Commissioners Present:
Barbara Sklar, Chair
Greg Chew
Marcus Shelby
Janine Shiota

Commissioners Absent:
Simon Frankel

Staff present: Deputy Director Rebekah Krell, Street Artists Program Director Howard Lazar, Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie.

The meeting was called to order at 2:31 p.m.
 

2.  Public Comment.
Discussion.

Tad Sky said that the Justin Herman Plaza Lottery Committee members retired on May 1. He said that no one volunteered to be on the new committee. He said that they will be starting a “lottery duty” similar to jury duty whereby artists will be part of the process for a week. He said that Katie Carrin will still be managing the liaison part. He said that after the Advisory Committee declined to monitor on the weekends at the Plaza, Program Director Lazar has decided to monitor on Saturday for 5 hours. He said that while Program Director Lazar is giving up 5 hours during the week, artists like having a staff member at the plaza on the weekend. He said that a number of artists suggested changing Program Director Lazar’s schedule Tuesday to Saturday so he would have a 5 day work week. He said that perhaps Program Director Lazar can consider that since he knows the program and hopefully that would work for him. He said that Katie was also present to talk about some other work that she’s nice enough to continue to do until there are other official lottery committee members.

Commissioner Shelby joined the meeting.

Katie Carrin showed the Committee the lottery “bible” which consists of maps of different events at  the plaza to make sure artist spaces aren’t going to be taken or blocked off before the lottery without chaos; rules and calendars that keep track of who is in charge of the lottery; contact information for the outside organizations in the surrounding areas that Katie communicates with. She said that it is always changing and very confusing. She said that while there is a schedule for Park and Rec events, sometimes there are last minute events. She said that they are dealing with trucks coming into the plaza and that she finds herself thinking about this job all the time. She said that as a lottery committee member, it is hard trying to deal with the different personalities. She said that it used to be joyful to go to the plaza but now it’s more of a job. She said that it’s hard to be friends with the artists because they want favors. She said that a manager needs to be someone who is removed from the plaza to be the peacemaker.

Kathy Hallinan said that she has been a street artist since 1974 when her first license was issued. She said that her mother was a crafter in the 1960s and that her husband is a disabled Vietnam veteran and is retired from the San Francisco Police Department. She thanked the Arts Commission. She said she started a successful campaign in 2013 to save trees on Jefferson Street where she met with Mohamed Nuru, and was invited by the Mayor for the celebration. She explained the division with the Port. She said that she is sitting on SF Forest Alliance leadership. She said she met with the Board of Supervisors on Prop B.  She said that her experience with the Street Artists Committee is that she is not afraid to speak at meetings. She said she met with Supervisors about her experience as a street artist.

Michael Addario stated that on May 20, 2015 at the Visual Arts Committee, Meg Shiffler presented a Gallery strategic plan alignment report. She said that in one of her slides to feature SFAC ideas whereby there could be a featured artist in the lobby each month. He played an audio clip of the May 20 meeting where the Commissioners discussed this proposal. He said that Commissioner Sklar and Commissioner Chew are on the Visual Arts Committee and he said this is blatant discrimination. He requested Commissioner Sklar and Commissioner Chew to remove themselves from the Visual Arts Committee and the Arts Commission. He said that this is not the first time these two Commissioners have discriminated within the Arts Commission. He said that with the Winter Walk, they discriminated against artists that could not sell in those spaces, who had their licenses who sell t-shirts and hats, and it was the same with the Super Bowl.

Abby Ellis suggested that the Committee not idealize art. She said she’s a painter and she composes and sculpts. She said that art is connected to people, and that it’s never perfect. She said that if we idealize it, we lose what we want our city to represent which is wanting people connecting with others consciously. She said that ethnic people see doing something well as art. She suggests this program slowly be redesigned and carefully, like a garden. She said the time limit of redesigning the program is a year and a half. She suggested the Committee be open to taking time, learn as we go along, go slow, and that new ideas will come up. She said to keep it in mind to slow down and take a little more time.
 

3. Street Artists Program Director’s Report.
Discussion.

Program Director Lazar thanked the Commissioners for their participation on the Committee. He said their guidance is invaluable and he admires the talents and the experience each of them brings to the Commission and he hopes they will stay for some time.

