America's Cup - Pier 27 Cruise Terminal Vote Tomorrow at the Bay Conservation and Development Commission

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 29, 2012

REMINDER - Tomorrow an Thursday, March 1, 2012, between 1:00 p.m and 5:00  p.m., an important vote is occurring at San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) related to the Port's James R. Herman Cruise Ship Terminal project.

The BCDC will vote on an amendment of the San Francisco Waterfront Special Area Plan to allow an international cruise terminal to be built on Pier 27 and allow the Pier 23 shed to be retained. The amendment would modify the public plazas and open water basin policies and implementation requirements in the plan. The amendment has been requested by the Port of San Francisco. A public hearing on the proposed amendment was held on February 2, 2012.

Click here for the meeting agenda.

We ask that you show your support either by email, letter or in person to ensure that this important vote goes forward tomorrow.

Please contact:

• Steve Goldbeck, Acting Director, 415/352-3611 or steveg@bcdc.ca.gov
• Sean Randolph, Commission Chair, E-Mail: sean@bayareacouncil.org
• Anne Halstead, Commission Vice Chair, E-Mail: ahalsted@aol.com
• David Chiu, Commissioner, E-Mail: David.Chiu@sfgov.org
• Malia Cohen, Commissioner, E-Mail: Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org

A full list of the Commissioners, please click here.

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

UPDATE - February 24, 2012

Please consider attending for two very important hearings next week regarding the 34th America's Cup Event in San Francisco.

• Tuesday, February 28, 2012 between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. - Vote of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
• Location– San Francisco City Hall Room 250
• RSVP
• Thursday, March 1, 2012 between 1:30 p.m and 5:00  p.m. - Vote of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission 
• Location – Ferry Building, Second Floor Port Board Room 
• RSVP

Please note that due to nature of the two public hearings, the time frames are tentative.  Please RSVP above and the Americas Cup team will keep you informed of time changes and talking points for each hearing.

If you cannot attend the hearing, but are interested in other ways of supporting the 34th America’s Cup, you can submit a letter of support via email urging the Board of Supervisors to vote to allow the America’s Cup to move forward in San Francisco. Emails of support can be sent to the below email addresses. Please email Ariel Ungerleider at ariel.ungerleider@americascup.com if you require a sample letter. If you are a San Francisco resident, please include where you live in your email:

David.Chiu@sfgov.org,

David.Campos@sfgov.org,

John.Avalos@sfgov.org,

Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org,

Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org,

Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org,

Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org,

Jane.Kim@sfgov.org,

Christina.Olague@sfgov.org,

Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org,

Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org


If you have questions, or would like more information on how you can be of help, please email Ariel Ungerleider at ariel.ungerleider@americascup.com or Stephanie Martin at Stephanie.martin@americascup.com.

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

UPDATE - January 25, 2012

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors yesterday voted to reject an appeal that would have prevented the 34th America's Cup from moving forward.

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

Original Post - January 20, 2012

In October 2011, Marc Intermaggio, BOMA San Francisco's Executive Vice President, wrote an opinion piece in the San Francisco Examiner titled, America's Cup will be community benefit windfall for SF, Indeed, you can feel Mr. Intermaggio's enthusiasm for the sporting event in his opening paragraph:

Why am I wildly enthusiastic about San Francisco hosting the 2013 America’s Cup sailing race? This is a golden opportunity to leverage our region’s resources to generate much needed revenue for our city and create jobs!Indeed, San Francisco and the Bay Area will benefit from this world class sporting event. That's why we need your help!

Please consider attending the 34th America’s Cup (AC34) Vote to deny the appeal of the AC34 EIR at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors TUESDAY, JANUARY 24th at 4:00 pm, City Hall Room 250.

We are urging the Board of Supervisors to deny the appeals to the AC34 Environmental Impact Report and allow the project to move forward.

If you cannot attend the hearing, but are interested in other ways of supporting the 34th America’s Cup, you can submit a letter of support via email urging the Board of Supervisors commission to deny the appeal of the America’s Cup Environmental Impact Report. Emails of support can be sent to the below email addresses. If you are a San Francisco resident, please include that in your email:

David.Chiu@sfgov.org,

David.Campos@sfgov.org,

John.Avalos@sfgov.org,

Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org,

Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org,

Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org,

Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org,

Jane.Kim@sfgov.org,

Christine.Olague@sfgov.org,

Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org,

Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org

BOMA San Francisco's Emergency Preparedness Workshop - Social Media and Emergency Preparedness

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Social media is here to stay. Emergency managers need to recognize the ways to use social media to monitor and respond to events.

