Elections Commission Meeting
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
6:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 408
AGENDA
Order of Business
- Call to Order & Roll Call
- Public comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction.
- Announcements
- Approval of Minutes
Discussion and possible action to approve the Minutes of January 18, 2012 Elections Commission Meeting. (Attachment: January 18, 2012 Draft Minutes)
5. Director’s Report
The Director will update the Commission on matters pertaining to elections and the Department of Elections, possibly including but not limited to:
- Updates on activities of the Divisions
- Updates on the budget for FY 2011-12
- Budget fiscal year 2012-13
- Commissioners’ Reports
- Meetings with public officials
- Oversight and Observation activities
- Long-range planning for Commission activities and areas of study
7. New Business
(a) Discussion and possible action to approve the proposed budget for FY 2012-13. Possible report from the Budget and Oversight and Public Elections Committee on this item. (Attachment: FY 2012-13 proposed budget)
Budget Fiscal year 2012-2013
(b) Discussion and possible action regarding Commissioner’s Sunshine and Ethics Training.
(Attachment: Sunshine and Ethics Training notification email)
8. Old Business
(a) CLOSED SESSION
Closed Session is held pursuant to Brown Act section 54957(b) and Sunshine Ordinance section 67.10(b) to discuss annual performance evaluation of a public employee. Discussion and possible action.
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Director of Elections John Arntz
(b) Discussion and possible action regarding closed session action and deliberations. Discussion and vote pursuant to Brown Act section 54957.1 and Sunshine Ordinance section 67.12 on whether to disclose any action taken or discussions held in closed session.
Motion: The Elections Commission finds that it is in the best interest of the public (not) to disclose its closed session deliberations regarding the performance evaluation of the Director of Elections.
(c) Discussion and possible action to determine procedures and criteria for the annual performance review of the Acting Commission Secretary.
9. Discussion and possible action regarding items for future meeting agendas and meeting dates.
Adjournment
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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (415) 252-3100, fax (415) 252-3112; web site at http://www.sfethics.org/.
Elections Commission Meeting
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 6:00 pm
City Hall Room 408
Order of Business
- Call to Order 6:00 pm & Roll Call Present: Commissioner Gerard Gleason, Commissioner Rosabella Safont, Commissioner Arnold Townsend, Commissioner Catalina Ruiz-Healy, Commissioner Jill Rowe, Commissioner Winnie Yu and Commissioner Rich Matthews. Also present Director John Arntz and Deputy City Attorney Mollie Lee.
- Announcements: None
- Public comment on any issue within the Elections Commission’s general jurisdiction that is not included in any other item on this agenda.
Public Speaker Emil Lawrence requested he be added to the mailing list for the Elections Commission.
4. Director’s Report
The Director will update the Commission on matters pertaining to elections and the Department of Elections, including updates on activities of the divisions, plans and activities for upcoming elections or election-related functions, and budgetary matters.
Budget- Director Arntz says that everyone in the department is putting sometime in reviewing their budgets and should have their electronic files to the commission by this Friday. Ballot Distribution the 2012 Retirement Election is in the process and the last day to return ballots is Friday January 27, 2012. June 2012 Election the department is coordinating meetings with Runbeck regarding Agilis sorting machines as well working with the vender to redesign the envelope. Campaign Services the department is preparing Signatures-In-Lieu (SIL) packets for the Judicial, Federal and State candidates, to date the department issued petitions to all candidates currently 13 incumbent Judges, 3 Congressional Candidates and 2 Legislative Candidates the department has an intake of SIL for validation. The department will have several to attend training in Solano, for filing on how we should handle filing for no party affiliation. Outreach the post-election report is posted on our website; the report includes a link to SurveyMonkey questionnaire that is intended to gather feedback on the Department’s outreach efforts in the November 2011 elections. The division is planning to conduct a Community Network meeting on February 9 and the department has already sent invitations we expect some 30 to 50 attendees. The staff has been updating information and forms to the website for the June Election. Poll Workers staff has been working on developing the voter education materials explaining the Top Two candidates Primary Act. The divisions have been working on the divisional budgets for Fiscal Year 2012-2013. Precinct Services we have been updating maps for the June Elections precinct boundaries that have been altered by new lines, department is planning to release new district lines April 15th 2012. Voter Services The department has received candidate petition for 3 Judicial. 100% signature verification on State Petition #1499 Referendum to overturn statewide Senate map certified by the citizens redistricting commission with 10,710 signatures.
5. Commissioners’ Reports:
Commissioners will report on any meetings with public officials, or oversight and observation activities since the last meeting, if any. None
New Business
- Discussion and possible action to approve the Minutes of the December 21, 2011 Commission Meeting.
Vote was taken as was unanimous to approve the Minutes of December 21, 2011.
Old Business
7. Discussion and possible action to determine procedure for the annual performance reviews for the Director of Elections and the Acting Commission Secretary.
Commissioner Matthews requested any comments be sent to him by February 7, 2012.
8. Discussion and possible action to approach the Board of Supervisors and/or any other responsible party to resend the Resolution on the voter profile, approved by the Elections Commission at the meeting of November 18, 2009, to the City's State Legislation Committee. (Continued from the November 16, 2011 Commission meeting.)
Director Arntz says he will forward to all Commissioners
- Discussion regarding items for future agendas.
Public Speaker David Pilpel requested an elections plan for the June 2012 election.
Annual Business
10. 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 the 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. 1B).)
Commissioner Matthews opened this session for the voting of new Elections Commissions
Officers for 2012. Commissioner Matthews nominated Commissioner Gerard Gleason for
President and Commissioner Safont seconded.
Vote was taken and it was unanimous for Commissioner Gleason for President.
Commissioner Safont nominated Commissioner Jill Rowe for Vice President
Commissioner Matthews seconded.
Vote was taken and it was unanimous for Jill Rowe for Vice President.
Adjourn 6:29
_______________________________
SUNSHINE & ETHICS TRAINING FOR CITY OFFICIALS
Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Time: Sign-in: 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Program: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: The Green Room
Veterans Building, 2nd Floor
401 Van Ness Ave. (at McAllister St.)
Our 2012 Sunshine & Ethics Training for all City officials will take place on Tuesday, February 28. Sign-in will begin at 5:30. Members of the State Bar will receive MCLE credit (but not Legal Ethics credit) for attending the training.
All City department heads, commissioners and elected officials must receive periodic training on these issues. Each official must complete a Sunshine training once every calendar year, by December 31. And under State law, each official must complete ethics training within one year of taking office and once every two years thereafter, by no later than two years from the date the official last completed the training. Officials who attended the last live training on March 2, 2010 must complete the training again no later than March 1, 2012.
The City Attorney's Office is working with the Ethics Commission to present this training. The training will be filmed by SFGTV and made available in the near future on the websites of the City Attorney and Ethics Commission. Additionally, SFGTV will sell copies of a DVD version of the training for a small charge.
City departments and commissions will be billed a service charge of $23.00 for each individual in their agency who is mandated to attend this training. This charge will apply regardless of how many officials attend the training in person. The fee is based on the cost of preparing and presenting this training in past years and will appear on your agency's 4th quarter bill for legal services from the City Attorney's Office.
Commission secretaries receiving this email, please forward this information to all members of your Commission.
If you have any questions, please contact Pamela Cheeseborough at [email protected]