Entertainment Commission     City and County of San Francisco 

 

 

Room 416, City Hall

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

San Francisco, CA. 94102

 

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

5:30 P.M.

Regular Meeting

 

COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:  Ben Bleiman, (President), Dori Camionong, (Vice President) Laura Thomas, Steven Lee, Al Perez  

 

COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Dave Falzon

 

STAFF IN ATTENDANCE: Executive Director, Maggie Weiland; Deputy Director, Kaitlyn Azevedo; Senior Analyst, Dylan Rice; Senior Inspector, Jordan Roberts; Commission Aide, Crystal Stewart-Kennedy

 

THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT BLEIMAN AT 5:36PM 

 

SPEAKER KEY:      

 

+ indicates a speaker in support of an item;

-  indicates a speaker in opposition of an item; and 

= indicates a neutral speaker or a speaker who did not indicate support or opposition 

 

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL       

 

1. General Public Comment  

 

No public comment.  None.

  

Members of the public may address the Commission on items of interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission. With respect to agenda items, members of the public may address the Commission for up to three minutes at the time such item is called.  

 

2. Approval of Meeting Minutes.  Discussion and possible action to approve the minutes of the September 17, 2019, Commission meeting. [Discussion and Possible Action Item]

 

MOTION: Commissioner Caminong moved to approve the September 17, 2019 minutes, Commissioner Perez seconded the motion.

 

Commissioner Lee arrived at 5:38PM

 

ACTION: Approved Minutes for September 17, 2019 

 

AYES: Commissioner Thomas, Commissioner Caminong, Commissioner Bleiman, Commissioner Lee

 

NAYS: None

 

ABSENT: Commissioner Falzon

 

3. Report from Executive Director: Legislative/Policy Update: none; Staff and Office Update: Review of Retreat Agenda for October 18, 2019 and next steps; Update on Board of Appeals Actions: Update on Decision re: Administrative Citation No. 190722191 Issued by the Entertainment Commission to Michael Madden, dated July 22, 2019; Corrective Actions: none. [Discussion Item]

 

4. Report from Deputy Director: Deputy Director Kaitlyn Azevedo reports on recent venue inspections and activities. [Discussion item]  

 

Fri 9/20/2019  11:52:33 PM Arena SF 2565 Mission St POE Mission Club is exceeding noise limits again - and has done for the second night in a row. Please address this. ACTION: Inspector Fiorentino responded to 311 complaint and conducted a sound test. They were exceeding their sound limit and Inspector Fiorentino worked with staff to bring the volume down into compliance. EC Staff issued Notice of Violation for exceeding sound limit.

 

Sat 9/28/2019  12:16:53 AM Jaxson 3231 Fillmore St POE Northern Noise is way too loud past 10pm. It's a violation. People pouring out of bar and bass way too loud  ACTION: Inspector Fiorentino responded to 311 complaint and found their door open and a DJ playing. He spoke with a manager and gave a verbal warning to keep front door closed during live entertainment. EC staff will set a new sound limit, as their current limit does not have an ambient sound reading listed.

 

Sun 9/22/2019  12:01:00 AM Virgin Hotel 4th St POE Southern Inspector Fiorentino conducted a routine site inspection. Rooftop lounge crowded, windows open, operating with DJ. Found manager who could not find their copy of the POE. He contacted another manager, who then emailed him the permit. Inspector Fiorentino pointed out that the permit states all amplified sound on the rooftop had to be done by 10:00 PM. Manager made the decision to shut down the DJ at 12:15 AM. Deputy Director Azevedo issued a citation the following Tuesday.

 

5. Report from the Senior Analyst: Dylan Rice shares an update on an education initiative and the zero waste policy for outdoor events. [Discussion Item]

 

Policy Update: Single-Use Foodware Plastics, Toxics and Litter Reduction Ordinance 

This ordinance impacts events operationally and perhaps financially – particularly event organizers, food vendors, and retailers. The new law aims to:

 

• Reduce plastic pollution by prohibiting the distribution of plastic straws, among other foodware accessories, and providing allowed accessories only upon request;

 

• Eliminate toxic fluorinated chemicals from foodware products.

 

Areas of focus:

• Plastic Straw Restrictions (effective July 1, 2019)

 

•Restricts the distribution of single-use plastic straws, including compostable plastic straws. Acceptable single-use straws (such as paper straws) can only be made available upon request.

 

• Plastic Accessories Ban (effective July 1, 2019)

 

• Food & beverage vendors may no longer provide the following single-use plastic accessories: Plastic beverage plugs, cocktail sticks, stirrers, toothpicks

• Even acceptable single-use accessories like lids and condiment packages can only be made available upon request.

• Reusable Beverage Containers for Events On City Property (effective January 1, 2020)

 

• Requires event producers who provide prepared beverages to more than 100 attendees on City property to promote or provide reusable beverage containers to at least 10 percent of attendees. 

 

• New Compostable Foodware Criteria (effective January 1, 2020)

• Certain types of compostable foodware must be certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).  They include: straws, grease resistant paper, paper plates, to-go containers. 

 

To read the Dept. of Environment’s info page on this ordinance, visit: https://sfenvironment.org/reduceplastic

To read the legislation, visit:

SF Outdoor Events Network

• Next event in Winter 2020  – date and location TBD

• Topic will be “Greening Your Event” and will include new Zero Waste Policy Updates in collaboration with the Dept. of Environment.

 

6. Police Department Comments & Questions. This item allows any member of the SFPD to address the Commission regarding matters related to nightlife and public safety. [Discussion Item]

SPEAKERS: None

7. Hearing and Possible Action regarding applications for permits under the jurisdiction of the Entertainment Commission. [Discussion and Possible Action Item]  

Regular Agenda:

a) EC-1543 – 1231 Market Street Owner, L.P, The Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market St., Place of Entertainment permit.

 

Place of Entertainment for The Hotel Whitcomb, located at 1231 Market Street. The Hotel Whitcomb was built in 1916 and has been a mainstay of the Mid-Market district for over 100 years. The applicants are applying for a POE permit with the intention to host ticketed events in their large ballroom and their smaller-sized conference room. They hope to have live musicians, DJs, in-residence artists, and theatrical performances. There are 13 letters of support from the neighboring businesses on Market Street, as well as letters from the Mid-Market CBD and the Hotel Council of San Francisco. There was no opposition submitted for this permit. Tenderloin Station approves this permit with no added conditions. 

Staff recommendation:  Approval with Good Neighbor Policy. 

 

SPEAKERS:  = Deputy Director, Kaitlyn Azevedo, staff report

+ Evan Altman, Senior Vice President of Lifestyle Hotel

+ John Trudeau, General Manager 

PUBLIC COMMENT: None 

 

MOTION: Commissioner Lee moved to approve with the Good Neighbor Policy, Commissioner Perez seconded the motion.

 

ACTION: The Place of Entertainment Event Permit was conditionally granted to the applicant. 

 

AYES: Commissioner Thomas, Commissioner Caminong, Commissioner Bleiman, Commissioner Perez, Commissioner Lee

 

ABSENT: Commissioner Falzon

 

7. Commissioner Comments & Questions. [Announcements]   

 

ADJOURNMENT 6:11 PM