BOMA San Francisco's Emergency Preparedness Committee produced a free workshop for BOMA San Francisco members on February 29, 2012 that covered some case studies of real events and the use of social networking tools.  The discussion included crowd sourcing and best practices to educate and alert a building management team and, potentially the building tenant's employees. There was also a discussion of Flash Mobs and some of the challenges of keeping securing locations from events fueled by phone text messages (SMS), Twitter messages (tweets) and Facebook postings.

Thank you to our guest speakers for their time and expertise:

• Stasha Wyskiel, Manager, Business Continuity Planning for Gap Inc.;
• Alessa Adamo, Executive Director of SF CARD

BOMA also thanks the Cushman and Wakefield property management team at Post Montgomery Center for allowing us use their meeting space.  

The next FREE Emergency Preparedness Committee workshop on Emergency Notification Systems will be on March 21, 2012.  Please click here for more information and email johnb@boma.com to register.  Members only please.

Consider Joining BOMA San Francisco's Historic Buildings Special Interest Group

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Please consider joining the BOMA San Francisco Historic Buildings Special Interest Group (HBSIG).  This new endeavor focuses the discussion on older existing buildings in San Francisco, specifically those built before 1940.  BOMA members who own or manage this building stock generally have similar challenges when it comes to meeting regulatory requirements, e.g., those that deal with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, tenant improvements, elevator maintenance, etc.

The HBSIG held it's first meeting recently and you're invited to join BOMA members at the next quarterly meeting on May 15, 2012 at 12:00 p.m. at the Hearst Building located at 5 Third Street, Second Floor Conference Room.

Please email John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com and Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com if you are interested in lending your time and expertise to this unique working group.

Thank you for your consideration.

UPDATE: BOMA Bay Area EARTH Awards & Sponsorship Opportunity in the San Francisco Business Times

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The BOMA Bay Area Earth Awards competition is now on!

Thank you to the 37 BOMA member buildings from across the Bay Area who submitted their applications. The members of the BOMA Energy & Environment Committee are responsible for all aspects of this event from developing the application to producing the EARTH Awards Luncheon, scheduled for April 16, 2012.

Now that the deadline has passed to enter the contest, the BOMA Energy & Environment Committee Audit Subcommittee will provide the oversight and responsibility of executing the onsite property audits of the finalist EARTH Award Applicants. If you have any questions about this process, please email Zach Brown at zachary.brown@cbre.com. 

Sponsorship Opportunity in the San Francisco Business Times

BOMA San Francisco and BOMA Oakland-East Bay are partnering with the San Francisco Business Times to produce a special advertising supplement in support of the BOMA Bay Area Earth Awards. This twelve page supplement will showcase leadership on sustainable operating practices, and will be inserted into the April 20, 2012 edition of the Business Times and distributed at the BOMA Earth Awards luncheon on April 16, 2012 at the Hotel Nikko.

BOMA Bay Area members are being offered a special BOMA member only rate to put your advertising message in this supplement. Here’s a great opportunity to promote your company’s sustainability practices. In addition to reaching the 300+ luncheon attendees your advertising message will be seen by the Business Times 80,000 weekly readers.

Click here for the rate schedule.

To advertise in this special supplement call Tom VanEss at the San Francisco Business Times to reserve your space today at 415-288-4932 or to tvaness@bizjournals.com.

About the EARTH AWARDS Program

The BOMA Bay Area EARTH Awards Program is the premier event for BOMA members to showcase environmental stewardship and have their properties recognized for their energy and water conservation efforts, recycling, and other sustainable practices. The winners will be announced at the April 16, 2012 EARTH Awards luncheon at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.

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

UPDATE: BOMA International National Issues Conference and Winter Business Meeting 2012

BOMA California Delegation with Senator Barbara Boxer 

BOMA San Francisco Members with Congresswoman Jackie Speier 

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 27, 2012

BOMA San Francisco Members and BOMA California Members went to Washington D.C. earlier this month to represent the Commercial Real Estate Industry (CRE) at the BOMA International 2012 Winter Business Meeting (WBM) and National Issues Conference (NIC).

