May 2, 2011

Minutes for Veterans Affairs Commission Meeting of May 2, 2011

Agenda item 1 – Call to Order
Having achieved a Quorum, the meeting was called to order by VAC Acting President Ray Wong at 6:18pm. The meeting started with the traditional Pledge of Allegiance, led by the Acting President.

Agenda item 2 – Roll Call
In Attendance for the Meeting: Commissioners Alfidi, Baldonado, Caldera, Cauley, Levin, Noetzel, Ramirez, Thompson, Wilkerson, D. Wong & R. Wong. (11)
Absent: Commissioners, Gibbs, (calendar conflict) Comm. Guglielmoni, (medical issues), as well as Comm. C. Gruwell.
(un-notified absence)
Attending Guests: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Ms. Lilly Chin, Mr. Roger Dong, Mr. Keith Boylan, Mr. Charles Reed, Mr. Jordan Towers, and City Attorney representative Wayne Snodgrass.

Agenda item 3 – Approval of AGENDA
The Meeting AGENDA was reviewed. MOTION to accept Agenda, as written (Comm. Caldera, 2nd Comm. Baldinado) passed without exception.

Agenda item 4 – Review of Minutes of April 4, 2011 VAC meeting.
A copy of the Draft Minutes of the April VAC meeting (by Sec’y S. Noetzel) was reviewed. Comm. Caldera offered a MOTION to accept Minutes as written (2nd- Comm. Wilkinson). Comm. Levin then offered a Motion to TABLE consideration of the April Minutes due to the fact that the City Mailroom had failed to mail out ‘hard copy’ to individual Commissioners and there was insufficient time for review. After brief discussion, a VOTE was held and the Motion to Table prevailed. Consideration of the 4/4/11 Meeting Minutes will be on the Agenda for the June VAC meeting.

Agenda item 5 - PUBLIC COMMENT
Comm. Ray Wong introduced his guest, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Ms. Lily Chin. Ms. Chin addressed the group and spoke of her career in the US Army as a nurse at Letterman Hospital and other posts. She announced that she is a resident of San Francisco, and is interested in appointment to the VAC…if other candidates are not available.

Commissioner Roger Dong, President of the SF War Memorial Building Commission (WMC) reported on the current status of negotiations between the WMC and the Board of Trustees (BoT) regarding Building Use Plans both currently and after the planned building Retrofit. He provided info on a WMC proposal to establish a Veterans Resource Center (in Room 219) to be installed as soon as possible for the benefit of local veterans. Some $50k has been raised to establish the Resource Center, along with donations of furniture, computers and other electronic equipment. He reported that despite the support of at least six (6) members of the S.F. Board of Supervisors, the BoT rejected the proposal on first reading. The Resource Center will again be considered at the 5/12 meeting. Comm. Dong asked that the original Letter of Support for WMC Building Plans (that went to former mayor Newsome in December of 2010), now be Re-Sent to current Mayor Lee, with an addendum to include info on the planned Resource Center. City Attorney Snodgrass then offered an opinion that the discussion was now “Off Agenda”. He suggested that if the original Letter to Mayor was intended for both the retiring and incoming Mayor, it might be appropriate to re-send the original letter to Mayor Lee. Secretary Noetzel will follow up.

Meeting guest, Mr. Keith Boylan introduced himself. He spoke of his (Gulf War 1) military service and his advocacy for veterans rights/benefits since his discharge, including his current position as a Program Director at Swords to Plowshares. He mentioned that he is interested in a commission appointment (at the VAC). He also mentioned that he is not, at this time, a resident of San Francisco.
Meeting Guest Mr. Jordan Towers introduced himself. He spoke of his service in the Marine Corps, including a tour of duty in the current Iraq war. He spoke of his advocacy for student vets in particular including co-founding of the Student Veterans Alliance program at City College. Mr. Towers is currently employed at Swords to Plowshares. He mentioned that he is interested in a commission appointment (at the VAC), and that he resides within the City of San Francisco.

