MINUTES
Special Meeting:
September 24, 2005
Ken Edwards Center
1. Call
to Order
Chair Arroyo called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m.
2. Pledge
of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by
Chair Arroyo
3. Roll Call
Present: Commissioners Arroyo, Berg, Boersma, Bogen, Genensky, Parker, Richardson and Weller
Absent: Commissioners Agate and Knauf
Also
present:
6. Public input: The Commission will hear from the public on topics of interest to the Commission that are not on this agenda. Each speaker is limited to two (2) minutes.
Member of
the public Pro Se spoke in favor of appointing Richard Hilton to the open
Disabilities Commission position. He
also spoke of his request to City Council that he be
allowed to speak earlier in the meeting as an accommodation for his disability.
Member of the public Elaine
Nichols spoke about recent problems she has been having with the Santa Monica
Big Blue Bus.
5. Announcements and Correspondence
Member of the public Richard
Hilton announced that he will make a presentation, “Alternatives to Affordable
Housing Section 8 Voucher Program”, at the Department of Mental Health Housing
Planning Meeting on October 17, 2005.
Member of the public Maria Tan
announced that the next Mental Health Service Meeting will be at the Radisson
Hotel on Wilshire on September 26, 2005.
Commissioner Berg announced
that that Santa Monica College will be remodeling their Physical Education
building and it will include an Adaptive PE room for a program modeled on the
program at Cal State Northridge.
Chair Arroyo announced that on
September 28 there will be hearing held by Senator Chesbro at the Ronald Reagan
Building regarding the use of seclusion and restraint at state developmental
centers and state psychiatric hospitals.
4. Approval
of minutes of August 1, 2005 meeting
Commissioner Genensky moved and Commissioner Weller seconded
to accept the minutes of the August 1, 2005 meeting as written. The motion passed on a voice and hand vote
with no dissent.
7. Old Business: Discussion of and possible (further) action on:
A. Report from Disabilities Awareness Month subcommittee
Staff Liaison Hand summarized what has been done in the past and
suggestions for activities during this year’s Disabilities Awareness
Month. Staff Liaison Hand will again
send a global email each week to all City staff explaining a different
disability, she will have the poster contest in the spring and Commissioner
Parker offered to write an article to submit to the local Santa Monica media. Discussion ensued.
Commissioner Richardson brought to the attention of the Commission an
article which had appeared in a local paper which had referred to a group of
Special Olympics athletes as “mentally retarded”. Discussion ensued.
Chair Arroyo moved and Commissioner Bogen
seconded that the Disabilities Awareness subcommittee write a letter to be
distributed to all local media informing them of People-First Language and the
offensiveness of the article which appeared regarding the Special Olympics
athletes. The motion passed on a voice
and hand vote with no dissent.
An additional announcement was made by Julie West from WCIL’s SM Outreach Coordinator. Julie spoke about the lack of walk-in’s since WCIL no longer has a receptionist, coverage of their AT booth at the NBC4 Health Fair event by NBC and referrals from the Red Cross of individuals displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Discussion ensued.
Member of the
public Elaine Nichols spoke regarding her need for a WCIL Caseworker to assist
her with a renter’s assistance issue.
Commissioner
Genensky announced that the Los Angeles County Registrar is making the sample ballot
available on cassette tape and that Santa Monica will be installing audible
crosswalk signals at Wilshire and 23rd streets.
8. New Business: Discussion of and possible action on:
B.
Review
of FY 04-05
As City staff had not
yet arrived for item 8A, Item 8B was heard next.
Staff Liaison
Hand gave a summary of the actions taken by the Disabilities Commission this
past fiscal year emphasizing the Commission’s priority of affordable,
accessible housing. Discussion ensued.
A.
Presentation
from staff on involvement opportunities in the planned renovation of the
property at 415 Pacific Coast Hwy
City staff,
Community and Cultural Services Director Barbara Stinchfield presented the history
of and present plans for the property at 415 PCH and urged the Disabilities Commission
to be active at the planning workshops and in making recommendations for
accessibility of the facilities being planned.
Discussion ensued.
C.
Goal
and priority setting for FY 05-06
Staff Liaison
Hand reviewed the City’s annual budget process and the Commission’s role in the
process. She then listed the
Commission’s goals for FY 04-05 and stated whether or not the goal had been
accomplished. Discussion ensued.
Next, Staff
Liaison Hand reviewed the City’s Community priorities and then the Human Services
Department objectives. Discussion
ensued.
Chair Arroyo listed
the priorities from last year and gave Commissioners discussed if an item
should be removed or continued. Commissioners
then requested new items be added to the list. Discussion ensued.
D.
Preliminary
work plan for FY 05-06
Chair Arroyo
used the list which had been made in Item 8C and Commissioners decided each
item should be listed as a Goal or a Take Action When Appropriate Item. Discussion ensued.
E.
Budget
for FY 05-06
Chair Arroyo
indicated that the Commission’s budget will depend on the items in the work
plan and will be discussed further at the October meeting. Staff Liaison Hand requested that an estimate
of the cost of the Accessibility Guide be brought to the October meeting.
F.
Commission’s
role in making recommendations to the City Council on the FY 06-07 City budget
Chair Arroyo
indicated that the October meeting will cover what the Commission is expected
to do in relation to the budget, with more focus in the following meetings.
G.
Future
agenda items
Member of the
public Richard Hilton suggested that future items should include more work on
the video produced for the Annual Boards of Commissioners dinner and that the
Commission’s bylaws be amended to include a Secretary.
9. Meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m. by Chair Arroyo.
APPROVED: ATTEST:
__________________________ ______________________
Chris Arroyo, Chair