Minutes - October 2022 Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors
City of San Francisco Japan Center Garage Corporation (A California Non-profit Public Benefit Corporation)
Thursday, October 20, 2022 -11:00a.m.
Zoom Meeting
MINUTES
Present: Jan Masaoka, Edward Ong, Robert W. Hsu, Vas Kiniris, Jerry Ono, John Noguchi, Kimberly Kolbe
Absent: Rodney Chin and Hagen Choi
Also Present: Robert Malone, SFMTA Parking and Curb Management; Emily Murase, Japantown Task Force; Grace Horikiri, Japantown CBD; Benjamin Lau, MGO; Solomon Abayneh, IMCO Garage Manager; Suzanne Medina, Tom Hayashi and Brandon Quan, Guests; Claudine Cheng, Corporate Counsel and Richard Hashimoto, Corporate Manager
1. Call to Order - President Masaoka called the meeting to order at 11:02 a.m.
2. Approval of Minutes - A motion to approve the minutes of August 18, 2022, was made by
Director Noguchi and seconded by Director Ono. The motion was adopted unanimously.
3. Board President's Report - There was no report from President Masaoka.
4. Corporate Manager's Report
a. Transient parking recovery update - Revenue was up 9% from September. The
numbers peaked in July during the summer months but then dropped. Overall, the trend is looking up.
b. Garage performance comparison to other City garages - The MTA has 21 garages and by comparison, the Japan Center Garages rank #7 in transient revenue and #3 in vehicles count.
c. LED lighting retrofit update - The project was complete by September.
d. Update from Greg Viloria regarding internet ads - Pursuant to analysis of website traffic, the team is looking into ad options on mobile platforms and will make recommendations at the next meeting. JCGC will also be applying to Google for nonprofit discounts.
President Masaoka inquired about the vehicle break ins inside the garage which will be discussed under the Operations and Security Report.
5. Corporate Counsel's Report
a. Regarding the MTA Lease extension and the Addendum, the documents are being executed and the MTA will make announcement of the new operator in the coming month. Ms. Cheng thanked Mr. Malone for his support for moving the documents for an approval.
b. On the subject of resuming in-person meetings – There is an option of holding some meetings in-person and other meetings virtually. Ms. Cheng suggested to the board consider holding the December and April meetings (end of fiscal year) in-person. This decision does not require board action.
6. SFMTA Report – Rob Malone provided the following updates:
a. New operator - Mr. Malone confirmed that the approval of the new operator is still in process and will make the announcement when a decision is reached. Hopefully that will take place in mid-November. The roles and responsibilities of the operator will be spelled out in the Addendum to the Lease Agreement with the Garage Corporation and in MTA's contract with the operator. There should not be any change in the current operations at the garage.
Mr. Malone also shared examples of changes in the new Operator's contract. One of the changes is the Operator is now expected to present a five-year expense budget including a different approach for certain categories of expenses such as insurance costs for non-union staffs. This would provide certainty for future outlook of the garage expenses. Mr. Malone will work with corporate manager on more detailed budgetary projections. Meanwhile, the Teamsters union and all garage operators have reached a consensus in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which includes a $1/hr. per year increase over the next four years which is expected to be ratified soon.
b. Vehicle break-in reports (VBI) – Mr. Malone shared a live comprehensive VBI reports from all 21 city garages that the MTA compiles on a daily basis. Japantown garages has the second highest incidents, at 109 to date. The 5th and Mission garage ranked the highest at 212. The operator of each garage is expected to report vehicle break- ins to the command center. MTA staff is always keeping an eye out on patterns and larger issues to deal with them appropriately when needed.
Mr. Hashimoto expressed his concern that Japan Center is at number two for VBIs and believes that all the VBIs are not being properly reported. Mr. Malone described the process for compiling the reports and the system may not recognize certain typed characters such as an ampersand and percentage symbols to be properly recorded. This problem should now be resolved.
President Masaoka asked if VBIs are rising or decreasing in general. Mr. Malone could not provide a definitive answer but stated that VBIs are trending in nature. There are no specific data to reflect a decrease or increase at this time and suggested the operator change their patterns when patrolling the garage to reflect the times when the VBIs occur.
President Masaoka also asked if the MTA know the age group of the perpetrators that are committing the VBIs. Mr. Malone responded that the crimes are being committed mostly by organized thieves that know exactly what they are doing. Although the garage is equipped with license plate reader cameras (LPR), the perpetrators get around that by using stolen cars or stolen license plates to avoid positive identification.
