San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee's 2030 Transportation Task Force - Final Report

BOMA San Francisco Members:

You may recall that BOMA's Government Affairs Policy Advisory Committee (GAPAC) met with Monique Zmuda, Deputy Controller for the City and County of San Francisco recently. She presented the draft findings and recommendations from Mayor Ed Lee’s 2030 Transportation Task Force.

The final report of the Task Force is now available to download.  Click here or on the image below to access the document.

About the Task Force

The Task Force was charged with developing a coordinated set of transportation priorities and identifying new revenue sources dedicated to making the City’s transportation system more reliable, efficient, and better prepared to accommodate future growth. You may recall that the BOMA GAPAC Vice Chair, Horace Green, participated in these meetings for BOMA San Francisco.  

California Building Standards Commission Approves Revised Effective Date of 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards from January 1, 2014 to July 1, 2014

BOMA San Francisco Members:

At its December 18th business meeting, the California Building Standards Commission approved a request by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to revise the effective date of the 2013 building energy efficiency standards (Title 24) from January 1, 2014 to July 1, 2014.  Note that the CEC unanimously approved the revised July 1st effective date on December 11th.

Thank you to our BOMA California partners for this update and for their advocacy on behalf of BOMA members.

In a statement released on December 11th by the Energy Commission:

The California Energy Commission's 2013 Public Domain Compliance Software must be used to complete the performance compliance approach of the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards. While the public domain software for the 2013 Standards meets the minimum requirements for new construction, it does not yet provide the full feature set needed for building alteration projects seeking building permits in early 2014. The new timeline also provides sufficient time for software training.

By law, the new energy efficiency building standards will apply to permit applications submitted to the local building department on or after July 1, 2014 (Health & Safety Code 18938.5).

Energy Commission’s Early Adopter Program Up and Running

The Energy Commission has established an early adopter program to assist those members of the industry who, for logistical or marketing purposes, would like to show compliance with the new regulations prior to July 1, 2014.

Specifically, the Energy Commission is offering assistance to early adopters of the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards that are using the new certified residential compliance software programs (CBECC-Res or EnergyPro v6.0). Until a Home Energy Rating Service (HERS) Provider is approved by the Energy Commission, registered certificates of compliance (CF-1R’s) that are required by 2013 code will not be available. Unregistered residential certificates of compliance can be submitted to a building department now. However, for final permit, the unregistered CF-1R forms must be replaced with a HERS Provider registered CF-1R as soon as one or more HERS Providers are approved by the Energy Commission. It is anticipated that this will happen in early spring.

Until that time, for early adopter assistance from the Energy Commission, please contact Pedro Gomez, Manager at the Standards Implementation Office, at (916) 654-4045 or Pedro.Gomez@energy.ca.gov.

BOMA's Vice President of Public Affairs Ken Cleaveland Honored by Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club

BOMA San Francisco Members,

The Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club honored your very own Vice President of Public Affairs, Ken Cleaveland.   

In his own words:

I was proud to accept the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club’s Robert Barnes Lifetime Achievement award at the organization’s Fall Awards reception held November 14th at the Chambers restaurant in San Francisco. Pictured with me, at right, are the two co-Presidents of Alice, Martha Knutzen, and Ron Flynn. The Robert Barnes award is occasionally bestowed on members who have significantly contributed to the growth of the organization. It has been my pleasure to have engaged key business and labor groups into supporting Alice both with funding the organization, its PAC and slate card efforts, and with participation at their events. Alice is a moderate, practical Democratic club, and is very deliberative in its approach to any candidate or issue. It is not a club filled with ideologues. Alice is a big tent, that seeks diversity of opinion, and allows for all viewpoints to be heard. My mission is to continue that by enlarging the Alice tent to include more business and labor organizations, and to make sure Alice is financially strong, and I was recognized for those accomplishments.

Please congratulate Mr. Cleaveland for his efforts at kenc@boma.com.  

