June 4, 2012 | San Francisco Arts Commission

Full Commission - June 4, 2012

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, June 4, 2012
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

Minutes

In the absence of Commission President JD Beltran, Vice President Sherene Melania called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
Sherene Melania, Vice President
Gregory Chew
Amy Chuang
Charles Collins
Roberto Ordeñana
Jessica Silverman
Barbara Sklar
Cass Calder Smith
Kimberlee Stryker
Ron Miguel, ex officio
Commissioners Absent
JD Beltran, President
Mark Breitenberg
John Calloway
Leo Chow
Dorka Keehn
Approval of Minutes
RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-155: Motion to approve May 7, 2012 Minutes.
President’s Report
Vice President Melania made no report.
Director’s Report
Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny began with an update on the strategic planning process, reporting that he expected the Request for Proposals to be completed by the end of the week, a change from the original target date. He reported that the Hewlett Foundation has given a grant in support of the planning process, and he and staff are seeking additional private funds as well. He added that the deadline for proposals will be July 2 [later changed to July 16], and expected the process of community engagement and discovery to begin in early August. He planned to report again to the full Commission at its July meeting.
Mr. DeCaigny reported that May has been a very eventful month, with three art fairs between May 17 and May 20, and the proclamation by the Mayor of May 17 as “Roselyne (Cissie) Swig Day.” Ms. Swig was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the San Francisco Fine Art Fair, in an event benefiting the Commission’s ArtCare fund.

Mr. DeCaigny recalled that when the Commission held its May 7 meeting at the African American Art and Culture Complex, there was a request from the community to research a sculpture at Golden Gate and Webster streets, attributed to Sargent Johnson. He reported that Collections Senior Registrar Allison Cummings and Project Manager Carol Marie Daniels are pursuing this question, and investigating the possibility of calling in an expert on Johnson’s work. Mr. DeCaigny reported that there is some debate about the work, but it is not part of the Civic Art Collection. Although the piece is not under the Commission’s jurisdiction, he wanted to respond to the community’s request and work with community stakeholders, and will continue to report back to the Commission.

Turning to some administrative items, Mr. DeCaigny reported that agencywide staff performance reviews are being conducted in June, in response to the Controller’s recommendation of more consistent evaluation of staff. He reported that staff are meeting with their supervisors regarding their job descriptions, performance and goals for the coming year.

In response to another of the Controller’s recommendations, Mr. DeCaigny reported that a new compensatory time preapproval procedure has been instituted, with the aim of improving both work-life balance for staff and budgeting for programs. He reported that the agency’s accounting department is being restructured; historically organized by program, it will now be structured by function (payroll, purchasing, etc.). He noted that this change was strongly supported by the Controller’s office, and that the agency was preparing for a six-month followup with the Controller’s office in July with a point-by-point response.

Turning to programs, Mr. DeCaigny was thrilled to report that the Arts Commission and the Department of Recreation and Parks had authored a draft assessment of Coit Tower and its murals, which have been a subject of interest to the press and concerned citizens. He reported that Mayor Ed Lee and Board of Supervisors President David Chiu announced that the City has committed $1.7 million for preservation of the tower and the murals, including $250,000 from Recreation and Parks for the conservation of the murals. Mr. DeCaigny reported that Ann Rosenthal and ARG have been retained as conservator, and that the first phase, including removal of insects and salt efflorescence, has already begun. He explained that Arts Commission staff are working with Recreation and Parks staff on a comprehensive timeline to coordinate with work on the building itself. He played a video clip from KTVU Channel 2 on this story: http://www.ktvu.com/videos/news/san-francisco-funding-secured-to-refurbi...

Mr. DeCaigny concluded that this was a very exciting first step in restoring the murals, and he was thrilled that the City has found the resources to do it. He added that this was an opportunity for staff and Commissioners as ambassadors of the Civic Art Collection. He noted that up until last year, the City budgeted only $15,000 for maintenance of the entire collection, and last year the amount was increased to $75,000, still a very small amount for a collection worth $90-95 million. He wanted to make the case that investment in the collection is a benefit for San Francisco’s visitors and residents. Finally, he noted that one percent of revenue from Coit Tower’s concessionaire will go to maintenance of the murals, and the Commission will be able to monitor this in the future.

Mr. DeCaigny reported that the Keith Haring sculpture, removed for conservation in April, is on schedule to be back in place at the Moscone Center in June.

