Annual Meeting Report

Marking 9 years of service to the WOTPCC, Former President Dave Bisho presents Rae Doyle an appreciation plaque.

by Molly Oleson

The WOTPCC attracted nearly 50 people to its 7:30 p.m. annual meeting on June 28th at the Forest Hill Clubhouse. The big turnout was in large part due to the three significant matters at hand: the fraudulent depletion of the Patient Gift Fund at Laguna Honda Hospital, the restructuring of debt at Parkmerced and the election of WOTPCC officers for the September 2010 - June 2011 term. The speakers for the meeting were former LHH employees Patrick Monette-Shaw, Dr. Derek Kerr and Dr. Maria Rivero, and Seth Mallen of Stellar Management/Parkmerced. The audience included many neighborhood leaders including Judge Quentin Kopp and former Supervisor Annemarie Conroy

Dr Derek Kerr formerly of Laguna Honda Hospital presents evidence of mismanagement of the Patient Gift Fund.

Before delving into the highly anticipated topics on the agenda, WOTPCC President George Wooding presented Vice President Don Dutil, who will be stepping down from the Board, with a plaque in appreciation of his years of hard work. Directly following the crowd’s rendition of “For he’s a jolly good fellow,” Secretary Rae Doyle was recognized for her nine years of dedication. Doyle, who also received a cheerful “For she’s a jolly good fellow,” will be leaving the Board but plans to cover WOTPCC meetings for the West Portal Monthly.

Seth Mullen of ParkMerced discusses the future of the development and it’s financial health. .

Seth Mallen, Executive Vice President of Construction and Sustainability at Stellar Management, was introduced to discuss the viability of Parkmerced in the midst of rumors of bankruptcy. Mallen announced that Parkmerced has not filed for bankruptcy but rather has, in conjunction with its lenders, engaged a special servicer to support the property’s loan payments. He said the move will ensure that bills are paid on time and allow for capital restructuring that will benefit Parkmerced and the lender. Assuring the audience that residents will be protected through the process, Mallen stated that all Parkmerced apartments currently under rent controls will remain rent-controlled.

Following Mallen’s presentation, the election for next term’s WOTPCC officers began. With no new nominations from the floor, the candidates were approved unanimously. George Wooding will remain President, Matt Chamberlain will replace Dutil as Vice President, Carolyn Squeri will remain Treasurer and Blue Mudbhary will replace Doyle as Recording Secretary.

To shed some light on the recent revelations of the misuse of donations intended for patients of Laguna Honda Hospital, former LHH employee (and contributor to the Westside Observer) Patrick Monette-Shaw was introduced by President Wooding. Monette-Shaw, a patient advocate who was transferred to Rec-Park from his position at LHH and later terminated, described the ways in which the Patient Gift Fund was depleted to the benefit of the LHH staff. He stressed the need for a thorough investigation of the $1.3 million that has vanished from the fund over a 6-year period.

President Wooding presented a resolution that would help the residents of LHH and restore donor confidence in the Patient Gift Fund. The resolution consisted of seven recommendations including an independent audit of the Gift Fund by the city of San Francisco, a restitution of misspent funds, the re-establishment of a LHH Gift Fund Management Committee consisting of LHH residents, community members and health professionals, a restoration of LHH’s pre-December 2004 policy governing the Gift Fund to restore safeguards removed in recent revisions, the development of a quarterly Gift Fund donations and expenditures report to be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee for public review, the restoration of a mission statement by the Controller’s Office and the Department of Public Health describing the intended uses of the Gift Fund and a posting of the statement on LHH’s website, and finally, the placement of a WOTPCC member on LHH’s Advisory Board in an effort to maintain a constructive working relationship with the hospital.

President Wooding noted that representatives from both LHH and the DPH were invited to attend the WOTPCC annual meeting, but neither party accepted the opportunity to take a stand. The refusal by these parties to talk about the issue at hand have many West of Twin Peaks residents feeling as though they are being shut out from LHH — a place they have longtime supported.

A well-researched Power Point presentation by Dr. Kerr and Dr. Rivero then exposed shocking details of the exhaustion of Gift Fund donations, including a photo of a check made out for $18,000 to the Patient Gift Fund and the deposit slip illustrating that it had clearly been used for staff expenses. Dr. Kerr proved that donations to the fund had been used to cover CPR classes for LHH nurses, staff lunches and the annual staff barbeque, and that there was a 65% decrease in resident bus trips due to a lack of funds.

The presentation further emphasized the need for an audit and the need for West of Twin Peaks residents to advocate for the patients of LHH.

“I think that the power is in the people,” said Dr. Rivero. “People can say ‘no, this is not acceptable.’ And it’s not acceptable.”

After two revisions to the resolution were made, it was passed unanimously and decided that it be submitted to the City Attorney for review.

Monette-Shaw said he was deeply appreciative that the resolution passed unanimously.

“I’m going to thank President Wooding for bringing this issue before the Council,” he said. “It’s great to get an adequate public venue to present this.”

For further details on the Laguna Honda Hospital Patient Gift Fund fraud, please see Patrick Monette-Shaw’s article in this issue.

July-August 2010

Transit, Cleaner Energy and new officers were the main discussion topics at the WOTPCC meeting on May 24th. In the absence of both President George Wooding and Vice President Don Dutil, Treasurer Carolyn Squeri opened the meeting at 7:40 PM. Secretary Rae Doyle called the roll and a quorum was reached before a group of approximately 24 attendees.

With one change (adding George Linn to the Nominating Committee) the minutes from April were approved, followed by the Treasurer’s report. Half of the organizations have paid dues and Squeri asked that the remainder try to get their dues paid by the end of June. The goal is to improve communication outreach to reach as many homeowners as possible, not just the delegates.

