March 1, 2010 | San Francisco Arts Commission

Full Commission - March 1, 2010

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, March 1, 2010
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston, President
JD Beltran
John Calloway
Gregory Chew
Amy Chuang
Lorraine García-Nakata
Sherene Melania
Cass Calder Smith
Sherri Young

Commissioners Absent
Maya Draisin, Vice President
Nínive Calegari
Leo Chow
Astrid Haryati
Barbara Sklar
Ron Miguel, ex officio
Approval of Minutes
This item was withdrawn.

NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
President’s Report

Director’s Report
Mr. Cancel reported that the seriously constrained financial resources forced the agency to consider whether to hold the Mayor’s Art Award ceremony. The decision was to raise money to pay for the event. The San Francisco Examiner agreed to become the first official sponsor of the Mayor’s Art Award, with a cash donation and in-kind donations including food and drinks for the event. Mr. Cancel reported that posters for the event were at the printer, and would be installed in 32 Decaux kiosks shortly before March 18. He thanked the Examiner for their sponsorship of the event.

Mr. Cancel announced that the performance lineup was interesting, including the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts’s “house band,” Futuro Picante, and, thanks to a referral from Commissioner Calloway, solo singer-guitarist Martin Luther. Commissioner Calloway said that he has been connected with the group for ten years, and would be happy to play with them if they asked.

Mr. Cancel added that RSVPs were coming in quickly, and urged Commissioners who planned to attend the event to reply as soon as they could to their invitations.

Turning to the budget, Mr. Cancel reported that the Mayor has requested that all departments submit by February 22 their proposals for a cut of twenty percent, with an additional ten percent contingency. Mr. Cancel reported that the Arts Commission had met the target with a number of strategies, including shifting some staff out of the General Fund into other funds. He said the agency would be a little more entrepreneurial and increase Civic Design Review fees. He explained that Civic Design Review is a charter-mandated responsibility, and the fee increase is intended to cover the full cost of the process, including the associated staff salaries. These fees will be paid by other City agencies as their building projects come before the Civic Design Review Committee. The budget proposal also includes a reduction in grants to the Cultural Centers, and to Cultural Equity Grants.

President Johnston asked about Hotel Tax funds, in light of reports of sharp decreases in hotel occupancy. Mr. Cancel replied that for the first half of the year, the fund was running ahead of projections, but there has been some softening since January. He said that there will be a new update at the end of March, and he is expecting a decrease in the new year.

Returning to the discussion of the General Fund, the target for the current budget cuts, Mr. Cancel explained that all departments use work orders when they get services from each other. He said that WritersCorps had been funded by work orders from the Department of Children, Youth and Families (“DCYF”) and the Library. In the current fiscal year, 2009-2010, DCYF withdrew its funding, and the Library stepped forward to fill the gap. For 2010-2011, the Library has reduced its proposed funding, and Arts Commission staff is seeking some funds from DCYF again. Mr. Cancel explained that other work orders are still possible, and he expects to have a better idea before May where the agency stands with regard to work orders. He said that the agency will have to be much more proactive with its fundraising.

Mr. Cancel announced that there would be a special event on the opening night of the arts fair on the weekend of May 20-23 at Fort Mason. That evening will be a preview benefit honoring Ruth Braunstein of Braunstein/Quay Gallery for her fifty years as a gallery director; the Art Dealers Association will give her a lifetime award. She is very interested in raising money for the Civic Art Collection. She is working to establish the newly created ArtCare program, which is raising money to restore the top fifteen sculptures in the collection in need of restoration. Ms. Braunstein has decided to donate all of the money raised by the reception in her honor to ArtCare. Mr. Cancel said that he would give more details on the cocktail reception as they became available.

He said that there was also a second event in the works as part of the fair, a benefit for the Gallery, possibly on Saturday evening, and he would also share details on this event as the planning continues.

