30 12 / 2008
The Prop J Chronicles: a post-election progress report. Alternately titled, “OH SNAP!”
For the few people (there have been a few, OKAY!?) who have asked me what the progress toward an independent Historic Preservation Commission has been since the Nov 4 passage of Proposition J, I’ll do a progress report every so often with what I know. Which isn’t really expert level or anything; like any other nuanced aspect of urban policy, it’s a tight-knit field of insiders and I’m not one of the popular kids. Just like in real high school, I’m more of an outsider nerd lurker/idiot savant. Anyway, here is a letter from Cynthia Servetnick (the ASB president of local preservation; she moderates the SF Preservation Consortium’s email list) to the supervisors as they consider the Mayor’s nominations to the HPC. Like any other city commission of appointees, we now prepare for Newsom to nominate whoever he likes with minimal regard for their qualifications (see: the erstwhile, mostly-useless enemy of their consituency, the Taxi Commission.) Luckily, in the case of the HPC, there is an extra layer of approval process. Yay democracy.
For your gossipy pleasure:
Supervisors Daly and Dufty:
I am writing to raise concerns regarding Mayor Newsom’s nominees to the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). HPC members must meet the qualifications set forth in the Charter Amendment (Proposition J) passed by the voters in November 2008 per:
http://www.box.net/shared/086hrb7s4o
Further, the HPC must meet the requirements of the Certified Local Government (CLG) Program in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) per:
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1072/files/clg%20manual%20rev%202007.pdf
The Charter Amendment states:
QUALIFICATIONS. In addition to the specific requirements set forth below, members of the Historic Preservation Commission shall be persons specially qualified by reason of interest, competence, knowledge, training and experience in the historic, architectural, aesthetic, and cultural traditions of the City, interested in the preservation of its historic structures, sites and areas, and residents of the City. Six of the members of the Historic Preservation Commission shall be specifically qualified in the following fields:
Seats 1 and 2: licensed architects meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for historic architecture;
Seat 3: an architectural historian meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for architectural history with specialized training and/or demonstrable experience in North American or Bay Area architectural history;
Seat 4: an historian meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for history with specialized training and/or demonstrable experience in North American or Bay Area history;
Seat 5: an historic preservation professional or professional in a field such as law, land use, community planning or urban design with specialized training and/or demonstrable experience in historic preservation or historic preservation planning.
Seat 6 shall be specially qualified in one of the following fields or in one of the fields set forth for Seats 1, 2, or 3:
a. A professional archaeologist meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Archeology;
b. A real estate professional or contractor who has demonstrated a special interest, competence, experience, and knowledge in historic preservation;
c. A licensed structural engineer with at least four years of experience in seismic and structural engineering principals applied to historic structures; or
d. A person with training and professional experience with materials conservation.
Seat 7 shall be an at large seat subject to the minimum qualifications set forth above.
Former Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Member Alan Martinez, AIA has been nominated for Seat 1, however his attached resume does not indicate he meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for historic architecture.
Former Planning Commissioner Sue Lee has been nominated for Seat 4, however her resume does not indicate she is an historian meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for history with specialized training and/or demonstrable experience in North American or Bay Area history.
Former Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Member Karl Hasz has been nominated for Seat 6. While he has demonstrated an interest in historic preservation, he does not appear to have special competence, knowledge, training and experience in the historic, architectural, aesthetic, and cultural traditions of the City.
Former Environmental Planner Tammy Chan has been nominated for Seat 7, however she does not appear to be specially qualified by reason of interest, competence, knowledge, training and experience in the historic, architectural, aesthetic, and cultural traditions of the City, interested in the preservation of its historic structures, sites and areas, and residents of the City.
Our CLG status is at stake. I urge the Rules Committee to send all four nominations back to the Mayor’s Office for reconsideration. Certain appointees may qualify for different seats. The nominees to Seats 1 and 4 are most problematic.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Servetnick, AICP eGroup Moderator, San Francisco Preservation Consortium Board Member, Friends of 1800 Director, Save the Laguna Street Campus
P.S. If you’re actually interested in reading the resumes she references, comment on the post and I’ll email you the attachments!
