Transcripts For SFGTV 20131118

Public comment on item no. 5, communications . Seeing none. Public comment is now closed. Next item, please. Item 6. Any Public Comment on item 6 . Seeing none Public Comment is closed. Next item please. Item 7. Report of the general manager. Good afternoon, next on the agenda what i want to bring back is the bayview arts grants update. The puc made a commitment to bayview arts in San Francisco. The city requires by City Ordinance to contribute 2 percent cost for the Arts Commission in the city. In 2011 we actually passed a Community Benefit policy that alliance the art contributions with our goal which are to be a Good Neighbor and invest in arts and cultural neighborhoods that are impacted by our services and operations. Before it would go to the Arts Commission and we didnt have about where these funds would be directed. We partner closely with the Arts Commission to administer art funding similar to how we partner to other agencies like the department of the environment, San Francisco Unified School District and the work force development. This year with our support, the Community Art and Educational Program of the Arts Commission created a new strategy in the bayview to enhance investments in arts and support local artist and art organizations. So we are pleased with the 2013 bayview Art Grant Program and i would like to turn it over to judy, the director of Communication Arts and Educational Program at the Arts Commission to share the process and results of the grant. Good afternoon, let me just interject for one moment. If there is no objection from my colleagues, we will call for Public Comment two times during this line item. The first Public Comment will take place after this presentation. We ask that you speak on this item and this item only. I will call for Public Comment again at the end of the general managers report. Is that okay . Okay. Thank you for allowing me to address this commission. Im going to provide a broad overview of how to program was established. This is a Pilot Program that in following the best practices of the San Francisco art making grants program, we wanted to support the arts that were already existing in the bayview and that had infrastructure an opportunity to expand the work they were already doing. The intent was to support as i said organizations and programs already established in the bayview as opposed to taking a call for new projects. These were not commissures commissions for new work. It was to support general infrastructure to expand the arts programming. The intent of that programming was to provide high quality arts access to the bayview residents and to look at the arts as a way to build community stewardship, as a way to build engagement and build opportunities for people to come together in celebration and in opportunity to do Work Together through an arts means. So im going to quickly begin my powerpoint. Please turn on your computers or your screens, i believe. The goal of the Grant Program is to support the expansion of high quality existing art programs in the bayview Hunters Point community. We established a set of grant guidelines and application process. We held application workshops in the community, the grand guidelines and notify all the opportunities for public process and review of the application and one of the things that the Arts Commission does in the best practices in the arts world is we inform applicants when their applications will be received so they can review the application process as a learning at some point so that as you continue to grow as an artist you have learned from the experience of submitting grant applications. All of that was noted in or applicant pool. We have one glitch in the time line is. We processed in may and committee in june and in july. Unfortunately the august meeting was canceled due to lack of quorum. We were a month behind in announcing the recipients of the grants and we are moving behind schedule on that, otherwise we are on track. The Arts Commission is a very important part of the grant making we do. We try to have panelist that are vetted in the arts as well as whatever the core value of that application is. So for this grants panel we felt what was really important to have representation of the Bayview Community so those applications would be known to folks who knew the community well. And you will see in front of you the list of panelist. We noted a high tenancy of theatre application as well as visual arts and we were extremely fortunate to get Anthony Jones and lawrence as one of our panelest. The other part of the Panel Process is we do keep the p panelist confidential and we send them information prior to the revenue review process and then the information on particular information on stewardship and high quality qualifications and the experience ability to manage a significant grants relationship with the Arts Commission. These are 10,000 awards and this is a bit of paperwork that needs to go into it. So, again, the Panel Process was an open public process and from that, the panel selected 10 grantees they felt would best meet the criteria that was laid out. Just to give you a quick snapshot. We had 23 proposals to this first time grant. 12 of those applicants were first time applicants to the San Francisco Arts Commission and three of those first time applicants were funded in this review process. The relate to grant request as you see in front of you is almost 228,000. We had 100,000 to distribute. Its always a difficult project. I wish you can fund everyone, but you cant. What i really want to give you an opportunity to look at the list of the grantees that were awarded. It runs in range from prek arts access to Young Children on third and oak dale. The tremendous number of persons were the number of applicants interested in youth and young people. You will see a lot of Program Expansion to support more young people and more expanded program opportunities. So, again none of the programs that you see are new. There are programs that have been in the community that were seeking to expand the work they do by bringing in additional artist by serving more young people, by having more opportunities for free and expanded access. You will see on the next page a couple of, two programs in particular that focus on elders in the community. One wah is a wonderful grant of quilt making program in the university and innovative use of the arts with recycled material working with women in the Salvation Army bayview Hunters Point ministry. You will see this all within the bayview hunters neighborhood and all will be expanding their grant making. Really to wrap it up, the grants are under way. We are beginning to see some program attic activities taking places. We have not begun the next round of funding to begin in january and we are looking forward to some of the outcomes of these programs. All of them are required to have a Public Performance aspect to it. All of them are required to submit final reports. I look forward to the opportunity to coming back and sharing some of the successes and data and some of the i believe creative grants program. Thats my presentation. Im happy to answer any questions. Commissioner . How much . 