ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA: JUNE 21st, 2022 ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION June 21st, 2022 at 6:00 PM Austin City Hall Boards & Commissions Room 301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, TX Regular Commission Meeting AGENDA Some members of the Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment and attendance will be allowed in person or via telephone. Remote speakers must register in advance (June 20th by Noon). All public comments will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak or attend remotely, residents must: telephone call, or email the Equity Office’s or Commission/Neighborhood jeremy.garza@austintexas.gov, no later than 12pm-noon on Monday, June 20th, 2022. The information required is the speaker’s name, the item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address, and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). BOARD MEMBERS: 978-1797 Liaison, Jeremy Garza, (512) at District 9 10 Mayor At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large Commissioner Salimah Shamsuddin Meena Mutyala Hanna Huang Pramod Patil Pooja Sethi Zahra Shakur Jamal-Hassan Sarah Cen (Vice-Chair) District Commissioner 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kirk Yoshida (Chair) Azra Siddiqi Kuo Yang VACANT Vincent Cobalis Fang Fang VACANT VACANT CALL TO ORDER: ROLL CALL: Present: ● Absent: ● ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA: JUNE 21st, 2022 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. Consider approval of minutes from the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission (AAQOLAC) meetings on: b. No meeting minutes for May 2022, due to meeting cancellation/lack of quorum. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. April 19, 2022 2. OLD BUSINESS a. Workgroup/Project Reports 1. Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Workgroup 2. Health and Community Engagement Workgroup 3. Arts & Culture Workgroup 4. Human Resources Workgroup 5. Business Planning Workgroup 6. Public Safety / Policing Project b. Update on the Joint Inclusion Committee meeting (Commissioner Cobalis) c. Follow-up Items: 1. Update on AARC Master Plan (Commissioner Cobalis) 2. Update on the FY 2023 Budget Recommendation Process – Final JIC Recommendations (Commissioner Yoshida) 3. Update on Commissioner Vacancies & Work Group Members (Commissioner Yoshida) 3. STAFF BRIEFING a. Staff Presentation on the Austin Police Department’s (APD) Safe Place Initiative: w/ …
SAFE PLACE INITIATIVE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AUSTIN, TX CHRISTIAN MENDOZA Pronouns: he/him/his -LGBTQIA+ Outreach -APD Safe Place Initiative 2008: Volunteer 2018: Employed APD SAFE PLACE INITIATIVE Free and voluntary partnership with the business, faith and non-profit community that serves a critical role in assisting victims of hate crimes. 1) *Call 911 on behalf of the victim 2) Create a safe place for the victim Due to safety concerns, this initiative is NOT designed or authorized for individual and/or residential use *you are not required to call 911 if there is no threat to life/property and the victim does not want police involved HISTORY 1970’s: “Yellow Hand Program” 2014: Ofc. Jim Ritter appointed to Seattle PD LGBTQ+ Liaison 2015: Safe Place Program born to address under reporting of LGBTQ+ hate crimes 2018: Language changed to include everyone, not just LGBTQ+ 2019: Austin PD becomes 1st agency in Texas to join and 1st in the world to offer it in multiple languages ABOUT THE DECAL Trademarked by Seattle PD 3’-5’ from the ground in all entrances accessible to the public Same decal across the U.S to maintain continuity and branding Simplified Chinese Vietnamese PARTICIPATING ENTITIES -10,000+ in the U.S. LOCAL ENTITIES 105 in Austin, TX WHAT IS THE FEDERAL DEFINITION OF A HATE CRIME? A criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a person’s actual or perceived: -Race -Color -Disability -Sexual orientation -National origin/ethnicity -Gender -Religion -Gender identity WHAT IS THE TEXAS DEFINITION OF A HATE CRIME? A criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a person’s actual or perceived: -National origin/ethnicity -Judge -Sexual orientation -Peace officer -Race -Color -Religion -Disability -Gender -Age WHAT IS A BIAS INCIDENT (HATE SPEECH)? -Bias incidents are non-criminal. -Bias incidents are where a subject uses/directs offensive/derogatory words at an individual and/or group during constitutionally protected free speech and the subject does not accompany those words with direct threats and/or actions. “Hateful speech is not a crime, but it can be evidence of a hate crime.” According to Stop AAPI Hate, Texas ranks 4th in anti-Asian hate crimes AUSTIN, TX STATISTICS 1 of 16,000 agencies that reports to the FBI AUSTIN, TX STATISTICS 2018 Total: 18 Anti-LGBTQ+: 5 2019 Total: 12 Anti-LGBTQ+: 5 2015 Total: 14 Anti-LGBTQ+: 6 2016 Total: 17 Anti-LGBTQ+: 7 2017 Total: …
