MINUTES HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING February 26, 2015 SCHEDULED: 4:00 PM, 990 Pacific Ave., Community Room, San Francisco, CA 94133 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Joaquin Torres, President Jaci Fong, Vice President Phil Arnold, Commissioner Leroy Lindo, Commissioner Ted Yamasaki, Commissioner COMMISSIONERS EXCUSED: Item 1: Meeting called to order President Torres called the meeting to order at 4:12. He requested that Dorothy Raimey, the President of the Tenant s Association at 990 Pacific, open the Commission meeting. Ms. Raimey welcomed the Commission on behalf of the residents at 990 Pacific. She stated that she hoped the Commission meeting would help familiarize the residents with the Authority s procedures. Item 2: Approval of minutes: a. Regular meeting: January 21, 2015 Commissioner Arnold asked that the minutes on page 10 be amended to reflect that non-residents were not allowed into the buildings, unaccompanied by a resident, after 10:00 PM, instead of 10:00 AM. Public Comment Motion: First: Commissioner Arnold motioned to approve with amendments to page 10 Second: Commissioner Fong Vote: Ayes: Commissioners Arnold, Torres, Lindo and Fong Abstain: Commissioner Yamasaki Nays: Motion passed
Item 3: General Communications Acting Executive Director Barbara Smith provided a calendar to the Commission detailing the City of San Francisco s Clean Team events taking place in 2015. Ms. Smith reported that staff had received two letters from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She explained that the first letter allowed the Authority to move forward with the conversion to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program beginning in October 2015. Ms. Smith stated that the second letter approved additional resources for the RAD program, which would be granted to selected housing developments. Item 4: President s Report Commissioner Torres wished the residents of 990 Pacific a Happy Chinese New Year. He stated that the Authority s agreement with HUD would provide 1.4 billion dollars to fund additional maintenance and services for the public housing developments. Commissioner Torres commended the Authority, the tenant councils, and the labor unions for their work on negotiations with HUD and the RAD conversion process. Item 5: General Public Comment Teresa Lee; stated that she had made a public records request at the end of 2013 for the completed section 18 applications pertaining to Ping Yuen and Ping Yuen North. She stated that the applications were recently submitted, and requested that the applications be provided to her. Ms. Lee further expressed support for the Watchtower Security Camera resolution. Marlon Reynolds; resident of 990 Pacific, requested that he be provided with an update on the alteration in funding for 990 Pacific. Commissioner Torres requested that the Watchtower Security Camera resolution be moved up in the agenda to precede the Executive Director s Report to accommodate the schedules of the officers from the San Francisco Police Department. Item 6: [RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO INDIVIDUAL TWO (2) YEAR CONTRACTS FOR SECURITY CAMERA SYSTEMS AT PING YUEN, ROBERT B. PITTS AND WESTSIDE COURTS WITH WATCHTOWER SECURITY WITH A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $525,250 FOR THE INITIAL FIRST TWO (2) YEARS] Presented by: Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer, reported that the Authority proposed installing additional Watchtower Security cameras at Ping Yuen, Robert B. Pitts and Westside Courts. David Lazar, SFPD Commanding Officer for Central Station, spoke in favor of the resolution. He stated that security cameras were often used to catch and convict suspects,
and that having additional cameras in the Chinatown district would aid the SFPD in keeping Chinatown safe. Commissioner Lindo asked if the old cameras and Robert B. Pitts and Ping Yuen would be replaced. Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer, explained that the old cameras would be enhanced by the new system, and that additional cameras would be added to the sites. Commander Lazar stated that the parking garage at 990 Pacific had been infiltrated the previous evening. He indicated that the suspect broke into six cars. Commander Lazar stated that the SFPD would have had a larger amount of leads for the investigation had there been high-quality security cameras in the parking garage at the time of the incident. Captain Raj Vaswani of Park Station spoke in support of the security camera resolution. He stated that Watchtower Security Cameras provided very high-quality resolution that had successfully aided the SFPD in identifying suspects in several cases. Public Comment Teresita Pineda, resident of John F. Kennedy Towers, stated that her car plate had been stolen in the JFK parking lot. She stated that the parking lot had a single camera and that her car was barely visible. Maria Sumricht, a representative of Surveillance Grid, protested the resolution. She requested that the Authority reevaluate their decision to use Watchtower Security cameras, stating that her company could provide superior video-quality and more affordable service. Chang Jok Lee, President of the Ping Yuen Resident s Improvement Association (PYRIA) spoke in support of the resolution. She stated that the Ping Yuen residents had expressed concern at resident meetings about the increase of criminal activity, such as drug trafficking, trespassing, and robberies, in their neighborhood. She stated that PYRIA had long advocated for more security cameras to address the residents safety concerns. She stated that residents were often reluctant to report crime due to language barriers and fear of retaliation. She urged the Commission to approve the security camera resolution to promote the safety of Ping Yuen residents. Commissioner Torres asked if Captain Lazar s community outreach in Chinatown had led to an increase in crime reporting from Ping Yuen residents. The President of the Ping Yuen Tenant s Association confirmed that Ping Yuen residents had been reporting more crimes as the result of SFPD outreach. Commissioner Fong asked for clarification on the Authority s selection process that led staff to choose Watchtower Security. Mr. Gebala explained that a selection committee had evaluated several companies based on various criterion, including technical capability and affordability, and that Watchtower Security had been deemed the most serviceable option. Commissioner Fong asked for the number of people on the selection committee. Mr. Gebala stated that there had been four committee members, two Authority staff members and two SFPD officers. Commissioner Fong asked for further detail on the selection committee s criteria. Mr. Gebala explained that Watchtower