Matt Chamberlain gave a short report on Planning and Land Use, stating that the Planning Department is moving ahead with the recommended changes to the Discretionary Review process (DR) but that some of the homeowner and neighborhood groups are still concerned. He pointed out the CSFN (Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods) was concerned about the possibility of DRs being separated into “Type 1 and Type 2, with the fear that one or the other of the DR types could get less review. More on that in future meetings.

With no Taraval Police officers present, the meeting moved to the Nominating Committee Report. Dave Bisho, on behalf of Paul Conroy and George Linn, thanked the officers and board members at the meeting who have served for the past year, and announced some changes for the upcoming year. Vice President Dutil has decided to not be represented as a nominated officer for 2011, and, after nine years, Secretary Rae Doyle is stepping away from the position to take a break. With that said, Bisho read the slate of nominees for the September 2010 – June 2011 term: President – George Wooding ; Vice President – Matt Chamberlain ; Treasurer - Carolyn Squeri : Recording Secretary – Blue Mudbhary, and Avrum Shepard as Parliamentarian. Nominations from the floor can still be made up to and including the time before the vote at the June 28th annual meeting. Bisho moved for the approval of the slate of candidates and the motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

Bond Yee, Director of Parking for SF MUNI, followed with a discussion of (overall) transit and parking issues. He started by giving a short scope of the Transportation agency’s reach: With over 700,000 boardings per day, SF MUNI is twice the size of BART and runs such diverse transit types as streetcars, cable cars, buses, trolleys and the historics. The agency also oversees all transit flow of cars, bicycles, taxis and pedestrians throughout the city, as well as being tasked with the management of street striping, traffic signage, traffic lights, and 24000 parking meters.

Yee next addressed the proposed cuts to balance the 2011-12 MUNI budget, explaining that the proposal is before the Board of Supervisors and a hearing to discuss will be held on June 2nd. He explained that while ridership is ‘up’ and costs are dropping MUNI had “No Choice” but to initiate fee increases and service cuts on December 5th. Many of the changes were in line with a recently completed “Transit Efficiency Report.” The report was the first one in the city in over 20 years. Another 10% in service cutbacks were initiated on May 8 to try and balance the budget for this year. With the proposed two-year budget MUNI is hoping that the revenue in year 2 (2012) will be substantial enough to restore the service cuts.

MUNI has also benefited from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which allocated $9 billion dollars to create jobs and stimulate the economy. California received $1.6 billion and of that San Francisco received $67 million dollars to assist with the rehabilitation of buses and rolling stock throughout the system. Yee commented that “last week” the first bus that was rebuilt under the program was returned to service after just 9 months; “lightning speed by government standards” the MUNI official stated.

He continued addressing the programs that DPT and MUNI are working on to regulate and measure traffic flow, parking space usage and the city’s conversion of crosswalk indicators to the “Pedestrian Countdown Signals”. SF is the first city to completely convert the crosswalk signals to ones that show the time remaining before the signal changes. This has resulted in many fewer pedestrians being caught in middle of the streets as the lights change, “It is the most popular thing I (we) have ever done.”

The city has also converted traffic signals to LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting that consumes 87% less electricity than standard incandescent lighting. It also lasts 7X longer but costs 3X more. The reduced maintenance and electrical savings offset the increased cost of installation.

Yee closed with a discussion of the bicycle plan for the city. Currently the EIR for the plan is being challenged in court and has been resubmitted and is under review. With 45 projects lined up to be completed, the presiding judge has already approved some of the ones that were not being challenged. The engineer closed by taking questions and answers from the group.

Jason Fried of CleanPowerSF followed with a presentation on the SFPUC-run organization and its bid to deliver “cleaner power” to the residents of the city. CleanPowerSF is a program run by the SFPUC to bring energy choice to SF residents. The PUC and Board of Supervisors are working to finalize and ratify a contract with PowerChoice Inc., to provide an alternative supplier of electricity to PG&E.

The goal is to generate up to 51% of power from renewable resources by 2017. If the initiative is successful, residents will be placed in the CleanPowerSF program and have a 120-day window (60 days before / 60 days after startup) to “OPT-OUT” of the program and return to PG&E as a generation provider. It is important to note that the billing for the program and the delivery of the power will still be handled by PG&E.

The presentation was short on specifics, such as pricing, as the contracts are not signed and firm pricing will fluctuate somewhat with the markets. Detailed information was also not available from the speaker on the history and background for the power provider, PowerChoice, Inc.

PG&E is countering this initiative with Prop 16, which would require a 2/3-majority vote for municipalities to enter the market as energy suppliers. Marin and Palo Alto have already entered the market as suppliers of power under the CCA (Consumer Choice Aggregation) guidelines. For more information on CleanpowerSF, check them out on the web or contact the SFPUC.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC will be the annual meeting on Monday, June 28th at 7:30 in the Forest Hill Clubhouse.

June 2010

Help to “Fix Muni Now”

The ballot initiative to restructure the City Charter as it relates to MUNI was the biggest focus at the April 26th meeting of the West of Twin Peaks Central Council meeting.

Council President George Wooding presided over an informative meeting that featured four “guest” speakers as well as the usual monthly information that is shared and discussed between the WOTPCC board and the various neighborhood improvement association delegates.

Photo: Supervisor Chu on pot.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd spoke at length about the ballot initiative that he is sponsoring to change the City Charter to reform the procedures by which the Muni Transit Worker’s Union wage scales are set. He made the point that he is not against the union being able to collectively bargain with the City, but that by having the Charter mandate that the base wage of Muni operators MUST be no less than the average of the two highest-paid transit agencies in the country it gives the union no incentive to negotiate. The Muni union is the only union in the city that has its base wage tied to the City Charter.

