm VI Program Stop Crime SF

8:45 pm VII New Business 1) Co-sponsor District Attorney candidates in August. 2) Approve insurance coverage payment.

8:50 pm VIII Unfinished Business The Conversation Continues to Improve CSFN 9:00 pm IX Adjourn



DRAFT MINUTES FOR CSFN G.A. ON May 21,2019 i. President George Wooding (MTHA) called the meeting to order in the Northern Police

Station at 6:00. A. Quorum declared: 20 delegates from 16 organizations signed in, along with 8 guests. B. Host: Chris Geminski ( MPNA ) talked about their boundries, Green District, issues eg.

Homeless and street safety, and thanked us for help with the Whole Foods Market issue.

II. Special Order of Business. Election of Officers. The following were elected by acclamation: Charles Head, (SHARP) President; Glenn Rogers(Parkmerced) 1st Vice President; Cindy Beckman (MCA), Corresponding Secretary; Greg Rogers (Pac Heights_ and Dick Frisbee (LHIA) and Maurice Franco ( MCA ). There is one open seat at large and open seats at Recording Secretary and 2nd Vice President.…

III. Approval of April 16 Draft GA minutes as amended.

IV. Program Nancy Wuerfel ( SPEAK ) introduced the four Financial Speakers, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, City Administator Naomi Kelly, Controller Ben Rosenfeld and Executive Director Nadia Sesay of the Office of Community Investment and Inftrastructure, who explained their jobs and answered our questions.

V. Officers Reports. President – went to Mayor’s Bond Committee meetings Vice President – CTA is responsible for their debt if they default. Secretaries – The Draft Minutes are in the NL. There are no statewide elections in November, so no state ballot measures. Treasurer – We are a 501 c-4, so we are allowed to lobby and endorse, but we must tell others their donations are not tax deductable and our total expenditure is limited to one thousand dollars total per year.

VI. Committee Reports. A. Government and Elections: We met May 3, heard from Larry Bush and intended to

recommend tonight that we endorse him for the vacancy on the Ethics Commission, but he has withdrawn his candidacy.

B. Open Space: PG&E says it might shut off power to wind threatened cities. London Breed may put public land up for development for housing.

C. Land Use: In NL. Also, Teacher Housing sites have been have been identified. D. Transportation: Mari Eliza (EMIA) introduced an emergency resolution to ask the Rules

Committee and the BOS not to appoint Steven Heiminger to the Board of SFMTA. It was declared an emergency 11-0 and passed 10-1.

VI. New Business. None

VII. Unfinished Business.

A. Liberty Hill Improvement Association introduced a resolution that was printed in the NL about the Balboa Reservoir property. It seeks the SF PUC to transfer the public property to City College. There were presentations by people from City College: the resolution passed 12/0/1.

B.The Conversation Continues: the Future of CSFN discussion continued with Charles Head as Moderator. He went over the results of the rank ordering of a worksheet with six topics delegates filled out last time.

IX. Adjournment was at 9:20. - Charles Head, Recording Secretary



CSFN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES Wednesday, May 29, 2019 / 5:35 PM / Northern Station

Present: Charles Head, Glenn Rogers, Gregory Scott, Claire Zvanski, Richard Frisbie, Maurice Franco, guest George Wooding.Unexcused absence: Cindy Beckman

5:35 pm I Call to Order / Ascertain Quorum / Quorum Met

5:35 pm II Officers Reports President: All previous Presidents to be invited and given certificates at next CSFN meeting, current Presidents to be invited, invite neighborhood organizations that we want to join CSFN and Speaker Gascon for swearing in ceremony with new oath. Vice President: Resolution for Heminger & Balboa Reservoir. Recording Secretary: See report. Corresponding Secretary: Absent. Treasurer: $65,000 in bank.

5:50 pm III Committee Action Items Open Space: Unrelated articles approved by majority vote. Land Use and Transportation: Will provide a report. Government and Elections: Will provide report.

6:15 pm IV Approve June 2019 General Assembly Meeting Agenda Approved as amended.

6:15 pm V Unfinished Business How to Improve CSFN: Franco suggests logo improvement, have website improved, use Zoom instead of “face to face” meetings. Will provide a further report. Chair suggests we vote on each issue next meeting.

6:40 pm VI New Business 1) Future programs: Stop Crime SF, Public Bank & (GBD). 2) Sign up for Committees in June & July. 3) Holiday Dinner Wednesday, December 4, 2019. 4) District Attorney debate, voted on and approved, we will co-sponsor with SHARP and others on August 7, 2019 at Hall of Flowers. We will contribute $200.

