Regular Meeting Agenda

Transcription

1 HUMBOLDT COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION 825 Fifth Street, Room 1A Eureka, California Regular Meeting Agenda June 2, :00-5:00 pm I. Call to order: II. Roll call: Glover, Heise, Hourany, Larsen, Leamon, Lochtie, Miller, Munsee, Smith, Taylor, Wade (1 min) III. Approval of minutes from regular meeting: May 5, 2016 (2 min) IV. Approval of minutes from special meeting: May 17, 2016 (2 min) V. Agenda Review/Considerations (1 min) VI. Public Comment: (10 minutes) Public is invited to speak regarding matters not on the agenda. Comments will be limited to three minutes (Chair may extend time). Pursuant to Ralph M. Brown Act, Commission may not act on an item not appearing on the agenda. Public will be allowed to speak on agenda items only at the conclusion of general commission discussion (2 minutes per person). VII. Commission Communications: (18 minutes) a. s: (2 min) b. Regular Mail: (2 min) c. Phone Calls (other than Message Line): (2 min) d. All other announcements and communications: All items should be brief or submitted in advance to Secretary for inclusion in agenda. (5 min)

2 e. Message Line Monitoring Report and Scheduling: (5 min) May 1-15 Munsee May Miller June 1-15 Hourany June Larson July 1-15 July f. Treasurer's Report: (Lochtie - 2 min) VIII. Special Report on Independent Observers and request for HRC support/response (Erich Schimps 12 min) IX. Ad Hoc Committee Reports( all committees engaged in tasks must be reappointed with new Commission in July): (15 minutes) a. Fundraising /Grants/Budget (Hourany/Lochtie - 5) b. Activity Planning Guide (Glover 5) c. Resource Card (Glover 5) X. Unfinished Business: (33 minutes) a. Discussion Item, Possible Action Item: Review Draft Open Letter to BOS dated May 20, 2016, for approval due to changes per task force requirement according to HRC bylaws (Hourany 15) b. Discussion Item, Possible Action Item: Review for approval Draft Ad Hoc Committee Guidelines (Heise/Glover 5) c. Discussion Item, Possible Action Item: Consider action on Commission recommendations for arrangements to ensure BOS interfacing regularly with the HRC (Hourany 8). d. Discussion Item, Possible Action Item: Consider action on Independent Observer Request for HRC support/response (Miller 5). XI. New Business: (21 minutes)

3 a. Election of Officers for Fiscal Year beginning July 1, (Heise 12 min) b. Discussion Item, Possible Action Item: Consider action on Ad Hoc Committee's recommendations for Activity Planning Guide (Glover 7) c. Discussion Item, Possible Action Item: Participation in September LGBTQ Humboldt Pride, early application savings (Glover 2) XII. Agenda Suggestions for March 3, 2016 regular meeting or future agenda: (Chair - 5 min) a. Appropriate decorum in interaction among Commissioners (Larsen). b. Review and finalize Draft Annual Report (Wade) c. Investigation near isolation of inmate HCCF (Glover) d. Commissioner skills & contacts survey (Heise) XIII. Adjournment. Meeting room is wheelchair accessible and disabled parking is available in the lot at 5th & K Streets directly below the access ramp of the Courthouse. If you are a person with a disability and need disability-related modifications or accommodation to participate in a meeting, please contact the HRC at Requests for such modification or accommodation must be made at least two full business days before start of the meeting. As officials appointed by a legislative body (Humboldt County Board of Supervisors), members of the Humboldt County Human Rights Commission (HCHRC) have an obligation to understand, follow and abide by the Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act) and to ensure that everything the HCHRC does is open and available to the public for review. It is important for the HCHRC and all commissioners to follow the intent of the law as well as any legal rulings. To that end, the HCHRC has adopted guidelines for the use of any technology, especially . The entire policy is available on our website. 120/120

