Members of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club on Monday, August 9, unanimously voted against recalling Governor Gavin Newsom. They also voted in favor of the following recently released policy platform:
Healthy Communities
“As work across the city continues to ensure our streets are cleaner, we urge public officials to invest in more public toilets, giving respite to those who need bathroom access.
As vaccinations for COVID-19 are ongoing at the time of the adoption of this plank, we urge city leaders to ensure adequate access to vaccinations, resources, and healthcare in general. This includes addressing the disproportionate levels of heart disease, STIs, as well as infant and maternal mortality in communities of color. We also urge that these communities have access to the most up-to-date, culturally competent, and language inclusive information on COVID-19 vaccines as well as information on other health needs.”
Environmental Justice Inaugural Plank
“We urge the San Francisco Port and the Port Commission to continue to expand efforts to create cleaner infrastructure around our ports, especially cruise ships, and encourage state officials to expand efforts around ensuring cleaner operations for any cargo ships entering the Bay.
We urge city leaders to explore creating expanded and specific protections for areas with higher levels of pollution risks, beyond those already offered through CEQA and SFDPH, as well as new zoning requirements that take into consideration environmental inequities both historic and current in communities of color.
We urge city leaders to provide financial support and resources to communities that have been subject to environmental injustice and are threatened by ongoing disasters and climate changes.
We urge city leaders to investigate amending existing SF Air Pollutant Exposure Zones (APEZ) legislation in order to create environmental offsets and higher clean construction equipment requirements for APEZ areas.
We urge city leaders to continue and expand efforts leading to the decarbonization of public, commercial, and residential buildings across San Francisco.”
Additions to Current Platform
Club members approved the existing platform on homelessness, and made additions and/or amendments to these other areas of concern.
Criminal Justice
The Club urges “city leaders, especially those overseeing institutions of law enforcement and the courts, to shift from a punitive lens to a transformative lens.
We support uplifting alternatives to policing including the Crisis Response Team, Compassionate Alternative Response Team, etc., as well as additional efforts around Juvenile Hall. We also urge city leaders to explore creating a program that offers vacant buildings and/or storefronts to community-based organizations as a way to expand this work and community services in general.
We support the expansion of funding, resources, and accountability for community-based organizations working on violence prevention and reentry services.”
Housing
“We urge city leaders and planners to explore identifying and supporting opportunities for more social housing in San Francisco and encourage city leaders to center the voices and feedback of the most marginalized in the planning and implementation of these types of developments.”
Economic Justice
“Alice urges City leaders to ensure that there is equitable and intentional engagement with communities of color when discussing the potential for a public bank in San Francisco, especially as these communities have been historically shut out by private banking practices and stand to benefit significantly from a potential public bank.”
Racial Equity
“With the passing of Commissions for All (Prop C, 2020), we urge city leaders to appoint more Black and Indigenous Peoples of Color to Boards, Commissions, Task Forces, and Public Office whenever possible.
We urge city leaders to continue efforts to reinvest from law enforcement and replace as much of their duties as possible with civilian staff/local nonprofit services.
We urge city leaders to ensure that communities who have been most impacted by the War on Drugs gain access to and benefit from the cannabis industry in an equitable way, and with as much ownership as possible to ensure that they need not rely on private investment.
We urge city leaders to continue to push for a reimagining of our justice system that not only centers the transfer of funding away from law enforcement agencies, but also prioritizes the transformation of those who are justice-involved through restorative practices, radical healing, and trauma-informed care.”
Transportation
“We urge city leaders to promote and expand efforts centering the safety of pedestrians and bikers in San Francisco. Those efforts could include, but are not limited to, the Vision Zero initiative and Slow Streets program.
We urge city leaders and transit leaders to prioritize addressing racial inequities in public transportation including, but not limited to, expanding access to public transportation, especially in communities of color, as well as expanding programs to make public transportation free where feasible.
We urge city leaders to explore and expand private and public electrification of transportation.”
Education
“We urge the SFUSD and education stakeholders in San Francisco to engage parent advisory groups and ensure that LGBTQ parents have representation in the school district.
We urge the school district to hire, train, and place more culturally-competent social workers and other support staff, especially those of color, in schools, to help our youth navigate their needs.
We urge the San Francisco Unified School District to re-establish a district-wide environmental service learning initiative in schools in order to educate students at all levels about environmental justice and its impacts on our communities, especially communities of color.”
For more about the Club’s platform and mission: https://www.alicebtoklas.org/bylaws-1
Regarding the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, members will vote on August 17 to take a position on the recall of Governor Newsom. The vote will occur during the August General Membership Meeting: https://tinyurl.com/k9t6vvad
Published on August 12, 2021
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