6:41 pm VII Adjourn



FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK; THE ART AND SCIENCE OF MODERATION

As I take my turn and start my term, I am determined to be a good moderator. This means first to be a firm presiding officer, dispassionately recognizing speakers, regulating debate and following the rules fairly as I make my decisions. It also means to be moderate in words as well as deeds. Too often we let our passions get the better of us in order to put down others, inject our views in haughty ways or ridicule people or positions we want to demonize. Moderation means firstly active listening, making sure we know what the other person is saying before we start responding to the points the person is making to find out further the meaning intended. It means conversation with understanding, not disputation with distortion. I remember being on vacation two years ago and meeting a mother and her teen age daughter staying in a Savannah hotel. a few days before joining her husband and other older sons to go camping.. They were from Alabama, and we found them delightful, divorcing ourselves from the dominant divisive partisanship engulfing the country. We asked civilly about each others’ life experiences, responded temperately, and explored each others values and beliefs without rancor and recrimination. We engaged in moderate civil discourse ; we learned from each other and respected each other. I know we are more than a couple of people at a table in Savannah, but a couple of dozen delegates meeting at Northern Station. But please think further before you speak, get other’s views firmly in mind before you give us your own. This is why we say “ the speaker has the floor “ and “ through the chair “ : there is a Science to Moderation as well as an Art to it. In one recent response to the topic “ Other “at meeting’s end, a delegate wrote : “ No False Outrage! “ Filter your feelings: be polite: be civil; be courteous. And the Chair will listen. Public Safety was one concern from “ The Future of CSFN “ discussion. Tonight’s Inaugural Guest and Program both come from that concern, as does the New Business item on co-sponsoring a Candidates Forum for the office of District Attorney. The conversation will continue into the future, and so will CSFN.

Charles Head, President CSFN

GOVERNMENT AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

We met in May about the Ethics Commission ballot measure and will be meeting in June and July prior to the G.A. endorsement meeting in August.

Charles Head, Committee Chair



5/29/2019 LAND USE & TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE REPORTThe Regular Meeting of the CSFN-LUTC was called to order at Northern Station at 4:02PM. Quorum met. Attendees: George Wooding, Eileen Boken, Maurice Franco, Rose Hillson, Dick Frisbee, Glenn Rogers (4:50pm arrival, not on sign-in sheet), Charles Head “TORPEDO BEDS”: The Committee was given an example of a use of property to allow bed setups in a building as part of Group Housing. These bed setups do not necessarily mean they are in actual bedrooms. Members voiced that is similar to AirBnB or a commercial-like use. Would this use and the square footage be affected by the Prop M cap for commercial square footage for the city? If so, also would the annual allocation of commercial square footage be affected by these things being put into all zones that allow Group Housing? How will Planning track this kind of use? Is there some registry as in AirBnb? While Planning Code specifies in which zoning districts certain kinds of uses are allowed, would these particular “torpedo-like” bunk beds be then allowed wherever there are allowances for Group Housing? The example given was one in NC-3 zone but Group Housing is also allowed in certain Residential zones as well. Where exactly would these go in? If this is “hotel” use, rather than Group Housing, where & how is that regulated? Members speak of buildings with no internal walls and having beds next to each other so would the square footage be residential or commercial? Would they be used for living or for working as small offices? A group of members will follow up with appropriate city personnel after some recognizance mission is accomplished. DEMOLITION: The joint hearing on demolition with Planning & Building departments is scheduled for June 10, 2019 at City Hall, Room 400, noon start (check agenda on website). The adoption of the Demolition Legislation <Peskin> is unknown at this time. SB-50: Wooding stated that the legislation was put on ice. Others are still working on this & many other state bills. The “SB-50” working group continuing with additional work & advocacy tasks that also include other state bills. There are many and it was noted that the state has arcane rules and maneuvers to get certain things passed in multiple bills in case they die as they go through the senate and assembly. RDG vs. UDG: It was mentioned that Residential Design Guidelines (RDGs) are supposed to be the main guidelines for the residential areas of our city. Member Wooding mentioned that when CSFN first tackled the Urban Design Guidelines (UDGs), it was from a group from the Potrero who wanted them adopted for their area. Member Wooding reminded the Committee that CSFN took a vote & unanimously passed to *NOT* support the UDGs (except for Potrero) as the main



