REGULAR CALLED MEETING OF THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 12:00 PM Austin City Hall, Boards and Commissions Room, 1101 301 West 2nd Street Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Commission for Women may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Christi Vitela, 512- 974-2792, christi.vitela@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Becky Bullard, Chair Jocelyn Tau, Vice Chair Alexandria Anderson Vanessa Bissereth Angela Harris Diana Melendez Katrina Scheihing Rabia Shaik Fernanda Veloz Salas Shaimaa Zayan AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten 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. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Commission for Women regular meeting on May 7, 2025. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Update from the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) representative regarding the JIC regular and special called meetings held in April and May 2025. 3. Discussion regarding questions to ask Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Director, Office of Equity and Inclusion, at the Joint Inclusion Committee meeting on June 28th, 2025. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 4. Update from the Recognition Working Group regarding progress toward nominations, evaluation, and the 2025 event. 5. Update from the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model Working Group on the progress towards project completion. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Approve updates to the membership of the Recognition Working Group. 7. Approve updates to the membership of the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model Working Group. 8. Approve a Recommendation to Council to discontinue the use of the automated license plate reader surveillance program. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Christi Vitela at the Office of the City Clerk Department at 512-974-2792, or email christi.vitela@austintexas.gov, for …
COMMISSION FOR WOMEN MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, May 7, 2025 COMMISSION FOR WOMEN REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, May 7, 2025 The Commission for Women convened in a regular meeting on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at City Hall, 301 W 2nd St, Austin, Texas, Boards and Commissions, Room 1101. Chair Tau called the Commission for Women Meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Jocelyn Tau, Chair Becky Bullard, Vice Chair Alexandria Anderson Angela Harris Katrina Scheihing Shaimaa Zayan Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Rabia Shaik PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Commission for Women regular meeting on April 2, 2025. The minutes from the meeting on April 2, 2025, were approved on Vice Chair Bullard’s motion, Chair Tau’s second, on a 6-0 vote. Commissioner Zayan was off the dais. Commissioners Bissereth, Melendez, and Veloz Salas were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Update from the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) representative on the JIC meeting held on April 23, 2025. Postponed to June 4, 2025, without objection. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 1 COMMISSION FOR WOMEN MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, May 7, 2025 3. 4. 5. Update from the Film Screening Working Group on the screening of Army of Women. Update presented by Commissioner Scheihing. Update from the Quality of Life Working Group regarding the recent work towards the completion of the Quality of Life Study. Update presented by Alejandra Mireles, Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion Department. Update from the Recognition Working Group regarding progress toward nominations, evaluation, and the 2025 event. Postponed to June 4, 2025, without objection. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. 7. Discussion of City of Austin Budget and formation of a Working Group to draft proposed budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The motion to approve the formation of a Working Group to draft proposed budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 was approved on Chair Tau’s motion, Vice Chair Bullard’s second on a 7-0 vote. Commissioners Bissereth, Melendez, and Veloz Salas were absent. The motion to add Commissioners Anderson, Bullard, Tau, and Zayan to the Budget Working Group was approved on Chair Tau’s motion, Commissioner Scheihing’s second, on a 7-0 vote. Commissioners Bissereth, Melendez, and Veloz Salas were absent. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair. The motion to approve Vice Chair Bullard as Chair was approved on Chair Tau’s motion, Commissioner Harris’ second, on a 7-0 vote. Commissioners …
COMMISSION FOR WOMEN RECOMMENDATION 20250604-008 Date: June 4, 2025 Subject: Program Motioned By: Seconded By: Opposition to Austin’s Automated License Plate Reader Surveillance Recommendation The City of Austin Commission for Women urges City Council to discontinue Austin’s automated (AI) license plate reader (ALPR) surveillance program . Description of Recommendation to Council The trial period for the Austin Police Department’s use of automated (AI) license plate readers is ending, and now Council must decide whether to make the program permanent. It is the recommendation of the City of Austin Commission for Women that Council discontinue the automated license plate reader surveillance program. Rationale: From March through December of 2024, automated license plate readers (ALPR) scanned more than 75 million license plates across Austin as part of an APD trial program. While council’s approved policy stated that license plate data must be deleted within one week, that has not been the reality of the program. According to a recent audit, contractor Flock Safety retains "non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free right and license" to indefinitely use license plate information scanned across Austin.1 1 https://communityimpact.com/austin/south-central-austin/government/2025/05/20/75m-license-plates- scanned-under-rebooted-austin-police-program-audit-reveals-successes-concerns/ What this means is that the data connected to the millions of license plates scanned under this program is not protected. This program puts the data of Austinites at risk. Consider what Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt, who represents much of Austin, said on the floor of the Texas Senate just last week during the hearing for HB521: “We’re in the process of creating a number of lists, and this is of great concern. We have a number of bills this session… that create lists of people as if we are preparing to shoot fish in a barrel… We have lists of individuals who are public servants who are trying to assist people to vote. We have lists of judges who are using their discretion to release people on bail. We have lists of prosecutors who are – within their discretion – choosing not to pursue cases. We have lists of vendors who sell books that are disfavored. We are entering into a time period of surveillance and lists and disfavored groups by statute… We had a priority in this legislative session to look at the scourges of communism. That was one of the scourges of communism. Lists of public servants that were disfavored, lists of judges that were disfavored, lists of books that were disfavored, lists of people …
