FINAL MEETING MINUTES

Tuesday, January 14, 2019 – 6:00 pm

San Francisco City Hall, Room 416

 

 

VICTOR OLIVIERI, PRESIDENT, PRESIDING - Present

MARGO ELLIS, VICE PRESIDENT - Present

CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD, SECRETARY - Present

WILLIAM BARNICKEL - Present, CHRISTINE BORGOGNONI - Excused, MATTHEW BRAUER - Excused, HANLEY CHAN - Excused, GEORGE CHEWNING - Excused, DEBORAH DACUMOS - Excused, IKRAM MANSORI - Excused, JEFF MARSHALL - Present, STEPHEN MARTIN-PINTO - Present, MYLES TUCKER - Excused, RAYMOND WONG - Present, GEORGE ISHIKATA - Present, DAVID CHASTEEN - Present

 

CALL TO ORDER

 

ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

 

COMMUNICATIONS

 

 

Reports on Bilateral Assignments

 

 

Officer’s Reports

• President Olivieri met with the mayor's office and the Board of Supervisors to let them know all of Veterans Affairs Commission legislative priorities which resulted in the Board of Supervisors agreeing to work with the Veterans Affairs Commission on some of the easier requested items, but pointed out that the bigger requested items would need more development as they were not to keen on those. President Olivieri pointed out that we need to develop those items across-the-board and he would delineate those moving forward under new items.

President Olivieri discussed getting the Veteran Affairs Commission some staff via a three-pronged approach:

 

1.Prong. Borrow from youth staff commission, they currently have four staffers and they're asking for more. President Olivieri pointed out why we needed a staffer full time as opposed to half time which would happen till the youth commission gets spun up with more staff would result in giving us more time for Commission work as well as helping us professionalize what we do. Between now and July is when the budget process is going through.

2.Prong. Add Veterans Affairs Commission as a budget item. President Olivieri specially pointed out that we are going to have to get a sponsor so he is willing to entertain ideas from the rest of the Commissioners on the Veterans Affairs Commission. Lastly, he pointed out that Supervisor Stephanie, Supervisor Mar and Supervisor Ronin have all voiced their support for the Commission Secretary position to be a permanent fulfilled position, however, said President Olivieri but if anybody else has any other ideas please let me know and will investigate those futher.

3.Prong. Professionalize it just like prompt B did for the Adult Aging Services Commission, but really taking it to the voters for their vote, as well as making it an earmarked on the annual budget. This would result in getting us onto the charter so we're a much more institutionalized commission that we are right now. So, we will be asking the voters if they want us to be part of the charter, if they want to have a budget… We will also need to work with the Board of Supervisors on delineating that budget for the voters to understand and vote for. That we would also include other things like our relationship to the County Veterans Service Office. Other commissions and where do we lineup, who do we report to, if any staff report to us. Where will they be placed, in executive, the legislative of the three branches

 

• Vice President Ellis – No Report

 

• Secretary McDonald pointed out that attendance needs to be routed through the President and then to Secretary preferably prior to that months regular meeting.

 

Veterans Related Legislation

Commissioner Wong – No Report 

 

 

APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

December Minutes approved by acclamation (Commissioner Chasteen made motion for approval and Vice President Ellis seconded the motion)

 

AGENDA CHANGES

President Olivieri pointed out that per Brown act, Agenda Changes are really only supposed to be for those items that are sensitive in nature, specifically that comes to time. With that said, the Board of Supervisors met today and passed a resolution on the Iran crisis and limiting the war Powers act but that it would be appropriate for the Veterans Affairs commission to entertain supporting this resolution which has also been echoed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the federal level. Secretary McDonald brought up the Board of Supervisors resolution for Veterans Affairs Commission to quickly look at.

President Olivieri reiterated that we have motion on the table to add the Agenda Change.

Vice President Ellis motioned to amend the agenda, to discuss. Commissioner Chasteen second the motion! Secretary McDonald recorded the agenda change discussing the Board of Supervisors Resolution during the new business portion of this agenda. No other Agenda Changes.

 

 

REGULAR AGENDA

President Olivieri stated that there are no regular agenda items and that these are the items that we carry through every single year and are part of the bylaws.

 

 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

President Olivieri made a motion to table the Annual Report but no later than February 11, 2022. Commissioner Isakata seconded the motion. Veterans Affairs Commission unanimously approved, so motion carries.

Annual Report tabled to the February 11^th Regular Meeting

 

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

            Attendance Policy

 

         VAC Emails

                  Security, privacy, compliance issues

 

         By-Law Changes

1.Committee Structure

2.Removal of engendered terms

3.Regular Agenda Items

New Commissioners vetted in January

 

Legislative Priorities

1.Veterans HUD-VASH Voucher Parcel Tax Exemption

2.Affordable Housing Bond for Veterans - $200 - $500 Million

3.Veterans Affairs Fund and Veterans Affairs Gross Receipt Tax

 

VAC Membership

                        Vacancies and renewals

 

Committee Assignments

 

         Executive Committee

VP Ellis will project manage Committee work throughout  the year and compile first draft of Annual Report

Secretary McDonald will manage institutional logistics

            Admin (cards, stationary, meeting room)

            Compliance (training, reporting, Brown Act, Ethics)

            Formal communications (meeting notices, BoS and MYR)

            Smart Book (continuity)

            Minutes (forward to BoS) and quarterly attendance (final report)

 

            Legislative Committee

                        Chair: Tucker

                        Members: Wong and Olivieri

Communications Committee

            Chair: Brauer

            Members: Dacumos and Mansori

            Website, social media, op-eds, special engagements, listserv, events

 

Events Committee

            Chair: Mansori

            Members: Martin-Pinto and Barnickel

            Annual Calendar, ERG, Mayor’s Office events, SF events

 

Rules Committee

            Chair: Ishikata

            Members: Borgognoni and Chasteen

            By-Laws, VAC applicants, City Attorney, Parliamentary procedure

 

Finance Committee

            Chair: Marshall

            Member: Chan and Chewning

 

           

 

Annual Calendar

 

                        January – February: new Commissioners

 

                        Annual Retreat Dates

                        February 1, February 2, March 7, March 8 ) No later than March for intake of new

                        Commissioners

                       

                        March: primary elections

 

                        April: Annual Summit Date

                        April 4-8, April 18-22

 

                        May: Memorial Day at The Presidio (May 25)

 

                        June: D-Day

 

                        July: 4^th of July, no meeting, City budget process over

 

                        August:

 

                        September:

 

                        October: Fleet Week

 

                        November: Veterans Month, city elections, Veterans Day Parade

 

                        December: Annual Report due, VAC elections

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

 

            Legislative Committee

 

         Communications Committee

 

         Events Committee

 

         Rules Committee

 

         Finance Committee

 

 

Lost quorum at 7:13 pm

 

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 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.

 

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