BOMA California 2013 Year End Legislative Synopsis

The California commercial real estate industry had great successes during the 2013 California State legislative session on a number of key issues: the implementation of major reforms to the state’s ADA law, stopping several efforts to advance split roll property tax and reforming the way building codes are written. 

Take a moment to review the full list by clicking here, to see how BOMA California advocates for member interests in Sacramento.  The following are the chaptered bills that BOMA California members supported and those measures that they opposed and were subsequently defeated or vetoed.   Please click here to find more information about how an individual bill proceeded through the legislative process.

Supported Bills Signed Into Law

• AB 227 (Gatto-D) Curbs certain frivolous lawsuits related to Prop. 65 signs. Signed into law.
• AB 341 (Dickinson-D) Makes compliance with the CA Green Building Code (CALGreen) easier by integrating into the California Building Code. Signed into law.
• AB 483 (Ting-D) Fixes an ambiguity in Prop 26 threatening ability to privately fund marketing and promotional activities in BID/TMDs. Signed into law.
• AB 1092 (Levine-D) Statewide standards for installation of future electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Signed into law.
• SB 401 (Hueso-D) Requires cost reporting for new non-residential building standards before they are adopted. Signed into law.
• SB 752 (Roth-D) Enacts a separate statute that would govern only non-residential CIDs. Signed into law.

Opposed Bills Defeated/Vetoed

• AB 5 (Ammiano-D) “the Homeless Person's Bill of Rights and Fairness Act.” Bill is dead.
• AB 59 (Bonta-D) Authorized local de facto Split Roll Parcel Taxes. Bill is dead.
• AB 188 (Ammiano-D) Split Roll Change in Ownership. Bill is dead.
• AB 203 (Stone-D) Sought to allow staff of the Coastal Commission to halt processing of a permit application if staff claims a violation exists on the property. Bill is dead.
• AB 561 (Ting-D) Proposed new “change in ownership” for documentary transfer tax. Bill is dead.
• 55% Property Tax Bills; several measures that sought to change the California Constitution to make it easier for local governments to impose new property taxes (SCA 3, SCA 4, SCA 7, SCA 9, SCA 11). All bills stalled for the year.
• AB 667 (Hernandez-D) referred to as the “Big Box Ban,” created another layer of bureaucracy for local governments when approving project. Bill is dead.
• AB 880 (Gomez-D) Created additional penalties on employers as part of implementing the Federal Affordable Care Act. Bill is dead.
• AB 1229 (Atkins-D) Allowed imposition of price-controls on new market-rate residential construction. Bill was vetoed.
• AB 1330 (Speaker Perez–D) “Green Zone Trust Fund,” funded by civil and criminal fines and penalties exacted on new/existing buildings. Bill is dead.
• SB 391 (DeSaulnier-D) Imposed a $75 fee for recording real-property documents. Bill is dead.
• SB 673 (DeSaulnier-D) required development projects that receive public subsidies to complete a dublicative state-mandated economic impact reports. Bill is dead.
• AB 976 (Atkins-D) Expanded Coastal Commission’s enforcement authority allowing the imposition of administrative civil penalties for alleged violations. Bill is dead.

BOMA San Francisco Members Meet With Congresswoman Jackie Speier

BOMA San Francisco leaders met with Congresswoman Jackie Speier at the BOMA San Francisco office recently to discuss issues she is working on and the political climate in Washington D.C.

Congresswoman Speier expressed her frustration with a Congress that is unwilling to collaborate and move important legislation forward.  Speier mentioned the recent gas pipeline safety measure which she originally supported but was disappointed to see local control taken out of the final measure before it was passed, diluting the legislation's effectiveness.  

Rep. Speier did not see any tax reform measures passing this year, and perhaps not even next year, with members of Congress focused on the Obamacare debacle.  She stated that there is a chance for the 15 year leasehold depreciation schedule to be adopted but only if it was attached to a must-pass piece of legislation.  Rep. Speier suggested that the real estate industry and, perhaps, the Chamber of Commerce, focus on this issue and make it the 'one ask' for our respective industries.  

