electronic devices. copies of any documents should be submitted to the clerk. i atoms act upon that they will appear on the april 17 agenda. receiving updates on the parks department for fiscal year 2012- 2013. supervisor chu: we invited a number of different departments. >> a pleasure to give you this

idea to help keep families thriving in san francisco, that is the most important issue. just to give you a sense of the scope of what red and park does, we have 4,000 acres of open space. over 220 neighborhoods, over 70 basketball courts, 60 athletic fields, 27 off-leash dog areas. a number of local landmarks in

our jurisdiction including fine arts, candlestick park, the botanical gardens, japanese tea gardens. it is quite a bass -- a vast system. for the health and safety of our communities, part play a really critical role in that. i want to begin to talk about the a 11-12 budget. we have an operating budget --

and we have a capital budget. it easier to year based on the issuance of bonds. -- is easier to year based on the issuance of bonds. we are in the planning stages of what will be hopefully another bond measure of 2012. we have over $1.5 billion worth of deferred maintenance needs in our parks system. unfortunately, the investments we're really lacking. we're starting to catch up to that and see in all other districts and facilities. supervisor avalos: sorry to interrupt. just to reiterate, the rec and

park department -- >> prior to recent work, there really was inadequate deferred maintenance and airport system. we are pretty aggressive about seeking grant funds, we have done quite well with the state park bond measure that has helped us. we're also having a lot of

catching up to do. so that $119 million operating budget that make up the budget at the very fundamental level. we have a general fund subsidy. we have property tax revenue set aside for open space. it is really the largest component of how we fund the operation. it includes revenue from park

concessions, fees from permits and special events, the yacht harbor, the gulf courses, things big and small. from of the grid to outside plans, revenues are earned income from a variety. guardians, custodians, the high that you see before you, and in our swimming pools is 27%. the maintenance of all of our facilities at 12%.

we allocate approximately 6% which includes all of the finance, accounting, human resources, property management. 3% of the budget includes part safety. this is really one of the functions that we have significant under investment. we are responsible for keeping the partnership, we are responsible for 3% allocation for park control. there would be one patrolling golden gate park and won everywhere else. >> it is something we have asked about,, i am wondering how that

is going and the challenge is there. >> the relationship with the chief has never been stronger. they are singularly focused on park issues. the commander has become a point person for us city-wide. he is helping us keep our park safe in a variety of ways. they have moved the upon the unit back to golden gate park. they are stationed at golden gate park and sometimes deployed elsewhere. public safety and what is our largest parking place.

he asked the station capt. to work very closely with area managers. it is the ongoing threat, we are actually now talking to sfpd a little bit for some of the under-utilized clubhouses. sfpd would actually be working with us to activate the space. which is terrific. again, we have a vast system. the needs range from the small locked gates to flat tire in the park to the much more serious. we frankly do struggle, from

our resources perspective, to have enough patrol to cover the area. issues to elicit behavior which happens not infrequently. supervisor chu: how many park patrols did you say that we have? >> i think we have 18 park rangers in total, but again, a 24/7 operation. some of the patrol time is cost- recoverable. there are special events and they are rebated much like has happened with a police officer and a special event. our general fund support for the park patrol to about the

investment that allows us to essentially have two to three officers on theentire sys -- the entire system. supervisor cohen: hello, director. a couple questions less on golden gate park, wanting to switch gears a little bit. i am curious to know the difference between allocated resources and how it compares to golden gate park. >> is the second largest park in the city's jurisdiction. it is a hub for numerous communities. it is about 1/4 the size of golden gate park.

but it is not resources anywhere nearly as well. we have somewhere between three and five partners. approximately 30 in golden gate park. it does have less landscape, it has more natural areas. the need is very different. our approach is that our parks system, it is broken up into park service areas that are not directly aligned with one supervisor oriole district. we have golden gate park as one park service area. and all of the park service areas are equally staffed.

our parks have different needs, depending upon the topography, the type of activity, the type of usage, and we take very seriously the responsibility to make sure that all of our parks are getting the attention that they need and deserve. i think that has been reflected for the park management scores. it is something we are proud about. not only is the overall score higher than it has ever been, we have closed the historic gap between the highest performing neighborhoods to some of the lowest scoring parks. we pay close attention to when the controller gives us feedback.

we actually have management plans that the park service area managers are responsible for, to have a plan to address the scoring deficiencies, which is an incredibly valuable tool. supervisor cohen: congratulations to hilltop park. what i wanted to know from your perspective, what are some of the improvements? >> we are having a very active conversation with a number of different park communities right now in preparation for the 2012 park bond. because of the size, diversity,

the park is used very differently by different people. they had some very significant and serious natural areas that warrant some extra care and attention. it has an incredible trail system and is also very much used for active recreation. it is used by bringing some mountain bike programs. it has a very important oilfields in the system. it has had some very special playground places that have gone into disrepair. those are being addressed in the 2012 parks bond. i still think it is an under-

utilized hub in the city. it's a special place. what types of improvements? if you talk to 10 different people, they will tell you 10 different things that are needed. i will tell you that i think the park will definitely benefit from more signage. i think it will benefit from something as mundane as more trash cans. i think the amphitheater could see some structural improvements. that area is particularly important because we suffer from a lot of play fields with serious irrigation and drainage problems. we would like to see some more robust trails. we think is important that we kept the diversity and natural areas as well.