May 25, 2022 Terri Myers, Chair City of Austin Historic Landmark Commission Dear Ms. Myers, Re: 310-312 Colorado St, 201-209 W 4th St, and 211 W 4th St Preservation Austin exists to empower Austinites to shape a more inclusive, resilient, and meaningful community culture through preservation. We write to you today to address the alarming losses that our LGBTQIA community may face with the proposed demolitions of 310-312 Colorado St (DA-2022-040962;GF-2022-047912), 201-209 W 4th St (DA-2022-040962;GF-2022-047912), and 211 W 4th St (DA-2022-040962;GF-2022-047912). We ask the Historic Landmark Commission to reject the proposed demolitions and support historic zoning for these significant properties in the areas of Community Value and Architecture. These cases aligns with Preservation Austin’s Underrepresented Heritage Advocacy Priority for their associations with Austin’s LGQBTIA community. Since adopting this priority, Preservation Austin’s Advocacy Committee and our Fowler Family Underrepresented Heritage Interns have done extensive research into Austin’s LGBTQIA heritage and the sites associated with it, many of which are no longer extant. To date, no historic landmarks, markers, or designations honor Austin’s LGBTQIA heritage. This problem is not unique to Austin––scholars Camden Miller and Alex Bitterman aptly summarized this phenomenon in their essay “Commemorating Historically Significant Gay Places Across the United States”: “Gay spaces across the United States are steeped in important and ephemeral history. However, the stories of these spaces—and the people that lived the struggle to gain LGBTQ+ rights—are largely unrecorded, undocumented, and are not centrally collected or archived beyond Wikipedia entries and oral histories. Many gay places and gay neighborhoods have no formal means of recognition or historic protection such as those that are available to other classifications of landmarks from state or federal agencies. The pioneering generation that gave rise to the LGBTQ+ rights movement is aging and the time to capture the unprecedented—and largely undocumented—history of their efforts and struggle is endangered.” Preservation Austin remains committed to researching and protecting the spaces vital to our city’s LGBTQIA heritage. We believe it is important to do so because this is a story that is not often told, but one that is essential to the complete story of Austin. The Warehouse District has been home to a vibrant queer community for many decades, and within its walls and on its streets the very history of Austin’s LGBTQIA community has been written. We heard from the Hanover company as they attempted to deny and downplay the historic associations …
A Food Plan for Austin Developing the City’s first -ever Food Plan What is a Food System? The Office of Sustainability defines the food system as an interconnected network that includes everything that happens with food —where and how it is grown, distributed and sold, consumed, and ideally recovered. The food system is shaped by its stakeholders, practices, and the laws that regulate both. Post Consumption & Waste Diversion Processing & Distribution Production Food Justice Consumption & Access Markets & Retail Did you know? ● 14.7% food insecurity in Travis County and 18 out of 47 zip codes in Travis County don’t have a full service grocery store ● 16.8 acres of farmland are lost every day in Travis ● Less than 1% of food consumed in Austin -Travis County is locally produced ● 1.24 million pounds of food is wasted every day in County Austin When disaster strikes ● Lack of supplies and limited organized means of distribution what they need ● Road conditions can prevent people from getting ● Support services closed ● Long lines and bare shelves ● Emergency supplies lack food that meets culture and dietary needs Disaster Food & Water Appendix ● Working with Homeland Security & Emergency Management (HSEM) and other departments ● Creating a plan to supplement the Emergency Operations Plan ● Will include learnings from Winter Storm Uri, COVID-19, boil water notices, and other possible scenarios Developing Austin’s firs t ever Food Pla n Why do we need a Food Plan? ● The impact of the Covid -19 pandemic & Winter Storm Uri exposed and exacerbated deficiencies in our food system. ● A Food Plan will set clear Goals and Strategies to mitigate the impact of future crises, correct the system’s inequalities, and move toward a more equitable, sustainable & resilient food system that serves everyone. ● This will be Austin’s first ever Food Plan; when completed, it will provide a coordinating structure for all food related initiatives to work towards a shared vision and address key issues Resolution In June 2021, Austin City Council directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process and multilingual engagement strategy for the creation of the Austin Travis County Food System Plan, which shall convene experts and stakeholders to craft a 5 -year plan. The Office Of Sustainability is the department in charge of overseeing the achievement of this goal. Source: Austin City Council RESOLUTION …