The Congresswoman did not believe that any energy efficiency legislation would make it through this Congress, or any incentives for installing automatic sprinklers

Representative Speier and Kathy Mattes, Chair of the BOMA SF-PAC

or water efficient fixtures in existing commercial buildings.  She did not foresee the status of the carried interest formula changing or that of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA).  Rep. Speier did state that the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act would be "kicked down the road” next year when it needs to be re-authorized. 

Rep. Speier was intrigued by the idea of proposing legislation at the federal level that would mirror California state law that allows commercial property owners time to fix an ADA issue before litigation can proceed.  She will discuss this possibility with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office who had prompted the leaders of the California State Legislature to introduce legislation to curb 'drive-by' lawsuits that were being filed against many small businesses in California. 

Lastly, Congresswoman Speier is worried about the growing disparities between those who have financial resources and those who do not in our country.  She is concerned that the economic recovery is only benefiting those at the top of economic spectrum.  Speier mentioned that there should be a constitutional amendment prohibiting members of Congress from being paid until they passed a budget - similar to what the voters in California passed several years ago for state legislators.

The members of BOMA San Francisco were impressed with Congresswoman Speier’s knowledge of the issues, and her candor in assessing what she believes the current Congress can accomplish.  BOMA San Francisco members are grateful for her leadership in Washington D.C., and wishes more elected officials shared her desire to collaborate, compromise, and focus on public policy that will move our country forward.

San Francisco's Better Market Street Update - BOMA Members Get Involved

UPDATE - December 6, 2013

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The BOMA members from the Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) met recently with Simon Bertrang, Project Manager for the Better Market Street (BMS) project; Kelli Rudnick, BMS Assistant Project Manager; and, Marlo Issac, Market Street Project Manager with the San Francisco Planning Department.

The presentation included the following BMS updates:

• Schedule
• Environmental review 2013-2015 
• Design 2015-2017
• Construction 2017
• Design Concepts
• There are three options that will be going into the environmental review process.
• All options include substantial improvements to pedestrian conditions, cycling facility, transit service and stops, invitations for street life, various levels of private car restrictions.
• Project Area Limits

• Market Streets from the Embarcadero to Octavia Street.
• Also includes Mission Street from Van Ness to the Embarcadero.
• Pedestrian Improvements
• Transit & Bicycling Improvements
• The Six Market Street Districts
• Click on the image at right to enlarge.
• Next Steps
• CEQA and NEPA Process formal start in January 2014
• Analyze potential environmental impacts 
• Disclose impacts for public review 
• Support policy decision 
• Proposed Project will include all 3 Options:
• Boost Transit Travel Speeds and Reliability 
• This includes studying the option of loading zone time of day restrictions
• Transportation Task Force Funding
• Federal Transportation Funding 
• Improve Pedestrian Safety 
• Add Bicycle Capacity 
• Build Civic Destination 
• Activate Streetlife Zones and Plazas.
• Make Your Market Street

• Goal: Open Market Street to new use by the public by bringing new activity, energy and people to Market Street’s sidewalks.
• The City wants to partner with Community Benefit Districts (CBD)to support creative/ innovative/commercial/public use of the sidewalks.
• The new Make Your Market Street team is now working with a number of CBDs that border Market Street to help with the development of the BMS endeavor, specifically the major plazas along the thoroughfare.

The information exchange at this meeting was invaluable.  BOMA San Francisco members will be involved in the BMS project via the Better Market Street Community Advisory Committee and Make Your Market Street effort representing the Financial District section of Market Street.  If you're interested in participating in the Community Advisory Committee, please click here to submit your application by January 8, 2014.  

Click here to review the full presentation and email johnb@boma.com with any questions.

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Original Post - October 30, 2012

The BOMA San Francisco Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) met recently with Kris Opbroek, Project Manager for the Better Market Street project. Note that multiple San Francisco City Departments are a part of this update to Market Street.