The tying of the union scale to the City Charter came as a result of a General Transit strike that was carried out in 1968. Fear of future strikes provided the impetus to make changes to the City Charter to include the present Muni Base rate clause. Since 1974 the City and the Union have been bound by the agreement of each side to enter into binding interest arbitration with a neutral 3rd party arbitrator making the ruling that both sides have agreed to be bound to in the case of an impasse. This arbitration is designed to eliminate the possibility of a strike. Any workers who would choose to strike can be fired.

Elsbernd spoke on the importance of collecting enough signatures to get it onto the ballot in NOVEMBER.

To place an initiative on the ballot will require 47000 valid, audited signatures. To ensure a successful ballot campaign, the number of actual people necessary to sign is about 70,000. All signatures must be submitted prior to July 1 to ensure that the initiative is placed on the November ballot. If successful the measure can be passed with a margin of 50% + 1 vote.

The WOTPCC delegates proceeded to vote on a delegate resolution supporting Elsbernd’s ballot initiative. In a call vote the resolution supporting the Supervisor passed UNANIMOUSLY. Many of the delegate representatives have taken ballot signature paperwork to assist Elsbernd in getting the word out and collecting signatures. For more information on the ballot initiative contact your local delegate, Supervisor Elsbernd’s office, or go to the website, www.FixMuniNow.com. There is not a lot of time left to gather the necessary signatures.

District 5 Supervisor Carmen Chu also was on hand to address the crowd with an update on the proposed Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD) that has been proposed on Taraval Street. The facility is in the permit review process with a hearing scheduled in front of the Planning Commission on May 20th at 1:30 PM. In the update, Chu said that public sentiment and feedback is running 99% against the dispensary in the location proposed (32nd St @ Taraval). Although the location meets the law which required a 1000 foot set back from any schools, day care centers, etc., there are tutoring facilities, playgrounds and other important neighborhood sites that could be impacted by the Cannabis Dispensary. It is also on the transit corridor that serves Lincoln HS and St. Ignatius. In light of the public feedback the Supervisor said she would attend the meeting to speak against the issuance of an operating permit for the business. The WOTPCC will also be submitting a letter to the Planning Commission stating their opposition to the MCD in its proposed location.

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) also provided two speakers at the meeting as Deputy School Superintendent Myong Leigh spoke on behalf of Proposition A on the June ballot. Prop A will extend a parcel tax that has been in effect for 20 years, for another 20 years to continue to provide funding for seismic and safety related improvements and retrofits at SFUSD Schools and other buildings. He passed out literature that detailed how the funding would be used, as well as how the past funding has been used from 1990 to the present day in the school district schools and buildings. He was questioned about the rationale to extend the parcel tax citing areas where the $7 million per year generated by the tax has not been put to its intended uses. Leigh acknowledged that the current team at SFUSD has a much better management and oversight on the funding than past officials and pressed the need for continued safety and seismic upgrades. He also explained that homeowners over the age of 65 can opt-out and be excluded from the levy. The approximate cost of the tax will be $32.20 for single-family homes and commercial properties.

Orla O’Keefe, the Special Asst to the Superintendent of the SFUSD followed Leigh and spoke to the attendees about the new SFUSD “Student Assignment Policy” that will start for students entering kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade in the fall of 2011.

The timeline is for the SFUSD to create elementary school boundaries; create elementary to middle school feeder patterns; develop a new transportation policy and to complete a recruitment campaign and enrollment materials so that the new enrollment system can be launched on November 13, 2010.

Meetings will be held at the SFUSD Board Room, 555 Franklin Street (@McAllister) on May 10 from 6-8 PM.

For the general portion of the meeting, Wooding announced the Nominating Committee to recruit and submit names for the next WOTPCC meeting (May 24). Dave Bisho, George Linn and Paul Conroe will serve as the Nominating Committee. Candidates from the Committee, as well as those submitted from the floor, will be considered at the May meeting and voted on at the June 28 Annual Meeting.

In committee reports Matt Chamberlain informed the group that the proposed changes to the DR (Discretionary Review) process have been shelved by the Board of Supervisors, but that several of the “more agreeable” changes that the homeowner groups had proposed to the Planning Department are being discussed to be implemented. The Planning Department will hold meetings for public input on May 6 and May 10 at the office on 1640 Mission Street.

Avrum Shepard gave the Transportation report, focusing on the MTA “pilot project” to implement parking meter charges on Sundays on West Portal Avenue from 10-6, as well as a traffic pattern an use project that uses microchip enabled “white dots” that have been cemented onto West Portal Avenue. These dots are supposed to measure traffic flow to chart use to adjust meter rates in the future. Several people wondered how much the results would be skewed due to the upcoming large construction project at St Francisco Circle that will disrupt normal traffic on West Portal Ave. for most of the summer.

Several people stated they had heard conflicting views on how Supervisor Elsbernd felt about the Sunday metering. It was cleared up minutes later when he affirmed that he was against the metering on Sunday, as it could drive patrons to Stonestown where there is free parking, and possibly hurt the Business District.

To close the meeting Wooding announced that both he and Vice President Dutil would not be in attendance next month. Treasurer Carolyn Squeri will chair the meeting.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC will be on Monday, May 24th at 7:30 in the Forest Hill Clubhouse.

May 2010

MUNI contracts, Police and Firefighter facilities and broken sidewalks held “center stage” at the March 23rd meeting of the West of Twin Peaks Central Council meeting.

Council President George Wooding opened the meeting and the meeting moved swiftly for the 25 or so attendees. Minutes were approved, and Treasurer Carolyn Squeri gave a detailed overview of changes in the tax regulations that now mandate all non-profit associations (such as homeowner / improvement associations) must now file a 990 tax form with the IRS. New 990 forms vary with the income generated by the organization. If you have questions, contact your local IRS office. Organizations have until May 15th to file.

No Police Report was given. Representatives from the Taraval station were absent. It turned out to be OK, as the extra time was needed for the guest speakers.

