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1:00 – SPECIAL MEETING ORDER OF BUSINESS 1. Call to Order President McCray called the meeting to order at 1:06 p.m. 2. Roll Call Present:
3. Announcement of prohibition of sound producing devices during the meeting. President McCray announced that the ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at the meeting. He advised that any person responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices might be removed from the meeting. He also advised that cell phones that are set on “vibrate” cause microphone interference and requested that they be placed in the “off” position. 4. Communications None. 5. Introduction of New or Unfinished Business by Commissioners President McCray acknowledged receipt of two opinions from the City Attorney and requested that the Governance Committee review them as they discuss shaping the work of the Parking Authority Commission and MTA Board in the future. 6. Director’s Report (For discussion only) None. 7. Public Comment None. THE FOLLOWING MATTERS BEFORE THE PARKING AUTHORITY COMMISSION ARE RECOMMENDED FOR ACTION AS STATED BY THE PARKING AUTHORITY DIRECTOR OR CITY ATTORNEY WHERE APPLICABLE. EXPLANATORY DOCUMENTS FOR ALL CALENDAR ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT 1 SOUTH VAN NESS AVE. 7th FLOOR. REGULAR CALENDAR 8. Presentation and discussion of Parking Authority Consultant report regarding policies, practices and procedures of the Parking Authority. (Explanatory documents include a report.) Barbara Chance of Chance Management Advisors, Dennis Cunning of DLC Consulting and Clyde Wilson of the Parking Network presented the report. Acting Director Szeto outlined his plan for how to respond to issues identified in the report including capital planning, forms and documents and staffing. Mr. Szeto also expressed appreciation to the Commission and to the consultants for the report. Director Beach requested that acting Director Szeto’s response, including the matrices, be provided to the Commission in writing. PUBLIC COMMENT: President McCray stated that the garages are a tremendous asset and that the Commission had requested the report in order to make sure that we were operating at peak performance. President McCray requested that: the Governance Committee review and report back on policies, structures and guidelines and the City Attorney’s memos; that Mr. Ford lend C.F.O. Bose and others examine the staffing plan presented by Mr. Szeto and how to finance that plan; that Mr. Ford lend Carter Rohan to review the capital improvement needs of the garages including a financing plan and revenue control equipment; that MTA staff assist acting Director Szeto in a review of the forms and documents for expenses and revenues; and, with respect to safety issues, that acting Director Szeto take an immediate look at the Lombard St. Garage and other critically identified areas where there may be safety concerns. President McCray requested a report on all of the items within the next month. 9. Adopting general policies to guide rate setting for the Lombard Street, Moscone Center, North Beach, Performing Arts, Polk-Bush garages and the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center Parking System that directs staff to: set measurable goals to reduce traffic congestion around parking facilities; recommend parking rates that achieve peak occupancy utilization between 70 and 85 percent; maintain annual transient parking volume between 7.5 to 8.5 million vehicles; attract short-term customers and charge short-term rates that are less expensive than on-street meters; establish priority for short-term transient demand and allow the use of the remaining spaces for long-term parking at market rates; make available parking spaces to accommodate expected growth in car-pooling and car-sharing at a reduced rate; continue to accommodate bicycle parking at no charge; encourage garages to offer validated parking; encourage public/private partnerships that increases the use of parking facilities and promotes commerce during holidays and special promotions; require that storage spaces not utilized for operational needs shall be advertised and rented; require the Director to compare parking rates at private garages and shopping centers; and authorizing the Director of the Parking Authority to implement a low-occupancy validation pilot program. (Explanatory documents include a staff report and resolution.) No public comment. The Commission deferred action on this item and referred consideration to the Governance Committee. 10. Adopting general policies to guide rate setting for the Lombard Street, Moscone Center, North Beach, Performing Arts, Polk-Bush garages and the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center Parking System that: discontinues the use of free monthly access cards for Parking Authority Commissioners; continues the privilege of free parking at the Civic Center Garage for all City Commissioners while attending regularly scheduled or special commission meetings; continues the free parking privilege for non-profit board members during board meetings; discontinues Parking Authority staff from signing-off parking tickets; requires parking requests from the Mayor’s Office, the Board of Supervisors, other City departments or agencies and/or communities be submitted in writing for authorization by the Parking Authority Commission; requires