BOMA members would like to be continue to be a partner with the Better Market Street team in helping to identify the best practices to improving Market Street and help find solutions to issues of concern going forward. Special thanks to GAPAC Department/Commission Outreach Subcommittee Chair, Warren Mead for organizing this meeting.

Discussion Points

This a long-term project (breaking ground in 2016, at the earliest), and BOMA members discussed near-term concerns for the various department staff to consider as they move forward in the information gathering phase of this effort:

• The homeless population. How can you improve Market Street (adding parklets, nodes and general public gathering spaces) without considering the existing homeless population? 
• Impact of future design and construction on the ground-floor businesses that line and/or are immediately adjacent to Market Street. 
• Maintenance costs after build out – who pays? 
• All forms of conveyance should be considered when improving Market Street.  North/south travel across Market should be carefully reviewed. 
• Continuous outreach to the business community and other stakeholder groups to be sure that the City understands the issues of concern before final design consideration and construction. 

BOMA San Francisco members live and/or work in the City and County of San Francisco and they care deeply about improving the social and economic prospects for all San Franciscans. To help Market Street should not only benefit our members; the improvements should be a boon to all who work, live and visit this great city.

We look forward to working with Kris as this project moves forward. If you have any comments, please send them to wmead@lucasfilm.com and johnb@boma.com.

UPDATE: SFMTA Board Approves Resolution Supporting Accessible Parking Recommendations

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Recently, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors approved a resolution supporting a set of policy recommendations to improve parking access for people with disabilities. The recommendations, developed by a stakeholder group comprised primarily of people with disabilities, include proven solutions used in other jurisdictions. The group’s presentation began with a new short video showing the challenges people with disabilities face when trying to find available, accessible parking spaces.

Watch the new video

The SFMTA Board resolution provides conceptual support for the Committee’s recommendations, but several of them require state law changes before local policies can be updated. The SFMTA Board added a requirement to the Committee’s recommendations directing the development of a discount program for low income people with disabled parking placards should state law changes move forward allowing communities to remove the meter payment exemption. This additional requirement is in direct response to public feedback that low income people with disabilities who travel by private vehicle may be negatively impacted by the shift from free parking to meter payment.

The SFMTA and the Mayor’s Office on Disability will return to the community for additional input prior to establishing local time limits and meter payment requirements should state law change to allow cities to move forward with these recommendations. It is at this point that the Board of Supervisors would review policy changes.

Read more about the Committee and its package of recommendations

Please send any feedback to parkingaccess@SFMTA.com or by calling 415.701.5380.

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UPDATE - May 28, 2013

BOMA San Francisco Members:

San Francisco’s Accessible Parking Policy Advisory Committee, a group of 16 stakeholders gathered by the Mayor’s Office on Disability and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), have announced an integrated set of recommended state and city policy changes intended to improve parking access for people with disabilities.

Learn more at the project web page
Read the overview brochure (PDF)

Thank you to BOMA member Jeff Spicker with Parking Concepts, Inc. for representing BOMA members on the advisory committee.

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Original Post - December 7, 2012

BOMA San Francisco's Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) member Jeff Spicker with Parking Concepts Inc. will volunteer his time and expertise as BOMA's representative on the SFMTA Accessible Parking Policy Advisory Committee.  Mr. Spicker will provide updates on the group's discussions and actions to members of the GAPAC when warranted.

The Accessible Parking Policy Advisory Committee will review and make recommendations regarding on-street accessible parking policies, including those governing disabled placards and blue zones. These issues affect access and mobility for people with disabilities in San Francisco, whether they travel by car, paratransit, or public transit.

Accessible parking policies affect all transportation in the city: when parking is crowded, drivers circle the block and double-park, congesting the streets, slowing transit, and decreasing pedestrian safety. When parking is difficult to find, access is reduced, especially for those with disabilities.

To improve access, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) would like to assess and improve how it manages accessible parking. The problem of too much demand for too few spaces is critical: San Francisco has 29,200 metered on-street parking spaces but 60,750 disabled placards have been issued in San Francisco as of November 2012, with an additional 453,830 issued in the surrounding eight Bay Area counties. With these numbers, it is important to gather stakeholders to assess accessible parking policies and consider solutions.