Program Director Lazar reported the following:
Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee: On May 2, Program Director Lazar presented to the Land Use Committee legislation for 4 additional selling spaces on the North side of Market Street at Spear Street. He said that it was unanimously recommended for approval, and he believes the full Board of Supervisors approved it yesterday. He thanked Maria Sky and Tad Sky for accompanying him and speaking eloquently at the meeting. He said that they demonstrated gratitude for program. He explained that this approval means that the entire north side of Market Street from Justin Herman Plaza to Drumm Street will now be lined with street artist spaces. He said that he heard that the hotel is very pleased with the artists in that area since not only do they help displace homelessness and panhandling but the artists also bring verve, and they are a good fit.

Language Access Ordinance: He said that this ordinance requires major city agencies to ensure they serve individuals with limited English proficiency. He said that approximately 34% of San Francisco residents are immigrants and 44% of residents speak other languages at home. He said that the Language Access Ordinance requires all City departments inform individuals in their native language of their right to request interpretation, that oral interpretation can be requested 48 hour before a public meeting, and that the Arts Commission provide written translation about its program and services.

He said that in accordance with the ordinance and in working with the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, the Street Artists Program within the fiscal year has provided 14 translations: 7 in Spanish, 5 in Chinese, and 2 in Tagalog. Interpreters were provided in 9 instances: 5 in Spanish interpreters, 4 in Mandarin/Cantonese which included screening meetings, studio visits and one-on-one conversations between artists and Program Director Lazar. He commended the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs for its quick turnaround time in delivering an interpreter or a translation.

SB50 Compensation Update: Deputy Director Krell reported that the agency is working closely with the Controller to finalize an administration process which will comply with the recently passed legislation. She said that the agency anticipates the process to be complete within the next 2 weeks, and that the program will disseminate the information to the artists. She thanked the artists for their on-going patience.

Commissioner Chew thanked Program Director Lazar for acknowledging the Commissioners’ service and he said that they will continue to serve on the Committee. He said that it’s his way to give back to the community and to help the artists. He said that he served on the Immigrant Rights Commission and that the Language Access Ordinance is very important.

Commissioner Shelby questioned whether the compensation ordinance was solely for the Super Bowl 50 event or if it would be a standard going forward for future events.

Deputy Director Krell responded that the ordinance is related exclusively to the Super Bowl 50 event.

Commissioner Shelby said that there needed to be a standard for the artists and asked if there is a discussion to set a standard.

Deputy Director Krell responded that the Street Artists Committee would be an appropriate place to have that discussion and it could be calendared for a future meeting.

Commissioner Sklar said that it’s not a good way to function to fix things after the fact. She said that there should be something that protects the street artists and other vendors for future events. She said she agrees that this should be part of the Arts Commission’s ongoing process for future occurrences and future street artists.

Public Comment:
Tad Sky said that Supervisors Peskin and Kim were very helpful when artists talked with them. He said that there is a precedent that when a big event comes along the Commission and artists need to get ahead of the curve instead of after the fact. He said that a number of artists are getting concerned with the new Apple store on Stockton Street. He asked if they will get their spaces back and he said that he hopes architecture or landscape doesn’t eliminate room for the artists. He said that it’s easy for a big company to push out street artists from their spaces. He said that it’s good to be on top and in front of the big events that come up and that the Commission and artists need to keep an eye on projects so no spaces are lost.

Kathy Hallinan thanked the Commissioners for their service. She said that many times Commissioners establish history, and then they leave and therefore lose the efforts that were put in. She said that Justin Herman Plaza artists are organizing and that the Wharf artists don’t have that organization but she said that she hopes with the new Working Group that they can invite in members of the community. She said that when the Jefferson Street project was happening, the artists never got an opportunity to interact with them and they should have. She said that while the Community Business meets, the street artists felt they should be quiet; that they would get into trouble and had no rights. She said that Working Group is important, and that the street artists should feel empowered to interact with their community. She said that Anh said she’d be working at Fisherman’s Wharf which has about 63 people on any Saturday that she would be trying to enlist some of the Asian street artists to help translate. She said there’s a lot of discussion about Justin Herman Plaza but she wants to see Commissioners put effort into legitimizing it. She said that this should be foremost to the attention put on the Plaza. She said the only spaces on the books are at the Wharf. She said that it would be worthwhile to put effort towards that plan.