Security had been vetted based on affordability, security camera video resolution, and the ability to provide video footage in a timely manner. Commissioner Arnold asked what would happen to the Authority s contract with Watchtower Security once the Phase I and II housing developments had been converted to the RAD program. Mr. Gebala stated that the Authority was not responsible for the Watchtower Security contract once the developments had been converted to RAD. He explained that Watchtower Security was confident that strong support from the Authority and local law enforcement would assist them in persuading the RAD developers to continue the security camera contract after the conversion was complete. Commissioner Fong asked for clarification on the protest process. Mr. Gebala explained that policy allowed for a protest to be filed within ten days of an action taken on a resolution. He stated that staff was required to respond within ten days from the date the protest was filed. Commissioner Torres asked if an approval of the resolution would not be finalized until after the protest had been resolved. Mr. Gebala affirmed that this was correct. Commissioner Fong asked if the protest was required to be submitted in writing. Mr. Gebala responded that it was. Commissioner Yamasaki asked for clarification on the protest timeline. Mr. Gebala explained that a protest could not be submitted on a resolution until an affirmative action or vote was taken on the item. He explained that an affirmative vote triggered the start of the ten day protest period. Commissioner Lindo asked who was responsible for handling the protest. Mr. Gebala explained that his department was a neutral party that had not taken part in the initial selection of Watchtower Security, and that his department would therefore handle the protest from Surveillance Grid. Motion: First: Commissioner Yamasaki Second: Commissioner Lindo Vote: Ayes: Commissioners Arnold, Torres, Lindo, Fong and Yamasaki Nays: Motion passed Item 7: Executive Director s Report A. Update on Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program Presented by: Alicia Sisca, Administrator, Housing Development, Modernization and Maintenance Alicia Sisca, Director of Housing Development and Modernization, reported that RAD conversion of select housing developments would begin in October 2015.
Commissioner Torres asked which housing developments would be the first to be converted to RAD in October 2015. Ms. Sisca stated that the order in which developments would be converted in Phase I had not yet been established. Commissioner Torres asked when the HOPE VI sites would be converted to RAD. Ms. Sisca responded that the HOPE VI sites would be converted to RAD prior to October 2015. She stated that staff did not know the exact month the HOPE VI conversion would take place. Commissioner Torres asked when staff would complete the final construction plans for the Phase I developments. Ms. Sisca stated that the final construction plans for Phase I developments would be completed and presented to the Board of Commissioners in April 2015. Commissioner Torres asked how staff had been communicating with residents regarding the pending RAD conversion. Helen Hale from the Mayor s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) responded that MOHCD staff had held regular monthly meetings to update residents on the status of the RAD conversion. She stated that staff had not yet provided residents with a specific conversion date, as negotiations for the conversion dates were still being finalized. Ms. Hale stated that staff had also provided residents with information regarding the pending site construction that would be taking place in 2015. Commissioner Arnold asked if the services and activities being offered to residents by the MOHCD service coordinators were similar to those being offered to the developments covered by the Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services (NCPHS) coordinators. Ms. Hale responded that the services offered at each development depended largely on the residents interests. She stated that the NCPHS staff was capable of offering services similar to that of MOHCD service coordinators. B. Elevator Report Presented by: Andrew Passell, Project Manager for Housing Development and Modernization Commissioner Arnold requested that staff expand the elevator report to include capital projects that were not handled by Authority staff. Commissioner Torres asked if staff was providing progress updates to residents living on sites that were being rehabilitated. Andrew Passell, Project Manager for Housing Development and Modernization, stated that staff posted construction progress notices in the buildings for the benefit of residents. He stated that the notices were updated regularly. C. Monthly Update: Public Housing Agency and Recovery & Sustainability Agreement and Action Plan (PHARS) Presented by: Twima Earley, Director of Public Housing Operations, and Linda Martin-Mason, Director of Government Affairs and Policy Commissioner Arnold asked if tenants with unpaid rent would be allowed to convert to the RAD program. Linda Martin-Mason, Director of Government Affairs and Policy, stated that all tenants living in RAD sites were guaranteed a place in the RAD program, regardless of their rent status. She explained that the Authority could collect