Please click here to review the Accessible Parking Policy Advisory Committee summary.

UPDATE - BOMA San Francisco's 2013 Building Codes Seminar

UPDATE - December 5, 2013

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA's Annual Building Codes Seminar held at the PPIC Bechtel Conference Center on November 14, 2013 was a smashing success.  The event allowed for speakers from the private and public sectors to provide updates regarding important changes to building codes at all levels of government.  Thank you to Ilene Dick, Esq., with Farella Braun + Martel for chairing the BOMA San Francisco Codes and Regulations Committee subcommittee in charge of producing the event.

Click here or pictures of the event on our Facebook page. 

Major Sponsor

Program Sponsors

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Original Post - October 31, 2013

BOMA's Annual Building Codes Seminar on November 14, 2013 will feature presentations on a wide range of important topics for commercial property professionals including:

• 2013 San Francisco building and fire codes
• 2013 Green Building Code/CalGreen
• Title 24 Energy Codes
• Accessibility updates
• Water conservation
• Facade maintenance proposals
• Bicycle plan requirements, and much more!

This event is produced by the members of the Codes and Regulations Committee and is a unique opportunity for BOMA members to meet and interact with city officials responsible for enforcing these codes, and to listen to BOMA's own member design and construction professionals regarding code compliance. 

Online Registration - You can also register at the event!

Bechtel Conference Center At PPIC
500 Washington At Sansome
San Francisco, CA

8:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 

Major Sponsor

Program Sponsors

BOMA International Advocacy Update - Tax Proposals a Mixed Bag for Commercial Real Estate

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus rolled out additional draft tax reform legislation prior to the Thanksgiving recess, resulting in less than favorable policy changes for the commercial real estate industry. On the positive side, the legislation reforms the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) to, among other things, increase from five to 10 percent the amount that a foreign investor can invest in a publicly traded U.S. real estate investment trust (REIT) without triggering U.S. tax liability under FIRPTA.

Some of the less attractive proposals include an increase of the depreciation period for buildings from 39 years to 43 years and an increase of the depreciation period for leasehold improvements from 15 years to 43 years. The current 15-year depreciation period will revert to 39 years at the end of 2013 absent Congressional action. Other proposed reforms to the tax code include the repeal of a building owner’s ability to defer gain on like-kind (Section 1031) exchanges and the repeal of the tax deduction for energy-efficiency improvements to commercial buildings (under Section 179D). .

BOMA International will work with the Senate Finance Committee and educate them on how these proposed changes would impact commercial real estate. Chairman Baucus has requested public feedback by January 17, 2014.

Bay Area Bike Share Corporate Partnership Program

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - December 4, 2013

Bay Area Bike Share (BABS) is a new bike share system, providing the 'last mile' connection between public transit and the office, as well as an easy way to zip around town. BABS has created a corporate partnership program that helps local companies offer discounted and subsidized annual memberships to employees.

Help make it easier, faster and more enjoyable for your staff to get to work! Whether there’s a meeting downtown, or an errand nearby, Bay Area Bike Share is a great alternative to driving. They have options for organizations of all sizes that enables them to choose a level that matches the contribution the company provides to employees.  It’s one of the most affordable benefits a company can provide.

Click here for more information.

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UPDATE - July 29, 2013

The Bay Area Bike Share pilot program will commence soon.  Please click on the map above or here to review where the proposed bicycle stations may be situated.  If you own or manage property adjacent to a station and have not been contacted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), email Matt Lasky at matt.lasky@sfmta.com.

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Click image to enlarge.

UPDATE - June 3, 2013

The Sustainable Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is proposing the placement of 35 bicycle sharing stations in San Francisco as shown in this map.  Please review it and forward the image to other interested parties.  Responses should be sent to Matt Lasky at matt.lasky@sfmta.com if you wish to receive more details about specific station information including the size and location.