Mr. DeCaigny reported that two Jun Kaneko sculptures have just been installed in front of the War Memorial Opera House, at no cost to the taxpayers. He said that he and other staff had just minutes before come from a photo shoot of the two ceramic heads. He explained that Mr. Kaneko had designed sets and costumes for the San Francisco Opera’s current production of The Magic Flute, and he thanked Rena Bransten Gallery, and co-director Trish Bransten, as well as the Arts Commission’s Director of Legislation and Special Initiatives Jill Manton, for making the installation possible.

Mr. DeCaigny reported that work is proceeding on the renovations of Bayview Opera House, with the landscape design and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements passing Phase 1 approval at Civic Design Review. Staff will be meeting with Supervisor Cohen, and the project is expected to break ground in the fall. Mr. DeCaigny thanked Commissioners on the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee and the Civic Design Review Committee for their input, and he looks forward to delivering to the community these long-awaited upgrades.

He reported that there will be an event at noon on Saturday, June 30, at Justin Herman Plaza, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Street Artists Program. The Mayor and Supervisors Chiu and Kim have been invited to attend, and there will be live music.

Public Comment:

Peter Warfield of Library Users Association noted that there should be a call for public comment on every agenda item, and said that Mr. DeCaigny’s report was interesting. Mr. Warfield said that the news report on Coit Tower gave last what reasonable people understand should have been first, that the moving force drawing attention to the murals came from a ballot measure because of gross neglect occurring with respect to the murals. He said that he didn’t know if the ballot measure was mentioned. He said that those folks should be thanked for taking the effort and expense to get the murals on the ballot, so that these very worthy murals could be properly maintained. He said that perhaps the Arts Commission could endorse putting the Bernal Heights Library mural on the ballot for its own funding, and that the citizens who put the matter on the ballot deserve mention.

There was no further public comment.
Consent Calendar
Before taking up the Consent Calendar, Vice President Melania said she would withdraw item 5 from the Street Artists Committee under Committee Reports below, regarding approval of a new selling space on Jefferson Street, and refer it back to the Committee. Commissioner Chew noted that staff is working on a resolution for that issue.
Public Comment:

Mr. Warfield requested that items 3 and 8, regarding the Visual Arts Committee minutes and the Visual Arts Committee recommendation of the approval of Dan Macchiarini’s model for the Bernal Heights Branch Library, be severed from the Consent Calendar, with three minutes of public comment for each.

Vice President Melania declined to sever any items from the Consent Calendar, and called for public comment on the entire Consent Calendar.

Public Comment:

Mr. Warfield objected to having only three minutes of public comment on a Consent Calendar with thirty items. He said that the Visual Arts Committee minutes did not accurately summarize his comment. He appreciated that they were generally conscientious. He read from item 1, and said that the minutes did not accurately reflect his concern that the Arts Commission as a whole and the Visual Arts Committee consistently failed to discuss specifics about the mural, as did the Library Commission. He said that the discussion was much too restrictive.

He objected to the statement that Ellen Egbert is a library supporter, asked how one knew that, and said that it was presumptuous and that it was a dig at previous speakers to imply that they were not library supporters. He said that he considered himself, Library Users Association and Ray Hartz to also be library supporters. He said that Ms. Egbert also said that she had gone to all the meetings with respect to the mural, and he thought that should be included.

Regarding item 8, the clay models, Mr. Warfield said that he thought this was the final step of approval of replacement of the mural, and thought it was an outrage, and that the Commission was endorsing an ugly kind of cultural cleansing. He said that although the Commission praised the process, it was grossly inadequate. He said that the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force had found illegalities of all kinds. He said that the BLAP group had recently sent out an invitation giving less than 24 hours’ notice of a Saturday meeting, which was typical of the supposed inclusiveness, while not notifying people.

Terry Milne said that he was a citizen of Bernal Heights, and a member of the Bernal Library task force. He said that he didn’t like to hear his friend Ellen Egbert’s name bandied about when she was not present to defend herself, and that she can stand up for herself in any meeting and present herself however she wants. He encouraged the Commission to pass the design [item 8], since this has continued for many months. He said that he has seen the model for the bronze figure. He thought it was beautiful and would go great with the rest of the design. He said that the artists have been working on this for a long time, as well as many people in the neighborhod. He said that this was not quite the final step, but almost final, and he would like to see it go forward.

