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tv   [untitled]    July 11, 2012 9:00am-9:30am PDT

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thank you. >> item 8d, update on major projects. >> good morning, commissioner. but have an update on a major project from the past month. three projects over $10 million. also, there is one job that came across late last friday, came from planning, the cpmc, $130 million project also. >> what were the fees on that? >> they did not show it. but i think it is close to $1 million or something. >> so we have $1 million, and we
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need engineers to check this, right? >> yes. now is the time to give you the update. we had help from the director. we have the director come back because he is very familiar with the code. we did get some old-timers to come back, but they are out of the code cycle and do not know how to use it. we had three engineers come in. two of them will come in next monday. one is the beginning of july. and then two more because they are under what they call temporary positions. and also, deputy director sweeney agreed to work to try to speed up work on the inspector'' test. next monday, they will meet again.
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also the 5214. the dhr will get the announcement. >> on the copy -- prop. f, which is a great policy, but not too many people come back of it because as you say, they have a lot of studying to do to keep up with the new changes. just one question -- on these major projects -- >> ron tom is very experienced as inspector. he is helping me out to try to change to lead the process, run away efficient for the -- officially, and then he can do the oversight, make sure it complies with the code requirements. >> shadowing the seasoned veteran with the younger
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engineers coming aboard now. i think that is very important because they will get a good start in understanding that. as we lose senior inspectors, that these inspectors have the kind of training from the old seasoned veterans. >> myself, i think we need to have the order to learn. coming in, we will coach them how to do all the plan checks. >> ok, deputy director. thank you. are there any questions? >> 8e, update on q-matic and status of the book -- activation. >> i know lots of people do not like it, but starting june 11, we start the project. it is chaotic because our staff
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is working hard, and chilly. everybody is working hard. i asked our chief building inspector -- i told them that they had better go for lunch. even myself, i have no lunch hour. the customers are so smart. some of these people jam up the system. so many numbers, the system cannot catch up with it. the director was there looking at it. but right away the next day, we do not let them have the kiosk. as was mentioned in the open, they are limited in operation because they have everything operating in one floor. we have multiple floors. the customer may be confused. then our staff.
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you know, we need to go by the order. also, the number 100, like 110, due to your different station -- by clean up my station first, and then maybe i'd jump before you. that is what it may not be in order to serve. then we file lots of issues with the program, too. over 1 hours 4 minute 4 seconds, then you go to the next station. we tried to put more stuff on the fifth floor, but how many are you going to put? and then, you go through the number, and it is delayed.
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that but two suggestion boxes. one on the fifth floor. one of the first floor. we also have the white form on cpb. the whole team tries to work hard. u.s. at estimate, doing everything we can, there would be some delay of about half an hour, 45 minutes minimum. we will not be laid before we can look at the customer, and then we can ask them and move along. you need to go by the order they serve. >> thank you. commissioner walker, you have comments. >> hearing the public comment earlier, it seems like once you are in order, you are in order no matter what station you have
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to go to. is there a way to circulate the people to the next open station, even if it is not in order of how they are supposed to go, so that it is a parallel kind of -- >> it is parallel, but you need to understand. the stock cannot pick and choose. the supervisor needs to go around to look at the screen, and then to at the station remove the station. >> so it is not automatic? >> it is not automatic. >> it is too bad that cannot just be put into the computer that wherever the open station is put into the computer. >> one of them is on the first floor and one is on the second floor. a lot of people -- >> i was actually there.