Stations shown as green on the map will be presented at an SFMTA public hearing on Friday, June 14, 2013, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 416 (Hearing Room 4), City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102.

Stations, which require no physical connections for its operation, will house a payment kiosk powered by a solar mast and battery backup, a map panel for system information and station sponsorship, and docks to hold bicycles for public use. Station locations were selected in close proximity to transit connections, bicycle facilities, and employment and residential centers and where there is the best access to potential users of the system.

Opinions on the proposed placement may be filed in writing prior to the hearing by email to Matt Lasky or sustainable.streets@sfmta.com with the subject line 'Public Hearing'.  Submitted opinions will become part of the official public record and will be brought to the attention of the person(s) conducting the hearing. For additional information about San Francisco’s bicycle sharing program, please visit http://www.sfmta.com/bikesharing.

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UPDATE - May 20, 2013

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will be hosting the first local open house for Bay Area Bike Share on Thursday, May 30. 2013 at the North Light Court in San Francisco’s City Hall, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.  Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about and discuss bicycle sharing, the regional pilot, and planning and implementation details for San Francisco. The public is invited to share ideas for pilot and expansion station locations for the new bike share system.

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UPDATE - March 18, 2013

On February 26, 2013, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued a notice to Alta Bicycle Share authorizing them to deploy and operate a pilot regional bike-sharing system in the cities of San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City and San Francisco. The first phase of the project will deploy a fleet of approximately 350 bicycles and 35 kiosk stations in San Francisco and is anticipated to launch by August 2013.

For the system to reach its full potential in the region and San Francisco, additional funding will be needed to grow the system and the partners are actively seeking sponsors. In the short term, once additional funding is secured, the pilot system will be expanded to deploy at least an additional 150 bicycles at 15 kiosk stations in San Francisco. Longer term, a system size of up to 10,000 bikes regionally with several thousand bicycles in San Francisco is envisioned.

The SFMTA is prioritizing locations for the first 35 stations and will be reengaging with the public and contacting properties adjacent to these locations.

If you have any questions please contact Matt Lasky at matt.lasky@sfmta.com.

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Original Post - July 14, 2011

Bike sharing is coming to San Francisco! A regional pilot program led by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) in partnership with the SFMTA will bring approximately 50 bike share stations and 500 bikes to San Francisco’s downtown core beginning in spring 2012. The SFMTA is working with a regional team to implement this pilot along the Caltrain corridor in San Francisco, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Jose and shown in this Regional Bike Sharing System map. The project is funded through a combination of local, regional and federal grants with major funding coming from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Innovative Bay Area Climate Initiatives Grant Program (BACI).

What is bike sharing?

Similar to car sharing, bicycle sharing is a term used to describe a membership-based system of short-term bicycle rental. Members can check a bicycle out from a network of automated bicycle stations, ride to their destination, and return the bicycle to a different station. Bicycle sharing is enjoying a global explosion in growth with the development of purpose-built bicycles and stations that employ high tech features like smartcards, solar power, and wireless internet and GPS technologies.

Who is involved with launching the San Francisco bike sharing system?

The BAAQMD is the overall regional project lead, coordinating the planning and implementation efforts of the local partners: the City and County of San Francisco, the Cities of San Jose, Mountain View and Palo Alto in Santa Clara County and the City of Redwood City in San Mateo County. The SFMTA is leading the project in San Francisco, and we are working in cooperation with our City and County partners, including the Planning Department, Department of Public Works, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and the Port of San Francisco. The regional partners will be selecting a contractor in fall 2011 to install, operate, and manage the system.

Where will bike sharing be located in San Francisco?

As the San Francisco Bicycle Sharing Pilot Service Area map (PDF) presents, in San Francisco, the pilot service area will be centered in San Francisco’s employment- and transit-rich Downtown/SOMA corridor between the Financial District, Market Street and the Transbay and Caltrain terminals. This area is notably flat, has the densest bikeway network coverage in San Francisco and enjoys the highest levels of cycling, yet those who commute by transit from cities to the east and south encounter difficulties bringing a bicycle with them on BART or Caltrain. Much of San Francisco’s densely urbanized northeastern quadrant is similarly well-suited to bicycle sharing.