There was no further public comment.

Vice President Melania called for a vote on the Consent Calendar; it was approved as follows.

RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-156:
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. 0604-12-157: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of May 8, 2012.
2. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-158: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of May 9, 2012.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-159: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of May 16, 2012.
4. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-160: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of May 21, 2012.
  Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (April 10, 2012)
5. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-161:Motion to approve recommendations to award eleven grants totaling $95,000 in the 2011-2012 cycle of the Native American Arts and Cultural Traditions grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each for the amounts listed:
  Asociacion Mayab, $13,500
  Cesar Chavez Student Center, $5,850
  Friendship House Association of American Indians, $13,500
  Galería de la Raza, $12,825
  Geri Montano, $7,175
  Instituto Familiar de la Raza, $1,000
  John-Carlos Perea, $7,075
  Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, $6,750
  Ohlone Profiles, $13,500
  Sean Levon Nash, $7,075
  Yerba Buena Arts and Events, $6,750
  Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (May 8, 2012)
6. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-162: Motion to extend Deborah Frieden’s contract through FY2012-2013 and increase it by $50,000, for a grand total of $100,000, for renovation and restoration project management consultation of the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theatre and plaza.
  Street Artists Committee Recommendations (May 9, 2012)
7. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-163: Motion to recommend to the Mayor six (6) candidates to fill two (2) vacant positions on the Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Crafts Examiners: Renee de Cossio, Ethel Jimenez, Toby Klayman, Maggie Malloy, Jennifer Morningstar, Jerry Sierra.
  Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (May 16, 2012)
8. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-164: Motion to approve the clay model by Daniel Macchiarini for the bronze book element of the new mural artwork on the Cortland Avenue side of the Bernal Heights Branch Library.
9. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-165: Motion to approve the empty niche next to the Van Ness entrance to City Hall as the site for the sculptural bust of Adolph Sutro (San Francisco mayor 1895-1897), a gift from the United Humanitarian Mission.
10. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-166: Motion to approve artist honorarium payments in the amount of $1,200 each to the following artists for their newly commissioned projects exhibited at the SFAC Gallery’s Window Installation Site: Randy Colosky, Val Britton and Rachel Mica Weiss.
11. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-167: Motion to approve revised designs by Attie Art Projects LLC (aka Shimon Attie/Scott Attie) for the police memorial artwork at the new Public Safety Building.
12. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-168: Motion to approve design development/construction documents for Rupert Garcia’s mosaics and terrazzo floor design for General Hospital.
13. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-169: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to modify Rupert Garcia’s design contract to increase it by $257,312 for a new contract amount of $307,312 for fabrication and installation of two tile mosaic murals and consulting services during construction of the artist’s terrazzo floor design for the Acute Care Unit at General Hospital.
14. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-170: Motion to approve the revised project outline and budget for the Control Tower connectors at the San Francisco International Airport.
15. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-171: Motion to approve sites and preliminary budget for public art projects for Terminal 3: Check-in and Boarding Area E at the San Francisco International Airport.
16. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-172: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Amy Ellingson for the conceptual design of an artwork for the San Francisco International Airport’s Boarding Area E in Terminal 3 in an amount not to exceed $15,000.
17. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-173: Motion to approve the expansion of the Tomie Arai artwork at Chinatown Station onto the Washington Street façade and to increase the artist’s contract amount from $290,500 to an amount not to exceed $351,000 to cover the additional scope of work associated with the artwork expansion (inclusive of all contract expenses except art glass fabrication and installation).
18. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-174: Motion to approve the conceptual design by Yumei Hou for the cut metal artwork for the mezzanine landing and ticketing hall walls at Chinatown Station.
19. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-175: Motion to approve the project description, budget allocation, selection approach and timeline as described in the Detailed Project Outline for Central Subway Chinatown Station: Crosscut Cavern Wall.
20. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-176: Motion to approve the selection of the artist Moto Ohtake and his proposal for the pole-mounted artwork project with modifications as recommended by the 4th and Brannan Platform Station Public Artist Selection Panel.
21. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-177: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Moto Ohtake, selected by the 4th and Brannan Platform Station Public Artist Selection Panel for an artwork for the Central Subway 4th and Brannan Platform Station in an amount not to exceed $125,000.
22. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-178: Motion to approve the project description, budget allocation, selection approach and timeline as described in the Detailed Project Outline for Central Subway Moscone Station: Entry Plaza Sculpture.
23. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-179: Motion to approve the project description, budget allocation, selection approach and timeline as described in the Detailed Project Outline for Central Subway Moscone Station: Ticketing Hall Wall.
24. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-180: Motion to approve the project description, budget allocation, selection approach and timeline as described in the Detailed Project Outline for Central Subway Union Square Market Street Station: Elevator Enclosure and Deck Art Glass Treatment.
25. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-181: Motion to approve the two new sculptures proposed by Jun Kaneko for placement in front of the War Memorial Opera House. The sculptures are each entitled Untitled 2011 and the dimensions including base are 71”H x53” W x48”D and 71”Hx57”Wx48”D. The installation period shall commence on June 4, 2012 and continue through late fall/early winter 2012 (date to be mutually agreed upon by artist, War Memorial and Arts Commission.)
  Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (May 21, 2012)
26. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-182: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Central Subway Yerba Buena/Moscone Station with the following conditions: present the plaza design to the Committee after the massing and location of the artwork is finalized, align all glazing and panel scorelines, recess the plaza lighting into the cantilevered roof, integrate the system map sign into the glass wall, and blend the utility service doors with the columns as much as possible.
27. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-183: Motion to approve Phase 1 of the Bayview Opera House—ADA and Plaza Improvements.
28. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-184: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the San Francisco Public Safety Building.
29. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-185: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the SFMTA Phelan Loop Operator Restrooms and Sound Wall with the contingency that the sound wall be covered continuously in vine or greenscreen, and that the mechanical room door use a key entry instead of a handle.
30. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-186: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the SFO Terminal 3, Boarding Area E Improvements Project with the condition of seeing the interior design development and a materials board prior to Phase 3.
31. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-187: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Kimbell Playground Renovations.
Committee Reports and Committee Matters
1. Executive Committee
  1. In the absence of President Beltran, Vice President Melania said that the Committee did not meet, and she made no report.
2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
  1. Commissioner Smith reported that the Committee reviewed the Bayview Opera House project, and that they thought Walter Hood’s landscape design looked really good. He said that it was a great project, with more work to be done, and the Committee was optimistic. He said that other projects were also moving ahead nicely, and he thanked those Committee members who stayed until 9:00 to clear the docket.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee
  1. Vice President Melania reported that the Committee heard from consultant Deborah Frieden on the Bayview Opera House, which is moving along well. She said that the Committee was happy to see the progress, and thanked Ms. Nemzoff for all her years of work on this. She said that it was nice to see things coming together.
    Vice President Melania reported that the Committee also heard from Cultural Equity Grants staff on a discussion held with 25 or 30 constituents, and Commissioner Ordeñana. This dialogue, she explained, was part of the process of restructuring the Cultural Equity Grants program, and the dialogue provided important feedback from constituents.
    
