California Proposition 13 Split Roll Property Tax Initiative Submitted

BOMA San Francisco Members:

We've been notified by BOMA California that the process for an initiative on split roll property tax in California commenced yesterday with the submission of a request for title and summary of the “Protect Homeowners and Close Corporate Loopholes Act.” Please know, this is just the first step of the initiative process and it still has a ways to go before it goes before voters, but we thought you needed to be aware that proponents are actively pushing the idea.

Here is a summary of the key provisions:

• Exempts all residential property – including rentals and apartments 
• Requires commercial reassessment at least every three years 
• Increases homeowner exemption to $14,000 
• Provides a $1,000,000 personal property tax exemption 
• Puts money into general fund to increase Prop 98 funding 

Click here to review the proposed language.

We will keep you posted on any new developments.  Please email Matthew Hargrove at mhargrove@cbpa.com if you have any questions, comments, or need additional information.

Donald Savoie Named Executive Director Of Civic Center Community Benefit District

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The newly formed Civic Center Community Benefit District (CBD) announced the hiring of Donald W. Savoie as its Executive Director.

Savoie has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, event planning and communications. He has worked with various types of nonprofit organizations, such as chambers of commerce, cultural institutions, arts organizations, AIDS-service organizations, environmental coalitions, and alumni groups.

As the former executive director of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Savoie worked with City leaders on establishing two business improvement districts. In his most recent position with the San Francisco chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, Savoie has worked with designers in graphics and affiliated fields in the greater Bay Area.

David Harrison, chair of the CBD’s interim board of directors, said “We’re pleased to welcome Don as our Executive Director, and look forward to his leadership as the CBD works to fulfill its mission of improving the level of cleanliness and safety for the Civic Center area’s many residents, workers, and visitors.”

Mayor Edwin M. Lee stated, “The creation of the new Civic Center CBD will help deliver a cleaner, safer and more vibrant Civic Center for all San Franciscans, and I look forward to working with Mr. Savoie, residents and businesses as we revitalize and invest in this important neighborhood.”

Services are anticipated to commence February, 2012.

ABOUT THE CIVIC CENTER COMMUNITY BENEFIT DISTRICT:

San Francisco’s Civic Center area is home to some of its most important public buildings, cultural institutions, and public spaces.  The Civic Center CBD is a special assessment district formed in 2011 following approval by a weighted majority of property owners in the district.  Go to www.sfciviccentercbd.org for more information.

GreenFinanceSF for Commercial Property Owners Launches

BOMA San Francisco Members:

As part of San Francisco's effort to drive environmental and economic innovation, Mayor Ed Lee and San Francisco Department of the Environment Director Melanie Nutter launched a groundbreaking program to encourage businesses to undertake climate-friendly building improvements and attract significant new capital to pay for them.

The GreenFinanceSF Commercial program is a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program designed to give commercial property owners a new form of financing for the installation of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation improvements.

The program strives to help commercial property owners reduce operating costs, improve occupant health and comfort, enhance building value, and mitigate environmental impact as well as to provide financial institutions with very secure collateral to facilitate project financing at attractive rates.

GreenFinanceSF will accept financing proposals from property owners on a rolling basis with the expectation that all qualified applications will be approved. 

For more information on GreenFinanceSF or to apply, please visit www.GreenFinanceSF.org. If you have specific questions, feel free to send an email to contact@greenfinancesf.org, or call 415-937-7223.

A Look Ahead: Transbay Demolition and Construction Activities

Weekday Work (11/21/11 – 11/23/11):


Night Shift - The buttress wall installation operation will continue in the eastern transit center site between Beale and Fremont Streets between the hours of 6:00 AM and 1:00 AM. There will be minimal work on site between 1:00 AM and 6:00 AM. If there is a problem, work on site could extend into the hours between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM.

CDSM spoils will be removed from the central transit center sites, while buttress spoils are removed from the eastern transit center site during the night shift from 7:00 PM to 1:00 AM.

Day Shift - All contractors will work between the hours of 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, except as otherwise noted below. Activities will include:

Buttress, Shoring & Excavation Work:

Buttress Wall: Installation of the buttress wall will continue in the eastern transit center site inside the construction fence between the hours of 6:00 AM and 1:00 AM.

Shoring Wall: Cement Deep Soil Mixing (CDSM) shoring wall will continue in the central transit center site inside the construction fence – Day Shift.

