VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION
City & County of San Francisco
Mailing Address: S.F. Veterans Affairs Commission,  City Hall #1 Goodlett Place, Room 051, San Francisco, CA 94102

TUESDAY, November 10, 2015, 6:00pm

MEETING AGENDA
Meeting LOCATION: Room 416, City Hall, San Francisco, CA
Vice-President Michael Maffei, Presiding

> Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
> ROLL CALL (Please Sign-In on Attendance Sheet) 
> REVIEW of Current Meeting AGENDA for approval (Action Item)
> REVIEW of Draft Meeting MINUTES for VAC Meeting of September 8, 2015 for changes and/or Approval (Action Item)

1.    Call for Public Comment. (Time reserved for introduction of guests and general comments by guests).

2.    Officers REPORTS:

A. President’s Report;  President Noetzel sends greetings from the annual Swords to Plowshares                                               PROFILES of COURAGE Dinner, tonight, at the Sheraton Hotel.

B. Vice Presidents Report;  Vice President Michael Maffei to report as V.P. and as Acting President.

C.  Secretary’s Report;  Sec’y Dwane Kennedy to report.

3.    Opened NOMINATIONS for VAC Officers for 2016 Term. 

A.  Secretary to distribute copies of portions of the Bylaws, which pertain to, and describe the Duties and        Responsibilities of  each of the 3 Officer Positions that constitute the Executive Board.

B.  President to open floor for NOMINATIONS, for each of the 3 Officer Positions of the SFVAC, in accordance with established Bylaws.  Secretary to Record all Nominations.

4.  NEW Business.  

A.   Review of Commission Meeting ATTENDANCE POLICY. Discussion: What steps can be taken to PRECLUDE “Meeting-Night Cancellation” (of VAC Meeting), due to failure to achieve a Quorum?  Also what can be done to insure improved overall attendance performance?

 B.    Review/discussion of impact of 2 recent events at War Memorial Veterans Building, Wednesday, 10/28/15.  (i.e. the All-Day Veterans Resource Fair, and the evening Veterans’ Welcome Home Celebration.)

 C.     SERVICES GUIDE for Bay Area Veterans:
Discussion and Consideration: Shall the SFVAC pursue development in the new Administrative year?

4.   OLD Business

A. Restorative Justice for Port Chicago Sailors.  Update by Research Team leader Comm. A. Jenkins, including report on recent progress.

B. Veterans Mental Health .  Reports on two recent important events on this subject.

C. Veterans Day Parade (SUNDAY, 11/8/15) at Fisherman’s Wharf .    Update by Parade Director, Comm. R. Wong.

D. SERVICES GUIDE for Bay Area Veterans:
Discussion and Consideration: Shall the SFVAC Sponsor, and have input into development? Endorse? Support?

5.  Veterans Related LEGISLATION.  Commissioners invited to inform Commission on new or potential Legislation regarding Veterans or Veterans Community.

6.  WAR MEMORIAL VETERANS BUILDING  Discussion of Upcoming Events after re-opening of building.

7.   ANNOUNCEMENTS:  Floor opened for short announcements of veteran related events and/or activities

8.  Honors Report and Moment of Silence:

In memory of American Armed Service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in all wars and conflicts, plus the passing of homeless veterans and veterans who died while waiting approval of benefits requests and suicides within the veterans and armed services community,

9.  ADJORNMENT

Note: Commissioners who are unable to attend this meeting are asked to notify Secretary Kennedy well prior to meeting, at email dwanekennedy@gmail.com  or telephone 415-401-9300

Note: Commissioners who are unable to attend this meeting are asked to notify Commission President S. Noetzel prior to the meeting.  Email <noetzelder@gmail.com>  (Cell) 415.378.8214

This Document is Official Business of the VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION, City and County of San Francisco. As such it is part of the official PUBLIC RECORD of the City/County of San Francisco.

PUBLIC ACCESS:

Public records are covered under that State of California Brown Act, as well as the SUNSHINE ORDINANCE of the City of San Francisco. These acts insure that deliberations of City Business are conducted “before the people”, and that City 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 telephone # 415-554-7724.

VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION MEETINGS

General Meetings of the VAC are scheduled for 6:00pm (on) the SECOND TUESDAY of every month, (with rare exception), and are generally held in ROOM 416 in CITY HALL

MEETING CONFIRMATION, and Specific Announcement of General Meetings are made via public Posting of MEETING AGENDAS as required by law, some 72 hours prior to scheduled meetings. Agendas for Commission Meetings (and archive of Meeting Minutes) are available on the VAC Pages of the City of San Francisco WEBSITE, and are also available for Public View and inspection at the (5^th Floor) Government Information Center of the San Francisco (Main) Public Library, at 100 Larkin St., San Francisco 94102. (Documents Librarian Telephone 415-557-4472)

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.