the unpaid rent by offering the tenant a repayment agreement after conversion to RAD. Ms. Martin-Mason stated that staff was working to ensure that all delinquent tenants with unpaid rent balances would be entered into repayment agreements prior to RAD conversion. Commissioner Arnold asked for the status of legally blocked tenants with unpaid rent balances. Ms. Martin-Mason responded that the lease enforcement staff was working to ensure that legally blocked tenant cases lasted no more than six months. Commissioner Yamasaki asked if a delinquent tenant that had converted to the RAD program was still responsible for paying their debt to the Authority. Ms. Martin- Mason stated that the tenant was still responsible for the remaining unpaid rent to the Authority after the RAD conversion had taken place. Steven Rosario, Director of Leased Housing, responded that residents who had outstanding debt with any housing authority were reported to the federal government. He explained that outstanding debt would prohibit a resident from being eligible for any future housing assistance, and could potentially result in the loss of their Section 8 voucher assistance with the RAD program. Mr. Rosario stated that the Authority was still authorized to collect the tenant s debt, even if the tenant was no longer an Authority resident. Commissioner Lindo asked if tenants living under RAD s Section 8 program could potentially be evicted for having outstanding debt to the Authority, were they to refuse to pay the debt. Mr. Rosario stated that Section 8 was not responsible for evicting a tenant. He explained that Section 8 could take action by terminating the tenant s rent assistance voucher. Mr. Rosario indicated that, once rent assistance was terminated, the resident would become responsible for paying the full amount of rent to the landlord. He explained that the eviction process was the responsibility of the landlord, and that the landlord could evict a tenant if the resident could not pay the full rent. Commissioner Arnold recommended that staff clarify the Section 8 eviction process to Section 8 residents. Commissioner Torres stated that residents had expressed concern, at previous Commission Meetings, that the process for handling Section 8 tenants with delinquent rent had not been made clear to residents. Dianne Jackson McLean of Goldfarb and Lipman explained that HUD policy gave the Authority the discretion to decide the method for collecting debt post RAD conversion. Commissioner Arnold asked if staff had created a policy dealing with debt collection post RAD. Ms. Martin-Mason stated that staff did not currently have a policy regarding post RAD debt collection. Commissioner Arnold recommended that staff develop a policy regarding post RAD debt collection. Ms. Smith recommended that staff and the Commission hold a workshop on Authority policy issues. Twima Earley, Director of Public Housing Operations, presented the Occupancy Report. Commissioner Torres asked if staff had filled all vacant rehabilitated units that had been available since September 2014. Ms. Earley responded that, of the original 120 available vacant rehabilitated units, only 29 were left. Commissioner Arnold asked how staff planned to fill the remaining 29 vacant and available units, given the large number of applicants on the waitlist. Nicole McCray-
Dickerson, Director of Client Placement, stated that staff was still in the process of determining client eligibility for the vacant units. She explained that the Client Placement department had been preoccupied with the opening of the waitlist in January 2015 and the recent conversion of the Authority s data to Emphasys Software. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that Client Placement would catch up on referring eligible families to vacant units within the next month. Commissioner Torres asked what level of security was provided to protect the vacant units from squatters. Ms. Earley responded that the vacant units had been boarded up and that a list of all vacant units had been provided to staff s on-site security. Commissioner Torres asked if staff had taken any steps to expedite the process of filling the vacant units. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that staff had acquired a portable fingerprinting machine at 440 Turk Street that accelerated the time frame for criminal background checks. Ms. McCray-Dickerson reported that client transfers had increased from five to twenty-eight. Commissioner Arnold asked why there had been a significant increase in resident transfers. Ms. McCray-Dickerson responded that the transfers had all been emergency transfers for residents who had special needs. Commissioner Torres asked how many total units there were at the Veteran housing development, 250 Kearny. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that there were 135 units at 250 Kearny. Commissioner Torres asked how many units at 250 Kearny had been filled. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that there were 72 applicants that had been approved for housing at 250 Kearny. Commissioner Torres asked who was responsible for managing the property at 250 Kearny. Ms. McCray-Dickerson stated that Swords to Plowshares and the Veteran s Health Administration (VA Medical) were managing the property. D. Update on Public Housing Agency Recovery & Sustainability Agreement and Action Plan (PHARS) Presented by: Carl Gayden, Chief Strategic Planning and Budgeting Officer Carl Gayden, Chief Strategic Planning and Budgeting Officer, reported that staff had seven remaining items to submit to HUD. He stated that staff had successfully completed the first phase of their strategic planning process. E. Northern California Presbyterian Homes & Services (NCPHS) Quarterly Report Sue Dichter, supervisor of the NCPHS service providers, reported on the service coordinators working at 16 different Senior/Disabled sites. She stated that NCPHS was working closely with the RAD developers to increase resident awareness of the pending RAD conversion. She indicated that service coordinators documented each interaction with a resident, which provided NCPHS with valuable insight into resident concerns. She stated that the largest resident concern was regarding safety. She stated that the goal for NCPHS was to attain 100 percent engagement with all residents.
