Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee corrects term and forwards Behavioral Health Commission appointment after public comment on attendance and proxy voting
Summary
The committee amended the term end date for a Behavioral Health Commission appointment to Jan. 1, 2023, and forwarded the appointment to the full Board after a public caller alleged a prior commissioner had not attended meetings and cited Robert's Rules and the Administrative Code on proxy voting; Chair Peskin said he would follow up with the supervisor named in the caller's comments.
The Rules Committee on February 8 voted to amend and forward the appointment of Supervisor Asha Safai to the San Francisco Behavioral Health Commission, correcting the term expiration to January 1, 2023 and approving the amended item without objection.
During public comment, a caller alleged that "in 2019, supervisor Stephanie was appointed to this position" and that "by 2020, when she resigned, she had never attended a single one of the meetings of the commission, sending staff to each of them to participate in her place." The caller cited Robert's Rules of Order and Administrative Code Section 15.13, arguing that proxy voting is incompatible with ordinary deliberative assemblies and noting a code provision that can require removal after four unexcused absences in 12 months.
The caller quoted Robert's Rules directly: "Proxy voting is not permitted in ordinary deliberative assemblies unless the laws of the state...or the charter...provide for it." Chair Aaron Peskin responded that he would "endeavor to reach out to Supervisor Safaei to ensure that he will attend personally." No enforcement action was taken during the meeting; the committee's formal action was to amend the term date and forward the appointment to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
Next steps: the amended appointment will be considered by the full Board of Supervisors. The Chair said he will follow up with the named supervisor about personal attendance at commission meetings; the transcript does not record any further response from that supervisor at this meeting.