Excavation Work: Excavation for the new Transit Center Building (including demolition of underground structures) will continue through the end of 2014. The excavation will move from the west transit center site and continue to the east end. The contractor will be excavating to an average depth of about 60 to 65 feet. NOTE: While most excavation work will take place during the day shift to begin, excavation, like the Buttress work, will become a 24 hour activity.

Crushed concrete and spoils will be removed from the western transit center site exiting onto Howard Street from a construction gate located near 564 Howard – Day Shift.

Underground Utilities/Trenching:

First Street (Between Mission and Howard Streets): Underground utilities work continues on First Street – Day Shift.

Mission Street (Between Second and Main Streets): Potholing work will be performed along Mission Street – Day Shift.

What to Expect Next Weekend Thanksgiving Holiday (11/24/11 – 11/27/11):

No heavy work is scheduled to take place during Thanksgiving weekend - Thursday, November 24 through Sunday, November 27. Maintenance work will take place within the site.

Detours, Street and Sidewalk Closures:

The following streets will be temporarily impacted due to project activities. So you can plan ahead, please review the affected streets below:

Beale Street (Between Mission and Howard Streets): Sidewalk paving work will take place along Beale Street on Tuesday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 23 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pedestrians will be re-directed into the parking lane. A flagger will be on site.

Howard Street (Between First and Second Streets): Sidewalk paving work will take place along a portion of Howard Street on Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Pedestrians will not be re-directed.

First Street (Between Mission and Howard Streets): Utility work will take place along First Street. Lane restrictions will be in effect from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. SFPD will be on site.

Fremont Street (Between Mission and Howard Streets): Street restoration work will take place along Fremont Street on Saturday, November 19 and Monday, November 21. Access to Natoma Street will be maintained at times. A flagger will be on site.

The east sidewalk of Fremont Street between Mission and Howard Streets will remain closed. Pedestrians are directed to the sidewalk on the west side of Fremont Street.

Minna Street (Between First and Second Streets): Minna Street has been reduced to one lane, one way (west bound), all vehicles will enter from First Street or Shaw Alley. There will be no parking along Minna Street between First Street and 130 feet east of Second Street for the life of the project.

Natoma Street (Between First and Second Streets): Natoma Street will be closed to traffic at Second Street on Saturday, November 19 for pavement restoration. Local access will be available.

Natoma Street has been changed to a dead end street for the life of the project with no vehicle access to Natoma Street from Second Street. Local access to 500 Howard Street is available to and from First Street. Local pedestrian access from Second Street to businesses on Natoma Street will remain available.

Natoma Street (Between Fremont and First Streets): Natoma Street has been reduced to one lane, one way (west bound), all vehicles will enter from Fremont Street and exit at First Street for the life of the project.

Market Street and Mission Street: Potholing work will be performed along Mission between Second and Main Streets from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

Beginning Saturday, November 19 PG&E will be performing work at the Beale and Mission Street intersection, with additional night work being performed along Beale Street between Market and Mission Streets. This work is not under the control or authority of the TJPA. If you have any questions surrounding this work please contact PG&E representative Michael Riordan at (415) 973-6201

Transbay Archeology Exhibit Opening 

As the construction of the Transbay Transit Center moves ahead, we would like to share with our project neighbors and Bay Area residents some of the amazing artifacts that we have found along the way. 

This exhibit will feature a variety of items discovered within the footprint of the project site that illuminate the rich history of San Francisco’s gold rush era. Recovered artifacts show the way residents of the South of Market neighborhood in the 19th century lived, worked and played, including industrial tools, household items and remnants of neighborhood businesses. 

Opening: 

Friday, December 2, 2011 

TIME: 9 AM – 5 PM 

201 Mission Street lobby 

San Francisco, CA 94105 

Questions?

Should you have any general questions about the Transbay Transit Center Project, please call Adam Alberti or Stephanie Reichin, Transbay Outreach Team, at: (415) 227-9700 or via e-mail at: info@transbaycenter.org

Construction Hotline:

If you have any urgent questions regarding site-specific demolition or construction activities, please call our construction activity number: (415) 409-TJPA (8572).

