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tv   [untitled]    June 8, 2014 4:30pm-5:01pm PDT

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it's imperative that you fill all the seats today. make your recommendations today and show the task force. thank you. >> any other public comments at this moment for this item? seeing none, public comment is now closed. >> something raised a question on seat for four in regards to the applicant, can you get some clarification on that on whether the person -- >> the sunshine ordinance provides this seat shall be held by a journalist by an ethnic news organization. i see two documents from topra. the form 700 suggests
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that he received income from india west, a news organization, there's an e-mail to the committee that suggest that that's a former employer. the person holding the seat must be currently employed by a news organization. it might be worth continuing that seat so you can get some clarification from the candidate. >> thank you for the clarification. let me make a few comments before i turn it over to my colleagues. we had a meeting on this item last time and there were a couple of issues that occurred. one was not having a full committee and there wasn't any further agreement with other candidates. then there was nothing i was able
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to do except i could have done two things. one is to start all over or two, what i did was duplicate the file so people don't have to reapply and go through everything again, so i choose a latter so we can move this item. the other issue that came up was the issue of diversity from the last meeting. and so in -- actually doing what we did, it gave an opportunity for people to try to seek out further diversity. i was actually kind of happy to see that there was one new applicant who happened to be ethnically diverse. i could
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have said, oh, well. let's continue the item until we have some diversity. i personally made a commitment to bring it back on this date. the other thing i want to mention is i'm going to ask that we continue one of the seats. one of the incumbrance for that seat has reapplied, but we couldn't get it on the agenda in time, so we could have or have this item be heard in the next meeting but i said let's get as many as we can. so bruce oj has reapplied. >> yes, we received bruce's application yesterday. >> i would like to ask that we continue seat 11. so the rest of it, i'll listen to my colleagues. supervisor tang. >> sure. i really want to
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thank all the applicants for coming back here again. i think -- i'm not going to repeat the issues brought up at the last meeting and i don't think it's fair to hold this committee on what has happened on the past. and yee has done everything he could to bring you back. we tried not to delay it further. i know supervisor campos and i don't always agree on issues but we didn't have the full compliment of the committee last time so i'm glad he was able to join us today. after following last week's rules committee, i received more information that brought to light more - addressing more of the concerns we raised so i appreciate that and that was really the time being that we needed to get some more information. some of the information or some of the issues that i had raised at the last meeting
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stems from my work previously. i was the lead staffer in the office that was assigned to the sunshine task force when their issues are brought up to our office so attended the meetings and handled some of the sunshine request so my issues were brought up and having to stay around, waited for meetings to happen until 9:00 at night and be told that i would to come back and attend another meeting and not knowing if i would be heard on the agenda. my concerns were about process and making sure it's fair for the task force members and the respondents. at one point in my life, i spent time be a journalist. when all the work you do, you personally understand and so i think that many of you because i am currently in government role, i respect
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journalist and what you need to do to get a story out there. i'm not going to rehash the issues i raised last time, but i want to thank the lee voters. i speak to you and your commitment to seeking or encouraging mentor ship for future applicants, so thank you for that. with that today, after the additional conversations and information, i am prepared to move forward the following applicants. mark, for seat one. ally for seat two. i think we have to continue seat four, allison wash burn for five. as for seats seven and nine, i would be fine with any of the candidates mr. martin or hef ner, so really we'll seek to hear from the rest of the committee members. and i think that's the last remaining one that's chair yee
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mentioned, mr. bruce occa, if he has reapplied, i would happy reconsider for seat 11. >> supervisor campos. >> thank you mr. chair and thank you to my colleagues on the committee. and i certainly understand and appreciate the perspective. just for the record, i wasn't here last time that this committee met because i had a long standing commitment that i had made to the workers of united local two who are fighting a very anti- worker management company that is running two hotels in san francisco and the reason i wasn't here is because i was meeting with workers and the board of directors of that company to plead with them to treat these workers with