When will bike sharing launch in San Francisco?

The regional partners will be selecting a vendor to install, operate, and manage the bike sharing system in 2011 with the goal of a system launch in Spring/Summer 2012!

Further Information

If you have any questions, comments or feedback about bike sharing, contact the SFMTA atsustainable.streets@sfmta.com.
Explore:
Overview
Pilot Area

BOMA Members Meet with San Francisco Deputy Controller Monique Zmuda - Transportation Task Force Update

BOMA San Francisco Members:

BOMA's Government Affairs Policy Advisory Committee (GAPAC) met with Monique Zmuda, Deputy Controller for the City and County of San Francisco recently. She presented the draft findings and recommendations from Mayor Ed Lee’s Transportation Task Force.

The Task Force was charged with developing a coordinated set of transportation priorities and identifying new revenue sources dedicated to making the City’s transportation system more reliable, efficient, and better prepared to accommodate future growth. You may recall that the BOMA GAPAC Vice Chair, Horace Green, participated in these meetings for BOMA San Francisco.

Please click here to access Monique's presentation.

About Monique Zmuda

In July 2002, Monique Zmuda was appointed the Deputy Controller for the City and County of San Francisco. From 1994 to 2002, Monique was the Chief Financial Officer of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, managing a budget of over $1 billion, and also directing information technology, contracting, and other administrative sections of the Department of Public Health. Prior to her position as CFO, Monique served as the Director of Business and Operations for the division of public health programs at the Department of Public Health for eight years. She also served as the budget manager for the Recreation and Park Department, and prior to her work in the civil service system, was a principal analyst for the Harvey Rose Accountancy Corporation. In this capacity, Monique performed financial and management audits of county government programs and services for the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco, and for other municipalities in California.

Monique holds an MBA degree from the University of San Francisco, and a Baccalaureate Degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

UPDATE - You're Invited to a Reception in Support of San Francisco District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell - December 2nd

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Thank you for attending the reception for Supervisor Mark Farrell.  Please click here for pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

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Original Post - December 3, 2013

Please join Ken Cleaveland, Tom Hart and Chris Wright for a reception event in support of District 2 San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell.

Monday, December 2, 2013 

5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

The Russ Building - Shorenstein’s Executive Offices 

235 Montgomery Street, 16th Floor 

San Francisco, California 94104

Suggested Contribution

$500 - Friend 

$250 - Supporter 

Make checks payable to: 

Re-Elect Supervisor Mark Farrell 2014

To RSVP, please return this form to info@markfarrell.com

or email Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com

BOMA California Legislative Update - 2013 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Industry representatives have learned that the California Energy Commission (CEC) will consider a six month delay in the effective date for the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards. Updated standards are currently set to take effect on January 1, 2014. If approved by the CEC, this action will move the effective date of the energy efficiency standards to July 1, 2014.

In a statement released by the Energy Commission last week:

At its December 11, 2013 Business Meeting, the California Energy Commission is considering revising the effective date for the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards (Title 24, Part 1, Chapter 10 and Part 6, and affected provisions in Part 11 [Cal. Green Building Standards Code]) from January 1, 2014 to July 1, 2014.

The California Energy Commission's 2013 Public Domain Compliance Software must be used to complete the performance compliance approach of the 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards. While the public domain software for the 2013 Standards meets the minimum requirements for new construction, it does not yet provide the full feature set needed for building alteration projects seeking building permits in early 2014. The new timeline also provides sufficient time for software training.

The public domain compliance software for residential buildings has been available since July 2013. Developers have been using the software to not only design buildings to comply but also exceed the new Standards. The public domain compliance software for nonresidential buildings was released in September 2013.

The California Energy Commission adopted the 2013 Standards on May 31, 2012, and the California Building Standards Commission approved them on January 23, 2013.