all City employees and/or departments to pay for parking, except for City employees or departments that are legally authorized to park for free; requires all corporate managers, garage managers and office personnel to pay for parking; discontinues parking management firms from signing-off tickets, but would allow firms to seek reimbursement; requires parking management firms to pay for substitute or part-time parking attendants’ parking charges; requires parking management firms to pay for its full-time parking attendants’ parking charges, discontinues free parking for service vendors; requires a parking management firm to pay the parking charges when for reasons of customer service, the management firm does not charge a patron for all or part of an amount owed. (Explanatory documents include a staff report and resolution.) PUBLIC COMMENT: Mark Gleason, Teamsters Local 665 stated that this proposal is a change of working conditions for members. It will be hardship for employees who live far away. They encourage their members to use public transit when they can. Staff should include the commuter check voucher program in new RFP’s. Peter Lee, Portsmouth Square Garage, stated that the policies were written without dialogue with garage operators. Since they are already operating over peak utilization, customers will go somewhere else to achieve these goals. These policies will significantly affect garage operators. Mr. Lee urged the Commission to seek input from the operators before proceeding. Normal Rolfe requested information regarding the financial status of the Lombard St. and Polk-Bush garages and asked if Polk-Bush garage rates were in line with other neighborhood parking garages. Mr. Rolfe stated that it’s grossly unfair for people who walk or take public transit to subsidize people who drive. The Commission should forget about validated parking and should look at the financial situation of each garage. The Commission deferred action on this item and referred consideration to the Governance Committee. 11. Authorizing the Director to submit an application to the City Planning Department for an environmental evaluation for the potential build-out of the Performing Arts Garage; and prepare bid documents for the selection of a consultant to perform the work associated with the requirements of the environmental evaluation. (Explanatory documents include a staff report, resolution and feasibility study.) Acting Director Szeto presented the staff report. PUBLIC COMMENT: Jim Reuben, Reuben & Junius, stated that they were pleased to present this authorization request to proceed with the environmental evaluation. Many arts organizations fully support this evaluation moving forward. This garage was originally engineered for additional capacity. They request that the Commission take the next step in a lengthy process. Dawn Wiggins, Hayes Valley Inn, stated that the Opera, Ballet, Symphony and museums need more parking capacity. People who come into the City from the outside want to have dinner, attend an event and stay overnight but their cars get broken into continually. It’s not safe to park your car in this area. Ms. Wiggins urged the Commission to move this process along. Glenn McCoy, SF Ballet, stated that the Ballet’s MOU with their employees mandate parking spaces in the vicinity. There are certain parking lots which are slated for development in the near future. Their staff is essential to operations and their safety is critical especially as they leave late at night. Please vote to begin the environmental review process. Brent Assink, S.F. Symphony, urged the Commission to move the item forward. Arts organizations attract patrons throughout the Bay Area. They will continue to advocate for “Transit First” but a significant number of patrons come from areas where public transit isn’t an option. This will become an increasing problem as they continue to lose surface lots to development. Zachariah Spellman, Musician, S.F. Symphony and Ballet, stated that he was speaking on behalf of the musicians. Many employees believe in and use public transit but when an evening performance ends, it is close to midnight. At that time, it’s not practical to use public transit. The musicians support the idea of a built out of this garage. Karen Ames, S.F. Opera and Arts Task Force, stated that nobody believes that the build out of this garage will solve all of their problems. They know they need to encourage and promote “Transit First.” They offer commuter check programs and emphasize the safety of public transit. It’s not always feasible for workers, musicians and the elderly to use public transit. Patricia Heller, S.F. Opera Orchestra and Local 6 Trustee, requested support for the build out of the garage and for moving forward with the environmental report. Additional parking is needed to continue to support the arts. This neighborhood has been transformed by businesses, housing, and restaurants. There are many cyclists and car pools. Public transit is not a viable option given the equipment musicians carry or where we live. Michael Schoenig, S.F. Opera, stated that many staff live outside of the Bay Area and work odd hours. Parking is of primary importance especially as we begin to lose surface lots to development. Please support the item. Drew Landmesser, S.F. Opera, stated that it is difficult to use public transit when you work long hours or late