Shown: Walter Scott, Transit Workers Union, Local 250-A

In committee reports Matt Chamberlain gave the welcomed news that the proposed changes to the Discretionary Review process have been postponed indefinitely by the Planning Commission. In the absence of Avrum Shepard, Wooding presented an overview of the proposed 19th Avenue project that shows a probable 7300 new homes at Parkmerced with up to 16000 additional people traveling in and out of the complex and SF State. As currently proposed the light rail would enter Parkmerced at two locations. Wooding estimated that it could add as much as 30-40 seconds of additional wait time at most traffic lights along the 19th Avenue corridor.

In the new business arena, discussion centered on a proposal from Balboa Terrace that a letter be sent from the WOTPCC supporting the installation of a traffic light at 14th and West Portal Avenue to replace the current 4-way stop. Wooding asked for a formalized letter from the Balboa Association, stating that once received, he would speak with Supervisor Elsbernd to see what the city can do at the intersection.

Eliot Wagner (Dimitra’s Spa) addressed the group about a meeting of the West Portal Merchants Association (on March 24th) to discuss both the concept of a sidewalk event in April, and the ongoing efforts to formulate and certify a CBD (Community Benefit District) for West Portal.

Wooding gave a short report on Laguna Honda, stating that the Doctor who oversaw the LHH Hospice section (25 beds) was being let go, and he feels that more changes are in store for the operation.

Walter Scott III addressed the gathering, stepping in for an ill Irwin Lum (President of the Transit Workers Local). Scott did not present a prepared speech, but fielded questions on how the MUNI rank and file operates on a daily basis, and discussed the shortage of manpower and equipment that results in routes being delayed or cancelled when there are not enough driver/operators available to fill all of the shifts. Scott also fielded and answered questions regarding union proposals for “give backs” to help with the city budget. He also discussed the current MUNI deficit, mostly caused by severe cutbacks over the last 3+ years in the money the MUNI system receives from Sacramento.

Ed Reiskin, the Director of the SF Department of Public Works (DPW), followed Scott with a presentation on the upcoming capital spending bond issue ($412M) that will focus on repairing and strengthening the almost 100 year old (AWSS) Auxiliary Water Supply System that is used by the first responders in the event of an earthquake. The bond would build many more cisterns for water storage, replace and strengthen the piping of the supply, and fix and repair some of the worst conditions seen at some of the stations.

Shown: Ed Reiskin, Dept. Public Works

A large portion of the bond money will be used to construct a new Police HQ building/ Fire Department in the Mission Bay area to service the south side of San Francisco. Reports show that the current building housing the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant St., is seismically unsafe and could be severely damaged in a sizable earthquake. As the Central Police Command and Southern Station are also in the building, it is recommended that the Police groups in the building be housed in a new structure to be built at Mission Bay. (Down the road, maybe even a new jail.)

Reiskin then fielded questions about the sidewalk repair notices that have caused homeowners to spend in excess of $8,000 dollars to fix breaks and uneven portions of their sidewalks, even as the City of San Francisco admits that its curbing repair fund is not funded enough for them to do the work on its curb repairs. He spoke about the need to comply with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and the potential litigation issues that can arise if someone is injured or deemed to be denied access due to the inaccessibility to wheelchairs, etc.

Dave Bisho asked for an inspector to revisit the sites to see if anything could be done to address the tagged areas that could be “in dispute.” Others spoke about not receiving returned phone calls when calling the DPW number on their repair notices. Both Reiskin and Richard Quan answered questions and agreed to have an inspector revisit some of the neighborhood sites.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:45. Next meeting: Monday, April 26th at 7:30 PM at the Forest Hill Clubhouse.

April 2010

Budgets, deficits and oversight were the buzzwords at the West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WOTPCC) meeting on Monday, February 22nd. Fiscal matters filled the air as Steve Kawa, Mayor Newsom’s Director of Staff, and John Rizzo, a trustee of S.F. City College, discussed budget issues, shortfalls and even a bit of malfeasance before taking on questions from the neighborhood associations.

Council President Wooding opened the meeting at 7:35 PM and immediately introduced Kawa, who first answered the question that everyone is asking, “Is Gavin going to run for Lt. Governor and vacate the Mayor’s office a year early?” (The short answer is that no one really knows except the Mayor).

The discussion quickly focused on the most pressing concern at City Hall, how to deal with the current $522.2 million dollar shortfall, as the budget has to be brought into a state of “balance” by July.

Kawa, who has worked for several administrations at City Hall said that the current situation is the most difficult he has seen in 14+ years, and that many changes have already been put into place so that. with the “easy” ones gone, budget cuts now will be harder and more difficult upon which to agree.

With a total budget of $6.6 billion dollars, San Francisco is unique in that it funds the Port, the Airport Authority, MUNI, as well as police, fire, the city government and a large group of social services, such as SF General Hospital, Laguna Honda, and others. Of the $6.6 billion, the discretionary funds from the General fund totals $1.15 billion. The shortfall is basically 50% of the discretionary budget that is available.

Proposals such as reducing the workweek to 37.5 hours, or revamping some of the pension plans for (new) city employees are being floated by Supervisor Elsbernd and the Mayor. On the other side, proposals to strip the Mayor of the power to cut anything out of the budget (passed by the Supervisors) was also on the table, before being removed in the past several days.

The pension system seems to be the largest issue, as just maintaining the “status quo” for existing city employees will add $80 million in pension costs in next year’s budget alone. In addition, Kawa told the crowd that property tax “appeals” totaling $29 billion have been filed at the city Assessor’s office.

He also touched on the problems at the Hall of Justice, which is not seismically sound in the event of a major quake, but he knows it will be tough to get a bond measure passed by voters for retrofitting or replacing the current building.

Want some good news? The SF Unified School District, which is facing a $113 million cut over the next two years, is the best performing urban school district in California. (Of course, the State Government continues to take money from school budgets).