Thank you to our local BOMA San Francisco members who shared their ideas with colleges from around the United States and traversed Capitol Hill to meet with our California Senators and/or staff: Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer; as well as our Congressional Representatives: Jackie Speier and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

BOMA San Francisco Delegation

• Sandra Boyle, BOMA California President; Director of the Corporate Occupier and Investor Services Cushman & Wakefield
• Meade Boutwell, President, BOMA San Francisco; Senior Vice President, Brokerage Services CB Richard Ellis
• Susan Court, Director Cushman & Wakefield
• Stephany Cull, CEO RetroCom Energy Strategies, Inc.
• Steven Ring, Director - Client Solutions Cushman & Wakefield and BOMA San Francisco President-Elect

The BOMA member led discussion included CRE's contribution to the economy and these salient topics currently in debate in Congress:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Notice and Compliance
• BOMA supports legislation that protects the commercial real estate industry from 'drive-by' lawsuits.  This can be accomplished by imposing notice and a compliance opportunity before commencement of a private civil action under the ADA.
• Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) that would allow a building owner time (60 days to communicate a planned remedy and 120 days to become compliant) to identify the ADA issue and correct it.  
• Carried Interest
• The current law taxes carried interest as a long term capital gain at 15 percent.
• BOMA International supports maintaining current law that taxes the carried interest of a general partner in a real estate partnership as a capital gain. BOMA International opposes altering the tax code to require carried interest be taxed as ordinary income.
• Energy Efficiency Incentive Programs
• BOMA International supports tax incentives for energy efficiency upgrades and calls on Congress to consider conservation and demand side management tools, such as tax incentives, to address the growing energy challenge.
• Leasehold Depreciation
• Through the end  of 2011, tenant improvements were depreciated on a 15-year schedule.  On January 1, 2012, the law reverted back to a 39-year depreciation schedule.
• The 39-year depreciation schedule does not accurately represent the tenant lease landscape in today's commercial real estate environment.
• The 15-year depreciation schedule more closely reflects the reality of today's tenant lease range of three to seven years.

Click here to review BOMA International's summary of the 2012 WBM and NIC.

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

Original Post - January 28, 2012

Your BOMA Advocacy Team will be attending the BOMA International Winter Business Meeting and National Issues Conference from January 30 to February 1, 2012 in Washington D.C.

The Winter Business Meeting and National Issues Conference provides members from all BOMA locals an opportunity to share ideas, learn from their peers, be a part of shaping the future of BOMA and the commercial real estate industry and to take our message to legislators and regulators in our nation’s capitol.  Click here for more information, and here for a schedule of events.

Our regular flurry of blog posts may diminish while we are in Washington D.C.  Please rest assured that we will be posting news and information from the conference, as well as the political and regulatory issues that affect the local commercial real estate industry in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo Counties as soon as we return.

Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance Second Deadline Approaches – SF Department of the Environment Prepares to Post Compliance Data

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The San Francisco Department of Environment is required to post online those buildings that have complied with benchmarking requirement in the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance.  The Department of Environment will post this information on March 15, 2012.  A list of properties that have not complied will be posted as well. 

To ensure that your properties are recognized for leadership in energy management, please provide the Department of Environment with a current list of non-residential properties associated with your firm (ownership, management, primary tenant, or other).  Staff members at the Department of the Environment are happy to crosscheck the information you provide against the list of properties that have complied, as well as the list of properties subject to the ordinance, and report back to you promptly. 

Please send a spreadsheet listing the properties your portfolio to: benchmark@sfenvironment.org. 

Property lists should include:

• Property address and name (if different from address);
• Parcel number (if readily available).

If the property was bought during or after the reporting period - calendar year 2010 - then note the month of the transaction. (Such transactions may leave the current owner unable to obtain energy use data.) 

Property lists received by March 9, 2012 will be checked by Department staff prior to the publication of a map that indicates compliance.  Lastly, all Annual Energy Benchmark Reports due in 2011 will remain confidential.

On April 1, 2012, Annual Energy Benchmark Summary Reports are due for properties 25,000 square feet and larger. For facilities 50,000 square feet and larger, this will be the second year that the facilities are benchmarked, and the reported information will be available to the public this summer. 