Michael Addario said that in reference to Commissioner Shelby’s comment, he said that there is a plan. He said that there is a movie lottery space that Howard Lazar and PJ Johnson didn’t follow. He said that artists should have been given $200/day per space per artist which totaled $500,000 for 23 days. He said that it’s legislated and has been done before. He said PJ was on the Committee and the president of the Arts Commission so he knows all about it; he said they undermined the artists. He said that there is a movie lottery in the bluebook; it’s not the first time the artists have been undermined. He said that there is a budget of $417,000 for two civil servants.  He said the program is 50% in the deficit and basically bankrupt. He said that this happened when Commissioner Sklar and Commissioner Chew were on the Committee. He said that the artists are losing spaces in the Wharf and on Stockton. Street. He asked the two Commissioners to resign.

Program Director Lazar said that in reference to the movie lottery, he negotiated an agreement with the Film Commission in 1996 and 1999 and that it doesn’t cover other events; only filming by film companies or photographers who take out permits with the Film Commission.

Commissioner Shiota asked what happens if artists get displaced in the Plaza by a film.

Program Director Lazar said that if artists are displaced, according to the agreement between Film Commission and the Arts Commission, artists get $200/day. He said that displacement means any way the public is not inclined to walk on a sidewalk where there is a street artist. He said that the agreement got refined to cover parking of film industry vehicles. He emphasized that this agreement is about filmmaking and photography; not other events.

Commissioner Shiota asked about discussion with the Host Committee. She asked if an agreement could be made with the Port Authority.

Program Director clarified that Justin Herman Plaza is under Rec and Park and administered by Boston properties.

Commissioner Shiota asked if there has been any conversation with those entities.

Program Director Lazar said he’s not aware of it. He explained a history of the artists at Justin Herman Plaza. He said that for the first 20 years, Rec and Park general managers would send an annual letter to the street artists allowing them to use the Plaza. In the 1990s, they stopped sending letters. He said that charitable solicitors were selling in other Rec-Park locations and Rec and Park would not approve any vendors on their proprieties. He said that he begged the representatives to make exception for the artists at the Plaza but they would not.  He said that an artist told him that Justin Herman himself said street artists could have the Plaza forever. He said that his mother was a friend of Mrs. Herman and asked if this was true; she said Mrs. Herman never heard her husband mention the artists. He said that Justin Herman Plaza is the prime area for program, but it needs to be formally re-designated.

Commissioner Sklar said that it is needed and should be part of our future planning but it’s not going to be resolved today.

Abby Ellis said that she’s interested in systems theory. She said that some of these problems attributed to persons are really just the result of how things are organized. She said that good motivation would be to try to organize the whole system so it works better and not get caught in the details. She asked to find a new way to look at problems ahead of time in a living creative generative organization. She said that the Commission should go slow since this is an exciting chance. She cautioned about blaming individuals too much and said that organization can help with that.

Deborah King said she’s been a street artist for 41 years. She said that she’s very grateful for all of the Commissioners who help in many different ways.  She said that she understands this is a fluid situation. She said that some people look from outside in and some people inside out. She said she urges the continuation of the journey with all of the Commissioners. She said that it starts with good hearts and good minds.

4.  Project Update: Implementation of Workplan to Modernize the Street Artists Licensing Program.
Discussion.

Anh Thang Dao-Shah reported on the progress of the project based on the work plan that was approved by the Street Artists Committee at the special February meeting. She said that one of the tasks was to establish an ad hoc working group. She said that she issued a call to volunteers within the group of street artists and received 22 responses. She said she reviewed the results and selected a pool of artists that reflect a variety and diversity of multiple disciplines and length of time in the program. She said that she was very happy to see artists responding enthusiastically to the call. She selected a pool of 8 artists: 4 from Justin Herman Plaza, 2 from Fisherman’s Wharf and 2 from Downtown which reflects the way the spaces in the program are being used now. She invited all the artists of the working group to attend the meeting today to introduce them to the Commissioners. She reported that the following artists are part of the working group: Abby Ellis, David Campos, Debra King, Julian Meyer, Katie Carrin, Linda LaTouche, and Tad Sky. She said that the first meeting was held on Monday and was very productive.

She said that she asked the artists to tell her their goals for joining the working group. She said that many said to fix communication between artists, staff and Commissioners; to make the program stronger, and last for future generations, streamlining bureaucracy, give program artists a voice; and to provide better branding. She said that she thinks the goals of staff and artists should align in order to make the program more effective and to retain the soul of the program.

She said that artists require multiple channels to communicate with the artists. She said that some artists are reluctant to participate; some feel powerless or that they’re not heard. She said she wants to encourage all artists to participate since it is meaningful. She said that to engage all of the volunteers who wanted to participate in the working group, it was suggested to create a moderated online bulletin board to communicate and solicit other opinions from other volunteers.