Website:

Please continue to check our website for the most up to date schedule of activities at: http://transbaycenter.org/construction-updates

Construction Activity Map: Check out the construction activity map at: http://transbaycenter.org/construction-updates/construction-activity-map

Public Transit:

The TJPA encourages the use of public transportation. Please click on the link provided to assist in all of your public transportation travel needs: http://511.org/ or visit www.temporaryterminal.org

UPDATE: The Annual Building Codes Seminar - 2011 Codes Update & Overview

L to R: Reuben Hechanova; Ilene Dick; Skip Soskin and Neil Friedman

Skip Soskin, Codes and Regulation Committee Chair 

L to R: Barry Hooper, Dept. of Environment; Steven Ring, BOMA Board of Directors

More pictures are available to view on our Facebook page!

BOMA San Francisco Members:

We were honored to have standing room only capacity for our Annual Building Codes Seminar held recently. Thank you to everyone who attended, our guest speakers (listed in our previous blog post, below) and our generous sponsors!

Lead Sponsor - San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association

Event Sponsor: Cupertino Electric

Topics Covered:

• State Building Code Changes and Local and Federal ADA Requirements
• San Francisco Existing Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance
• Bird Safe Standards
• Water Conservation Ordinance
• Stormwater Management Ordinance 
• Destination Elevators
• SFFD Lockbox Program - TRACcess Lockboxes
• Evacuation Signage
• CAPSS - Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety
• Planning Code Update
• Building Occupancy Resumption Program (BORP)

-------------------

Original Post - November 9, 2011

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA San Francisco’s Annual Building Codes Seminar on Novmeber 10, 2011 will feature presentations from San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection, San Francisco Fire Department and Department of the Environment. Topics discussed will include:

• Energy audit requirements;
• ADA updates (local and Federal);
• Seismic, Plumbing, and other new code requirements;
• And, an opportunity for BOMA San Francisco members to interact with city officials responsible for enforcing these codes. 

On-line Registration - You can also register at the event!

SFSU Downtown Center, 835 Market Street, Room 609, in the Westfield Center.

8:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 

Sponsors:

Lead Sponsor - San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association

Event Sponsor: Cupertino Electric

Speakers

Ilene Dick, Esq. Farella Braun + Martel

Capt. Don Fields, SFFD

Tony Greico, Department of Building Inspection

Asst. Deputy Chief Tom Harvey, SFFD

Reuben Hechanova, SF Building Inspection 

Barry Hooper, SF Department of Environment

Laurence Kornfield, SF Mayor’s Office

Ken Kortkamp, SF PUC

Erika Lovejoy, SF Planning Department

Elaine Moulos, City Stamp & Sign Company

Danny Murtagh, Boston Properties

Julie Ortiz, SF PUC

Steve Panelli, SF Department of Building Inspection

Steven Ring, Cushman & Wakefield

Skip Soskin, Huntsman Architectural Group

George Von Klan, GVK Elevator Consulting

New Legislation Would Give Building Owners Notice of ADA Lawsuits

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Rep. Dan Lungren (R–Calif.) recently introduced legislation that would give building owners notice and a compliance period before a person can commence civil action for violations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

H.R. 3356, also known as ACCESS (ADA Compliance for Customer Entry to Stores and Services) Act of 2011. The legislation would require that any person aggrieved by discrimination based on the failure to remove a structural barrier to entry into an existing public accommodation first give written notice to the owner of the facility. The owner would then be allowed 60 days to respond with a written description outlining improvements that will be made to remove the barrier, followed by another 120 days to complete the removal of the barrier, before civil action can be pursued.

San Francisco Eastside Recycled Water Project Open House - November 17th

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Please join the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) for an open house session to learn about the benefits of recycled water.

Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Mission Bay Visitor Center

255 Channel, San Francisco

Click the image to enlarge.

SFPUC staff will be on hand to answer all questions regarding the Recycled Water Ordinance and how it can impact any new buildings built on the East side of San Francisco (South of Market/ AT&T Park Area/ the beginning and end of Third Street.)   

Staff will also discuss the possibilities and potential for using clean, highly treated recycled water instead of drinking water for non-drinking purposes, e.g., irrigation and toilet flushing in new buildings built with dual systems. 

The open house will give BOMA members a chance to ask questions about recycled water dual systems, talk one-on-one with SFPUC staff engineers and project managers, and how to get involved in the planning if one of their buildings may be impacted.   

Please feel free to contact Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com with any questions you may have.  The SFPUC contact for the open house is Suzanne Gautier, sgautier@sfwater.org or (415) 554-3204.

