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Advisory council for Dignity Fund flagged for restructuring after vacancies; task force to meet Oct. 15
Summary
The DAS advisory council was described as "borderline inactive" during an Oct. 1 update; staff reported two supervisor vacancies and six commission-member vacancies and said a task force will discuss restructuring on Oct. 15.
SAN FRANCISCO — Alan Cooper, speaking for the DAS advisory council, told the Department of Aging and Adult Services Commission on Oct. 1 that the council has significant membership vacancies and that staff have proposed restructuring the oversight and advisory bodies for the Dignity Fund.
"At the last election, Proposition E was passed to evaluate commission advisory councils," Cooper said. He reported that the advisory council had been flagged as "borderline inactive" because of high vacancies and infrequent meetings, though he said some of that characterization may be inaccurate when reviewing meeting history.
Cooper said the advisory council is intended to have representation from 11 supervisor districts and 11 commission members, but currently there are two supervisor vacancies and six commission vacancies; one supervisor and one commission vacancy are pending processing, and two vacancies resulted from deaths. He said staff have prepared a proposal to restructure the Dignity Fund Oversight Advisory Council and the current advisory council; that proposal has been forwarded to a task force that will meet Oct. 15 and accept public input.
The council update also described outreach and the current Dignity Fund community needs assessment. Cooper said surveys and community forums were completed by the Sept. 30 deadline and that focus groups are ongoing. He said the council is considering ways to improve outreach to underrepresented populations, including Native American and Pacific Islander communities and people experiencing homelessness; the council noted uncertainty about whether homeless shelters were specifically reached by the survey effort.
Cooper and commissioners discussed membership and recruitment processes. Cooper described the typical path: prospective members apply to DAS, staff check district representation and forward applications to the relevant supervisor and the commission nominating committee. He proposed looking at making the council smaller or conducting more active outreach to fill vacancies.
A hearing and additional discussions are scheduled Oct. 15; no formal action was taken on Oct. 1.