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and i can see, at this time, this is the growing pains and we have to work to the system to put this in there. but at some time, we have to do a gentle analysis on this, during a time that you think is good enough. and we can see if the system is really working for us. at this stage, i get this. the second day was a little bit better, and so on. there is a lot of complaining, when i walk on the floor. right now, i am all years. i am asking how this works for you. this is something that you think is suitable, and give a comprehensive report. >> i think another question but
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i would like as part of the report, is the new system and we want to work those out. as long as i have been here on the commission. they will pay their fees. this is one thing that maybe does not come up. their life is to hang out at 16th street. what has been there in the past, they're getting to know some of the staff. we have people standing inside -- these are people who don't
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get to jump in line. i think that -- this makes the public less confident in the way the departments run. everyone who walks in, if this is a private building, if this is a model of our own, or a professional 100 projects at that time. >> answer the question, before the system, we look at the least, and then we try to put all of the staff there -- and then we have quality-control -- and then, cashiers are a major problem. people want to get the permit
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ready. there is concern with the staffing. a lot of people combine it. after them, too. this is not the critical -- how you maneuver. >> i was wondering what the plan is. how chaotic the new system is. one speaker we had earlier, you know, was very concise in talking about the issue of efficiency. and i was wondering -- we have to roll it out and give people
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a chance to get used to it. i heard how much better it worked in oakland. there seems to be more to it. it seems to be how the software program is handled. i wonder if part of the plan is after people have gotten a chance to be used to this, have had some experts get through the system and tell us at what time, with the efficiency, when this is working and not working? >> first of all, this was expedited through the system. the more patient one is the homeowner. sometimes they did not know where they are, and they're
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really trying to pass more information. the customer coming in with the information desk, if this is a violation we ask them to go to the 64 or the first floor. they need to come back to the first floor to get the ticket. unfortunately, people jam up the system. there may be some other way as we try to educate -- standing from the front line to tell them where to go. from our staff side, we had a lot of training, on the fifth floor, and this is what we are trying to do.
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the customer site is sometimes the toughest one. >> and other any questions? thank you. >> item 8-f? >> one thing we have been trying to do is help the rechords managment and have the things available online, so we implemented the 3-r request so they can request things on the web. another thing is we work on scoping, having people be able to have records requests. we have things we work on in order to assist people to use the web to be more efficient. >> thank you.
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questions? >> item 8-t, was adressed earlier. is there any public comment on items 8-a through g? seeing none, item 9, commissioner's questions and matters? 9-a, inquiries to staff, regarding documents, policies, and procedures. >> is there any -- commissioner walker: i would love an agenda item around the housting authority and code enforcement. we get updated to our working together on the housing authority building up to code. there is the check-in?
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>> alvarez -- someone from housing authority. >> we could do that for the next meeting. vice president? >> it could be in line with that. as we heard from one speaker, there is a lot of outstanding n.o.v. we hd asked for a breakdown of the bad actors. it is a lot of the same buildings or same landlords who account for a lot of the violations. if we had a spreadsheet on that -- by neighborhood, we can see that. >> deputy director sweeney is
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working on the nov. we will have something for the next report. we had one from the public -- we could work towards. is there any more questions? seeing none. >> item 9-b. future meetings and agendas? you may discuss a special meeting or the items for the agenda of the mesnext meating. eting. the next date is july 18. are there any other comments on that item? is there any public comment on 9-a or b? seeing none, item 10, review and
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approval of the minutes of the meeting of february 15, 2012. is there any motion to approve? >> motion to approve. >> second. >> are all in favor? any public comment? no public comment. everyone said -- aye. are their any opposed? no. the minutes are approved. item 11, approval of the minutes of march 21, 2012. >> call the question. >> to approve? >> a second. >> is there any public comment? are all in favor of approving the minutes? >> aye. >> any opposed? the minutes are approved.
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item 12, discussion on a-b appointment, hiring of the interim director of the department of building inspection, and confirmation for transition purposes, persuant to 1.1d with the annual salary ordinance. 12-a, public comment on the closed session. is there public comment? seeing none -- item 12-b, possible action to convene a closed session. is there a motion? go ahead. >> i was wondering if we could discuss this in open session.