Community Meeting on Transbay Construction Activities

BOMA San Francisco Members:

With the completion of demolition, excavation of the Transbay Transit Center site is fast approaching. All around the jobsite, the Transbay Construction team is bustling with activity and they would like to invite you to come to their next community meeting to see what exciting things are currently taking place.

Join them on Friday, November 18, 2011 to learn more about construction activities, buttress and shoring wall construction, trestle bridges, street closures and hours of activity. The community meeting will be held from 12:00 noon until 1:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the TJPA’s offices located at 201 Mission Street, Suite 2100. The Transbay team appreciates that you are taking your lunch hour to learn more about this exciting project, and welcomes you to bring food or drinks to this meeting.

What: Community Meeting: Transbay Construction Update

When: Friday, November 18, 2011

Time: 12:00 Noon

Where: Transbay Joint Powers Authority

201 Mission Street, Suite 2100

San Francisco, CA 94105

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority looks forward to your participation and input during this exciting time. For more information about the Transbay Transit Center Project or to sign up to receive construction updates, visit www.transbaycenter.org.

BOMA San Francisco Op-Ed in the San Francisco Examiner - Time to Repair The City’s Busted Budget Priorities

Click on the image to enlarge

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Please click on the print article, above or here, to read the op-ed piece, Time to repair The City’s busted budget priorities, by Marc Intermaggio, BOMA San Francisco's Executive Vice President, published in the San Francisco Examiner on November 14, 2011.

IGCC Final Action Hearings Prove Successful for BOMA

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The final public hearings to determine the content of the 2012 International Green Construction Code (IGCC) wrapped up last Sunday in Phoenix and BOMA secured approval for most of our major objectives. 

The new IGCC is set to be published in March 2012 and will be available for local and state jurisdictional adoption and implementation at that time. BOMA’s codes advocacy staff worked with other real estate trade groups and local building officials to support significant modifications to the Version 2.0 draft of the code that will make it more user–friendly and less onerous for the commercial real estate industry.

BOMA led efforts to approve making IGCC an “overlay” to the minimum health and safety construction codes with restrictions so that no permits are to be issued under the IGCC alone. We also received overwhelming support from building officials for making ASHRAE’s green code, Standard 189.1, available at the project owner’s discretion as an alternate compliance path.

Highlights of the hearing results on BOMA’s other major objectives include: 

• Deletion of the entire section governing "service life" terms for equipment, systems and whole buildings ranging from 60 to 200 years; 
• Deletion of requirements mandating more efficient portable tenant appliances and devices, such as computers and printers; 
• Elimination of the mandatory 14–day whole building interior air flush–out prior to occupancy; 
• Deletion of mandates on owners requiring periodic reporting on green operations and maintenance procedures, and requirements to maintain operations and maintenance records on–site throughout the life of the building; and 
• Elimination of the requirements for retroactive code compliance inspections triggered by the sale of a building.

BOMA Supports The Transit Center District Plan and Transit Tower Draft EIR

Click here to view a video rendering of the Transit Center 

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA San Francisco supports the Transit Center District Plan and Transit Tower Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) being considered by the San Francisco Planning Commission.  Please click here to review our support letter to the Planning Commission.  Detailed information about the Draft EIR can be reviewed by clicking the following links:

• Notice of Availability of a Draft EIR
• Draft EIR Part 1
• Draft EIR Part 2
• Draft EIR Part 3

NOTE: Public comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM on Monday, November 28, 2011.  If you approve of this project please consider sending your letter of support to to Bill Wycko, Environmental Review Officer, San Francisco Planning Department, 1650 Mission Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103, bill.wycko@sfgov.org.

The Annual Building Codes Seminar - 2011 Codes Update & Overview

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA San Francisco’s Annual Building Codes Seminar on Novmeber 10, 2011 will feature presentations from San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection, San Francisco Fire Department and Department of the Environment. Topics discussed will include:

• Energy audit requirements;
• ADA updates (local and Federal);
• Seismic, Plumbing, and other new code requirements;
• And, an opportunity for BOMA San Francisco members to interact with city officials responsible for enforcing these codes. 

On-line Registration - You can also register at the event!

SFSU Downtown Center, 835 Market Street, Room 609, in the Westfield Center.

8:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 

Sponsors:

Lead Sponsor - San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association

Event Sponsor: Cupertino Electric

Speakers

Ilene Dick, Esq. Farella Braun + Martel

Capt. Don Fields, SFFD

Tony Greico, Department of Building INIspection

Asst. Deputy Chief Tom Harvey, SFFD

Reuben Hechanova, SF Building Inspection 

Barry Hooper, SF Department of Environment

Laurence Kornfield, SF Mayor’s Office

Ken Kortkamp, SF PUC

Erika Lovejoy, SF Planning Department

Elaine Moulos, City Stamp & Sign Company

Danny Murtagh, Boston Properties

Julie Ortiz, SF PUC

Steve Panelli, SF Department of Building Inspection

Steven Ring, Cushman & Wakefield

Skip Soskin, Huntsman Architectural Group

George Von Klan, GVK Elevator Consulting

November 8, 2011 VOTER GUIDE - BOMA SF-PAC Candidate Endorsements & Positions on City Propositions

Click on our voter guide image to enlarge and print

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The BOMA San Francisco Political Action Committee (BOMA SF-PAC) has endorsed candidates and taken positions on local ballot measures that will appear on the November 8, 2011 ballot.

NOTE: This election is administered by Rank Choice Voting (RCV), hence the 1-2-3 endorsement structure below.

Mayor

1. Mayor Ed Lee
2. David Chiu
3. Bevan Dufty

District Attorney

1. George Gascón
2. Bill Fazio
3. No third place endorsement

Sheriff

1. Chris Cunnie
2. Paul Miyamoto 
3. No third place endorsement

 Propositions - Please click on the titles of the propositions for more information!

• A - School Bonds - NO POSITION
• General Obligation bond measure of $531 million to finance repairs, renovations and new construction of San Francisco Unified School District structures.
• B - Road Repaving and Street Safety Bonds - OPPOSE
• $248 million bond to rebuild deteriorating city streets.
• C - City Pension and Health Care Benefits - SUPPORT
• Mayor Ed Lee's Charter Amendment that would increase employee pension contributions, increase retirement ages, require employee contributions to the Retiree Health Care Trust Fund and change the composition of the Health Services System Board.
• D - City Pension Benefits - OPPOSE
• Jeff Adachi’s Charter Amendment that would reform the funding of city employee pension and retiree healthcare through increased pension contributions, increased retirement ages and limiting the annual pension for new employees.
• E - Amending or Repealing Legislative Initiative Ordinances & Declarations of Policy - SUPPORT
• Ordinance that would allow voter-adopted initiative ordinances and declarations of policy originating with the mayor or Board of Supervisors to be amended or repealed by the Board of Supervisors, with certain conditions.
• F - Campaign Consultant Ordinance - NO POSITION
• Modifies current San Francisco campaign consultant regulations to require consultants to submit campaign consultant filings monthly instead of quarterly, and complete a training course. Exempts some consultants from filing if they receive less than $5,000 per year in consulting fees, and increases other fees.
• G - Sales Tax - OPPOSE
• Ordinance that would temporarily increase the sales tax rate in San Francisco from its current rate of 8.5 percent to 9 percent, but would be repealed for five years if the state restores recently expired sales taxes. The revenue is intended to fund public safety and social programs in the face of reductions in state funding.
• H - School District Student Assignment - NO POSITION
• Advisory measure declaring policy that every family in every San Francisco neighborhood should have the opportunity to send their children to a quality school in their neighborhood, and the system for assigning children to schools should give the highest priority to proximity of a child’s home to the school.

Click here to go the San Francisco Department of Elections Website

Nationwide Emergency Alert System Test - November 9 at 11:00 a.m. PDT

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) is scheduled for November 9, 2011 at 11: 00 a.m. PDT. The test will include an audio message stating "This is a test." The audio message will be the same for both radio and television.

Here are the details: 

WHEN: Wednesday, November 9 at 11:00 a.m. PDT, up to three minutes
WHERE: Every television and radio station, including cable television and satellite radio
WHY: To test simultaneous nationwide alert and notification capabilities

Here are the challenges: 

• It is possible the visual message on the television screen may not explicitly say “This is a TEST" 
• It is unclear if the messages will be translated into languages other than English, as translation is left up to each specific broadcast station 
• If someone is hearing impaired or does not understand English, they could take the test as an actual emergency situation 

How your can help:

 
It is imperative the community know that the test is a test and not an alert communicating an actual emergency. 