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respect and dignity. so my apologies for not being here. there's different perspectives for the board of supervisors, but what everything think was the inner working of an agency, that once you have an agency that was created through a ballot measure which means by the will of the voters, that ear restrictive of what we think about the inner working of that organization, we have a responsibility to make sure we follow the will of the voters and that we follow the requirements of the law that the voters passed and in this case, i believe that the san francisco board of supervisors has been in violation of the sunshine task force ordinance that was passed by the voters of san
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francisco. and i speak as someone who has appeared before the sunshine task force and at times has not agreed with the findings and rulings, but when we take an oath to serve these, we vow to follow the laws. i think that the fact and i appreciate that you want to have a full compliment of committee before you act, but i think that the fact that this task force has not had the number of members to insure that they can actually meet and to have a quorum and not only the functionality of having the minimum for a quorum, but having enough members so if there is an item
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before the task force, you don't have to have a super majority to decide it because it was never the intent of the voters to have or require super majority. it's about following not only the letter but also the spirit of the sunshine task force ordinance. and to me, it is truly mind boggle especially with the appointments and the recommendations by the society of professional journalist and but the new california media and by the women voters that those nominations were not forwarded and i respect the perspective and i respect there's a different opinion, but i think it's really sad that that didn't happen. especially given the caliber and the quality of the people who it put forward. i value diversity and i think it's important to have tie versity and --
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important to have diversity. these positions have been vacant for a long time and if we cared about that diversity, we could have spent months trying to recruit people and find people to apply for those positions but when people come before us, we have to especially when these positions are vacant, i think we have to move quickly on them. so i'm going to make it a former motion and let me say that with respect to seat four, topra, i think it makes sense given what the city attorney said to continue that, but let me take the ones where i think there is an agreement first and then take the motions
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as some of these other issues come up, so my understanding is that we're all already to move with mark for seat one. we're willing to move with ally winston for seat two, that we are willing to move with seat number five, allison wash burn for the league of women voters. and that we would -- we agree to continue seat number four at this point. that's my initial motion. my understanding is we're all in agreement on those, is that correct? >> i realize -- there might be one more which is josh wolf. >> for seat three. speaker: supervisor tang forgot to mention the name.
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>> because i'm prepared to support wolf as well. so it's one, two, three, and five and then continuing four. so that be would my initial motion. i have another motion, but that's my initial motion. >> okay. let's take that motion for. >> mr. chair, i would suggest you duplicate the hearing file so we can move those seats first and then continue the other seats. speaker: i duplicate the file. >> okay. so move to duplicate the file and move forward seats, one, two, three, five, and then continue four. >> and then there might be some other -- >> yes. >> -- motions. >> i have another motion. >> okay. is that acceptable?
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okay. so there's been a motion and there's no objection, so that motion passes where we have mark for seat one, and ally seat two, john wolf, seat three, allison wash burn, seat five. and to continue seat four. >> yes. >> okay. motion passes. thank you. >> if i may add with respect -- >> sorry. >> with respect to the remaining three seats, seven, nine, and eleven, i would like to have a discussion about that, but i will sort of say where i am. i appreciate the point about with respect to seat number eleven continuing that
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seat, but i want to be very clear. i really think it's important for us to move quickly on that appointment and the individual that you would be continuing that item for who i guess has applied and would come back just spoke here and basically said that he's supportive of someone who is already before us and that's bruce wolf, and so i have a great deal of respect for bruce occa and i know he has done a great deal of work, not only on the mta before the sunshine task force, but the sunshine task force, but i think he's right that bruce wolf brings to the table the kinds of background, qualification and expertise that you want, and i say this as someone who, you know, has disagreed with him at times including a disagreement with him and members as to if they
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can ignore the charter and to the extent they were allowed to do that, but i do believe he'll be an important and a really critical edition. i also feel and i would hope that there is agreement with mr. highland who i think has done a pretty remarkable presentation and i've appealed before that task force and i know he's conscientious and he works hard and then i've spoken about him before. i think that lee hef ner brings all of the qualities that you want to see and so my selection for the three -- for seat seven, nine, and eleven would be lee, mr. highland for seat nine and then bruce for seat eleven. okay. >> do i make that motion? >> you can make a motion.
