2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 APPROVED
MINUTES OF THE
SOUTHEAST COMMUNITY FACILITY COMMISSION
MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2008 – 6:00 PM
ALEX L. PITCHER, JR. COMMUNITY ROOM, 1800 OAKDALE AVENUE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124
1.0 CALL TO ORDER
Commission President Bobbrie Brown called the Wednesday, May 28, 2008 meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Alex L. Pitcher Community Room at 1800 Oakdale Avenue.
1.1 ROLL CALL
6:04 p.m. Commission Secretary – Carla Vaughn
Commissioners Present: Brown, Churchwell, Jones, Kennedy, Sampson, Chung
Commissioners Excused: None
Staff Present: Toye Moses, Executive Director
Joseph Singh, Management Assistant
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary
1.2 SUNSHINE ORDINANCE ANNOUNCEMENT
AND CONSENT CALENDAR
Commission President Bobbrie Brown welcomed all present and announced the Sunshine Ordinance and the Consent Calendar.
Commissioner Jones moved to accept the consent calendar. Commissioner Churchwell seconded the motion.
2.0 PUBLIC COMMENT
Dr. Harrison Parker, community activist, thanked Sam Murray and the PUC for the excellent work they’ve done over the past few years sponsoring and co-sponsoring many programs for the benefit of the Bay View Hunter’s Point Community.
Chair Bobbrie Brown thanked Mr. Parker.
Sam Murray, PUC Communications, thanked Dr. Parker for his comments. He also thanked Chair Brown, Commissioner Chung, Toye Moses, and Commissioner Sampson for their generous donations. Mr. Murray reported that the staff of the PUC hosted a fundraiser event to send students from the Bay View community to Cal-Maritime Academy for the summer.
Mr. Murray provided a thank you cake to the Commission.
In closing Mr. Murray thanked Commissioner Jones for her legacy of work with the schools in the Bay View and the success of the Health Fair recently held for the community.
Commissioner Churchwell thanked Mr. Murray and Dr. Parker for their part in making the Health Fair a success.
Commissioner Jones thanked Dr. Parker, Commissioner Churchwell, Sam Murray, and everyone affiliated with the success of the Health Fair for their participation.
Chair Brown noted the event would be annual based on its success and she welcomed back Commissioner Jones.
3.0 COMMUNICATIONS
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary announced the following:
a) Invitation to SECFC Commissioners & Staff from Mayor Gavin Newsom, the Small business Commission, U.S. Small Business Administration, Small Business Development Center and sponsors to attend the National Small Business Week kick-off Monday, May 12, 2008 from 6pm to 8pm at City Hall.
b) Health Fair participation Thank You Letter to Tony Caruso, Vice President of Decorative Plant Services, Inc.
c) Health Fair participation Thank You Letter to Samuel Murray, Communications, Public Utilities Commission.
d) Health Fair participation Thank You Letter to Siri Datta Singh Khalsa, President of San Francisco Foliage.
e) Health Fair participation Thank You Letter to Michael Janis, General Manager of San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market.
f) Health Fair participation Thank You Letter to Dan Goldman, President of SunBourne Nursery.
g) Letter of Invitation to Ed Harrington, General Manager, Public Utilities Commission.
h) Letter of Invitation to Tiffany Bohee, Project Manger, Office of Workforce Development.
Dr. Harrison Parker had a question regarding the mailing of thank you letters to vendors
who participated in the “Families First Health Fair.”
4.0 PRESENTATION
Ms. Adrienne Pon, Director, Mayor’s Office of Community Development thanked the Commission for the opportunity to meet and share information regarding what is taking place at MOCD. Ms. Pon introduced herself as a third generation San Franciscan with a background in grant making, corporate and non-profit management, digital technology, community building and public policy. Ms. Pon reported that she served on the original Prop J, Children’s Amendment Citizen’s Committee in 1991, and as a Civil Service Commissioner for 10 years under Mayor’s Jordan and Brown. Prior to working for the City Ms. Pon was a funder for AT & T. Ms. Pon funded a lot of digital divide projects for underserved communities and for the past eight years before coming to the City she ran three non-profits in a row including the Asian Law Caucus and Zeum. Ms. Pon noted she was familiar with the organizations and communities that the Mayor’s Office of Community Development works with.
