HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO Minutes of Commission Meeting Thursday, May 14, 2009
440 Turk Street San Francisco, California
A Regular meeting of the Housing Authority Commission of the City and County of San Francisco met at 440 Turk Street, San Francisco, California, on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at 4:00 p.m. President Brown called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL PRESENT:
Rev. Amos Brown, President Neola Gans, Vice President George R. Brown, Commissioner Millard Larkin, Commissioner Jane Hsu, Commissioner (arrived at 4:05) Matthew Schwartz, Commissioner Dwayne Jones, Commissioner (arrived at 4:10)
NOT PRESENT: A quorum was present. ALSO PRESENT:
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Mr. Henry A. Alvarez III, Executive Director (arrived at 4:55pm) Tim Larsen, Assistant General Counsel Mr. Roger Crawford, HR Director
APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Larkin motioned to approve the agenda. Commissioner Schwartz seconded the motion. This Request was approved unanimously.
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GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS/ REPORT OF SECRETARY Roger Crawford, Director of Human Resources reported in the Executive Directors absence. He informed the Commission that they could find a letter from HUD regarding the independent audit report, the SFHA Variance Report and information regarding an upcoming NAHRO conference. He also introduced three new staff members, David Rosario-Director of IT, Tony Rusch and Bill Ford of the Office of General Counsel.
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 2 Mr. Crawford also informed the Commissioners that RICOH SYSTEMS was donating $2500 to the SFHA Scholarship Fund. Kathleen Carr, represented RICOH and presented this information to the Commissioners. Commissioner Brown requested a report on the shootings in SFHA properties. Mr. Larsen informed him that we would include the report in the packages. 4.
COMMITTEE REPORTS There were no Committee Reports.
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REPORT OF GENERAL COUNSEL Mr. Tim Larsen, Assistant General Counsel informed the Commission that there was a Closed Session to discuss personnel issues, pending litigation and labor negotiations.
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TENANT REPRESENTATIVE REPORT Mr. William Vitale, Citywide Counsel/ Senior Disabled was not present to report to the Commission. Kimberly Hill-Brown, President of the Tenants Association, informed the Commissioners of several items including the Hunters View resident employment fair, Ping Yuen clean team event and HOPE SF meetings. Commissioner Larkin informed staff that there were committee meetings held at Hunters View regarding resident employment and suggested another set of Committee Meetings.
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PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS There were no Comments on Agenda Items
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business.
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NEW BUSINESS
A) CONSENT AGENDA 1) APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR MEETING FOR MEETING OF APRIL 9, 2009 2) RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATION CORPS, IN THE AMOUNT OF $99,000 FOR
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 3 LANDSCAPE AND PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS AT CAL 1-43, ROBERT B. PITTS (Presented by Alicia Sisca, Construction Services Manager/ Barbara Smith, Administrator of Housing Development and Modernization) Commissioner Brown moved to remove Item A2 to an action Item. Commissioners Schwartz motioned to approve the Consent Agenda as amended. Commissioner Larkin seconded the motion. The Consent Agenda was approved unanimously. B) ACTION ITEMS 1) RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATION CORPS, IN THE AMOUNT OF $99,000 FOR LANDSCAPE AND PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS AT CAL 1-43, ROBERT B. PITTS Barbara Smith, Administrator of Housing Development and Modernization presented this Resolution. This resolution authorizes the Executive Director to enter into a contract with the San Francisco Conservation Corps (SFCC) for landscape and playground improvements at CAL 1-43, Robert B. Pitts. The San Francisco Conservation Corps (SFCC) is a non-profit job and academic training organization serving young people ages 18-26. SFCC’s mission is to offer young people opportunities to develop themselves, their academic abilities and marketable job skills while addressing community needs through service work. SFCC was established in 1983, as one of the first urban youth corps in the nation. Since then, the SFCC has engaged over 2,000 participants in more than three million hours of community service.
The proposed contract amount is below the independent cost estimate for this work. The landscape and playground improvements project is funded in the Year 2008 Capital Fund Program budget. This project will reduce maintenance calls, produce a safer and healthier environment, and will provide substantial operating savings for the Authority. This project is expected to provide training and jobs for young residents. Commissioner Brown wanted information on whether these were strictly SFHA residents and was informed by Janet Gomes, from the Conservation Corps that 43% of Job Corp members are SFHA residents or Section 8 participants. Ms. Gomes also informed him that they will be removing playground structures for safety reasons and doing some landscaping and painting game lines for the residents. Commissioner Brown motioned to approve the Resolution. Commissioner Jones seconded the request. This Resolution was approved unanimously.
2) RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH JAMIE KINNEY CONSULTING COMPANY
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 4 TO PROVIDE IN HOUSE STAFF TRAINING SERVICE FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $70,000.00 FROM THE 2008 PUBLIC HOUSING OPERATION FUND PROGRAM Anthony Ihejeto, Director of Public Housing presented this Resolution. This Resolution will authorize Asset Management training and will provide staff with necessary tools to become better property managers. Eligibility Workers and members of the Section 8 Department will also be included in the Asset Management training as they work with property managers to carry out asset management duties. Training will provide staff with tools and
prop e r knowled g e to perfor m key functions. Training will cover are a s such as delivery of custo m e r service; proble m solving; prioritizing; and budg e tin g for ass e t ma n a g e m e n t . Training will incre a s e employe e s knowled g e of rent calculation s , ann u al review s, and AMP budg e ti n g . Overall the training will incre a s e prod uc tivity, compr e h e n s i o n , and job perfor m a n c e s will be enh a n c e d . Jamie Kinney Consulting has a prove n record of providing training for Public Housing and Section 8 Progr a m s . The evaluation committee recommends that the contract for Staff training be awarded to them. Funding for training is available through Public Housing and Section 8 program funds. Jamie Kinney Consulting’s quote for the training is $66,835.00 which is almost 5 percent under the $70,000 budgeted amount. The Consultant informed the SFHA that they stood by their quote. Commissioner Brown wanted information on what Public Housing and Section 8 programs that they have done work. Mr. Ihejeto informed the Commissioners that the company was not present but they had done work for San Antonio, Iowa, Illinois Housing Authorities. Commissioner Brown wanted to know why the Company was not present at the Commission meeting to answer questions. Mr. Tony Ucciferri, Administrator of Section 8 informed the Commission that the company is based out of state and they wanted the SFHA to incur the cost of travel and staff decided they not want to incur the cost of flying them out to the Commission.
Com mis sion e r Jones motion e d to approv e this Resolution. Com mis sion e r Schw ar tz seco n d e d the motion. Com mis sion e r Brown vote d ag ain s t approv al of the Resolution. This Resolution was approv e d with a six to one vote.
3) RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO CONDUCT A
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 5 CLASSIFICATION AND COMPENSATION STUDY FOR ALL SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING AUTHORITY EMPLOYEES Roger Crawford, Acting Director of Human Resources presented this Resolution.
The San Francisco Housing Authority desires to engage the services of a professional consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive classification and compensation study for the entire agency. The study will cover all positions within the agency, including the Executive Director. The Housing Authority seeks to achieve the following strategic objectives through the study: Attracting and retaining well qualified applicants and employees; Provide incentives for employees to excel in the performance of their jobs, be highly productive and seek career advancement opportunities as they arise within agency employment; Provide a more accurate, equitable, and legally defensible method for job evaluation, classification, and salary administration; Simplify and revise the classification and compensation system to be efficient, easy to administer and transparent; Establish an efficient system of keeping the specifications and compensation adjustments up to date. The San Francisco Housing Authority has presently 312 full-time employees who occupy a total of 90 different classifications. These incumbents are employed in 10 different agency departments, including finance, legal, human resources, public housing operations and Section 8. SFHA employees work in two administrative buildings and at approximately 30 different housing developments. Of these employees, 248 are represented by one of 10 different unions, and 28 are not represented. Further, there are 73 job descriptions for the 90 different classifications that currently exist. Over the past 5-10 years the Housing Authority has gone through a number of changes that resulted in the deterioration of our compensation and classification system. These changes include the Housing Authority’s conversion to asset management and layoffs. Employees of the San Francisco Housing Authority, who will feel confident that their pay and classification are accurate and reflect the work that they actually perform. Further, a clear classification and compensation system helps managers understand how employees are to be developed for promotion and succession. The Housing Authority by having a defensible and clear classification system. Further, the a better system should result in more efficient operation. Residents by having staff at the properties who are clear about their respective job duties and functions and can respond to resident needs efficiently and accurately. Commissioner Larkin want to comment on the job descriptions and how this was going to effect the Residents. Mr. Crawford informed the Commission that this will hopefully increase our effectiveness with the services provided to the residents. Commissioner Larkin requested information on the time frame of this project and an estimated cost associated with this study. Mr. Crawford informed the Commissioners that
