May 10, 2021 IRC meeting

Chair Kennelly called the meeting to order at 5:36 p.m.



Present: Chair Kennelly, Vice Chair Paz, Commissioners Enssani (left at 8:18 p.m.), Gaime, Khojasteh (arrived at 5:40 p.m.), Mena (arrived at 5:40 p.m.), Monge, Obregon, Ricarte, Ruiz, Souza, Zamora.



Not present: Commissioners Fujii (excused), Rahimi, Wang.



OCEIA staff present: Director Pon, Commission Clerk Shore, Operations and Grants Administrator Chan, Spanish Language Specialist Cosenza, Language Access Unit Supervisor Jozami, Chinese Language Specialist Li, Language Access Assistant Liu, Communications Specialist Richardson, Deputy Director Whipple.

OCEIA received requests for interpretation in Arabic, Cantonese and Spanish, and provided announcements about how to access interpretation services in these languages.

Chair Kennelly invited Commissioner Monge, chair of the Commission’s Language Access Committee, to introduce the hearing. Commissioner Monge noted that the Language Access Ordinance was not designed for crisis situations like the pandemic and invited speakers to present their recommendations on how to improve language access in San Francisco.

a. Community Recommendations

1. Language Access Network

a. Annette Wong, Chinese for Affirmative Action

“Our vision is a world with full equity and justice for immigrant communities, where immigrants can feel a sense of ownership and belongingness when accessing services and opportunities.”

Annette Wong, programs director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, provided an overview of the Language Access Network, which includes the African Advocates Network, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, Central American Resource Center of San Francisco (CARECEN SF), Chinese for Affirmative Action, Filipino Community Center, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, and People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights (PODER).



b. Adoubou Traore, African Advocates Network

“Today [when we are] speaking about language access, we are speaking about equity.”

Adoubou Traore, executive director of the African Advocates Network (AAN), discussed the diverse communities that speak English, French, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Haitian Creole. He said language access is an equity issue, and communities should be active participants. He discussed the role of community interpreters and the importance of hiring multilingual City employees.



c. Lara Kiswani, Arab Resource and Organizing Center

“Language access is the key racial equity justice issue for Arabic speaking people in the city of San Francisco.”

Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, noted that Arabic is not a threshold language, and Arab communities are not identified in the U.S. Census. During the pandemic, community members faced language barriers in hospitals, courts, schools, and when accessing housing, CalFresh and In-Home Supportive Services. Community organizations were asked to translate documents without compensation. Director Kiswani recommended that the City create a budget for translation support, and that more community members be trained as interpreters. She also stressed the importance of using modern, standard Arabic.



d. Silva Ramos, CARECEN SF

“The digital divide is preventing our community from accessing services or receiving the most up-to-date information.”

Silva Ramos, senior case manager at CARECEN SF, noted that many families do not have reliable internet access, and libraries and coffeeshops have been closed during the pandemic. Receiving help via phone is difficult because callers are often asked to visit a website, and written materials that use Google Translate are often inaccurate.



e. Marienne Cuison, Filipino Community Center

“Language access in Filipino is a necessity for our community to thrive and grow stronger.”

Marienne Cuison, program manager of the Filipino Community Center, said many community members do not have computers, and immigrants and elders are often more comfortable speaking Filipino. FCC helps connect them with services, however they experience limitations in their capacity to translate and disseminate information in a timely manner.



f. Jose Ng, Chinese for Affirmative Action

“Language access cuts across all aspects, from accessing the City’s local COVID-19 economic relief programs to seeking help when they unfortunately find themselves as victims or survivors of anti-Asian hate incidents.”

Jose Ng, immigrant rights program manager for Chinese for Affirmative Action, stated that survivors of violence experienced challenges calling 911, communicating with police, and accessing victims’ services. Community members and small business owners reported difficulties navigating financial assistance programs. Resources were provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and those who could not access information in their language in a timely manner were left out.



e. LAN Recommendations (Eva Poon, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Rebecca Dean, CARECEN SF)

“Our first recommendation is to strengthen enforcement.”