Public Comment Beverly Saba; expressed concern that 666 Ellis had a broken gate and a broken front door that had not yet been addressed by the Authority. Ms. Saba stated that she wanted to know how many vacant and available units were open at the Senior/Disabled sites. She stated that the residents at 430 Turk planned to hold a meeting to address ongoing problems with the on-site service coordinator. Ms. Saba requested that the Authority provide a report concerning the broken door issues at various sites. Teresa Lee; expressed concern that property office staff was receiving misdirected email inquiries from waitlist applicants that included the applicants confidential information. She asked if there was a more appropriate mail box or email address to which clients could send their inquiries. Commissioner Torres asked if staff could provide status reports on broken doors and pest control concerns at future meetings. Ms. Smith stated that staff would follow up with the issues. Item 8: Tenant Representative Report A. City Wide Council Senior/Disabled ( CCSD ) Beverly Saba, President of City Wide Council Senior/Disabled (CCSD) group, reported that CCSD had held a resident training on February 17, 2015. She explained that the training had covered the roles of resident council officers and the resources available to council members. Ms. Saba expressed concern that the majority of resident leaders were not aware of the RAD working groups and that decisions concerning RAD were being made without resident input. She requested that the Authority provide resident leaders with event calendars that provided information on working group meetings. Ms. Saba reported that Joyce Armstrong had given a speech on the core values of the tenant associations, and that Sara Short had spoken to residents about the importance of unified tenant advocacy. She stated that Commissioner Torres had attended the resident training and had encouraged resident leaders to attend Commission Meetings. Ms. Saba expressed concern that RAD did not mandate the continuation of CCSD and the Public Housing Tenant s Association (PHTA). Ms. Saba reported that residents of 430 Turk had received a visit from Mayor Ed Lee and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro. She stated that the visit had been a success. Ms. Saba reported that the residents of 430 Turk had met with the Captain of the Tenderloin station to discuss resident safety. She reported that residents did not feel safe in their building despite having 24-hour security due to clandestine drug activity. B. Public Housing Tenants Association ( PHTA ) Joyce Armstrong, President of PHTA, reported that she had attended a resident meeting at Plaza East. She stated that Barbara Smith and Rose Dennis had also been in attendance. Ms. Armstrong reported that several residents had come forward during the meeting to voice their individual concerns regarding unit maintenance issues,
accessibility issues, pest control issues, and rent payment issues. She indicated that the residents at Plaza East were experiencing a large number of maintenance issues that had not been addressed. Ms. Armstrong reported that PHTA had held a successful resident training session on February 14, 2015. She stated that the residents celebrated Black History Month and the Lunar New Year during the meeting. She reported that Joyce Anderson, long standing resident of Bernal Heights, had been evicted from her unit and had died while unlawfully occupying a vacant unit. Ms. Armstrong reported that the nominations for the resident council at ten (10) different sites would begin on May 18, 2015. Ms. Armstrong reported that the PHTA planned to schedule an additional leadership training session in August 2015. Public Comment Item 9: Committee Report A. Development and Finance Committee (D&F) Commissioner Arnold reported that the Development and Finance Committee (D&F) had met on February 18, 2015. He reported that three action items had been recommended for the Consent Calendar and the remaining three items had been recommended for the Regular Agenda. B. Resident Services, Operations and Personnel Committee (RSOP) Commissioner Lindo reported that he had attended the PHTA resident training on February 14, 2015. He stated that he spoke with the PHTA regarding the merits of the late Commissioner Patricia Thomas, as well as her contributions to the Commission and the public housing community. Public Comment Item 10: Consent Calendar Agenda: Public comment will be taken after staff presentation as a whole on all Agenda Items. Speakers are encouraged to complete a comment card. Speakers will be limited to two minutes or four minutes for speakers who require an interpreter. A. Consent Items (1) [RESOLUTION APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO PURCHASE KNOWLEDGELAKE UNIFI
