. >> welcome to the regular april meeting of san francisco ethics commission take roll commissioner vice president andrews sxhoorn supervisor malia cohen it's my understanding that commissioner hur is in a cab in route from the airport because of a detailed flight he'll be here within the next thirty minutes as a result i'm going to first call item 2 and then i'm going to skip down to item 5 and item 3 actually in connection with item 20 consent agenda are considered by

the board to be routine and will be enacted by one resolution in the form or forms listed below. >> do you want to finish the roll call. >> you finished the roll call. >> i believe so. >> i'm sorry for the interruption in as far as item 2 the public comment appearing or not appearing open the agenda i'm raised the question whether or not that it was required under any ordinance are status that that be the first item in the 3 years i've been on the commission it always had been been is item but it strict me it in some ways seemed to be not in the proper place for purposes of the meeting the mean of that so that it will be my intention and under the bylaws ii have at right to set the agenda

it will be mike my attention intention to put that in different places depending on the agenda items but so it but it not be as a regular course the first matter if there are public comment you can make what your comes are if, if you think their bad ideas but my sense i thought about the public comments are more helpful after many of the agenda items have been covered then they are that he very beginning when theirs nothing in front of the public but given that i will entertain public comments if anyone has them. >> good evening david speaking on a individual on the point you've race commissioner renne in my experience this commission has had public comment we had it

at the beginning and end for people to have an opportunity to speak at the end it did extent items not on the agenda arguably it maintains makes sense to get it out of the commission and other commissions have it at the beginning and end or whatever your your purview of the bylaws and one other thing when the commission has a number of closed sessions if you put it at the end of the agenda it burdens people to may i wait. >> i'm sure you i won't put it behind closed session then e people have to come back. >> there you go thank you very much. >> good evening, commissioners i'm larry bush from friends of

itself we're asking you to take up the issue of run starting reporting of expenditure lobbies that's been part of san francisco lobbying ordinance up in nodding it was arltd in a meeting of 2009 and went into effect in 2010 it went into effect they chanthd the definition of a lobbyist a person that makes a contact to city hall people are contacting the public then city hall and so as the result of the change of definition the expenditure lobbyists westbound dropped we'll be happen happy to work on that we hope it exists in jurisdictions like san diego and for the commissioners to put it on the november bottle it serves many purposes there are

this kind of outreach to the public and reaching babe back to city hall, and, secondly, it will sort of reboot the commission for the commission putting things on the ballot and moves towards greater transcripts this was something the commission took up in july of 2013 where commissioner hayon was the commissioner president but the civil grand jury endorsed this step in june of 2014 i was a member of that jury and when the commissioner heard the civil grand jury report they wanted to take into account it but foster down the calendar of things you have on our plate we're urging it be moved you have indian from talking with the city attorney's office to

have until july 30th 3 full commission meetings to thrush out the problems that meetings needs to be addressed in terms of the legal language we implemented a poll inch provided to the commissioners and the world and the purpose of the poll was the commission raised the question of whether or not there's a public sentiment for action on varies or various items there's an action to disclose the influence of money on city hall and there's at this point, a approval rating if the public the ethics commission work on that as you recall as voters get to the congress that's not a high rating so thank you. >> i note that friends of ethics and the grand jury

delivered to us a communication setting forth that request and at the end of this session i intend to act on it to a certainty extent part of the problem you put such a load on the staff thus far of redrafting and drafting things which i think we're moving forward on wu with a notice of special meetings on some of the things it is a limit how much we can get done by july 31st it maybe put over into the invocation cycle it is 2015 but. >> i agree this commission is much more forward leading in the past year and priority more information to the public and doing a better job we choose

this topic to be a clean shot it is reinstating something that guess part of the law the commission took it up earlier of all the things we could have chosen that was the low hanging fruit if we have a lower hanging fruit well - >> thank you. >> i'm bob plant hold i'm also a regional member of the friends of mists and a ethics commissioner, i want to echo you're calling a measure of expenditure for lobbyists on the bottle i want to give an example if you go back to the mark packet there was different categories of people to be considered for audit you noticed in one category there was a statement that from july 4, '26 airbnb