- Eva Poon, Chinese for Affirmative Action

Eva Poon, policy manager of Chinese for Affirmative Action, called on the City to strengthen enforcement and move away from self-reporting by departments. She suggested conducting an independent audit, publishing the number of violations by each department, or requiring them to report on their language access spending as part of the annual budget process. She urged City agencies to allocate resources where necessary and called for the establishment of universal standards for all City departments in quality, cultural competency, community engagement, and linguistic diversity. This includes increasing the number of the City’s bilingual staff and more accurately translating City websites.



“Our second recommendation is to incorporate a community-centered approach to the Language Access Ordinance.”

- Rebecca Dean, CARECEN SF

CARECEN SF Case Manager Rebecca Dean called for a community-centered approach to the Language Access Ordinance. This includes improving access to interpretation and multilingual notices for public hearings, and creating clear avenues for filing complaints and providing feedback to City agencies. She proposed the creation of a language access task force made up of community organizations and Limited English Proficient (LEP) community members. She called for investment in bilingual, culturally competent staff, including for non-threshold languages, and recommended that the City fund community organizations to address any gaps.



2. Asociación Mayab: Lydia Candila

“[The Mayan community] faced many challenges to be able to access all the help that they needed… and the main reason was language.”

Lydia Candila of the Asociación Mayab said that as a result of language barriers, the Mayan community in San Francisco did not have access to crucial information at the beginning of the pandemic. She said the community needs interpretation in schools, courts, and hospitals, and access to trainings and workshops.



3. Partnerships for Trauma Recovery: Kissanet Taffere

“There is an absence of translation and interpretation services, and it really compounds a lot of existing inequalities, particularly for Black immigrants from African countries.”

Kissanet Taffere, a social worker with Partnerships for Trauma Recovery, noted that Ethiopian and Eritrean communities have a sizable population in the Bay Area, but few services are available in their primary languages, Tigrinya and Amharic. In one instance, she said, a client was turned away from getting a COVID-19 vaccine because of a language access issue.



4. Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI): Aron Oqubamichael

“Most of the time, when it comes to language access, usually people don’t know exactly what rights … they have.”

Aron Oqubamichael, a legal educator with Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), discussed language barriers Black immigrants face in immigration courts and social services agencies. He recommended that offices take into consideration the time needed to translate documents when setting deadlines, and called for more education to help immigrant communities understand their language access rights.



5. Chinatown Community Development Center’s Tenderloin Community and Arab Families Program: Soha Abdou

“It is a cultural thing that we don’t really open up ... [to strangers, such as interpreters] through the Language Line.”

Soha Abdou, supervisor of the Chinatown Community Development Center’s Tenderloin Community and Arab Families Program, noted that many Arab community members face technology barriers in addition to language barriers. There was no local Arabic-speaking contact tracer during the pandemic, and many community members did not feel comfortable sharing personal health or financial issues with strangers, such as Language Line interpreters. She recommended that the City hire more interpreters on staff, work with City College of San Francisco to hold more interpretation trainings, and use modern, standard Arabic.



6. Richmond Senior Center: Winston Parsons

“We played a pretty large role closing translation and on-site interpretation gaps for DPH in testing and vaccines, but [without compensation].” Winston Parsons, community programs director with the Richmond Senior Center, stated that COVID Command Center information and pre-vaccine checklist questionnaires were not immediately available in Russian. His organization performed translation and interpretation work for City agencies with no compensation. He recommended that the City dedicate funds for both City and non-profit agencies to provide pay differentials for multilingual staff, and require that contractors provide pay differentials; and that outreach lists be shared across City agencies. He noted that many Russian older adults do not use the internet, and communications should reflect where they get their news, such as through churches and the Russian newspaper Kstati.