Agenda item 6 – ACTION ITEM: Discussion and Vote on Succession Plan for Commission Presidency.
Acting President Ray Wong opened the discussion by referencing the revised 15-point Succession Plan authored by Sec’y Noetzel. Sec’y Noetzel again apologized for lack of opportunity for advance study of his modified Succession Plan (due to the City Mailroom failure to send out our mailing this month). He explained that is was similar to the one we discussed last month, the primary change being a provision to enable both nominations and a vote to elect an Interim President at this meeting, and offered it as his MOTION for adoption. Comm. Ramirez raised a Point of Order in reference to the Election Procedure currently defined in the Commission Bylaws. He asked if adoption of the suggested Succession Plan would represent a change in the commission Bylaws. Sec’y Noetzel explained that the Election Procedures enumerated in the Bylaws are in reference to our annual Election of Officers held each December/January, to establish new Officers for the new Calendar year. He further explained that there were no provisions in the Bylaws to address this rare situation of replacing a President who has left office during his Term of Office. He also explained that adoption of a Succession Plan was valid for resolution of the current situation only, and as such they represent no change whatsoever to the current commission Bylaws. City Attorney Snodgrass then asked for further clarification; asking if we found ourselves in this position again (in the future), would the Minutes for Succession Plan rules we adopted tonight, hold as binding precedent? Sec’y Noetzel replied that they would not, indicating that the current Succession Plan is for the current situation only, and that new rules would have to be again adopted if a similar ‘mid-term vacancy’ were to occur in the future. Comm. Caldera commented that the current Succession Plan was offered as an Agenda Action Item (under the current Agenda) at the suggestion of City Attorney who had pointed out our failure to meet the Public Notice requirement in the previous meeting. Comm. Levin then asked for adequate time to consider the Succession Plan, and made a MOTION that we table this item until the next VAC meeting. Sec’y Noetzel raised a Point of Order to indicate that there is already a motion on the floor (i.e. the 15-Point Succession Plan). Comm. Caldera pointed out that discussion heretofore was inappropriate as there had been no SECOND to ANY motion. He offered a belated SECOND to Sec’y Noetzel’s motion on the Succession Plan. Comm. Wilkerson then offered a belated SECOND to Comm. Levin’s motion to table. Acting Pres. Wong asked the City Attorney for a ruling on how to proceed. Mr. Snodgrass offered that Roberts Rules suggest that a vote on the last motion should be taken first. After further discussion, Acting Pres. Wong called the question and a vote on the (Levin) TABLING motion was held. The motion FAILED with a vote of FOUR in favor, FIVE against, One abstention. At that point discussion continued on adoption of the Succession Plan. After further discussion, Acting Pres. Wong called the question and a vote on acceptance of the Succession Plan was held. The motion PASSED with a vote of FIVE in favor, FOUR opposed, One abstention. The current Succession Plan was adopted. At this point, Acting Pres. Wong initiated the Succession Plan with a call for opened NOMINATIONS for the office of Interim President. Comm. Thompson nominated Comm. Ray Wong, (2nd by Comm. Wilkerson) who immediately accepted the Nomination. Sec’y Noetzel nominated Comm. John Caldera, (2nd by Comm. Ramirez) who immediately accepted the Nomination. Acting Pres. Wong then called (thrice) for additional nominations. Hearing none, the Nominations were closed and Ballots were prepared, with an indication to vote for either of the two nominated candidates. While BALLOTS were distributed, both candidates for Interim President were afforded time to present their Plan for leadership of the VAC for the balance of the year. On completion of the Statements, Commissioners voted by marking their Ballots. The Ballots were then collected and tabulated by (guest) Charles Reed, with verification by Comm. Cauley. The Vote Tally was announced as follows: SIX (6) votes for Comm. WONG; FOUR votes for Comm. Caldera; ONE Abstention. Under the Succession Plan adopted, NEITHER candidate attained the required plurality of nine (9) votes to succeed as Interim President. In moving forward, Sec’y Noetzel offered a Motion to amend the Succession Plan to allow for a Simple Majority (vote) to elect an Interim President. City Attorney Snodgrass then interjected that since changes to the draft Succession Plan were not indicated on the Meeting Agenda, he would deem it inappropriate to proceed in this manner at this time. After some discussion the Commission agreed to end continuing effort to establish an Interim President at this time, and continue with the balance of the Meeting Agenda, as led by Acting President Wong.

Agenda item 7 - Officers Reports
A - Presidents Report. Acting President Raymond Wong reported that he and Comm. Dara Wong recently attended the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Harry Liu at the San Bruno National Cemetery. Cpl. Liu died in service to his nation in the current middle east conflict(s) and the surviving family was thankful for the participation of a variety of members representing various Veterans Service Organizations.

B – VICE Presidents Report.
Vice President Raymond Wong stated that the above report represented his “VP Report” as well.