This change provides the industry more time to prepare for the new Standards. The Energy Commission will use the additional time to provide more information on the Standards and work with the California utilities, building industry and California building officials to provide training on the new Standards.

If approved by the CEC at their December 11th Business Meeting, the six-month delay would still need to be ratified by the Building Standards Commission. However, the BSC is already taking steps to conduct an emergency meeting on December 18th in anticipation of receiving this CEC request.

Click here for more information about 2013 Building Energy Efficiency Standards.

Commercial Building Energy Use Disclosure Program (AB 1103) - New Program Enforcement January 1, 2014

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Assembly Bill 1103 requires a nonresidential building owner or operator to benchmark a building's energy use in advance of the sale, lease, financing, or refinancing of the entire building. Starting January 1, 2014, California will require owners to disclose their building’s energy use to a potential buyer, lender, or lessee.

The purpose of the program is to help raise awareness and encourage building owners find ways to increase energy efficiency and reduce consumption of energy in existing nonresidential buildings across the state of California.

The California Energy Commission is committed to help building owners successfully participate in the program. This training workshop will provide information about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® and how to benchmark and successfully comply with the program requirements.

If you have plans to lease, sale, finance, or refinance a commercial building and the building is 10,000 sq. ft. or greater, please consider participating in this webinar:

Webinar via WebEx

December 12th / 10:00AM - 12:00PM

https://energy.webex.com

Meeting Number: 929 844 315

Meeting Password: meet@10am

You're Invited to a Reception in Support of San Francisco District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell - December 2nd

BOMA San Francisco Members:

Please join Ken Cleaveland, Tom Hart and Chris Wright for a reception event in support of District 2 San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell.  

Monday, December 2, 2013 

5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

The Russ Building - Shorenstein’s Executive Offices 

235 Montgomery Street, 16th Floor 

San Francisco, California 94104

Suggested Contribution

$500 - Friend 

$250 - Supporter 

Make checks payable to: 

Re-Elect Supervisor Mark Farrell 2014

To RSVP, please return this form to info@markfarrell.com

or email Ken Cleaveland at kenc@boma.com

UPDATE - San Francisco's Formula Retail Use Restrictions: Study of Proposed Changes

Image retrieved here.

UPDATE  - November 21, 2013

BOMA San Francisco Members:

The San Francisco Planning Department will commence an economic impact study of proposed changes to formula retail use in San Francisco in the near term.  More details from the San Francisco Business Times, here.

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Original Post - July 31, 2013

In an effort to "protect San Francisco's vibrant small business sector and create a supportive environment for new small business innovations," Section 703.3 of the San Francisco Planning Code mandates specific controls on formula retail uses.

Formula retail uses are commonly referred to as chain stores.  Under Section 703.3 of the San Francisco Planning Code they are defined as “a type of retail sales activity or retail sales establishment which, along with eleven or more other retail sales establishments located in the United States, maintains two or more of the following features: a standardized array of merchandise, a standardized facade, a standardized decor and color scheme, a uniform apparel, standardized signage, a trademark or a servicemark.” In other words, retail stores with multiple locations and a recognizable appearance.

Study of Proposed Changes to Formula Retail Use - Public Comment Opportunity

The San Francisco Planning Commission held a hearing on formula retail recently. You can review the materials that were before the commission here.  In response, the Commission passed a resolution authorizing a study of the issue and seeking public comment on the scope of that study.

Click here for the draft scope. To provide comment on the scope of work for this study, please reply to AnMarie.Rodgers@sfgov.org.  BOMA members are encouraged to comment on this scope by August 12, 2013.

Due to the multiple proposals pending to amend the City’s formula retail controls, the City seeks to secure a consultant and complete the study by this fall so that the pending proposals to change formula retail can be informed by data and public comment. The Department will schedule a hearing on the draft study prior to completion of the study. After completion of the study, the Department will use the study to make policy recommendations to the Planning Commission. Ultimately and with benefit of public comment, the Commission will make policy recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.