spent one thousand $4 an lobbying and had thirty visits now multiple appearances by people on behalf of airbnb legislation onto the code committee are the building inspection commission at the various on-line other commissions two or three hearings to the board of supervisors and multiple hearings for people were present that makes you wonder weren't there expenditures by lobbyists to get people out to print the material and do any of the work to generate the numbers of people and the numbers of times i'm suggesting that's the basis i'm glad to her want you're talking meetings years ago when in was fissure staff we i was on

the commission we had military meetings during the course of several months there you are more public hearing rooms in this city hall then people know room 43 in the basement and hearing room in the back of 408 i'm not sure if is 408 but one time we had that room available crowded yes but room for the public and. i want you to understand that i applaud your mentioning specialometers you need to consider on the topic of pending legislation and possible ballot measures but expenditure lobbying by airbnb data you have austin ought to make you say let's look at this thank you

>> good afternoon, commissioners i'm charley i've been attend many of the meetings since 97 i'll speak on the last point of expenditure lobbyists there was a discussion that was dropped or deleted in not and some disagreement among the commission at that point on this issue i hope it is recalendar is he we can talk about that again i noticed expenditure rather receipts for registration of lobbyists is running twoisz that which was budgeted in mr. sincroy's budget my greetings to militia by the way, i was going to say that's an indication business it up and that it bears time this is a good time to look at the question of expenditure lobbying because my guess we are going to see the whole gamete of lobbying

forms now we have so many lobbyists in the city i wanted to mention previously when we looked at a new executive officer you held a prior discussion to public could come forward and make suggestions we have a number of commissioners step forward and mr. steiner for the center of governmental study this is a useful experience you want to keep in mind i'm sure you'll do that as a matter ever course and i also wanted to advocate again something that the previous commission has in fact advocated be done and that's to get a board rule change you have the ability to place our legislation before the board of supervisors under our own

authority you mean i mean, you have a unique position on the charter to take your information to the ballot as a result, you should have that before the board carry our own legislation and not get caught in an unfortunate event and things like board politics have, in fact, come up in the past so i don't think we want to necessarily step into that if we have an option to availed thank you for your time. >> hi i just wanted to quickly echo the 3 gentlemen that came before me that is important to enact the legislation and as mentioned about the low hanging

fruit to reestablish by putting it on the ballot there seeped to next year and it will be a sign that good faith so thank you. >> commissioners my name is bob i was open the commission from 496 to 2000 during which time ethics commission put two legislation open is ballot he with a good reputation historically i want to look at restating the expenditures that influences the public and the supervisors and other elected officials that isn't directly

through the lobbyist it is difficult because there's so many venues to lobby not only print you've got the internet there the internet and it is sort of an insidious sort of way of passing legislation and influencing legislation when you look at all the various paths which people or corporations or special interests can try to influence public opinion and it would be tremendous amazes u amounts of money and transparent who is laying this money out to influence our elected officials thank you very much. >> thank you. >> my name is paula i'd like to

supply background of david till peel apart from what probably will happen at night meeting bill is a member of the sunset task force a history of come to ethics month to month and present himself a member of the public but supplying background information he's gotten an actual member on the sunshine task force there were 4 ethics complaints for testifying here before the ethics commission on well fossil fuel newly violations without a written violation from the office of the city clerk over and over the ethics commission opener on june it would be your duty 2015 and

june 22nd, 2014, and august 2015 he complained to be a private citizen it speaks as a member of the sunshine task force there was another complaint filed against him for his failure to file the form seven hundred on march 122014 i've reviewed the audio and videotape for the past two years of the notice of violation hearing bill has a long-standing history of standing up here and enter jefferson county himself into matters with no personal acknowledge yet planning to be a private citizen before the sunshine task force he's 2ru79d me repeatedly awhile i introduced cases and preconceived notations before the complaint is started and

provides misleading information to others on several cases recused on previous cases before my recuse means leave the room he would sit in the audience and chatter with the commission representative he's not allowed to do that hose been disciplined repeatedly by the members and said on this record he's spreptd really this guy is out of control thank you. >> if the record could reflect that commissioner hur has arrived. >> my apologies i had a late flight and had to take another one. >> any other public comment? >> good evening. i'm doug i