4 HUMBOLDT COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Call to Order: 5:00 pm 825 Fifth Street, Room 1A Eureka, California Draft Minutes May 5, 2016 Roll call: Present- Glover, Heise, Hourany, Larsen, Leamon, Miller, Munsee, Smith, Taylor, Wade Absent- Excused-Lochtie Three citizen visitors Approval of minutes: April 7, 2016 Regular Meeting M/Munsee, S/Hourany to approve as amended. Approved Y-8, N-0, A-2 April 13, 2016 Special Meeting M/ Heise, S/Munsee to approve as presented Approved Y-7, N-0, A-3 Public Comments: No public comment on non-agenda items. Commission Communications: Glover and Wade reported over 21 s for the month, including one from a documentary photographer responding to the Palco Marsh activities, one from former commissioner Matthews regarding Humboldt Pride information, and a message from Rita Carrol of the Independent Observers Program. Wade also made several public announcements of activities going on that

5 commissioners might be interested in attending. The only regular mail was a bank statement for the commission and there were no phone calls other than message line. At this point, Leamon made a presentation on his concerns about legalization of marijuana and potential effects on our youth. Message Line Monitoring Reports and Scheduling: Taylor was prepared to turn in his message line reports but did not make a presentation. Munsee and then Glover noted there are currently problems with the phone system which prevent dialers from ever reaching the pre-recorded message and to leave a message. Tech support is aware of this problem and is working to correct it. Miller agreed to man the message line May 16-31, Hourany June 1-15, and Larsen June Treasurer's Report: Glover, reporting for Lochtie announced our checking balance had been restored to report a balance of $43.35 after service fees charged recently had been reversed. Unclassified Report: Led by Wade, several members reported on the May 2 eviction of homeless individuals from the Palco Marsh. They spoke of the independent observer program and of displaced individuals who have been dispersed to some temporary shelters and to the streets and elsewhere. A statement from Rita Carroll was read and Miller gave some historical background as to the legitimacy of the I.O.P. Ad hoc Committee Reports: Fundraising /Grants ad hoc committee report. Hourany reported on his plans to reach out to Human Rights groups throughout California to determine the extent and source of funding from various entities. Smith offered to join the ad hoc committee and noted her expertise is in grant funding requests. Further discussion centered on the need to have an action plan or vision ready to present at the same time or immediately before presentations to the CAO, with whom the committee plans a meeting May 25 at 9 am. Resource Card ad hoc committee report: On behalf of this committee, Glover reported on their first meeting, presenting a historical account of the difficulties we have experienced and actions already taken. A detailed written process will be the next recommendation from Lochtie and Glover and that should be ready for the June regular meeting. June Officer Elections:

6 Heise reported as chair of this committee what the process would look like. He will soon be sending s to commissioners requesting a response as to their willingness to accept an officer role if elected to one. He noted anyone in a specific office may not serve for more than two years in that office. It was noted that only Glover was in that situation at this time. The election will take place at the June regular meeting. Unfinished Business: A 40+ minute discussion of the Shelter Crisis, our Open Letter to the community, and the misery of displaced homeless persons ensued. The chair sought direction from the commission on what specific steps the group could and should take at this time. An impassioned plea from Jimmy (former resident of the Palco Marsh) was heard. He expressed his concern for "neighbors" of whom he has lost touch since the eviction by the City of Eureka. He urged the commission to do anything it could. The one action discussed was composing yet another Open Letter expressing the commission's frustration with the lack of response from agencies capable of taking action. This could mean a resurrection of the BOS shelter crisis declaration effort and calls for sanctuary camps and safe parking ordinances. Glover is to notify the commission of possible available dates for the conference room in order to conduct another special meeting on the subject. Consideration of the proposed addition to the officer responsibilities concluded with that proposal being dropped due to differing opinions as to the legality or need for a "steering committee," ultimately, Glover proposed that the July regular meeting or a special meeting early in July be used as the time to review responsibilities and the process for effective working relationships between officers. M/Glover, S/Miller to dedicate a portion of the first regular July meeting or a special July meeting dedicated to presenting and discussing the roles and responsibilities of officers and commissioners. Approved Y-7, N-1, A-1 As time ran out for our meeting there was an announcement from the chair that the subject of decorum would be on the next agenda and to that end, she distributed a document with ideas gleaned from a meeting with Glover and the County Counsel recommending some possible tools which might assist us. Adjournment: 7:14m Submitted by: Jim Glover, Secretary