Annual Energy Benchmark Summary 2011 report template 

For questions, please contact: benchmark@sfenvironment.org or call: (415) 992-6373

UPDATE: Two Upcoming America's Cup Hearings

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 24, 2012

Please consider attending for two very important hearings next week regarding the 34th America's Cup Event in San Francisco.

• Tuesday, February 28, 2012 between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. - Vote of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
• Location– San Francisco City Hall Room 250
• RSVP
• Thursday, March 1, 2012 between 1:30 p.m and 5:00  p.m. - Vote of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission 
• Location – Ferry Building, Second Floor Port Board Room 
• RSVP

Please note that due to nature of the two public hearings, the time frames are tentative.  Please RSVP above and the Americas Cup team will keep you informed of time changes and talking points for each hearing.

If you cannot attend the hearing, but are interested in other ways of supporting the 34th America’s Cup, you can submit a letter of support via email urging the Board of Supervisors to vote to allow the America’s Cup to move forward in San Francisco. Emails of support can be sent to the below email addresses. Please email Ariel Ungerleider at ariel.ungerleider@americascup.com if you require a sample letter. If you are a San Francisco resident, please include where you live in your email:

David.Chiu@sfgov.org,

David.Campos@sfgov.org,

John.Avalos@sfgov.org,

Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org,

Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org,

Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org,

Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org,

Jane.Kim@sfgov.org,

Christina.Olague@sfgov.org,

Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org,

Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org


If you have questions, or would like more information on how you can be of help, please email Ariel Ungerleider at ariel.ungerleider@americascup.com or Stephanie Martin at Stephanie.martin@americascup.com.

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

UPDATE - January 25, 2012

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors yesterday voted to reject an appeal that would have prevented the 34th America's Cup from moving forward.

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

Original Post - January 20, 2012

In October 2011, Marc Intermaggio, BOMA San Francisco's Executive Vice President, wrote an opinion piece in the San Francisco Examiner titled, America's Cup will be community benefit windfall for SF, Indeed, you can feel Mr. Intermaggio's enthusiasm for the sporting event in his opening paragraph:

Why am I wildly enthusiastic about San Francisco hosting the 2013 America’s Cup sailing race? This is a golden opportunity to leverage our region’s resources to generate much needed revenue for our city and create jobs!Indeed, San Francisco and the Bay Area will benefit from this world class sporting event. That's why we need your help!

Please consider attending the 34th America’s Cup (AC34) Vote to deny the appeal of the AC34 EIR at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors TUESDAY, JANUARY 24th at 4:00 pm, City Hall Room 250.

We are urging the Board of Supervisors to deny the appeals to the AC34 Environmental Impact Report and allow the project to move forward.

If you cannot attend the hearing, but are interested in other ways of supporting the 34th America’s Cup, you can submit a letter of support via email urging the Board of Supervisors commission to deny the appeal of the America’s Cup Environmental Impact Report. Emails of support can be sent to the below email addresses. If you are a San Francisco resident, please include that in your email:

David.Chiu@sfgov.org,

David.Campos@sfgov.org,

John.Avalos@sfgov.org,

Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org,

Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org,

Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org,

Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org,

Jane.Kim@sfgov.org,

Christine.Olague@sfgov.org,

Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org,

Malia.Cohen@sfgov.org

UPDATE: Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 23, 2012

Please note that the Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings Ordinance will be heard at the Board of Supervisors meeting on February 28, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 250 in City Hall.

Please email John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com if you'd like to attend in support of this measure.

Thank you for your time and kind consideration!

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

UPDATE - February 16, 2012

The Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings Ordinance was heard today at the San Francisco's Board of Supervisors' Public Safety meeting at City Hall.  The committee members voted unanimously to forward this ordinance to the full Board for their consideration.

You can watch a video of the hearing by clicking here and selecting ‘video’ referenced next to today’s date of 02/16/12.

BOMA San Francisco's Advocacy team was honored to voice BOMA members' support for the legislation and we would like to thank the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and Supervisor John Avalos' office again for their early outreach efforts to BOMA members for their input.

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

Original Post - January 25, 2012


BOMA San Francisco leaders have been meeting with representatives of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and Supervisor John Avalos' office to work on an ordinance that would allow tenants' employees to have a secure place to store their bicycle during the workday.  BOMA would like to thank SFBC Executive Director Leah Shahum, Program Manager Marc Caswell and Supervisor Avalos' staff for reaching out to our members for their input.