Ms. Pon shared some general things going on relative to the funds administered by the department.
Ms. Pon reported MOCD administers about $30 million dollars in various funds with the largest being the Community Development Block grant from HUD and four program areas associated with that are capital projects, economic development, planning and public services.
Ms. Pon stated that MOCD is also responsible for administering emergency shelter grants, and HOPLA grants. We recently became responsible for MOCJ, crime and delinquency prevention and juvenile justice crime prevention act grants. This will have a great impact on this community as well as administering the South of Market community stabilization funds.
Ms. Pon reported MOCD was moving toward consolidating some of the grant making in the city, trying to make it more streamline, easier for community organizations to apply for the money, and most important, making it an easier process for us to get the funding out to the community because that really is the objective.
Ms. Pon said MOCD also supports a number of city departments. She reported an inter-agency working group was recently launched and this is the city’s effort under the order of Mayor Newsom to really get city departments to collaborate, plan, and get their act together so their not making community based organizations chase funding from eleven different sources. She stated case management was being coordinated to really put the resources where it is most needed in the city.
Ms. Pon reported the funding picture is shifting not just for San Francisco, but everywhere. She stated for the past five years the federal government has reduced the amount of available CDBG grants while increasing the number of eligible jurisdictions. The pool of money is decreasing, but the number of cities and counties and municipalities that are eligible for the entitlement funds are growing so we’re getting less out of a shrinking pool. Ms. Pon stated if the current President has his way he has proposed a 1 billion dollar cut in CDBG funds alone, that’s not including all the other social service funds that help the vulnerable populations that we work with. That on top of all the state and federal cuts are going to be real deep cuts that hurt us all.
Ms. Pon stated the agency was doing it’s best to invest the city’s money wisely so that we get this out to the community but we get some outcomes out of it that will be really helpful to the community. Ms. Pon continued stating, “For the first time in many years we’re facing a real budget deficit of $338 million dollars and some tough decisions have to be made regarding what to preserve and what to cut, but in the long term we also have to think about how to best invest these dollars, philanthropic and city dollars back into the community.
Ms. Pon shared the following highlights of what’s happening at MOCD. She said the Mayor’s Office of Community Development is evolving into the Mayor’s Office of Community Investment. She stated they would be focusing on a more strategic investment of city and philanthropic dollars into the community. She said they were trying to build the social, physical and human infrastructure in the community. Ms. Pon stated earlier this year Social Compact announced the results of their yearlong study, which looked at undervalued economic impact and assets in twelve neighborhoods including Bay View Hunter’s Point. The report is available on-line.
Besides looking at the assets that are already in the community, you would be surprised at what the economic potential in Bay View Hunter’s Point is. During the study it was found that the census bureau under-counted the population in San Francisco by 100,000 people. Therefore, the city is launching an official challenge to the census estimates and if we’re successful later this year it could mean higher amounts of federal funding to the state, to us, and as a result of that back into Bay View Hunter’s Point.
In closing Ms. Pon stated she was working with Dwayne Jones a great mentor and colleague on the Inter Agency Council Working Group which is really trying to look at what if we took the four to eight thousand most vulnerable individuals in the city who are living in or near public housing and we put them through a continuum of success which in a 18 to 24 month period results in four outcomes:
1. They get permanent, affordable, decent housing.
2. They have a way of sustaining their economics income, either through enterprise or a job.
3. They live in a safe, healthy environment, violence free.
4. They engage positively in the community and in civic life.
We are going to actually talk about how to get that done. Ms. Pon stated that was the commitment of MOCD to the commission and COO, Communities Of Opportunity and other efforts, which Dwayne Jones would provide, are really important key initiatives that will drive everything around. Ms. Pon thanked the Commission for the opportunity to speak to them.
Chair Brown thanked Ms. Pon and called for questions. There were none.
Dwayne Jones, Mayor’s Office Communities Of Opportunity, greeted the Commission and acknowledged the fantastic partnership of Adrienne Pon who brings a wealth of talent and experience.
