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Committee Advances Fair Chance Act Amendment to Exclude Conviction Questions for Board Appointments
Summary
The committee approved forwarding an amendment to the administrative code that extends the Fair Chance Act—6s ban-the-box approach to applicants for city boards and commissions, removing felony-conviction disclosure requirements and limiting use of conviction history in appointment and removal decisions.
Supervisor Jane Kim introduced a trailing amendment on Feb. 25 to extend the Board—6s Fair Chance Act changes to applicants for board and commission membership. The amendment removes a requirement that applicants disclose felony convictions and sets limits on how the City may inquire about or use conviction history when making appointment or removal decisions.
Advocates and current commissioners who testified said excluding conviction-history questions in initial application stages encourages a wider pool of applicants, reduces screening-out of people with relevant lived experience, and aligns appointment practices with the City—6s existing ban-the-box policies for employment and affordable housing. Jesse Stout, a current board/commission member, said he was not asked about conviction history when applying and supported the change. Representatives from legal-services groups (All of Us or None; Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights; Legal Services for Prisoners with Children) urged adoption.
Supervisor Kim stated the amendment conforms Board appointment and removal procedures to the Fair Chance Act's goals of removing barriers that prevent Californians with conviction histories from serving. The committee moved the item forward with a positive recommendation to the full Board without opposition.