The current draft of the legislation, Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings Ordinance, is now available for BOMA San Francisco and SFBC members to review and submit their feedback.  Click here access the ordinance.

To help understand the intent of the legislation, BOMA and SFBC staff have worked together to create a helpful Frequently Asked Questions sheet.  Please click here to access that document.

Your feedback is paramount as the first committee hearing at City Hall for this ordinance is tentatively scheduled for mid-February   Please email John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com and Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com with any comments you have.

Thank you, as always, for your time and consideration!

San Francisco Commuter Benefits Ordinance - Annual Compliance Form Due April 30, 2012

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The San Francisco Commuter Benefits Ordinance requires employers with 20 or more employees nationwide to offer their employees a Commuter Benefit. For more information and to complete your Annual Compliance Form (due April 30, 2012) visit CommuterBenefits.org.

Commuter benefits improve employee morale and productivity, and make our city a better place to live and work by relieving congestion and improving air quality. Furthermore, by taking advantage of the federally approved commuter benefit incentives, businesses can save up to 9% on payroll taxes and employees can save up to 40% on transit and vanpool expenses.

Commute Smart, an initiative of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, offers FREE resources to help employers implement a Commuter Benefits program. To request materials, sign up for e-mail updates, or schedule a one-on-one consultation please call (415) 355-3727 or email CommuteSmart@sfgov.org. Learn more about our free Commuter Benefits, Emergency Ride Home, and Rideshare Match services at SFEnvironment.org/CommuteSmart.

2012 California Fire Laws with Building Code Statutes Now Available

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The 2012 edition of the California Fire Laws with Building Code Statutes is now available online.  Please click here to purchase the eBook.

Included in this edition are the statutes related to Arbitration of Firefighter Labor Disputes, Employment Regulations and Supervision, and Workers Compensation and Insurance. This reliable user-friendly publication with an unbeatable price includes a quick reference index, a comprehensive index, and thorough table of contents.

Features At-A-Glance:

• Annotations by LexisNexis' attorney-editors
• Comprehensive Index and Table of Content

Thank you to our partners at CAL FIRE for providing this information.

BOMA International Advocacy Update

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Please take a moment to review a brief advocacy update from our BOMA International Team:

Proposed Lease Accounting Standards to Cost 190,000 American Jobs

A coalition of several leading nonprofit and commercial organizations, including BOMA International and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, released a report today that examines the economic impact of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB) proposed lease accounting standard. The study, The Economic Impact of the current IASB and FASB Exposure Draft on Leases, specifically looks at how the proposed standard would negatively impact job creation, the health of the U.S. real estate sector, and liabilities of U.S. publicly traded companies. The report analyzes the current proposal and under a best case scenario estimated its economic impacts as: 

• Increasing liabilities for U.S. public companies by $1.5 trillion; 
• Increasing costs to U.S. public companies by $10.2 billion annually; 
• Potentially leading to job losses of over 190,000; 
• Reducing U.S. household earnings by $7.8 billion annually; and 
• Lowering U.S. GDP by $27.5 billion each year annually. 

Read the full press release. 

Carried Interest 

As expected, Congressman Sander Levin (D – Mich.) introduced carried interest legislation for the 112th Congress. The Carried Interest Fairness Act of 2012 would change the characterization of carried interest from a capital gain to ordinary income. Just a day earlier, President Obama introduced his budget, which includes a similar tax change. Neither proposal is expected to get much traction in its current form, but continues to be seen by many as a possible revenue off-set to other measures Congress may consider that add to the nation’s deficit.

Senate Hearing Focuses On Future of Tax 'Extenders'

The Senate Finance Committee recently held a hearing titled “Extenders and Tax Reform: Seeking Long-Term Solutions,” which focused on the large number of tax “extenders” that Congress continues to pass on a short term basis. Included in the package of extenders is the 15-year leasehold depreciation provision, which, along with the rest of the tax policies included in this group, expired at the end of 2011 and has yet to be addressed in 2012. The majority of the members of the Committee were apprehensive about not extending these provisions while in an economic recovery, but indicated a need to study the merits of each one moving forward. The Depreciation Fairness Coalition, of which BOMA International is a member, filed comments encouraging extension of the 15-year depreciation provision as well as its need to be made a permanent part of the tax code.