EDD HOT Programs Process Update ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION JUNE 21, 2022 Concerns of Inequitable Distribution* Problem: we are trying to address 50 years of inequitable distribution of funding through the Cultural Funding programs due to the historical policies, practices, and (in)accessibility of our programs. *Data shows leadership/staff demographics FY15-FY 21 only. We recognize this is only one indicator. Equitable Funding Review Goal The desired goal is to sustain and grow Austin’s cultural infrastructure so that all may share in the economic and employment benefits of the heritage preservation and creative sectors, as well as upholding the City’s commitment to racial equity per the City of Austin’s Equity Office standards and goals. Cultural Funding Review Process Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 4.5 Launch + Listen Record + Analyze Equity Audit 9 1 0 2 • 1 town hall • 2 workshops • 39 listening sessions • 540 participants • 1,160 engagement hours • Feedback compiled and synthesized • Organized into specific themes and directions for further discussion • Staff assessment of programs • Equity trainings for staff and commissions • Heritage Tourism and Music and Entertainment added • Process audit with ODD • MJR Recommendations Program Development • 1500+ hours of staff planning • 2 public presentations • Feedback: comment box, 1:1 meetings, Q+A, direct communications, Commission meetings 2 0 2 2 Program Refinement • 1 presentation • Regular VOOH and 3 guided discussions • Arts Commission chats • Feedback collection including survey • Feedback will be used to refine the program before official launch • Evaluation is ongoing! Feedback informed every aspect of program development including program priorities, application scoring, rubrics, and process improvements. Holistic Funding Ecosystem Nexus Nurture new and emerging applicants by funding creative public projects developed through community activation and/or collaboration. Elevate Creative and administrative expenses of cultural producers that amplify equity and prioritize inclusive programming. Thrive Focused investment to sustain and grow arts organizations that are deeply rooted in, and reflective of Austin’s diverse cultures. Pilot Program Nexus in Detail Goal Contract Term Type of Funding Who can apply? Selection Process Draft Total Available Funds Draft Award Amounts Draft Number of Awardees Individuals/ Groups* (*cooperatives, non-profit organizations, businesses, partnerships, etc.) Encourage new talent Nexus 6 Months Project Funding Only 3 COA Staff + Rubric ~$500,000 $5,000 100 (50 per cycle; 2 cycles/year) Pilot Program Elevate in Detail Elevate Elevate …
ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA: JUNE 21st, 2022 ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSION June 21st, 2022 at 6:00 PM Austin City Hall Boards & Commissions Room 301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, TX Regular Commission Meeting MEETING MINUTES Some members of the Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment and attendance will be allowed in person or via telephone. Remote speakers must register in advance (June 20th by Noon). All public comments will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak or attend remotely, residents must: telephone call, or email the Equity Office’s or Commission/Neighborhood jeremy.garza@austintexas.gov, no later than 12pm-noon on Monday, June 20th, 2022. The information required is the speaker’s name, the item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address, and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). BOARD MEMBERS: 978-1797 Liaison, Jeremy Garza, (512) at District 9 10 Mayor At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large Commissioner Salimah Shamsuddin Meena Mutyala Hanna Huang Pramod Patil Pooja Sethi Zahra Shakur Jamal-Hassan Sarah Chen (Vice-Chair) District Commissioner 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kirk Yoshida (Chair) Azra Siddiqi Kuo Yang VACANT Vincent Cobalis Fang Fang VACANT VACANT CALL TO ORDER: Kirk called the meeting to order at 6:23pm ROLL CALL: Present: 1. Kirk Yoshida 2. Azra Siddiqi 3. Kuo Yang 4. Vincent Cobalis ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA: JUNE 21st, 2022 5. Fang Fang 6. Hanna Huang 7. Pramod Patil 8. Zahra Shakur Jamal-Hassan 9. Sarah Chen Absent: 10. Salimah Shamsuddin 11. Meena Mutyala 12. Pooja Sethi PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. ● Laura Esparza - Introducing Tony Vo, Culture & Arts Manager at the Asian American Center - Been in Austin for 20 years, mostly at UT, and now employed with the City! 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Consider approval of minutes from the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission (AAQOLAC) meetings on: a. April 19, 2022 – Tabled to Next Month b. No meeting minutes for May 2022, due to meeting cancellation/lack of quorum. 2. OLD BUSINESS a. Workgroup/Project Reports 1. Asian American Resource Center (AARC) Workgroup 2. Health and Community Engagement Workgroup 3. …