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i get up this morning at 6:30 nd and read about this in the "san francisco chronicle." we are deciding something the mayor and h.r. knows about, but we don't. why do we need a closed session if the "bay-guardian" knows about it. we may as well discuss it in open session. let the discussion happen. >> i tend to agree. i think that finding out from other sources that there is an effort to solicit a resignation from the director that we have not discussed, the entire
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commission has not had a discussion. this is a slap in the face to the rest of the commission. i think this has been a process over the last few years of continued harrassment from the president chair, not you, commissioner mccarthy, but from the previous director. we would hope that this would stop so that we could try to bring people together and move forward. the department has gone into the black and we have initiated many of the programs that we attempted to do over the last 15 years. we are in the middle of upgrades in our department, which we were trying to do for the last 10 years.
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three times, before this has gone forward and failed. we are succeeding in upgrading the computer systems, and a program that was all the time after time, and we are moving this into an administrative position. i am not clear what happened. i think that we, the commission have a right to know what happened and so does the public. >> is there any more discussion? >> it appears that some of us no more than others. regardless, we should discuss this in closed session. i make a move to convene in closed session. >> seconded. >> a motion to go into closed
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session. i will do a roll call. president mccarthy? >> aye. >> mar? >> no. >> clinch? >> yes. >> lee? >> yes. mcrae? >> yes. melgar? >> no. >> the motion carries, 4-3, and we will convene >> hello. this is item 12d. reconvene in open session to vote on whether to disclose any and all discussions held in closed session. is there a motion?
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>> i make a motion to reconvene in open session and to disclose the results of the closed session. >> second. >> are all in favor? >> aye. >> any opposed? >> at this stage, i would like to turn it over to the city attorney. >> the president has asked me to read into the record the decision of the in building inspection commission. a majority of the building inspection commission voted to confirm the appointment by the human resources director of vivian day, as special assistant
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for transfer -- for the commission ethnologist director day's -- commission acknowledges director day's resignation. the commission also looks to a point -- to appoint tom as acting director effective july 1. this will be subject to a six- month evaluation, done by the building inspection commission, and initiation of a job search for a new director. >> thank you, city attorney. at this point, i would like to -- madame secretary, what would
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you like to -- >> the next item on the agenda is item 13, adjournment. is there a motion to adjourn. >> i move that we adjourn. >> second. >> all in favor? >> aye. >> we are now turned at -- now adjourned at 1:55 p.m. >> when the new california
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academy of sciences opened in 2008, it quickly became one of the top tourist magnets in the city. part of the cal academies' astronomical success is the weekly nightlife party. >> i am joined by helen, who is here to school me on all the nocturnal activities that are getting ready to take place here. tell us a little about what we can expect to see at nightlife. >> we open up the doors every thursday night at the california academy of sciences. there are certain things you can see every week you can go to the museum, visit the planetarium, and we bring in bars and a deejay or band. it is a different feel from during the day, something different every week. tonight , we have beer and music. -- tonight we have great beer and music. it is beer week. we have a dozen local brewers in african hall.
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we have a deejays to set up throughout the museum and a live performance at 9:00 p.m. tonight. >> what has been your favorite part as a participant or as an observer? >> my favorite part is to walk around the aquarium in to see people with a drink in their hands, getting to know maybe somebody new, may be looking for a day, or chatting with friends. there jellyfish. i mean, they are beautiful. >> the culmination of the animals. >> it is very impressive. we do not have this at home. >> tell us a little about some of the spider's we see here on display. >> at the california academy of sciences, there is a very large collection of preserved and live specimens, which are the evidence about evolution. we have the assassin spiders, which are spiders that exclusively kill and eat other
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spiders. they are under the microscope here. research done and the california academy's i rhinology lab suggests that the assassin spiders have been doing this for over 150 million years. this glassed in room is a real scientific laboratory, and the people in that room are preparing specimens of vertebrate, that is mammals and birds. the way they do this is to remove the skin, sew it together in a relatively lifelike pose, and ensure that it does not decompose. >> i am a really big class actress fan, so i am here to see them, and beer week. >> i wanted to learn something and have fun. >> i always enjoy it. i am not all is well -- always workis