100,000. So the groups that were selected will have an open process . Its very important to the Arts Commission that we do an open process. I should say one other thing about it. One of the things i added into grant making process was a cohort learning. All of the recipients of the grants will be gathering together three or four times to learn about each others work and ask us for help they might need for help develop their programs and perhaps do more grant making. As you know its not all the organization are not arts organizations. We fund nonart organizations and we help to build the infrastructure and stability so the program can continue should the funding not continue. Thank you very much. Commissioner moran . Thank you for your presentation. We heard a lot of testimony as part of your meeting as Public Comment. Express process concerns. There were some outcomes concerns and process concerns. One of the process concerns had to do with that delay that you are talking about with the postponed meeting. Hoot of a lot of the items that come to this commission have bids where there has been a protest lodged. That protest goes through review process and it comes to us with a determination from staff and the City Attorney as to the mayor and that process. What i didnt hear in the process was an opportunity within this election process for any kind of review and protest prior to the items coming to the Arts Commission for final action. I would like your comments on that and it may also be relevant as to off the top of my head, im not remembering if we had that same kind of process for professional Services Contracts or if thats mainly construction contracts. We have a protest process for all of our rfps. Thank you. The Panel Process which is an open process and all applicants are welcome to participate and attend. If you sit through the whole thing you essentially know what the outcome is of the Panel Process. This Panel Recommendations are brought to the Committee Meeting and its noted who the applicants are and an opportunity for Public Comment. Within that process of the full commission, i would imagine if we had a complaint lodged that thats where it would reside. I have never had a complaint lodged so i dont actually know what the process would be. There is again between the Committee Meetings which approves the panel recommendation, it goes to full commission. That full commission is also an open notice with the agenda published. So, i dont actually know the answer to your question about if there were a complaint lodged, what that process would be. Commissioner vetore vietor. There is a difference in the process in regards to Public Comment. City attorneys office. I think thats correct. The administrative code has requirements with respect to protesting contract procurement process. There are no City Ordinances mandating a specific protest opportunity for grant. It would be up to the granting department to provide inform for that. But certainly Public Comment would be due process for that to occur. Commissioner torres . Council, back to you, under the administrative code the grant producing agency would be the repository for a protest . The administrative code actually at this point does not specify any required citywide protocols for grant making. So if an agency receives a complaint, that agency can ignore it or does it have to act upon it . They have a process by which they would award a grant and then they would themselves determine whether or not the complaint warranted redoing the grant award. The witness has testified or stated that there were no protest otherwise you wouldnt know what to do with it if you had received one. That is correct. So why is it that we are receiving all these complaints when we are not determining how to grants are awarded and you are not. The Bayview Community who had a problem with the way these applications were reviewed and funded should have come to you to protest. It seems from what the City Attorney is saying, the funding was distributed through a process closely followed by the San Francisco Arts Commission based on our best practice and i imagine this is from the San Francisco Arts Commission to the organization. The Arts Commission, im confused, who r you . I run the Arts Education program. I am a staff member of the San Francisco Arts Commission. You advise the Arts Commission . The commission itself takes the panel recommendation. If there is a complaint or if the commission feels in someway that decisions were not made to, that they felt followed proper protocol then the commission would take it on as a body. Would it be proper protocol that applicants that applied would receive a grant . Im not sure i understand. Of all the grants that were awarded how many were eligible . All of them. The organization were for those that resided in the bayview Hunters Point community. All access are delivering programs in the bayview hunters community. I believe i heard that none of them were active in the bayview Hunters Point community. You never received complaints from anyone. Single family house i have received no formal complaints. We received one as far as the sunshine question and we responded to in a timely manner. Im confused because im hearing how unfair the process has been and no. 2, nobody in the Bayview Community received a grant and you say they were in fact all of them. All of them were. The requirement of the application is that you had to be resident of bayview and all programs take place in the Bayview Community. I regret i didnt bring you a map that showed you the location of all these communities. I didnt need a map. I just wanted to be aware of the process is. You should be receiving the complaints. So if i have a complaint or questions about how the process was run and clearly the ultimate decision, i would talk to you . Correct. How would i know that if i