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tv   [untitled]    March 5, 2013 7:30am-8:00am PST

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revenues with the tax in december, and they are what we expected which is essentially we get in the majority in the first in december and the rest in april. and i just like to know we currently have and we are only 58 percent of the year through the year. >> thank you. >> >> in terms of expenses, we continue to under spend in our salaries and fringes. because we are still trying to staff up. i would like to mention that as of yesterday, we have 13 more individuals, or 11 more individuals than we had last
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friday, we have hired, we have hired nine individuals the majority of which eight of those nine are clerks and their sprinkled through the department. they are in training right now. so, as you know with training mode, any of us remember starting a new job it takes a little while to get the hang of it. we promoted two people from being temporary to being permanent in the clerk positions and we have hired two prop f people who have come back. one for housing inspection and one for the permit bureau. so, we are slowly staffing up. we are still working as rosemary mentioned. we have issued the job
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announcements for the housing inspecters. we are having those out for eight, i am sorry, ten business days so people have ample opportunity to be able to apply. we have right now today, we are having some interviews for selecting a list for electrical inspecters and march we are going to have interviews for the building inspecters and so we are moving on, we just have a lot of interviews a lot of selection process going on at the same time which makes it a little difficult for staff and we are trying to get as much help as we can from human resources. they also as i said before, continue to help us on the exam process for the rest of the positions that we are trying to
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hire which are some it positions and some senior electrical inspecters and our permit technicians. as we expected the non-personal services are under non-expending because we get a lot of the bills at the end of the year. and then, in terms of the other expenditures, you know we continue with our services of other department and we have gotten the billings for the larger work orders so this is the... the city attorney services have come in less than i expected so i am going to discuss with them on this because we have referred many cases to them and i am not sure whether those are being picked
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up. and then, our program expenses, you know, are so small that it would not make any sense to spend a lot of time on those. >> the other thing that i would like to mention is that we are heading into the budget process and it is being submitted on friday and as i mentioned last time, it is kind of at that point there is a lot of discussions between, within the mayor's office and the controllers office and if when, or when i am able to let you know in a broad group like this, about any of the developments i will let you know. we are working on our waiver for our pacto which is the healthy climate ordinance, healthy climate transportation ordinance. we are or have spent time working and sitting down with
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the department of environment to really clearly communicate and have them hopefully clearly understand what is necessary for us to do business. we are looking in as was suggested on to having find some extra or actually in terms of our replacements of cars, include, some of the electric cars but there real big impediment right now is the charging stations. so we continue to take the recommendations of the commission and commissioner melgar to try to get more to the clean air passed the high roads and passed the cngs but i think that the departments are having those kinds of problems of getting the charging stations up. it would be nice if we could buy a parking lot that we could
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put a bunch of charging stations and we kind of joked around with that with the controllers office, yng that is going to happen. but absent that we are trying to work on what could be done. the other thing is i have told you the controller's office is working with us in coming up with some recommendations for reserved policies and areas that we may want to look at using some of our fund balance. and it would be great if there was some way that i could talk to them about the discussion that is going to occur as you develop a code change to be able to do some of the lower interest loans, so i am going to try to see if there is a way that i can communicate with that without jumping forward past your process of coming up with policy and taking it to the board of supervisors.