Speaking of school budgets, City College trustee John Rizzo followed Kawa to discuss the problems that have plagued City College, especially with their capital improvement funds.

The news at Phelan Avenue is also somewhat bleak, as the State of California, by cutting $800 million from community college budgets, has left CCSF with a $20M shortfall in the operating budget. This has caused the administration to implement a hiring freeze, eliminate most part time teaching positions, and to (basically) eliminate the entire summer school program.

Rizzo switched the topic to the “other” budget, the capital projects budget. The school leadership failed to provide any fiscal oversight over the course of three bond measures, running up a $200 million overage with three construction bond measures in 1998, 2001 and 2005. This lack of oversight, as well as possible criminal acts, resulted in Chancellor Phil Day being indicted on 9 counts, along with two of his “cohorts,” as Rizzo described them.

The good news is that the tide has started to turn. The “poor planning and lack of fiscal responsibility” from the recent past has been replaced by Financial and Performance Audits, conducted by both external and internal auditors. Rizzo feels that with the new policy changes that have been implemented the capital budget programs will be run with much greater oversight with the goal being to finish projects “on time and at or under budget.”

The oft-written about Performing Arts Center will, unfortunately, not be started anytime soon. A $90 million portion of the funding that was to be provided by Sacramento is not available, so the project continues to languish. Timing is the problem, as Rizzo explained that if the project is not started within about 3 years, the costs of construction will have probably risen to a point where starting and completing the project as designed would be virtually impossible.

Monthly business followed the two speakers. In news to note, there will be a MUNI Conference on Saturday, March 6th from 9AM–1 PM at the Women’s Building at 3845 18th Street.

The period to submit comments on the 19th Avenue Corridor draft study, originally scheduled to end on February 26th has been extended and will now end on March 12th at 5:00 PM. If you have questions or comments about the study the environmental planner in charge is Rick Cooper. He can be reached at 415-575-9027.

Please note: The next meeting of the WOTPCC will be held on Tuesday, (not Monday), March 23rd at 7:30 PM at the Forest Hill Clubhouse.

March 2010

The West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WOTPCC) ended their holiday hiatus on Monday, January 25th. Twenty-five or so hearty folks braved the elements to attend the meeting, which was highlighted by speakers from both the SF Controller’s office and the SF Chamber of Commerce.

Council President Wooding opened the meeting at 7:35 PM. The minutes were approved and Treasurer Squeri gave the financial report that was also approved by the group.

Matt Chamberlain then gave an update about the possible Discretionary Review (DR) process changes that may be modified and adopted by the Board of Supervisors within the next month or so. In a positive development, Chamberlain explained that the working group supports most of the ideas put forth in the DR process revision-planning document, with the exception of two items. The first: that fees could be increased for those who are planning to file an application for starting a DR. No fee hike has been included in the revision document, it leaves the door open for increases on all fees with little approval needed from the Supervisors. The second item: to “delegate” the authority of DR review from the Planning Commission to the “Planning Commission Delegate.”

The working group has drafted a letter stating their findings and asked the WOTPCC to support them by approving a copy to be sent to the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission. The process revision document is slated to be reviewed for approval on 2/22.

Chamberlain also touched briefly on discussions regarding the Housing Element, a process to provide more Universal Notification for Permits/Projects, and a Community meeting to discuss Parkmerced planning (which was held on 1/27).

Avrum Shepard’s report on transportation focused on the new provision that gives the MTA the power to implement residential parking permits without neighborhood support or review. Characterized as a “mistake,” it got through the legislative process. The new process also allows the MTA to raise the parking permit fees from the current $76 to $96.

SFPD Lt. Henry Parra and Detective Sgt. Barret Chan followed next with the police report. Parra stated that the “Westside” area the crime statistics look very good, with the exception of a continued string of auto break-ins. That these types of thefts are opportunistic; if drivers take a “last look” in their cars before leaving the vehicle to ensure than no valuable property is in view, the chances of having the car broken into are decreased. Backpacks left behind can be a target for thieves as many contain laptops, iPods, or other electronic devices which are attractive to auto burglars.

Detective Chan then explained how the investigators have been moved from a central location at the Hall of Justice and are now deployed at local stations where they conduct investigations on all types of crimes in their geographic areas instead of working on a specific set of crimes (e.g. just robberies) across the entire city.

The key is for each of us to be observant and to report when something “just doesn’t seen right”. Detective Chan asked everyone in attendance to trust their intuition, and call something in to the Police Department.

Following the police report, Monique Zmuda from the Controller’s office presented an outline of the current shortfalls in the SF budget, how it got that way, and some of the steps that the City is trying to implement in order to balance the budget (which is required by law) by June 30th.

The Assistant Director for the Controller’s office, who has 28 years of financial expertise within the city government, described the Controller’s office as “like Switzerland,” a neutral group that often has to assist the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to reach a mutually agreeable consensus to balance the budget each year. She described the upcoming 550+ million dollar shortfall as much larger than we’ve had in the past, although she was very clear that a default or bankruptcy is not foreseeable because the government is required to balance the budget each year by July 1. The problem is that the economy has slowed and as hotel taxes, commercial property taxes and business payroll taxes have fallen there is not an easy method to bring more revenue into the coffers. The large shortfall will have to be met by increasing fees for goods and services and large spending cuts in virtually every department.

Jim Lazarus, from the SF Chamber, spoke about the budget shortfall and the challenges that it creates. The city government tries to increase revenue by raising most fees and implementing programs such as increasing parking meter rates. This helps to discourage companies from selecting San Francisco as a potential site . In order to create jobs and lure companies to the City perks such as payroll tax or property tax breaks (for a finite number of years) could be used to grow the job market in San Francisco but this is difficult, if not impossible to enact in light of the current budget shortfall.