7. Southeast Asian Community Center (SEACC): Diana Vuong

“Language barriers can prevent people from fully participating in civic and public life.”

Diana Vuong, executive director of the Southeast Asian Community Center (SEACC), noted that many Vietnamese San Franciscans are older adults who face language and technology barriers. She recommended that the City provide communications in residents’ preferred languages.



8. South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN): Angelica Cabande

“Filipinos speak English, but comprehend in Filipino.”

Angelica Cabande, organizational director of the South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN), provided an overview of SOMCAN’s 2018 report, “Speaking Up, Speaking Out.” She recommended that the City provide community organizations with more funding; change the translation guidelines to include discussing materials with clients; work with Filipino organizations to increase language services across City departments; hire Filipino interpreters and translators and provide them with certificate and training opportunities. She recommended that City departments partner with OCEIA to incorporate Filipino into their materials, and that OCEIA track these efforts.



9. Southeast Asian Development Center - Khanh Nguyen

“Over one in four Southeast residents in San Francisco is Limited English Proficient.”

Chair Kennelly read aloud the written remarks submitted by Khanh Nguyen, program director of the Southeast Asian Development Center (SEADC). SEADC helped Limited English Proficient (LEP) clients navigate the Employment Development Department (EDD), COVID testing, and rental protections. This created a significant strain on the nonprofit’s resources. He recommended online translation of all City resources into Southeast Asian languages (Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, Tagalog, Thai); an expansion of language-specific phone lines and bilingual staff resources; and a simplified repository of in-language resources across agencies.



Commissioner Monge thanked the speakers and said he looks forward to continuing to work with them to advance their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.

Chair Kennelly invited members of the public to speak.



Crystal Van, a civic engagement program manager with Chinese for Affirmative Action, introduced four community members who provided testimony in Cantonese through an interpreter.



1. Yong Yu Lei

Yong Yu Lei recalled that when her son was transferred to a different class, it took her a week to access interpretation services and get him transferred back. She recommended that schools provide immediate interpretation or make bilingual staff available.



2. Ruiyi Li

Ruiyi Li, a community leader, stated that when her colleague encountered a robbery on the street, the police officer did not understand Chinese and her colleague did not speak English. She suggested that frontline staff develop a standard procedure to assist those who do not speak English.



3. Yuee Zhou (Ivy)

Yuee Zhou stated that outside of the Chinatown City College campus, she was unable to find staff who spoke Cantonese. She suggested that bilingual staff be hired at different campuses so students do not need to return to Chinatown when they encounter a problem.



4. Anny Zhang

Anny Zhang stated that when she called San Francisco General Hospital to schedule an appointment, they only spoke English. She asked the City to train personnel to understand the needs of Limited English Proficient (LEP) residents and provide services in their languages.



5. Liliana Herrera

Liliana Herrera, a language justice interpreter, discussed the protocols of language justice and recommended that the City work with interpreters as communication partners and prioritize language services in the budget.



6. Enma Delgado

Enma Delgado, an immigrant rights organizer with Mujeres Unidas y Activas, said she accompanied a woman to file a report at a police station in the Mission, and waited for an hour to find someone who spoke Spanish. She said interpretation must be provided so residents can file police reports in their language.



7. The next speaker, who identified herself as an Arabic-speaking family liaison, highlighted the need to provide Arabic translations and access to technology.



8. Roneo Roneo, an Arabic interpreter who assisted at vaccination workshops, said written information about the vaccine was not available in Arabic. She said it is difficult to estimate the Arab American population because they are counted as white in the U.S. Census.



Amy Aguilera, a civic engagement organizer with PODER, introduced the next two speakers, who spoke in Spanish through an interpreter.



9. Amparo Alarcón

Amparo Alarcón, a promotora with PODER, said that after waiting over 45 minutes at a police station, they told her they would download a translation app on their phones. When paying utility bills, she said it is difficult for Limited English Proficient (LEP) community members to ask why a bill is so high. She called for funds for educational workshops and language access for community members.