7 HUMBOLDT COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Call to Order: 3:00 pm 825 Fifth Street, Room 1A Eureka, California Special Meeting Draft Minutes May 17, 2016 Roll call: Present- Glover, Hourany, Leamon, Munsee, Wade, Absent- Larsen, Miller, Taylor, Excused- Heise, Lochtie, Smith One citizen visitor New Business: The meeting began with a reading of the Open Letter to the Board of Supervisors and various media which was dated April 14, The Chair, then updated commissioners on her observations of the situation since the Palco Marsh evictions. A draft version of a potential new open letter was distributed to the commissioners present. The group was small, but represented a quorum of the commission which is five members. Jimmie Work spoke of the despair that he feels in the loss of a sense of community and the disappearance of friends. After considerable discussion, a document which was to be further refined and submitted to those present by for final confirmation was accepted in concept. M/Munsee, S Hourany to accept the discussed letter in concept subject to review by the quorum present. Due to a temporary lack of quorum, a vote was delayed briefly, but eventually

8 resulted in a vote of Y-5, N-0, A-0 and thus approved. The letter, when finally accepted, will be distributed to the Board of Supervisors and the general media. It was expected, the draft version would be available within days for the quorum's review. Adjournment: 5:00 pm Submitted by: Jim Glover, Secretary

9 ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES Section 5. Ad Hoc Committees or Task Forces. An Ad Hoc Committee or Task Force shall be for one purpose only, shall have a specified time line, must be advisory in nature, must be comprised solely of members of the commission, and must consist of less than a quorum of the Commission. Any Ad Hoc Committee or Task Force which fulfills all these criteria and follows them in practice shall not be subject to the Brown Act, according to the Brown Act, specifically Government Code 54952(b). AD HOC COMMITTEE FORMATION GUIDELINES: DRAFT An ad hoc committee may be created to deal with one specific task for a short period of time. Ad hoc committees will have a designated chair, who will be responsible for record keeping and reporting to the Commission. Ad hoc committees are to consist of three Commission members. The committee Chair and a Recorder shall be named at or before the first meeting. The Chair or Recorder shall report to the Commission at each regularly scheduled meeting. The Commission Chair, appoints with commission approval, members of all ad hoc committees. Nothing agreed upon in an ad hoc committee is considered policy until it is presented to and approved by the Commission. The Commission Chair shall declare an expiration date for the duties of any given ad hoc committee at the time the committee is created by the Commission. In the event a committee has been unable to complete its task, the Commission may grant a short extension of time. Ad hoc committees can only be formed with the approval of the Commission as a whole.

10 HRC PLANNING GUIDE Notes July Resource Cards-1000 Spanish, 5000 English, by August 31 First draft of BOS Annual Report Chair LGBTQ Humboldt Pride-September North Country Fair-September August Veterans' Standdown-October Adopt BOS Annual Report Chair LatinoNet Health Fair-October Resource Cards printing completed By August 31 September BOS Annual Report on BOS Agenda Chair Eastern Listening Forum-November By mid-month Humboldt Pride Tables North Country Fair 9-17 and 9-18 Human Rights Awareness Month-December Native American Event (Elder's Dinner) November October LatinoNet Health Fair Veterans' Standdown Ferndale If proclamations are needed for Human Rights Awareness we must follow-up November Eastern Listening Forum Mid month Native American Event (Elders Dinner) Black History / Martin Luther King Event-January December Human Rights Awareness Event

11 HRC PLANNING GUIDE Notes January Black History / Martin Luther King Event Womens' History Event-March Annual Budget Planning process Resource Card Review begins-due February 28 Resource Card Grant resource funding February Printing of updated Resource Cards March Womens' History Event Planning Guide / budget request April ADA Event-July May ADA Event-July Nomination of Officers-establish election chair Election Chair Adopt fiscal year Planning Guide June Election of Officers Electgion Chair Begin preparation of BOS Annual Report Chair