    Commissioner Ordeñana commended staff for providing this opportunity for constituents to come to the table and talk about the future landscape. He said that the discussion covered not only the work currently being done, but also the partnership with the Commission. He found that people in the community had a very strong interest in partnering with the Commission moving forward, and he reiterated that it was a fruitful discussion.
    
    Vice President Melania reported that the Committee had a report from Ms. Wong about the Theatre Bay Area’s upcoming study on the intrinsic impact of the arts. She reported that the Arts Commission and Grants for the Arts will participate in a study by Americans for the Arts on the economic impact of the arts, as well as community-building. Finally, she reported, the Committee reviewed final reports from the Cultural Centers, which are moving in a positive direction. She added that they were excited to see the progress at Bayview Opera House.
4. Street Artists Committee—Gregory Chew, Chair
  1. Commissioner Chew reported that the Street Artists Program will celebrate its fortieth anniversary on June 30, with an event at Justin Herman Plaza. He announced that banners marking this anniversary will go up soon, and will be up for a year.
    Commissioner Chew presented the following motions, explaining that the returning artists named make bead and stone jewelry, glass pendants, children’s toys, handpainted skateboards and other work.
    
    Public Comment:
    
    Mr. Warfield asked why none of these motions had explanatory documents. He asked for an explanation of the normal approval process, and what about these calls for a waiver of the usual procedure, and whether they present any argument or explanatory documents.
    
