Order of Business

Public Comment will be heard before the Committee takes action on any item.

1.     Call to Order and Roll Call

2.      Adoption of Minutes of the November 13, 2007 Urban Forestry Council Landmark Tree Committee Regular Meeting. (Discussion and Action) Explanatory Document: Draft Minutes of the October 9, 2007 Regular Meeting).

3.     Hearing on a Nomination for Landmark Tree Status. The Landmark Tree Committee will hold a hearing to determine whether the tree nominated at the following address meets the criteria for designation as a landmark tree (Discussion and Action) (Explanatory Document:  Board of Supervisors Resolution, Public Correspondence Received, and Evaluation Form)

Black Acacia Tree (Acacia melanoxylon) located at 1245 Masonic Avenue, Assessor’s Block 1244, Lot 005.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the Landmark Tree Committee will vote on whether to approve or reject the nomination and shall adopt written findings to support its decision to forward to the Urban Forestry Council.  The Council will forward approved nominations to the Board of Supervisors for further consideration.

5.     Outreach Plan for Landmarking of Trees. The Committee will vote to approve a final outreach letter to the Board of Supervisors, Department Heads, the Planning Commission, and Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board requesting that they consider trees in their jurisdiction for landmark status (Discussion and Action) (Explanatory Document:  Draft Outreach Letter (Word) (Continued from the November 13, 2007 Meeting). 

6.     Visible Identification of Landmark Trees after Designation. The Landmark Tree Committee will discuss methods for visibly identifying trees that have received landmark tree status (Discussion).  (Continued discussion from the November 13, 2007 Meeting).

7.     2008 Landmark Tree Committee Agenda and Documentation Notification Schedule for 2008 (Discussion and Action). The Landmark Tree Committee will discuss revising the 10-day notice requirements for agendas and documentation.

8.     New Business/Future Agenda Items (Information and Discussion).

9.     Public Comment:  Members of the public may address the Committee on matters that are within the Committee’s jurisdiction and are not on today’s agenda.

10. Adjournment.

The next Landmark Tree Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 2008 at 4:00 p.m., Room 421, City Hall.

Landmark Tree Hearing Recommended Guidelines

The Committee Chair has the discretion to change speaker order or length of time for each speaker if the Chair determines the request to be reasonable.

1) Sponsor for nomination (8 min)

2) Staff analysis (8 min)

3) Property owner’s presentation, including outside professional staff (8 min)

4) Affected property owner’s presentation, including outside professional staff (8 min)

5) Public comment (up to 3 min/per person)

6) Committee Evaluation Reports (8 min total)

7) Staff Rebuttal (3-5 min)

8) Property Owner Rebuttal (3-5 min)

9) Affected property owner rebuttal (3-5 min)

10) Discussion and Action by Committee

Public Comment

At this time, members of the public may address the Committee on items of interest that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee but are not on today’s agenda.  Public comment will be taken following each agendized item.  Each member of the public may address the Committee for up to three minutes, unless otherwise announced by the Chair. If it is demonstrated that the comments by the public will exceed 15 minutes, the Chair may continue Public Comment to another time during the meeting.

The Brown Act forbids the Committee from taking action or discussing any item or issue not appearing on the posted agenda.  This rule applies to issues raised in public comment as well.   In response to public comment, not on an agendized item, the Committee is limited to:

1.             Briefly responding to statements made or questions posed by members of the public, or

2.             Request staff to report back on a matter at a subsequent meeting, or

3.             Directing staff to place the item or issue on a future agenda  (Government Code Section 54954.2(a).)

Disability Access

The Urban Forestry Council Landmark Tree Committee meetings will be held in Room 421, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA.  The Committee meeting room is wheelchair accessible.  The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at United Nations Plaza and Market Street.  Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, and #71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line to Market and Van Ness and the Metro Stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center.  For information about MUNI accessible services call (415) 923-6142.  There is accessible curbside parking adjacent to City Hall on Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue and in the vicinity of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue adjacent to Davies Hall and the War Memorial Complex.

The following services are available on request 48 hours prior to the meeting; except for Monday meetings, for which the deadline shall be 4:00 p.m. of the last business day of the preceding week:  For American sign language interpreters or the use of a reader during a meeting, a sound enhancement system, and/or alternative formats of the agenda and minutes, please contact Monica Fish at (415) 355-3709 to make arrangements for the accommodation.  Late requests will be honored, if possible.

In order to assist the City's efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products.  Please help the City accommodate these individuals.  Individuals with chemical sensitivity or related disabilities should call the Mayor’s Office on Disability at (415) 554-6789 or (415) 554-6799 (TTY) for additional information.

Know Your Rights Under the Sunshine Ordinance

(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)

Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public.  Commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business.  This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review.  For more information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, Frank Darby, Jr., Sunshine Task Force Administrator, City Hall, Room 409, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA  94102-4683 at Phone No.: (415) 554-7724; Fax No.: (415) 554-7854; E-mail: [email protected].  Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s website at www.sfgov.org.

Lobbyist Registration and Reporting Requirements

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code §2.100, et. seq] to register and report lobbying activity.  For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at: 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102; telephone (415) 252-3100, fax (415) 252-3112; web site at www.sfgov.org/ethics.

Other Important Information

The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting.  Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.

Copies of explanatory documents are available to the public at Department of Environment, 11 Grove Street, San Francisco, California between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or when possible, on the Department of Environment’s Landmark Tree Committee meeting website or upon request to the Council Secretary, at the above address or telephone number 415-355-3709, or via e-mail at [email protected] within three business days of a meeting.  Explanatory documents that are received after posting of this agenda will be available on the website or by request to the Council Secretary at the contact information listed above.

When bringing handouts to meetings, please photocopy on both sides of the paper and try to use post-consumer recycled or tree-free paper.  Also, please bring sufficient copies of handouts for both the Commission and the public.