LICENSES AND INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION SERVICES NOT-TO-EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF $62,134] Presented by: David Rosario, Director of Information Technology (IT) (2) [RESOLUTION APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO EXTEND THE RENNE, SLOAN, HOLTZMAN, SAKAI CONTRACT #12-0039, AS AMENDED BY AMENDMENT #1 AND AMENDMENT #2 FOR CONTINUED LEGAL SERVICES RELATED TO TAIL LIABILITY WORK WITH FUNDS PREVIOUSLY APPROVED THOUGH AMENDMENT #2 FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO HOUSING AUTHORITY THROUGH MAY 31, 2015] Presented by: Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer (3) [RESOLUTION APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO INCREASE THE VALUE AND EXTEND THE DURATION OF CONTRACT #14-0025 B WITH CASTERLINE ASSOCIATES P.C. BY $300,000 FOR WORK RELATED TO TASK BASED ASSIGNMENTS FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATED TO PROGRAM RECONCILIATIONS, CONVERSIONS, AUDIT SUPPORT AND ANALYSIS WITH A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $510,820 AND TIME EXTENSION THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2015] Presented by: Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer Public Comment(s) on all Consent Calendar Items Motion: First: Commissioner Arnold Second: Commissioner Fong Vote: Ayes: Commissioners Arnold, Torres, Lindo, Fong and Yamasaki Nays: Motion passed
Item 11: Regular Agenda: Public comment will be taken after staff presentation as a whole on all Agenda Items. Speakers are encouraged to complete a comment card. Speakers will be limited to two minutes or four minutes for speakers who require an interpreter. A. Action Items (1) [RESOLUTION APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A ONE (1) YEAR CONTRACT WITH NAN MCKAY AND ASSOCIATES, INC. FOR FEDERAL PROGRAMS QUALITY ASSURANCE CONSULTING SERVICES WITH A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $180,000] Presented by: Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer John McKay and Sydney Jones, representatives of Nan McKay & Associates, stated that their goal was to assist the Authority by assessing operations and procedures and recommending the most effective practices to increase the Authority s PHAS and SEMAP scores. Ms. Jones stated that Nan McKay had worked with 99 percent of the housing authorities in the country. Commissioner Torres asked if Nan McKay had experience working with other agencies whose situations were similar to that of the Authority s. Ms. Jones stated that the Authority was in need of staff training on federal regulations and policies. She stated that this applied to most agencies. Commissioner Torres asked Steven Rosario if he had past success employing outside agencies to oversee company operations. Mr. Rosario stated that he had. He stated that Nan McKay would help the Authority operate at a higher level. Public Comment(s) Motion: First: Commissioner Yamasaki Second: Commissioner Arnold Vote: Ayes: Commissioners Arnold, Torres, Lindo Fong and Yamasaki Nays: Motion passed
(2) [RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ENTER INTO A TWO (2) YEAR CONTRACT FOR RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH GREEN STREETS AND URBAN STRATEGIES, INC. WITH THE OPTION TO EXTEND FOR UP TO THREE (3) ADDITIONAL ONE (1) YEAR PERIOD(S) FOR A CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF FIVE (5) YEARS WITH A NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT OF $302,000 IN YEAR #1 AND $302,863 IN YEAR #2 ($604,863 FOR THE INITIAL FIRST TWO (2) YEARS)] Presented by: Solomon Gebala, Chief Procurement Officer Mr. Gebala explained that Green Streets and Urban Strategies would assist with keeping the Sunnydale streets free of trash while encouraging recycling and resident hiring. Randolph Lee, Site Supervisor at Sunnydale, explained that Green Streets hired residents and provided them with extensive training, including training from Recology, in recycling. He stated that the program provided low-income individuals and former convicted criminals with a chance to receive full-time employment and to become leaders within their own communities. Public Comment Motion: First: Commissioner Lindo Second: Commissioner Yamasaki Vote: Ayes: Commissioners Arnold, Torres, Lindo Fong and Yamasaki Nays: Motion passed Item 12: Commissioner s Comment and Report Item 13: Adjournment Commissioner Torres adjourned the meeting at 7:30 PM