A big issue is the cost of the city employees and an inability to cut costs through “contracted outsourcing” or other methods. Lazarus explained that, while the median wage package for SF residents is approximately $80,000 per year, the cost for each SF city employee averages out to be over $127,000 per year, or more than 50% higher. To reach the point where the city financial planners do not have to implement draconian cuts each and every year, the city government must work together to bring these costs more into the line of the present day reality.

The challenge is large. Providing the types of services that the public wishes to have provided (e.g. Police, Fire, Muni, Public Health, Park and Rec, etc) in an economic environment where city income is falling, but payroll and medical/pension plan costs are rising creates challenges that have to be addressed each and every year by June 30th.

Addressing a question about “condo conversion lotterys” Lazarus cited an interesting fact, that in SF, roughly 70% of resident are renters, while in New York (counting the 5 boroughs) roughly 70% of residents are property owners.

Although there are no easy answers, it seems that the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors have to work together to encourage the growth of the business sector to provide the jobs, and revenue to keep the city’s budget in balance.

Discussion followed on possibly banning U-turns on West Portal Ave. at Vicente and at 14th Ave. and on drilling of the Golden Gate Park aquifer and its relation to the recycled water plants that are proposed to treat and reuse grey water in the city.

Following the discussion Wooding asked for and received a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:35. It was approved.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC will occur on Monday, February 22nd at the Forest Hills Community Club House at 7:30 PM.

February 2010

A lively discussion concerning soccer fields in Golden Gate Park highlighted the November 23rd West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WOTPCC) meeting, even topping a visit and discussion from MUNI regarding the St. Francis Circle renovation.

Council President George Wooding opened the meeting at 7:30 and in front of a smaller than usual crowd of about 25, and initially lacking a quorum.

Matt Chamberlain of the Planning Committee started his report by summing up the possible changes in the Discretionary Review (DR) process that the Planning Commission is pursuing. In an effort to “streamline” the DR process, a designated Planning Department arbiter would hear challenges instead of the full Planning Commission. The push to amend the process has been ongoing since the spring, with the next deliberations postponed until February. The WOTPCC Planning Committee will prepare a position and letter for vote by a mid-January timeframe.

(Photo Dr. Terry Palmer)

In the absence of Treasurer Squeri, Wooding gave the financial report as the same as last month as no known monies were noted to have been received or spent since the October meeting. He went on to give a brief “Communications Committee” report touching on an upcoming Park and Rec. meeting on 12/2 (at the Sunset Recreation Center) to discuss proposed changes in the soccer fields adjacent to the Beach Chalet at the Western end of Golden Gate Park. (More on that below)

Another meeting of interest will be held on 12/17 at the SFPUC offices. The meeting, a transparency meeting with Ed Harrington will focus on the SFPUC allocation of the 246 million gallons of water per day that the PUC allocates to both San Francisco residents and businesses as well as the large amount that is contractually sold to the suburban neighbors down the peninsula. The main question: Is the SFPUC contracted to sell “too much” water to the suburban customers; leaving a shortage for those in SF?

Officer Benny Lau gave a short Police Report explaining that people have to be more aware at the holidays as burglars prey on unattended holiday gifts in cars and on houses looking like no one is home. When going to your car, be aware of your surroundings and keep your keys handy so you are less of a target for a snatch and run. The officer went ton to explain that Auto Burglaries are still a problem in SF, but felt that the WOTP area was less affected recently.

Karen Breslin of the Miraloma Park Improvement Club addressed the audience asking for approval of a resolution of support for the establishment of a Wildlife Care and Nature Education Center in San Francisco County. This project, being spearheaded by Jamie Ray of Rescue Orphan Mammals Program (ROMP) seeks to establish a Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center within San Francisco, which currently has no such facility. Questions were asked on the cost of both construction and ongoing operation and maintenance and the proposed locations. Because time was limited and more information was needed, it was decided by the Council to table voting on the resolution until a more detailed presentation can be evaluated.

Marc Duffet of SPEAK then presented a resolution to be voted on asking the WOTPCC to oppose the re-construction of the soccer fields in Golden Gate Park from natural grass to artificial turf with extensive paving and lighting by asking the Recreation and Parks Department to table making a decision for 6 months until more neighborhood meetings can be held. Other areas of concern were focused on the possible toxic components of artificial turf, issues with lighting the new fields (impacting the vista of the night sky), the impact on wildlife, and the fact that the park was established (in the late 1800’s) to provide a respite from urban life.

As the discussion was moving towards a vote, and as no one from either the SF Recreation and Park Department or City Fields Foundation was there to offer an opposing view to the resolution, Supervisor Sean Elsbernd addressed the audience. Elsbernd offered a passionate rationale on the proposed upgrade to the field, citing a lack of playing fields as the biggest issue city-wide for the Rec and Park Department, and that new fields would be safe and not contribute to the injuries that the grass fields with gopher holes currently do.

He disputed the allegations about the safety of the turf and cited other fields (e.g. Crocker Amazon) as examples where residents are using and enjoying the upgraded facilities.

After hearing explanations from both SPEAK, Elsbernd, and a representative from the Golden Gate Park Preservation Alliance, the delegates of the WOTPCC put an amended resolution to a vote. The amended resolution asks the Recreation and Parks Department to delay the approval of the proposed soccer complex by three months to allow for more community input and the ability to have community questions answered. The vote was taken and passed by an 8-2 margin to have a letter prepared by the council and sent to the Recreation and Parks Department.

Eliot Wagner, of Dimitra’s Spa, representing the West Portal Merchants gave a brief presentation on a Holiday promotional campaign that the merchants are sponsoring. The West Portal merchants are sponsoring a “raffle” by selling tickets to raise money for the SFFD Toys for Tots campaign. Each participating merchant will provide a discounted service or item to encourage patrons to donate to the program by buying raffle tickets. Fliers will be on display on the street.