UPDATE: Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 16, 2012

The Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings Ordinance was heard today at the San Francisco's Board of Supervisors' Public Safety meeting at City Hall.  The committee members voted unanimously to forward this ordinance to the full Board for their consideration.

You can watch a video of the hearing by clicking here and selecting ‘video’ referenced next to today’s date of 02/16/12.

BOMA San Francisco's Advocacy team was honored to voice BOMA members' support for the legislation and we would like to thank the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and Supervisor John Avalos' office again for their early outreach efforts to BOMA members for their input.

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

Original Post - January 25, 2012


BOMA San Francisco leaders have been meeting with representatives of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC) and Supervisor John Avalos' office to work on an ordinance that would allow tenants' employees to have a secure place to store their bicycle during the workday.  BOMA would like to thank SFBC Executive Director Leah Shahum, Program Manager Marc Caswell and Supervisor Avalos' staff for reaching out to our members for their input.

The current draft of the legislation, Tenant Bicycle Access in Existing Commercial Buildings Ordinance, is now available for BOMA San Francisco and SFBC members to review and submit their feedback.  Click here access the ordinance.

To help understand the intent of the legislation, BOMA and SFBC staff have worked together to create a helpful Frequently Asked Questions sheet.  Please click here to access that document.

Your feedback is paramount as the first committee hearing at City Hall for this ordinance is tentatively scheduled for mid-February   Please email John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com and Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com with any comments you have.

Thank you, as always, for your time and consideration!

UPDATE: Disability Access (ADA) Improvements for Small Businesses and Landlord Obligations

At the head of the table (L to R): Regina Dick-Endrizzi and David Chiu 

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - February 15, 2012

Supervisor David Chiu agreed to meet with BOMA San Francisco leaders and members of the San Francisco Business Community recently to discuss his Disability Access Improvements for Small Businesses and Landlord Obligations legislation.  Also attending to provide her perspective was Regina Dick-Endrizzi, Executive Director of the San Francisco Office of Small Business.

It was a fruitful discussion and one that helped all stakeholders understand the intent of the legislation and possible amendments that would make it more effective.

BOMA San Francisco members suggested that the legislation be amended to, at a minimum and among other issues discussed, reflect the following:

• Education 
• Commercial property owners would provide an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) disclosure to tenants/potential tenants to help educate them on the requirements of the ADA.
• Compliance 
• Allow a commercial property owner/tenant the time to correct ground floor entrance(s) and exit(s) to ADA specific requirements in a tenant space within a reasonable time frame.  That is, set a due date for absolute compliance sometime in the future (e.g., 5-10 years) with a requirement to update the ground floor entrance(s) and exit(s) before the due date if new tenant occupies the space.
• This suggestion was based on the San Francisco High Rise Sprinkler Ordinance passed in 1993 that had similar requirements for compliance with regard to sprinklers in high-rise buildings.  
• Lease Negotiation Process
• Commercial property owners need to have the ability to negotiate the costs associated with any tenant improvement with the tenant.  This includes any costs associated with ADA compliance for ground floor tenant space entrance(s) and exit(s).

More information to follow in a future blog post - stay tuned!

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

Original Post - January 20, 2012


Please take a moment to review an ordinance recently submitted by Supervisor David Chiu - Disability Access Improvements for Small Businesses and Landlord Obligations.  BOMA San Francisco Codes and Regulations Committee members and Advocacy team have been meeting with the Supervisor and his staff to understand its potential impact on the aggregate commercial real estate industry.  We'd like to thank Supervisor Chiu for his early outreach to BOMA San Francisco to enlist our feedback.

The Disability Access legislation would mandate commercial property owners make their first floor entrances handicap accessible before they could lease/release their, usually, first-floor retail spaces to tenants. It places the burden of non-compliant entrances squarely on the landlord. If signed into law, this ordinance will have a particularly large impact on small commercial property owners in San Francisco.

This is where your assistance is needed.  Please review the ordinance by clicking here and the legislative digest, here.  Please send your feedback to Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com and John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com.

San Francisco's Health Care Security Ordinance

Get Your Benefit from Jim Ross on Vimeo.

BOMA San Francisco Members -

In 2011, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, working with a coalition of labor leaders, neighborhood activists, and businesses, amended the Health Care Security Ordinance.