Mr. Jones reported Bay View Hunter’s Point is at an amazing turning point. It’s probably one of the most exciting times in the field of community economic development. You are talking about sitting at the forefront of over a billion dollars worth of economic opportunity that is happening in this community. Mr. Jones stated this was the first time the city has taken an active role in making sure the folks that live here are the first person beneficiaries of all those things that are forthcoming. Mr. Jones reported monumental things that change this community are not just thoughts. They are things that have actually been approved and gotten through the Board of Supervisors, have line items within the city budget and are moving forward. Those things are like HOPE/SF, something that you may not be aware of which is the redevelopment of all public housing in the southeast sector.
Mr. Jones continued stating these historical places that were made as temporary shelter some fifty years ago in some places, that have chronic infrastructure issues, mold and mildew, and are on the verge of falling down around folks, will be redeveloped. So this is one of the first things that we’re going to be doing and this is not a scenario in which the plan has been approved and the development maybe begins in five or ten years. We’re talking about a development beginning next year. Developers have already been selected and money has already been allocated. We break ground in Hunter’s View in 2009.
Mr. Jones stated the beautiful thing about the entire plan is that we’ve actually learned from the past. He stated this in the context that when Redevelopment does their work, or when public housing is re-built you move all the folks out and they never come back, so you lose a huge cross section of our community. He advised that in this model no one moves so there’s so much available land within these developments and such a high rate of vacancies that we actually have the ability to move folks into different parts of the development, rebuild the development, and bring them back in to that respective development. So when we talk about relocation we’re talking about onsite relocation. So if anyone comes before you and says that they’ve been moved out of this community they are outright lying. You can say that with great confidence knowing that we have gone to great lengths to make sure we preserve the integrity of this community.
Mr. Jones continued stating another interesting thing about this model is that when you have a concentration of areas of poverty and all you do is rebuild new units and just move all those same folks back in you still have concentrated poverty in new units. So this new model also incorporates mixed income developments. That means that we actually have our continuum that will allow people to see a bigger picture, meaning that we actually have a strategy that moves folks from public housing into affordable rental and into affordable home ownership so that they can actually aspire to the things that we all aspire, which is homeownership and asset building. Mr. Jones said those things are all contained in this particular model that we are not just talking about, but are actually doing. He continued stating this was the first time he was able to be part of a system to go from development to implementation all in the same period.
Mr. Jones reported 2,600 families would be moved through this continuum over the next four years, and over 350 residents have already been placed in permanent jobs. Using this mechanism making sure that folks get access to good jobs our next tackle is the education system making sure that our kids have access to quality education and that’s one of the beautiful things that you’ll be able to do in redevelopment is redesign some of the schools that are in close proximity to some of these historically disadvantaged developments and neighborhoods altogether.
Mr. Jones stated this is probably the largest comprehensive plan. There are a host of city departments that are partners that are doing amazing jobs. Mr. Jones said what he appreciates most is that everyone is willing to change and we all understand that we actually have to change in order to realize the benefits for residents in this respected community.
In closing he stated he was really excited to have Adrienne Pon on board and they have a fantastic team and it is they’re goal by the end of next year that Communities Of Opportunity be a national model that people will replicate in other states and other cities.
Chair Brown thanked Mr. Jones for the information and had a question regarding the implementation of the educational component.
Mr. Jones advised the nice thing about the educational component is that it is about aligning folk who are of like mind. He noted the school district just passed in a 6-0 vote a strategic plan that calls out minimizing the ethnic predictability of outcomes for folks in San Francisco. This means if I give you a zip code and an ethnicity I can tell you what your outcome is going to be in the public school system. So we know that if we as a community or as a culture, being the African-American culture, have a drop out rate that exceeds 53% there is an issue within our system that they need to fix. Mr. Jones said he appreciated that the district has called out that issue in a very public way and we will begin to integrate new strategies that fix that.
Mr. Jones said he’d like to return within the next three months to present “Gateway to College” which would partner with City College and integrate both dual enrollment for college and completion of GED requirements simultaneously. The expectation would be when you receive your GED you would continue on either in a very focused vocational trade or on to college so you can go ahead and continue to move forward. He noted we’ve learned enough to know a high school diploma is not enough to earn folks a living wage in this particular city so we must be very deliberate in our attempt to make sure there is a continuum for education and a pathway to do it.