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i think that anything that comes from the controller's office has a lot of weight in terms of future financial policies. any exacting any change is not really exacting, but encouraging any changes to occur with the mayor's office and our office and the controller's office and so that i think there is a lot of possibility of what we will come out of the work that they are doing in terms of the reserves. >> any questions? >> any questions for the deputy? >> no? >> oh,, yeah, commissioner mar. >> just a quick question on it. >> if the city pretty much up in terms of their testing in terms of for the electrical inspecters or do we have a list or we waiting for them to do the tests? >> so this is the majority of the tests that we are doing
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now, all have to do with position-based testing, so we have to work with them and one of the... with the dhr and one of the problems that we have had is that we have not filled the positions in omany years we did not have a good job descriptions and we did not have good specifications. but, we are the electrical inspectors and we are currently working on and the electrical inspectors is what we were having interviews today to establish a list and then we will go through to actually do some you know do the final selection process. so we are, everything takes a lot longer than i ever would have expected it to be. but as you all know when the department of human resources came in and explained the testing process many of us just closed over because it seems very complicated and very and hopefully, bullet-proof, but,
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so, the answer is, that we have a list, we don't, we have actually we don't have a list for housing inspectors that is what we are getting right now. we are working on getting through the electrical. we don't have a list but that is what we are working on getting a list. so we don't have to wait for the broad city classification testing like we had to with the clerks. what we are doing is now is really getting our desires, wants, specification and that sort of thing and working with the dhr and getting that. >> thank you, deputy director. >> >> item 8 b, update on proposed legislation in?
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>> good morning, bill strong with legislative and public affairs. you have heard about the most significant piece of legislation with the mandatory retrofit. nobody has got a clear idea on exactly how long the process may take. it is on the land use, 30-day calendar, i expect it actually to come forward relatively soon. because one of those co-sponsors is supervisor weiner and he is the chair of the land use committee. so it could in fact go through quite quickly in terms of board of supervisor passage and as he was spelling out there is this the mayor signs this legislation with 60-day notification period and a one-year period following that so there is almost an 18-month window after the mayor signs the legislation to give the people enough time to be notified and get the craoening
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done on that initial stuff. so, i would say that the train has left the station but it is going to take a little time and there are a lot of details to yet to be worked out including two more administrative bulletins that will spell out the procedure and so it is very clear to what property owners will have to do in order to comply and meet the building performance standards. >> as was mentioned earlier also, the board did unanimously approve the permit extension legislation that we introduced and the mayor has signed that and i expect that to take legal effect on march 8th. it was the public advisory committee and the big customers say that we need more time in the economy for the recovery to keep going. and i think that legislation will be helpful that way. as was mentioned earlier, planning, staff, any way has
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recommended doubling the entitlement period from three years to 6 years, but the planning commission has yet to actually act on that. when they put that to them in 2009, the planning commission turned that down. so, i don't know yet, whether or not they are going to also extend the planning entitlement period as we have done but this will help our customers definitely in terms of the building permit process. >> i think that the only other item that i wanted to mention to you is that as panel i just mentioned on the hacto, that is healthy air, clean, vehicles. we are in the process as we have been actually for some time now requesting a waiver, the legislation contains language that enables the department in order to fulfill its duties to be granted a waiver. and it has taken the department of environmental a little time
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to establish a process, they now have a process so that there is a submission, again, of our request for the waiver. they will make a decision by the 15th of march and so we will know one way or the other. we are hopeful based on the conversations that have been going on that we will get our waiver since reality is that the economy refers and rekeep hiring new inspectors. at the moment we are 22 vehicles short of the total number of inspectors that are coming on to do the work and that is in demand right now. so with that. i will take any questions if you have any. >> no. thank you, mr. strong. >> item 8 c. update on permit tracking system. >> >> good morning commissioners
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i'm canty project director of building inspection and i am here to report the permit on the tracking system. several efforts are in progress. several efforts are in progress on the project. the system is being developed and the data enter facing and it is happening and scripting and changes and also the test case scenarios are being developed. and the advisory group meeting occurred on january 30th, and very positive. a second meeting to be schedule in march. there is also a larger stake holder meeting that is being planned and this is opened to the citizens who wish to see the presentation and also, participate in the services that we have planned for the second week of march.
