Veterans' Affairs Commission - April 28, 2020 - Agenda

Meeting Date: 
April 28, 2020 - 6:00pm
Location: 

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA

Tuesday, April 28, 2020 – 6:00 pm

Hosted Remotely via Microsoft Teams

Public Call-in Number: 866-590-5055

Access Code: 3351192

VICTOR OLIVIERI, PRESIDENT, PRESIDING

MARGO ELLIS, VICE PRESIDENT

GEORGE ISHIKATA, ACTING SECRETARY

WILLIAM BARNICKEL, MATTHEW BRAUER, DOUGLAS BULLARD, HANLEY CHAN,

DAVID CHASTEEN, DEBORAH DACUMOS, DAVID FROMMER, IKRAM MANSORI,

JEFF MARSHALL, STEPHEN MARTIN-PINTO, CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD,

COURTNEY MILLER, MYLES TUCKER, RAYMOND WONG

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

COMMUNICATIONS

Officer’s Reports

President

• Supervisorial Assignments

• Retreat Date – postponed until after DPH Order is lifted

• Mandatory Training Video (must be completed before meeting)

“Open Government Laws” – Sunshine Training (February 2020)

{Note: Press & Hold Ctrl Key & Click Left Mouse Button to activate video link}:

https://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=f785ad9d-4d...

9ca4-0050569183fa&autostart=1&embed=1

Vice President

Acting Secretary

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

Committee Reports

Legislative Committee – Commissioner Tucker

Communications Committee – Commissioner Brauer

Events Committee – Commissioner Mansori

Rules Committee – Commissioner Ishikata

Finance Committee – Commissioner Marshall

Liaison Reports

Ad hoc Parks Committee – Commissioner Chan

Veterans Related Legislation

APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

March Minutes

AGENDA CHANGES

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

CVSO Search and Office Staffing [Information Item and Possible Action Item]

Status of CVSO Office and various position searches (report from Kate Shadoan – HUB

Director)

• HUB is hiring a temporary position under Category 16 (good for 1040 hours per

fiscal year – essentially through December 2020)

• DHR is focused on hiring for essential health care workers for DPH during COVID-

19 State of Emergency

• CVSO team reports they are handling the current workload with their current staffing

• CVSO position has not been filled and there has been no progress in position

description – letter from VAC asking for Interim CVSO dated February 25, 2020 has

led to no action (attached)

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

Annual Summit Program Date [Action Item]

President Olivieri asking to hold remotely before budget season in compliance with

COVID-19 restrictions and order from the Mayor’s Office

NEW BUSINESS

Resolution Recognizing Captain Brett Crozier, United States Navy [Action Item]

Resolution text attached

Emergency Operation Center [Information Item and Possible Action Item]

Status of Veterans in the Community in light of COVID-19 and actions taken between

local, state, and federal levels to safeguard veterans in San Francisco (report from John

Gallagher – Veterans Claims Representative, and report from Victor Lim – EOC External

Affairs)

• Veterans Service Representatives wellness checks on 300 veterans every 10 days

• CVSO remote office hours only

• HUD-VAH vouchers usage

• Counseling services (remote only)

• COVID-19 report on veteran population

Bataan Death March Commemoration [Information and Possible Action Item]

(78th Anniversary)/End of WWII Commemoration (75th Anniversary). The event will be

on Saturday, August 29, 2020 at 10AM at Golden Gate National Cemetery.

Forum flier and videos attached to end of meeting agenda.

Appointment of Veterans Affairs Commission Secretary [Action Item]

PUBLIC COMMENT

An opportunity for members of the public to directly address the Commission on items of

interest to the public that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission, including

items being considered today which have not been considered by a Commission committee and

excluding items which have been considered by a Commission committee. Members of the

public may address the Commission for up to three minutes.

Each member of the public will be allotted the same number of minutes to speak, except that

public speakers using translation assistance will be allowed to testify for twice the amount of the

public testimony time limit. If simultaneous translation services are used, speakers will be

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

governed by the public testimony time limit applied to speakers not requesting translation

assistance. The President or the Commission may limit the total testimony to 30 minutes.

Members of the public who want a document placed on the overhead for display should clearly

state such and subsequently remove the document when they want the screen to return to live

coverage of the meeting.

HONORS REPORT AND MOMENT OF SILENCE

In memory of American service members in all wars and conflicts who made the ultimate

sacrifice. We also remember the passing of homeless veterans, veterans who died while awaiting

approval of benefits, and suicides within the veteran and armed service communities.

ADJOURNMENT

This document is Official Business of the Veterans Affairs Commission, City and County of San

Francisco. It is part of the official Public Record of the City and County of San Francisco.

Public Access:

Public Records are covered under the State of California Brown Act, as well as the Sunshine

Ordinance of the City and County of San Francisco. These acts ensure that deliberations of City

Business are conducted “before the People,” and that City and County operations are open to the

People’s review.

For information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco

Administrative Code), or to report a violation of the ordinance, please contact: Mr. Chris Ruston,

Administrator, Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, at (415) 554-7724.

