February 12, 2013

Minutes for Veterans Affairs Commission Meeting of Feb. 12, 2013

Call to Order
Having achieved a Quorum, the February Meeting (of the SFVAC was called to order (in City Hall Hearing Room #416) by Vice-President Jordan Towers at 6:02pm, (Note: Pres. Ramirez was inbound to meeting after a late work schedule). Meeting started with the traditional Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call
In Attendance for the Meeting: Commissioners, Baldonado, Burnette, Caldera, Dacumos, Gallagher, Guy, Levin, Maffei, Noetzel, Ramirez, Towers, Wilkerson, Wong. (13)
Absent: Comm. Crichlow, and Comm. Weeby – both excused by President.
Note: Commission strength on this date still at 15 active members, 2 vacancies.
Attending Guests: Mr. Ron Perez, Mr. Joe Bobrow, Mr. Jake Gorfrew, Ms. Mary Tramil, Alex Lyon, and former Commissioner Dara Wong (Note: City Attorney W. Snodgrass was also in attendance.)

Approval of AGENDA
Motion to accept Agenda, as written, made by Comm. Caldera (2nd, Comm. Baldonado) Without further discussion, meeting Agenda was passed unanimously.

Review of Minutes of Previous VAC meeting.
Motion to Approve draft of Minutes for VAC meeting of January 8, 2013 (as written by Secretary s. Noetzel) made by Comm. Caldera (2nd Comm. Maffei). Without further discussion, Minutes for the 1/8/13, VAC meeting passed unanimously.

Agenda item 1 – Call for PUBLIC COMMENT
Guest Dr. Joseph Bobrow introduced himself as the founder and President of the COMING HOME PROJECT. He explained that it is a non-profit organization that sponsors Re-integration Retreats for Veterans and families. They are seeking support to plan a Retreat at Camp Mather.

Guest Alex Lyon introduced himself as the Assist. Manager of the St. Anthony’s Foundation. He is interested in finding Veterans who would like to tell their stories about their own re-integration experiences after returning to civilian life. He left printed matter about his program.

Agenda item 2 - Officers Reports
A. President’s Report;
Due to the unavailability of President Ramirez tat start of meeting, the President’s Report was curtailed by Chairman Towers.

B. Vice Presidents Report;
V.P. Towers reported on progress made in utilization of Social Media Accounts for SFVAC . He has been working with the office of the Mayor in development of city guidelines for Commissions in this area, and has now opened a TWITTER account for the SFVAC, i.e. ‘sf@vac’. There are continuing discussions with regard to the establishment of a FaceBook VAC Page, as well as potential to upgrade the VAC website with thumbnail profiles (including photos) of Commissioners.

Comm. Caldera asked about the potential for adding televising VAC meetings, and requested that the subject be placed on a future AGENDA for a full discussion.

C. Secretary’s Report;
Sec’y Noetzel reported that as Secretary of the SFVAC, he has been honored by a rare invitation to attend a meeting of the Secretaries of a group of some 50 Policy Making Commissions in the City. The 3/11 luncheon is chaired by the Secretary of the San Francisco Metro Transportation Authority (SFMTA) Board of Directors. The issue of How to Incorporate Social Media Entities into City Commissions and Boards, is among a variety of subjects to be discussed at the conference,

Secretary Noetzel also reported that he has made progress in delegating certain aspects of the many tasks of the Secretary, including appointment of Comm. Jordan Towers as the SFVAC Social Media Coordinator. Additionally, and Comm. Lee Burnette has been delegated specific duties as the SFVAC Administrative Manager. Aforementioned Commissioners will be reporting on progress in these areas at future SFVAC meetings.

At this point, seeing that Pres. Ramirez had arrived, V.P. Towers called for a 3-minute RECESS in the proceedings for a “gavel transition” that enabled the President to Chair the balance of the meeting.

Agenda Item 3. - NEW Business (Note: President Ramirez, Presiding)
A. Discussion on City Code Change(s) on 3 distinct issues:
1. The Appointment Date PILE-UP.
2. DIVERSITY MANDATES for Individual Seats.
3. Commission OVERSIZE.
Pres. Ramirez asked Sec’y Noetzel to further explain a document he had distributed, titled:
Potential requests for changes to the CITY CODE, with Respect to the SFVAC.

Sec’y Noetzel started with the last item, (i.e. Item 3A3: Commission OVERSIZE) by explaining that this item may already be moot by now. On 2/7 the BOS Rules Committee had already taken up the currently vacant BOS seat (#2), and forwarded the selection of Ms. Mary Tramil for full board approval. Furthermore the office of the Mayor was currently interviewing candidates to fill the vacant Mayoral seat as well. In short, the Commission will soon be back to 17 seated members and the best opportunity for reduction back to 15 members has passed.

In discussion on item 3A1, the Appointment Date PILE-UP; 
- Sec’y Noetzel reiterated that on 1/31/15, NINE of the 17 authorized Commission appointments will expire, at once, thereby creating potential of a Commission with very little experience as a body. 
- Comm. Caldera pointed out that four of the nine expiring commissions are Mayoral appointments (Crichlow, Weeby, Wong and person filling current vacancy). 
- Comm. Towers quoted from Original Charter of Commission, citing provisions that INITIAL APPOINTMENTS insured STAGGERED expiration dates, to preclude the very PILE-UP situation we are in. 
- Comm. Levin suggested we write a letter to Mayor and BOS to explain our concerns on this issue, as well as those of item 3A2, (see below).

In discussion on item 3A2, DIVERSITY MANDATES for Individual Seats; 
- Comm. Levin suggested that we should ask the Mayor and BOS to simply make all appointments “At Large”, and mandate retention of the current Diversity Requirements with each vacancy as it occurs. He asked City Attorney Snodgrass if such a procedure would work. 
- City Attorney Snodgrass replied that the difficulty arises if and when there is more than one vacancy at the same time. There would be no guideline to tell appointing body which seat could be filled ‘at Large’, and which would carry a Diversity Requirement.

President Ramirez then tabled further discussion on this Agenda Item, and asked that Commissioners Towers, Noetzel, and Levin work together to draft the concerns of the Commission on items 3A1, and 3A2 in a LETTER, which would then be reviewed by the City Attorney for his advice on how to effect corrective changes in the City Code.

B. Security lighting at Ft. Miley bus-stop (Lead, Comm. Guy)

Pres. Ramirez asked Comm. Dottie Guy to relate her experience in this matter.
Comm. Guy reported that after waiting at a very dark bus stop at Ft. Miley one evening, she was concerned about security issues there. Pres. Ramirez stated that he has already initiated action in this matter, and discussed the issue of security lighting with the Chief of Maintenance Operations at Ft. Miley. He reports that they are currently undergoing a complete upgrade of electrical services to Ft. Miley, and improvements to the Security Lighting System are included in that plan. He also reports that Comm. Crichlow is a member of the Facility Advisory Board. He says that both he and Comm. Crichlow will continue to follow up with, and monitor the security improvement plan at the facility.

Agenda Item #4 - .Commission GOALS AND PLANS
President Ramirez reviewed progress on each of the five Commission Goals as referenced in the Minutes of the January meeting, starting with:
Goal #1: ESTABLISHMENT OF A VETERANS COURT IN SAN FRANCISCO
As Lead Commissioner on this issue, Comm. Michael Maffei reported that there has been significant progress since the 1/8 VAC meeting. He reported that on 1/30 there was a significant meeting of a Working Group to initiate a plan to establish a Veterans Court. Attendees included himself, plus Commissioners Ramirez, Towers and Dacumos, Paul Cox representing Swords to Plowshares; Ron Perez, an advocate for rights of incarcerated Veterans, and Ms. Elizabeth Brett of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
The Working Group Planning Meeting led to new meetings with City Judges who are primary in establishment of such a court. Ms. Brett met with Chief Superior Court Judge Cynthia Lee, and Mr. Maffei has scheduled meetings with Department 23 SF Superior Court Judges James Collins and Jeffry Ross. Comm. Maffei reports that successful advocacy for establishment of a City Veterans Court depends on the building of a successful Coalition of ‘players’ to gain support from the Presiding Judge (Collins). Further reports on these sensitive negotiations will be forthcoming as they transpire.

Goal #2: INCREASE RESPECT FOR ISSUES OF FEMALE VETERANS
As Lead Commissioner on this issue, Comm. Dottie Guy reported that she is working with various entities to establish the specific needs of women veterans in the Bay Area. These include job training, educational opportunities, and personal security. She is working with Comm. Towers to set up an Online Forum to discuss these issues

Goal #3: RELOCATION OF COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE INTO VETERANS BUILDING
As Lead Commissioner on this issue, Comm. John Gallagher reported that as one of only two Service Officers at the current County Veterans Service Office (at it’s cramped quarters, at 27B Van Ness), there is a critical need for both more space and more personnel. He reports that the 2-person staff now handles 18-24 scheduled appointments every day - which is far above a reasonable case-load. Comm. Noetzel asked if he knew what the square footage of office space they had there, and when the lease for the Van Ness Office expires. Comm. Gallagher did not know but said he will research this info and report again next month.

Goal #4: ESTABLISHMENT OF WAR MEMORIAL VETERAN BUILDING AS “ONE-STOP-SHOP” FOR VETS.
Pres. Ramirez announced that there are continuing negotiations and continuing expressions of interest from a number of agencies, service organizations, patriotic groups and Veterans Groups that are now working with the ALWMC to develop a proposal for the ONE-STOP-SHOP concept that has been suggested.

Goal #5: “WELCOME HOME” EVENT FOR VETERANS.
Pres. Ramirez started with a recognition that with so little time left before building closure, planning for a large new event was impractical. He then announced that he was modifying this goal by “splitting it” into two distinct events, namely:

Hand-off of the “Welcome Home” event to Dr. Nicole, Director of the SF VA Medical Center at Ft. Miley. The President
is also inviting Gen. Mike Myatt to confer with Dr. Nicole about combining resources and efforts in development of the
Welcome Home Project at a venue outside the War Memorial Veterans Building

Planning and development of a Veterans & University SUMMITT meeting, at the Veterans Building on Wednesday, the 24th
of April. He announced that several Bay Area colleges and Universities have already expressed interest. After describing the
event, Comm. Levin made a MOTION that the SFVAC both support and co-sponsor the event. (2nd by Comm. Guy).
After a short discussion a vote was taken and the motion passed. The SFVAC is now an official sponsor of the April
Veterans/University Summit event.

Open Discussion Re: Additional ‘New Goals and Plans.
Pres. Ramirez then asked if there were any additional suggestions regarding goals for the Commission to consider.

Comm. Dacumos spoke at length to express her desire to find new ways to address healing of the broken spirit of returning veterans, not just their bodies. She also spoke about the fact that many female vets still do not feel comfortable in expressing their experiences. She suggested that we might be supportive of the upcoming Wounded Warriors Project, in May, as it has had previous success in advancing the healing process for troubled veterans.

Comm. Caldera suggested consideration of two new goals, namely:
1: Look into acquisition of an OFFICE for the SFVAC, and
2: Look into potential for holding SFVAC Public Hearings on primary veterans issues such as PTSD, etc.
President Ramirez replied that the State of California Inter-Agency Council for Veterans is already researching
the potential for such an event and suggested that there may be a role for the SFVAC in that regard.

Agenda Item #5 - Old Business. (No discussion at this meeting)

Agenda Item #6 - Veterans Related LEGISLATION.
Pres. Ramirez asked Sec’y Noetzel to review progress in this area. Sec’y Noetzel said that as per direction at the previous meeting, he had written a DRAFT LETTER for presentation and consideration. After reviewing the draft letter, President Ramirez,
Decided to take the draft letter under advisement, for modification pending ongoing negotiations with regard to establishment of a Veterans Court. Pres. Ramirez added that the letter will again be introduced at the March VAC meeting.

While Administrative (rather than Legislative), two notable changes in DOD Policy were recently announced, those being: 
- Defense Secretary Panetta announced the extension of spousal benefits to same-sex couples, and 
- Female military personnel will no longer be barred from the potential of Combat Assignments.

Agenda Item #7 - WAR MEMORIAL VETERANS BUILDING
Comm. Caldera reported on what he felt were some irregularities at the 1/10/13 meeting of the Board of Trust of the War Memorial Buildings Complex. After checking with City Attorney Snodgrass his objections were dropped;.

Comm. Levin then reported that previous to the full BOT meeting, there was a meeting of the Veterans Building Project Committee, and at that meeting there was broad discussion concerning potential for revenue production via the potential sale of NAMING RIGHTS for all several distinct area of the War Memorial Veterans Building. The Committee voted to forward a RESOLUTION to the full Board of Trust, suggesting a specific list of ‘Naming Opportunities’, including the main Entry Door at McAllister Street.

Comm. Levin said he has met with Board of Trust President Gen. Myatt to object to renaming any portion of the building without full opportunity for Veterans to learn all aspects of the ”naming suggestions”, as well as opportunity to speak out prior to any such process. He said that Gen. Myatt was in full agreement and would insure a full and opened process with regard to the naming of any portion of the building. President Ramirez stated that he will reach out to Gen. Myatt for discussions on how the SFVAC might be of assistance in retaining an appropriate level of VETERANS influence in the building.

Comm. Levin added comments and information regarding Building Closure, reminding all that April 30, 2013 will be the final date that the building will be available for events, meetings or gatherings.

Comm. Levin further announced that the Board of Trustees have authorized lease of alternate Office Space for use by American Legion Posts and District 8 Headquarters. Thus the new Interim Location of the ALWMC and American Legion for the foreseeable future will be at: 205 13th Street, suite 3300
He announced that space on 3rd floor available each weekday until 7pm, plus two Saturday’s per month if needed for planned events. The leased space includes temporary office facilities, plus a cafeteria area that can double as a conference room. Finally, he announced that use of the new facility will be made available to all Veterans related organizations, by application to the American Legion War Memorial Commission, on a ‘space available’ basis.

Agenda Item #8 - ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Comm. Caldera announced that the 2/10 ‘Sankofa Sunday’ event at the Veterans building was a huge success, and thanked all who helped in organization and participation. The event was sponsored by AL Post 315 and the SF Chapter of Veterans for Peace. Pres. Ramirez added his complements for a great event, adding that he was proud to be associated with veterans who still organize and run successful and worthwhile events that benefit the Veterans community of the city.

Comm. Wong announced that the annual VFW sponsored STATE WIDE High School Speech Contest was won by Damale Hayes of Mercy High School. Ms. Hayes spoke on the subject: “Is the Constitution Relevant?”. She will be representing the State of California in competition for the National Award. There will be an event on the 22nd of February, at Mercy High School, to honor this talented student. See Comm. Wong will send out an Email announcement with event details.

Comm. Guy announced several events for area veterans, including:
Dragon boat racing at Lake Merritt, and
A demonstration event on how to produce drinking cups from recycled paper, and
A “Sister Soljah” event @ UCSF on the 22nd of February.
Comm. Guy will work with Social Media Coordinator Comm. Towers to publicize these events, and provide full details.

Pres. Ramirez announced that the next Veterans Town Hall Collaborative meetings will be on Wednesday, the 27th of February 2013, in the War Memorial Veterans Building.

Comm. Dacumos announced that the International Military Pilgrimage of Wounded Warriors will take place on the 19th of May, 2013. More details on this in future meetings.

Comm. Towers announced that Gov. Brown recently appointed a new Deputy Sec’y for Veterans Affairs for the State of California Department of Veterans Affairs. He is a Swords to Plowshares staffer, Mr. Keith Boylan.

Agenda Item #9 - Honors Report and Moment of Silence:
Comm. Caldera requested that in this months Moment of Silence Commemoration, we also include specific honors to the many African American veterans who have died in service to nation. Thus included, our February Moment of Silence,
“ In memory of American Armed Service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice in all wars and conflicts, plus the passing of homeless veterans and veterans who died while waiting approval of benefits requests and suicides within the veterans and armed services community” concluded the meeting.

Agenda Item #10 - ADJORNMENT
Minutes of the 2/12/13 VAC Meeting written by VAC Secretary Stephen S. Noetzel, and after discussion and minor correction, APPROVED at the SFVAC general meeting of 3/12/13