had not been sitting here talking to you . I think what you are speaking to is an interesting point. If you go back to the statistics, a large number of the plate applicants were first time applicants to the Arts Commission and with the City Arts Grants Program it takes a while for first time applicants to learn the process. You dont have a teaching . We had a workshop. Two workshops. Part of the workshop did you have information about complaints . No. I think its important because we have that in the puc about a grant. People know where to file their appeal or protest. Thats not the case here. No, we certainly all of the plate applicants get a letter telling us when the plan is reviewing it and they could come. Its a learning experience. To my knowledge, the applicants know and its in the application that it goes from there to committee and from committee to full commission. But, no, we do not specifically spell out what happens if they dont get it. I think you should. Thank you. No. 2, i say that with all do respect. I appreciate it. Getting back to the comments, is there is going to be a second round of 100,000 funding . Yes. Are all the applicants prohibited from applying . No. We have not set the criteria or guidelines. Historically no, we do not exclude. So no applicant that was excluded would be excluded from applying again . Correct. Thank you. I have a couple quick questions, just to piggy back on commissioner torres comments. I appreciate that you are opening to making slight changes to how you administer this program on our behalf, right . Because i think that if its not really something that we are in a position to take action on, then i think we miss an opportunity. I think commissioner torres comments when you do those workshops you inform the applicants if they are going to be successful in securing that funding that there are opportunities where the Commission Votes to adopt those recommendations and let out the funding or after the fact instead of us having this conversation here. We are going to hear from a number of speakers and the public and my position may change. Commissioner . I would be happy to share. My day job is at the San Francisco foundation and we run 42 Grant Programs every year. So we have a lot of, our foundation, i would be happy to provide resource and information. We have an open application process in 5 counties and everyone has an opportunity to apply and not all get grants. We have an open door policy and peak ask why and we try to provide this em with Additional Support and i would be happy to provide those procedures if necessary or desired. Commissioners, if there is no further discussion, im going to call Public Comment. Im going to ask that we respect each other and try to stay within the timeline for those of you who use 2 minutes. I would ask everyone to use 2 minutes. I will go ahead and start with you, doctor. Thank you so very much. I would like to start off saying that when you all set up the task force for the digesters, i was one of the those members for the task force and when something is brought to our attention that something is built 2 feet above the ground, it goes to the Arts Commission. I requested that. I requested that 10 percent come to the southeast sector. I requested that. And when i went to this meeting, and i asked the question. That meeting, im going to be there. I ask that i receive copies of all the organizations that are supposed to be in my community. I live there. I know the people there. Never got it. Let me say this to you. 10 percent was not asking very much because i felt when i heard, where is the money coming from. When they said puc, i said, oh, you are nothing going to get nothing and you that have been working in this community for the last 40 years are not going to get a dime. People brought up in that community. They dont get nothing. Nothing. I told them, what did i tell you . I want you all to be concerned about our area, Hunters Point, arts group. Give the money to us. Dont give no money to the city. We can do our own stuff. We dont need your help. Give it to us. Give us a chance to do what we want to do and not you come and tell us how you want it done. Thank you. I have a question. So you are saying the applicants dont really live . I got upset when i found out that puc was giving them the money in the first place and not giving it to the community. I got upset, sweetheart. I just want to point some clarity to this. 2 percent of any of that work is not the question, the question is that the 2 percent of money that weve already contributed on the water side, you are saying that the 2 percent that would normally go to the spider or buddha head be redirected to the community. So the work that money was not received by the community at all. So we are redirecting it to the community so the community has the opportunity of getting these funds. Thats sort of the direction that we wanted to move the program. I understand that out of 23 firms or companies or nonprofits pursuing it you only get 10. Therefore there is an issue that you have some winners and losers and they are concerned about the process. I do agree that since now we are making Funds Available because we are directing funds that were not available that we are already giving to the Arts Commission and making it available that we probably need to understand that the community really has a great need and we need to make sure that a process is in place for the ones that are not successful and they understand the process and they have an opportunity to be given feedback so the next time they are better prepared. I would like to add to that. We had a discussion quite some time ago about the fact that we were contributing money to the Art Commission and we had no say so over how that money was being used. I just dont ever think that a spider represented anything that has to do with puc. So that has been changed, i have been told. I think that we have to move forward, but knowing that we dont have direct control over it. We just have the responsibility to contribute 2 percent and i dont think we can contribute 10 percent. Oh yes you can with 7 digest coming into my community. I think you woah owe that to my community. I agree with you. Did i hear the money we are talking about here is resip money . The money is part of the arts is about 2 percent of above ground construction. Above ground for everything. If you look at how much money we contribute to above grounds, the majority of it, we sip project. Okay. Do you have an estimate as to what 2 percent