standard for residential areas. Planning’s staff also voiced at the Planning Commission meetings that the RDGs would still prevail in residential areas and the UDGs would not be for residential areas as a first go-to guideline manual. Where there is neighborhood opposition, there should be a respect from developers of inserting designs that are not of the style of adjacent buildings. The LUTC has been alerted to projects being rudely inserted into neighborhoods with designs that go against the existing ambiance in terms of look and feel for continuity and integrity of neighborhood fabric. Neighbors see this as a way for future projects to break a neighborhood’s character to make the UDG style creep up the block and into a wider area of a neighborhood to homogenize the city. This is not only for “historic” districts but for regular blocks that have no buildings that look like UDG buildings since the RDGs were passed. It may even point to being a form of inequity as the older areas of the city seem to be subjected to this. 5/30/2019 SB-50 & SENATOR WIENER EVENING MEETING: Member Boken announced this meeting at 301 Battery St. Member Head stated it was how the East Bay can tell what SF should build and how. 6/4/2019 MTA MEETING: The LUTC OK’s letter from Member Boken to be sent as per below: DATE: May 28, 2019 TO: SFMTA Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) FROM: Eileen Boken Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods (CSFN) ** ** For identification purposes only. RE: Submission for SFMTA BOC packet for the June 4, 2019 meeting. CONTROLLER’S CITY SURVEY 2019 The link to this report is www.sfgov.org/citysurvey. If the link is not working correctly, the Controller’s office can print hardcopies for the committee. This report shows City services ranked by approval. For this survey, transportation has the lowest rating of all City services. This report also shows Muni with a declining overall rating since 2017. In 2017, the overall Muni rating was 60% favorable. In 2019, the overall Muni rating was 40% favorable. I would urge the SFMTA BOC to schedule Controller Ben Rosenfield to speak to the committee on this survey’s results. LRV4 ISSUES As there are ongoing issues with the Siemens LRVs, I am proposing the following strategy: • In the interest of due diligence, that the SFMTA pursue parallel tracks. These

parallel tracks would involve both resolving Siemens issues while at the same


http://www.sfgov.org/citysurvey


time exploring other options. The most likely alternative to Siemens would be Alstom.

Siemens Transport (Germany) and Alstom Transport (France) recently proposed a merger. By proposing to merge, the companies appeared to acknowledge that their business models and product lines have a significant amount of overlap. This merger proposal was nixed by the European Union due to anti-competitive concerns.

That being said, SFMTA already has a business relationship with Alstom. The SFMTA uses Alstom’s software for parts procurement and inventory.

Therefore, I would urge the SFMTA to pursue the following strategy: 1. Provide an overview of the Alstom parts procurement and inventory software

for the SFMTA BOC as well as for stakeholders e.g. CSFN. 2. Schedule a site visit to the Alstom Transport facility on Mare Island (Vallejo) for

the SFMTA BOC as well as for stakeholders e.g. CSFN. This facility has the contract for Los Angeles Transit’s mid-life overhaul of its rail vehicles.

3. Schedule a site visit to the Siemens facility in Sacramento for the SFMTA BOC as well as for stakeholders e.g. CSFN. This onsite visit would review the manufacturing, scheduling and change order process. If possible, this onsite visit would include meeting with Claudia Schmitt who designed the control systems for the Siemens Ultra Low Floor LRV in Europe.

4. Arrange site visit of Ottawa or possibly Toronto transit operations with Alstom LRVs in service. Site visit would be for the SFMTA BOC as well as for stakeholders e.g. CSFN.

5. Arrange site visit of the Alstom LRV manufacturing facility in Hornell, New York for the SFMTA BOC as well as for stakeholders e.g. CSFN.

Thanking you in advance for your consideration of this proposal. Meeting adjourned at 5:20pm. The next regular meeting of the LUTC is scheduled for June 26, 2019, 4PM, Northern Station Community Room. Respectfully submitted, Rose Hillson, Chair

EXCOMM — HOW TO REACH US President: Charles Head, [email protected] Vice President: Glenn Rogers, [email protected] Recording Secretary: Charles Head, [email protected] Corresponding Secretary: Cindy Beckman, [email protected] Treasurer: Greg Scott, [email protected] Member at Large: Richard Frisbie, [email protected] Member at Large: Maurice Franco, [email protected]


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csfn newsletter 2 · csfn newsletter june 2019 young people who get in trouble with the law....

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