C – Secretary’s Report.
Sec’y. Noetzel began his Report by distributing copies of a current ROSTER of the VAC, including new information on inclusive dates of commission appointment terms and full contact information. He reported on the new Commissions & Council’s Database that the City has initiated. It will include important data on well over 100 distinct City of S.F. Commissions and Council’s with a primary intent of providing a usable tool to inform the public of what Commission Term Expirations are imminent, and requirements for greater citizen participation. Sec’y Noetzel reported on the 4-hour Training Session he attended (along with Secretaries of numerous other Commissions) to prepare for launch of the program. In reviewing the Roster document, several commissioners offered corrective or updated information. Sec’y Noetzel provided a quick review of his communications with the Mayor’s Office, indicating that they are interviewing candidates for the currently opened commission seats, who are competent, committed, and fully prepared to represent the full diversity of the Veterans community of San Francisco.

Agenda item 8 – REPORTS on ONGOING ISSUES.
A. Veterans Employment. Comm. THOMPSON (Lead).
Comm. Wilkerson announced that at this point there are at least 23 potential Employers registered for participation at the 5/11/11 Dept. of Veterans Affairs JOBS FAIR (hosted by the University of Phoenix in San Francisco). Comm. Ramirez announced that (at the JOB FAIR) he will be presenting a seminar titled: How to Get a Better Job in the Federal Government.

B. Veterans HEALTH AND WELFARE.
Comm. Cauley reported on some problems she has experienced in generating broad support for a TOWN HALL event for area veterans, to examine how best to move forward with implementation of the (new) policies with respect to recent rescission of the DOD “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” policies. She is working with local publications (Bay Area Reporter, etc.) to get publicity and community support for the concept. Several ideas for generating such support were discussed. Comm. Cauley will continue to press forward to launch this important TOWN HALL project.

Comm. Caldera reported on a MAY 1 Community Forum event, hosted by American Legion Post 315, on the subject of VETERAN’S SUICIDE and SUICIDE PREVENTION in the Veterans’ community. Comm. Caldera reported that guest speakers Mark Stalnaker (Ph.D, Staff Psychologist and Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the SF VA Medical Center.) and author Aaron Gantz provided alarming new information and statistics on the growing problem of suicide in the Veterans’ community; including the “Hidden Loss” of many additional untimely Veterans deaths due to substance abuse; homelessness and an inordinately high accident rate. He reported that the Help for Veterans HOTLINE, at1-800-273-TALK (8255) is an effective resource tool for troubled veterans, as over 200,000 calls were logged last year! At the end of the event, guest speakers Stalnacker and Gantz were presented with CERTIFICATES OF COMMENDATION, issued by Supervisor ROSS MIRKARIMI, for their outstanding work in the area of suicide prevention.

C. HOMELESS Veterans.
Acting Pres. Wong reported that his recent Email to the Commission, which covered the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Position Paper on many important Veteran’s issues, including that of the very serious problem of Homeless veterans.

D. Veterans Related LEGISLATION. (No new report).

E. National Veterans Groups.
Comm. Caldera reported that as Commander of A.L. Post 315, he received an Award (from the National American Legion Hq) commending Post 315 for attainment of the 100-member threshold.

F. Veterans Projects.
Sec’y Noetzel reported on new developments regarding our Resolution in Support of the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act (passed by the VAC last month). Noetzel reported that after receiving a letter transmitting our Resolution to the Mayor, he received a call from the Mayor’s Director of Legislation (Mr. Jason Elliott) who expressed the Mayor’s FULL SUPPORT for the Resolution. Mr. Elliott advised us to contact the Board of Supervisors to initiate a City of San Francisco “Mirror Resolution” to underline and further advance our support for this important legislation. Comm. Baldinado rose to thank the entire Commission for supporting this cause.
Sec’y Noetzel also reported the Mr. Elliott expressed interest in our Research Initiative to learn what commitment to the hiring of Veterans can be garnered from the largest San Francisco based Corporations. He asked that we keep him appraised of progress in this effort as the City may, at some point, like to ‘partner’ with the VAC in this effort.

G. War Memorial Veterans Building.
(Largely covered in Paragraph 2, Agenda item 5, above, however…) at this point Comm. Levin reiterated that the original (12/6/10) VAC Letter of Support for the WMC Building Plans now be Re-Sent (by the Secretary) to Mayor Edwin Lee. The Secretary agreed to follow through.