The compromise closed a major loophole for Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA), used by some businesses, on how HRAs can be administered and how businesses can structure surcharges to pay for employee healthcare. Before, consumers were being charged by a small minority of businesses to provide healthcare dollars to employees that were never fully accessed. Now, employees have protected reimbursement accounts that rollover while consumers have more protections. This compromise was reached without endangering jobs or economic growth in San Francisco.

For more information, click here.  Please consider forwarding this information to the tenants in your BOMA member buildings.

Bay Bridge Westbound Deck Closure - President's Day Weekend

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Our friends at the Transportation Management Association of San Francisco (TMASF) have alerted us to the Bay Bridge Westbound Deck Closure on President's Day Weekend.  Please click here for information on how to prepare accordingly.

Motorists will not be able to drive on the upper deck towards San Francisco during this closure but the lower deck toward the East Bay will remain open. Motorists have numerous alternatives for getting to San Francisco and for traveling around the Bay Area while the upper deck of the Bay Bridge is closed during Presidents’ Day weekend. Motorists should allow extra time for travel and use of other bridges, including the Golden Gate Bridge, the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge and the Dumbarton Bridge. Vehicle access between San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island/Treasure Island will be maintained during the closure.

For updates on other transit options, including ferries, BART and AC Transit, be sure to visit 511.org or call 511 for real-time traffic conditions. Check back often for the latest updates.

UPDATE: BOMA Bay Area 2012 EARTH Award Application DUE on February 10, 2012

BOMA San Francisco and BOMA Oakland East Bay Members:

UPDATE - February 8, 2012

Friday, February 10 is the deadline day to submit your building into the BOMA Bay Area Earth Awards competition. Click here to download the application and complete and return it by Friday (5:00 p.m.) to Wendy de Lara, at the BOMA San Francisco office. We encourage our member vendors to support their clients with the application process.

The BOMA Bay Area EARTH Awards is the premier event for BOMA members to showcase leadership on sustainable operating practices and have their properties recognized for their energy and water conservation efforts, recycling, and other sustainable practices. The winners will be announced at the April 16, 2012 EARTH Awards luncheon at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco.

If you have ANY questions, please feel free to contact the leadership of the BOMA San Francisco Energy and Environment Committee: Zachary Brown Zachary.Brown@cbre.com, or Laurie Rummelhart, lrummelhart@swigco.com.

Don't delay! Get that BOMA Bay Area EARTH Awards application in today!

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UPDATE - January 13, 2012

The BOMA San Francisco Energy & Environment Committee held a BOMA Bay Area Earth Award workshop at the Transamerica Pyramid today.  It was an informative session that was well attended by BOMA Oakland/East Bay and BOMA San Francisco building members.

Thank you to our volunteer BOMA member speakers who helped guide attendees through the entire Earth Award application.

Please be sure to submit your BOMA Bay Area Earth Award application TODAY!  The deadline is February 10, 2012.

Click here to submit your building in the contest! 

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UPDATE - January 4, 2012


A brown bag lunch session will be presented by the BOMA San Francisco Energy & Environment Committee to guide member building owners and managers through the 2012 EARTH Awards application process.

If you'd like to attend, please contact John Bozeman at (415) 686-9652 at johnb@boma.com.

The free workshop will be held at The Transamerica Pyramid Center, 600 Montgomery Street, 48th Floor, San Francisco, CA from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on January 13, 2012. BOMA San Francisco and East Bay members may register and stop-by at any point during this time frame for hands-on assistance with their application.

Individuals from various organizations and vendors will be on-hand to provide resources and answer questions regarding the sustainable practices measured by the 2012 EARTH Award Application: Landfill Waste & Diversion, Energy Conservation, Water Conservation, Hazardous Materials, Purchasing, Transportation, and Tenant Education.  The EARTH Award Application is due Friday, February 10, 2012.

Click here to submit your building in the contest! 

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Original Post - November 2, 2011

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.  

San Francisco Small Business Network - 2012 Small Business Recognition Award

BOMA San Francisco Members:


Please save the date for the San Francisco Small Business Network's (SFSBN) Awards Gala on May 10, 2012.  The Gala will highlight the winners of the SFSBN awards so nominate a small business owner you know today!  To do so, please complete the nomination form and return it to the SFSBN by March, 15, 2012 at 305 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 or fax to 415-934-0864 or scan and email to execdirector@sfsbn.org.