Mr. Cancel announced that Arts Education Program Manager Tyra Fennell had initiated a new event, Art Impact. The idea is to identify a prominent individual in the Bay area, known for achievements outside the arts, whose life has been impacted by the arts. Vernon Davis, star 49er tight end, has studied art and art history, and is a painter. He will speak at the de Young Museum on May 13. A benefit dinner at Morton’s the Steakhouse following the talk will raise money for arts education.

Mr. Cancel announced that the Street Artists program has had a staff change with the departure of Evelyn Russell, and this is an opportunity to rethink how the staffing needs can be addressed. He hopes to initiate more user-friendly technology, including online renewals so that artists won’t have to take time away from selling. These modernization efforts are being quickly implemented with temporary staff. Mr. Cancel reported that the program continues to be burdened by Sunshine Ordinance and public information requests; they are becoming more numerous and frequent, not less. The Commission approved an increase in the artist fee to allow the program to hire temporary staff to address these increased requests. He hoped to have the fee increase take effect with the new budget.

Mr. Cancel reported that the Arts Commission is participating in the Shanghai Sister City celebration, and referred Commissioners to item 24 on the Consent Calendar, explaining that actress Joan Chen was donating the monumental sculpture by Chase Chen. The sculpture known as Sprout will be presented by the Mayor as a gift to the citizens of Shanghai. It will be installed at the entrance to the World Expo in Shanghai. An additional major component of the Sister City celebration is the installation of a large-scale sculpture by the Shanghai artist Zhang Huan in the Civic Center, scheduled for May. Mr. Cancel added that Art News will report on that work know by the title, Three Heads, Six Arms, and it will be a world premiere. Director of Programs Jill Manton added that separate funding had been secured for this artwork.

Mr. Cancel introduced Ms. Manton, who made a presentation on the Transbay Terminal project, and the artwork planned for it. She began by praising the great team involved in the project. Ms. Manton explained that after an international design competition, the building’s design was complete. The team decided that because the facility was so grand, on such a large scale, that it would be better to do fewer more significant artworks, commensurate with the project’s scale. She said that she hoped there would be a second phase of funding for smaller projects.

Ms. Manton explained that initially, an office building was planned that would provide funding for all of the station, but then the real estate market crashed. Now the funding comes from a variety of federal, state and bonds. Ms. Manton explained that the building will have a rooftop park open to everyone. She described the building as a light-filled glass and steel structure, with a sculptural light column extending all the way down to the light rail area at the lowest level. Above the train platform, but still below grade, is the train mezzanine waiting area. At ground level, the grand hall and main concourse will open to Mission Street. Above that is the bus deck, then the rooftop park.

Ms. Manton presented the proposals of each of the selected artists in turn, beginning with Jenny Holzer. Ms. Holzer’s goal was to bring light into the building, aiming for an elegant and timeless design that would allow commuters to discover something new every time they enter the building. Her project uses LED lighting to display text from local writers to convey a sense of history and of place. The piece will be visible from the outside of the building, from the grand concourse, from the mezzanine deck, and as passengers ride up the escalators. Ms. Manton explained that light studies are underway to confirm that the LED text will be readable in the daytime as well as at night; sensors are planned to adjust the brightness of the LEDs.

Next, Ms. Manton presented the proposal of Julie Chang, whom she described as a long shot, a young local artist who “knocked the socks off” of the panel. She will create a 25,000-square-foot terrazzo floor, inspired by the contrast of San Francisco’s Victorian architecture and the modern city. She drew from Victorian decorative motifs, the California poppy, the hummingbird, the bay laurel and the San Francisco camellia. Her design is like a massively scaled tapestry, subtle and layered so that it provides something new to see even for commuters who pass through the station day after day. She mentioned that a restless child could be occupied counting how many hummingbirds s/he could find while waiting for the train. Ms. Manton added that the design referred to textiles and graphic materials rather than really literal images. She will be interested to see how the floor will interact with the sculptural light tower. Finally, Ms. Manton added that Ms. Chang is under 30 years old, recently graduated from Stanford University, and lives near the proposed Transbay facility.

