May 28, 2024
City Council
DATE: May 28, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Councilmember Soheila Bana
Subject:
Task Force to End Gender Based Domestic Violence
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact to receive the presentation.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
There are many efforts to address gender-based
domestic violence. Council Member Bana has been
working with various agencies to bring awareness and to collaborate on methods to end gender-based domestic
violence.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE a presentation on the activities of the Task
Force to End Gender-Based Domestic Violence –
Councilmember Soheila Bana (510-620-6743).
DISCUSSION:
Councilmember Bana in collaboration with the Latina Center, WCCUSD, the District Attorney’s and Assembly Member’s Offices, along with various service providers have begun discussions and projects to bring awareness and strategies to end gender-based violence. The following is a summary report of their productive discussions, prepared by AGENDA
REPORT
May 28, 2024
our facilitators. Additionally, there were two listening sessions held for survivors, one in Spanish and one in English, which echoed many of the sentiments from our main meeting. To avoid repetition, I have not included those reports, but they are available upon request.
Education: We are launching a pilot project to educate high school students on Dating Matters regarding interpersonal violence. This initiative is a joint effort between WCCUSD and De Anza High School officials, the Family Justice Center, the Law Academy, and the District Attorney’s Office. If you have suggestions for guest speakers, feel free to reach out to me directly via email.
Law: Our California Assemblywoman’s office expressed their commitment to advocate for an improved version of AB2790. Additionally, our partners at Kaiser Permanente have indicated that their legal team is preparing a revised draft of the proposal for consideration. If you have suggestions for new law in California, please share your idea.
City: We are working with the Family Justice Center and Richmond Police Department, who are already providing aid to survivors of domestic violence, to formulate specific recommendations for the city. We are also expecting RPD's involvement in our May meeting.
Furthermore, the Community Crisis Response Program is set to begin operations in Richmond this summer and will likely handle most domestic violence cases. We are inviting the program manager to our upcoming meeting.
Art & Culture: The Latina Center is organizing musical performances by survivors of domestic violence for the Sisters Solidarity event and Cinco de Mayo parade.
Last year, The Latina Center hosted an art contest titled “Ya Basta Sin Miedo/Enough Is Enough” for high school students; you may have noticed the winning design displayed on banners around the Civic Center Plaza.
A launch was held on March 28th for the Task Force, attended by 38, and the first meeting was held on May 14th which was attended by 37. They will be meeting 5 times in total between now and November of this year. The purpose of the Task Force is to create a set of recommendations on policies and actions to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV)* in Richmond that is informed by and centers the voices, lived experience, and leadership of survivors and community.
Gender-Based Violence or “GBV”, includes domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, human and labor trafficking, and other forms of violence based on gender. The Latina Center and The Family Justice Center, along with Councilmember Bana and Trina Jackson-Lincoln are providing backbone staff support.
The four key goals include:
1. Raise community awareness in Richmond about GBV.
2. Develop and align policies and practices in Richmond to end GBV.
May 28, 2024
3. Create an inclusive decision-making table that is informed by and centers the voices, lived experience, and leadership of survivors and community.
4. Build sustaining collaboration with a coordinated approach that prioritizes ending GBV.
This effort is a collaboration of the aforementioned organizations and city departments.
As I serve in my role to coordinate our group meetings, I want to emphasize that each participant, with their significant knowledge and experience, are the true leaders of this mission.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Slide Deck