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the software for the mobile devices is being reviewed and it is the kick off for that is going to be in march. if there is any other questions? i could answer. >> looking for ward to hearing back for you from march. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> item 8 d, update on major projects? >> good morning, commissioners, in your packet you were given 56 projects that we are considering calling major projects, but we are calling major projects. the criteria for what a major project in this report was any project that was over $2.5 million. as you can see, we are quite busy in the construction is quite robust in san francisco. before you is three billion
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dollars in proposed projects that are currently on review by dbi. we hope to have most of these out in the next, four to six months. we have some very well known public projects and we have the cruise terminal. right now that is under construction and what we are reviewing is we are reviewing the last of the addendums and we are also reviewing the special inspections that we are preparing to sign-off on the special inspections and that is currently being done as we speak. we hope to have that done in a few more days. we also have transbay, high speed transit center that has been digging down for six months and it is down there on probably first and main. and they are putting in their heating systems and as we speak. we just gave them an addendum for their training boxes. and we will see if there is any
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transit that will go to them. and we just started work on central subway. we just received, yesterday i believe, for the removing the boring system out of the built in a theater in north beach. speaking to the city planning, this trend shows that no sign is slowing down as we probably have just as much as we have. the planning process is some what slower, but the volume is higher. so what you see is going to continue for the next year or two years. on the private side we have similar projects for 41 stories, 45 lancing that has been up and down for the last six years and finally going to build it. that is 39 stories, 8 washington. and just a lot of discussion going on with that and i don't know if they will build it. we have met with pec last week on that something about a side
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sewe r that is right next to the project that they are concerned with. we have 38 8th, street and 19 stories, 151 third street. which is the museum. that is a world renowned designer and that is going to come out story. and we have 781 bridge which is 16 stories and we have 1420 mission which is 8 stories. in the mid market area. and notable tenant improvement, the entire building of 1355 market street which has been taken over. and they just submitted. there has been a lot in the
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newspaper about 26 tower cranes and my estimation it will be at least 22 tower cranes and it is on the list here. and i will take any questions that you have on the projects. >> are you feeling confident that you are getting what you need to process these permits. i know that it is a loaded question. but, it is very important to us that you are going to be able to handle this. >> the acting director tom hewy foresaw this and if you remember the first wave of new employees that we got were engineers. and we picked up a believe, five engineers. and we are probably going to request two more. and the building inspecters, which we have not hired, and
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since, four or five years. the list are there and it is just down to the final interview process. so we hope to have them on the next two-months. we have got electricals inspecters and plumbing inspectors and they are doing more and more as we go on of the planning check process. so that will continue. so to your answer, president mccarthy is i believe that we have enough people in house right now or we are ready to hire them. so we should be ready. and you may remember that some of these projects are i will not say simple. but they will be out in the next six weeks and as we get more, it should not... it should maintain a certain level. >> and how is the actual plan check which you talked with and i know that you are involved in that. what is the time frame and are the other departments working well? and with regard to getting these plans out in a reasonable time? what is the expectancy time for
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the project its depends on the size of the project. what? >> there is no rule. it just depends on what is there. i mean, we are still trying for 90 percent over the counter on the fifth floor that is doing well. it is a little slow right now but it is the time of year, yesterday was very slow but we had an elevator down and the weather was bad. we are still averaging probably 110 permits out the door and over the counter services. and that is not, mentioning the electrical and plumbing permits. they go, they are all on the fifth floor but i don't keep track of them the same way. >> there is a large volume of that going on. that should probably pick up to 140, 150, at the peak in the summer time. as far as in-take, we seem to
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be just a couple of weeks to get a couple of weeks to get it assigned, and depending on the job size, and complexity, it can be back out anywhere within six weeks to six months. >> okay. for jobs such as the transbay, of course. >> yeah. >> it is going to take a long time. >> yeah. >> that is the addendum process. >> okay, all right. >> okay, is there any further questions for deputy director sweeny? >> seeing none? >> is there any public comments on items 8 a to 8 d of the director's report? >> seeing none, item 9? commissioners's questions and matters, 9 a, inquiry to staff, at this time, commissioners may make inquiry to staff regarding various documents, policies, practice and procedures, which are of interest to the commission.
