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MINUTES OF THE
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY FACILITY COMMISSION
MEETING WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 – 6:00 PM
ALEX L. PITCHER, JR. COMMUNITY ROOM, 1800 OAKDALE AVENUE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
1.0 CALL TO ORDER
Commission Vice-Chair Louise C. Jones called the Wednesday, September 23, 2009 meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. in the Alex L. Pitcher Community Room at 1800 Oakdale Avenue. Commissioner Jones read the Sunshine Ordinance.
1.1 ROLL CALL
6:05 p.m. Commission Secretary – Carla Vaughn
Commissioners Present: Jones, Brown, Sampson, Churchwell, Yang
Commissioners Excused: Kennedy, Chung
Staff Present: Toye Moses, Executive Director
Ken Olivencia, Management Assistant
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary
1.2 CONSENT CALENDAR
Commission Vice-Chair Louise C. Jones announced the Consent Calendar.
It was moved by Commissioner Churchwell and seconded by Commissioner Sampson to accept the minutes of Thursday, September 10, 2009. The minutes were approved.
2.0 PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Al Yates, Vice-President Student Association, Southeast Campus, City College of San Francisco reported the campus was closed through the summer due to budget cuts. However, when the fall semester started a popular computer repair class was eliminated without notice. Also, a neighboring fashion and design class was moved to the Evans Campus without notice to the students. The student association contacted Chancellor Griffin to express their concern. There has been no response from the Chancellor’s office, the Board of Trustee’s or the Facilities Commission.
Director Moses suggested the item be calendared for the next commission meeting.
3.0 COMMUNICATIONS
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary announced the following:
a) Press Release: Mayor Newsom Announces Pilot Program To Improve Transit And Pedestrian Conditions On Market Street
b) Press Release: Mayor Newsom Announces SFO’s Terminal 2 Reaches Construction Milestone As Last I-Beam Installed
c) Memorandum: Mandatory Harassment Prevention Training
d) Press Release: Mayor Newsom Welcomes Fotowatio, One Of The World’s Largest Independent Solar Power Producers, To San Francisco
e) Press Release: Mayor Gavin Newsom And Jennifer Seibel Newsom Celebrate Birth Of Baby Daughter
f) Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Filipino American community request the pleasure of your company at the Filipino American History Month Kick Off Celebration
4.0 PRESENTATION
Vice-Chair Jones introduced Mr. Henry Alvarez, III, Executive Director of San Francisco Housing Authority.
Mr. Alvarez said the Housing Authority was working on becoming more transparent. He provided the website address which is www.sfha.org, where most departmental materials are located.
Mr. Alvarez reported $18 million dollars in stimulus money was received by the Housing Authority for capital projects. The money has been spent primarily in the BayView district. The primary focus of the money was to restore vacant units. Much of the restoration has been done in Hunters View, Potrero Hill, Sunnydale, and Alice Griffin. $8 million dollars was spent just in the redevelopment of Hunters View and Hunters Point alone. Over the last 14 months the housing wait list has been purged. There are approximately 30,000 people waiting for housing in San Francisco. For a long time housing units were languishing, vacant with debris, etc. 547 of those units have been rehabilitated in the last 12 to 14 months, at the rate of 45 units a month.
BayView residents and program participants echo the need for jobs. The Housing Authority has created a number of job opportunities primarily during the summer. Thirty jobs were created through the stimulus funding mostly for residents. The Earth Steward Program at the Sheriff’s farm provided jobs to 50 youth, residents of Housing Authority properties, who learned how to farm. The summer lunch program with the Department of Children, Youth and Families hired 44 individuals, youth and adult. One of the more significant products being used to do resident hiring is the Concierge product. In senior buildings instead of using security officers the Housing Authority security are being trained to be concierges. If a resident needs someone to open their door, bring up groceries, or assist with carrying laundry to their unit, the concierge will comply.
In July 2008 when Mr. Alvarez arrived in the Bay Area much of the public housing was in a deplorable state. Mr. Alvarez is proud of the improvements. The Mayor’s Initiative for HopeSF and the initiative to transform the approximate 2,500 units that are primarily located in the BayView will start with Hunters View. The City and County of San Francisco and the Mayor seeded this product with $95 million dollars. The Housing Authority will leverage that and it will amount to approximately $1 billion dollars, and with that there will be an immeasurable number of jobs. Hunters View will be in the neighborhood of $450 million dollars just for the first phase redevelopment of the upper side of the hill that looks out over the Bay. There are 275 units being developed for Hunters View, 136 units for Westside Courts, 606 units for Potrero Annex, and 770 units for Sunnydale. Much of this work will be commencing no later than January 2010. HUD has approved the disposition of 100 new products and the relocation of families on site has begun and is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Groundbreaking is anticipated for early January 2010.
Mr. Alvarez provided a recap stating the process was started in May 2009 when HUD approved the demolition and disposition.
In July the San Francisco Housing Commission voted on the master agreement to have this development started by the John Stewart Company. In July many of the families affected by the rebuild in Hunters View were temporarily relocated and $6 million dollars of stimulus money was given to affect the underground utilities which will amount to approximately $35 million dollars and reposition much of the antiquainted sewer, water, gas, electric, internet connections, etc. It is anticipated that in October of this year the first series of bonds will be issued from the City and County totaling $95 million which will allow an aggressive start of the first phase of the HopeSF process. In addition, $30 million has been received from the State as well as a $1 million dollar grant in getting predevelopment started. In the end 2,500 units in the BayView will be affected. This is envisioned as a 10 year process that will reposition these units as some of the most economic opulence of public housing in the country.
