Easy Does It Disability Assistance Services
Board Meeting Minutes for Thursday, January 29, 2004

ROLL CALL: Chris Hess – Treasurer, Hale Zukas – President, Jonah Markowitz – Secretary, Karyn Hernandez , Leslie Gordon, Peter Trier, Winston Ching, Charles Pappas, Louis Trier
Public: Karla Thompson - translator, Susan Brown - note taker

PUBLIC COMMENT:
JONAH: Leslie is leaving. The legislative bill will be reintroduced, Margaret Cowen (of Lonnie Hancock's office) asked a lot of questions it seems she would already know, but I answered them. Things like "how did we keep statistics?"...
ROSE: I talked to Marla, she needs detailed info: facts and figures. How many clients in Berkeley vs. State, she understands the complexity and is willing to put her time and energy into it, but we need to help. She needs hard documentation to back her up.
PETER: Changing the subject. We'll miss Leslie; we've been very lucky to have her.

MINUTES:
JONAH: Motion to approve the November 6th minutes with changes - Paul Church is the ADA Compliances Officer.
PETER: SECONDS.
Motion Passes.

JONAH: Motion to approve the December minutes with changes - Chris Hess was present.
PETER: SECONDS.
Motion Passes.

AGENDA:
JONAH: Motion to go into Executive Session by 8:45. Search Committee report to be discussed at this time.
PETER: SECONDS

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
HALE: No developments on the insurance issue.
WINSTON: Have there been any resolutions? What still needs to be resolved?
HALE: When and if I find out... our lawyer had drafted 'contract language' which we hoped would fix two of the three problems.
ROSE: We were reimbursed by NAIC, and Professionals/General Liability is the only policy still overlapping.
PETER: I think it would be helpful to have an Executive Committee meeting on this in the middle of the month.
HALE: Let's do it on Wednesday, the 11th at Peter's place.

SECRETARY'S REPORT:
JONAH: We are caught up with the minutes; Winston had some concerns about what info is included in the regular minutes. I don't feel we should revise them.
PETER: We are approving minutes as a record of what happened, I don't feel we should revise history, unless there is some discrepancy.
WINSTON: There isn't anything too controversial in those I looked over.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT:
ROSE: We lost one attendant; she moved away. We gained one new, outstanding female attendant, her name is Amber.
Erroll has retired and we have a new contract manager; her name is Marianne Gramin. We need to prepare a paragraph on why we need the rollover funds to present to her before the end of Feb.
We have a new case manager, Michai Freeman, Feb. 1, she handles 3 program clients, contracts and is helping to sift through the on-call attendant registry. 5-8 hours at 30$ per hour.
HALE: Why is she mo. to mo. and not yearly? Some months we have no need, or can solve the problems ourselves.
CHRIS: We did speak with some other case managers to determine an appropriate salary.
ROSE: (In FY03 we implemented many program changes which will save money in FY04.) We received a letter from Marianne Gramm - the City is facing a 16 million dollar budget decrease, and although we have a specific tax, it is in our interest to brainstorm any creative ways to save $.
IV CARE ISSUE:
PETER: I am nervous about Hancock's office; the language was good the first time and was then changed by Davis's office. We must make sure it is going to be introduced and moved thru.
The committee and office staff need to be clear about how to answer these questions.
ROSE: Marla Cowen is an aide to Lonnie Hancock. They need to know how many people it affects, what needs to be done, where obstacles and hurdles are. Who it affects, what agencies are involved?
JONAH: Perhaps we need another meeting with Lonnie Hancock's office to discuss the bill.
HALE: Does she know that the bill was enacted a 1/4 century ago that lets IHSS do it?
PETER: Exactly when will a bill be introduced? Please send J, H, and P copies of this correspondence.
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE REPORT:
PETER: Let's make sure that everybody sees a draft of the letter before it goes out. Let's have a progress report next month.

UTILIZATION OF SERVICES COMMITTEE REPORT:
JONAH: SUS recommendation: voted 2/1 to drop overuse fees. This was a recommendation to the Board from the Office Staff. Anyone still owing money on these defunct fees will receive a onetime amnesty. Small claims court would be a waste of time for these monies owed. Rose will send out a letter to this effect.
JONAH: Motion to rescind collection on unpaid overuse fees remaining, clients to receive notice of a one-time amnesty. {Fees were dropped last October.}
PETER: SECONDS
Motion Passes. (Hale, Winston and Louis Abstain)
ACTIONS:
PETER: There is an issue around whether or not it is illegal for clients to record phone calls with EDI without EDI's knowledge and/or permission. We could send a letter and ultimately suspend him after a warning.
JONAH: Motion to allow Peter an expenditure of up to 50$ a month to pay a person to write organizational letters on behalf of EDI; Peter will report quarterly on this expenditure.
WINSTON: SECONDS
Motion Passes.
JONAH: Motion to table other ACTION items.
CHRIS: SECONDS
Motion Passes.
PETER: Motion to go into Executive Session
JONAH: SECONDS
Motion Passes.
PETER: MOTION: to adjourn
JONAH: SECONDS
Motion Passes.
MEETING ADJOURNED.