Following Wagner were the main “scheduled” speakers for the evening. First, Ha Nguyen and Eric Lavena from the SFMTA (MUNI) gave a very detailed presentation about the need for reconstruction of the St. Francis Circle intersection, and the phased construction plans that will reroute traffic for a period starting in mid-May and finishing (hopefully) in late August. The MTA slides showed three distinct traffic pattern changes, each occurring for about a month. The major changes will involve the replacement of the MUNI train tracks, the overhead power lines, the ADA platform, new sewer system upgrades and a repaved street surface. More information can be obtained at the SFMTA website at www.SFMTA.com/StFrancisCircle.

The final speaker for the night was Dr. Terry Palmer, who formerly worked at Laguna Honda Hospital. Dr. Palmer spoke about the changes that are being implemented at LHH and how a lack of transparency and accountability are causing the frail and elderly patients and potential patients to “be screwed,” due to the process of turning LHH into a satellite of SF General instead of the autonomous skilled nursing facility for the elderly that it was chartered to be. As she noted, there are few options now for the elderly who cannot live at home, or afford “assisted living” facilities. LHH was one of the options and now it is being mismanaged and “converted” to handle more of the psychotic patients from SF General.

Following her remarks, Council President Wooding asked for a motion to adjourn at 9:35 and it was gladly made and seconded. The next meeting of the WOTPCC will occur on Monday, January 25th (2010) at the Forest Hills Community Club House at 7:30 PM.

December 2009

New SF Police Chief George Gascón highlighted the West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WOTPCC) meeting on Monday, October 26th.

Council President George Wooding opened the meeting at 7:30 and in a break from the usual course of events, introduced the new SFPD Chief to the audience. As Gascón had a limited timeframe, he took the floor and addressed the 35 or so meeting attendees for about 40 minutes touching on topics such as illegal immigration, car impoundment, local problems involving marijuana growing houses, and his take on the culture since taking over the SFPD.

Gascón, formerly the Chief of Police in Mesa, AZ (3 years), and before that a member of the Los Angeles Police Department (28 years), started by giving an overview of the recent reorganization of the SFPD. He stated that the goal of the reorganization is to improve the quality of service at the neighborhood level, primarily improving the investigation side.

The SFPD will be moving approximately 100 inspectors out to the neighborhood stations. The chief stated that from what he has seen a major problem has been one of being too centralized, which has caused a lack of communication between patrol and investigation. As a result the clearance rate of major crimes in SF is among the lowest of any major city in the US. Improvements will be made to make the inspectors responsible for specific neighborhood areas, not for the entire city. Now, patrol and detectives will answer to a single assistant chief, who reports to Chief Gascón.

The chief then opened the floor for Q & A and discussed the Police Department policy on going after the growing number of pot growers that have been exposed in neighborhoods such as the Sunset. He discussed the problem of the growing operations tapping into electricity supplies illegally and possibly causing fire dangers for neighbors adjacent to the structures where the growing is taking place.

The SFPD has conducted 36 operations on marijuana growers over the past several months and of those, only 4 were related to growers of “medical marijuana”, with the remainder being tied to organized crime.

Chief Gascón also addressed questions on massage parlors/prostitution and the vehicle programs on impounding cars of people who have no license and/or are illegal immigrants. He went into detailed operational issues on each topic including the SFPD position on trying to halt the practice of “human trafficking”, as well as the problems of having only one car for a multi person family where several people may have licenses, but the car is impounded for a driver that has no license, etc.

In wrapping up, the new head of the SFPD spoke about the relationship between his office and the SF District Attorney (Kamala Harris). He stated that in his short tenure (so far) the DA’s office and the PD are working well together in programs such as the prosecution of drug dealers in the Tenderloin, etc. After 35 minutes, he left the meeting to attend to other departmental business.

Following Gascón, the Taraval Police Report was given by Lt. John Feeney, who discussed the planning for handling Halloween, as well as the recent smattering of “Window Smash Burglaries” that occurred on West Portal and Sloat Blvd. In most cases, petty cash, money tills, and a laptop were stolen from the vandalized retail establishments.

Feeney also informed the group about the upcoming change in the Taraval Station Management team. Capt. Denise Schmidt, the current head of the Police Academy will take over the command of the Taraval Station on November 14th, replacing current Capt. Paul Chignall, who is being reassigned to another post. Schmidt is no stranger to the neighborhood, having served at the Taraval Station as a Lieutenant earlier in her career.

The Lt. also discussed ways to reduce the chances of having your car broken into, citing GPS systems as a main focal point of burglars. Always take the GPS system (and the suction cup mounting base) out of the car when leaving it unattended. If thieves see the suction cup base, they will break into the care and go through the trunk and other compartments looking for the GPS unit that fits onto the base. Of course, leaving any valuables in plain site invites trouble when a car is left for long periods of time.

Feeney also told the attendees of a new phenomenon where people are breaking into cars, then lighting the interiors on fire when leaving the car behind.

He gave details about when it is appropriate to call the Taraval Station—if you see a crime taking place, or to report abandoned cars, or other items in the neighborhood.

Council President Wooding opened the business portion of the meeting by having (secretary) Rae Doyle conduct the Roll Call. The minutes from the September meeting were read and approved, and Treasurer Squeri gave the Treasurers’ report. She also informed representatives of the various homeowner groups about new requirements to file an income tax report. The minutes from the September were approved.

Wooding then addressed the group to drum up volunteers for several WOTPCC Committees, such as Transportation (chaired by Avrum Shepherd)), Planning / Land Use (chaired by Matt Chamberlain) and Public Health (chaired by Wooding). He explained that the SFMTA had tabled plans (for now) to extend the parking meter hours. Wooding also informed the attendees about a change to Section 905 of the transportation code relating to Neighborhood Parking Districts, where stickers are required to park. Changes to the code now allow the MTA to establish neighborhood parking districts without the consent of the residents.