Mr. Jones stated on the lower end of the structure you would begin to hear more about the Mayor’s initiative called SF/PROMISE, which guarantees college enrollment and tuition for any youth coming out of a low income area. He noted access and resources were being made available to eliminate any barrier or excuse folks had in the past for not attending school.
Chair Brown said that was wonderful and the Commission was looking forward to participating, and there was a great need for the educational component for the young people. She continued stating hopefully that would bring about less violence because the more information you have and the more informed you are the less likely you are to buy into things that are negative.
Mr. Jones requested assistance in getting over the apathy and skepticism that exists in the community so folks will begin to access the opportunities available because enrollment was low. He stated his fear was that if the low rate of enrollment continued we would have the self fulfilling prophecy of the Fillmore, and we want to make sure that if gentrification happens it does so at a minimum. He advised we could only do so if folks were actively engaged way before opportunity actually hits.
Chair Brown asked how the information was being disseminated throughout the community.
Mr. Jones responded it was being done in a very aggressive fashion. He said it was really about increasing the level of expectation and if there was a history of isolation it’s hard for generations to now see the opportunity is real and they must plug their children into that opportunity. He noted that if you’ve gone several generations without any real workforce opportunities here in this community it’s hard to now believe that’s forthcoming and encourage your children.
Commissioner Kennedy thanked Ms. Pon and Mr. Jones for attending the meeting. She stated one of the things needed in this community was trust in government. Commissioner Kennedy stated the Gateway to College idea was excellent and providing it at the Southeast facility meant a lot.
Director Moses thanked Ms. Pon and Mr. Jones for the information they provided to the Commission. He had questions regarding the unemployment rate of the Bay View community.
Mr. Jones noted with regard to the social compact a lot of classifications were misclassified. He advised an overwhelming number of folks living in the community can’t work and are on disability or SSI and so they have the inability to work. These individuals have been classified as unemployed when they actually don’t have the ability to be employed in the first place and so when you take that out and you match that against the increase in job access we’ve been able to develop over the last four years that unemployment rate is more in the ballpark of ten percent now.
He noted it is still significantly higher and unacceptable relative to the rest of the city but he advised we’ve learned that number is attributed to the lack of skills and education that exists in the community overall that we need to fix. He stated once that is fixed he feels the numbers will drop as well.
Director Moses had questions regarding the CBO’s and their ability to sustain and provide continued service to the community.
Ms. Pon acknowledged the importance of the CBO’s and how they were undervalued and needed strengthening. She noted they were the steadiest employers in the community. She said her office would invest in the CBO’s that are doing good work, but need a little extra help.
Mr. Jones added that Ms. Pon did not highlight one of the things that she brings to the table is a deep seated understanding of how to get an organization to be self sufficient. He noted there were too many organizations in this particular community offering the same services. He advised Ms. Pon was doing an excellent job identifying who the leading players are in those respective areas so they can be resourced appropriately. Mr. Jones stated over the years the shotgun approach has not necessarily worked and organizations must understand how to retool themselves so they can become recession proof and budget deficit proof.
Chair Brown asked how the various organizations would be informed and made aware of how to access the information being provided.
Mr. Jones stated the process used by Ms. Pon was very thoughtful and organizations would be noticed on hearings that are held in the community and at city hall almost a year in advance. He advised there are very few organizations funded by MOCD that are ever surprised about whether or not there is an allocation reduction from the federal level or some inner play that exists within the city budget, so very few folks are ever surprised at least by this particular department that there are going to be some changes happening.
Ms. Pon added another point, stated that she and Mr. Jones looked at communities from an asset-based perspective. She noted that every community has something to offer so there’s a trade back and it’s not like the city is just dumping money into a needy neighborhood. The neighborhood has assets, it has people that care about the people that live in that area, it has potential so that was the whole reason the study was done. It was a quarter million dollar study and no general fund money was used, philanthropic dollars were retooled and used. She continued stating the importance of having data to prove the real need to the federal government. She advised twelve different neighborhoods were studied and a different question was asked.
