Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: President Don Horsley, District 3
Subject: Reappointments to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Commission
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation for reappointments to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Commission:
A) Dana Johnson, member for a second term ending June 30, 2025; and
B) Craig Wiesner, member for a third term ending June 30, 2025.
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BACKGROUND:
The Commission reports and makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding policies, programs, procedures and legislation affecting LGBTQ individuals in San Mateo County, and provides outreach and support to at-risk and underserved LGBTQ populations within San Mateo County, including youth, communities of color, non-English speakers, older adults, and immigrants. The Commission promotes transgender inclusion among private and public entities in San Mateo County, including access to health care and to gendered spaces such as bathrooms and shelters. It develops initiatives to support LGBTQ families with children in San Mateo County and provides a public forum for input from the LGBTQ community to identify unmet needs.
DISCUSSION:
Dana Johnson, Program Director with the Rainbow Community Center in Contra Costa County and resident of Daly City, has been volunteering with the San Mateo County LGBTQ community for many years. Dana has been with the SMC Pride Initiative for 14 years and leads the coordination of the annual Pride Celebration since it started in 2012. Upon approval of this reappointment, this will be Dana’s second full term.
Craig Wiesner has served on the LGBTQ Commission since 2015 and is seeking his third full term. Craig is co-founder of Reach and Teach, a shop in San Mateo dedicated to peacemaking, sustainable living, and inclusion that offers books, toys and fair-trade gifts from around the corner and around the world. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a degree in Organizational Behavior and Adult Learning. A decorated veteran of United States Air Force, Craig worked as an intelligence analyst and as an instructor at the Defense Language Institute. Following his military career, he led training departments for two Silicon Valley pioneers, Vitalink Communications and SynOptics (Nortel Networks) and then went on to co-found WK Multimedia Network Training. Craig has been deeply involved in social and economic justice issues and the peace movement for over 25 years. Reach and Teach has recently been selected by Senator Josh Becker as Small Business of the Year.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.