Edwin M. Lee Mayor Theresa Sparks Executive Director
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Edwin M. Lee Mayor Susan Belinda Christian 2013 Chair Mark Kelleher Vice Chair Sheryl Evans Davis Faye Woo Lee Nazly Mohajer Michael Pappas Richard Pio Roda Michael Sweet Theresa Sparks Executive Director HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION 25 VAN NESS AVENUE, SUITE 800 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 TEL: 415.252.2500 FAX: 415.431.5764 Website: www.sf-hrc.org Table of Contents I. Message from Executive Director Theresa Sparks ....................................................................................................... 1 II. Agency History and Governing Laws .............................................................................................................................. 2 III. The Commission and Messages from Commission Chair Susan Belinda Christian and former Commission Chair Michael Sweet .................................................................................................................................................................. 3 IV. Citizen Advisory Committees .......................................................................................................................................... 4 LGBT Advisory Committee: Overview and Key Accomplishments ........................................................................................4 Deaf and People with Disability Work Group ................................................................................................................4 LGBTAC Comprehensive Immigration Reform Work Group .........................................................................................5 LGBTAC Economic Empowerment Work Group ............................................................................................................5 Equity Advisory Committee (EAC): Overview and Key Accomplishments.............................................................................6 EAC Increasing Awareness about Deferred Action for Early Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Work Group .........................6 EAC Storytelling Series at the Bayview Library...............................................................................................................6 EAC Safe at Work Workgroup ......................................................................................................................................7 2013 HRC “HERO” Awards .............................................................................................................................................8 LGBT Aging Policy Task Force: Overview and Key Accomplishments....................................................................................9 LGBT Aging Policy Task Force 2013 Survey Results........................................................................................................9 San Francisco says goodbye to LGBT Aging Policy Task Force Vice Chair and Housing Advocate Jazzie Collins............9 V. Collaboratives and Coalitions........................................................................................................................................ 10 San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking (SFCAHT) .....................................................................................10 Coalition Against Hate Violence (CAHV) .............................................................................................................................10 Coalition for Safe San Francisco (SafeSF) ...........................................................................................................................10 VI. Discrimination Complaints Investigation & Mediation Division .............................................................................. 11 Discrimination Division Staff ...............................................................................................................................................11 2013 Calendar Year Performance Data...............................................................................................................................12 Diversity, Sensitivity & Cultural-Competency Training for Businesses, Employers and Housing Providers........................13 VII. Policy & Social Justice Division ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Policy & Social Justice Division Staff....................................................................................................................................14 2013 Calendar Year Performance Data...............................................................................................................................15 African American Community Empowerment Initiative .....................................................................................................16 Translatina Violence Prevention .........................................................................................................................................17 Violence Prevention through Safe Spaces ..........................................................................................................................17 Reducing Barriers for Persons with Prior Arrest and Conviction Records...........................................................................18 War on Drugs ......................................................................................................................................................................18 Governing Race Equity Network .........................................................................................................................................19 Project Homeless Connect ..................................................................................................................................................19 12(N) City Ordinance LGBTQ Youth Sensitivity and Cultural Competency Training Module ..............................................19 Sanctuary City Outreach and Training.................................................................................................................................19 Arab African Middle Eastern Muslim South Asian (AAMEMSA) Community Impact Assessment .....................................19 VIII. HRC Legal Clinics ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 HRC Summer Law Clinic ......................................................................................................................................................20 Social Justice Lawyering Clinic with UC Hastings Law School..............................................................................................20 IX. HRC Outreach and Presence in the Community ......................................................................................................... 21 X. The Friends of San Francisco Human Rights Commission ......................................................................................... 35 I. Message from Executive Director Theresa Sparks The San Francisco Human Rights Commission (SFHRC) had an extremely active 2013. We encountered near record number of discrimination complaints and continued to work on some of the most significant social justice and human rights issues of our time. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary as an independent City department, we are proud that we continue to uphold San Francisco’s reputation and legacy as a beacon of human rights in the United States. It is through our chartered responsibilities of addressing all forms of discrimination, identifying the need and developing policy recommendations for City leaders and mediating conflicts resulting from tension among different communities that we are able to preserve the values of the people of San Francisco. In one of our core functions of administering and enforcing the City’s non-discrimination ordinances, we received nearly 1,300 inquiries and intakes regarding incidents of alleged discrimination. Of those inquiries and complaints, 70% were for discrimination in housing, the remaining 30% were evenly divided between employment and public accommodations and more than a third of complaints were for discrimination due to an individual’s disability. To address these large numbers of complaints, in 2013, the SFHRC developed and performed training in the areas of housing and workplace discrimination for government agencies, private employers and housing providers. We also performed non-discrimination and cultural competency training on the City’s sanctuary ordinance; creating fair and equitable employment and housing policies for individuals with prior arrest and conviction records; and creating a welcoming and productive workplace environment for LGBTQI employees. The function of our Policy and Social Justice Unit is to ensure the civil rights of all persons; work cooperatively with governmental agencies, community groups and others to eliminate discrimination and reduce the effects of past discrimination; study, investigate and mediate community- wide problems resulting in intergroup tensions; and recommend changes to policy and prepare draft ordinances with respect to human rights for consideration by the Mayor and Board of Supervisors. A few of our core projects in 2013 included addressing the issue of ongoing discrimination and violence in one of our most at risk populations, transgender-Latinas; highlighting the “Lived-Experience”