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32-551: In 1963, the modern day civil rights movement manifested in San Francisco through demonstrations against hotels, supermarkets, drive-in restaurants, automobile showrooms and automobile repair shops which were discriminating against African Americans. In early 1964, Mayor John Shelley appointed an Interim Committee on Human Relations, which subsequently recommended to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that

64-557: A black youth accused of auto theft. Shelley declared a state of emergency in the city for six days. After the riots ended, Shelley took several public steps to improve relations between city government and the African-American community. He appointed the city and county's first African-American supervisor, Terry Francois . Shelley took an aggressive stance against several prominent anti-development mobilizations during his tenure, including movements in opposition to development at

96-786: A group supporting Washington state's minimum wage, while the Supreme Court was entertaining a constitutional challenge against it in West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish . Beginning in the spring of 1937, Shelley faced two crises. First, there was growing labor unrest. Second, the Committee for Industrial Organization actively attempted to replace the AFL as bargaining agent for local unionized shops. Strikes and threats of strikes in Northern California followed first

128-821: A half dozen. His leadership helped to preserve Hastings' autonomy when it was threatened. Dobbs was named the Hastings College of the Law Alumnus of the Year in 1983, and the atrium in the college's main building is named in his honor. Dobbs married Annette Dobbs (née Lehrer) in 1941. Annette was an important civic leader in her own right, serving on the boards of numerous San Francisco organizations, including as president of San Francisco's Jewish Community Federation . They remained married for 54 years, until Harold's death. Harold and Annette had five children together: Stephen, Marilyn, Gregory , Rusty, and Cathy. Dobbs

160-657: A jurisdictional dispute between the AFL Longshoremen and the CIO Teamsters, a move that the San Francisco Labor Council strongly disapproved. In the midst of the hotel strike, 2100 elevators and janitors in buildings citywide voted to strike, but the work-stoppage was postponed by the international to continue negotiating. Other unions voted to strike, including the milk wagon drivers. Prior to his election as U.S. Congressman, Shelley

192-654: A leader of the California delegation to the 1948 Democratic National Convention , when he helped marshal his state's votes to support a strong civil rights plank. Shelley entered the United States House of Representatives in 1949 and served until 1964, when he stepped down to be inaugurated Mayor of San Francisco after winning the November, 1963 election by nearly a 12-point margin against his nearest opponent, Harold Dobbs (50-38.5%). John Francis Shelley

224-595: A member of the California State Assembly from 1997 to 2003 and served as California Secretary of State from 2003 to 2005. Shelley's daughter, Joan-Marie Shelley, was a French teacher for 30 years at Lincoln High School and Lowell High School in San Francisco Unified School District and carried on the family tradition of labor union leadership, serving as vice-president (1978-1984) and president (1984-1989) of

256-532: A permanent Human Rights Commission be established. In July 1964, the Board of Supervisors passed the recommendation, and Mayor Shelley signed an ordinance establishing the Human Rights Commission. From 1964, the Human Rights Commission grew in response to City government's mandate to address the causes of and problems resulting from prejudice, intolerance, bigotry and discrimination. The Mayor and

288-829: A streak of Democratic representatives from San Francisco (and, coincidentally, the 5th district ) that continues to the present (as of 2024 ). Shelley earned a law degree from the University of San Francisco in 1932. He served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and was a member of the California State Senate from 1939 to 1947. He ran an unsuccessful race for the Lieutenant Governor 's office against Goodwin Knight in 1946. Shelley would then make his mark as

320-596: Is a department of the City and County of San Francisco [and County of San Francisco] that works to increase equality, eradicate discrimination, and to protect human rights for all people. The HRC enforces City Ordinances and policies on nondiscrimination and promotes social and economic progress for all. Some of the HRC's core focuses include: The HRC also works in other human rights issues, such as combating human trafficking, hate crimes, and bullying. For more information, please visit

352-826: The S.F. Zoological Society , Saints and Sinners, Sinai Memorial Chapel, and the YMCA. He also served on the boards of the Florence Crittendon Home for Unwed Mothers, the Jewish Community Federation, Mount Zion Hospital , the Northern California Jewish Bulletin , the San Francisco Boy's Club, and St. Elizabeth's Infant Shelter. He was particularly devoted to Hastings, serving on its board of directors for more than 20 years and as its president for