10. Andrea Paz

Andrea Paz, a promotora with PODER, stated that in 2013 her son was assaulted in middle school. No one at the school or at the police station spoke Spanish, and her 12- or 13-year-old son had to interpret for her in order file the report. She asked the Commission to advocate for language access on behalf of all communities.



11. Amy Aguilera

Amy Aguilera, a civic engagement organizer with PODER, discussed the consequences of language and technology barriers. In one case, a Limited English Proficient (LEP) community member who needed dental work had a tooth extracted without her consent. Another community member had trouble registering her child for school because she did not have internet access.



12. Kimberly Alvarenga

Kimberly Alvarenga, director of the California Domestic Workers Coalition, spoke in favor of the resolution in support of SB 321, the Health and Safety for All Workers Act. Chair Kennelly thanked all members of the public who shared their testimony.

(Information/Discussion/Action)

a. Motion to authorize Language Access Committee to develop recommendations on this hearing to present to the Executive Committee (Director Pon)

Chair Kennelly motioned to authorize the Language Access Committee to develop recommendations on this hearing to present to the Executive Committee for adoption on behalf of the Full Commission. Commissioner Enssani seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

On behalf of the Immigrant Rights Commission, Chair Kennelly thanked the invited speakers for their work on behalf of Limited English Proficient (LEP) and immigrant communities. The Commission looks forward to advancing their recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor. Commissioner Monge thanked speakers for their work and for joining in this collaborative approach to policymaking.

(Information/Discussion/Action)

a.  Approval of April 12, 2021 Full Commission Meeting minutes

Commissioner Zamora motioned to approve the minutes from the April 12, 2021 Full Commission meeting. Commissioner Enssani seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.

(Information/Discussion/Action)

a. Adoption of Statement (Director Pon)

Director Pon presented the Ramaytush Ohlone Land Acknowledgment Statement. Vice Chair Paz motioned to adopt reading the statement at all Full Commission, Executive Committee, and subcommittee meetings. Commissioner Enssani seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

a.  Language Access Committee (Commissioner Monge)

Commissioner Monge extended an invitation to any Commissioners who may be interested in joining the Language Access Committee. Chair Kennelly thanked Commissioner Monge.



b.  Immigrant Leadership Awards Committee (Commissioners Fujii and Ricarte)

Commissioner Ricarte provided an overview of the June 14, 2021 virtual awards event.



c.  Executive Committee (Chair Kennelly)

Commissioner Khojasteh asked for an update on the special hearing on anti-Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate. The Human Rights Commission had a scheduling conflict with the original date proposed. Commissioner Khojasteh motioned that the Immigrant Rights Commission host the hearing on May 19, 2021, when the City Administrator is available. Commissioner Obregon seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Commissioner Khojasteh suggested that the Executive Committee schedule a meeting to plan the hearing. Chair Kennelly asked Commissioners to suggest speakers and invite their networks.

a. Director’s Updates

Director Pon provided an overview of the language access survey developed by OCEIA. She thanked Commission Clerk Shore for organizing the multilingual survey and the language access team for their translation work. Chair Kennelly asked Commissioners to share the survey with their networks.

There was no old business.

Commissioner Mena brought to the Commission’s attention the human rights crisis ocurring in Colombia. Chair Kennelly suggested that the Commission issue a statement on the matter. Commissioner Souza discussed the resolution that she proposed in support of SB-321. Director Pon suggested that the Executive Committee meet to consider the resolution in support of SB-321 and the statement on Colombia, and that the Full Commission authorize the Executive Committee to take action on these two items. Chair Kennelly made the motion as outlined by Director Pon. Vice Chair Paz seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

Chair Kennelly thanked Commission Monge, Director Pon and OCEIA staff for the special hearing, and Vice Chair Paz thanked Chair Kennelly. Chair Kennelly adjourned the meeting at 8:43 p.m.