ENHANCING
YOUTH
PARTICIPATION
IN THE CITY
SAN JOSE CITY COUNCIL
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023
CITY OF S AN JOS E
Y OUTH COM M IS SION
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Nolan, Sr. Librarian
Megan Maloy, Librarian II
Directive 1
Determine whether the Youth Commission (YC) should be
expanded to include voices of those ages 21 –25.
The Memo
Directive 2
Identify which additional City of San José Commissions
would benefit from including a dedicated position for
youth.
• Create a procedure for selecting youth members for
the chosen commissions.
• Direct staff to report the Youth Commission’s findings to the Neighborhood Services and Education
Committee (NSE) by the spring of 2023.
"Not about us,
without us."
AGE RECOMMENDATION
The Youth Commission does not recommend expanding the
age eligibility requirements to be appointed to the Youth Commission.
• The closeness of ages and experiences of current members is essential to how the Youth Commission functions.
• It would be challenging to offer tailored support to youth of a wide range of ages.
• Including young adults could create challenging social dynamics. • It might create unbalanced leadership dynamics.
• Many San José boards and commissions already have vacancies, many of which young people ages 18 and over can apply.
To further open the door to include more youth and young adults who can be strong advocates for how we might better serve target population groups, the Youth Commission recommends adding a statement that is inclusive and representative of the city in the special eligibility requirements.
2.08.4840 Special eligibility requirements.
A. All members shall, at the time of appointment, be at least fourteen years old and under twenty-one years old.
B. The Commission shall have members representative of
the residents of the City of San José, and with experience related to programs and services with school or community activities for children and youth.
MUNICIPAL CODE
COMPENSATION
We believe youth commissioners should receive paid
compensation for their service.
• This is a mechanism to include more economically diverse voices on the commission.
• It incentivizes prioritizing Youth Commission work and events with the goal of increasing engagement and participation. • A model for paid meetings allows for flexibility for Youth Commissioners and the ability to still earn needed volunteer hours for any additional duties.
To codify this provision in the San José Municipal Code, staff recommends leveraging the existing language in 2.08.120 – Members – Compensation, which provides the terms of
compensation for all appointed Commissioners, and adding an additional provision to the Youth Commission section of the Municipal Code.
2.08.4835 - Special provisions
Commencing November 1, 2023, each member who serves
on the Youth Commission shall be paid the sum of two
hundred dollars ($200) per meeting if they have attended.
This compensation shall be in addition to any
reimbursement for expenses incurred in the performance
of the Commissioners’ duties and functions under Section
2.08.120(B).
MUNICIPAL CODE
EXPANSION OF DUTIES
Why Add Youth Seats to Other Commissions?
• It would increase the number of seats for a quorum on other commissions when we are already looking at a
possible increase in commission vacancy due to a
return to in-person (AB 2449).
Functions, Powers, and Duties
The YC already has established the power:
• "To select and designate members of the commission, youths or other persons to act as commission representatives to all other city boards and commissions, and to agencies, authorities, boards, and commissions the city has participated in creating in conformance with guidelines approved by the council."
EXPANSION OF DUTIES
Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
• Article 5 revolves around youth having a voice in
local government. While the City has certain
initiatives in place, such as the Youth
Commission, it is unclear how the City meets the
other elements in the article. Examples to
address the gap are:
⚬ Creating space for youth to provide input on
boards, commissions, and committees
⚬ Doing more to inform youth about laws that
impact them
EXPANSION OF DUTIES
Roger Hart's Ladder of Children's Participation
• Using Roger Hart’s Ladder of Children’s Participation to frame the current charge of the Youth Commission, the question loomed, why tokenize youth voice in other city advisory and decision-making bodies rather than strengthen the Youth Commission’s role and duty to provide the City Council and the Mayor with "comment and recommendation" on all proposed legislation "that primarily affect the children and youth" of San José?
2.08.4850 Functions, powers, and duties.
The commission shall have the following functions, powers, and duties:
A. To foster greater involvement of youth in municipal government and civic affairs, especially in the City of San José.
B. To comment and make recommendations to the City Council and the City Manager’s Office on matters within the Commission’s workplan, and the City of San José Children and Youth Master Plan.
C. To study, review, evaluate, advise and submit recommendations to City Council or the City manager pertaining to the effects of legislative policies, needs, assessments, priorities, programs, and budgets any problems, activities and concerns of youth as they relate to municipal policies, programs or projects of the city.
D To hold and conduct forums on such problems, activities and concerns of youth in which various governmental and nongovernmental agencies and other community organizations, fraternal and benevolent associations may be invited to participate, to the extent the commission deems such desirable.
E. To select and designate members of the Commission, youths or other persons to act as commission representatives to all other city boards and commissions, and to agencies, authorities, boards and commissions the city has participated in creating in conformance with guidelines approved by the council.
F. To make such recommendations to the council as the commission may find necessary and desirable to carry out the purposes for which the commission is established.
MUNICIPAL CODE
RECOMMENDATIONS
Amend Section
2.08.4840 of Chapter
2.08 of the
San José Municipal
Code to ensure the
Youth Commission is
inclusive and
representative of the
City of San José.
Add Section 2.08.4835 of
Chapter 2.08 of the San
José Municipal Code to
compensate appointed
youth commissioners to
encourage the participation
of economically diverse
youth, increase
engagement among
commissioners while
maintaining fulltime
student status, and align
with the citywide policy to
reduce financial barriers to
serve on boards.
Amend Section 2.08.4850
of Chapter 2.08 of the San
José Municipal Code to
revise and expand the
advisory and
recommendation powers
of the Youth Commission
to City Council and the
Mayor and, following the
revised municipal code
power and duties,
designate youth
representatives to other
San José Commissions.
THANK YOU!
WEBSITE
EMAIL ADDRESS
www.sjpl.org/youth-commission
[email protected]