supervisor kim: thank you. bringing up parked patrol, i only ask because i got a bunch of e-mail's regarding overtime. could you address that issue? and when do we use over time? >> the issues that were covered by "sf weekly," they come from -- in fact, the origin of those challenges with how overtime was assigned, it is important, particularly when you don't have enough resources. it has been demonstrated that there is a point on the chart where overtime is less

expensive. it is a balance on how we use it. i can't emphasize the stuff, the parks don't close. it is a 24 hour, seven day a week function. we have needs and challenges, and we have to have a public safety presents in our parks all the time. if we have the discussion about whether parks should close, i would love to have that. if you look at the other functions, there is more over time allocated within our department. we are going to bring something back to you. because we are so under- resource. we have some very serious equipment and to dispatch

function that is a very significant business unit that has had an adequate the administration, and we will be bringing it to you as part of the remedy. a proposal to have a ministry of leadership, it is also not a field officer. and we are also responsible for making sure the functions -- i like to be with my gardners, but i will not be there. we need administrative leadership for our were parked patrol. supervisor kim: because you have roughly 18 that ensure we have parked patrol 24-7, is the overtime if an individual is

sick or takes vacation, i thought it was mainly for special events. >> it is mostly for special events, but we might have, as you know, they are used for activity. special events that are not cost-recoverable, we will often be asked to have or need to have more of a presence in our parks than the resources allow. we monitor our overtime very carefully, and we have been doing so for quite a few years. i do not consider that to be an operational challenge. i appreciate the question. supervisor kim: i was just

curious as to when it occurs, but if there was a first amendment or special event. >> overall, it is somewhere between two and three regularly scheduled. >> many of the parks close, so what do you mean by that? >> is probably a much longer question than the budget discussion would allow, but we have some not articulated specific it -- some in formal resolutions that have hours. but just because we have them doesn't mean that the public necessarily always abide by them. we have very few gated parks in the city, which is a good thing. they are extraordinarily

permeable. not only that, but we have places like golden gate park with the major thoroughfares. many of the parks, dolores park, washington square, i could probably name 50 of done or we might have commission resolutions and operating hours between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. there is still oversight beyond those of normal operating hours. supervisor kim: are those the operating hours? we have mixed information. >> we do, too. informally, they have happened over time and i would welcome a discussion about whether there was a way to provide consistent

public safety practices. for example, golden gate park has no formal operating hours. the number ranges, i was not prepared for this discussion. the hours that have been articulated by the rec and park commission overtim time vary. supervisor kim: we get a lot of questions about when the parks open and close. i understand the issue with public safety, especially in the mornings. many of the perks aren't closed.

when it gets dark in the winter, people walk their dogs or have a stroll with their kids. i think it is because folks in our neighborhood have different messages. >> i would be happy to provide that information. supervisor wiener: thank you. a couple things. in terms of park patrol, there are these rituals where we talk about how inadequate the staffing is, and we wring our hands, very little happens. it needs to happen in a much more profound way.

we see the consequences of its, and you and i know a lot about what is happening with ongoing vandalism. it is 25,000 or more, just completely malicious and random vandalism in the park. i think people know that if you do something bad, the chances of being caught are pretty low. i think we are being penny wise and pound foolish. i hope that we will start to actually fund park patrol.

>> i think your point about the in ancillary costs, the fundamental responsibility is making sure that it is safe. second to that is, in fact, a significant and unfortunate expense related to that behavior, related to vandalism and graffiti. this is money that could otherwise be going to recreation centers and clubhouses, additional hundreds of thousands of dollars a year between the irrigation, plant damage, graffiti. we are an urban park system. the open space that we stored is not immune from open living.

there are no different than the city streets. it is a significant cost, and i think having additional resources and an additional presence, we say that the best way keep the park safe is to activate it. and think we're doing a very good job of that during the day , and activating some of the indoor facilities at night. we have difficulty activating in the morning. supervisor wiener: this is not related to the operating budget as to the capital budget that has to do with being interested in knowing the costs of environmental reviews. how much money the department is

spending on environmental review in the last year, the last five years? related to capital projects. what the delays in those projects have been. of course, it has to do with money and community benefits, having renovated park, for example. and also how much of the environmental review funding is going to city staff as opposed to how much is going to outside controls. rec and park is in a position where you're basically instructed, you will do this level of environmental review. the department has very little control and you have limited capital budget.

it is very important that we understand that we need to comply with ceqa. but taking a look at if we are being overly conservative pushing projects, making things more expensive, taking money away from the actual renovation of projects, i am very interested in that data. you may not know of the top of your head. >> i do not have that, but i do want to emphasize the planning and the environmental review costs are a capital cost as opposed to an operating budget costs. we are trying to be very responsible. they have seen fit to give us