    There was no further public comment.
    
    Street Artists Program Director Howard Lazar explained that many artists leave the program for a period of time, for a variety of reasons, such as travel or pursuing another job. He explained that if they come back within a year, or possibly two, and they have already been screened and approved for the same kind of work they wish to sell, a second screening may be waived. He assured the Commission that an artist who wishes to sell a new kind of work must be rescreened. He said that the artist is not required to submit any special documents in order to request waiver of rescreening for the same kind of work; they either call or visit the Arts Commission office. This waiver allows the artist to get out on the street more quickly with their approved wares.
    
    Mr. DeCaigny asked for clarification that this motion was essentially a staff recommendation, based on staff’s determination that the artist would be selling the same kind of work for which they had already been screened before the artist’s leave of absence. Mr. Lazar said that was correct.
    
    Commissioner Chew added that the Advisory Committee of Street Artists and Craftsmen Examiners was very diligent in examining the artists and determining that the artists make their own work.
    
    The motion was approved.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-188: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Dashaun Duffy, Matias Portela, Aaron Chiappini, Andrew Machulski, Conchetta Washington, Debra Skotland, Jameson Christiansen.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-189: Motion to approve request by applicant for waiver of 15-day requirement for obtaining a certificate: Allison Barton.
    Public Comment:
    
    Mr. Warfield asked for an explanation of the difference between the following motion, item 4, and the preceding item 2, regarding waiver of rescreening of wares, and asked why the two motions were separate. He asked if this was a variation from the normal procedure, and why this particular artist was getting a reissuance.
    
    There was no further public comment.
    
    Mr. Lazar explained that the group of artists named in item 2 were former license-holders who wanted to come back into the program. He explained that item 3 referred to an applicant not previously part of the program. He explained that the Commission has set the policy that normally an applicant has fifteen days after submitting an application to pay for a license. Occasionally an applicant, once screened, will not be able to make the payment within the fifteen days, and rather than go through a rescreening for the same wares, staff will request that the Commission exercise its authority to waive the fifteen-day requirement.
    
    Finally, as to item 4, Mr. Lazar explained that someone who comes to the program and goes through the application and screening process is issued a license. The person may drop out of the program at some point, willingly, and later decide to come back into the program. By that time, the artist would ordinarily be issued a new current license number. Some artists, however, feel attached to their earlier number and may feel that it was a lucky number. Mr. Lazar said that the City Attorney’s office has advised that staff may issue a license with that earlier number if the artist requests it, but should ask the Commission for approval to do so.
    
    Commissioner Chew compared it to a personalized license plate, noting that sometimes an artist feels that a particular number helps the business.
    
    The motion was approved.
  4. RESOLUTION NO. 0604-12-190: Motion to approve re-issuance of former certificate number (#5287) to street artist Birgitt Hellemann (currently #8545).
5. Visual Arts Committee
  1. Commissioner Sklar reported that much of what the Committee did was normally covered in the President’s or Director’s report. She reported that the Committee’s last meeting was long, with eighteen items, as reflected in the Consent Calendar approved earlier. She thanked everyone involved for their work in getting the Kaneko sculptures installed. She noted that most of the rest of the meeting involved revisions or updates of projects already in the pipeline, and not much that was brand new. She referred Commissioners to the Committee’s minutes and the Consent Calendar, and praised the amazing variety of work staff does.
    Public Comment:
    
    Mr. Warfield said that he had attended the meeting, as did other members of the public. He repeated that in his prior abbreviated comment, something not evident in the minutes is the full comment he made about the item immediately following the Bernal Heights Library mural destruction and approval of new plans. He said that the Committee spoke not a single word regarding the mural. He said that three members of the public spoke about it, including himself, Ray Hartz and Ellen Egbert. He said that afterwards, the Committee unanimously approved the item, without a single word of discussion. He said that his comment about the subsequent item was not reflected in the minutes, and that he had quit counting the minutes of discussion after twenty minutes. He said that the extensive discussion of the mural for the Chinatown station of the Central Subway, depicting early Chinatown, included a discussion of color, meaning, the various elements and characters, a wedding party included in one plan and not in the alternate plan, and that the discussion ran to more than twenty minutes. He said that he certainly didn’t object to the twenty minutes, and that at the time he had said he was glad to see the Committee doing a detailed review and analysis that would be expected. He said that his concern was that this was such a marked contrast with the Bernal Heights Library mural, and that no member of the public other than himself appeared who had a history of commenting on that subject. He said that the Committee’s rubberstamping of what seems to have come from elsewhere was just shameful.
    