She said that they talked about streamlining the payment process by using an online portal for application and renewal fees, as well as standardizing the expiration of licenses of all program artists. She said that the Small Business portal offered to host the payment portal on their website and since artists have to go there to purchase their business license; it would be a one-stop shop.

She said that there’s a plan to testing for a multiple language site to be in accordance with the Language Access Ordinance.

She said that she will work with staff to align renewal dates of the program artists. She said that online payments might require technical assistance. She said that a quarter of the artists don’t provide an email address to the program so it makes communication difficult. She said that the working group suggested asking artists to provide an email address during the application or renewal process. She said that the business license is already an online process so artists should have an email address. She said if there’s a big problem, she can work with staff to provide artists with technical assistance or other resources.

She said that at the next meeting they want to tackle the issue of monitoring. She asked the working group to help brainstorm about community stakeholders who can help improve and strengthen the monitoring.

Commissioner Sklar thanked all for participating. She said that working together is what it’s all about and that there’s no point in making decisions unless it works for artists. She said that she is delighted the process is moving along. She asked Ms. Dao-Shah to make a summary of their meeting available to the Commissioners.

Ms. Dao-Shah said that she already sent out a message to all artists about the working group. She said that she has all numbers and charts on hand to share and is happy to sum up the working group recommendations to send to the Commissioners as well as the next steps of the group.

Commissioner Shiota thanked the artists for volunteering. She asked about how the alignment with the expiration date will work.

Ms. Dao-Shah said they will maintain quarterly payments since she understands some artists don’t have the means to pay for the whole year at once. She said that there has been discussion with the artists to align the payment with the seasons of selling. She said that the fiscal year aligns with the selling season for program artists and that ideally the first quarter will be July 1 and every 3 months there will be a 15 day time period when artists can submit payment hopefully online which will help for better track payment and understand which artists are in the program. She said that artists could opt out for a whole quarter.

Commissioner Shelby asked about goals of working group and if it is part of Kate Faust’s report.

Ms. Dao-Shah responded that it is an implementation of some of the recommendations outlined in the reports by Kate Faust. She said that the working group was the number one recommendation in the report. She said she sees the working group as a major source of knowledge and voices of the street artists. She said that that the information about street artists e-mail addresses is a great example. She said that since she was told that e-mail addresses are required with other city departments; she believes it’s a recommendation that can be moved forward and will benefit the majority of artists. She said that staff can help find resources for artists who need to create an email address.

Public Comment:
Abby Ellis said that she thanked Ms. Dao-Shah and said that she is a great facilitator, and that the meeting was a slow, creative, wonderful communication. She said that she doesn’t remember discussing artists opting out for a quarter. She said she didn’t think it was part of Kate’s suggestions which she kind of concurs with but she hasn’t thought about it that deeply. She said that the working group should go slow and that she appreciated the summary that was sent but it didn’t have all of the information so she would like to get a copy of the one sent to the Commissioners too. She said that Ms. Dao-Shah said her job is expiring in 2.5 months unless it gets continued, and she asked what will happen but she thinks it should get continued. She said that Kate Faust made good suggestions but that that artists should add their own suggestions so then they can be combined.

Tad Sky thanked Ms. Dao-Shah and said she’s really good and sharp. He said that she sent the notes quickly after the meeting. He said that she did give homework which he likes because he said that if one doesn’t think about it, one doesn’t get anything done. He said that he thinks the Commission and the artists have been going too slow. He said that the strategic plan started in 2013 and the focus on the street artists program started in 2015. He said that if we don’t do anything that we won’t get anywhere. He said that in the Kate Faust reports, she said most things had to go through legislation. He said that while a lot can be done to streamline the program now, the Commission and the artists are picking the low-hanging fruit. He said that if the evaluation is a stew, the Commission and the artists are down to a broth. He said that the good fruit on the top of the tree requires legislation. He said that the homework is to send suggestions for other community members who should be at table. He said that Fisherman’s Wharf artists would want to talk to the Port, and Downtown artists talk to Karen Flood at the BID but he said that Plaza artists wouldn’t want to talk to Philz, the hotel, or Boston Properties. He said that this is the time to talk to Rec and Park. He said that the artists and staff have been talking about this since 2012 and he said that Program Director Lazar told the artists that after the 40^th anniversary celebration, the Commission was going to do so. He said that, it has been 4 years. He said that there are 27 designated spaces on  Market Street which are in the lottery which is still a gray area. He said that this is time to invite Rec and Park to the table.