Dave Bisho addressed the group, representing the Planning Committee and reported that the committee is tracking four areas: the 2009 Housing Element; the proposal to allow in-law units; Planning Department Discretionary Review process changes, and Review of the West Portal Zoning Ordinances.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd spoke about 2 upcoming projects that will affect the neighborhoods.. From May through September of next year the SFMTA will be conducting a rebuild of the St. Francis Circle intersection. With 5 streets intersecting at the circle it could impact traffic significantly. The second project is a Hetch Hetchy upgrade which will require the left lane of Southbound Junipero Serra to be closed and excavated for a pipe replacement. The MTA/PUC plan is to have the San Francisco portion of this project completed prior to the May start of the St. Francis project.

The Supervisor also addressed the MTA proposal for extending the times that parking meters are in effect. Trying to implement different solutions in different neighborhoods, the MTA is proposing extending West Portal meters to 9PM on Friday and Saturday and implementing 11-6 on Sunday (for the entire city). Their goal is to increase parking space turnover.

Diane Gooden followed with an invitation to the Ocean Avenue “Artwalk”, and asked for volunteers for the event.

The last speaker for the evening was Cindy Brandon, Executive Director for SF SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone). She gave a presentation about how easy it is to start a citizen “neighborhood watch” type of program that helps the SFPD as well as aiding in better preparation for dealing with a natural disaster, and helping to improve the quality of life in a neighborhood. It only takes 1 meeting per month for 1 hour to set up a watch program. Literature was distributed with information about SF SAFE. For more information contact their office at 415-553-1984.

Council President Wooding asked for a motion to adjourn at 9:15 and it was made and seconded. The next meeting of the WOTPCC will occur on Monday, November 23rd at the Forest Hills Community Club House at 7:30 PM.

November 2009

The West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WOTPCC) ended their summer hiatus on Monday, September 28th with their first meeting under the newly elected leadership. George Wooding officially took the reins as President, succeeding Dan Dutil, who remains of the board as Vice President. Carolyn Squeri, Treasurer, Rae Doyle, Secretary and Avrum Shepherd as Parliamentarian round out the council board.

Council President Wooding opened the meeting at 7:30 PM in front of a large crowd of about 35 attendees. The minutes from the July meeting were approved and Squeri gave the Treasurer’s report that was also approved by the group.

SFPD Officers Dean Lee and Michael Pheng then gave the police report, alerting the crowd of a suspected sexual predator that has been hanging around local schools. The officers described the suspect as a Filipino male, who is in his late 20’s or early 30’s and has been asking children to get into his car for a ride. The SFPD has been conducting operations to try and catch the suspect, but have had no success so far. The suspect has been seen driving a white, 4 door, Toyota Corolla. If anyone spots a person and vehicle fitting this description please report it to the SFPD immediately.

Rae Doyle also reported that her wallet was snatched from her hand while at her car and thanked the police for their rapid success in catching the thief. It turns out that several people had witnessed the theft and called with information so that the robber was apprehended within 30 minutes. In an interesting side note, Doyle reported that her wallet had more paper money in it when it was returned than when it was taken.

The officers stressed that without active calls from citizens who witnessed the robbery; the police wouldn’t have had enough information in a fast enough timeframe to catch the assailant.

The policemen closed their presentation with the details of a sting targeting drivers who fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians that is being conducted on Taraval (at Funston). In the last month alone, an officer walking in the crosswalk has been able to ticket over 100 drivers for failing to yield to pedestrians. Feedback from the neighborhood indicates that the sting has helped drivers to slow down and honor the law of giving pedestrians in the crosswalk the right of way by stopping.

Wooding then addressed the group with a list of “Old Business” items that the group will have to review in the near future to drum up volunteers for several WOTPCC Committees, such as Communications, Planning and Land Use and others.

Matt Chamberlain, who has chaired the Planning and Land Use Committee (and is currently the only member) asked for volunteers to join him, as important issues/projects such as Ardenwood, the Housing Element, Parkmerced, need to be reviewed prior to being commented on. He read a paragraph on “Secondary Housing Units” from the (77 page) Abbreviated Housing Element Summary that underlined the point about civic involvement.

Wooding then introduced the first of three scheduled speakers for the evening. Mivic Hirose, the new Director of Laguna Honda Hospital, spoke about the process for the upcoming move into the new LHH buildings and discussed her background at both LHH and the other medical areas she has worked in during her tenure in SF.

Jose Cisneros, the Treasurer for the City of San Francisco, then spoke about the role of collecting taxes and trying to ensure that “the playing field is level for all businesses, as we want all businesses to be successful, especially the small businesses.” Cisneros explained about not just collecting the tax revenue, but also the ways in which the city invests to try and maximize their investments, while being conservative and safe with the investment dollars.

The City Treasurer also detailed the work progress of the “Delinquent Revenue Unit” which targets businesses that are in arrears in payment of their taxes. The unit has increased their collections from 66 million two years ago to 80 million last year and over 90 million so far this year.

Avrum Shepherd filled in for the last scheduled speaker, Jay Primus, who cancelled his appearance. Primus, representing the SF MTA, was to speak about the MTA plan to greatly extend the hours for the City’s parking meters (from 6-9 PM and possibly until midnight). A very lively discussion ensued with much information being shared about the proposed plan, the intended (and unintended) effects that would be felt by the local businesses and residents, and the fact that the Mayor appoints the MTA commissioners, thus not responsible to the Board of Supervisors (or the voters).

The discussion ended with a unanimous vote directing the WOTPCC Board to draft a letter outlining its’ disagreement and non-support for the MTA proposal.

Following the discussion and the vote to send the letter, President Wooding asked for and received a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:15. It was approved.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC will occur on Monday, October 26th at the Forest Hills Community Club House at 7:30 PM.

October 2009