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384-593: The Yerba Buena Gardens and in the Western Addition . Shelley bowed out of running for a second term in office; his stated reasons were health-related, but it was thought that prominent political forces in the city's establishment wanted a more stringently pro-development mayor in office. Shelley's son, Kevin Shelley , was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1990 to 1996,

416-590: The cruising and rock and roll cultures of the early 1960s. Dobbs also owned several bowling alleys throughout the Bay Area and a chain of movie theaters in Hong Kong, and he was the founder of two additional restaurant chains called "King's" and "The Red Roof." Dobbs served for 12 years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors , first winning election in 1951 at age 32. He was re-elected to two additional four-year terms in 1955 and 1959, serving as President of

448-594: The sit-down strike against General Motors and then strikes at several Works Progress Administration projects in the San Francisco Bay area. Shelley was active in settling several labor disputes, but despite his efforts 3,500 members of six unions went on strike against 16 leading San Francisco Hotels on May 1, 1937. On the same day, the AFL purged the CIO from the Alameda Labor Council owing to

480-589: The "100 Young Leaders of Tomorrow" in 1952. After graduating law school in 1942, Dobbs was hired by the law firm Lillick, Geary, Olson, Adams, & Charles, becoming the firm's first Jewish lawyer and first Hastings graduate. He remained there until 1956, when he left to establish his own firm with William Ferdon, called Dobbs & Ferdon. After the death of Ferdon, the firm became Dobbs & Doty, then Dobbs & Nielsen, and eventually Dobbs, Berger, Molinari, Vannelli, Nadel & Links. Dobbs specialized in business law. Throughout his five decades practicing law, Dobbs

512-479: The Board during his third term. A close political ally of Mayor George Christopher , Dobbs served as Acting Mayor on several occasions during Christopher's absences from the city. Dobbs ran for mayor himself three times, in 1963, 1967, and 1971. Each time, he placed second in a three-way contest: In an editorial endorsing Dobbs in 1963, the San Francisco Chronicle said he "knows how to use

544-458: The Board of Supervisors gave the Human Rights Commission more and broader powers and duties to address these problems, and passed additional ordinances, which were implemented by the Human Rights Commission. In June 1990, the voters of San Francisco established the Human Rights Commission as a Charter Commission (see Section 3.699-5 of the Charter). The San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC)

576-548: The HRC website. Advisory committees are an integral and vitally important component of the HRC, providing for community involvement and opportunity for in-depth study and exploration of issues. The Chair of the Commission assigns Commissioners and appoints members from the community to participate in these committees. The HRC currently maintains three advisory committees: the Equity Advisory Committee;

608-617: The Jewish community, founding Mel's Drive-In and serving as president of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. Dobbs was born in 1918 in Roselle, New Jersey, to George Dobbs and Mary Dobbs (née Wolin), both Russian Jews who had emigrated to the United States in the early twentieth century. He attended Roselle's Jefferson High School for one year before his family moved to San Diego in 1934, in search of work for Dobbs' father George, who

640-612: The Law in San Francisco, which at the time did not require its students to have college degrees. Dobbs graduated from Hastings and passed the California Bar Examination in 1942. Asthma kept Dobbs out of the military during World War II, but he worked as a clerk at his local Selective Service office during the war. Dobbs had a long and distinguished career that included multiple professions. Time Magazine recognized his potential early when they recognized Dobbs as one of

672-707: The Local Business Enterprise Committee and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Advisory Committee. The executive director is Theresa Sparks . HRC staff are currently working on a range of human rights policy issues all of which can be found on the HRC's website. A snapshot of these issues include: Beyond Marriage: Unrecognized Family Relationships (March 2011) Bisexual Invisibility: Impacts and Recommendations (March 2011) John F. Shelley John Francis Shelley (September 3, 1905 – September 1, 1974)