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>> commissioner melgar you go first. >> so, i would like to for a future agenda, see if we could request the staff to come back in put together a real report on what a budget would look like to increase our automobile fleet purchasing electric cars. so since our last meeting in the report i did look into it a little bit. there are all sorts of incentives right now by the federal government. they just bill built out the auto industry. and there is 0 percent financing for electric vehicles, there is also sorts of states and fedsal incentives for their purchase right now. it seems like it would be great to take advantage of that. and you know, rather than being in the position of requesting waivers from the department of
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the environment for just maintaining the level of the vehicles that is not even adequate for the size of our inspectors, we could make a little progress on that. it seems to me that that would be a good use of our surplus funds. so in that report, specifically, adding to our vehicle fleet, replacing the ones that are obsolete and if we could also build in the cost of what the permit and we would need to have electric stations to plug in. that would be really great and then we could take it to the next step and work with the mayor's office and the board of supervisors to help us out and see if we could make that happen. >> okay. let's... sorry commissioner lee. >> i have two questions. it is my understanding that the mandatory seismic retrofit program is going to assign the task of writing the letter and composing the survey to the property owners is going to be
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assigned to our department. just wondering, may i see a copy of the letter in the survey at some point to see how we are communicating with these property owners? >> and then the second question is, what is our department's policy on requests for continuance and postponement of hearing? i am just wondering do we accept these up to a certain point? or can they come in at the last minute and then, how do we notify people that are interested on the topic that there has been a request for a postponement? because if they come in on the last minute, how do we do that and so on and so forth? >> you don't have to answer me now, i just like to know what it is. >> commissioner. >> so i know, i may have mentioned this to president mccarthy earlier, an agenda that i wanted to put out was
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our pass in the housing in terms of tenant complaint. so i would like eye report from staff on just, our nlu, that we have now, what is our 40, because i understand that most of the complaints or most of the housing violations are advisory and so we work with the hud star and we say that this needs to be fixed and i think that we take it by their word that it is fixed. but if they follow up, for example, would there be a follow up inspection to make sure that was fixed i think that in population because the mayor obviously is going to be making some changes with that housing is i want to just be kind of prepared in terms of any additional work as i mentioned before that would not only fall in our department, but also in our partners in the community.
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if that then become quasiprivate or non-profit, then it does fall on us to then, to make sure that any complaints are followed up on. >> commissioner walker. >> a couple of things, i think that an aagenda item updating on the notice of violations in the notice of process, and also, maybe a staff report regarding the funding issues that we talked about regarding code enforcement and maybe some recommended moves forward on that. just a point of clarification there, commissioner walker, would that be something that deputy levan would put together separate from the novs? >> yeah. that would be separate from the report on the novs, right? >> yes. >> the violations. >> yes. >> now is there... commissioner? >> if i could modify that just a little. >> sure. >> it seems that is also starts
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with this code enforcement so it would be miss levon and miss bosky because there are processes that they have abandoned or have not been followed for a while to make that happen. >> exactly. >> and the key for me i know that the novs we should be able to facilitate. >> the items is what i am hearing. >> there are two separate. i am just hoping is that another time for the deputy levan to put something like that together? i am not saying the next meeting necessarily, but i think that we need to establish the beginning and we put it out there and if it is ready it is ready it is ready. >> if not... >> and is there anything, any other items commissioners? seeing none. >> item 9 b, future meetings and agendas, at this time the commission may discuss and take action to set the date of a special meeting and or determine those items that could be placed on the ago ahead and answer da of the next meeting and future meetings of
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the building inspection commission. >> okay. what is the next day? >> the next regularly skeled meet sg march 20th. >> and i probably will not be here. so, i want to ask commissioners, if we could, i would like to be here for the meeting is there another date? >> i really have an issue with moving our regular meeting date. >> okay. >> i guess, one item to consider is that at the next meeting we are going to have the election of officers and we wanted to try to have everyone here as possible and all commissioners present. >> yeah >> and so that will be the goal. so, could we weigh in this? or maybe the secretary, you know? but by next month we need to have agreed on the new... >> typically we are supposed to hear the item in february or march, you know, according to... i think that it is in our rules that we are supposed to