Commissioner Brown asked if residents would be returned to the same area they were moved from.
Mr. Alvarez said all families would be relocated on site and any families unable to be accommodated on site would be allowed without exception to return to the newly developed Hunters View.
Commissioner Churchwell had a question regarding the jobs and training for the jobs.
Mr. Alvarez responded the majority of positions will occur from the construction activity, some will be laborers, and some will be part of the City and County apprenticeship program. Currently much of the work is confined to representative labor however, within the next 18-24 months or so when the economy picks up the apprenticeship programs will move forward.
Commissioner Churchwell asked if the developers had been chosen.
Mr. Alvarez responded the John Stewart Company is doing Hunters View, Mercy is doing Sunnydale, Bridge Housing is doing Portreo, and M. Johnson Interest is doing Westside Courts.
Director Moses thanked Mr. Alvarez for the work being done and had questions regarding the physical audit and asked what could be done to raise the current scores.
Mr. Alvarez’s response was the units with the lowest scores were ones that did not receive initial upgrades as they were the first units scheduled for redevelopment and the scores would be changing soon to reflect that.
Commissioner Sampson asked if the jobs generated with stimulus money would be continued when the stimulus money ran out.
Mr. Alvarez said as the business model and operations improved the hope would be to maintain the summer youth programs, but for the moment there is a large State stimulus package for TANF that is called JobsNow and the Housing Authority will engage and draw down that money. The concierge product will be in place indefinitely and will provide an opportunity for career growth for participants.
Ms. Espanola Jackson, community activist and historian shared information regarding the first public housing units in the area.
Dr. Harrison, community activist, Ms. Ruby Walker, community college, and Tony Caruso, concerned citizen, had comments regarding the process.
Regarding the ability of current residents to move back to the community Mr. Alvarez stated that as long as the rules of the community were upheld, tenants would be allowed to return.
Mr. Alvarez said the Section-8 program has not been available since the year 2000. However, the public housing list remains open.
Commissioner Brown had questions regarding crime in the area.
Mr. Alvarez noted crimes were often committed by those outside of the community and random criminal activity has been minimized. Also, security and police presence have been increased.
Commission Vice-Chair Louise C. Jones thanked Mr. Alvarez for his presentation.
5.0 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
Commissioner Jones reported that the Outreach Committee decided to make arrangements for Commissioners to attend the Back to School parent meetings at all elementary schools and Willie Brown Academy. Some schools had already had their parent meetings when contacted.
Because of mixed communications, one of the two schools attended was not represented by a Commissioner.
The Outreach presentation was provided by the school principal at Drew Elementary school and Commissioner Jones presented at Carver Elementary to approximately 60 parents and caregivers.
6.0 FACILITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Vice-Chair Jones reported the Facilities Committee at their meeting on September 22, 2009 voted to accept the 5 year lease between City College (tenant) and the City and County of San Francisco (landlord) upon the recommendation of the full Southeast Community Facility Commission and to calendar the item until October 8 when it could receive a full vote.
7.0 HEALTH & HOUSING COMMITTEE REPORT
Vice-Chair Jones reported she met with the school principals. Their early
involvement in the process was necessary to ensure the success of the Health Fair.
Commissioner Jones provided an overview of the September 18th meeting. The
date for the Community Health Fair was set for May 22, 2010. There will be a
community meeting on October 9, 2009 at 1 pm.
8.0 STAFF/DIRECTOR REPORT
Executive Director Toye Moses reported the base budget would be available at
the next Commission meeting.
Ken Olivencia, Management Assistant reported the HeadStart play area was 98% completed. The abatement is almost done. The sand, lawn area, foliage and dirt have been replaced. An update will be provided at the next Commission meeting.
Ms. Espanola Jackson, community activist had comments regarding the need for the Public Utilities Commission to provide more funding to support the various activities of the Commission and her request for the Public Utilities Commission to visit the community. She said the PUC would be in the community on October 13th.
9.0 SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STAFF REPORT AND UPDATES
Sam Murray, Director of Outreach for the Southeast Sector, SFPUC announced
the SFPUC had been monitoring the neighborhood park for usage by the children while their play area was being cleaned.
Mr. Murray announced the “Big Blue Bucket Event” sponsored by the Public Utilities Commission on October 26 at 10 am. Mr. Murray thanked the Commissioners who attended the Digester Task Force meetings.
Mr. Greg Mayer, SFPUC announced the compost giveaway.
10 NEW BUSINESS REQUESTS
There was a request from City College representatives to calendar the issue of
the closing of the popular computer repair class without notice.
There is a request from Chair Kennedy to discuss the New Neighbor Mural Project at the next Commission meeting.
11 PUBLIC COMMENT
Ms. Espanola Jackson announced her home was almost completed and she would be returning to the neighborhood.
Torrance Scales, BayView resident, voiced a complaint regarding his experience with an internship through Global Exchange.
Ms. Espanola Jackson responded and encouraged Mr. Scales to attend the SFPUC meeting to be held in the community on October 13th.
12 ANNOUNCEMENT
Vice-Chair Jones announced the Senior Survival School scheduled for October/November where seniors could learn about available services and their rights. This workshop is sponsored by the Network for Elders and Aging and the Disability Resource Center. For more information call Sarah at (415) 703-0188 extension 302.
13 ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:24 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary