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 6 we estimate somewhere between $75,000 and $100,000 and hopefully the study will be done by the end of the fiscal year. Commissioner Larkin motioned to approve this Resolution. Commissioner Schwartz seconded this request. This Resolution was approved unanimously. 4) RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS CHAIR TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPROVING DESIGNATED SUBSTANDARD PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT SCORES AS REQUIED BY 24 CFR PART 902 Barbara Smith, Administrator of Housing Development and Modernization presented this Resolution. This Resolution authorized the Executive Director to enter into a MOA to improve a number of sites that were designated as substandard. These are sites that scored below 60% by the PHAS scoring. HUD requires that all substandard agencies enter into a MOA to establish certain baselines of needs and strategies as well as estimated completion dates. Staff recommended approval of this Resolution. Commissioner Schwartz motioned to approve this Item. Vice President Gans seconded the motion. This resolution was passed unanimously. 5) RESOLUTION APPROVING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND THEIR FAMILIES TO EXPAND THE SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM Kyle Pederson, Director of Communications and Governmental Affairs presented this Resolution. This resolution approves the Executive Director to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF) to expand DCYF’s Summer Lunch Program to San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) sites. The expansion of the Summer Lunch Program will provide lunch to potentially 3,979 youth 18-years old and younger at 14-SFHA sites 5-days a week throughout the duration of the 10-week summer. Additionally, two SFHA resident youth staff and one SFHA resident adult staff per site will be hired through DCYF’s Summer Lunch Program (totaling 30 SFHA youth and 14 SFHA adult hires). The proposed expansion builds upon last summer’s partnership between DCYF and SFHA, which provided lunch at six SFHA sites. This year SFHA and DCYF propose to expand the number of SFHA youth served, while adding youth employment and a nutritional curriculum to the Summer Lunch Program. The youth employment and nutritional curriculum will be provided through a pilot component of DCYF’s Summer Lunch Program titled, Summer Empowerment & Employment Development (SEED) Pilot Program. The goals of SEED are to provide education
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 7 and training in the field of health, nutrition, hunger, food systems and/or the environment in an effort to inspire the youth to become health educators and advocates in their communities, provide job training, leadership development, and mentorship to youth living in public housing, provide an opportunity for youth living in public housing to provide peer-to-peer education and to work on meaningful community service projects, and provide support to summer lunch sites located on or near public housing developments in an effort to serve lunch to children living in public housing. Commissioner Larkin wanted to know the training that the youth and adults would receive. Mr. Pedersen informed the Commissioners that all staff involved would be trained by DCYF Mayors Youth Employment and Training Program which includes a mentoring training, peer to peer outreach training, organization facilitation skills and increase nutritional training. Vice President Gans motioned to approve this Resolution. Commissioner Hsu seconded the motion. This Resolution was approved unanimously.
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PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Public Comments were heard by the following: Caroline Blissett Ulysses Montgomery Keith Muhammad Jaron Browne Richard Brown Valerie Turner Jim Larkin Alvin (no last name provided) Francisco Da Costa Nyese Joshua Alicia Garza Damone Hale Willie Ratcliff Daniel Landry Archbishop King Lauren Moret Rodger Scott Sheila Burton Verna Powell Jessie Tello Don Provost Philip DuBose Elizabeth Jones Kimball Delcombre Michele Pine
Commission Meeting Minutes May 14, 2009 Page 8 11.
COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS AND REPORTS Commissioner Larkin stated that he will act to the best of his ability as a SFHA Commissioner and he thanked all the public comments. Commissioner Jones wanted to clarify that there were no Item on the Agenda that addressed eviction of the Center for Self Improvement. He informed the public that the Commission cannot act on any item that is not placed agendized. President Brown stated that the SFHA Commission appreciated hearing the public comments. He clarified a statement that the judgments against the SFHA remained unpaid explaining that the judgments had actually been paid in full. He also wanted to make sure that the Commission received the truth about the eviction proceedings against the Center for Self improvement
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CLOSED SESSION A Closed Session was scheduled with the Executive Director and Agency Counsel under Government Code Section 54957(b)(1), 54956.9, 54957.6 to update the Commission on personnel issues, pending litigation and labor negotiations. The Commission went into Closed Session at 5:45 p.m.
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RECONVENING OF COMMISSION MEETING The Commission reconvened from Closed Session at 6:50 pm. Mr. Crawford stated that President A. Brown, Vice President Gans, Commissioner Brown, Commissioner Larkin, Commissioner Schwartz, Commissioner Hsu and Commissioner Jones were present. No decisions were made.
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ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Commission, Commissioner Jones moved to adjourn the meeting. Vice President Gans seconded the motion. President Brown adjourned the Commission Meeting of May 14, 2009, at 6:50 p.m.
Henry A. Alvarez III, Secretary/ Executive Director
Rev. Amos Brown, President