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>> okay. >> let me -- i'm looking at what supervisor tang said earlier and also i just want to be clear. we're all clear that bruce wolf is applying for two seats, nine, and eleven and he qualifies for nine and eleven, so i don't want to make it seem like he can only buy from seat eleven. what i'm hearing from common ground is i would like to weigh in with lee hefner, also. and chris highland and continue
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eleven, so for lee hefner and chris highland, it sounds like all of us are in agreement. >> i amend my motion to say that we move forward lee hefner for seat seven and chris highland for seat nine and i'll amend it to leave seat eleven out so we can have a conversation about that. >> so there's been a motion for seat seven and nine for hefner and highlander with no objection, that motion passes. so there's -- so far we're continuing seat four and i ask to continue seat 11, so i'll make a motion to continue seat 11. >> want a role call vote on that. >> is there any comments? no.
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>> let's do role call. >> i want to make the point, again, i have a great deal of respect for bruce, but bruce himself came here and testified about the importance of moving on the application of bruce wolf. and i think that, you know, we have to take his comments at face value and again, i think it's really imperative that we have as full compliment of this task force moving forward as possible and i have yet to hear why we're not moving on an application that is before us when the individual is clearly qualified, so i just for the record, it's not that i'm against bruce occa being on this task force, but bruce occa himself has talked about the importance of moving on the
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application of bruce wolf. >> mr. chairman, appointment -- >> excuse me. supervisor campos. >> i do want to ask a question about that. my understanding, mr. city attorney, i'm blanking on your name here, is that at some point the city attorney actually did advise to sunshine task force that they needed a disabled person to be on the task force and they could not meet without that. is that correct? >> deputy city attorney tom. >> it has been a long week, guys, sorry.
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>> as dr. kur mentioned, the sunshine ordinance requires that the sunshine ordinance task have separate attorney and on most matters are generally that that attorney cannot confer with other attorneys in the office. i believe -- i have -- i did not speak with that attorney at the time about the advice that was given. at that time i believe the attorney for the task force advised that there was a risk that the task force would be in violation of the ordinance if it continued to meet and i believe the task force chose not to meet. currently my understanding is that mr. occa who meets the physical disability requirement as holding over, so that issue is not -- it wouldn't be raised by a
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continuance. >> i understand that there were four meetings -- i'm sorry. >> you had your opportunity to speak in public -- >> this is serious. this needs to be cleared up somehow. >> so in response to my question, it seems that you are saying that a deputy city attorney did advise the sunshine task force that there could be a risk with a task meeting without a disabled member serving on that task force, is that correct? >> that is correct. our offices have general advice with -- when the seats aren't filled, the bodies can continue to meet and do their business and the board's obligation is to make reasonable efforts to fill all the seats. at the time that the task forces
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attorney gave the advice that you're referring to, i believe there was an open seat but no disabled member on the task force and that is why the task force opted not to meet during that period until the board appointed mr. occa. >> again, i think that this confirms the point, right, that be have at some point the office of the city attorney advising this task force if they meet, they would be in violation and what i'm saying is that i think that we have to be as cautious as we can and that we have to follow not only the letter, but also the spirit of the law and i think the spirit of what's in the letter and what the voters wanted was to make sure that a member of the disabled community was represented. at this point, we're talking about an applicant who is
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qualified, bruce wolf who happens to be a member of that community, and so that's why i think it's important for us to move forward with his application and approve that nomination -- that application today. thank you. >> so let's have a role call. >> do you want to role call vote on continuing seat 11 or filling. speaker: just a motion. >> on the motion to continue seat 11. >> campus. >> no. >> tang. >> aye. >> yee. >> aye. >> we have two aye and one no. >> motion passes. so are we finished. >> mr. chair, before going forward we need to waive the residency requirement for alley. >> we need a waiver requirement for -- >> seat number three. >> just one, right? >> so moved. >> for winston. any
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objections? seeing none, motion passes. >> and so for the original motion, that will be recommended as a committee report. >> yes. >> and then the second duplicated file to the call of the chair or a date certain. >> let's do -- we'll have it within the next two meetings. >> but it will be continued to the call of the chair. >> yes. >> madam clerk, any other items? >> that concludes our business for today. >> meeting adjourned.
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