Next, Ms. Manton presented the proposal of James Carpenter. He was initially selected to work on the central light column, but his work will appear in Shaw Alley, originally conceived as a pass-through. His proposal uses suspended LED lights, LED pavers in the flooring, and seven-foot-long illuminated benches. The lights and the plaza will be visible from the top of the escalator. She drew attention to the light fixture he designed, which she compared to a little skirt on the canopy of the building. She added that he assured her he would stay within budget, and she applauded him for not giving up through the consideration of five different sites in the building.

Ms. Manton presented the proposal of Tim Hawkinson, who was recommended by former Arts Commissioner Larry Rinder, now director of Berkeley’s University Art Museum, and a former Whitney curator. Mr. Hawkinson has used unusual materials, such as stones to create a teddy bear, and his own fingernails to make a sculpture of a bird. She explained that he has presented a rough concept, inspired by the Inuit people, of an inishuk, a guardian or navigation guide, constructed of material salvaged from the demolished ramps of the old terminal. The piece would be 45 feet tall, located on the Mission plaza. Ms. Manton explained that although the plaza is not part of the public property, the statue will be part of the project and will be on the deed. She explained that the material is being thoroughly tested to see how well the integrity of the structure would be maintained. She assured the Commission that all due diligence would be done, and that the final artwork would certainly pose no danger to the public.

Ms. Manton presented the proposal of Ned Kahn, explaining that the steering committee agreed to adopt his proposed small project, allocating a small part of the budget to his fee. Two hundred fifty-six sensors on the bus deck will be connected to individual jets spraying water up to four feet high, creating patterns that correspond to the movement of the buses. The water feature will be separated from pedestrians by a raised curb, and the project will include interpretive text. She said that the artist has shown mockups in his studio.

Ms. Manton concluded by saying that the project has a budget of $4.75 million, and is expected to be completed in 2014 or 2015. She said that the arts advisory panel will probably be presenting their recommendation to the Transbay Board in May. The Arts Commission has no jurisdiction over the project, and her presentation was purely informational. She has asked the design team to make a presentation to the full Commission as well, and thought they would appreciate this overview of the public art program for the project.

Mr. Cancel explained that Commissioner Beltran and he sat on the advisory committee to the TJPA. He said that it is an extraordinary experience, working with the architects on this visionary building, which he thought encompasses the future of San Francisco, and which will be filled with fantastic public art. Commissioner Beltran said that she was blown away with the space-age building, and felt that it showed what could be done to make a mark with a public building.

President Johnston thanked Ms. Manton for her presentation, and noted that even though the Arts Commission does not have jurisdiction over the project, it is important for the Commission to know about such an important project in San Francisco, comparing it to projects at the Presidio, the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, etc. He said that the Executive Director of the TJPA, Maria Allarde, was a former transportation staffer; he praised Ms. Manton’s wisdom in reaching out to her early in the process. He felt that the best possible team was working on this project.

Commissioner Beltran added that she was very impressed with the architectural team, and appreciated the TJPA’s deep respect for the Arts Commission’s input. Ms. Manton said that they appreciated the value added by the Arts Commission.

Mr. Cancel echoed President Johnston’s comments on the Gallery’s fortieth anniversary event, noting that Ms. Shiffler reported more than 500 participants, and the celebration went on for hours. He encouraged everyone to see the show on the ground floor of City Hall, which highlighted the Gallery’s great legacy and the social causes that are part of its history. Commissioner Beltran noted that a photo of Imogen Cunningham included in the show was a springboard for the artist’s career. On a lighter note, Mr. Cancel challenged viewers to spot the photo of the young Ms. Manton. President Johnston noted the many controversies recorded in the show.
Consent Calendar
Before calling for a vote, President Johnston explained that because the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee was not able to reach a quorum in February, the Executive Committee took up the matters it would ordinarily have considered.

The Commission approved the Consent Calendar as follows.

RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-055:
Approval: RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby adopt the following items on the Consent Calendar and their related Resolutions:

Approval of Committee Minutes
1. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-056: Motion to approve the Civic Design Committee Meeting Minutes of November 15, 2009.
  
  Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (February 8, 2010)
2. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-057: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Cayuga Playground and Clubhouse with the contingency of reviewing alternate colors for the building, considering painted wood, and presenting more specific landscape materials.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-058: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Groundwater Supply Well Station: Lake Merced.
4. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-059: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Groundwater Supply Well Station: West Sunset Playground.
5. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-060: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Groundwater Supply Well Station: South Sunset Playground with the contingency of reconsidering the mesh and concrete interface, and simplifying the louver and facings.
6. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-061: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Harvey Milk Plaza Improvements.
7. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-062: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant with the contingency of cutting the top of the building flush.
  
  Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (February 17, 2010)
8. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-063: Motion to approve the revised design for the third mosaic artwork by Lena Wolff for the General Hospital Acute Care Unit: Second Floor Corridor.
9. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-064: Motion to approve the final designs for The Wonderful Life of Gardening poster series by artist Binh Danh for the Art on Market Street Program 2009-2010, to be installed in 24 kiosks on Market Street from April 5 to July 1, 2010.
10. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-065: Motion to approve construction documents for Janet Echelman’s artwork designed for Terminal Two at San Francisco International Airport.
11. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-066: Motion to approve the preliminary design proposal by Anna Valentina Murch of artwork for the plaza at General Hospital.
12. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-067: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Anna Valentina Murch for design, fabrication, transportation and consultation during installation of artwork for General Hospital Acute Care Unit: Plaza in an amount not to exceed $400,000.
13. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-068: Motion to approve REBAR’s design for the sculpture located on Leland Avenue at Bayshore Boulevard for the Leland Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project.
14. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-069: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with artist team REBAR for the fabrication, transportation and consultation during installation of the artwork for the Leland Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project in an amount not to exceed $28,000.
15. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-070: Motion to approve artist team Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector’s design for a suspended sculpture at Visitacion Valley Branch Library.
16. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-071: Motion to approve the revised paving design for roof garden artwork installation by Masayuki Nagase for the General Hospital Acute Care Unit: Roof Garden.
17. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-072: Motion to approve the mock-up of the materials and surface treatment for the mosaic sculpture by Laurel True for the Hayes Valley Playground.
18. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-073: Motion to approve the selection of Michael Bartalos as recommended by the Mission Playground Artist Selection Panel for the public art project for Mission Playground.
19. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-074: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Michael Bartalos for design of artwork for Mission Playground in an amount not to exceed $16,000.
20. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-075: Motion to approve the removal and temporary storage of Paul Selinger’s sculpture Untitled, 1971 (Accession #1971.44), from Broderick and Bush Mini Park while the formal deaccession process is completed, as the work’s current condition presents a threat to public safety.
21. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-076: Motion to approve fabrication mock-up of Nori Sato’s glass for Terminal Two at San Francisco International Airport and notice to proceed with fabrication.
22. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-077: Motion to approve Clare Rojas’ Blue Deer, executed in paint and pigmented ink on wooden panels with wood frame and molding, as installed in Boarding Area G of San Francisco International Airport, and approve acceptance into the Civic Art Collection.
23. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-078: Motion to approve the following pool of arts professionals to serve as selection panelists for the Port Blue Greenway Signage and Sculpture Projects Artist Selection Panel:
  Barbara Ockel, Director, Bayview Opera House
  Joanna Haigood, Director, Zaccho Dance
  Camille Utterback, artist
  Mildred Howard, artist
  Hung Liu, artist
  John Roloff, artist
  Amy Trachtenberg, artist
  Walter Kitundu, artist
  Mark Baugh Sasaki, artist
  Margie O’Driscoll, Executive Director, AIA, San Francisco Chapter
  John Peterson, architect and founder of Public Architecture
  Mona El Khafif, Project Coordinator, CCA Urbanlab
  Rigo, artist
  Jeannene Przyblyski, artist, historian, urban strategist
  Cliff Garten, artist
  Jennifer Morla, graphic designer
  Marianna Stark, Executive Director, San Francisco Art Dealers Association
  