To mitigate these challenges, we ask that you inform your tenants of the test—especially those who may not receive clear communication that the EAS alert is only test (e.g., those who are deaf or hard of hearing and/or those with limited English proficiency). The following text is proposed language that the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management suggests you to send to your networks via a method you deem most appropriate; thank you in advance for disseminating: 

--------------------

PROPOSED EMAIL/LETTER CORRESPONDENCE TEXT 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, November 9 at 11:00 a.m. PDT. The test may last up to three and a half minutes and will be announced on every television and radio station, including cable television and satellite radio. The National-level EAS is a national public alert and warning system that enables the President of the United States to address the American public during extreme emergencies. Nationwide EAS Test will help the federal partners and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system and its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers nationally and regionally.

The nationwide test will simultaneously involve television stations (including digital television, cable, satellite audio and television services and broadcast radio stations across the U.S. and several U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, America Samoa).

Here are the challenges: 

• It is possible the visual message on the television screen may not explicitly say “This is a TEST” 
• It is unclear if the messages will be translated into languages other than English, as translation is left up to each specific station 
• If someone is hearing impaired or does not understand English, they could take the test as an actual emergency situation 
• If someone is hearing impaired or does not understand English, they could take the test as an actual emergency situation. So, please be advised that on November 9 at 11am when you hear the EAS alert message, please know it is only a test. For more information about the Nationwide EAS Test, please visit http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/emergency-alert-system-nationwide-test. 

Thank you.

-------------------

FAQs about the scheduled 11/9 EAS Test:

What is the National-level EAS? 

The National-level EAS is a public alert and warning system that enables the President of the United States to address the American public during extreme emergencies. Similar to the way local emergency alert system tests are conducted, the nationwide test will simultaneously involve television stations (including digital television, cable, satellite audio and television services) and broadcast radio stations across the U.S. and several U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, America Samoa).

Why is the test being conducted? 

The EAS test plays a key role in ensuring our nation is prepared for all hazards and that the public is able to receive critical and vital information, should it ever be needed.

The EAS has never been tested on a national level before, and this test is an opportunity to exercise the system and its capabilities at all levels. Ensuring that the EAS architecture functions properly is necessary for alerting at all levels of government. A more effective and functional EAS requires continual testing to identify necessary improvements. While EAS tests may be temporarily disruptive to radio and television programming, they are important to ensure that the EAS is functional.

When will the test occur? 

 
The nationwide test will occur on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 11: 00 a.m. PDT and may last up to three and a half minutes.

Who will participate in the Nationwide EAS test? 

 
EAS participants include all broadcasters, satellite and digital radio and television, cable and wireline video providers who ensure the system is at a constant state of readiness. The general public will experience the nationwide test of the EAS should they be engaged audiences.

BOMA Bay Area 2012 EARTH Award Application Now Available

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The 2012 BOMA Bay Area EARTH Award Application is now available.  Click here to submit your building in the contest!  The application deadline is February 10, 2012.

The BOMA Bay Area EARTH Award recognizes member buildings that utilize the most comprehensive resource management programs, including commercial recycling programs, energy and water conservation efforts, air quality and toxics reduction programs, support for public transportation, and effective use of tenant education programs geared to promoting sustainability practices in commercial office buildings. The EARTH Award program is an opportunity for BOMA Bay Area members to consider the entire spectrum of programs and practices that constitute an effective 'sustainability program' for office buildings including what policies and procedures should be adopted that can help move a property toward becoming 'green'.

Please click here to review the 2011 BOMA Bay Area Earth Award Winners

If you have any questions, please contact Zach Brown, BOMA San Francisco's Energy & Environment Committee Co-Chair.  

UPDATE: CAPSS - Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Thank you for your continuing interest in San Francisco’s earthquake safety activities. Much has been done and much more will be soon be underway as the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety (CAPSS) team gears up the Earthquake Safety Implementation Program. Recent minor earthquakes on the Hayward Fault have helped keep this important issue on everyone’s mind.  Here are updates on some of the many projects underway:

• A draft 30-year Earthquake Safety Implementation Workplan has been released by Mayor Ed Lee, based on the recommendations of CAPSS, the Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety. To see the first draft of the Earthquake Workplan, click here. For the Mayor’s press release, issued on the 22nd Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, please click here. 
• The Earthquake Safety Implementation Workplan proposes many activities to begin in 2012. These activities include the evaluation and upgrade program for Soft-Story buildings with 5+ dwelling units and 3+ stories. San Francisco’s soft-story retrofit program is designed to provide acceptable performance at the lowest cost, limiting work to the ground floor in most cases. The report upon which this program is based, Seismic Retrofit of Weak-Story Multi-Unit Wood-Frame Structures: A Cost Effective Techniques, [Report ATC 71-1, now FEMA P-807] will be issued in final form within the next month. Following that release, we will use this new technique to analyze and retrofit a few demonstration projects to assure that we have addressed all of the critical issues. 
• The Department of Building Inspection’s Code Advisory Committee is completing review of three Administrative Bulletins deailing Post-Earthquake Building Repair and Retrofit that were developed as part of the CAPSS work. The Code Advisory Committee is expected to recommend these Administrative Bulletins to the Building Inspection Commission for adoption in the near future. 
• SPUR, the San Francisco Planning and Research Association, is completing a project proposing Shelter-in-Place standards to increase San Francisco’s earthquake resilience. Shelter-in-Place encourages residents to remain in their homes following earthquakes whenever safe, rather than seek shelter in other locations. This SPUR Shelter-in-Place project dovetails with the work of many City agencies. 
• In Spring 2012 the CAPSS Earthquake Safety Implementation Program will recommence the Earthquake Seminar Series and internship program. Future seminar topics and internship opportunities will be announced soon.

The CAPSS Project was developed to:

• Recommend programs reduce earthquake risk. CAPSS recommends seventeen important actions for the City to take to reduce damage in future earthquakes. These recommendations were developed with the help of a dedicated, volunteer Advisory Committee made up of diverse San Francisco residents.

• Develop improved post-earthquake repair requirements. The City’s current policy covering repair of buildings after earthquakes has problems. CAPSS recommends sensible improvements to this policy, to make rebuilding after the next earthquake smoother.

Project History

The CAPSS project was managed by the Department of Building Inspection and guided by a volunteer Advisory Committee made up of community members.

The Applied Technology Council (ATC) contracted with the Department of Building Inspection to conduct the CAPSS project. ATC is a non-profit organization that develops and promotes state-of-thae-art, user-friendly engineering resources and applications to mitigate the effects of natural and other hazards on the built environment. ATC assembled a team of consultants with diverse specialites to work on the CAPSS project.

UPDATE: BOMA San Francisco Members Meet with Chris Cunnie - Candidate for San Francisco Sheriff

Chris Cunnie 

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - November 2, 2011

BOMA San Francisco's Government & Public Affairs Committee members welcomed back San Francisco Sheriff Candidate Chris Cunnie for an update on his campaign efforts.  BOMA has endorsed Mr. Cunnie as our #1 choice for San Francisco Sheriff for the November 8, 2011 election due to his leadership experience as detailed in our previous blog post, below.

Please click here to visit Chris Cunnie's website for more information.

If you are a San Francisco resident, please use BOMA San Francisco's Voter Guide on election day, November 8, 2011.

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Original Post - July 28, 2011

Chris Cunnie

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA members had the opportunity to meet one of candidates running for San Francisco Sheriff in the November election, Chris Cunnie.

Mr. Cunnie spoke to his previous experience as a twice-decorated police officer who served as head of the Police Officers Association, head of Emergency Communications under Mayor Gavin Newsom, head of Investigations under then District Attorney Kamala Harris and Undersheriff for Sheriff Michael Hennessey. He noted his leadership in the treatment community as President of the Board of Directors of San Francisco’s storied Walden House and as a board member of the California Narcotic Addict Evaluation Authority (established under California Proposition 36).

In addition to his service in San Francisco’s law enforcement and treatment communities, Chris has worked in Sacramento to coordinate statewide public safety efforts and represented the 90,000 men and women of law enforcement in California as Vice-President of the California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations. He has been twice decorated with the medal of valor in the San Francisco Police Department and awarded The Lifetime Labor Achievement award from the statewide Golden Badge Foundation.

He mentioned that his absolute priority is keeping the City safe - and that he has the skill-set to make that a reality.  For example, Mr. Cunnie has a working understanding of the recently approved realignment program  - the transition of inmates from the state to the counties -  and feels that the City can absorb an increase in the prison population all while utilizing the current programs in place within the Sheriff's Department and partnerships with the treatment community and job training programs.

Please click here to visit Chris Cunnie's website for more information.