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704-667: The Palace Hotel, a public nurse strike in 1966, and a threatened San Francisco Symphony Orchestra strike in 1967. Shelley was mayor during the Summer of Love , a time of radicalism in the Haight-Ashbury and turmoil throughout the city. The Black rage toward " Auto Row " on Van Ness Avenue. Shelley was faced with riots in Bayview-Hunters Point on September 27, 1966, after a white police officer fatally shot

736-640: The San Francisco Federation of Teachers and as the founding president (1989-1997) of the United Educators of San Francisco, a merger of the local American Federation of Teachers and local National Education Association unions. Harold Dobbs Harold Stanley Dobbs (December 8, 1918 – August 14, 1994) was an influential civic leader in San Francisco , California . He was a lawyer, businessman, politician, and leader in

768-568: The San Francisco Labor Council. He was the council's representative to the Pacific coast's first industrial development conference aimed at girls and hosted by several Northern California YWCAs . Shelley was elected president of the council in 1937. Shortly into his term, the council began organizing state agricultural and cannery workers under the AFL. Shelley was one of the leaders of the California People's Legislative Conference,

800-528: The fact that Shelley was recently elected and remained targeted, along with one other California congressman, to be arrested by the FBI as a security risk in case of a Soviet attack. A July 23, 1962 FBI search slip on Shelley is check-marked for "subversive references only" and remains heavily redacted with numerous unreleased documents. Shelley's term as mayor was filled with challenges, including strikes over discriminatory hiring practices against African-Americans at

832-857: The gifts of persistence and quiet persuasion (and) has the vigor of mind and body San Francisco needs in the years ahead." At various times throughout his long career, Dobbs served as president of the Concordia-Argonaut Club, Hastings College of the Law , the Jewish Home for the Aged, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Lake Merced Golf & Country Club, Lighthouse for the Blind, the Nob Hill Association,

864-414: Was a U.S. politician. He served as the 35th mayor of San Francisco , from 1964 to 1968, the first Democrat elected to the office in 50 years, and the first in an unbroken line of Democratic mayors that lasts to the present (as of 2024 ). His term in the United States House of Representatives , immediately prior to his mayoralty (1949-1964), also broke a long streak of Republican tenure (44 years) and began

896-589: Was a carpenter. Dobbs finished high school at San Diego High School and then attended San Diego State College for two years, becoming the first member of his family to attend college. In 1939, the Dobbs family moved once more to San Francisco, where George Dobbs hoped to find work at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island . Despite not having graduated from college, Harold Dobbs enrolled at Hastings College of

928-514: Was also an entrepreneur and businessman. In 1947, Dobbs and Mel Weiss co-founded Mel's Drive-In –– the first drive-in restaurant in San Francisco –– at 140 South Van Ness Avenue. After their initial success, Dobbs and Weiss built Mel's into a successful chain with locations across Northern California. Mel's became an icon of mid-century American culture when it was memorialized in George Lucas 's 1973 film American Graffiti , which highlighted

960-697: Was included in the FBI 's Custodial Detention (DETCOM) files. The FBI's " DETCOM Program " "was concerned with the individuals 'to be given priority arrest in the event of ... an emergency.'" Priority under the Detcom program was given to "all top functionaries, all key figures, all individuals tabbed under the Comsab program", and "any other individual who, though he does not fall in the above groups, should be given priority arrest because of some peculiar circumstances". A memo by Warren Olney III alerted FBI Director Hoover to

992-609: Was the best policy when disagreement was encountered." He attended Mission High School, where in 1923 he was elected student body president. He studied law at the University of San Francisco, while working as a bakery driver and playing varsity football. After graduation (receiving his law degree in 1932), Shelley became a business agent for the Bakery Wagon Drivers Union. In 1936 he became an AFL official, defeating an incumbent to become vice-president of

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1024-547: Was the oldest of nine children born to Dennis Shelley and Mary Casey Shelley on September 3, 1905. His father was an immigrant from County Cork , Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom), who became a longshoreman in California. He grew up in the Mission District of San Francisco, then "a tough working-class district," where he "acquired a deep-seated belief that 'working it out instead of fighting it out'

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