Commission Meetings - February 9, 2015 - Minutes

Meeting Date: 
February 9, 2015 - 5:30pm
Location: 
Related Meeting Content:
Agenda

PDF: PDF icon 2015-02-09 osb minutes_approved.pdf

 

SMALL BUSINESS COMMISSION
MEETING MINUTES
 
 
Monday, February 9, 2015
5:30 P.M.
City Hall, Room 400
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102
 
SMALL BUSINESS COMMISSIONERS
Mark Dwight, President
Monetta White, Vice President 
Stephen Adams, Kathleen Dooley, William Ortiz-Cartagena
Irene Yee Riley, Paul Tour-Sarkissian
                  
  1. Call to order and roll call.
This meeting was called to order at 5:31 PM. Commissioners Adams, Dooley, Dwight, Ortiz-Cartagena (arrived at 6:07 PM), Tour-Sarkissian, White, and Yee Riley were present.
Staff in Attendance: Regina Dick-Endrizzi (Executive Director).
 
  1. General Public Comment (Discussion Item)
 
No members of the public requested to speak.
 
  1. Presentation and Discussion on the City and County of San Francisco Economic Strategy Report.  (Discussion Item)
Presenter(s):       Ted Egan, Chief Economist, City of San Francisco
                        Todd Rufo, Director, Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD)
 
Director Rufo provided an overview of the current progress of the economic strategy being implemented, as required under Proposition I. The City's economic strategy is focused on creating 30,000 affordable housing units to provide spaces for middle class residents to live in the city, which would then benefit the surrounding neighborhoods and small businesses.
Mr. Egan reviewed San Francisco's economic performance from 2004 to 2010, noting that the city went through two complete business cycles: the first in 2004 when the city was at the trough of the dotcom crash and the second when the city was in the trough of the great recession.  He noted that the currently high cost of both residential and commercial real estate discourage job growth and business expansion.
Commissioners Adams and Dwight commented on the lack of a middle class in San Francisco and the challenges faced by workers who must commute (traffic and public transit delays). Commissioner Tour-Sarkissian asked how low-wage demographics continue to grow during flat economic periods, how acute the problem is, and how low-wage workers can be accommodated. Commissioner Dooley applauded the focus on creating affordable housing to combat the negative effects high-cost real estate have on communities and small businesses. Commissioners Yee Riley and White noted the importance of having affordable housing in San Francisco to help small businesses succeed.
 
  1. Informational Briefing on the City’s Disaster Assistance to the 1/28/2015 Mission Business Fire Victims. (Discussion Item)
Presenter(s):       Todd Rufo, Director, Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD)
 
Director Rufo discussed the fire in the Mission District and the 37 affected businesses. He noted the inter-agency coordination between Office of Economic and Workplace Development, Office of Small Business, Department of Building Inspection, and the Fire Department that streamlined the process of helping businesses recover.
Commissioner Dwight expressed interest in tracking the recovery progress of the affected businesses. Commissioners Adams and Ortiz-Cartagena applauded the efficiency of the departments in providing aid and connecting with businesses in the district immediately after the disaster happened.
 
  1. Director’s Report (Discussion Item)
 
Director Dick-Endrizzi discussed new start-up inquiries regarding online "sharing" platforms, a portion of which are food related and take place in personal residences. These startups may raise unforeseen issues in the future and the Director commented that she planned to meet with OEWD officials and the Department of Public Health to discuss how to accommodate those businesses. Starting February 2nd, 2015, any individual registered as a host on a home-sharing site must register as a business and file for the transit occupancy tax.
Commissioner Dwight suggested creating a tab on the Small Business Portal online for anyone who needs to file for the tax. Commissioner Ortiz-Cartagena asked how much outreach the host-sharing sites were providing to individuals.
 
  1. President’s Report (Discussion Item)
Commissioner Dwight thanked other Commissioners for electing him as President and reported on the first meeting to prepare for Small Business Week.
 
  1. Vice President’s Report (Discussion Item)
Commissioner White congratulated Commissioner Dwight on his appointment as President, thanked the other Commissioners for voting for her to serve another term as Vice-President, and reported her experience at the Urban Solutions: Emerging Women orientation, where she represented the Office of Small Business.
 
  1. Commissioner Reports (Discussion Item)
Commissioner Yee Riley participated in the interview panel. Commissioner Adams attended the Council of District Merchants. 
 
  1. General Public Comment (Discussion Item)
No members of the public requested to speak.
 
  1. New Business (Discussion Item)
None.
 
  1. Adjournment (Action Item)
Motion: Commissioner Adams made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
2nd: Commissioner Yee Riley.
 
The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 PM.