    There was no further public comment.
Public Comment
Mr. Warfield said that one of the things he has observed about the Visual Arts Committee is that there are marked differences in how the Bernal Heights Library and other projects have been treated. He said that he understood that there were different standards for different kinds of artworks regarding funding, etc. He said that other items are discussed in tremendous detail, with requirements for public bidding. He said this was not at all the case for Bernal Heights. He said that the process was very, very unfortunate, to put it mildly.
He said that the name Victor Jara, the chief character on the mural, had never been mentioned in any of the previous discussions, which were essentially all about the wonderful process. He said that one Supervisor had appointed all the members, and that the process was not democratic or open, and no basic open government procedures were adhered to. He said there were no agendas, no notice, no minutes, no recorded votes. He said that when he was shown heavily redacted pages of notes from Supervisor Campos, the e-mail address of someone who had been dead for a year, Mauricio Vela, was redacted. He said that the redactions were very short, only long enough to be a name. He said that the process was awful, and the Arts Commission has sadly endorsed it.

An anonymous citizen said that he attended the April 2 meeting and was frankly appalled. He said that he goes to Library Commission meetings. He said that at the beginning of the meeting, the President announced that public comment would be limited to two minutes because of the great number of people present to speak, and that great number turned out to be seven people. He said this hardly endorses the idea that the Commission wants to hear people out. He said that the Commission emphatically announced that each Commissioner had signed statements confirming completion of Sunshine Ordinance training, but then asked him to identify himself when he spoke. He said that third, and most egregiously, when those seven people spoke, the President announced that she was thanking someone for her firsthand report. He asked if this was one of the librarians who had given forty years and recently retired? No, he said, this was someone who was in on the graft. He said that the only thing firsthand was that she was an insider. He said that this was not indicative of an interest by the Commission in hearing opposing points of view.

He said that he concluded that the Commission was lazy, callous and arrogant, and had a bond brotherhood with others who are lazy, callous and arrogant. He said the Commission was making a big mistake, and should realize that people spend enormous energy trying to keep the system democratic. He objected to the idea that people with money, corporate influence and power have the inside track, and that everyone else is limited to two minutes because there might be just one or two of them. He said that he hoped that Commissioners would live long enough to realize that people who complain about decency and justice are not losers, that everyone has to be concerned with decency and justice, not just about winning, and have to be treated fairly. He said that Commissioners have shown up very poorly on that scale.

There was no further public comment.
New Business and Announcements
Mr. DeCaigny announced that the budget process had moved from the Mayor’s offic to the Board of Supervisors and the budget analyst. He announced that the date for public comment at the Board of Supervisors was tentatively set for Friday, June 22. He thanked the Mayor’s office for working with the Commission, and looked forward to working with the budget analyst and the Board to finalize the budget for the next two years.
Vice President Melania played a video clip on the StreetSmARTS/Where Art Lives event with 49er Vernon Davis at Bayview YMCA on May 18: http://www.ktvu.com/videos/news/legal-graffiti-vernon-davis-paints-with-...

Public Comment:

Mr. Warfield said that the information was interesting, although he was not sure what it had to do with new business. He said that he wanted to suggest, as he had before, that the Arts Commission needs to bone up on basic open government concepts and law, and cited failure to take public comment or to take a proper vote. He said that the Library Users Association has not filed complaints on every one of the Commission’s violations, and has won by unanimous vote on five complaints to the Sunshine Task Force in the last six months, as well as complaints against Supervisor Campos. He said this ought to clue in the Commission that it should have not just training, but a presentation from the Task Force which the public might learn from as well. He said that following the law does not mean the Commission has to change its actions in regard to decisions. He said that it may feel painful, but the law is the law and the Commission is supposed to follow Sunshine. He said that he had said this before, but it would be useful to put this on the agenda, and that staff would benefit.

There was no further public comment.

Commissioner Smith said emphatically that he found it insulting to be lectured to. He acknowledged that Commissioners could always be better at what they do, and at understanding the Sunshine requirements, but said that they give a lot of their free time, offer important counsel and do a lot of good for the City.

There was no further new business or announcements.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.

6/27/12 spr