Michael Addario said that when the film Trauma was made at Justin Herman Plaza the artists were paid. He said that the Super Bowl was filmed; there were television and crew, so it was a film organization. He said that when the Fairfield Mall opened, the artists were paid $200 per day. He said that there is a precedent for paying street artists for not only film but for openings. He said that Mayor Alioto was quoted in the newspaper in 1971 or 1972 that it would belong to the artists from them on. He said that he questioned Mr. Lazar’s comment about Justin Herman’s wife since his family is from the east coast. He said its hyperbole. He said that Program Director Lazar said he wasn’t in negotiations but then told artists that he was working on it for months. He said that the budget is the biggest issue; the program is bankrupt and 50% over budget. He said that if the Mayor doesn’t come through with the general fund, the fees will go up to $1500 or $2500 a piece. He said that there are examples of other fees; the California Bar that license attorneys who on average make $127K versus street artists making $20K, is only $430 and can be eligible for a discounted rate. He said that the street artist license is over budget in terms of California licenses and other artist licenses. He said that Venice Beach and New York City artists pay nothing. He said that the Berkeley artists pay half the cost. He said that this program is run terribly which is why you have the end result. He said that the only way to cut the budget significantly is to cut a staff person.

Program Director Lazar commented that he did not say that a movie company is precluded from paying artists at Justin Herman Plaza if it wants.  He clarified that the point is that the agreement between the Film Commission and the Arts Commission is that it is only for legally designated areas (which Justin Herman Plaza is not because it lacks Rec-Park approval) and only for filming. He said with regard to the Trauma show, they were not precluded from paying artists if they wanted to but it wasn’t through the terms of the Arts Commission and Film Commission agreement.

Kathy Hallinan said she appreciates the working group and it’s been a long time coming. She said that there needs to be focus on street artists. She said that the Arts Commission has a large budget but she said that the program should be self-funded as was the initial premise. She said she’s afraid of legislation going to the ballot and changing. She said that she’s here to be the voice of the 44 year program. She said that it’s not a bad thing to hold the office’s feet to fire; staff does a great job but there should be some streamlining done. She said that if there’s a budget, they should stick to it. She said she’s speaking at a democratic club that’s getting $4.5 million from the general fund and that the general fund doesn’t have any extra money. She said she’s glad to get the online licensing started which should have happened 16 years ago. She said that the working group is important and that if Ms. Dao-Shah’s time is up, the Arts Commission needs to establish another fellowship. She said that she knows that Commissioners are volunteering too and she appreciates it. She said the 1% of the artists make noise while 99% of the artists are working hard. She said that the Program should be saved and respected and that artists can offer many good voices to help guide the process. She said that many at Fisherman’s Wharf are asking where she is at the meetings but she said that she felt that she was told to stay away and not invited. She said she is looking forward to change.

5.   New Business and Announcements.
Discussion.

Public Comment:
Kathy Hallinan said that Justin Herman Plaza is said to be the crown jewel of the program but that it is not legitimately on the books. She asked Commissioners to do what they can and that this is the time they have a way to do something for the artists. She said that they hardly had anyone from the Wharf participate and that’s a legitimate place. She suggested setting up a MOU to get the Plaza legitimate.

6.    Adjournment.
Action.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:41 p.m.

5/25/16,  10:00 a.m. AV
approved 6/6/16

Respectfully submitted by:
Alyssa Ventre, Street Artists Program Assistant

Minutes approved by:
Howard Lazar, Street Artists Program Director

An audio recording of this meeting is available online at the following address: http://www.sfgov3.org/index.aspx?page=4151

The schedule of the Street Artists Program Committee is available here: http://sfgov.org/arts/street-artists-committee/meetings

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Howard Lazar, 415-252-2222, howard.lazar@sfgov.org.

我們將為閣下提供免費的書面翻譯資料和口譯服務。
如需協助，Howard Lazar, 415-252-2222, howard.lazar@sfgov.org.

Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Howard Lazar, 415-252-2222, howard.lazar@sfgov.org.

Ang mga materyales na nakasalin sa ibang wika at ang mga serbisyong tagapagsalin sa wika ay walang bayad. Para sa tulong, maaring i-contact si Howard Lazar, 415-252-2222, howard.lazar@sfgov.org.