Agenda Item 9 – Old Business
A. REPORT on TRIAL of (former) A.L. District 8 Leadership.
Comm. ALFIDI reported on results of the 2/10/11 American Legion internal trial. He recounted results as follows:
? Former A.L. District 8 Commander Michael Gerold, was convicted on 3 (of 5) counts of gross misconduct and recommended that he be EXPELLED from the American Legion.
? Matt Shea was convicted on ONE count, as a responsible co-conspirator. A REPRIMAND was recommended.
? Additional persons charged were CLEARED of any charges.
In concluding his report, Comm. Alfidi confirmed that he has followed through on the recommendations of the Commission and forwarded a copy of our January Letter to the City Administration (requesting a review of the conduct of Michael Gerold for potential infractions of State or Local laws), to the office of the new District Attorney (Gascon).

B. ACTION ITEM: Support adequate funding for County Veterans Service Office programs.
Comm. Levin reported that in County Veterans Service Supervisor Cheryl Cook is appreciative of the support she has received from the VAC and she is awaiting resolution of the State, County and City budgets with respect to funding of her office and staff. She will call on the VAC for further support if needed, after budgets are finalized, and before funding hearings begin. Comm. Levin stressed that the main effort at this time is to do all possible to facilitate eventual relocation of the County Veterans Service Offices into the Veterans War Memorial Building, preferably BEFORE the planned retrofit shut-down, but most certainly after.

Misc. Old Business Items:
Comm. Caldera made reference to our Annual Report (specifically its reference to) our continuing initiative with respect to pressing for research and development of a VETERANS COURT, and requested that since Comm. Guglielmoni was (who had led this initiative) was currently indisposed (due to health issues), that this important issue should not be abandoned. Sec’y Noetzel reported that he recently met with Comm. Guglielmoni, and that he is undergoing major surgery to repair his knee; but that after recuperation, he WILL be back to the Commission, and he is STILL interested in the work of the Commission, including continuation of his own research into this subject. Sec’y Noetzel also mentioned that in one of his last acts while in office, former Governor Schwarzenegger VETOED a bill (passed by CA Legislators) that would have established a system of VETERANS COURTS throughout California. Comm. D. Wong then reported that the Vetoed Bill is currently being Re-introduced (in the current Legislative session), and that it is presently in Committee, and that some 23 Counties (of 58 California Counties) support this new Bill, and want to establish VETERANS COURTS in their Counties. Sec’y Noetzel mentioned that this is a ‘dual front’ initiative, and that in addition to State institution of Veteran’s Courts, individual COUNTIES and local governments can establish such Courts on their own, as has already been accomplished in San Diego. At this point Guest Jordan Towers interjected that his employer, SWORDS TO PLOWSHARES is currently working with the
City/County of San Francisco on an initiative to establish a local Veteran’s Court right here in S.F. Mr. Towers concluded with a suggestion that the VAC might look into partnering with ‘Swords’ in this effort. Comm. Ramirez then mentioned that he had recently received an Email that provided information on all Veteran’s Courts established or planned within California. The Chair requested that Comm. Ramirez forward such information to the Secretary for full dissemination to the Commission, and Comm. Ramirez agreed to do so.


Chair’s Call for ANNOUNCEMENTS

a. Comm. Cauley announced that a Homeless Connect event will be held in the Bayview/ Hunters Point area on the 10th of June, and requested VAC support and participation.

b. Comm. Levin invited all guests and Commissioners to attend the annual “Honor & Remember” Memorial day Event at Presidio (10:30am to 2:00pm on Monday, May 30, 2011). Ceremonies will include live music and an address by General Myatt, who will provide an update on the status of the Design Competition for the War Memorial Courtyard Memorial, which has now been narrowed to three finalist designs.

c. Comm. Cauley announced that she is included in a “short film” called “THE RESCUE”. It will play at the Castro theatre (with another ‘short’, at 4pm on Thursday the 23rd of June. She invited all to attend. Guest Jordan Towers announced that Swords to Plowshares will be hosting the 3rd annual “SHOUT” event on Thursday, May 5. This event affords an opportunity for female veterans to speak out about various aspects of their experiences in the military.

d. Comm. Ramirez announced that the VA facility at Ft. Miley (where he works) often hosts Community Meetings to solicit community input for their Master Development Plan. He asked if he could send such announcements to the Commission, and was encouraged by all to do so.


Agenda Items 10/11 – Honors Report, Moment of Silence, Adjournment
In memory of American Armed Services members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts, plus the passing of homeless veterans and recent suicides within the veterans and armed service community.
After Moment of Silence observance, the meeting was AJORNED at 7:50pm



Minutes of the 5/2/11 VAC Meeting written by VAC Secretary Stephen S. Noetzel, and APPROVED (as amended) at the VAC Meeting of June 6, 2011