nights. Parking is a problem in this neighborhood. Ms. Landmesser urged the Commission to develop the garage. Adam Millard-Ball, Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association, requested that the Commission not move forward with the proposal at this time. The Market/Octavia planning project involved neighborhood communities, and was the subject of many hearings. Parking has to be limited in Hayes Valley so it doesn’t destroy what makes the neighborhood special. The Civic Center Garage has hundreds of spaces which are not used in the evening. Rather than expand this garage, please think about low-cost common sense approaches. Jason Henderson, HVNA, expressed appreciation for arts. Mr. Henderson stated that at 8:00 p.m., the Civic Center Garage is often empty. This is an inefficient approach to solving a parking demand problem. You could spend the money on better lighting and security. Mr. Henderson expressed hope that if the item does proceed, that someone analyze alternatives including an examination of the current parking infrastructure. Roberto Lombardi, S.F. Public Library, expressed concern regarding converting part or all of Brooks Hall to parking. Brooks Hall is critical to the library. The Walker Study doesn’t address impacts to the Library. It is unlikely that 200 vehicles can move through the area without impacting library operations. James Haas stated that he left materials with the commission secretary that describes what is happening in the greater Civic Center area. The number of visitors who come to the area will increase by 50-60%. There is a 700-800 space parking deficit projected over the next five years after the build out of the Market/Octavia parking lots. An EIR is a good way to study the process. Director Shahum expressed concern regarding neighborhood outreach, coordination with the MTA and City Planning, the capacity of adjacent garages and suggested that the item be deferred until further information could be provided. Director Nolan moved that the Commission support the E.I.R but insure that the scope of services for the environmental evaluation include a review and discussion of the concerns expressed. RESOLUTION 07-079 On motion to approve the resolution as amended to support the EIR process moving forward and to insure that the scope of services for the environmental evaluation also include review of the outreach efforts to Hayes Valley and Civic Center neighborhood associations; interaction with the Planning Department regarding the Market and Octavia Planning process; coordination with MTA planners regarding transit issues such as Bus Rapid Transit on Van Ness Avenue and other transit opportunities; and alternatives to the build out of the Performing Arts Garage including capacity at the Hastings College and Civic Center Garages. ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum 12. Authorizing the Director to approve the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center Parking System Fiscal Year 2007-2008 budget, marketing plan and capital improvement request. (Explanatory documents include a staff report, resolution and budget.) No public comment. On motion to remove funding for capital improvements from the budget: ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum RESOLUTION 07-080 On motion to approve as amended to remove funding for the Capital Improvement requests: ADOPTED: AYES – Beach, Black, Din, McCray, Mezey, Nolan and Shahum President McCray recessed the meeting at 3:46 p.m. He stated that the meeting would be reconvened after the MTA Board meeting was adjourned. 13. Discussion and vote pursuant to Administrative Code Section 67.10(d) as to whether to conduct a closed session and invoke the attorney‑client privilege. On motion to invoke the attorney-client privilege: unanimously approved. RECESS SPECIAL MEETING AND CONVENE CLOSED SESSION CLOSED SESSION 1. Call to Order President McCray called the closed session to order at 6:09 p.m.
2. Roll Call Present:
Absent: Cameron Beach Also present:
3. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 and Administrative Code Section 67.10 (b), the Parking Authority Commission will meet in closed session to discuss: PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: Acting Parking Authority Director Ron Szeto ADJOURN CLOSED SESSION AND RECONVENE OPEN SESSION - The closed session was adjourned at 8:10 p.m. 14. Announcement of Closed Session. President McCray announced that the Board met in closed session to conduct a performance evaluation of the acting Director of the Parking Authority. The Commission took no action. 15. Motion to disclose or not disclose the information discussed in closed session. On motion to not disclose the information discussed: unanimously approved (Beach-absent.) ADJOURN - The meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m. A tape of the meeting is on file in the office of the Secretary to the Parking Authority Commission. Roberta Boomer The Ethics Commission of the City and County of San Francisco has asked us to remind individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [S.F. Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code section 2.100 et seq.] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 415-581-2300; fax: 415-581-2317; 30 Van Ness Ave., Suite 3900, SF, CA 94102-6027 or the web site: sfgov.org/ethics.
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