Director Kirinis asked for more information in terms of how these VBIs compare to other garages in the city. Mr. Malone replied that there are some similarities in that Japan Center and 5th & Mission garages have several points of entry and exits which increase the opportunities of perpetrators going in and out without being detected. Also, since the automated payment was installed, there is no human presence to monitoring the exit lanes which is also a risk factor. In most cases involving VBIs is because of items left inside the car in plain sight.
Director Masaoka asked about the presence of security guards. Mr. Malone stated that security guards are no different than the duties of garage operator employee. Security guards cannot make an arrest or detain anyone, the perpetrators are aware of that. A garage operator employee is likely to be more efficient and productive in assisting customers and can also serve as custodians versus a security guard that will not perform those tasks.
7. Treasurer's Report - Director Ong stated that the past few months' financial reports were delayed due to the year end audit. He proceeded to present the highlights of the report for April, May and June 2022.
After providing a summary of the financial statements, a motion to accept the April financial report was made by Director Ono and seconded by Director Kirinis. The motion was unanimously adopted.
A motion to accept the May financial report was made by Director Ono and seconded by Director Kirinis. The motion was unanimously adopted.
A motion to accept the June financial report was made by Director Noguchi and seconded by Director Ono. The motion was unanimously adopted.
8. Committee Reports
AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
Summarizing the 2021-2022 yearend audit. Committee Chair Ono introduced Mr. Benjamin Lau of the accounting firm Macias, Gini and O'Connell (MGO) to discuss the 2021-2022 yearend audit. The firm has been the primary auditor for many agencies for the City and Country of San Francisco.
Mr. Lau presented the highlights of the audit report, sharing the opinion that the fiscal year was relatively calm. The numbers were impacted by the pandemic but the outlook remained positive. He thanked Mr. Hashimoto for his cooperation during the audit process. In addition, the firm also issued a letter to the board of directors, a required communication as part of the audit. Mr. Lau shared some of the highlights of the letter, including the finding that the corporation's accounting practice was reasonable and there were no disagreements with management.
Based on the meeting held on October 5, 2022, of the Audit and Finance Committee, the committee makes their recommendation to approve the 2021-2022 yearend report and the Report to the Board of Directors.
1. A motion to approve the 2021-2022 yearend audited statement was made by
Director Noguchi and seconded by Director Ong. The motion was unanimously adopted.
2. A motion to approve the 2021-2022 MGO Report to the Board of Directors was made by Director Noguchi and seconded by Director Ong. The motion was unanimously adopted.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND MARKETING FUND COMMITTEE
Committee Chair Noguchi presented the report:
The committee met on October 13, 2022, to review and act on four funding requests. The Community Participation started with $35,000 at the beginning of the fiscal year and has a balance of $25,000. The Community Participation fund has a remaining balance of $20,000 and $15,000 under Marketing.
Community Participation Fund
A request was received from the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) in the amount of $5,000 in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Because the organization is a well-respected youth and families serving group in the city, the committee recommends approval of the request.
A motion to approve the recommendation was made by Director Kirinis and seconded by President Masaoka. The motion was unanimously adopted.
Marketing Fund - There are three requests to present.
a. SF Hep B Free - The committee received a request to support its 15th anniversary
gala in the amount of $3,000. The event took place on October 13 and JCGC has been supporting this organization since 2016. Because the event has passed and is a valuable organization, the committee reduced the amount since most of the marketing promotion has passed and therefore recommends approval of $1,500.
A motion to approve the committee's recommendation was made by Director Kirinis and seconded by Director Ono. The motion was unanimously adopted.
b. GlobalSF - A request was made to support a 2nd Annual Women's Reception on
December 15. This was a first-time request from this creditable organization and the committee recommended approval of $5,000.
A motion to approve the committee's recommendation was made by Director Ong and seconded by Director Ono. The motion was unanimously adopted.
c. Alamo Elementary School PTA - A request was made to support the Fall Carnival in the amount of $5,000. The committee discussed this request to some length and since there was a prior request from another school and to be consistent with that funding, the committee recommended a contribution of $500.
A motion to approve the committee's recommendation was made by Director Ono and seconded by Director Kirinis. The motion was adopted with Director Ong abstaining.
Mr. Malone asked the question whether there is a policy of maximum award. Mr. Hashimoto responded that the maximum amount is $5,000 per request. Director Hsu has offered to review and to update the guidelines and application process which will be presented at a future meeting.
Ms. Cheng reiterated that the committee and the board conduct regular reviews of the guidelines and application process to meet the changing needs of the community the organizations serve and marketing of the garage.
NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Committee Chair Ong presented the following report:
The committee met and is proposing the nomination of Suzanne Medina to join the board. Ms. Medina is the new Executive Director of the Buchanan YMCA replacing Rodney Chin who retired earlier this year. Corporate Counsel asked if Ms. Medina has completed the Candidate's Questionnaire and her submission was confirmed.
After Ms. Medina introduced herself and provided a briefly background of her work in the community. Ms. Medina was asked to be recessed in the 'wait room' while the board proceeded with the voting.
A motion to approve the committee's recommendation of Ms. Medina was made by Director Noguchi and seconded by Director Masaoka. The motion was unanimously adopted.
Ms. Medina was admitted rejoining the meeting after which President Masaoka welcomed and congratulated her for joining the board.
9. Community Updates
a. Japantown Task Force - Dr. Emily Murase presented highlights from her report:
On November 30, a community briefing will be held on the Japantown Cultural Heritage, Housing and Economic Sustainability Strategy (CHHESS), after which the report will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors in January 2023. Board members are encouraged to visit the Japantown Task Force's website to learn more about the CHHESS Report.
On September 20, there was a community briefing on the Peace Plaza renovation project which is co-chaired by Richard Hashimoto and Jon Osaki. with over 80 people participating virtual presentation. A display of the proposed renderings can be seen at Suite 310 of the Japan Center West Mall next to Japan Video and Media.
Japantenna update which Director Kolbe and Ms. Murase are on the steering committee. Craft Valley was held on October 1,2, 7 & 9 featuring five cities from Hokuriku Prefecture which attracted 8,312 visitors. On October 21 & 22, Oshu Prefecture will be featured which is known for their beef and sake. On October 28 through November 13, Kobe Prefecture will be featured.
There is a federal planning grant opportunity for 'Reconnecting Communities' that maybe applicable to the Geary rapid transit outreach. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) has submitted a $2M planning grant application to specifically study the Geary and Fillmore intersection and the impacts transit has played to the communities affected by the Geary Expressway. The SFCTA will also look at filling in the underpass and building a park or plaza over the underpass.
President Masaoka made inquiry whether there is a need for additional board members for the Japantown Task Force. Ms. Murase replied that the task force is always searching for new candidates and welcome anybody that are interested in serving.
b. Community Benefit District
Executive Director Grace Horikiri presented the following highlights:
Covid testing continues in Japantown. There are about 500 participants a month with the possibility of flu and Monkey Pox testing on the horizon. The CBD office will be moving from Sutter Street to Post Street. The CBD continues to seek out opportunities to market Japantown, and this included a performance by the Navy Southwest Funk Band members at the Peace Plaza during Fleet Week. The event attracted about 150 visitors. There continues to be increase in social media presence with over 4,000 followers. Fisherman's Wharf has over 8,000 and Union Square has 7,000 followers which is very good for a small neighborhood community.
Two new businesses will open towards the end of the year, a boba store and Fermentation Lab occupying the old Denny's restaurant site.
The Hotel Kabuki has expressed interests in developing cultural activities for hotel guests. Some ideas being considered include an event for tea / whisky tasting and art program featuring local artists in the lobby area. The JCBD has been conducting in person meetings with community stakeholders and Japanese companies to attract and encourage more Japanese owned businesses to Japantown which are important to stay connected through these meetings.
There is a CPAB (Community Police Advisory Board) community policing summit over the weekend on October 22.
Director Kiniris expressed his appreciation to Ms. Horikiri for all of her hard work in promoting Japantown which has so much to offer and thanks to her efforts, has become a major visitors destination.
10. Garage Operations and Security Report
Solomon Abayneh, the garage manager was absent, and Mr. Hashimoto provided a summary from his report. There was a decrease in vehicle break-ins in the past couple months and the homeless in the neighborhood continues to be an issue.
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11. Recess to Closed Session - Corporate counsel confirmed that there is no need for close session.
12. General public Comment on items not on the Agenda - Corporate Manager confirmed that there was no one in queue to make public comment.
13. Old/New Business, Announcements etc. - Mr. Hashimoto reminded all that were present to visit the Japantown Task Force (Japantowntaskforce.org) and Japantown Community Benefit District (jtowncbd.org and sfjapantown.org) websites regularly to keep informed of current affairs and upcoming events.
14. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 12:28pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Claudine Cheng
Richard Hashimoto
Claudine Cheng and Richard Hashimoto for
Rodney Chin
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