  Executive Committee Recommendations (February 22, 2010)
24. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-079: Motion to accept a gift of a sculpture (tentatively entitled Sprout) from artist Chase Chen on condition that it be used as an official gift from the City of San Francisco to its sister city, Shanghai, for the World Expo 2010.
25. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-080: Motion to approve recommendations to award fourteen grants totaling $324,990 in the 2009-2010 cycle of Cultural Equity Initiatives Level One grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each for the amounts listed:
  Alliance for California Traditional Arts, $25,000
  Army of Lovers, $20,850
  Asian American Women Artists Association, $16,400
  Asian Improv aRts, $25,000
  Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center, $25,000
  Croatian American Cultural Center, $25,000
  Cuba Caribe, $21,040
  Cultural Odyssey, $25,000
  Dancing Tree, $25,000
  Femina Potens, $20,850
  Fifth Stream Music, $20,850
  Genryu Arts/Gen Taiko, $25,000
  Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory, $25,000
  Northern California Music and Art Culture Center, Inc., $25,000
26. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-081: Motion to approve the following individuals as grants application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
  Lauren Davies, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs, Kala Gallery and Art Institute
  Lisa Jervis, Finance and Operations Director, Center for Media Justice
  Madeleine Oldham, Literary Manager and Resident Dramaturg, Berkeley Repertory Theater
  Sean Uyehara, Programmer, San Francisco Film Society
  Christine Lim, Director of Education and Artistic Administration, San Francisco Performances
  Susie Lundy, Development Director, La Peña
Committee Reports and Committee Matters
1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
  1. President Johnston reported that the Committee discussed the budget. Mr. Cancel and Director of Finance Kan Htun presented an updated draft budget focused on strategies for making cuts to meet the Mayor’s office directive. The Committee began a discussion of the overall budget, which will be presented at the next Executive Committee meeting. President Johnston said the headline was cuts of 20% to 30%.
    
    The Committee had extensive discussion of the strategic plan and agreed to a formal review quarterly, although that does not preclude them from delving into it between formal reviews. He said that the plan begins with the new fiscal year on July 1, and that the first quarterly review will be done in October. He thought that with the volatility of the budget, and the ambition of the plan, the Committee would be ready for a review by October. He did not want to create more work for staff, but thought they would be just as eager to review how things are going.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata asked what measures would be used. President Johnston said that the Committee had not been specific about that, and thought the proposed schedule was a good place to start. He solicited feedback from staff, the management team and Commissioners. President Johnston wanted to highlight the connection between staff resources and goals as the evaluation is done.
2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
  1. Commissioner Smith reported that Mr. Cancel had attended the Committee’s recent meeting at which it approved a groundwater project. Two of the Commissioners participated with Bureau of Architecture staff in design charrettes, which the Committee found successful. The Committee reviewed a key project at San Francisco Airport’s Terminal Two, looking at how the art is integrated with the façade. He thought that staff at Gensler, the project architect, were helpful.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Maya Draisin, Chair
  1. In the absence of Vice President Draisin, President Johnston reported that the Committee had not met, and that the Executive Committee had considered the Cultural Equity Grant recommendations that the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee would ordinarily have taken up, in order not to delay the grants. He said that the grants review process is clear and straightforward, and rarely calls for any adjustment by the Committee. He said that the Consent Calendar just approved included significant grants to several organizations. He added that the Cultural Centers were expected to make presentations at the next meeting.
4. Street Artists Committee—Sherene Melania, Chair
  1. Commissioner Melania reported that the Committee would be meeting in the following week. She said that the program was continuing to receive many public record requests, as Mr. Cancel had mentioned. She hoped they would decrease, but would have to wait and see.
    