They asked not what was wrong in the neighborhoods, but what does it have going for it. That changes the whole way you look at a community. What does it have going for it? What’s working and how can we build on that and give more resources to support that?
Dr. Parker said it was a bold vision that was being brought to the city. He noted that many people had lost trust in the government from previous experiences and that was the most difficult thing to recover. He stated that in order to regain the trust departments needed to extend themselves much more. He suggested the departments should work in a wrap around fashion. Dr. Parker noted the elderly population is increasing, there are more single families, the number of children in the city is decreasing, working class people are leaving, and this is one of the most expensive cities in which to live. Housing alone will not solve these issues. In closing he stated these issues needed to be addressed.
Chair Brown thanked Dr. Parker and stated a forum should be created to address those issues.
5.0 STAFF REPORT
Joseph Singh, Management Assistant provided an update on the ADA upgrade. He advised the third phase of construction was under way and the ramp downstairs in the atrium area of the building had been completed along with the drinking fountains. Mr. Singh advised the handicap doors and kick plates for the double doors had been completed throughout the building. He reported the handicap ramp in the front of the building was still in progress as well as the replacement for the lead snake area.
Executive Director Toye Moses provided a brief update regarding the budget and the cuts recommended by the budget analyst.
Commissioner Kennedy suggested calling the district supervisor to gain support in keeping the budget, and also reaching out to the supervisors of other districts that might support the need of the community to maintain the budget.
6.0 NEW AND ON-GOING BUSINESS
There was discussion regarding the ability of the commission to encourage participation at commission meetings from the community.
Executive Director Toye Moses suggested the creation of an Ad-Hoc Outreach committee to address the issue of community attendance and participation.
8.0 PUBLIC COMMENT
Sam Murray stated Commissioner Jones asked him to place on the agenda a discussion regarding making the Health Fair an annual event.
Chair Brown advised there had been discussion to place it on the upcoming agenda.
Commission Secretary Carla Vaughn commented that two groups that would be interested in commission items were homeowners and parents with children in the district. She suggested compiling a list of both groups for consideration in addressing the issue of attendance and participation within the community.
Commissioner Kennedy suggested a Town Hall meeting for the residents of the community to bring them up to date with regards to what is going on in their community.
Sam Murray of the PUC suggested contacting some of the housing development groups, the homeowner groups, such as Bay View Hill as well as setting up a private meeting with a task force from this commission to meet with the pastors and get them to make a commitment to have someone from their church attend the meetings on a regular basis.
Commissioner Kennedy shared some ideas about the town hall meeting. She suggested attendance by the Mayor’s office, school department, health department, PUC, Redevelopment Agency, San Francisco Housing Authority, Planning Department, Sheriff’s Department, in other words a representative from each city department.
Dr. Parker noted most commissions have little attendance unless there’s some item on the agenda that the community is interested in. He continued advising one of the shortcomings of the commission was that it does not govern any services or goods and most commissions have that authority to govern, modify, and change policies pertaining to that. He stated most people think the commission has more authority than it really does. Dr. Parker felt this was one reason why people rarely show up at the meeting unless there is a crisis. He continued saying it was the duty of the commission to let the public know what they could and could not do. Dr Parker noted the public would often beat up on the commission because they think the commission has authority and actually it’s more or less a forum. He advised it was a good opportunity for the people in the community with issues to come, discuss, and plan their strategy. However, he noted the commission could not carry the ball for the community. He advised the community had to step up and make it’s own agenda. Dr. Parker said the goal of the commission was to facilitate what the community wants. Therefore, the community needs to know they are welcome to come and the commission must be willing to put anything on the agenda the community wants to discuss.
Chair Brown appreciated the comments and said Commissioner Kennedy’s suggestion was very good. She said she’d like to see what could be done with the idea. Chair Brown asked Commissioner Sampson to work with Commissioner Kennedy and put some ideas together. She also asked Mr. Murray to provide some assistance to them.
9.0 ANNOUNCEMENTS
None.
10.0 ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:36 pm.
Respectfully submitted
Carla Vaughn, Commission Secretary
