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Rules Committee appoints seven to Immigrant Rights Commission amid sanctuary-policy concerns
Summary
The Rules Committee appointed seven commissioners to the Immigrant Rights Commission, including two reappointments that required residency waivers; the director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs said the commission will help defend local sanctuary and due-process protections.
The Rules Committee on Oct. 8 appointed seven members to the Immigrant Rights Commission for terms ending June 6, 2017, and discussed residency waivers for two appointees who no longer live in the city.
Applicants spoke to the committee about their experience and goals. Melba Maldonado, executive director of La Raza Community Resource Center, said she has served on the commission and is "willing to serve, especially now, because our communities have been under quite a bit of strain." Edward Lee described federal and White House experience doing outreach to Asian American communities and said he wants to bring that experience to local immigrant engagement. Andrei Romanenko, a California-licensed immigration attorney, emphasized Russian-language outreach; Mario Paz and Celine Kennelly highlighted sanctuary policy defense and immigrant-service work; Felix Fuentes outlined long-standing service representing immigrant workers; and Toya Moses detailed decades of local public-health and immigrant-community service.
Adrienne Pahn, Director of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, told supervisors this is "a critical time" for immigrants and noted the city is home to more than 50,000 undocumented residents; she recommended reappointment of the incumbents and said the commission has been active on housing, affordability and defending local sanctuary protections and due-process measures. Committee members discussed that two nominees (Melba Maldonado and Mario Paz) require residency waivers because they currently live outside the city; the committee rescinded an initial vote and then re-made a motion that included the required waivers before taking the appointment without objection.
The committee named Edward Lee, Andrei Romanenko, Mario Paz, Celine Kennelly, Felix Fuentes, Melba Maldonado and Toya Moses to seats on the Immigrant Rights Commission; supervisors asked the commission to stay engaged on federal and state developments affecting sanctuary policies and due-process protections.