Veterans Affairs Commission Meetings:

General meetings of the SFVAC are scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every

month, with the exception for the month of July, when there is no scheduled SF VAC meeting,

and are held in Room 416 in City Hall.

Meeting confirmation, and specific announcement of general meetings are made via public

posting of the Meeting Agenda as required by law, at least 72 hours prior to scheduled meetings.

Agendas for SFVAC meetings (and archived meeting minutes) are available on the SFVAC

Pages of the City of San Francisco website, and are also available for public view and inspection

at the 5th Floor Government Information Center at the San Francisco Public Library, at 100

Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. The documents librarian telephone number is (415)

554-4472.

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

Disability Access:

City Hall of San Francisco is wheelchair accessible via all entrances. There is wheelchair

accessible public parking nearby, including the underground garage at the north side of City

Hall. The nearby BART/MUNI station (Civic Center) is wheelchair accessible as are nearby city

bus lines and stops. For more public transit information services, call (415) 923-6142 or dial 311.

If you or a Veteran, you know is in

immediate danger to themselves or others,

please call 911 or visit your local emergency room.

The Veterans Crisis Line is also available by

texting 838255 or by going to their website

and chatting with a mental health professional.

24/7 Confidential

Support

Text MYLIFE to 741741

Crisis Line:

(415) 781-0500

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

Video links to last year’s ceremony:

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/video/4061107-veterans-who-survived-ww...

death-march-honored-at-ceremony-in-san-bruno/

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/veterans-of-the-bataan-death-march...

in-san-bruno/159034/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNWgCt6zBFc&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_RJ5Z3HPE&feature=youtu.be

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

February 25, 2020

Naomi Kelly

City Administrator

City Hall, Room 362

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

San Francisco, CA 94102

RE: Interim Appointment of County Veterans Service Officer

Dear Ms. Kelly:

The Veterans Affairs Commission recently learned that the position of County Veterans Service

Officer (CVSO) has been vacant for over a year. The CVSO is a crucial position for the veterans

and the family members of veterans in our community. The California Military and Veterans

Code, Section 970, provides each county within the State the appointment of a CVSO and the

City Administrative Code, Section 5.108.A-1, establishes the County Veterans Service Office

under the purview of the City Administrator. As such, the Veterans Affairs Commission formally

requests the appointment of an Interim County Veterans Service Officer.

Submitted for the Executive Board and the full membership of the current San Francisco

Veterans Affairs Commission.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Victor Olivieri, Ph.D.

President

Veterans Affairs Commission

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

[Recognizing Captain Brett Crozier, United States Navy]

Resolution Commending Captain Brett Crozier, United States Navy for his

Courageous Leadership as Commanding Officer, USS Theodore Roosevelt.

WHEREAS, Captain Brett Elliott Crozier, United States Navy is a native of the Bay

Area, hailing from Santa Rosa and is an alumnus of local public schools; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier has served the United States with distinction as a

Commissioned Officer since his graduation from the United States Naval Academy in

1992; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier is a career naval aviator, having flown both rotary wing and

strike fighter aircraft; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier has served ashore and afloat in deployed environments in

support of active combat and peace enforcement operations across the globe; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier has led Sailors throughout his career, to include three

tours of Command; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier most recently served as Commanding Officer, USS

Theodore Roosevelt, leading over 4,000 Sailors aboard one of eleven nuclear powered

aircraft carriers in the active Naval Registry; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier, while afloat was faced with the unprecedented situation of

COVID-19 infecting a large segment of his Command; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier was faced with, in his judgement as Commander,

unsatisfactory support in battling the outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the USS Theodore

Roosevelt; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier authored a strong, compelling, and clear-headed letter that

vividly outlined the need for immediate action by the Department of the Navy to provide

the additional and rapid assistance necessary to ensure the health and wellbeing of the

Sailors entrusted to his Command; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier made the courageous decision to distribute his letter to

senior leadership despite the high likelihood that he would face strong professional

retribution; and

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, California 94102-4689

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier was abruptly relieved of his Command as a direct result of

his courageous deed to place the welfare of his Sailors above that of his career; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier’s swift actions, immense foresight, and willingness to

sacrifice a nearly thirty-year career in the service of his country have bolstered efforts to

ensure the wellbeing of the USS Theodore Roosevelt’s crew; and

WHEREAS, Captain Crozier has set an example of leadership, courage, loyalty, and

integrity for a generation of service members, Americans, and San Franciscans; now,

therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco, on behalf of its officers,

employees, and residents, publicly recognizes the valiant sacrifices which Captain Brett

Crozier made to safeguard the Sailors entrusted to his Command of the USS Theodore

Roosevelt; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco expresses deep

appreciation for Captain Brett Crozier’s courageous actions, leadership, and integrity

during his nearly thirty-years of distinguished service to his Country; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco wishes Captain

Brett Crozier a successful career in his chosen profession and will always welcome him

back to the Bay Area; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco presents a framed

copy of this resolution to Captain Brett Crozier as a token of the great affection and

respect in which he is held by the Board of Supervisors and the Veterans Affairs

Commission.