got permissions to come down down instead of watching what's going on in baltimore i want to thank the condominium conversions for scheduling item 6 and my opinion and others it is long over due to refresh your memory on history many people that kept saying i am just following orders unfortunately, that was never approved as a defense for what ever happens in government so it should not be used in this case in my opinion when you get out of the shower and you look at yourselves in a full length mirror ask yours how much honest do i see from head to dough if

you can't answer that don't be in a position with ethic i look behind me i don't see tony hall or anothers it is unnecessary for them to come by the fact that item 6 is on tonight agenda says it all fourth for the record i'd like to pose concern questions and see how their answered in the near future and then we'll see how ethical there's a public corruptions office fbi and san francisco feel free they don't charge for any of their services and number two item number 6 is it any way form or shape way connected to

the re-election of mayor ed lee? number 3 when we deal with the replacement we should ask yours it is better than the previous person and if you can't answer yes. you shouldn't hire the next person and number 4 many people in san francisco have told me reneed to bring someone under the outdoor who has no influence in san francisco basically what that means no one will have influence on the new executive officer and if you need reversals there's plenty of people inside of city hall that will make suggestions there's a person in washington, d.c. that might be looking for a new job next year thank you.

>> good evening, commissioners i'm mark i'm a friend itch ethics i want to ask you to put the expenditure lobbyist measure on the bottles we've seen the public support and urban precedent you amounts of money in san francisco to try to change the rules of individual actresses to make a lot of money and with the friends of ethics i got polled by airbnb a 25 minute push pole things are competitive so the money is out there it is your job to figure out how to scale the public knowledge when i share the complains there's not enough money carlene there was money to prosecute carolyn

lee we fined less than $500 when it came time to deal with tony hall and the political demands were put on the commission by power to go on and shawn was able to evade a challenger when people with power ask the commission to hub to they find the resources when this measure was repealed 5 years ago there was not a matter of can the staff handle this you opened the barn doors a new the animals have skieptd in the keep so when we hear there's not enough resources take the resource and give to the definitely city attorney's office to approve and this is the lowest of allowing

low low hanging fruit is where you're standing is it is there because you had not do what you're supposed to do as well the commission needs to take the pole in stride to deal with when the addresses this government is for sale you buy the government the rolls are changed in our favor i get to make a lot of money for san franciscans that's why you have the power to put measures on the ballot we need you to do this this year. >> is there any public comment? in view the fact not a full commission i'll go back to the original agenda and item number 3 is discussion and possible

action regarding the for if you are letters to senator leno on december 9, 2014, and i just there maybe some who are curious how this gets back on the agenda when a similar item was on the agenda in march meeting mr. sutton representing mr. farrell and the complainants called and asked me how it got put on the back on the agenda i told them what i told him to everybody understand what we intend to do tonight that this matter was on the agenda and

noxious of the discusses a request was made to the commission that the forfeiture letter westbound waved which lead to comments and discussions about what was the normal practice of the commission in connection with the waiver of forfeiture letters in the normal course the way it was handled by the staff and the executive officer either issuing the waiver or denying the waiver the matter was dropped never a vote at the march meeting of the commission whether they wanted to handled in that same way and so after that meeting ended and i had a discussion with

executive director about the procedure and whether or not the commission should be the one to make the decision rather than he he and it shouldn't be a burden on him i was also advised one the commissioners took a strong position that it was the commission that should decide whether or not the forfeiture letter to be waved or whether any other action taken against supervisor farrell bans that i told the executive director i didn't want him to send the letter out to respond to the request on the waiver that i wanted to put back on the agenda and at tonight noting it is the purpose of this item on the agenda is for the commission to deal with the

question is who they want to grant the waiver or somehow deal with the forfeiture letter whether any other action or whether they want to close the matter for a number of reasons so that is it with that introduction i'll open to discussion but i view it two questions and their contained both in the letter the craft letter that the staff has filed and one is whether or not the forfeiture letter should be waived and whether the matter should be closed so with that i will ask if any commissioners questions or comments. >> excuse me. i have to recuse myself before the discussion.