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Rules Committee recommends reappointments and two new members for Immigrant Rights Commission
Summary
The Rules Committee recommended reappointments of Commissioners Geim and Insani and forwarded appointments of Ryan Cojaste and Michelle Wong to the full Board for the Immigrant Rights Commission; committee cited the commission's workload and the need for quorum during a period of heightened immigration concerns.
The Rules Committee on Dec. 12 recommended a package of reappointments and new nominees for the Immigrant Rights Commission, forwarding the committee report to the full Board.
Supervisor Eric Marr moved to reappoint Commissioner Gaime (seat 2) with a residency waiver and Commissioner Elaine Insani (seat 9), and to appoint Ryan Cojaste (seat 3) and Michelle Wong (seat 11). The committee adopted the recommendations without objection and will forward the slate to the full Board for confirmation.
Ryan Cojaste, a 23-year-old UC Hastings law student, described volunteer work with refugee and immigrant communities and proposed "Know Your Rights" outreach and a city-level statement reaffirming San Francisco's sanctuary status. Michelle Wong, a former sociology lecturer from Taiwan, said she would focus on education and media outreach to reframe public perceptions of immigrants and expand community programming.
Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs executive director Adrianne Pahn told the committee that the commission is one of the city's largest and oldest and that the next several years will be challenging for immigrant communities, citing more than 300,000 foreign-born San Franciscans and advising that the commission needs committed, present members to maintain quorum and deliver services.
The committee’s report will be transmitted to the Board of Supervisors for final action.
