January 20, 2010

Elections Commission Meeting

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

At 6:00 pm

City Hall Room 408

Order of Business

1.      Call to Order & Roll Call

2.      Public comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction

3.      Announcements   

        4.  Approval of Minutes

              (a) Discussion and possible action to approve the Minutes of the December 16,       2009 Elections Commission Meeting. 

5. Director’s Report

·         Division Updates

6.    Commissioners’ Reports 

? Meetings with public officials
? Oversight and Observation activities
? Long-range planning for Commission activities and areas of study

7.   Old Business

(a)   Discussion and possible action to amend the Elections Commission’s bylaws as regards the Commission’s annual report (the “Report”) to conform the period to be covered by the Report to the Commission’s practice of a calendar year report and to revise the timing for preparation of the Report by the Commission President and approval of the report by the Commission all as set forth on Attachment A to this Agenda, and to authorize the Commission Secretary to prepare an amended and restated Commission bylaws to reflect the current state and content of the Commission’s bylaws.

8.  New Business

(a) Discussion and possible action regarding the Voter Outreach Report                      that was presented at the December 16, 2009 Elections Commission                          meeting.  (President Phair)

(b) Discussion and possible action regarding the DRAFT Elections                        Commission Annual Report for 2009.  (President Phair)

(c)  Discussion and possible action regarding the review of the   howsfvotes.com website’s precinct mapping and suggestions regarding          openness and community innovation with election data. 

      (Commissioner Turner)

(d) Discussion and possible action to elect Officers of the San Francisco Elections Commission.  The process shall be as follows:  The current president will open nominations first for the office of president of the Elections Commission.  When there are no further nominations, the president will close nominations.  Public comment will then be sought.  At the conclusion of public comment, there will be a roll call vote of all commissioners during which each commissioner shall say then name of a nominee for whom he or she wishes to vote.  Any nominee receiving four votes shall be elected president.  The same process will then be followed for the office of vice president.  The terms of office for the new officers begin immediately at the conclusion of tonight’s meeting.  (Elec. Comm. Bylaws, Art. V, Sec. 1(B).)

9.  Discussion regarding items for future agendas

Adjournment

Commission Meeting Information Packet 

 Disability Access

The Elections Commission meeting will be held in Room 408, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA. The Commission meeting room is wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at United Nations Plaza and Market Street. Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, and #71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line to Market and Van Ness and the Metro Stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center. For information about MUNI accessible services call (415) 923-6142. There is accessible curbside parking adjacent to City Hall on Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue and in the vicinity of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue adjacent to Davies Hall and the War Memorial Complex.

The following services are available on request 48 hours prior to the meeting; except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline shall be 4:00 p.m. of the last business day of the preceding week: For American sign language interpreters or the use of a reader during a meeting, a sound enhancement system, and/or alternative formats of the agenda and minutes, please contact The Elections Office at (415) 554- 4375 or our TDD at (415) 554-4386 to make arrangements for the accommodation. Late requests will be honored, if possible.

In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products.  Please help the City accommodate these individuals. Individuals with chemical sensitivity or related disabilities should call our accessibility hotline at (415) 554-6060.

Know your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)

Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people's business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people's review. For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, Donna Hall, Clerk, City Hall, Room 409, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102-4683 at Phone No.: (415) 554-7724; Fax No.: (415) 554-7854; E-mail: [email protected] Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City's website at www.ci.sf.ca.us. 

Materials contained in the Commission packets for meetings are available for inspection at the Elections Department, City Hall Room 48, in the Commission's Public Binder, no later than 72 hours prior to meetings.

If any materials related to an item on this agenda have been distributed to the Elections Commission after distribution of the agenda packet, those materials are available for public inspection at the Elections Department, City Hall Room 48, in the Commission's Public Binder, during normal office hours.

The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.

Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code §2.100] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 252-3100, fax (415) 252-3112; web site at http://www.sfethics.org/.