    Commissioner Melania presented the following motion.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-082: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Sarka Holeckova, Min Jeoung Pak, Steven Cox, Juan Marin Jimenez, Soon Chek Gin, Basia Lassus, Ravit Maman.
5. Visual Arts Committee—Lorraine García-Nakata, Chair
  1. Commissioner García-Nakata reported that the Committee has been very industrious, and she would attempt only a general overview. She said that progress is continuing at General Hospital, which she described as a really good team effort, with the parties, including the community, delighted. At the San Francisco Airport, she said that the Janet Echelman project is moving forward, along with other large and small projects at the airport. She said that in the Leland Avenue streetscape project, an impressive level of work is coming from artists in the community; she thought that some were setting the stage for national work for themselves. She praised them as remarkable and creative artists, and said the Committee was pleased to see their use of contemporary materials that otherwise would have been tossed out. She said that the Committee had also reviewed playgrounds in the Mission, and noted the impact of the Commission’s work on the ground, directly affecting the lives of families and children, as well as in the grand-scaled projects.
    
    President Johnston added praise for Public Art staff, including Program Manager Jennifer Lovvorn and Program Director Susan Pontious, for their work on General Hospital in a very democratic process. He noted that the community and hospital staff were actively participating, and very protective of the facility.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata reported that the Committee reviewed the Wowhaus project, and gave comments to the artists, finding that their presentation did not display enough grace of line. The Committee talked with them about how the armature need not limit the shape of the finished piece. President Johnston thought that the team had benefited from Commissioner García-Nakata’s expertise with clay. She said that the Committee expected to approve the project with the minor modifications discussed. She presented the following motion.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-083: Motion to approve artist team Wowhaus’s design for two mosaic sculptures at the Ortega Branch Library.
    
    Turning to the next motion, Commissioner Chew was pleased that the project had created new writing, new art and new music, and had come in right on budget. Commissioner Beltran agreed that the project delivered “a lot of bang for the buck.”
    
    Mr. Cancel said that the a project on the scale of the Central Subway has a big impact on the community, and raised the question of mitigating the extent of that impact over time. He said that he and staff have met with City Administrator Edwin Lee, whose office is providing multi-year funding for the neighborhood grants, of which this is the first.
    
    President Johnston said that a project of the size of the Central Subway, running through the neighborhoods, brings a lot of scrutiny. He really wanted to credit the Arts Commission staff for involving the community and getting their participation and their buy-in, forestalling complaints.
    
    Commissioner Chew offered to participate in the review of this project. Commissioner García-Nakata added that this is a highly complex project, and that San Franciscans can be very vocal. She too was pleased to see that the community had been consulted and thus did not need to complain or criticize.
    
    She presented the following motion.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 0301-10-084: Motion to approve The Chinatown Journey, a two year multi-artist, multimedia art project proposed by the Chinese Culture Center for the Central Subway Temporary Art Program’s Chinatown Pilot Project for 2010-2011, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with the Chinese Culture Center for an amount not to exceed $80,000 to implement the project.
New Business
Commissioner Chew asked about the letter Commissioners had recently received, notifying them that they would no longer be allowed to park for free in the Civic Center garage while attending Commission meetings. He understood this to be a consequence of the City’s budget crisis.

President Johnston didn’t think the policy change had been voted on by the Municipal Transportation Agency (“MTA”), but he thought that they would approve it. He noted that Arts Commissioners serve with no compensation and no reimbursement for any expenses incurred in their service. He didn’t know how much impact this change would have on the budget, but understood that the Mayor was looking everywhere for funds. He added that the policy had been questioned before, since San Francisco is a “transit-first” city.

President Johnston explained that the policy change would be effective on March 3, and he thought the MTA would approve it.
Reports and Announcements
On a personal note, Mr. Cancel announced that he and his wife had moved and were now happy to be residents of the Presidio.
Public Comment
There was no further public comment.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:27 p.m.

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